Her tinkling laugh filled the spacious room. “Of course he does. Henri was raised by a magical mother, although he himself did not inherit any of the powers.”
“Hmmm. What about Delilah?”
Oh, she is quite gifted, I assure you. So, are you excited about your party?”
“It’s not really a party,” I replied. “We’re just hanging out. You know, eat pizza, watch some movies…”
“Do some magic…” she supplied with a smile.
“Well, yeah. I gotta practice sometime, right? And you said it was safe here. We’re protected.”
“Yes, by all means. I want the three of you to learn to work together, and here is the perfect place to do it. I’ve even arranged to keep your father away for most of the evening to ensure you girls have some privacy.” She winked again conspiratorially, and I gave her a puzzled look. “Henri has been more than generous in offering to host one of his world-famous poker parties. Your father will attend, and I have a feeling he’ll get on such a lucky streak, he’ll lose track of time and stay over here until the early morning,” she predicted with a coy smile.
The doorbell rang and Henri hurried to answer it. A few moments later, Sophie entered the room with a woman I assumed was her mother. They had the same playful smile and curvaceous build.
Ana stood and greeted the woman with a hug. “Elainia…so nice to see you.”
“Ana, it’s been far too long.” The cheerful woman kissed both Ana’s cheeks. “And this must be Calista. Hello, dear .I’ve heard so much about you!” She leaned forward and gave me a light peck on my cheek.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Daniels,” I said. While we waited for Lily to arrive, Ana and Elainia chatted quietly, and Sophie stared around the magnificent mansion in awe.
“I can’t believe you actually live here,” she whispered, visibly impressed.
“To be honest, neither can I,” I whispered back with a small giggle. The doorbell rang again, and Lily entered with a tall man I recognized as Jackson Davenport, and a woman who looked like a high-fashion model. Both exquisitely dressed and with an air of formality about them, it was clear where Lily had inherited her aloof mannerisms.
After the introductions, I took the girls on a tour of the house while the adults socialized in the parlor. Lily said she’d been here a long time ago with her parents, but had forgotten how beautiful it was. She took in the splendor in respectful silence, as if she was in a museum. Sophie, however, was practically bursting at the seams, gushing over every room like it was the most amazing place she’d ever been in.
We walked outside to the back patio overlooking the ocean bluffs and Sophie asked bluntly, “How did Ana get so rich?”
Even though I’d often wondered the same thing, her question caught me off guard. “I don’t know,” I replied. “She’s never told me how she got her money, and it’s not like I can just come out and ask…”
“Can’t you? I mean you are her granddaughter after all. You have a right to know where it’s coming from, if it’s legit or if it’s—”
“Sophie!” Lily admonished, “You better not say what I think you’re about to say!”
“What?” Sophie squirmed uncomfortably under Lily’s harsh glare. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time. It’s not unheard of, you know.”
“What’re you guys talking about?” I glanced from Sophie’s innocent expression to Lily’s disapproving one.
Sophie shrugged.
“It’s nothing,” Lily answered. “Don’t pay any attention to her. Tact is not one of her stronger qualities.”
Sophie just rolled her eyes playfully and bounded off to admire the gardens, unflapped by Lily’s criticism.
A few moments later, we heard a high-pitched screech. Lily and I raced around the corner to see Sophie, her eyes wide with horror.
“They’re real!” She pointed up to the two monstrous gargoyles. “I’ve never seen real live ones before!”
I followed her gaze and jumped back, shocked. Unlike before, when they sat frozen in sculpted marble, this time their eyes glowed bright yellow as they glared at us suspiciously. Their heads moved from side to side, and threatening snarls twisted their hideous faces.
They let out a low menacing growl, and we all screamed.
“Come on, let’s go.” I grabbed Sophie’s arm, and the three of us raced back inside the house where the others were relaxing and enjoying their tea.
Our sudden breathless appearance got their attention, and Ana looked at us with great concern. “Calista? What is it? Are you all right?”
“Yes…no… I don’t know. The statues out there, the gargoyles…I don’t think they like us very much.” Even I knew how ridiculous that sounded.
The adults all looked at one another, and the corners of Ana’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Well,” she began thoughtfully, “did they jump off their posts and tear you into shreds?”
What? “No…no…of course not,” I stammered.
“Then they like you just fine,” she replied with a smile, and they all laughed.
*****
“Yuck, those things are sooo creepy. I’m so glad we don’t have any at our house.” Sophie still sounded shaken as we made our way to the cottage.
“They’re supposed to be creepy,” Lily said. “That’s the whole point – to scare away evil.”
“Still, I’d much prefer a strong enchantment over those monsters any day,” Sophie insisted.
The sun was low on the horizon, and I saw lights from inside my house. Dad was back. This would be his first time meeting Sophie and Lily. A round of butterflies woke up in my gut.
He stood at the door waiting for us, an enormous smile lighting up his tired but handsome face.
“So nice to meet ya both,” he said, shaking their hands enthusiastically. “Callie here tole me so much ‘bout y’all, and we’re just tickled that y’all are joinin’ us here. Our home is your home.”
Both Sophie and Lily greeted him kindly, and spoke with respect. My overwhelming relief caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected – maybe I was just so used to people being taken aback by his heavy southern twang and poor grammar and judging him harshly for it. But if his manner seemed at all unusual to either of them, it was impossible to tell, and for that, I was grateful.
“Well, I’m off to win me some money. That Henri feller thinks he’s gonna get one over on me tonight, but we’ll see ‘bout that!” He laughed heartily and gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading out. He didn’t even leave us with the usual parental warnings of ‘Don’t stay up too late,’ or ‘Don’t eat too much junk food’.
After Dad left, Sophie and Lily thoroughly scoped out the place. Sophie squealed loudly when she saw my room and even louder when she saw the bathroom.
“Seriously...I could live in there. No joke. I could sleep in that tub,” she said wistfully, before moving to check out my wardrobe.
Lily and I lounged on my bed, flipping through DVD’s. Sounds of, “Ooh, how adorable!” and “You have to let me borrow this sometime!” kept coming from the recesses of the closet. Suddenly, Lily reached over to the nightstand beside my bed and pulled out the bunch of flowers from their vase.
“What’re you doing?” I asked.
“Just wait a second,” she said. She grasped the stems of the flowers tighter and closed her eyes. Slowly they began to wilt; the bulbs and leaves drooped, becoming an alarming shade of black.
“Lily! What are you doing! Stop it!”
Sophie popped her head out of the closet to see what I was upset about. When she saw what Lily was doing, she shrugged and disappeared back into its depths.
“Wait a second,” Lily repeated, her eyes still closed. The flowers continued to shrivel and blacken to the point where I thought they were going to crumble into deadened ash.
Then, suddenly, they began to change. The stems gradually transformed into a rich healthy green, and the bulbs reared up and bloomed even bigger and brighter t
han before.
“Phoenix Flowers,” she said, opening her eyes. “They always look prettier after they have died once or twice.”
I let out a soft chuckle. “Wow—that was cool!”
Lily gently replaced the flowers, the stems so thick now they barely fit in the delicate vase.
“They have some of those outside the school, too.” Sophie emerged from the closet, her arms filled with clothes. “It’s so tempting to re-birth them, but of course I can’t without risking being seen.” She sighed.
“Sophie, what are you doing?” Lily laughed.
“I just wanted to try a few things on,” she replied sheepishly. “We’re sort of close to the same size—Callie is a bit taller and skinnier, but I thought these might fit me.” She held up a few tops and dresses for inspection.
“I don’t think she invited us over for you to raid her entire closet,” Lily admonished.
“No, it’s fine…you can borrow whatever you want,” I said, deeply flattered that for once I had something worth coveting.
Sophie flashed Lily a smug smile and began to change out of her clothes.
“Terrific, a fashion show and a strip show,” Lily muttered, and I laughed. Sophie was busy modeling a top she was convinced would fit her if she ‘just lost a few pounds’, when there was a loud knock.
“That must be Henri with our dinner,” I said, and the three of us ran to the other room.
The rich aromas of hot cheeses and meats greeted us as I opened the front door. “Great,” Sophie grumbled behind me. “Now I’ll never be able to fit into those tops.”
Henri entered the kitchen and placed a large wooden tray with four silver domes on the counter.
“Your pizzas, my ladies,” he said as we surrounded him like a pack of starving dogs. “Oh, and Miss Delilah said to be sure to tell you that they are fero navitas, so eat up. Not that you girls need to worry any—but that’s what she did, and that’s what she said.”
Sophie squealed and clapped with delight at his words.
“May I get you ladies anything else?” he asked.
“No, thanks – we have everything we need here.” Sodas were in the fridge, along with anything else we might desire.
“Very well then, enjoy and have a nice evening. I’ll fetch the tray in the morning.”
“It’s okay, I can bring it back to the kitchen when I go over there tomorrow,” I called to Henri as he left. “You don’t have to make a special trip.” It felt too weird having someone catering to me like that.
“As you wish.” He nodded and headed back toward the main house.
“Ohhh,” Sophie squealed again as we removed the massive domes, revealing four large pizzas. “You are sooo lucky to have a magical chef! I want one so bad, but Mom insists on doing everything herself.” She made a face.
“What does fero navitas mean?” I asked.
“Means it won’t make us fat,” Sophie replied happily, as she placed three gooey slices on her plate. “We can eat all we want, and it’ll just dissolve in our sleep.”
I laughed again. “Yeah, right. You can’t be serious.”
Sophie and Lily briefly paused loading their plates to give me confused looks. “Of course we’re serious,” Lily said. “Do you really think I’d be eating this much if we weren’t?”
I shook my head. Really, why did anything surprise me anymore? “How does it work?” I asked. Being on the slender side, I’d never really worried about my weight. But still, it was a fascinating concept.
“With a charm, of course,” Lily replied. “All food is energy that is either used or converted to fat and stored for future use. With fero navitas, the unused energy isn’t stored—it’s transferred into the other life forms, like plants or animals.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I said, as I scooped out a large slice smothered with cheese and mushrooms. “I wonder if she does that with all the food.”
“Nah, probably not,” Lily said as she studied the four pies. “Only works with foods that have a really high fat and calorie content. And only when you might eat too much of it.”
“How do you know all that?” I asked.
“We have a magical chef, too,” she replied. “She only prepares vegetarian meals, though, so she doesn’t really use the fero spell very often.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised. “You’re a vegetarian?”
She just laughed and reached for a slice of the pepperoni. “Nope – not if I can help it.”
*****
The three of us collapsed on the patio couch, looking out at the ocean. “Why did I eat so much?” Sophie groaned.
“Thank the magic goddesses for fero is all I can say.” Lily rubbed her stomach.
“You know what’d be a great idea?” Sophie asked.
“What?” I had been only half-listening. I was thinking of Nicholas running on the beach and how gracefully he moved. How strong, how sexy...
“To open a restaurant that served amazing pizzas and cakes and all the other yummy foods that everyone likes, but have it all be enchanted so that no one ever got fat. Million dollar idea right there…” Her voice trailed off, as if she’d said something she shouldn’t have.
“I’m only kidding,” she added hastily.
I moved my gaze to Lily, who wore a disapproving scowl.
“…just thinking out loud. Hypothetically. If one were so inclined to act in such a selfish and reprehensible way, that would be one way to do it,” Sophie continued.
Lily clearly wasn’t buying her weak backtrack, and I was confused.
“Well, it is kinda a good idea, if you think about it...,” I began. I didn’t want to upset Lily any further, but I didn’t want Sophie to feel bad, either.
“NO!” they both turned to me and shouted at once.
I sat straight up, startled by their harsh reactions. “Why? What’s the big deal?”
“Hasn’t Ana explained anything to you? About using magic?” Lily asked, her amber eyes narrowed.
“Of course,” I retorted, miffed at her condescension. “I’m sure I don’t know as much as you guys do, but remember I’m pretty new at this. I still have a lot to learn, so I’m not going to say or do everything perfectly perfect!”
Sophie and Lily relaxed their expressions, immediately contrite. “We’re sorry, of course we know that,” Lily said gently. “Sorry if we sound a little strange at times – we’ve both been raised hearing the same lectures over and over our entire lives. Sometimes we might take it for granted that you know what we’re talking about. Didn’t mean to jump down your throat.”
Sophie nodded, her blonde curls bouncing.
“Well, why don’t you just try explaining it to me then?” My voice was still tense.
They looked at each other and Sophie shrugged, as if telling Lily to do the talking.
“The two most important rules of magic are to not use our powers for our own selfish purposes, and to prevent unintended consequences,” Lily said.
“So we can’t use magic to get rich?” I asked. They both nodded emphatically.
“Well, some do, you know, use their powers to get rich or famous or powerful and stuff like that, but we can’t. It’s sort of one of the main things that separates us from some of the others,” Sophie said.
That sucked. “So what about using powers or abilities for good stuff... I mean if someone was starving or almost homeless or something, can’t we use our powers to change that?” I thought of my own impoverished childhood.
Lily shook her head. “Someday, we can...sorta. But not now. We’re nowhere near ready yet. It has to do with unintended consequences and manipulating free will. Anything we do magically may have an effect in the normal world that could be disastrous. And it may be something that we hadn’t even thought of—”
“Like for instance,” Sophie interrupted, “Say you see someone on the side of the road whose car had broken down. Well, you could get his car started up no problem with a little magic, but then he could get in an acciden
t later and die or cause someone else to suffer because he wasn’t meant to be on the road when he was…do you see what I’m saying?”
“Sort of…but does that mean we can’t help people if they need it? That doesn’t seem right. How do we know if it’d be wrong?”
“We don’t…that’s the problem,” Lily replied. “We can’t be sure what effect our magic will have on normal people and their lives. You may think it’s harmless, but it could end up being horrible. Until we come into our full powers we can’t see the whole picture – the grand design.”
“We’re still considered novices. We’re just Morningstar witches. The youngest,” Sophie said. “We’re still learning the Craft and the extent of our powers and how to use them properly. As we get older and our powers develop we’ll be able to see the whole world clearer, and judge what effect our magic has on it. Until then we just keep it among ourselves, and only use magic on a personal level.”
“Well, what fun is it being a witch then, if I can’t even use my powers?” I asked.
They both laughed.
“Oh, it’s great fun,” Sophie said. “There’s so much to do and see that doesn’t involve changing human destiny. I mean, look at everything that’s happened to you so far…think of the things you see now and what you know now. We just have to be careful not to take advantage of others because we have our powers. That’s the most important thing to remember.”
I readjusted my position on the couch so I faced both of them directly, especially Sophie. “Is that what you were insinuating when you asked about Ana’s money? If it was legitimate?” I asked, my eyes hard.
“No…I didn’t really mean to say that,” she said quietly, dropping her head. “It’s just...it’s happened before, some good witches use their powers just once or twice to inherit a vast fortune…like winning the lottery or cleaning up in the stock market. I mean we are part human after all, and the temptation to do it would be pretty strong—”
“I don’t know how Ana got all her money, but I can assure you it was not through nefarious means, if that’s what you’re wondering,” I said coolly.
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