Mated To The Mountain Lion

by Terra Wolf

  “Could they?” I asked aloud. There was no way that one of those keys would just so happen to fit the one chest I needed to get into, right? I mean things like that just didn't happen, but as I looked at the keys in my hands I realized one was far smaller than the others. “Lucky, lucky,” I said to myself. You'd think I had a four leaf clover tucked in my back pocket or something, with all the luck I'd been having since I had arrived in Salem. I fumbled slightly with the key, placing it in the small lock and twisting until I heard a click. I opened the tiny chest slowly because I was afraid with the age of it, it might just fall apart. There were a few pamphlets on top and some vintage tourist witchcraft things from Salem, but nothing that looked of any value to me.

  The sun was almost completely up as I shuffled the pamphlets around and came across a leather bound book. I lifted it slowly and sat crisscross on the floor in front of the chest. It was heavy and it had that old book smell. I placed my hand on the cover and traced the pentagram with my finger.

  That’s when I felt it. Almost like a surge of energy that started in my chest and moved out of my hands. I couldn't be sure what was happening and I shook my hands out thinking they might just be falling asleep. But as I continued to look at the book I knew that something else was happening. I shook my head. “You're letting your imagination take you away,” I said aloud, hoping that hearing it would reaffirm my belief.

  As I opened the book something was definitely different. I suddenly felt more alert and alive than I ever had in my entire life and as I looked around the dusty attic room, my senses seemed to be heightened. I continued to turn the pages until I found the first page that there was writing on, but when I attempted to read the text I discovered it was in a language I couldn’t understand. It kind of looked like Spanish, but I had taken Spanish in high school and I knew that it wasn't right, maybe it was Portuguese? Or Latin? It didn't look like any language I had ever seen before and going to a private preparatory Academy for girls, I had seen a lot of languages. I stretched my neck as I suddenly felt very warm. Especially right on my chest, in between my collarbones. I reached up to feel and noticed that my pentagram necklace was hot. I put the book down in front of me and unhinged the clasp of the necklace to reveal a glowing pentagram in my hands. I studied it closely and it seemed to be pulsing with my heartbeat, which didn’t make any sense to me as it had never done that before. What was it about this book that was causing these strange things to happen to me?

  This summer was making me start to rethink things that I always thought were false. My denial of witchcraft was clearly a mistake. I closed my hand around the pentacle and felt its warmth. I tossed it over to my left hand and grasped it tightly, allowing what I felt like was energy to surge through my body. Sighing deeply I allowed my finger to linger over the words that I didn't understand. I felt a sudden pinch between my finger and the page. I immediately put my finger in my mouth, assuming I had gotten a paper cut, but when I pulled it away there was nothing there. Out of curiosity I put my finger back on the words and this time watched closely as a small electric spark moved between my finger and the page. What the hell? I continued to examine the light emanating from my finger tip, but nothing else seemed to be happening. It was like electric shock or something. Was this what Gran was teaching people? How to make this unnatural light?

  I watched as the blue light faded away. I focused on the page again but nothing happened. Weird. Placing the book carefully back in the box, I grabbed the flashlight and tiptoed back down the stairs. I went back to my bedroom and hid under the covers until Gran called me for breakfast. Feeling pretty well rested, I realized it may have all been a dream. But Gran and my conversation at dinner was not. She still believed in magic and I was starting to think she was right.

  During the day I spent some time alone in the gallery sweeping up the front of the store while Joy was in the basement working on her latest masterpiece. She didn't like to be disturbed while working, something I fully understood, and so I offered to clean the shop for her so we would have time to hang out later tonight. My thoughts continued to linger on the book in the attic and I studied my pentagram every chance I got, but nothing seemed different about it. I was cleaning up the sink in the bathroom when I heard the chime ring on the door and called, “Be there in a minute!”

  I took off my rubber gloves, placed the cleaning supplies under the sink, and walked quickly out to greet the customer. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that Ultan was in the gallery again.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to apologize for the other night. I really worried ya didn’t I?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Yeah, well, you could also say I’m a complete mentaller.” He ran his hand nervously through his dark hair. “I’m not trying to start nothin’ I just want to get to know ya better is all. Take ya out sometime or something.”

  “Are you for real?”

  He nodded.

  “Then tell me how you know Nick.”

  “Old friend. Didn’t know he was gone. Sorry for the confusion.”

  “And the book?”

  He began to pace. “Whenever your Gran talks about her family history she mentions the book. Thought it was important, might help ya find out a bit about yourself.”

  “You mean about being a witch?”

  He stopped pacing and looked surprised. “So, she’s told ya then.”

  “Yeah, she said she was a coven leader. No big deal. Probably got her certification online or something.”

  He smiled. “Sure. Probably. So, like I said, maybe we could go out sometime.”

  There was only one way to find out if he was my protector, if I had decided to believe Beatrice, or if he just was a total dish. “Okay. I’ll go out with you.” My first date since Nick, it made my head hurt. “I’ll let you know when though. I’m pretty busy.”

  He looked around the empty gallery. “Looks it. Joy’s got my number. Call me when yer ready.” He walked over to me and I felt a surge of electricity in the air as we almost touched. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with my own. Being so close to him took my breath away and I felt almost as if my pentagram was becoming warm again. “There are no lies here. And when ya figure that out, come find me. I’ll be waiting.” His hand lingered for a moment more before he dropped it and turned and walked out of the store. Part of me realized that even though Ultan could be totally bonkers, he also made me feel like my heart was on fire. Something I had not even considered since Nick had disappeared.

  7

  The next day I arrived early at the gallery. Joy had given me keys to let myself in. I had tossed and turned the night before, wondering if I had followed Ultan what I would’ve learned. So as I crept in near darkness through the gallery I focused all my attention on the office. After entering it I looked through the filing cabinet to see if I could find a list of our clients. If I got really lucky maybe Ultan’s name and number would be in there. There were plenty of clients whose names I didn’t recognize but the one I was looking for wasn’t in there. I don’t know what I would’ve said to him had I been able to get his number. But it made me feel a little bit worse not having any way of getting in touch with him. I knew I could ask Joy for his information but then I would just look desperate and I wasn’t that type of girl. Besides Joy didn’t have any idea about a magic book or paintings that moved around after boys looked at them. She was totally normal, my totally normal friend and I couldn’t risk losing her overlooking crazy.

  I walked back out of the office shutting the door quietly behind me almost as if to cover my indiscretion. I didn’t want Joy to know I had been snooping through things, if anything could ruin friendship faster than crazy, it was distrust. She was at the gym so I had at least two hours to kill. I walked over to my painting of Swish, still homeless on the wall. I traced my fingers along the thick brush strokes and imagined having a paint brush in my hand once again. I turned the front door sign to closed and walke
d down the basement stairs to Joy’s studio.

  There were beautiful paintings lining the walls, all landscapes which must be her new project. She never put on a new show until the display had at least ten to twelve pieces. As I walked by, I counted the paintings. She had nine already, something to start September, I assumed. When I arrived at her painters’ stool I was surprised to see a blank canvas on the easel. There was a myriad of brushes and paints of all colors, shapes and sizes lying next to the unused stretched fabric. I touched the fibers with my fingertips and imagined beautiful acrylic paint flowing from a brush. I sat down on the stool and started to paint. I placed my iPod earphones in my ears and allowed music to flood my senses. Florence and the Machine blared loudly blocking out the rest of my questions and confused worries. It was well over an hour before I even realized what was taking shape in front of me. As I stepped back to admire my work I saw Ultan’s beautiful gray eyes creeping out from beneath his dark bangs, and a large silver pentagram in the background. It was almost as if I couldn’t escape this other world that he had dragged me into. And as I smiled to myself, I realized I wasn’t sure I wanted out of it either.

  I turned the painting around to dry and put it in a place where I was sure Joy wouldn’t find it. I found another blank canvas and replaced mine with a fresh piece. I heard the chime ring upstairs so I made sure that her area looked undisturbed. I climbed the stairs and I heard her talking on her cell phone with a buyer. She was totally wrapped up in the conversation and never even noticed where I was coming from.

  +++

  That night Joy came out of the gallery with a smile plastered on her face. I concluded she had landed a new buyer, or sold something sustainable, but what she said surprised me. As we walked home she told me she had finally accepted a date with Dave and apparently I was going to be her wingman.

  As we walked into Gran’s house she pleaded her case. “Oh come on Paige! I don’t think you’ve been out at all since you moved here. After you told me that sad story about your ex-boyfriend, I feel like you need a little love in your life.”

  I tilted my head at her with a nasty look on my face. “Do I really look like the type of girl who goes to a local bar?” I used my hands to display my vintage smock dress. There is no way I was wearing it to a place for it to smell like smoke, it was from the 1940s! One thing Joy didn’t understand was my taste in fashion. Nothing else could make me feel better than a great day shopping and finding some amazing deals at the local thrift store. It was the New York part of me, it made me feel as though I was still tied to the area, and it was where I left Nick behind.

  “All right so I'll let you borrow some clothes. But you have to go with me. I still can't believe I said yes to this stupid date.” Joy sat at the edge of my bed with her head in her hands. Losing all control of herself, she flopped back on the bed, her arms spread out from her body.

  I put my hands on my hips, I wasn't going to budge on this one. Just because she had made some stupid deal to go on a date didn't mean I was going to have anything to do with it.

  She slowly sat up with a smile on her face and I knew she was up to something. “You know Dave said that Ultan is going to be there.”

  I rolled my eyes at her with fake disgust.

  “What? I thought you liked him. He’s freaking attractive.” She fanned herself to show her appreciation for Ultan. I couldn't deny that he was really attractive, but was I ready to get back out into the dating scene? I couldn’t be sure.

  “I don’t know. I mean maybe there’s something. Did Dave say anything else?”

  “Sure, he said that Ultan can’t wait to get your clothes off.”

  I knew it was a lie. “Screw you, liar, you just don’t want to go alone.”

  She laughed. “Is it working?”

  “Negative, but nice try.”

  At that moment Gran walked into my room. Since moving here she hadn't really gotten the whole point of privacy yet, but I was glad to see her using the stairs, so I didn’t deny her interruptions. “What are you up here squealing about Joy?” She asked as she dropped a laundry basket on the floor.

  “Gran!” I protested, “You do not have to do my laundry anymore. I'm not a child. I can handle it I promise.”

  Gran just waved me off, her attention still on Joy. “So what's the news?”

  Joy sat up and looked down at her hands embarrassed. She had a lot of respect for Gran and didn't want her to think less of her.

  So of course I jumped in for her. “Oh Gran, wait till you hear! Joy has a date with Dave the ice cream guy. Isn’t that fabulous?”

  “Oh my! He's quite a catch!” Joy gave me the look of death and I realized I shouldn't have ratted her out. I was going to pay for that comment.

  Joy smiled sweetly at Gran. “Yes and Paige’s going to come with me and hang out with Ultan. Isn't that lovely?”

  I turned to look at her giving her a stone cold gaze. There was no way I was going on this date, especially not to the local watering hole. But now that Gran was involved, I probably didn't have a choice.

  “Well that's just wonderful! You two girls have a fabulous time.” She smiled broadly as she walked out of the room. For a moment I recognized that this might be the time to check to make sure she wasn't coming in my room when I wasn’t there. She might be looking for the keys that were still hidden under my mattress. But I didn't have much time to think about that because Joy was already in my closet going through my things.

  When she came up for air, she had a pair of skinny jeans and a black top, one of my very few New York club outfits. “Perfect! You don’t even have to borrow something from me, you hot mama!” She threw them on the bed and said, “Get changed. We’re going out.”

  Joy drove us to Spanky's, the local disgusting bar where all the kids our age trolled for dates. It totally wasn't my scene, but I didn't have much of a choice. While I hated to admit it to myself, seeing Ultan again made my heart race.

  After showing IDs at the door, we quickly found two seats at the bar, where Joy ordered us Long Island iced teas.

  “I guess you're not messing around tonight,” I said. With a Long Island iced tea in me I had no idea where the night was going to go. I hadn’t drank much since Nick left and my tolerance was low.

  She laughed lightly. “It's a girls’ night! Besides if I’m going to do this I have to be pretty loose. Not uptight business woman Joy. I want this thing with Dave to go well.”

  I shook my head at her. I knew she really did have feelings for Dave and was putting on this insecure front. Being drunk on the first date probably wasn't the best impression, so I let her know that I knew how she really felt. “Joy you can stop lying to me. Dave's really adorable and he owns that ice cream shop. He's got to make decent money. I don't know why you're so worried. I think this could be a really good match. Two entrepreneurs falling in love.” I laughed to myself but Joy didn't join in, she was staring over my shoulder with a look of shock on her face.

  “Joy? What's the matter?” She pointed slowly towards the door, the clear disappointment marring her beautiful features.

  I turned to see what she was pointing at and was surprised by what I saw as well. Dave walked in with his arm around the red head that we had seen while shopping in town. And right behind her was the boy that I thought looked remarkably like Nick. So much for her date.

  I'd never had a lot of girlfriends before Joy and she was the closest thing to a best friend I ever had. I guess that's why I got ridiculously angry at seeing Dave with a smug look on his face. He was so busy being wrapped around some other girl. I took two deep gulps to down my drink and stood up. I swaggered myself over towards them to give him a piece of my mind.

  The other guy stepped between what I'm sure would've been an excellent girl fight and took all my attention when he said my name.

  “Paige, so nice to see you again. I wasn't sure we would meet up after that little display in town. How have you been?”

  I stared at him confused. Perha
ps it was the current level of alcohol in my system or was he acting like he knew me? I mustered up all my courage and said, “Actually I'm not doing too well thanks, because your skanky little friend took my best friend's date. And I'm sorry, but do I know you?”

  He laughed, it was dark and maniacal. I don't know why I thought he looked anything like Nick, he was clearly nothing like him.

  “All that time we spent together Paige and you play like you don't remember me? Really, I'm disappointed.” He faked a pouty lip but I could tell his eyes were on me. He was focused so intently like he was trying to do something. After a little while he looked away like he was frustrated that it wasn't working.

  “If you think you're going to get me to listen to you by turning on the smolder, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “Oh and what would that be?” He continued to look at me devilishly. It was really annoying.

  I had never hit another person in my entire life. But I guess that was kind of a lie. In the second grade, when the biggest bully in school took my lunch box and called me a nerd because it had a Spider Man on it, I’d had enough and I socked her right in the mouth. It got me chalk board duty for two days and no recess, but it had been worth it. I knew that slugging this guy in the face would also be totally worth it, but as I wound up to give it to him, someone else grabbed my arm just before my fist connected with his face. I turned around expecting to see Joy, she wasn't really one for scenes, but instead Ultan was standing there looking mysteriously beautiful as usual.