A Teenage Enchantress: Earth, Air, Fire and Water

by S.B. Bartlett

manipulation, I want you to grow the seed and be able to bloom it into a single rose,” Grandfather coaches as he drops a single seed into a pot plant filled with only dirt.

  “Hover your hand above the seed and draw its energy, connecting with your life force. Lift your hand slowly, and the seed should then grow as you wish it to.”

  I nod again, and prepare to do as instructed.

  “Wow!” I whisper as right before me, a stunning rose grows. I did this! I think in awe, admiring the beauty of the rose I brought to life. This is amazing. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I, of all people, am an enchantress.

  “Arabella, honey you’re doing so well,” Mom says with a pleased expression.

  “Okay, this is the last element, water,” Grandfather places a cup of water in front of me.

  “I want you to connect with the water, lift it from the glass, and transform it into any desired shape or form.”

  I’ve done so well so far that I’m bound to screw up this one. I grow nervous but I do as I’m told, preparing to use my water element ability, and concentrate hard as the water begins to lift from the glass. I tried to form a heart, but it was just a blob of water in the air. Not exactly the shape I imagined it to be, I think wryly. Suddenly, I’m distracted by a noise upstairs, and the water falls and splashes all over the ground.

  “Sorry,” I mouth to Mom.

  “It’s okay honey,” she consoles as she runs for a paper towel. We take a short break for me to get my bearings before we move on with my first lesson.

  “Alright, it’s time for you to perform a spell with words Arabella. It’s called night stars. The ceiling above you will become transparent, and you’ll be able to see the stars.”

  That sounds incredible; I couldn’t wait to try it.

  “Repeat what I’ll tell you and think of your hand as a wand. Wave over the ceiling as you say this incantation: Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.”

  I nod in understanding and prepare to utter my first spell. I look up and close my eyes. I swish my hand in a wand-like movement and repeat: “Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.”

  I open my eyes in anticipation of what I’ll see and indeed, the ceiling has become transparent. I could see the bright stars above me. How magical!

  “You’re doing wonderfully Arabella, I’m proud of you. Let’s try one more thing,” Grandfather grins affectionately.

  “You’re going to bring forth your family’s grimoire. Your mother has hidden it, so I want you to connect with it and draw it out from hiding.”

  “What’s a grimoire?” I ask in confusion.

  “It’s our family’s spell book sweetheart, also known as the book of shadows,” Mom explains.

  “Take in a deep breath and slowly breath out. Empty your mind and only concentrate on the grimoire. When you feel you’ve connected with it, click your fingers on your right hand only, you ready?” Grandfather asks.

  “Ready.”

  I’ve never seen this book, how am I supposed to connect with it? I give it a try and take in a deep breath. I close my eyes, and open my mind, picturing the idea of a spell book in my mind. My body starts to tingle all over. I think I’ve connected with it! So as told, I click my fingers. When I open my eyes the grimoire is right in front of my face, floating mid-air. It looks incredibly old. Grandfather reaches for it and places in on the small coffee table.

  “You’ve done well sweetheart, that will be enough for tonight.” Mom and Grandfather both hug me, bestowing praises upon me. I flush with pride.

  We wish each other goodnight and I run upstairs to my room. I quickly change into my pajama’s and climb into bed. As I lay there, I stare at the ceiling, contemplating the events that unfolded today. I smile to myself and look at my bedroom door, making sure no one was about to walk in and turn my gaze back to the ceiling.

  “Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.” I whisper as I wave my hand. Simply breathtaking. I watch the stars and glimpse a couple of shooting stars before I drift off to sleep.

  It’s been a week since my birthday, and I’ve learned some more basic spells. It’s been a struggle to not tell Emma about my recent discovery. I’ve never ever had to keep anything from my best friend; I wish that I could tell her - it would make things so much easier - but it’s against our law.

  Since my birthday, Emma and I discovered that Riley has an older brother, Jake. Emma falls in love at first sight, and within days Jake asks Emma out and she happily accepts. She had her very first boyfriend, and I was so happy for her. Riley and I were getting close, but we weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend yet. I was fine with that because I didn’t know if I even wanted a boyfriend. With being an enchantress, could I possibly find the time to have a boyfriend? How could I be with someone and keep such a huge secret? It’s bad enough keeping it a secret from Emma.

  It was finally the weekend, and the boys asked us to go camping at Shadow Lake. It’s gorgeous out there. Below the mountains and rainforest was a hidden waterfall - perfect for camping.

  Emma and I pack what was needed, and head to Jake and Riley’s house.

  “You girls ready?” asks Jake, as he put our bags in the back of the car. He gives Emma a quick kiss on the cheek as I stand there smiling at their antics; I was very happy that she found love.

  I feel a tickle on my waist, “You ready Arabella?” Riley asks with a grin.

  “Sure am.” I reply, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Let’s go.”

  We jump into Jake’s car and head for the mountains to get down to Shadow Lake. We would have to walk from the top - good thing I loved hiking. An hour later we finally reach our destination, grab our backpacks and make the walk downwards.

  It took us about 25 minutes to get down, and we set up our tents right away. As we turn to the task of preparing the fire, we realize that we all seemed to have forgotten matches to start it. So while everyone was occupied with organizing their belongings in their tents, I suddenly decide to use my magic to start a fire. I know I shouldn’t, but with no way of starting a fire, we’d be cold all night, and without light to see things.

  “Woah, how’d you start that?” asks Jake in bewilderment as he pokes his head out of his tent.

  “I just rubbed the rocks together until there were sparks.” I reply with ease, confident that I wasn’t seen.

  “Who’s keen on a swim?” asks Emma, thankfully finding nothing odd about how I got the fire started, thereby shifting everyone’s focus.

  “I am!” I reply enthusiastically. I quickly get dressed into my bathers and head for the crystal clear water. I shiver as I dip my feet into the water; the water is quite cold! I look around quickly to make sure no one is watching, and manipulate my water ability to slightly warm the water. Perfect! I make my way over to the waterfall, swimming straight through to the other side. Riley quickly follows me; we’re hidden from Jake and Emma behind the waterfall.

  He stands in front of me, and my heartbeat increases with every breath I take. I was extremely nervous. Would this be the moment I get my first kiss? He moves closer, maintaining eye contact while I struggle to not look away. He places his hand on my face. I smile nervously. He inches closer and there it was, in that moment, that his lips touched mine. He holds me tight as I wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls away after a few moments.

  “I hope that was okay?” he asks bashfully.

  “Yes it was,” I reply shyly. He grins and kisses me again.

  “Arabella, what are you doing?” yells out Emma suddenly.

  Thanks Emma, you’ve cut short the most exciting moment of my life. I roll my eyes.

  We swim back out to Jake and Emma, spending quality time with one another. As night falls, Emma lies blissfully in Jake’s arms, while Riley and I sit next to each other with his arm around me.

  “Oh look, it’s a full moon!” Points out Emma, staring up into the sky above.

  “It can’t be a full moon, a full moon isn’t due
for another five days!” Jake exclaims in a choked voice. He looks nervous, anxious.

  Riley quickly releases his hold of me, as if electrocuted.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask Riley in alarm.

  “Nothing.” He tries to smile but the anxiety was all over his face.

  I couldn’t tell what was wrong, but I definitely knew something was. “We have to go to the car,” Jake stammers.

  Riley quickly stands to his feet. What the hell is going on? I think in bewilderment.

  “Right, what’s going on?” I demand sternly, “You’ve gone weird since Emma mentioned a full moon.”

  “Nothing Arabella, I forgot something in the car-” All of a sudden Jake’s voice changes, sounding deeper, tremors wracking his body.

  Emma runs over to me. “What’s happening?” She shouts in a panic.

  “I have no idea!” I reply, freaking out.

  “Move back,” yells Riley with a roar.

  Emma and I automatically step back at the command, hugging each other in fright. In a matter of seconds, Jake and Riley transform from men into werewolves. No Way! Emma and I freeze, utterly gob smacked, unable to speak a word.

  Riley approaches me on four legs. I let go of Emma and move back, further and further away from him. He stops and lies down, as if he wants me to pat him.

  Jake howls, making Riley instantly get up, and together they run off. Great, just leave us two alone in the middle of nowhere.

  “I’m confused,” Emma says slowly, rubbing her eyes as if to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

  “You’re confused, I’m shocked,” I reply in a monotone.

  “How… how is this even possible? I don't understand… this, this possibly can't be real! This sort of thing only happens in movies and books. I just don't get it, Arabella," stammers out Emma, her expression a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

  She looks utterly petrified, and her complexion has turned pale. I grab her hand to comfort her, hoping I can soothe her with my presence. I expected myself to be as traumatized as Emma is, but with my newfound awareness of magic, I believe my mind was subconsciously opened to the realm of otherworldly creatures. I suddenly recall Mom’s words on the day of my birthday, “It isn’t easy to open our minds to such distinct possibilities, but once we do, a figurative portal opens in our minds and you’ll find yourself much more aware of your surroundings.”

  I felt uneasy at the thought of such distinct possibilities, and shifted my focus to Emma. She is stunned beyond words, her disbelief perfectly understandable.

  "I can't quite grasp what just happened. Am I dreaming? There is no way this is real." Emma declares as she pinches her arm in the hopes she'll wake up from what she thinks is all a dream.

  I have no words for her. I couldn't explain it. How could I?

  Forty minutes pass and the boys aren’t back yet. Suddenly, Emma and I start hearing noises. We grab one another, trembling in terror at thoughts of the unknown.

  We hear footsteps behind us, and as we turn around praying it were Jake and Riley, we see a figure of a man emerging from the bushes. Without realizing, I scream loudly, causing a column of fire to flame upwards, acting as a shield.

  “What the hell was that?” yells Emma with wide eyes.

  “I don’t know.” I believe my fear triggered my magical abilities.

  “Your scream made the fire react, what the hell is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” I insist forcefully.

  Jake suddenly emerges from the bushes. “What on earth was that?” It was Jake, no need to be scared and out yourself!

  “Where’s Riley?” I ask, trying to dodge the question.

  “He’s coming.”

  “You two have some explaining to do!” Emma states hotly.

  “Yeah, I know babe,” he replies in a serious manner.

  We turn at the sound of rustling bushes as Riley emerges. We sit around the fire, which has thankfully died down a bit.

  “Our father is a werewolf. We were born this way and are never meant to reveal ourselves. I’m so sorry this happened, but I hope you can understand this has to remain a secret.”

  Seems they weren’t the only ones hiding a huge secret. I know I shouldn’t, but I trusted them, and Jake and Riley had a secret themselves.

  “I… I have something to say.” I nervously announce. All eyes fixate on me. I second-guess myself for a moment. What consequences would I suffer if I reveal my secret?

  Well, that’s just a risk I’m willing to take. I did promise I wouldn’t, but these are my best friends. I have complete trust in them.

  “What is it Arabella?” urges Emma.

  “Oh, I’m nervous. Okay, here goes, I have a secret too. You guys are my best friends, and by telling you this, I’m breaking the rules, so please, I hope you all can respect that my secret has to remain a secret.”

  “You’re a werewolf too?” says Emma.

  “No.” I giggle.

  “But please, what I tell you must remain a secret.”

  “Of course Arabella,” Emma says as she moves to sit next to me. The guys nod their heads solemnly.

  Here goes. “I’m an enchantress.”

  No one spoke for what seemed like ages.

  “You’re a what?” Emma is clearly shocked.

  “An enchantress. I only found out on my sixteenth birthday. That’s how I created the fire earlier, and why the fire rose higher when I was scared. It seems to be a built-in defense mechanism. I can wield magic at will.”

  After a short moment of silence, Emma speaks up.

  “Well, I’m just normal,” she laughs, “No matter what, we’ll forever be best friends, and we’ll have each other’s backs.” The boys echoed her statement. Their easy acceptance filled my heart with warmth. I’m so grateful to have them in my life.

  Emma hugs me and whispers into my ear. “I love you just the way you are, you’re my best friend, and I’ll always be here for you.” Riley then gets up and situates himself on my other side, clasping my hand in his. I smile, feeling relieved, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. In that moment, I couldn’t be happier.

  Once everything was out in the open, we had the best weekend ever; the boys freely transformed into wolf form and we wandered through the forest together. It was scary and magical all at the same time. I was able to manipulate the weather, going as far as making it snow, which I was surprised that it even worked. It was quite the moment, as Emma and I stood in the falling snow, wrapped in the arms of Jake and Riley. The moment was perfected when Riley whispered into my ear and asked me to be his girlfriend and I accepted. Best. Weekend. Ever.

  Now that we were home I felt nervous that I revealed my secret, feeling paranoid that mom would find out and secretly fearing the consequences.

  Days pass by, and thankfully mom has no idea yet. I sit in my room, unpacking my things from the weekend away that I was too lazy to do at the time. I reflect upon everything that happened on the trip. Riley, my first boyfriend, is a werewolf!

  Out of nowhere, my grandfather appears in my room, causing me to scream in fright at the sudden intrusion. I hear mom racing up the stairs. She swings open my door.

  “Father?” she says in a bewildered tone.

  “Sorry, Elanore, but Arabella revealed herself to a mortal, and not only a mortal, but to two werewolves as well.”

  “What?” She’s clearly stunned. How on earth did my grandfather find out?

  “Mom, I’m sorry, it’s just that Jake and Riley accidently revealed themselves, and I felt that I could trust these people. I know I broke the rules, but I hate keeping secrets mom, you know that.” I say apologetically. Honestly I was sorry, but I trusted my friends.

  “Well, you’ve made a big mistake Arabella, werewolves hunt and kill, our kind.”

  What? “What do you mean?” I ask uneasily.

  “I think Jake and Riley are unaware of who their father really is, but I’m well aware of who he is. He’s a well-known hunter.”r />
  “Grandfather, I’m sorry, I had no idea.” I cry, holding back tears.

  “You must stop seeing this boy Arabella, and hope he doesn’t tell his father,” he replies sternly, disappointment coloring his voice. All I could think about was that I had to stop seeing Riley.

  That night I cried myself to sleep, and decide to stay home from school the next day.

  Emma texts me. ‘Missed you at school today, Riley misses you, are you sick? Get well soon xo.’

  I don’t reply; I didn’t know what to say. Night soon falls. I’ve been in bed all day. I didn’t eat a thing, even though mom brought me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had no appetite and pretended to be asleep every time she came in. I didn’t want to discuss anything with anyone. Why did I have to be an enchantress? Why did werewolves hunt our kind?

  I fall asleep around 9pm, sleeping fitfully and waking up at 12:17am. I turn back over, snuggling into my pillow to try and fall back to sleep only to hear a noise. My eyes open wide, and I lie frozen in fear. I hear a loud bang and force myself to throw the blankets off me and run over to the window.

  I look out into the streets but couldn’t see a thing as it was raining, but it sounded like the roof was creaking. As my eyes slowly adjust to the blur of the rain, the face of a black wolf forms with piercing red eyes. I jump back and freeze again in fear, but shake it off and scream my head off.

  The black wolf lunges through the window, head-butting it into a shattering mess, sending shards of glass everywhere. He slowly climbs in and I scramble backwards, tripping on my feet in the process, heart racing with adrenaline. The wolf menacingly makes his way towards me, fangs glistening in the low lighting. Could this be Riley and Jake’s father? There is no other explanation, they must have told their dad. I can’t believe I trusted them, how stupid could I be? I was warned, and told over and over to never reveal who I am. I didn’t listen, and now I have to deal with a wolf trying to kill me.

  Soon enough, the wolf is inches away from my face, his jaws wide open in a snarl while I sat against the wall that prevented me from falling, paralyzed with fear. I close my eyes against the inevitable when at that moment my mother bursts through the door, distracting the wolf long enough that I was able to scramble away in haste.

  She casts a spell, lifting the wolf from the ground, throwing him to the other side of my room and breaking my bedroom wall in the process. I run to mom to aid in some way but she pushes me behind her to keep me protected, in complete mother-bear mode now. The wolf looks very angry, shaking his head to get his bearings and launches himself at my mom, pinning her to the ground. I scream and try pulling him off her, glimpsing Sebastion running into the room from the corner of my eye.

  “Go, get back to your room!” I yell. Well, guess the secret is out now. It’s not like I can make him believe it was all a nightmare he was having.

  “What’s happening Arabella?” he asks in a panicked voice, clearly unable to believe his eyes. Where the hell is Grandfather? He appeared before, why not now? I wish that he could sense my fear now.

  I divert my focus to pushing the wolf off mom, straining