WitchHart: Dark Temptation

Father Eldridge sets the paper down. "We're not lying, just holding back the entire truth. Will knows his mother died saving him from an abusive father, that's good enough."

Outside, Audrey and Will are holding hands while speaking with her dad. "That was a heck of a game. You have a golden arm."

"Thanks Mr. Blake."

"So Will, have you decided on a college yet? I'm sure recruiters are beating down your door."

"There's been a few," Will replies, "Pine Bay isn't exactly on the national radar."

Mr. Blake smiles, "well, let me know if you reconsider BC. I'm sure they would love to have your arm. Plus, I'm on the alumni board and could pull a string or two if need be."

Will extends his hand, "I'll keep it in mind, thanks."

After shaking hands, Mr. Blake exits with his wife and Audrey.

"Was he pitching BC again?" Father Eldridge asks as he approaches from behind.

"A little," Will replies. "Congrats on the sermon. The bits I could hear through glitching speakers sounded great."

"I'll have to get those replaced so you can hear more than bits."

The two share a laugh before walking back into the church.

Pine Bay High is full of excitement with the start of Homecoming week. Will, Hammer and a pair of other players are showered with attention as they walk down the busy hall. Billy, an offensive lineman, and Derek, a linebacker appreciate the star players sharing the fruits of victory. Near the end of the hall, Audrey and Madison are waiting by their boyfriend's neighboring lockers. "You're the man," Billy says before he and Derek head to their class."

"Thanks," Will replies.

Audrey gives her boyfriend a quick kiss. "Everyone loves you baby, but I love you more."

Madison mimics the action with Hammer. "That goes for me too." After collecting their things, they all go to study hall in the library. Hammer and Madison browse for something to read while Will and Audrey sit at a table near the back wall. Half hidden behind a bookshelf, Audrey continues her actions from church. This time, she goes a step further and moves her tan hosed foot into Will's crotch.

Similar to the parking lot, Darla is seated with a view of the couple. She moves her eyes between Audrey's actions and a book about Pine Bay's history. Most of it is useless for her purposes, however, when she gets to 1970, Darla finds a page detailing an incident at Pryce Manor. Told from the responding police's perspective, the account includes a list of evidence found at the scene and a statement from Father Eldridge. Despite Eldridge being vague in his statement, Darla is able to get a decent idea about what happened.

"What the hell?" She softly says aloud while turning the page. The source of this outburst is a set of 4 photographs from the incident. Father James Eldridge, Faith Pryce, her husband John and his mother Victoria. Darla keys in on the Pryce photos, then looks back up at Will." Her concentration is soon broken by a familiar question.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Audrey has caught Darla looking again. This time, Will does not attempt to calm his girlfriend. Darla closes the book and slips it into her bag as Audrey approaches. "You need to keep your freak eyes off of us!"

This draws everyone's gaze as Darla stands. This time, the ginger does not back down. Instead, she leans towards Audrey and whispers, "back the fuck off, or I will tell them all where your foot was."

Audrey processes this for a few moments then turns to the observing room and smiles. "Sorry everyone, I overreacted."

"Please don't let it happen again," the study hall teacher says while waving a finger. "Everyone go back to your work."

Audrey shoots a quick glare at Darla before going back to Will. They are soon joined by the rest of their group. Hammer leans in and asks, "Why didn't you out her?"

Audrey glances around to make sure no one else can hear. "She threatened to expose what I was doing under the table."

"Are you alright dear?" the teacher asks Darla at the front desk.

"Yeah Miss Jenkins, thanks. Can I get the bathroom pass?"

"Of course."

Inside one of the stalls, Darla leans against the wall and closes her eyes while slipping down her denim skirt. This exposes light tan pantyhose with white panties underneath. Darla lets out a soft moan as her hand drifts beneath the hose's waistband. Behind closed eyes, the aroused ginger recalls what she just watched in the library. The sight of Will's cock growing beneath his pants and Audrey's foot prompts another soft moan. "I'd give you everything," Darla says in the midst of another moan. In the fog of pleasure, she doesn't hear someone else enter the bathroom. "Will!" The ginger cries out during a lustful climax."

"Please clean yourself up and report to Principal Hill's office," Miss Jenkins says from outside the stall. "This lewd behavior will not be tolerated."

Given the events from the bathroom, It's put together by Miss Jenkins and the principal that Audrey was telling the truth about the study hall incident. In an attempt to take the blonde down with her, Darla protests, "She was rubbing his cock under the table!"

"That's your word vs hers," Miss Jenkins replies, "Audrey admits to playing footsie with Will. Your actions in the bathroom suggest you're the one with depraved thoughts." Like with Daz, the ginger is stopped from protesting more when Principal Hill cuts her off.

"I've heard enough Miss Boyle, you're suspended for two weeks."

Miss Jenkins goes with Darla to collect her things. While doing so, the ginger spots Audrey in the hall. The two exchange pointed stares as the suspended student is escorted out.

Chapter Three

Charles Boyle sprays himself with cologne before slipping into a gray button up shirt. "First the job, now school, you're on a roll."

"Whatever," Darla replies while eating chips at the table. "I'm guessing that outfit isn't for an interview."

"What I do is none of your damn business."

Darla slams her hand on the chip bag, crushing them in the process. "It is when you spend all our money on booze and sluts!"

Charles shakes his head, "that's rich coming from a girl who was suspended for fingering herself in school!"

Darla gets up in a huff and storms towards her room, before entering, she looks back at her dad. "If mom were here.."

Charles cuts her off, "don't you fucking dare bring her into this." The elder Boyle grabs his truck keys and slams the door on the way out.

With her eyes filling with a mix of sad and angry tears, Darla retrieves the red book. "It has to be tonight."

"I'd like to speak with you in my study?" Father Eldridge says as his son enters the house. Will nods and follows his dad.

"I heard about the incident at school," Eldridge says as they both sit in lounge chairs by a fireplace.

"Yeah, that girl is a bit off."

"It sounds like it, however, I didn't ask you in here to discuss her. I know you and Audrey weren't just playing footsie."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, this isn't a lecture. I can't say I approve, but I'm also not naive to what teenagers do." Eldridge leans towards his son. "Your mother still believes I think it's a racoon sneaking out of Madison's room."

This causes both of them to let out a light chuckle. "I just want to make sure those... actions... are coming from a place of love."

"Yeah, "Will replies," I love her."

Eldridge smiles, "that's good. Evil likes to use lust as a means of tempting people towards darkness."

Not sure how to respond, Will gives his dad and uneasy smile. "I'll keep those words in mind when Audrey and I are together."

Will," Eldridge adds when his son is getting up to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Please keep things behind closed doors."

"Ok."

After Will's exit, Father Eldridge looks deep into the fireplace's flickering flames.

Outside of town, Darla, dressed in a red hoodie and black jeans, adjusts her backpack upon exiting a wooded area. Before her stands the dilapidated Pryce Manor. Caught in a limbo between some citizens wanting to preserve it and others wanting to destroy it, the historical building has been left to rot. A hastily erected chain link fence with numerous warning signs surrounds the old manor. Like other trespassers before her, Darla slips through an opening in the fence and moves towards the back door. She stops as a sudden gust of chilled wind from the bay sends shivers through her body. "No shortage of dark energy here." After a deep breath, Darla pushes open the broken door, aims her flashlight and slowly walks inside.

"No," a faint, disembodied whisper says to the ginger every time she settles on a spot to perform her spell. When Darla enters a den in the manor's north wing, the whisper gets a bit louder, " lower." A look around the room reveals a door on the back wall. When Darla's hand is inches from the knob, chilled wind blows through a broken window and opens the door.

Slowly, the slightly frightened ginger descends creaking wooden steps into a stone cellar. She follows a short tunnel into a large room. It's empty save for an aged, but still solid pine alter. "This is it," she says aloud while taking off her pack. "This place is loaded with dark energy." Darla lights a candle and uses lipstick to draw a pentagram on the alter. After checking her library book, she reads the spell in Latin. "Dico in tenebris imponere vindictam de inimicis meis." This time, the wind is anything but light. It tosses around Darla's backpack and dirt from the cellar floor as she holds onto the alter for stability. The candle is unaffected by this, burning brighter with the flame suddenly turning green. The whisper is now a loud, devious laugh that echoes through the room. Then, the wind stops and a sudden burst of green flame shoots from the candle to a mirror on the far wall. Slowly, Darla releases her grip on the alter and turns to the mirror.

"Well done," the disembodied voice of a woman says from the mirror."

Darla slowly approaches," Who are you?"

Green flame replaces the mirrors reflection and from that a dark silhouette begins to form. Slowly, this morphs into Victoria Pryce.

"This can't be," a shocked Darla exclaims, "you're dead."

Victoria smiles and replies in a disembodied version of her normal voice. "You brought me back." She attempts to leave the mirror but is stopped by a green flash containing her inside it. "Well, sort of."

Darla paces back and forth in front of the mirror before finally asking, "my spell was for vengeance, are you an agent for that?"

"The spell," Victoria explains," is a broad slogan from a book designed for beginners. Despite what the pages say, there is no specific purpose. They are merely a means to conjure magic."

"If there is no purpose, why are you here."

"Simple my dear, I am a powerful witch. Moments before my death, I bonded my spirit to this manor. Despite it's simplicity, your spell created enough magic to give me a more, visible form.

"You were the whisper."

"Indeed," Victoria responds. "Now, if it's vengeance you seek, I may be able to help with that."

Intrigued, Darla takes a step towards the mirror, "I'm listening."

Victoria conjures a green fireball and shoots it at her side of the mirror. The attack goes through, impacting the cellar wall. "As I thought," she says with a devilish grin. "My physical limitations do not extend to magic. I offer you the means for revenge. Nothing is free, so I need something from you in return."

"Let me guess, you want my soul?"

Victoria laughs, "nothing like that my dear. In life, I had a grandson. The prophesized child was to usher in an era of either pure light or darkness. My son and I were killed while performing a ritual to ensure he followed the dark path."

"I'm guessing you need me to help complete that ritual."

"Very good dear, you catch on fast."

Darla remembers the photos from earlier. "Is your grandson Will Hart?"

Victoria closes her eyes, then opens them. "Indeed, the child has grown, this makes our task more difficult."

"True, knocking out an athletic football star is very difficult. I'll probably have to drug him instead."

Victoria shakes her head, "It's not a matter of knocking him out. As an infant, my grandson did not possess the ability of choice. Now that he's grown, Will must choose the dark path."

"Ok...how do I make him choose darkness?"

"Temptation of course."

Darla backs away from the mirror," look lady, I'm not capable of tempting anyone to do anything. Hell, I can't even convince my dad to get a fucking job!"

Victoria forms a devilish smile. "My magic can provide you with the tools you require for this task."

"What tools??

"For example, the ability to sway minds to your will."

"So, I could make your grandson choose darkness?"

Victoria sighs, "Not quite, he'll be immune to this and any other power I grant you, however, you can control situations and people in his life to nudge him in the right direction."

Darla's hesitancy lessens as she approaches Victoria. "And my vengeance?"

"The gifts I bestow on you for Will's dark temptation can also be used for that purpose."

Darla ponders for a few moments, then gets a devilish smile similar to Victoria's. "Alright, I'm in."

"Very good," Victoria replies as she holds an open hand against her side of the mirror. "Match your hand with mine to seal our accord."

When their hands perfectly line up, flaming green energy surrounds Victoria's body. This energy spreads through the mirror until it also consumes Darla. Engulfed by green flame, the ginger cries out and stumbles backwards. Victoria lets out a devilish laugh as Darla's cries echo into the night.

Chapter Four

Charles Boyle and Angel, a raven haired prostitute, drunkenly giggle as they stumble into The Huron Treasure. Despite not having all their faculties, the pair manage to shed their clothes before flopping onto the bed. They both continue to giggle as Angel shifts, mounts Charles's hard cock and rides him like a cowgirl.

"How much did this one cost?" Darla asks from the doorway. She's shrouded in shadow, but something seems different about her.

"Shit," the prostitute says as she dismounts Charles.

Darla steps into the dimly lit bedroom to reveal her orangish ginger hair has turned a deep, blood red and grown two inches. Her freckles have vanished and pale skin darkened a shade. Charles's eyes widen upon seeing this change. Darla's new, plump red lips smile in delight. "Please, don't stop on my account, continue."

Angel re-mounts Charles and they pick up where they left off. Darla moves further into the room and sits in her dad's recliner. This reveals changes in her body and clothing. Her slightly plus-sized frame remains, but, certain areas have shifted and tightened to better highlight curves and other feminine traits useful for her dark task. The black jeans and red hoodie have been transformed into a tight, low cut blouse and mini skirt. Her socks and tennis shoes remade into red, open toe heels and seamed black stockings. Darla takes one of Charles's smokes from the night stand, lights it and blows a ring towards the couple. Their moans indicate they are close to climax.

The transformed teen takes another puff, "not yet." Charles and his lover's moans slow to a normal pace as they continue to fuck. "I bet she likes to be choked, don't you?"

"Yes," Angel cries out between lustful moans."

"You heard her daddy." Charles raises his hands and wraps them around the prostitute's neck. Both begin to let out louder and faster moans. "Harder!" He tightens his grip, her moans become labored as she starts to loose air. "Harder!" Charles begins to make his lover's face turn blue. "Admit it daddy, this will be the second woman you've killed."

"Yes... I...I caused the wreck... I killed my treasure... It should have been me!"

"Finish it!"

Charles squeezes Angel's throat until blood begins to flow from her lips and she turns completely blue. The prostitute's body falls in a heap onto the bed. Darla blows another ring of smoke. "Good job Charles, I have one last thing for you to do."

Outside, the residents of the houseboat community are once again woken by a disturbance from the Boyle home. This time, it's a young woman's scream followed by a clock radio being flung out of the window. Moments later, a terrified Darla runs out. "He killed her!"

"You're next bitch!" A blood soaked Charles screams as he exits the houseboat with a large kitchen knife.

Darla runs behind an armed neighbor who yells out a warning, "back off!"

Charles does not comply and continues to move forward. "I'll kill all of you assholes!"

With Mr. Boyle not backing down, the neighbor shoots.

"No!" Darla screams out as her father falls dead on the dock. She rushes to his body and cries over it as authorities arrive.

Hammer and Madison see the commotion on their way home from a date. "I wonder what happened," Madison asks.

"Do you want to get a closer look?" Madison nods and her boyfriend pulls into an empty parking spot. They walk to the police line in time to see a covered body being wheeled away. Hammer is the first to notice the distraught redhead. "Is that Darla?"

Madison squints her eyes, "I think so." They are slightly startled when Father Eldridge comes up behind them.

"You two should go home. Madison sees the stern expression on her father's face and does not argue.

"He's right, let's go."

After they leave, Father Eldridge crosses the police line and approaches a detective. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course, how may I be of assistance?"

"I've been told the church has a program for displaced teens."

"That's correct, we have permanent reservations at local motels for short term cases and a foster program for long term. Doesn't the state have it's own system?"

"It does, but it's not one I would recommend if there is another option." The detective gestures towards Darla being checked out by medics. "I was hoping you could make some arrangements for her."

"Of course, how soon do you need accommodation?

"She'll be at the station for the rest of the night and most of tomorrow making statements and filling out paperwork."

"I will make some calls, let me know when you're done with her."

"Sounds good, thanks Father Eldridge."

After the priest leaves, Darla is gently led by medics towards the parking area. While passing by the detective, she gives him a subtle wink.

Late the next day, Father Eldridge gets a phone call from the police station. Will catches his dad's side of the conversation while sitting in the study. "Yes, I have a room ready for her at The Bayside Inn." After a pause, Eldridge continues, "I see, well, that's her choice."

"Is Darla alright?" Will asks after his dad hangs up the phone.

"Yes," Father Eldridge replies as he sits down by the fireplace. "Miss Boyle has requested that her father be cremated without a funeral service."

"Why would she do that?"

"Well," Eldridge continues, "despite still having some love for her father, she believes that murderers do not deserve a service."

Will sits back in the chair, "that's harsh."

Father Eldridge explains his take on the matter, "I don't agree with her choice, but understand where that sentiment is coming from."

"So, our church is putting her up at The Bayside Inn?"

Eldridge nods, "Until authorities are done investigating and cleaning the houseboat. She's in room #6 if you'd like to see her."

"That's alright," Will replies, "we're not close."

"You don't need to be close with a person to show them kindness."

Will smiles, "you're right, I'll stop by tomorrow."

Chapter Five

Daz is cleaning up after a busy night while Miss Jenkins eats a piece of pie at the counter. "What do you think of my new recipe Peggy?"

Miss Jenkins swallows her latest bite, then smiles, "It's good, where did you get it?" Before Daz can reply, Darla enters the establishment. The pair are floored by her new look. Neither can stop staring as she makes her way to the counter and sets a plastic bag on it.