The Coven

by Cate Tiernan

  pear sign of the differences between us, the growing space pat

  pushed her in one direction and me in another.

  That night I slept deeply, without dreams, and woke up

  feeling wonderful I put my hands together as if I could still see

  the sigil traced there: daeg. A new dawn. An awakening.

  "Morgan?" Mary K. called from the hallway. "Come on.

  School."

  I was already shoving my feet into my slippers. No doubt

  I was running late, as usual. I rushed through my shower,

  threw on some clothes, and pounded downstairs, my wet hair

  practically strangling me. In the kitchen I grabbed a breakfast

  bar, ready to dash out the door. Mary K. looked up calmly from

  her orange juice.

  "No hurry," she said. "I got you up early for once. I've

  been late twice in the last month."

  Mouth open, I looked at the clock. School didn't start for

  almost forty-five minutes! I sank into a chair and waved

  incoherently at the fridge.

  Taking pity on me, my sister reached in and handed me a

  Diet Coke, i gulped it down, then stomped back upstairs to

  untangle my hair.

  Somehow, we were late anyway. At school I parallel

  parked my car with practiced efficiency. Then I spotted Bakker

  coming toward the car to meet Mary K. My mood soured.

  "Look, there he is," I said. "Lying in wait like a spider."

  Mary K. punched my leg. "Stop it," she said. "I thought

  you liked him."

  "He's okay," I said. I've got to chill, I thought. I'd be so

  peeved if anyone tried to pull the big-sister routine on me. But

  I couldn't help asking, "Does he know you're only fourteen?"

  Mary K. rolled her eyes. "No, he thinks I'm a junior," she

  said sarcastically. "Don't let the cat out of the bag." She got out

  of the car. As she and Bakker kissed, I slammed my car door

  shut and hitched my backpack onto my shoulder. Then I

  headed toward the east door.

  "Oh, Morgan, wait!" someone called. I turned and spotted

  Janice Yutoh, her hair bouncing as she hurried toward me.

  Whoops—I'd totally forgotten to return her call the night

  before.

  "Sorry I spaced on calling you," I said as she caught up to

  me. She waved a hand in the air. "No biggie. I just wanted to

  say hi," she said, panting slightly. "I haven't seen you at all

  lately, except in class."

  "I know," I said apologetically. "A lot of stuff's been going

  on." This was such a lame representation of the truth that I

  almost laughed. "My aunt Eileen is moving in with her

  girlfriend," I said, thinking of one bright spot.

  "That's great! Tell her I'm happy for her," said Janice.

  "Will do," I said. "What'd you get on Fishman's essay

  test?"

  "I somehow pulled an A out of my hat," she said as we

  walked toward the main building.

  "Cool. I got a B-plus. I hate essay tests. Too many

  words," I complained. Janice laughed. Then we saw Tamara

  and Ben Reggio heading into the main door just as the bell

  rang.

  "Gotta catch Ben," said Janice, moving off. "He's got my

  Latin notes."

  "See you in class." I went in through the east door, where

  the coven had started to meet in the mornings, but the cement

  benches were empty. Cal must have gone inside already. My

  disappointment at not seeing him was almost equaled by my

  relief at not having to face Bree.

  By lunchtime it was drizzling outside, with sullen rivulets

  tracing lines on the windows. I filed into the lunchroom, for

  once grateful for its warm, steamy atmosphere. By the time I

  collected a tray and looked around, most of the coven was

  sitting at a table closest to the windows. Raven and Bree

  weren't there, I saw with a lift of relief. Neither was Beth

  Nielson, I made my way over and sat down next to Cal. When

  he smiled, it was like the sun coming out

  "Hi," he said, making space for me on the table. "Did you get

  here late this morning?"

  I nodded, opening my soda. "Just as the bell rang."

  "Can I have a fry?" he asked, taking one without waiting

  for my answer. I felt a warm glow at his easy familiarity.

  "Mom told me you dropped by last night," he said. “I'm

  sorry I missed you." He squeezed my knee under the table.

  "You okay?" he asked softly.

  "Yeah, your mom was really nice. She showed me some

  rune magick," I said, dropping my voice.

  "Cool," Jenna said, leaning over the table. "Like what?"

  "A few different runes for different things," I said. "Like

  runes for happiness, starting over, peace and carton."

  "Did they work?" asked Ethan.

  "Yes!" I said, laughing. As if a spell by Selene Belltower

  wouldn't work. "It would be great if we could start learning

  about runes, everything about them."

  Cal nodded. "Runes are really powerful," he said. "They've

  been used for thousands of years. I have some books on them

  if you want to borrow them."

  "I'd like to read them, too," said Sharon, stirring her

  straw around in her milk carton.

  "Here's a rune for you guys," said Cal. He cleared a space

  in the center of the table and traced an image with his finger. It

  looked like two parallel lines with two other lines crossed

  between them, joining them. He drew it several times until we

  could all picture it.

  "What does that mean?" asked Matt "Basically it means

  interdependence," Cal explained. "Community. Feeling goodwill

  toward your kinsmen and kinswomen. It's how we all feel

  about each other, our circle. Cirrus."

  We all looked at each other for a minute, letting this sink

  in. "God, there's so much to learn," said Sharon. "I feel like I'll

  never be able to put it all together—herbs, spells, runes,

  potions."

  "Can I talk to you?" Beth Nielson had walked up and now

  stood in front of Cal, a multicolored crocheted cap covering her

  short hair.

  "Sure," said Cal. He looked more closely at her. She was

  frowning. "Do you want to go somewhere private?"

  "No." Beth shook her head, not looking at him. "It doesn't

  matter. They can hear it"

  "What's wrong, Beth?" Cal asked quietly. Somehow we all

  heard him, even over the din of the lunchroom.

  Beth shrugged and looked away. Glittery aqua eye

  shadow glowed above her eyes and contrasted sharply with her

  coffee-colored skin. She sniffed, as if she had a cold,

  Across the table I looked at Jenna. She raised her

  eyebrows at me.

  "It's just—the whole thing doesn't feel right to me," Beth

  said. "I thought it would be cool, you know? But its all too

  weird. Doing circles. Morgan making flowers bloom," she said,

  gesturing to me. "It's too strange." She raised her shoulders

  beneath her brown leather jacket and let them tall "I don't

  want anything more to do with it. I don't like it. It feels

  wrong." Her nose ring twinkled under the fluorescent lights.

  "That's too bad," said Cal. "Wicca isn't Intended to make

  anyone uncomfortable. It's meant to
make you celebrate the

  beauty and power of the earth.”

  Beth gave him a blank look, as if to say, Come on.

  "So you want to quit the coven. Are you sure about this?"

  Cal asked. "Maybe you just need more time to get used to it"

  Beth shook her head. "No. I don't want to do it anymore."

  "Well, if Wicca isn't for you, then that's your choice.

  Thanks for being honest," Cal said.

  "Uh-huh," said Beth, shifting her weight from one Doc

  Marten to the other.

  "Beth, one thing," Cal said. "Please respect our privacy."

  There was a serious note in his voice that made Beth look up.

  "You've come to our circles; you've felt magick's power,"

  Cal went on. "Keep those experiences to yourself,

  okay?”They're no one's business but ours."

  "Yeah, okay," Beth said, looking at Cal.

  “Well," Cal said. "It's your decision to go. But just

  remember that the circle won't be open to you again if you

  change your mind. Sorry, but that's how it works."

  "I'm not changing my mind," said Beth. She moved off

  without looking back.

  For a few moments we all looked around at each other.

  "What was that about?" I asked.

  Jenna coughed. "Yeah, that was pretty weird."

  "Don't know" said Cal. A shadow crossed his face. Then he

  seemed to shrug it off. "But like I said, Wicca isn't for

  everyone." He leaned forward. "I thought at our next circle. I

  could show you guys some more runes and maybe a small

  spell.""All right," Ethan said. "Cool." He leaned across to

  Sharon. "Are you gonna eat that brownie?"

  She made a pained face, but I could tell she was kidding.

  "Yes.""Halfies?" he asked. Ethan, former pothead, now merely

  scruffy underdog, grinned coyly at Sharon. It was like watching

  a street mongrel trying to flirt with a well-groomed poodle.

  "I'll give you a tiny bite," Sharon said, breaking off a

  piece. Her cheeks were slightly pink.

  Ethan grinned more broadly and popped the brownie

  morsel into his mouth.

  Around us hundreds of students filed to and from tables,

  eating, talking to each other, busing their trays. We a small,

  private microcosm of the school. To me it felt like we were the

  only ones talking about things that really mattered—things that

  were far more important and interesting than the latest pep

  squad rally or prom theme contest. I couldn't wait to be

  finished with high school, to move on with the rest of my life. I

  saw myself devoted to Wicca, still with Cal, living a life full of

  meaning and joy and magick.

  Robbie's elbow knocking into me jolted me out of my

  daydream.

  "Sorry," he said, rubbing his temples. "Do you have any

  Tylenol?"

  "Nope, sorry. Your doctor's appointment is today, right?"

  I asked him, then took a bite of hamburger.

  “Yeah."

  "Here, take this." Jenna rummaged in her purse and took

  out two tablets.

  Robbie squinted at them, then tossed them down with the

  rest of his soda. "What was that?"

  "Cyanide," said Sharon, and we laughed.

  "Actually, it was Midol," Jenna said, turning away to give

  another cough. I wondered if she was getting sick.

  Matt whooped with laughter as Robbie gaped at her in

  dismay.

  "It'll really help," Jenna insisted. "It's what I take for my

  headaches."

  "Oh, man." Robbie shook his head. I was almost doubled

  over with laughter.

  "Look at it this way," said Cal brightly. "You won't get

  that awful bloated feeling."

  "You'll feel pretty all day," suggested Matt, laughing so

  hard, he had to wipe his eyes.

  "Oh, man," said Robbie again as we cackled.

  "Well, this is nice," came Raven's snide voice. "Everyone

  all happy and laughing together. Cozy, huh, Bree?"

  "Very cozy," said Bree.

  I stopped laughing and looked up at them, standing by

  our lunch table. People streamed by in back of them, making

  Bree edge closer to me. I still felt profoundly relaxed, thanks to

  Selene, and as I gazed at my former best friend, I couldn't help

  missing her powerfully. She was so familiar to me—I had

  known her before she was beautiful, when she was just a

  pretty little girl. She'd never gone through an awful awkward

  stage, like most kids, but when she was twelve, she'd had

  braces and a bad haircut. I had known her before she liked

  boys, while her mother and brother still lived at home. So much

  had changed.

  "Hi, Raven, Bree," Cal said, still smiling. "Grab some

  chairs—we'll make room."

  Raven took out one of her foul-smelling Gauloises and

  tapped it against her wrist "No, thanks. Did Beth tell you she

  was ditching the coven?" she asked, her voice seeming harsh

  and unfriendly. I glanced at Bree, who was keeping her eyes on

  Raven.

  "Yes, she did," Cal replied, shrugging. "Why?"

  Raven and Bree looked at each other. A month ago, Bree

  and I were making fun of Raven together. Now they acted like

  best friends. I tried hard to hold on to my feelings of calm and

  peace.

  Bree gave Raven a tiny nod, and Raven's lips thinned in

  what could pass for a smile.

  'We're leaving, too," she announced. I know my surprise

  showed on my face, and when I quickly surveyed the table,

  there was no mistaking that it was shared. Next to me Cal was

  suddenly alert, frowning as the looked at them.

  "No," said Robbie. "Come on."

  "Why?" Jenna asked "I thought you were both so into it"

  "We are into it," Raven said pointedly. "Were Just not into

  you." She tapped her cigarette harder, and I could practically

  feel how much she wanted to light it up.

  "We've joined a different coven," Bret announced. The

  expression on her face made me think of a kid I had baby-sat

  once. He had once thrown a live lizard onto the dining-room

  table, during a meal, just to see what would happen.

  "A different coven!" exclaimed Sharon. She twitched her

  short suede skirt down, bracelets jangling. "What different

  coven?"

  "A different one," said Raven in a bored tone. She raised

  one shoulder and let it drop.

  "Bree, don't be stupid," said Robbie, and his words

  seemed to hurt her.

  "We've started our own group," Bree told Robbie, and

  Raven glanced at her sharply. I wondered if Bree had been

  supposed to keep that secret

  "Started your own?" Cal said, rubbing his chin. "What is

  wrong with Cirrus?"

  "To tell you the truth, Cal," Bree said coldly, "I don't want

  to be in a coven with backstabbers and betrayers. I need to be

  able to trust the people I do magick with."

  This was aimed at me, and possibly at Cal, and I felt heat

  rise in my cheeks.

  Cal raised his eyebrows. "Yes, trust Is really important,"

  he said slowly. "I agree with you there. Are you sure you am

  trust the people in your new coven?"

  "Yes," said Raven, a bit too loudly. "It's not like you're the
<
br />   only witch in town, you know."

  "No, no, I'm not," Cal agreed. I heard a hint of annoyance

  in his voice. He put his arm around my shoulders. "For

  example, there's Morgan here. Does your new coven have any

  blood witches?"

  All eyes turned to me.

  "Blood witch?" asked Bree, derision in her voice.

  "You said that on Samhain," remembered Raven. "You

  were just yanking our chains."

  "I wasn't," Cal said. I swallowed and looked down, hoping

  this conversation would stop before people followed it to its

  logical conclusion.

  "If she's a blood witch," Bree all but snarled, "then so are

  her parents, right? Isn't that what you told us? I mean, am I

  supposed to believe that Sean and Mary Grace Rowlands are

  blood witches?"

  Cal went silent, as if he just at that moment realized what

  this could lead to "Whatever," he said, and I leaned against

  him, knowing he was trying to protect me.

  "Anyway," said Cal. "Let's not get off the subject. So you

  really want out of the coven?"

  "Out and about, baby," said Raven, putting her unlit

  cigarette in her mouth.

  "Bree, think about what you're doing," Robbie urged her,

  and I was glad he was trying to talk her out of it since I

  couldn't.

  “I have thought," said Bree. "I want out"

  "Well, be careful," said Cal, standing up. I stood up, too,

  grabbing my purse and my lunch tray. "Remember, most

  witches are good, but not all of them. Make sure you haven't

  left the frying pan for the fire."

  Raven gave a short bark of a laugh. "How pithy. Thanks

  for the advice."

  Cal gave them a last considering look, then nodded at me.

  We walked away from the group. I dumped my tray at the bus

  bin, and we left the lunchroom, heading for the main building.

  Cal walked with me to my locker. I spun the combination

  and opened the door while he waited.

  "If they make a new coven, will it affect us somehow?" I

  asked, my voice low.

  Cal brushed back his dark hair and shrugged. "I don't

  think so," he said. "It's just..." He pinched his lip with two

  fingers, thinking.

  "What?"

  "Well, I wonder who they're working with," he said.

  "They're obviously not doing this by themselves. I hope they're

  being careful. Not every witch is... benign."

  I felt tension weave its way into my short-held peace and

  looked at Cal. He kissed me, warmth in his golden eyes.