I typed this out on my new computer and I am so excited. I might actually sit down and work on other One Shots I planned out but never got to just so I have an excuse to use it more often. Anyway, this one is a mix of my own ideas, The Witcher, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. That show is so good I had to do something for it. As always, I hope it's worth the read. Enjoy!

Tonight was the night, the night she half dreaded and half anticipated. By tomorrow she would come into her powers and be a full-fledged witch. She finished her training and completed her home-schooled lessons. They grew harder the further she progressed, but it was all worth it. Trina had gone through the same trial she was about to undertake. After all, a witch wasn't fully protected without a familiar by her side. Which could be any creature or beast, animal or otherwise. She had heard that in rare cases even spirits could be recruited as a familiar. Whatever answered her call was fair game if both parties agreed to the terms. In her opinion, a familiar should be treated as an equal, not as a master and servant dynamic. It would be a living being with feelings and she couldn't bear treating it as anything less.

She checked the time and gasped. She was going to be late. She threw aside the grimoire she was browsing through and launched herself out of bed to get dressed. Her mom and dad had told her that black was traditional, so she found a nice blouse and black jeans, throwing on her sneakers and running her hands through her hair until it sat right. She ran out of her room and down the stairs. She flew out the door and down the front porch steps, only tripping on the last one. She caught herself before falling and continued across the large yard toward the surrounding woods.

Their house was an old Victorian passed down from family to family and came with its own acre of land, separating it from the mortal town nearby. The line of trees up ahead came into view not too long later, and with it, the waiting figures of her parents, sister, and council representative. She skidded to a stop and leaned heavily on her legs, trying to catch her breath while everyone stared at her sternly.

"Miss Vega, I'm glad you could find the time to join us," Lane spoke up in his calm tone. Tori flinched but stood up and met his steady stare.

"I'm sorry," she responded with as much dignity as she could muster.

"I trust you are aware of what you must accomplish during the trial. The results will be evaluated upon your return. We wouldn't want you befriending something that would fail to protect you."

Tori nodded, understanding what needed to be done. Choosing a familiar was just as much her decision as it was whatever she came across. She didn't have to bond with the first thing she met if she didn't want to, but the first was usually the best.

"Yeah, so don't come back with a rabbit or something," Trina added, crossing her arms and giving her little sister a critical raised brow, a small smirk pulling at her lips. Tori scowled at her but didn't rise to the bait. Her father gave his oldest a disapproving shake of his head and a crease of his brows as he steered his youngest to the edge of the woods.

"Don't listen to her, Tor. You've got this. I'll be proud of you no matter what you return with. Between you and me, if it isn't another squawking bird then I'll be more than happy," he began seriously, only for his voice to drop conspiratorially when he spoke of Trina's annoying but fitting familiar. The crow was as crazy and as loud as she was. It wasn't a secret that it drove their dad nuts sometimes when he had to deal with both at the same time. Tori giggled, and he smiled, giving her a hug. He never failed to make her feel better in tough situations. When he released her, she stepped away to face the trees. She took a deep breath, let it out, and then entered.

As she walked, she wondered why she had to be there at such a late hour. The sun was beginning to set and soon the only light source would be from the moon above. She continued forward a few more yards before stopping in a small clearing. She glanced around, noting how silent and still everything was until the light breeze rustled leaves and the branches of the trees. She cleared her throat and began.

"'Spirits of the forest, I pronounce my intentions to thee. Come forth and seek me, an equal we will be. Not master and servant, but familiar, to share our knowledge, our spirit, and our traits. And now, spirits, we wait.'," she called out, a bit hesitantly. She scanned her surroundings once more and let out her held breath when all that answered was the wind. Minutes passed and still nothing. Tori shrugged.

"Ok, I get it. You aren't looking for a relationship. I won't push," she joked, more to herself than anything out there. It helped her to start moving again. Without an answer she would have to keep searching on her own. It wasn't more than ten minutes later when she heard a sound. She looked up from kicking a rock but there was nothing to see. She was just about to go back to her idle game when a shadow passed her peripheral to her right. She turned quickly, but again, there was nothing. The rustle of the leaves on the ground alerted her to someone behind her but a hand settled on her shoulder before she could turn, causing her to yelp, startled.

"Whoa, relax," the person commented, pulling away. Tori spun around to face a girl that looked to be around her age. She took in the other girl, black muscle shirt emblazoned with a wide, gaping white mouth full of sharp teeth. The leather bands strapped on her left wrist were decorated with spikes on some, studs on others. Her nails were painted black. Her black jeans were form-fitting and torn at the knee, leather belt just as spikey as the arm bands. Her black, steel-toed boots were haphazardly tied and well-worn. She was dressed in black from head to toe, obviously preferring that shade. Unlike Tori, who only wore it for the occasion.

If it was up to her, she would have a splash of color somewhere. It wasn't allowed so she had added some white to break up some of the black. Tori pulled her eyes back to the girl's face. She was so pale, but it looked good on her. Full lips were stretched in a laid back but confident smirk. Her eyes were a vivid sea blue with flecks of green and seemed to pop with the help of the heavily applied eyeliner. Her face was round, but her jaw and nose seemed sculpted. Tori wondered how even her slender eyebrows could be so perfect. Her dark hair fell in thick waves down her shoulders, making Tori's fingers itch to touch it.

"I see you're relaxed now. Maybe too much," the girl observed with a tilt of her head, amusement in her voice. Tori snapped out of her bout of ogling the stranger and tried hard to hold back the inevitable blush.

"I-um, sorry, but I don't think I've seen you around here. Are you new to town? What are you doing out here?" she asked, stammering.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Well…I like taking walks in the woods. I do it all the time," Tori responded. The girl gave her a look that clearly meant she didn't believe her.

"You sound like you're trying to convince me rather than tell me," she pointed out. Tori sighed in exasperation.

"Why does it even matter to you?"

The girl seemed to think about it a moment before shrugging with an impish smile.

"I guess it doesn't," she concluded, chuckling.

"Who are you?" Tori questioned, annoyed yet curious.

"Jade West," the former stranger replied easily.

"West? I never heard of that family," Tori said, brows creasing.

"We're small. Not many left," Jade answered, dismissive. Tori nodded, wanting to press further but deciding that it must be a sore subject.

"Ok, well, it was nice talking to you, I guess. I have something I need to do," she said, turning away to continue her search.

"You're looking for a familiar, aren't you?" Jade asked. Tori stopped and looked back at the enigmatic girl who hadn't moved.

"How…?"

"I missed looking for mine. The council was furious. So here I am making up for it. Late is better than never," she explained, tucking her hands in her pockets. She gave Tori such a disarmingly charming smile that Tori couldn't stop the next words from pouring out of her mouth.

"We could stick together. If you want," she suggested, tacking on the decision to turn down her offer. Only then did Jade move forward to stand next to Tori once more.

"Sure. Sounds like a good idea."

Tori smiled, shy from the proximity, but didn't let the newcomer affect her beyond that. She turned away and started walking again. Jade followed along closely, seemingly unaware of personal space. Their shoulders would bump, or their hands would brush. Tori swore she was doing it on purpose. If so, she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of reacting to it. She successfully kept her attention on the task at hand until Jade decided to strike up another conversation.

"I didn't get your name."

"Tori Vega."

"Tori as in Victoria?"

"Yes."

"Hm, that's a beautiful name. Why shorten it?"

The question seemed innocent, but a glance at Jade showed that she was enjoying the light blush that spread along Tori's cheeks. She watched as captivating eyes swept over her face, smirk growing seconds later. Suddenly, their eyes met and Jade's glinted with mirth. She knew that Tori was aware of what she was doing yet that didn't stop her from continuing.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're adorable when you blush?"

Tori grit her teeth, aware that she was quickly resembling a tomato.

"No."

"They should."

"You just did."

"Yeah, but you should hear it more often," Jade rephrased.

"I'm starting to wonder why I even thought this was a good idea," Tori griped. Jade just laughed.

"Only you have the answer to that. So, I've heard a little bit about your family. They aren't really well-known, but they aren't nobodies either," she mentioned, changing the subject, for which Tori was grateful.

"I mean, we aren't at the level of the Spellmans, that's for sure. I wouldn't want to be known anyway. There's too much expectation and there's enough of that from my family," Tori replied. Jade raised a brow at that, interested.

"Average is acceptable," Jade agreed with a single nod. A comfortable and understanding quiet settled on them for the next twenty minutes until Jade broke it.

"It's getting late," Jade said, looking up at the sky.

"I know. I just didn't want to give up yet," Tori sighed, defeated.

"Your family should be proud you even came out here and stayed so late despite the dangers. At least you tried. Had something wishing you harm showed up you wouldn't stand a chance without protection from a familiar. You're lucky," Jade remarked, eyes on their surroundings. Tori managed to stop her next thought from becoming words. She couldn't possibly tell Jade that she felt safe with her. That would just be weird.

"Yeah, maybe I should head back."

Tori turned in the direction of home and Jade followed suit. Tori stopped and so did Jade.

"You're coming with me?" she asked, surprised.

"I just got done saying it's dangerous. Do you really want to head back alone?"

"No."

"Ok then."

"But won't you get in trouble?" Tori questioned. Jade scoffed.

"I do whatever I want."

"Clearly," Tori mumbled. Jade heard her, and a satisfied smile quirked her lips.

"Your family doesn't sound strict," Tori observed.

"Not at all. In fact, we're quite independent of each other. Even if they were, I wouldn't hesitate to rebel. I choose my own path," Jade responded, certain in her resolve. Tori admired her for being so sure. She wished she could be that confident. With her interest piqued she kept up the conversation.

"Where do you live?"

"We're in the process of moving right now but we used to live far from here," Jade replied.

"Do you have any siblings?" Tori asked next.

"No."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. My older sister, Trina is annoying most days, but she also gets me. She takes the time to make sure I'm ok even if she's a bit self-absorbed. She's still a good sister. My parents can get a little over-bearing sometimes, but I know they mean well," Tori shared. Jade's gaze softened, and she looked lost in thought a moment.

"You're a good person," she mumbled, eyes on the ground now.

"What? You didn't think I was?" Tori questioned, a bit offended.

"It's not that. I just approach every person with caution. It's better to be prepared than assume, you know?" Jade explained.

"I understand," Tori agreed. She had her fair share of fake friends she could have done without. People like that hurt her ability to trust, but she was always an optimistic soul. She had to give someone the benefit of the doubt first before judging them. Tori let out a loud sigh and a grumble, rubbing at her face. Jade raised a questioning brow.

"Time to possibly get in loads of trouble for failing," she stated, falsely confident. Jade didn't comment so Tori pushed forward, exiting the woods ahead of her. When she saw her family and Lane waiting she got ready to be reprimanded for returning empty handed. But the looks on everyone's faces said otherwise. All of them were staring at her in slack jawed awe, eyes wide.

"Um, hi? I know I'm not supposed to be accompanied by anyone, but we kinda met up and I swear she didn't help me. As you can see, I couldn't find a familiar," Tori quickly babbled, puzzled when all she got in response was silence. Her dad parted from the others to approach her, eyeing warily resting behind her.

"Tori, who's this?" he asked, voice wavering just a touch. Tori was surprised to hear it.

"This is Jade West. She was looking for a familiar too," she introduced, still confused.

"There's no one by that name. I keep documents on every family and coven. Besides, she doesn't have a shadow and yours is clearly not your own," Lane disagreed. A chill ran down Tori's spine when she twisted around to see what he meant. He was right. Jade lacked a shadow and her own looked like a tall thin figure with horns and long claws. She spun around to face Jade.

"You lied? Who are you!" she demanded. Her mother and sister shifted uncomfortably, and her dad set a calming hand on her shoulder. Jade smirked and crossed her arms.

"I'm your familiar," she responded simply.

"But…you can't be," Tori stammered, shocked.

"She's a specter called a Hym. No one has seen one in a very long time. They're highly elusive and secretive, rarely taking corporeal form. They don't normally wander around out in the open either. In fact, because they are so difficult to track down they were once messengers for Satan, but they were dismissed when they selectively chose to listen to commands," Tori's mom mentioned.

"'It's particularly formidable in that it doesn't outright attack its target but instead feeds on the target's guilt, tormenting them to the point the person goes completely mad or they commit suicide. These wraiths only latch onto particularly despicable individuals who have committed some unspeakable crime. To all others, they remain completely invisible. When they do show themselves to the one they torment, they appear as a tall, shadow-clad, humanoid silhouette with long, sharp claws. Yet Hyms do not sink these claws into their victims. Instead, they sap their strength directly, through inflicted suffering. Speaking in a voice only the victim hears, they drive them to commit acts of violence, aggression and self-harm. A hym will seize on a guilty person's worst fears and weave out of them hideous visions, slowlydriving the poor soul into madness. Those possessed by a Hym are incapable of restful sleep, for they are tormented by ever-more-frequent, incredibly-realistic nightmares. At times the victim will become extremely on edge, yelling pleas or threats at invisible phantoms, or confessing their guilt out loud in the hope that it will end their torment. This act does not, however, bring any relief, for the Hym will not leave until it has addled its victim's wits completely or driven them to death.'," her dad recited, recalling the passage.

Tori looked dazed, slightly pale and stunned.

"Reveal yourself," Lane ordered Jade, stepping forward.

"That isn't up to you," Jade sneered, a threat laced within her words for the first time. It took Tori by surprise, having only heard soft tones so far. Lane looked to Tori who belatedly realized that she had to be the one to give the order.

"Jade, please," Tori requested. The disguised Hym softened at her behest for only a second before her expression hardened. She nodded and stepped back. They watched as long pitch-black horns curved from her head. Her black nails grew to sharp points. Her irises took on a glowing hue and her smirk revealed fangs.

"This is all I'm willing to show," she told them. Tori stared, having a hard time forming words. Jade turned to face her.

"I'm not sorry that I lied. It's kind of in my nature to mess with people," she said with a shrug. Tori pulled away from her dad, face red with anger. Her family could see an angry rant coming on and were right when Spanish words flew from her mouth. Each word was rough and sharp, amusing and entertaining Jade. She chuckled at the cute display and moved to encase her shoulders in a cold grip. Tori stopped mid-sentence, gasping at the contact as well as the drastic temperature change.

"Look, even if I lied, I didn't follow you around for nothing. I was evaluating and testing you, trying to decide if I wanted to accept your offer or not. Obviously, if I'm still here, I accepted. I'm your familiar. If you want me," Jade told her, voice oddly soothing. Tori relaxed under her hands, strangely touched.

"Yeah. I'd like you to be my familiar," Tori confirmed. Jade nodded and dropped her hands.

"Then it's settled."

"I have to say, I'm impressed Miss Vega. You'll be an exemplary witch with a Hym by your side. Good luck to you. I'll return to the council with my report and update your file. Until another time," Lane said in farewell, bowing before disappearing.

"You guys go ahead. I need a moment," Tori told her family, gesturing to the house.

"Are you sure?" her mom asked, nervously eyeing Jade.

"I'll be ok," Tori assured her. Her dad draped a comforting arm across his wife's shoulders and directed her toward the house, whispering reassurances. Trina stayed, arms crossed. She glared at Jade and the Hym returned it.

"Just how ugly are you?" Trina sniped.

"Trina!" Tori exclaimed, smacking her sister's arm.

"Maybe one day you'll find out in your worst dreams. Don't hold your breath, though. I reserve my true form for the most depraved, and I doubt you're that bad," Jade retorted, voice lazy and unaffected like she was merely swatting a fly. Trina scowled at her disaffected response and turned on her heel to stride away, muttering under her breath.

"Leave it to Trina to try and challenge you," Tori grumbled, embarrassed and upset by her sister's behavior.

"She's a nuisance, but also an interesting form of amusement," Jade reflected.

"Hey, no tricks on my sister. Unless I say so," Tori began, adding the rest as an afterthought. Jade laughed.

"I like the way you think," she remarked. They began walking home, silently following the dirt road side by side.

"But really, what do you really look like?" Tori inquired.

"Hideous. An insult to the eyes," Jade answered.

"An insult in terms of what people think or what you think?" Tori wondered. Jade glanced at her.

"What?"

"Do we have the same opinions about what's pretty and what 's ugly? For all I know you could think what we call pretty is ugly to you or what we call ugly is pretty to you. Which is it?" Tori clarified.

"Humans are our usual prey, so we base our appearance off what you wouldn't want to see," Jade explained.

"So you really would be an insult to the eyes," Tori concluded. Jade nodded once.

"But then, does that mean you don't have a 'true' appearance if you can change it? Like, what if you just relaxed and let yourself be whatever you are-" Tori rambled on, to Jade's growing irritation. She snarled and grabbed Tori by the front of her shirt, hauling her in close.

"Vega, shut up. I'd hate to regret my choice and make a meal of you so soon," she warned, smooth voice prickling with tension. Tori temporarily forgot how to breathe, and her heart skipped a beat. Jade quickly shoved her away when the tension between them only increased with Tori's staring. She sighed and averted her luminescent gaze.

"My true form was never meant to scare, but to entrance, to lull prey into a false sense of security. I make it hideous because scaring is preferable to me. We all have our own means of hunting," Jade calmly explained. Tori stood there unfazed, only happy that they were making progress.

"Get that idiotic grin off your face before I remove it," she hissed, but Tori only laughed. The Hym was shocked to receive a hug from the witch instead of recoiling in fear.

"Now I really regret this partnership," she growled under her breath.

"Get used to it. There's more where that came from," Tori replied, pulling away. It was strange to hug Jade, her body hard and cold, but also gratifying.

"You're lucky you're a good person or I would be making your life hell right now."

"Aww, thank you," Tori brightly replied, laying it on thick and knowing she was frustrating the moody specter. Jade only sighed heavily and stopped at the steps leading up to the porch of Tori's house.

"As annoying as you are, I know I've made a choice that will benefit us both. I sense something in you I haven't felt in anyone else. You'll do great things and I'll be there to protect you along the way," Jade vowed. Tori smiled and took Jade's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze.

"And I promise to always treat you as an equal in return. I really hope we can learn from each other, to have a beneficial companionship," Tori responded. Jade nodded then shook off Tori's warm hand. Tori let her, smiling at Jade's stoic expression, and led the way up the stairs. To Tori it was a successful start to an interesting meeting between two very different souls. To Jade, she would be content to follow Tori to the ends of the Earth and keep her safe, as long as she didn't have to suffer through too many hugs.