The whole time, Michelle sat with me and worked the wording of the pages. As luck would have it, my sister wasn’t really a shallow airhead at all. I had always thought she had no real brains or concerns, other than whether or not her manicure matched her clothes. It turned out she had an aptitude for English literature and enjoyed Haikus. Who enjoys Haikus? Anyway, she was really helpful. I couldn’t remember a time when we had ever worked on anything together without being forced into it by our parents.
“So, are you ready for this?” Michelle asked when we had finally closed the books.
“Yeah, the spell seems solid.” I rubbed the white rose again. “I have this new power to help. I don’t think there is much more to be done at this point. I’ll just be glad if it works.” I slouched back into the sofa, letting it entrap me in the cushions.
Michelle gave me a quizzical look, then she stood and walked around the small coffee table. “No, that’s not what I meant.” She spun around in the open space. When she stopped, she looked at me–or more at the rose since my hand was no longer covering it. “I mean, are you ready to be reunited with your parents?”
“I have-” I was interrupted.
“No, Elyse. I know you have parents. I also know you. I know you’ve been wondering about who these people are for your entire life.” She sat next to me again. “I know you compared my blonde hair and blue eyes to our parents. Deep down, you wished you could compare something of yours to them, too.” Michelle reached out and grabbed my hands. “I know when we were seven, you sent Santa a letter asking for a picture of your mom, just so you could put a face to the hurt in your heart from missing her. The mom you never met.”
She sat back against the sofa, releasing my hands. “I know everyone downstairs is worried about you being ready with magic. Strength. The right spell. I, on the other hand, am asking my big sister if she is ready to meet her birth parents.”
I hadn’t thought about it. I suppose I felt I had already met them. I had seen them in a vision quest with Ophelia and spoke to them. I felt them before the ritual, while Chad and I straightened out our relationship. I even saw them during the blood rite ritual. I spoke with them again this morning when I knocked myself from my body. They were right there. They were always right there.
Everyone had been worried about the magic. More importantly, me being able to control all the amplified power I received after the ritual. I had felt so out of control. I was a bit crazed, and at times overwhelmed, with it coursing through me.
Once I thought about it, I realized nobody had really asked me if I was ready to meet the people who made me; who loved and lost me. They were looking to be reunited with their daughter. This whole time, I was just worried about not blowing anyone up. Getting the spell. The curse broken. Getting them back where they belonged, if not for myself, then for their families' benefit. Wasn’t I a part of that family?
“I don’t want Helen and Michael to know,” I said quickly, and stood away from the couch. “Not yet.”
“They will understand.” She followed me. “But you didn’t answer me.”
“I don’t think anyone can ever be ready for something like this. I’m sure plenty of adopted kids would be okay meeting their parents after so many years. I’ve read the stories about it. The difference here is, well…they were dead. At least, I had always thought they were. I missed out.”
“On what?”
“Hope.”
Michelle crossed her arms in front of her chest and started tapping her foot. I recognized it as Helen’s 'Don’t you dare' look. It’s the one your mother gives you when she can see in your eyes that you're about to throw food on the floor instead of the garbage can. Or when she can tell you’re about to ask to go hang out with a friend when she just grounded you to the house not ten minutes earlier. Yeah, Michelle was right. She did inherit a lot from her parents. I did want to know what I inherited from mine.
“You’re entitled to have hope too. Just because you gave up the idea of meeting them when you were six doesn’t mean you can’t be happy about it now that you know better. Don’t get me wrong. Inside, I’m still all freakin' out. My sister's a witch with magical powers, and that’s just not normal. Of course, it is kinda neat. I always wanted to be able to zap my room clean. However”–she pointed her index finger to my chest– “this is a big deal, and you should know how you feel about it. You should also know how you’re going to deal with them being back.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Well, are you going to college far away? Not at all? Which mom and dad would have a small cow over. Or are you going to community…here in Dublin?” She looked sad for just a beat and then shook it off. I was glad to see some things never changed.
She left me with my thoughts, insisting I figure out–once and for all–how I felt about what all this meant. Two sets of parents. Would I introduce them to Michael and Helen? Would I keep them hidden? I just didn’t know. Leave it to Michelle to think about the big picture, the aftermath of what we were all currently focused on. I couldn’t see past the end game, and then maybe stopping Sabina. I couldn’t think about college and co-parenting.
I needed air. I picked myself up and went outside. The summer breeze up in the mountains was cooler than it would have been back at home. The trees didn’t rustle as they had in the fall and winter months. The green above my head was a welcome change, as was the shade they afforded me.
When I left the small house by way of the back door, I hadn’t known where I was going. I just needed to be away from the growing number of people inside. Two more of my father’s coven members arrived since breakfast, and a few of my mother's were on their way. It would be all of them, minus Elle.
I hadn’t even had a chance to figure out how I felt about Crystal being the one who placed those stones under my bed. When things had finally calmed down, Crystal had come to me and told me everything. She hadn’t realized what her mother was meaning to do, nor that she was working for Sabina. All she thought she was doing was helping. Even when she blew me off, saying she was with Matt, she thought she was helping.
“Oh, so gullible. Can’t really blame her,” I spoke out loud to the trees. I was so content being outside among nature that I hadn’t heard anyone following me.
“You must be talking about Crystal.” I spun around to see Peter with a rakish grin.
“And why would you say things like that about your sister?” I wondered.
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and walked closer to where I was standing. “Because, all she thought about was helping you and mommy’s approval of her. For goodness sake, she didn’t even get an eighteenth birthday party.” His shoulders slumped.
“Your mother never throws you guys a party. Why would that be different?” I rolled my eyes and continued on my walk.
“Yeah, guess it wouldn’t be. And it’s not like Crystal complained about it, either.” He kicked a rock.
Peter started walking behind me. Before I knew it, we were walking in step with each other through the woods. It was quiet and comfortable. I realized that hanging out with Peter wasn’t like being with the rest of my friends. When I was with him, there were no unfulfilled expectations; no hidden agendas. We didn’t even need to talk. It was nice.
“So, what’s your role in all of this?” I finally asked when I felt a little more centered.
“I don’t know that I have one.” He looked up speculatively. “Oh, well I am standing in for my mother. She’s obviously not a part of the coven anymore.” I thought I heard him laugh, but when I looked over at him, his face was stern. Laughing didn’t seem to be the right sound.
“You're angry with her.”
I hadn’t intended for it to be a question, but he answered me anyway. “Yes, I am. Very angry with her.”
“Because she betrayed her friends?” I didn’t know what made me ask.
“Because she betrayed you. She betrayed her own daughter. She alienated her husband. Then yes, s
he betrayed her friends as well. There is just so much to be angry with her for.” I could see he was fisting his hands, his knuckles turning white each time he squeezed them shut.
“Why would it matter if she betrayed me? I’m nothing to her. Honestly, I don’t take it personally.” I shrugged it off.
“I get you weren’t brought up around all this, but you need to be educated. Your great-grandmother didn’t just kill people for powers. She demanded respect from her followers. You should too.” He stopped, which made me pause as well.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
We stood there on a small hill. He had to look up at me to see my face, even though he was slightly taller. “This is what I mean.” He pointed to our positions. “You are our High Priestess. In the magical community, that means something. Or at least it used to. You should read up on Seraphina sometime.” He straightened his stance as he spoke.
“You know about her?” I felt a rush of excitement run through me.
“Yeah, my grandparents taught me a lot about her. Said she was loyal and had a heart of gold. She may have started her cause off on the wrong foot, but by the end, she gained favor from the mother goddess. She was ruthless and terrifying. If she thought anyone wanted to hurt someone she cared about, she met them head-on, and without mercy. It’s actually kind of a love story.” He laughed then, and shoved my shoulder with his when he started walking again.
“Wow, she sounds amazing. I wish I knew more.” I looked at him as the smile on his face lit up his green eyes. His sandy blond hair looked lighter in the sunlight. He was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, and looked more comfortable than I had felt in months.
“You have the best first-hand accounts of Seraphina.” He looked at me as if I had lost something. “It’s all in your book. You just have to read it.”
“Well, I’ve read it. It’s not a journal. It’s full of spells.” I circled us around so we were heading back downhill to the house.
“It is if you pay attention to the words.” That was the last thing he said. When my eyes moved from him to the path I was walking, I saw Chad standing there, his arms crossed in front of him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I couldn’t tell who he had asked, so I answered and Peter kept walking toward the house.
“I was just taking a walk. Peter was nice enough to keep me company,” I told Chad as he watched Peter walk toward the house.
“I don’t like him bothering you.”
“Chad, come on. I was out here alone. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a good idea. He was just walking with me.” I pulled his arms away from his chest and he wrapped them around my shoulders.
“I would have kept you company.” He pouted.
“I know, but you’ve been watching over me all morning. Let someone else take over once in a while.” I poked his ribs. “Or we might get sick of each other.”
He reached around my midsection and started to tickle me. “That will never happen.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I think it was safe to say his jealousy was forgotten by the time we found our way back to the front of the house. It was midafternoon and I was getting sleepy.
I couldn’t remember anything about how I had slept. I didn’t even remember the light of the moon keeping me awake when I lay down. Maybe Gwen had a similar problem, but found the right curtains to fix it.
When the sun started to drop behind the horizon, the noise level in the house picked up again. I had spent as much of the day outside as possible. Since my encounter with my great-grandmother and my gift, I had an overwhelming need to be outside, barefoot, in the grass. Just like when I had walked earlier with Peter, the longer I remained outside, the more centered I felt. I was more in control of my powers and of myself. I could feel it.
“Chadwick!” I heard Chester yelling from the bottom of the drive.
Chad was inside, and I doubted very much he could hear him, so I went in his stead. Chester was confronting a man at the end of the dirt road leading up to the house. I supposed it served as the driveway, but after so many had arrived, there was nowhere left to park except the grass.
“Chad’s inside. You need a hand with something?” I asked him. I wasn’t far from the house, but as I moved closer to the two men, I could feel the metal on my arm vibrating. My first instinct was to run back to the lights around the house. I didn’t. I stopped walking and stood my ground.
“No, Elyse. I just need Chad to help me with something. Go back to the house.” Chester didn’t bother turning around. He was blocking my view of the man standing in front of him. The sun dipped down behind the trees, so the visitor was cast in shadows. I wouldn’t have been able to see him unless he stepped around Chester, which didn’t look like it would happen.
“Elyse? As in Elyse Crawford?” the man almost hissed at me. My pet began vibrating around my arm again.
“Yes,” I answered, but stood where I was, not wanting to get too close.
“Hey, what’s going on out here?” I spun around to see Chad running from the house. Maybe he did hear his father call him.
Before he got to me, his eyes shifted to the man standing with his father. His eyes grew wide and started to change to that of the jaguar–yellow and catlike– by the time he reached my side.
“What’s wrong, Chad? Who is that man?” I asked as he wrapped his arms protectively around me.
“Nobody you need to worry about. Bellatrix is looking for you. She wants to go over the spell again,” he spoke so low I could barely hear him. It was obvious he hadn’t wanted the man to overhear what he was telling me.
“Okay, but I can help if there’s a problem here.”
“No, no problem. Just go help Bea.” He turned and started walking me to the house. After giving me a quick kiss, he turned back and went straight for his father.
“Wait, I came here to talk to Miss Crawford,” I could hear the man saying as Chester and Chad started to push him back to his car. I didn’t want to upset the guys, but I couldn’t help standing there and watching. That was until Bellatrix came out of the house calling after me.
“Bellatrix, is that you?” the man called. That time, there was something familiar in his voice.
My bracelet started to hiss and rattle against my arm when Bellatrix called out, “Xoras, what in the hell are you doing here?”
For the second time that day, I heard myself say, “Oh, crap!”
Chapter Nineteen
“E, I asked you to go inside.” Chad started on me when Bellatrix shot down from the stairs to her uncle.
“Yeah, to find Bea, but she’s right there,” I said, pointing to Bellatrix. By that time, she was at her uncle’s side, interrogating him with Chester. “Where would you have me hide now, Chad?”
I was surprised, but laughed when he came to turn me around and the snake hissed. He jumped and grabbed his arm where it licked him.
“Geez, don’t you have control over that thing?” he snapped, rubbed his arm, and dropped his gaze to the ground. Clearly, he’d been defeated.
“Nope. It does what it wants. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems to act out when someone’s trying to bully me.” I slapped my hand on his chest, pushing him out of the way, and stomped past him to where Chester and Bellatrix had Xoras pinned against his car.
“I’m not here to harm anyone. If I were, do you think I’d drive up here in my car?” I could hear Xoras claim.
I had to admit that it was logical, considering the last time I saw him–or met him, rather. He had disappeared in a puff of black mist.
“Let him go.” I heard my voice before I could register it was me who spoke. I didn’t know why I had said it, so I let instinct take over. “I will hear him out.” Then in my more normal voice, I pointed out, “There is no way anyone would risk driving up here in that if he was simply trying to kill me.” Or my parents, but I didn’t need to say that out loud. The look in his eyes told me I was on the right path.
“Thank you, Priestess
,” he spoke low and bowed with the formal sign of respect. I really hated it, but let him go because I was unsure of his intentions.
“You came to warn me before. As I remember, you left kind of suddenly. I don’t suppose that Volvo made it here twice,” I spoke once more in my authoritative voice.
“No, that it did not. I came before, at your grandfather’s request. My abilities allowed me to appear as if I were here.” He told me what I already knew.
“And now? Why do you come now?” I asked.
“Again, at your grandfather’s request. However, I asked to come this time.” Xoras looked at Chester, who still had himself positioned between us both. “I need to speak to you in private.”
“There is nothing you have to say to her that you can’t say in front of us all.” Chad moved from my side. He and Chester were shoulder to shoulder in front of me.
“You two are infuriating.” I put a hand on each of their shoulders and pushed them aside, moving so they were both at my sides and not blocking me. “You can speak freely, now. Or you can leave, and your poor car would have suffered in vain.”
He looked from Chester to Chad, and then to my aunt. She nodded at him, clearly trusting his agenda. When he looked back at Chad, he jumped a little. I looked to see that Chad’s eyes had shifted to the panther's again. It was a small warning to my great-uncle not to try anything foolish.
“Fine. It’s Finis Necos,” he said then.
“What about Finis?” Chester pressed.
“I assume he’s here in the house?” He looked at Chester only, who nodded. “I suggest you get him out.”
“What? Why?” I jumped into the conversation that seemed to have excluded me, even though I was the intended participant.
“He’s working with Sabina. Elle is the one that had you grabbed. Sack over your head. Ring any bells? Finis did the snatching.” He ran his hands through his hair. He looked a lot like my father. Dark slick hair, firm build, chiseled jaw. Only his eyes were blue. My fathers were dark like mine.
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