Chapter 9
The next day, after school, I went to Grandma’s shop and brought my Book of Shadows with me so she could read through it. There were no customers when I entered the store, and Grandma was sitting in a wooden chair near the register reading an ancient-looking tome.
“Hi, Lollipop!” she said, getting up and coming over to give me a hug. “How was your day?”
“It was good,” I replied, following her back behind the counter.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my book, handing it to her.
“Wonderful! Did you already write your spell?”
I nodded.
Grandma flipped open the book and began perusing the pages, while I wandered around the store feeling a bit self-conscious.
“I can’t believe this,” I heard her say.
“What?” I asked, wondering instantly what I’d done wrong.
“How did you know the correct ingredients for your spell and the proper moon phase?”
“I don’t know. It just seemed like the thing to do,” I explained to her, feeling a moment of glee that I’d done something right. “A white candle seemed pure, and aloe is known for its healing. As far as the moon goes, I have no idea where that came from,” I added, laughing.
“Well, it’s a very good spell,” Grandma said. “Simple, yet to the point. I also find it very enlightening that you wrote it specifically for Vance.”
“He’s very important to me.”
“I’ve noticed the connection. He’s a good kid, and the two of you have good karma together,” she replied with a smile.
“Well, he still worries about the negative energy attached to him. He’s afraid he’ll do something to hurt me or my family.”
“I wouldn’t brush off his worries. It’s a legitimate concern,” Grandma agreed. “He’ll probably always have some sort of attraction to the dark side. I guess the important thing is, he doesn’t want to be that way. As long as he’s fighting it, then he’s progressing.” She paused then, taking another glance at my book. “I think you should give him a call, and tell him to come down here.”
“Okay,” I said, all of a sudden wanting to test his proclamation that I called to him mentally.
Grandma handed me the phone, but I denied it.
“I want to try something else,” I said. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and centered the energies running inside me before speaking.
“Vance, come,” I said, though I felt extremely foolish doing it. I opened my eyes and looked at Grandma.
“Has that worked before?” she asked, seeming skeptical.
“I’ve never tried it,” I said, laughing. “Vance claims I subconsciously call to him. I want to see if there’s any validity to his claims.”
“He says you call him?”
“I guess, when I have bad dreams and stuff he says he can hear me calling him,” I explained. “And he said something yesterday about being able to hear my thoughts, but we were interrupted before I could ask him anything further”
“Was this before or after you joined the coven?” she asked.
“Before,” I replied. “I’ve slept like a baby ever since my initiation.”
“That’s interesting. What were your dreams like?”
“They’re hard to explain—this thick intense fog creeps in and envelopes me. It scares me. There’s presence that comes with it. I don’t know what it is, but it feels dark and ominous—creepy. I always run, afraid something is chasing me. I usually wake myself up, except for the last time. Vance appeared in my dream and told me to wake up.”
“I think I’ll talk to your dad about this,” Grandma said, looking concerned.
“Why?”
“Well, it could possibly have some significance to what has been going on with Vance and his father. You weren’t protected by the magic of the coven at that time. Perhaps you were sensing something.”
“Oh.” The bells to the door chimed, and Vance entered the store.
“Vance, come?” he asked, shaking his head at me. “Am I like your loyal dog now or something?” He grinned his sardonic grin at me.
“Sorry,” I said apologetically. “I wanted to see if it would work. Apparently it does.” I went and wrapped my arms around his neck, reaching to peck him on the lips.
“You’re forgiven,” he said with a smile, pulling me closer. “I was driving toward your house anyway. So what do you want?”
“Actually, I was the one who needed to see you. I want to show you something,” Grandma spoke. “Come here.”
Vance released his grip and put his arm around my shoulder. We casually walked over to where she was holding my book.
“Take a look at this.” She handed it to him.
He dropped his arm and took the book, leaning against the counter. After a few seconds, he lowered it to look at me. “You wrote your first spell to protect me?” he asked, looking completely amazed.
I nodded, slightly embarrassed now.
“It’s a good spell,” he said, placing the book down and walking behind the counter. He soon emerged with a pair of scissors. “Here.” He handed them to me.
“I don’t want to mess it up,” I replied, suddenly nervous. I loved his hair.
“You’ll only need a bit,” Grandma said. “Just cut some off the very end.”
I carefully selected a spot where my cutting wouldn’t be too noticeable and snipped some of his fine wavy locks into my cupped hand.
“Wait a minute,” Grandma said, going into the back and emerging again in a couple of seconds. She was holding a small, silver locket on a chain. “Put his hair in this.”
I took the locket, gently placed the cuts inside, and snapped it closed. Vance lifted the locket from my fingers and placed it around my neck next to my talisman.
“Wearing this will charge it for your ritual. The more you touch something, the more you charge it with your magic,” he explained, his fingers lightly brushing my skin in a gentle caress as he finished.
“The same goes for your candle,” Grandma added, not noticing the interaction that had set my heart racing. “Go pick the white pillar you want, thinking of its purpose. Use it only for the purpose you intended it for—otherwise, you’ll waste the magic.”
I went to the candles, selected one and carried it to the register to pay for it, but Grandma shook her head.
“These are my gifts,” she said, “in celebration of your first spell.”
“Thanks, Grandma,” I said giving her a hug.
“I have one request,” she added. “May I come watch you work it? There’s a lovely waxing moon right now.”
“Of course you can come. Then I’ll know if I’m doing it right.” I turned to Vance. “Will you come too?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied.
We picked a pretty, little, secluded spot Grandma knew about—under one of the giant, red cliffs which dotted the land. We drove most of the way, but had to set out on foot to get exactly where we wanted.
Grandma sat cross-legged next to us and led a mediation ritual while we waited for the sun to set completely and the moon to begin its ascent into the night sky. It was very serene here, and eventually, we could see the bright stars shining above, and the lights of Sedona twinkling below. The only sound, other than our breathing, was the softest breeze, which rustled the leaves of the foliage every now and then. We sat that way together, not moving, until I suddenly felt the urge that now was the time to perform the ritual.
I stood without speaking, and carefully took the sword and used it to draw a circle in the dirt around the candle, the plant, and myself. When it was complete, I lifted the sword and pointed it in each direction—North, South, East, and West—acknowledging the presence of the elements. Then I walked to where I’d placed the candle next to the aloe plant, carried it to the center of the circle, and lit it. I cut the piece of the aloe plant and squeezed the juice around the circle while reciting my chant.
When I was done, I knelt on the gro
und next to the plant and opened the locket, gently shaking the small pieces of Vance’s hair into the soil surrounding the aloe. I mixed the hair into the dirt. I stood and raised my sword once again, thanking any listening deity, the moon, the earth and her elements, and released my circle. I blew out the candle, picked up the potted plant, and carried it to Vance, placing it in his hands.
“Blessed be, Vance,” I said, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the forehead.
“Blessed be, Portia. Thank you,” he replied, pulling me toward him and placing a soft kiss against my cheek.
I lay awake several hours into the night thinking of all the things that had happened during the last few days. I also pondered about the energy I’d felt flowing through me during my first solo ritual.
Jinx lifted her head and nudged me under the chin with a soft meow. That’s when I heard the tapping at the window. I went and opened it, finding Vance on the trellis outside.
“What’re you doing here?” I whispered with a smile, surprised to see him.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he explained. “You have too many things running through your head.”
“I’m keeping you awake?” I said, wide-eyed.
He nodded. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” I said, moving to the side. He easily boosted himself through the window, walked to the bed, and patted the sheets.
“Come get in,” he said with a nod.
I lifted an eyebrow at him questioningly, but he’d never given me a reason not to trust him, so I complied with the request. Quickly, he covered me and hopped on top of the quilt next to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, so one arm rested beneath my neck and the other rested on top of the blankets. He laid his head on the pillow next to mine, and my heart raced even more. I couldn’t believe he was here on my bed with me.
“You need to get some sleep,” he whispered into my hair, his breath giving me goose bumps as it blew softly against me.
“I know. My mind won’t stop racing, though.” I didn’t have any hope his presence was going to fix that either. Him being here cuddled against me like this caused a whole new set of thoughts to rush through my head.
Vance placed the palm of his hand against my forehead and began whispering words I couldn’t quite understand. Suddenly, I felt very tired and relaxed. My eyes slowly drifted shut while I listened to his quiet mutterings. I wouldn’t have known I’d fallen asleep, except for the fact I was now standing in a large, beautiful meadow full of purple-and-yellow wildflowers. Cedar and pine trees surrounded the clearing, and I could see the tops of red rock cliffs in the distance. A breeze passed, ruffling my hair, and I could feel the golden sun washing over my skin, heating my body.
“There. This is better,” Vance’s voice came from behind me as he joined me in my dream, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned my head back against his shoulder.
“It’s so beautiful here,” I said, looking around to take in the soothing sight.
“You created it. It’s your dream.” He nuzzled his face in my hair.
“I’ve been wondering something.”
“What’s that?” he muttered, placing a small kiss at the edge of my jaw.
“How come you can hear my thoughts—or when I’m calling to you—but I can’t ever hear yours?”
He stopped to ponder this for a moment and shrugged. “I guess I’ve been blocking you.”
I turned to give him a quizzical stare, and he laughed.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t been doing it intentionally. I’ve just become so accustomed to keeping my mind closed as a protection, that I’m doing it now without realizing. You’re so new at this, and your mind is so fresh and unfettered, it’s easy to read you.”
“Can anyone read my thoughts then?”
“No, it’s part of the special connection between the two of us. This is rare,” he said, waving his hand to the scene in front of us.
“So I could read your thoughts, if you’d let me?”
He turned me so I was facing him and lifted my arms so they were around his neck. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he gazed deeply into my eyes.
“Read away,” he said softly.
A shock traveled through my system, and suddenly, I was connected to him. His emotions flooded through me in great waves, and I started to tremble.
“Don’t scare her.” I could feel him begin to pull back a little.
“Stop,” I said out loud. “I want to see everything.”
The wave overtook me once more, and everything came rushing at me. I could see scenes from his life complete with all the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that accompanied them.
He started with some of his childhood memories. I saw and felt the joy of the sugar cookie secret he’d shared with me, as well as other happy family moments. Then the images in my head changed. His father’s abuse, his mother running away with him all ran through my mind. I wanted to cry over the sorrow and hurt I could feel emanating from him.
The memories changed again.
I experienced his magic with him as he became familiar with its workings. I could completely comprehend everything he did and why he did it. It was like having a life’s worth of lessons handed to me all at once, only from another person’s perspective. After viewing several scenes from this part of his life, things shifted once more.
I saw the first time he’d ever laid eyes on me and sensed his shock when he felt my emotions run through him. He discreetly watched me every day from that moment on, not drawing attention to himself. His longing for the day when I would get my powers, and he could share his secrets with me, rushed through me, and I realized he was terribly lonely.
There was a slight hesitation before the next set of scenes started coming.
“Please don’t stop,” I whispered, staring deep into those blue eyes. “I want to know.”
He let loose, honoring my request, and the most powerful feelings yet began coming from him. Visions of him tossing and turning at night as he dreamed about me filled my mind. Moments of wonder filled me when I saw he’d slipped into forgotten dreams of my own. Many nights, he sat outside my house, or below my bedroom window, giving into temptation once or twice and climbing the trellis so he could watch me sleep. He was always watching over me, consumed with making sure I was safe, yearning to make a connection with me but unable to do so, because he’d promised my dad he would stay away until I knew I was a witch.
I felt an overwhelming sensation then. One I’d never experienced in my life, but I recognized instantly. He was in love with me . . . deeply in love. The attachment was so powerful it threatened to devour him at times, and he was certain we were meant for each other—destined to be together forever.
He shared every ounce of his being with me, unfettered and laid out for me to accept or reject. It was a tremendous gift to give. At that second, my own emotions mingled with his, and I realized I totally reciprocated his feelings. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, pulling him to me and kissing him with everything I had inside.
It was intense.
His fingers tangled in my hair, slipping behind my head to push my mouth harder against his. My lips began to feel bruised as we tried to convey our feelings for one another. My lungs were on fire and felt like they were about to burst from lack of air, but I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to kiss him like this forever. Soon, however, we both had to step back, gasping.
We stood that way, staring at each other, for several moments while we tried to catch our breath, lips swollen and chests heaving. We both started laughing.
The tension broke. He pulled me into his embrace once again, and I could hear the rumbling in his chest while he continued to chuckle.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life,” he said, stroking his hands softly up and down my back.
“Neither have I. Are you sure this is only a dream?” I tilted my head to smile at him.
“Yes, but we’ll need to be careful. When I kiss
you, I don’t ever want to stop, and that could be dangerous.” I could see the fire was still lit in his eyes. “But I won’t ever try to do anything that would harm you. You know that, right?”
“I trust you with everything I am.” I hugged him tightly.
“I’ll do my best to earn that trust,” he said, brushing my forehead with his lips. He suddenly cocked his head as if listening for something. “Your mom is coming to wake you up for school,” he said, starting to back away from me. “It’s time for me to go.”
Instantly, I was standing alone in the meadow of flowers, and I could acutely feel his absence.
“Portia, time to get ready for school, sweetheart,” my mom’s voice called softly.
I opened my eyes, turning automatically to search for Vance, but he was already gone. I thought maybe the whole thing had been some really amazing dream. But then I noticed the indentation still left in the pillow next to mine, and I knew he had really been there.