Intern: A 13 Covens Magical World Adventure (YA)

by Cassandra

  She swallowed, lowered her gaze to the floor, and shook her head, unable to fathom how she could possibly get out of this mess. Then she quickly deduced there was no way to get out of it. The secret was out, and there was no sense in lying to a woman like Ethel Libbons.

  Jessica took a deep breath. Frank meowed as if he felt the need to make the moment more awkward than it already was.

  “He’s my familiar.” The words felt strange leaving her mouth and sounded even stranger to her ears. She hadn’t been ready to disclose that information just yet, but there it was. Out in the open. “I met him that day when I babysat for the neighbors. There wasn’t only a demon outside. He was out there too and tried to get through the window—allegedly, to meet me. After I fought the demon, I almost killed the imp, too. But he told me he was my familiar. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t tell you then because I was embarrassed to admit that I had an imp for a familiar. That’s why I asked you about them, remember? I wished I had something cooler. Something cuter. Something normal. Like a cat.

  “One day, I came home and found your magic book. I looked through it for a different reason, actually. You see, I wanted to learn a convincing spell to get out of my detentions.” She shook her head. It was too late to take her words back now. The only way through this mess was straight forward. “I wanted to use the spell on my teacher. I did use the spell on my teacher. But before I used it, I wanted to test it. I decided I’d test it out on him.”

  She gestured toward Frank, and he meowed again. “As you can see, it worked. Sort of. I once saw him literally transform himself into a cat. So, I thought I could make him believe he was a cat so that I could have a familiar I wasn’t ashamed of. But the spell didn’t go the way I planned. Now he’s only an imp who thinks he’s a cat. I rushed home after using the spell on my teacher to get out of my detention. I had to do that because after being late for class today, she gave me detention for two weeks. I planned to try to find the reversing spell tonight. And…and, well… That’s it, I suppose.”

  Jessica dragged in a deep breath, having delivered the long and sorry story in one go. She stared at her feet the whole time but she finally looked up to see how Ethel had reacted.

  At best, her grandmother would forgive her. At worst, she would go off on her, laugh at her for having an imp as a familiar, and then lift the spell on her teacher so that she had to serve every last one of her detentions.

  “Your familiar is an…imp?” Ethel looked at the creature she held, a rather dumbfounded expression on her face. “Well, that’s interesting.”

  She studied her grandmother carefully because she remembered all too well the way she had reacted when she first asked her whether it was possible for familiars to be imps. Her expression now was quite different from how it had been before. At that moment, she wished she could read minds. She desperately needed to know what was going on in Grandma Ethel’s head.

  Jessica cleared her throat. “Are you upset? Is this bad? To have an imp as a familiar, I mean. I already know the rest is bad.”

  Ethel slowly shook her head. “No, no. Not exactly. And I never meant to make you think having an imp as a familiar was bad. I wish you had told me.”

  She waited in the hope that her grandma would elaborate on the matter. When it became clear that no such elaboration would occur, she sighed again. “Well, is there a reversal spell that can fix him?” she asked instead. “I don’t want to leave him like this.”

  “Oh yes, there’s a reversal spell. You know what else? There’s a spying spell too.”

  Jessica blinked, confused.

  “I knew you’d snooped through my things and looked through my spell book, Jessica. Did you really think you could pull one over on me, Jess?” Ethel shook her head. “You should have asked me rather than attempt to play junior detective, you know. For the record, that’s always the best way to go. Ask. Don’t go through my things without my permission.”

  She lowered her gaze to the floor again. “I’m sorry, Grandma.”

  “Don’t I know it. Sugar, you have to slow down. You keep biting off more than you can chew. You have no formal training yet here you are, attempting to cast spells on your own.” She chuckled. “I admire your ambition, but I need you to use your head a little. You’re smarter than this.”

  Jessica shifted her weight. She was uncomfortable with the reprimand but knew she deserved it.

  “Before you jump into serious spell-casting, you need to learn the core basics,” Ethel continued. “Lucky for you, I can teach you that.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really? You will? Thank you!”

  “Hold your horses. You know good and well I have to ask your parents before we start anything, and you know your mother will be a tough sell. Since she’s allowed you to stay with me in the first place, she might be a little more open to it. Let’s hope so, at least.”

  Jessica nodded. “All right. Once you’ve spoken to her—”

  “And once you’ve spoken to her,” Ethel cut in.

  “And if she says it’s okay.”

  “Then we’ll begin training, I suppose.”

  She was so excited that she bounced on the balls of her feet. The prospect of having to talk to her mother about magic was a little daunting, but she had wanted to have a serious talk with her for a while now. In light of recent events, it felt like the time was finally right.

  Ethel cleared the living room table and placed the imp in the middle of it. Jessica stood beside her and watched with rapt attention.

  “All right. Reversal spells are always a little more complicated. When you cast a spell, you should always be sure you really want to do what you’re about to do.” Ethel raised a finger. “In fact, consider that rule number one of witchcraft. Approach each spell as if you won’t ever be able to reverse it. Then ask yourself if it is still worth casting.”

  Jessica nodded. “That sounds like a good rule.”

  “It is. Especially for a young witch like yourself, who’s only getting started.”

  Frank moved to the edge of the table as if ready to leap off, but Ethel caught him. “Not so fast, you ugly little thing.” She placed him back in the center of the table and angled her head to stare into his eyes. “As you already know, eye contact is integral.”

  “Right,” Jessica agreed.

  “Go ahead, look him in the eyes.”

  She stooped beside her grandmother to look into his eyes.

  “Now, because you essentially changed this poor little guy’s identity, you need to think about who he was before. Who he really is. I’d do it myself, but this is my first time meeting the little bugger. I’m not familiar with his real personality.”

  Jessica nodded. She did her best to remember the imp’s true personality. She remembered his smug expressions and somewhat arrogant ways. The dislike he’d had for Jessica.

  “Got it?” Ethel asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Frank.”

  “Frank?”

  “Yeah, Frank.”

  Ethel shook her head. “And here I was, thinking I’d seen it all. The world gets weirder every day. An imp named Frank. Who would have thought? I always assumed they had names like Booger and Fart Sparkles!”

  Jessica looked sideways at Ethel. “Come on, Grandma. Stay focused.”

  “Sorry, sorry.” The old lady shook her head as if to clear it. “Where was I? Oh, yeah! Think long and hard about who Frank really is. And then say these words very carefully. Articulation is key here. I’ve seen witches mispronounce a word and damn near raise the dead by accident. You say ‘I call you forward to return. Frank. Frank. Frank.’”

  She raised her eyebrows. “That’s it?”

  “Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of it. If you don’t know the core of who someone really is, the spell will never work. If he is really your familiar, you should be able to pull it off. You two should have a connection stronger than either of you realize. If you had done
this to a stranger?” Grandma asked. “You’d probably never be able to reverse it.”

  Jessica swallowed. She hoped Grandma Ethel was right about her and Frank being connected. At the end of the day, he did still feel like a stranger. If she wasn’t able to return him to normal, she would never be able to forgive herself.

  “What happens if it doesn’t work? Like, would we have to find someone who knows him better?” She felt panicked even asking the question as she had no idea how she would be able to find someone who knew him better. Crazily, she envisioned summoning random imps and asking if they knew Frank.

  She got a headache just thinking about it.

  Grandma Ethel waved her hand. “We don’t need to worry about that unless it doesn’t work. And trust me, I’m fairly certain it will. Something tells me you weren’t hiding an imp in your room for no reason. He really is your familiar.”

  Jessica closed her eyes and concentrated on everything she knew about Frank, which wasn’t much. She tried to replay all their prior encounters in her mind and recall as many details as possible. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked directly into his large eyes.

  He meowed at her and licked his hand like it was a paw.

  She took a deep breath and spoke in a clear and concise tone. “I call you forward to return. Frank. Frank. Frank.”

  The imp stopped licking his hand and looked at her. For the first time in the past day, he stood upright on two legs. He swayed on the spot for a moment. Much like Ms. Mitchell, he looked momentarily like he had been hypnotized. He blinked. In another moment, he scowled at her.

  Jessica smiled. If he looked at her like that, the old Frank was back.

  He gagged and stuck his tongue out in utter disgust. “Why does my mouth taste like cat food?” He launched into frenzied coughing and hacked and hacked until he spat up a fur ball.

  “What the hell?” His eyes blazed angrily. He folded his skinny arms over his small chest.

  She squirmed. “I’m sorry, Frank.”

  “I’m already tired of hearing that from you. What did you do now?”

  More than a little uncomfortable, she scratched her ear. “Remember when you teased me?”

  “I teased you?” Frank huffed. “I did no such thing.”

  “You did. When you said that you wished you could request another witch. And I said that I wished I had a cat instead for a familiar. And then you turned into a cat and disappeared?”

  Frank narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like where this is going.”

  “Well, I sort of cast a spell on you to make you think you were a cat.”

  “You think my comment justified you turning me into a cat? That is not a proportional response.”

  “No! No, it was not justified. That’s why I’m sorry. I truly am.”

  Frank yelled so loud and so fast that Jessica couldn’t understand what he said. She thought he probably cursed at her in his own imp language. When she couldn’t stand to hear it anymore, she yelled over him.

  “Frank! Frank! This is my grandmother, Ethel Libbons.”

  The imp stopped yelling immediately and turned his gaze toward Ethel. Just as Jessica had hoped he would, Frank was visibly impressed. Her grandmother really was something special in the magical world if even imps were impressed by her.

  Ethel bowed. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Frank.” Her tone was considerably more formal than it had been when she’d said his name should have been Booger or Fart Sparkle.

  “How do you do, ma’am.” The imp bowed back as he spoke. Jessica had never heard him speak so politely before.

  “You’ll have to excuse my granddaughter, Frank. She’s a new witch and still has a lot to learn. I know my Jessica, though. Her heart is never far from the right place.”

  “Hmph.” He was no longer quite so impressed.

  “May I ask what happened to your hair?” Ethel pointed to the bald patch on top of his head.

  “Your good-hearted granddaughter happened to it, that’s what. She ripped it out with a car sticker.”

  Ethel turned toward Jessica, utterly baffled.

  “He scared me,” Jessica explained. “While I was driving. I slammed on the brakes.”

  “She shot me into the windshield and I got stuck. She couldn’t be bothered to delicately free me.”

  The old lady shook her head and sighed. “If you give me a moment, Franky, I’ll have you fixed up in no time. I only have to get the supplies. Your hair will be good as new.”

  “Can’t you use a spell? Or better yet, teach it to me?” Jessica asked.

  “I would prefer not to be the target of any new spells cast by novice witches,” Frank grumbled.

  “There is a spell,” Grandma Ethel answered. “But it involves herbs to make a lotion. So I still need supplies.”

  “Can you be so kind as to find a spell for bumps too? I’m still pretty sore.” He pointed out a few knots on his head that Jessica hadn’t noticed before.

  “Oh dear. How’d you get those?” Ethel asked.

  “Same car mishap she told you about.”

  “I’m sorry. Geez!” Jessica cried. “You know, you’re lucky that all you have is some bumps and a bald spot. You scared me half to death, you know that? I could have gotten into an accident. Everything could have been much worse.”

  “Oh, save your sob story.” Frank stuck his tongue out.

  “All right, you two,” Ethel warned. “As for you…” She turned toward Jessica. “You really have to learn how to take better care of your familiar. Any respectable witch knows that she should be on good terms with her familiar. This is a life-long bond.”

  The imp gave a satisfied grunt of approval.

  Jessica felt herself involuntarily pout, which made him roll his eyes. She didn’t exactly like the phrase ‘life-long’ and didn’t like being blamed for everything, either. It wasn’t like this entire mess was all her fault. He hadn’t been all warm smiles and sunshine since he’d popped into her life. Why he stood there playing the victim was completely beyond her.

  “Jessica.” Ethel interrupted her thoughts.

  “Huh?”

  “I’ll patch Frank up. Why don’t you pay your parents a visit?” She gave her granddaughter a meaningful look. “I’m sure you and your mother have some things to talk about.”

  Jessica exhaled a long breath. “Yeah, I suppose we do.”

  “The sooner the better. Frank and I will be here when you get back.”

  “All right.” She went to retrieve her car keys.

  As she drove to her parents’ house, she tried to imagine how things would play out. She could already envision her mother’s tight-lipped expression. Her father would probably walk away from the discussion altogether.

  Then again, as Grandma Ethel had pointed out, they allowed her to stay in a witch’s house. Maybe, just maybe, they had become more lenient.

  I guess I’ll find out soon enough, Jessica thought.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jessica’s nerves caught up to her as she pulled up in front of her parents’ house. She sat in her cold Jeep for a moment and simply stared at the house. Even though it hadn’t been that long since she started living with Grandma Ethel, it already felt like forever since she’d been home.

  She took a deep breath, opened the door, and hopped out of the vehicle. As she walked up to the porch, she wondered briefly whether she should have called first. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to spring this delicate conversation on them abruptly without warning. She supposed if she had called beforehand, it would have been too easy for them to dodge and pretend they were too busy to talk.

  Well, here goes, she thought. She rang the doorbell as she had forgotten to bring her house key.

  For what seemed like forever, she stood there with bated breath. She heard someone shuffle to the door and it slowly creaked open.

  “Jessica!” Theresa pulled the door all the way.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  She stepped aside to let Jessica in. “What are doing
here? Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to stop by.”

  Theresa raised an eyebrow. “Really, now?”

  “Okay.” Jessica sighed. “Truthfully, I need to talk to you and Dad about something important.”

  “Well, your dad left for the store a minute ago. Do you need me to call him back?”

  Jessica thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. She supposed her father didn’t really need to be a part of the conversation. Plus, if the truth be told, he would probably prefer to sit this one out, considering the topic. “No, that’s all right. It’s really you whom I need to talk to.”

  Theresa’s eyes widened. “Is this about a boy?”

  “No! Geez, Mom.”

  Theresa breathed a sigh of relief. “All right. Just checking. Because I know you’re getting to that age. If we need to have a talk…” Jessica didn’t like the way her mom spoke. That wasn’t the way this conversation was supposed to go at all.

  “No! That’s not it.”

  “If there’s ever anything you need to tell me, you can.”

  “Mom, stop it. No. That isn’t what this is about.”

  Theresa held her hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Well, are you hungry?” she asked to fill the brief awkward silence.

  “Not really. I’ll take a small snack, though.”

  After a much-needed few minutes of silence, Jessica was seated with her mother at the kitchen table where both munched on cookies and sipped hot chocolate.

  “So, what’s this about, Jess?”

  She chewed thoughtfully and tried to determine the best way to bring up what was clearly a sensitive subject.

  “Jessica?”

  “Mom, why didn’t you want to be a witch?” The question escaped from Jessica’s mouth before she could sugar-coat it.

  Theresa blinked, thoroughly taken off balance by the question. She had leaned forward, waiting for her daughter to speak. Now, she straightened in her chair and exhaled a long, slow breath. “Did my mother put you up to this?”