Intern: A 13 Covens Magical World Adventure (YA)

by Cassandra

  Jessica shook her head. “I tried asking her, but she wouldn’t say. She said I should ask you myself because it wasn’t her place to tell. So now, I’m asking you because I really want to know.”

  “I guess I should have known this would come sooner or later. How could it not?” Theresa sighed. When she spoke again her eyes were downcast and her words were slow and calculated. “I didn’t want to be a witch. I wasn’t fond of my powers.” She looked at Jessica and took a deep breath, clearly troubled by what she had to say. “When my powers kicked in, I saw the dead.”

  It was quiet enough to hear dust drop. Jessica swore she could hear her mother’s heart beating, or maybe it was her own. She wondered if she had heard her mom correctly.

  Did she say what I think she just said?

  “You saw the dead?”

  Theresa nodded slowly. “As you’re probably learning right now, part of being a witch is seeing things or being aware of things that most people are ignorant of. My mother is part of the life coven. I, on the other hand, had an ability to see the souls of the dead. It was completely out of my control. I usually saw lost and vengeful souls—ghosts who couldn’t or wouldn’t move on, or cross over, whatever you want to call it. I saw them everywhere, no matter how much I wished I wouldn’t. It was simply too much.”

  “You see dead people.” Jessica still tried to wrap her mind around what her mother had told her.

  “Yes. And it was as unnerving and as terrifying as it sounds. Believe it or not, I wasn’t always against the idea of being a witch. I merely wished I could be a part of the life coven like my mother. I tried so hard to do that, but it didn’t work. The dead wouldn’t leave me alone. The more I tried to develop other powers as a witch and hang around the life coven, the more the dead were attracted to me. I had to acknowledge it would always be my primary power. I finally grew depressed and gave up. I stopped my witch training altogether. When I did, I stopped seeing the dead as often. Souls presented themselves to me less frequently. Eventually, I stopped seeing them altogether.

  “The relief I felt was so immense, that I happily gave up being a witch. I knew that I would prefer to live my life as a mundane if it meant I no longer had to worry about the dead disturbing my life on a daily basis. I was determined to raise a mundane family because…well, I hated the thought of my children inheriting my ability. That’s part of the reason you’re an only child, Jessica. I didn’t want to test my luck. I knew that if you were fortunate enough to not be like me, there was still a chance any additional children I had might not be so lucky.”

  Another long silence ensued.

  Jessica stared at her quickly cooling cup of hot chocolate and thought over what her mother had said. On some level, it almost sounded comical—the thought of dead people constantly popping up wherever you looked. In reality, she was sure it was nothing short of terrifying.

  She could see the anguish in her mother’s eyes, and it sent chills running down her spine.

  “Do you understand now?” Theresa asked tentatively as she studied her daughter’s face.

  Jessica nodded. “I do. I get it now, Mom. That must have been horrible for you. I’m so sorry.”

  Theresa waved her hand. “You have no reason to be sorry, honey. Curiosity is not a crime. I knew you had to wonder about this, especially now.”

  “How?” Jessica’s voice faltered as she fumbled to decide which question she wanted to ask. It was hard to think about, let alone vocalize. “Did you see them everywhere? How could you tell them apart from regular people? Or was it obvious?” Her words trailed off as she tried to articulate her thoughts.

  Images of horror movies flashed through her mind. She envisioned ghosts that looked like transparent figures walking through walls. Or worse, walking corpses. Were they like zombies or something?

  “They have a very distinct look,” Theresa answered softly. “It’s hard to explain, but souls look like shadows of their former selves. They aren’t fully there. There’s a vacant and hollow look to them. Their emotional presence is stronger than their physical presence if that makes sense.”

  It didn’t really make sense to Jessica, but she nodded anyway. She didn’t want to press the issue too much as she was afraid her mother would freeze up on her. That was the last thing she wanted now that her mom had finally opened up about her magical past.

  “I understand why you gave up being a witch, but do you ever miss it? Not the seeing dead people part, obviously. But the magical world in general.”

  Theresa pursed her lips for a moment as she considered the question. “I used to think about that a lot. Not so much now, but in the past. Sometimes, I honestly did miss it. Mainly after my dad died. I had already given up being a witch by that point. During the days and months after his passing, I was so tempted to go back to it simply to see him again.” She blinked, her eyes misting over momentarily. “I came so close. But I reminded myself that if I saw him again that way, it wouldn’t really be him. He would be a shadow of himself, and I didn’t want that to be my last memory of him. I wanted to remember him how he was in life.”

  Her mom paused and reached for a cookie that she didn’t really intend to eat. “Do you know what my biggest regret is?”

  “What?” Jessica asked.

  “That my mom left her coven because of me.”

  Jessica thought back to how much Grandma Ethel had loved being in her coven, although she didn’t dare mention such a thing in front of her mother.

  Her mother gave a wistful smile as if she already knew what Jessica was thinking. “My mother loved being a witch. She had quite the reputation, as I’m sure you know by now. Being a witch was her livelihood. It was what she was made for, and she was damned good at it.”

  “She doesn’t regret leaving her coven. She did it for you. She said that as a parent, she would do anything for you.”

  “Oh yes, I know that. Just like I would do anything for you. But just because you would do anything for your child doesn’t always mean it’s what you personally want. I know my mom wanted to stay with her coven, but she left so we could move away and have a fresh start. Plus, on some level, she knew I was jealous. Jealous because I wished I could be a part of her coven instead of the death one.” She paused, and Jessica found herself marveling over the coven differences.

  Theresa continued before she could ask any questions. “When I couldn’t escape the death coven, your grandma knew how badly I needed to get away from the witching world. Being a witch simply wasn’t for me. While I’m glad I left, I regret that my mother felt she had to give up what she loved. But I get it. Because now, as a parent, I want you to have a normal and safe life away from witchcraft. If that’s not what you want, I understand. I can’t force you to live like I’ve chosen to live. Just like my mother couldn’t force me to live the way she lived. Being a witch may not have been for me, but it may be for you, Jess. And you deserve the chance to figure it out for yourself.”

  Jessica swallowed. “I’m still trying to figure it out. I don’t know yet.”

  “You don’t have to know yet. You have time.” Theresa peered at her as if she was looking for something specific. “If you were to be a witch, have you figured out your strength yet?”

  “No. Even though Pastor Norman thinks I’ll make a good demon hunter. Maybe that’s my strength?”

  Her mother shook her head and smiled. “That’s not what I meant. Wait, really? He wants you to be a demon hunter?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Just the other day he offered me a job working for the church as a demon hunter. I haven’t given him an answer yet. I’m still not sure. I suppose that’s not my only option. Chad thinks I should go to witch school. You know, the academy? I think he wants me to be a part of his group. He mentors a lot of students from the academy and they all think I’d do well there. Apparently, a lot of them know I’m Grandma Ethel’s granddaughter and want me there for formal training.”

  “Any granddaughter of the infamous Ethel Libbons is worth
having around.” Theresa smirked.

  “No pressure, right?”

  “Oh sure. No pressure. I know. I’m her daughter, after all. Imagine what it was like for me growing up while she was in her prime.”

  They shared a laugh.

  “Well, what does your heart tell you?” Theresa asked after a moment. “If you choose to be a witch, which of the covens do you think you’d want to be in?”

  Jessica narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, confused. “I don’t really understand all this stuff about covens. I thought witches belonged to whatever coven was near them or something. I didn’t know there were different ones to join.”

  “Your grandmother hasn’t explained the different covens to you yet?”

  “No. I guess she’ll get around to it eventually. She said she would start teaching me herself, but only if I talked to you first. She wanted to make sure you approved.”

  “Well, I’ll give her a call to let her know she can reveal the whole magical world to you. There’s no point in keeping secrets now. You need to know everything so you can make an informed decision about what you want to do.”

  She reached across the table and took her mother’s hand. “Thank you so much, Mom. I really didn’t want to go behind your back with all of this.”

  Theresa laughed. “Well, I appreciate that.” Her expression suddenly turned serious and she gave Jessica’s hand a squeeze. “Just tell me one thing, sweetie. Have you ever seen dead people?”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  Her mother breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. That trait must have skipped you, then.”

  Thank God, Jessica thought. She figured she might as well ask the other question that drifted through her mind. “What about Dad? He’s not a wizard or anything, is he?”

  Theresa appeared to hold back a grin for a moment and then laughed.

  Jessica raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  “Oh, sweetie. There are no wizards. Only witches. Witch applies to both men and women alike. And no, your dad is not a witch. Far from it. He’s as mundane as they come, and he has no interest in the magical world whatsoever. He doesn’t even like to hear about it, as you’ve probably noticed.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve noticed, all right. Why is he so uptight about magic?”

  Theresa shrugged. “Some mundanes don’t like what they don’t understand. I think the magical world is too much for your father to wrap his mind around, so he would rather not hear about it, that’s all. He is another reason why it’s been easier for me to put the magical world behind me.”

  “Mom? Did you ever have a familiar? You know, before you gave magic up?”

  She shook her head. “No. I never got around to getting one. I guess I didn’t stick around long enough. I don’t know. Familiars are tricky. They come when they come. Some witches get them early, some get them late. I suppose I was a late bloomer in that regard, and then I left the magical world before it happened for me. Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “Do you have one?”

  Jessica swallowed and averted her gaze. She nodded slowly.

  “Really? Wow, Jessica. What is it?”

  She groaned. “An imp.”

  Theresa blinked, clearly taken off guard. And then she began to laugh.

  Jessica looked at her mother and pouted.

  “I’m sorry.” Her mom covered her mouth. “I’m not laughing at you, sweetheart. You don’t hear about imp familiars very often. Witches usually get creatures like cats or birds.” She smiled fondly at her daughter. “Out of everything, you get an imp. That’s my girl.”

  “So you don’t think it’s ridiculous?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Well, I do. And trust me, we haven’t had a good start. He doesn’t like me very much.”

  “How long have you had him?”

  “His name is Frank, and I only met him a few days ago.”

  “Ahh, don’t worry about it. The witch-familiar bond is strong. In time, you two will be the best of friends.”

  “I don’t know about that.” She thought about the way Frank had looked at her when she left him with Grandma Ethel. Not to mention all the times she had accidentally injured him. It would likely take time to mend their relationship, that was for sure.

  “Are you all right?” Theresa studied her daughter’s expression.

  “Yeah.” Jessica took a sip of her cold hot chocolate. “This is a lot to take in.”

  “I know.” She gave her daughter’s hand another squeeze. “But I want you to know I’ll support you no matter what you decide, okay? I’m here for you, whether you become a witch, stay a mundane, or even—” She gulped. “Become a demon hunter.”

  She smirked and squeezed Theresa’s hand back in return. “Thanks, Mom.” Her eyes glistened as tears threatened. At that moment, she knew she could never put into words how grateful she was to have her mother’s support. It wasn’t until then that she was forced to realize how much she had craved her approval. Having that felt better than she could have ever imagined.

  A car door slammed outside. “It looks like we finished this discussion right on time. Your father’s home.”

  At that, they both burst out laughing.

  “What’s going on here?” Mark eyed them suspiciously as he came through the door.

  “Nothing, dear.” Theresa winked at her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jessica stayed at her parents’ house for a little while enjoying more cookies, making small talk with her father, and trading knowing glances with her mother whenever he couldn’t figure out what they were laughing about.

  Being around them felt good, like old times before her life became so complicated. She almost wanted to stay and even missed her old bedroom. Then she thought about Frank and knew she had to leave. He was, after all, her imp. That made him her responsibility.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep here?” Theresa asked.

  “I would, but I have to check on…” Her voice trailed off and she gave her mother a meaningful look.

  Theresa nodded. “On something familiar?”

  Jessica nodded. While her father had been out of the room, she had quickly filled Theresa in on everything that happened with Frank and why he needed Grandma Ethel’s healing services.

  “Huh?” Mark’s face contorted with confusion. “Something familiar like what?”

  She fought the urge to laugh again. “Nothing, Dad.”

  Her mother pulled her into a hug. “Drive safely.”

  “I will.” She hugged her father goodbye.

  The visit had done her good. She’d left her grandmother’s home worried about almost everything, but as she drove back, she felt considerably calmer. For some reason, she even felt more confident about having to face Frank.

  “Good news, Grandma.” Jessica stepped through the door and hopped over the ever-present cats. “My mom said everything is all right. She’ll probably call you, but she said that you can reveal the whole magical world to me. So it’s all up you to, Grandma. Grandma? Where are you?”

  “Back here, child,” Ethel called from the kitchen.

  She made her way to the back of the house. “Did you hear me?”

  “We all did. Congratulations.”

  Jessica stopped in the kitchen doorway to find Chad, Todd, and Pastor Norman helping to gather dishes. She had obviously been too excited to notice Chad’s Mustang.

  She waved. “Hey, everyone.”

  Chad turned toward her. “We didn’t forget about you. I know we were supposed to meet this afternoon when you got out of school, but things got busy. We haven’t visited the coven yet, so you didn’t miss anything, in case you were wondering.”

  Jessica slapped her forehead. When she woke up that morning, she had looked forward to visiting the rogue coven with them. As the day wore on and she was left testing spells, dealing with Frank, and visiting her mom, it had eventually slipped her mind. “I almost forgot that. So what’s this?
Are you guys getting ready to leave now?”

  Pastor Norman shook his head. “It can wait until tomorrow. But I could most certainly go for some of your grandmother’s cooking right about now.” He held up a stack of plates and headed to the dining room. “Besides, we have an imp to deal with.”

  She spun to face her grandmother, her eyebrows raised.

  “Go wash your hands, Jessica. Dinner is ready. You got back just in time.” Ethel ignored Jessica’s look and instead, she pulled a homemade loaf of bread from the oven.

  Jessica was reasonably certain that Ethel simply tried to distract her. She approached her grandmother hastily and spoke in a low voice. “Is Frank all right?”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Relaxing in your room.”

  “Did you tell them about him?” She couldn’t keep her surprise from her voice. While she had stalled when it came to introduce everyone to her imp familiar, she still wanted to be the one to make those introductions.

  “Later, Jessica.” The old lady waved her away impatiently. “Now, go wash your hands while the food is hot. People are hungry.”

  “Grandma.”

  “Get!”

  Jessica sighed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up before dinner. Along the way, she glanced at the stairwell and wondered if she should stop by her room to check on Frank. She really wanted to know if he had taken the liberty to introduce himself to the others without her.

  She sighed. Well, if they know, she thought to herself, they didn’t laugh as soon as they saw my face. That’s a good sign, at least.

  When she returned to the dining room, she forced Frank from her mind. She didn’t want him to sense her thinking about him and assume he had been summoned. The image of him unexpectedly popping up in the middle of the dinner table wasn’t pretty. She would deal with him later.

  She turned her head to see Todd carrying an extra folding chair up from the basement. “Here, I’ll take that one,” she offered.