It was a fair idea if Penny didn't know that the black witches had turned themselves to vampires. There might be black witches who had not turned themselves and along with that, there were people who were turned which in total went to speak on how every person here was a suspect except for herself, Sister Jera who was out of the question to be suspected as the girl was with her and also Helen who had not stopped glaring at the man as if he would combust himself into ash in time.
This was not going to end and it was going to be in the loop.
"There is no fighting with each other when there's a task to be completed," Penny spoke up for people to turn to look at her, "The council doesn't have a limit when it comes to how many can be qualified. All we need to do is bring the dead bodies to them and try not to kill each other in the process."
"It is easy to be said, lady," came the vampire's words, who stood at the other end leaning himself against the tree, "What if there is only one body and what if there are no bodies?"
"Are you saying you will kill the people to claim them as a dead body?" people started to question each other again.
"Have you no morals?"
"But that wouldn't work, would it? Didn't the councilman say he needed the bodies that have turned old?"
The leaning vampire said, "I don't think any of us have morals here. I am sure we all want to be part of the council and desperately wanting to prove ourselves. I was born a vampire and vampires like me have no morals," he grinned to showcase his fangs that peeked out of his mouth.
"Who knows it might be one of you vampires then," Sister Jera commented and everyone started to point their hands at each other like children with no resolve.
The vampiress next to Jera said, "Pointing at fingers is only wasting our time. We all knew what we signed up for when he started with the first exam. I am going to search the dead bodies but I will tell one thing here, if there is a killer here, beware cause I will kill you if you think about eliminating me," saying that the woman left on her own and the people started to disperse one after another.
Jera looked at the people leaving and she walked towards the tree and her knees went weak as she fell down on the ground as her chest was filled with grief. The young witch couldn't believe that they were dead and no one in here cared about dead people.
Sister Jera's eyes burned and the drops of tears started to fall down from her eyes on her cheeks. The people who had been torn apart were her family in the church. After moving from her parent's home to Bonelake, this was her home where she grew up.
Penny went to stand behind the girl and she placed her hand on her shoulder where the young white witch had her head bowed dead with the silent tears falling down on her lap. She gave the girl the time she needed in grieving the death of her fellow witches and then they started to make a move.
As if the deaths weren't enough after three hours passed they found a pile of bodies that were torn apart in two halves.
Penny covered her face like the rest of them to stop the assaulting smell wafting across her nose. This time Penny and Sister Jera were the first ones to step on the death scene and the people who were passing by caught sight and came to stand in front of it.
"People here don't understand when it was clearly told that there are more seats that are available for people to join into the council," said the vampiress who had left earlier, "They don't understand that they don't have to kill people to step ahead of the rest of them but people don't or won't stop. It is very common for people to do that. I am Sally White," introduced the vampiress.
"Penelope."
"Jera."
Both the girls introduced themselves to the vampiress who stared at them, her deep red eyes looking at them calculatingly before she said, "You don't appear to be humans," this had both of them slightly taken aback by the woman's words, "You smell different."
Sister Jera laughed nervously at the fear of their cover being blown and shredded into pieces, "What do you mean by that, lady?"
The woman continued to stare at them before saying, "I have a sense of smell. It makes it easier to smell the kind of creatures people are," this was no good news at all, "I followed you both to make sure you both weren't the ones who are killing the candidates here. You," said the vampiress pointing at Sister Jera to say, "You are a white witch and you," the woman turned to look at Penny with a frown on her face, "I am having trouble finding out what you are."
Sister Jera was sure now that it was their turn to be killed with the rest of them and though the temperature was cool in the forest with a slight amount of humidity, she could feel her forehead perspire with sweat.
Penny, on the other hand, looked at the vampiress, a pureblooded vampire with a gift meant a person who belonged to the first three generations, "What generation of vampiress are you?" Penny asked in a fearless tone of voice.
Sally happened to shift her eyes to Penny to say, "The third generation of vampires. I see that both of you are barely interested in finding the bodies."
"Are you here to invigilate?" Penny asked to see the woman smile. Did the smile mean yes?
"I don't know what you are talking about," replied Sally, who had Penny wondering if the whole matter was top-secret and she happened to know about the secret of who had joined them in the competition of the task, "There are thirteen people left out of the people who had come here initially. I wouldn't be surprised if the number reduced further."
"Thirteen?" asked Penny, her eyebrows furrowing in question.
"I came across some dead bodies on my way here," answered the vampiress.