“Acacia!” Travis yelled as I ran around the field. I laughed out loud and ran in even bigger circles in order to stay away from him. He proceeded to chase me until my legs became tired and he caught up to me. He tackled me to the ground, both of us laughing hysterically. We both stood and smiled at each other. He wrapped his arms around me, sighing in content. We pull back and I grabbed his hand.

“You go first,” he whispered. I looked passed him at the sun and dropped his hand.
“This isn’t fair.” I complained. He smiled sadly.
“Why can’t you tell her you just don’t feel the same?” I asked hopefully.
“Acacia, I have already made marriage plans with her, I can’t just cancel them. She really loves me.” He explained.
“Do you love her?” I asked softly.
He looks at the ground and then peers up at me, not answering my question.

“Yes I do,” He whispered. I nod and turn from him, tears brimming my eyes. It’s not fair. We both care for each other very much, but he has promised his heart to another. Emma, the girl with the long blonde hair and the deep blue eyes. I have known her almost my entire life. And Emma was extremely lucky, too; Travis is the most perfect man alive. With his curly brown hair and light brown eyes, he was flawless. And he has the biggest heart. He always shows compassion for everyone, no matter who it is. He got that from his mother, she died when he was very young, only two years of age. It was a shame.

“Acacia.” He calls. I shake my head at him, continuing into town.
I carefully walk back without anyone noticing where I came from. I slip behind a house and walk around the opposite side. I pop out into town and come face to face with Emma.
“Emma! Hi!”
She laughed.
“Hello, Acacia. What were you doing back there?”
I gulped. Oh no, she knows doesn’t she?
“Oh! I was just picking some flowers.” I smile nervously.
“You don’t have any flowers though.” She giggled.
I could feel my cheeks warm as she peered at me, expecting an explanation.
“They were all dead.”
We walk through the town and I look around nervously, hoping nobody saw us. I catch the eye of Matilda, a girl a few years older than Emma and myself. She eyes me suspiciously and I gulp, turning away from her. Emma’s hand leaves mine as she runs forward into the arms of Travis. He picks her up and kisses her softly. I look away, praying that tears do not spill over my eyes.
“Travis, where on Earth have you been?”

“I was just out for a short walk,” he replied, satisfying his maiden. She smiled up at him and he smiled adoringly back down at her. I felt sick. I turn and leave the pair, walking back to my own home. Once I arrive, I hung up my hood and collapse onto a chair, sighing heavily. I stare out the window and watch the smoke drift out of the chimney of the Sanderson House out in the woods. It wafts up into the sky before dispersing into nothingness. I spot Travis making his way towards my small home. I stand from my seated position and busy myself with washing the pots and bowls. He lets himself in and I am immediately overwhelmed by his presence.

“Acacia,” he begins to speak. 
“Yes Travis?” I reply coldly.
“I want to see you tonight,” He states.
I turn and face him, my mouth open slightly.
“Emma will notice our absences; it would be a reckless thing to do.”
“I don’t care. You would be most beautiful under the moon and the stars.”
I stop my movements and contemplate this. I turn to him and open my mouth to speak.
“Meet me under the willows.” I say and turn away from him. I do not face his direction until I hear the door close. A small smile creeps onto my face and I enter my bedroom to ready myself for my meeting with Travis.
Several hours later, I am wearing my most beautiful dress and I have my hair pulled back in a neat braid. I tuck a daisy into one of the stitches in my hair and smile to myself. Soon, I am at our willow and I am greeted by the young man with the light brown eyes. He smiles and takes my hands in his. We close the gap with a small kiss. I hear a twig snap behind us and whip around to see Emma standing there, mouth agape. I jumped away from him and reached for Emma. She tugged her arm away and took at step back from me. 

“Emma, I am so sorry.” I tried to apologize.
“Do not try to apologize for your sins, Acacia Jennings. The good Lord knows what you did. There is no way to make up for this.”
I swallow a lump in my throat and feel tears well up in my eyes. She glares at me and then shifts her gaze to Travis. 
“Come with me,” she says coldly to him.
He silently follows her away from me, walking with a foot of distance between them. I fall to my knees, and cry, thinking of the last time we had been together under the stars.
Emma
I pace back and forth in my small house, thinking about what I had just encountered. How on earth could this have happened? Travis and I are engaged. Why would he sleep with another woman? He promised himself to me, was I not enough for him anymore? No, Travis wouldn’t do that to me. Acacia had to have done this. She caused it. That hag. My eyes widened in realization. Acacia must be a witch. She has to be, there is no way that she was able to convince Travis to be unfaithful unless she used black magic. 
“Emma, it wasn’t my fault.” Travis whispered.
“I know,” I nod at him. 
“Darling, why don’t you go to bed?” I ask.
He nods and leaves the room, walking into our bedroom. A small smile crawls onto my face as I figure out how to solve my problem.

Acacia 
I wake from a long and difficult sleep next morning. I am very anxious to face Emma and Travis. I brush through my long blonde hair and exit my house, walking out into the street. I am greeted with cold glares from my neighbors and mothers shoving their children back inside. I spot Travis down the road, his arm holding Emma’s. I sigh and start towards them, wanting to apologize. She lets go of Travis’s arm and walked towards me, her arms crossed. 
“Emma, please listen to me,” I begged.
“No, you listen. I know that you used your black magic on Travis. He would never be unfaithful to me. You are a hag and you deserve to be punished!” She screamed at me.
“A hag? Black magic? What do you mean?” I ask, baffled.
“I know you are a witch. Why else were you so close to the Sanderson Sisters’ house? You probably helped them kidnap poor Emily Binx!”
“I had nothing to do with that! I am not a witch, Emma.”
“How else did you compel him to betray our marriage?”
I look to Travis with pleading eyes, begging him to stick up for me. But I know that he will not. He only wants to be the innocent victim in the situation.
“Travis, how could you? You are just as guilty as I am!”
  “How dare you accuse him of that? He would never do that to me; to us. You are a witch and I will make sure that all of Salem knows that!” She exclaims.
I turn from her and run to my home, emptying all of the contents that were in my stomach on the floor. I sigh and wipe my mouth. I grab a bucket and a rag and try to clean the mess. This is a disaster.
A short while later, there was a knock on my door. I wipe under my eyes and open the large piece of wood. Before me, stood the head of our small community, Mr. Jonas Arthur.
“Acacia Jennings, you have been charged with the use of black magic and witchcraft. On February 28th of the following year, you will be hanged as a punishment for your crimes. Good day.”
I nod and close the door to my home, pressing my forehead to against the rough wood. Emma did it. She convinced our entire community that I am a witch. I turned and pressed my back to the door and slid down to the floor, drowning in my own tears.

*A Few Months Later*

“Push Acacia!” Mary cried.
I grabbed her hand and squeezed, letting out a strangled cry. I heard the small scream of a child and looked down. A precious baby girl was placed in my arms. My baby girl. I smiled down at my daughter as tears of joy cascaded down my cheeks. I look to my side and smile at Travis, who is crying just like me. I laugh and place his daughter gently in his arms. He smiles at her and then at me. He places a kiss to her forehead and hands her back to me.

“You would’ve made the most wonderful mother, Acacia.” He whispers. My smile drops and Mary exits the room along with the other women who had helped deliver my daughter. I feel the urge to cry again, but this time, not out of joy, but out of sadness. In only two days, I was to be hanged for practicing witchcraft. It was because of Emma’s outburst only a few months before. She is not all to blame, however. It is partially my fault, for I involved myself with an engaged man. Travis stands from his chair and smiles at his newborn child. 
“I must get back to Emma, she is expecting me.”
I nod and watch him leave. I hear my daughter let out a yawn and I smile down at her.
“Now, what shall I name you, little one?”
My precious baby girl gazes up at me, a look of wonder set upon her face and imbedded into her deep blue eyes. And then I know.
“Cordelia. My jewel of the sea.” 

I was perfect, just like her,
A few hours before the trial, friends and neighbors visit me. I am most shocked to see Emma enter the room. 
“Hello, Emma.” I stand with Cordelia cradled in my arms.
She approaches me cautiously, eyeing the pink bundle.
“Is that her?”
I nod and walk forward, placing Cordelia into her arms. She hesitantly cradles her, eyes wide
“She has your eyes.” She whispers.
I nod and smile softly before a feeling of despair overcomes me.
“Emma, can you do something for me?”
“Of course.” 
“I need you to take care of Cordelia for me. Be her guardian along with Travis.”
“Me?” She asks, startled.

I nod, unable to say it a second of time. I should be the one taking care of her, but sadly, that is not an option anymore. She nods and hands her back to me. I look into my daughters eyes and watch as she smiles at me for the first and last time. I begin to cry and hold her close to me. 

“I love you so much Cordelia. But you will be safe with Travis. He loves you almost as much as I do.”

She grabs ahold of my thumb and continues to smile up at me. One of my tears lands on her tiny cheek and I wipe it away carefully. I look up at Emma and hand her my daughter. Cordelia begins to cry and I can’t help but sob harder. I turn to leave, knowing I only have a few minutes left.

“I’m sorry.” Emma says from behind me. I stop, think for a moment and then continue on. I could not forgive her, it wasn’t possible. Perhaps she knows trusting her with my first and last child is a sign of peace. I walk up to the platform and climb onto the box. A rope is fastened around my neck and I begin to silently cry. A small crowd has gathered to witness the final moments of my life and the first moments of my death.

“Acacia Jennings, you are being hanging for practicing the use of black magic. Do you have any final words?” 

    
I look around and take in my surroundings. The warm sun on my face. How strange, considering Salem is always rainy and cold. The birds chirping. The sight of the field where Cordelia was created. My eyes land on Travis, who is standing with Emma and Cordelia, a look of despair on his face.

“I love you Travis, take care of our daughter.”

And with that, the last thing that I see is the face of my lover and the last thing I hear is him yell back, “I love you too.”

Emma   
I tear my eyes away as they release the rope and Acacia’s body becomes lifeless. I hear Travis let out a sob before he turns and pushes his way through the crowd. I look down at the tiny child in my arms. The child of my very best friend, the woman I had known my entire life, the woman I’d had murdered. I began to cry, for Acacia, for Travis and for the daughter who now had no mother, little baby Cordelia, the jewel of the sea.