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Chapter 9
Were home, I announced from the vestibule. There had been quiet murmuring
from the dining room but it stopped at our entrance. Emma and Alex made a lot of noise
as they took their boots and coats off. Once I was free of my winter clothes, I went up the
steps to the main level and met Rose coming towards me.
Her body was tense despite her relaxed expression. She smiled at us and the
smile doubled as the twins brought our bags up the stairs with them. Oh, good, so you
got all the stuff? she asked.
I nodded. I think we have everything that was on our list, I told her. If not, we
can go back. Or improvise.
Well, come on, Rose said. The twins followed her eagerly to the dining room,
and I followed behind them. They dumped the bags on the floor by the bureau as Alex
greeted Edward and introduced Emma.
Edward sat at one end of the table, looking as if he belonged there. He smiled in
greeting and came to his feet when I entered the space. Hello again, he said, mostly
directed at me. I had a moment to think that maybe Alex was right about his attention
towards me. He turned to a young woman still sitting beside him. This is Kristine
Carroway. Shes agreed to tutor you in your magic.
Kristine got up. She was tall and slim with a love of goth clothes. She was head to
toe dressed in black, except for her light blonde hair, which seemed natural. She shook
my hand, then the twins hands. Its very nice to meet you, finally, she said, smiling.
Thank you, I said, same to you.
They sat back down. Rose took a seat across from Kristine. Beside her, Mona sat
stiffly, looking down at the table. I was surprised she was still even there.
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The table wasnt big enough to hold more than six people. The twins grabbed the
remaining seats, so I stayed standing beside Rose. I could have gotten a chair and
squished in, or taken Edwards chair when he offered it, but I didnt mind. I could see
everything much better from here.
When we were all settled, Kristine asked, looking at our bags, Did you go
shopping for supplies?
Yeah, I replied. Is that okay?
Yes, it definitely is, Kristine said, smiling a little. She pointed to the bag closest
to her. May I look at what you got?
Go ahead, I said. I brought the bags closer to her.
Kristine pulled all of the stuff out and arranged them on the table in front of her.
Mona looked at some of the items and grimaced in distance. I smirked, watching her
squirm.
I brought Kristine along because she was free today, Edward began, telling the
twins and I what he must have told Mona and Rose before we got here. Kris doesnt
have a lot of experience, but the sooner you learn your magic, the better.
Kristine nodded, still looking through the bags. I completely agree, she said.
She glanced up at me, then to the twins. I can get you started on learning the basics of
your magic in the meantime. When we start with the more advanced magic, we can ask
my teacher to help and she can come over and teach all of us that magic.
Its not perfect, Edward added, but its a start. All of you need to learn your
magic, as soon as possible. His eyes lingered on Mona and I wondered if he knew that
she didnt believe like we did that magic existed. I also brought over copies of your
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ownership of the Forest Glen, which you can pass on to your lawyer during the week.
That should jumpstart getting your access to the investment.
Do you have any grimoires? Kristine asked.
I nodded and went to my room to get them. Rose got the one shed been looking
at and brought it to the table when I returned with the others. I wanted to hide them
when we werent using them. I didnt trust Mona. She could be irrational sometimes,
and I was afraid shed find the books and burn them before we had a chance to learn our
magic.
The dining room became a study area as Kristine talked about the spells and
rituals in the grimoires. Edward insisted that I sit in his chair, since he wasnt a witch,
but he stayed with us while we learned. He could have gone back to work, I supposed,
but he seemed just as interested in our magic as we were.
Well, with the exception of Mona. Mona had taken out one of her law textbooks
and was trying, very stubbornly, to read them while Kristine talked. I could see Kristine
was a little annoyed with that. Hell, I was more than annoyed about it. But short of
kicking Mona in the shins, which I did every so often, there was nothing we could do to
get her to pay attention.
We broke up for a late lunch. Rose insisted that I pull out an extra chair for
Edward so that he could stay. He sat his chair between mine and Emmas. Did your
sisters like the dessert? he asked quietly.
I nodded. Yeah, they did, I said. Thanks for it, by the way. We dont often have
dinner out because we cant afford it.
He smiled. You dont need to thank me, he said. Im glad I can help, even if in a
minor way. I feel like I should have found you girls sooner.
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kids. Her body is past that stage already, but she tried many times, unsuccessfully, when
she was younger. But for you, the danger is more than your blood.
Edward cut in, his voice hard. They do not need to know.
I turned to him, glaring. Edward matched my glare with his own. Of course we
do, I said evenly. We have a right to know why we are in danger when no one else
seems to be.
Were supernaturals, Kristine said, were always in danger. And normals are in
more danger than they suspect. Life is always a battle.
I looked back at Edward. He was still glaring at me, as if trying to force me to
move on. Alex looked annoyed, but was trying to hold it in. Emma had stiffened and was
trying to be as small as possible. But Monas reaction surprised me. Instead of her head
bent down over her book, trying to ignore us, she was looking around at all of us,
Edward and Kristine especially, with an interested expression.
Werent our parents political? Mona asked. Everyone turned to her. The twins
were surprised and confused. Despite the effort of Edwards glaring, she didnt back
down. I remember when we were younger, when they were still alive, Mom and Dad
would talk about meetings and protests. I always wondered what they were protesting.
They never told us, and Grandma wouldnt answer my questions when I asked.
I nodded. I remember some of that too, I said. I remember finding flyers in
Dads study about a protest that was coming up. He caught me and locked the flyers in
his cabinets. I turned to Edward, who had gone still. Was it because of you? Because
shifters can have more children than witches? It seems a bit lame, but
Thats not it, Kristine said. She glanced at Edward before continuing. The
protests are every month on the full moon. I didnt know your parents personally, but
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from what I understand they were quite active, politically. Protesters gather at the
hinterlands offices and protest the loopholes in the Civil Rights Bill.
See, for the longest time, witches were a ruling class within the supernatural
world. Everyone had to worship the witches, and if you werent one, you were
considered a freak by them. During that time, shifters were considered slaves. They had
no rights and they had to work almost day and night for the witches because they were
seen as less than witches. Eventually, the shifters began a rebellion and revolted against
the witches, forcing them to come up with the Civil Rights Bill. But that Bill subtly hid
many loopholes, and everyone was ignorant of it until the 60s, when the normals began
their revolutionary wave of activism. The loopholes came to light, and the two species
have been on uneven terms since then.
In a firm voice intended for Edward, she added, Im a shifter supporter. We may
not be human, but each species needs it rights in order to survive, and witches have
enough rights as it is. But these days, there have been a lot of unease amongst witches.
Several shifters have been convicted of witch killings, and many witches are asking the
Council, the supernatural government for all of North America, to revoke the Bill and
make shifters less than... them, again.
We gawked at her. Rose, who had come to the entrance of the kitchen, was also
staring at her. So this is about race? I asked. I shook my head.
No, race is something the normals created, Edward said. A witch and a shifter
can have the same race, as normals call it, but were different species. This is about
species, and whose is better.
I looked at him closely. His jaw and fists were clenched and he wasnt looking at
anyone. Were you one of their slaves? I asked quietly.
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He seemed to jump. He took a deep breath. I was lucky that I was made a shifter
shortly before the Bill came into being. I spent a decade perhaps as a slave for a witch
family down in the States. But now I am free man. He looked at me. And I intend to
stay that way.
His look was intended to make me back down, but I looked back at him and said,
I dont blame you.
He relaxed a little. He broke his stare from mine and looked around at all of us.
Im sorry, he said, meaning it, Im not usually this hostile about our species
relations.
Rose disappeared back into the kitchen. I felt a headache start at the back of my
head as I listened to her movements in the kitchen. I thought about everything wed just
been told and said, So, our parents were political and shifter supporters. That would be
the real reason why they would have many enemies in the witch community, right?
Both Edward and Kristine nodded. So, really, the people we have to protect ourselves
from would be the witches. I paused. Youre right, we need all the help we can get.
Because if the racial relations in the human side of the world is any indication, we may
find ourselves in the crossfire. I know people of colour have been given rights, but even
I, a white person, can see that there are still limits to those rights.
...
We ate in silence. Mona ate quickly and took her plate to the kitchen before
disappearing downstairs. When she came back up, she announced that she was going to
work. She took off with my car again. I didnt fight this time but just nodded and
continued eating as she went out the door.
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Rose began clearing the table and Kristine offered to help her. In the ensuing
cacophony, Emma moved to Monas spot and Edward brought his chair back to where
Id got it from. He sat in Emmas old spot and I moved back to my original position,
breathing a bit easier.
I caught Alex looking at me. She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. I
glared at her. She laughed quietly.
When the others got back to their spots, Kristine announced, Well start
practicing some magic now. Well start with basic protection spells and work upwards,
that way, before you learn the rest of your magic, you can protect yourself. Well run
through the layout of the spells first, then we should find a space to practice in. She
turned to Rose. Is there a space big enough for practice here? Should we use the living
room?
We have a den downstairs, Rose told her. We can move the furniture around
and itll be big enough.
Great, Kristine said, smiling. She opened our grandmothers grimoire and
flipped through it to the spells she wanted. She picked out three spells: a basic
protection spell, an invisibility spell, and a lock spell. She spoke the spells slowly,
making her pronunciation clear, before having us repeat those spells. All three were in
languages that we couldnt understand, and only one of them was Latin. But they were
short spells, and soon we easily pronounced them.
Edward jumped as we heard clicks resound through the house. We stopped
saying the spells and looked at him and Kristine. Kristine was looking around the table
at us, her eyes wide and disbelieving. Where did they she stopped herself.
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Edward looked around at us too. It was as if they couldnt see us. I had a second
to wonder if saying the invisibility spell worked when Alex said, Are you guys okay? You
look like youve seen ghosts.
Kristine jumped and whipped around to face Alex. Alex frowned at her as if
Kristine seemed to see through her. You guys have disappeared, Kristine said. I cant
see you at all.
I can smell them still, Edward said. He sniffed in my direction and I frowned at
him, though he couldnt see it. And I believe the locks in the house have all been
engaged. He looked at Kristine. I would suggest teaching them the words for the
counter-casts.
Kristine nodded her head too quickly and began reciting the words out loud to us.
We repeated them back to her until we had the pronunciation down and the counter-
cast was cast. Kristine looked relieved when she could see us again.
I guess we dont need the hand gestures, Alex said.
Learning the hand gestures is as important as the words themselves, Kristine
said. When we start a spell, our bodies naturally raise energy to carry that spell
through. We use our hands to channel that energy in the direction we want it to go.
Some people dont use hand gestures, but beginners usually need them to focus our
spells. Im amazed that your spells worked nearly on the first try.
Were quick learners, Alex said dryly.
Does that mean we have to skip these spells? Emma asked.
Not at all, Kristine said. You have the ability to cast them effectively. You still
need to remember them, which will take practice. And you should practice on your own,
or in pairs, just in case our presence boosted your magic.
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Guess we dont need a practice space, Alex murmured.
Perhaps we should go downstairs, Rose suggested. Well keep practicing.
Kristine nodded. We got up, some moving slower than others, and went
downstairs to the den, Kristine and Edward following behind. Rose asked the twins to
start moving the furniture and Edward pitched in, hefting a chair out of the way all by
himself. I admit, it was impressive. Rose and Kristine busied themselves with putting
pillows on the floor and bringing down supplies.
Now, we had a large space cleared with pillows on the floor. The twins sat
together, Rose and Kristine sat together, which left me with Edward. I had a moment of
feeling awkward as I sat down next to him. We smiled at each other, then turned to
watch Rose and Kristine murmuring to each other about one of the spells.
Well do the protection spell again so that you can see what exactly it is that a
protection spell offers, Kristine said. There are many varieties of protection, but well
focus on one solely for your own body. After casting the spell, someone will try and slap
you. And youll see what happens. She grinned at us. Ill start first and have Rose try to
slap me. Then well go around the circle.
Rose looked hesitant to be slapping someone. Once Kristine cast the protection
spell and assured her that it was working, Rose raised her hand and stopped.
Kristine seemed to understand. Dont worry, she said. Just tap me, maybe.
Perhaps I should have said slap. Slapping might be too violent. Just try to poke me.
Rose nodded. She took a deep breath and lowered her hand to gently tap
Kristines head. But an inch away, Roses hand stopped and she frowned.
At first, I thought Rose had flaked out again. Then I saw that Rose was putting
movement into her gesture, and yet nothing was happening.
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Rose gave a shaky laugh as she pulled her hand away. That is so weird, she said,
blushing. Its like my hand hit a wall.
Kristine smiled. Thats exactly what its supposed to be like. More powerful
protection spells can have the effect where an attacker bounces away from you, like
there is a repulsive shield covering you. But thats what a protection spell is about. It
builds an invisible, but physical, shield to cover your body with. Anybody you dont want
touching you wont be able to touch you at all.
Cool, Alex murmured.
It was Roses turn to cast the spell. When she was finished, Kristine tentatively
pushed her fingers at Roses arm, then harder when her hand stopped a couple inches
away. She invited me to try, and I leaned forward, pushing my whole hand against
Roses side.
My hand found resistance a couple inches away, like Kristines had had. I felt like
I was pushing up against a cool wall that felt metallic under my hand. But there was
nothing there to see, despite the resistance my hand felt. I pulled my hand back and
grinned at Rose. She smiled back.
The twins were already using their protection spells against each other. Alex kept
trying to hit Emma, to no avail. Emma would tentatively stick her finger towards Alexs
middle, but would be stopped. Alex got up and applied her whole body to Emma, but
met resistance a couple inches away.
Even as I chided them, I laughed with them. Alex was bent over Emma, a mere
couple of inches, between her and Emma, and it was as if Alex was suspended in midair.
If Emma counter-cast at that point, Alex would have flattened Emma.
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Are you gonna try? Edward asked me, raising his voice to be heard. He held up
his hand and grinned. I promise Ill be gentle.
I nodded and took a deep breath. I cast the spell, but I didnt feel any different.
Kristine had seemed aware that her spell was cast, and I had to wonder how she had
known.
I gestured to Edward to touch me. He moved in closer, grinning, and tried to tap
my arm, like Kristine had done for Rose. His hand met resistance about five inches
away. He pushed and pushed, but didnt get anywhere. I chuckled. That is pretty cool,
I muttered.
Edward began patting the outside of my invisible shield, all around my body. It
felt strangely intimate, and I fought not to show it. His grin disappeared as he took his
hand back to himself. Your shield is bigger than the others, he said.
What do you mean? I asked.
He demonstrated by pushing his hand towards my chest. I froze, looking down at
his hand, until his hand froze too. Inches away from my body. He moved his hand
around and looked up at me. Your resistance is five, maybe six, inches out from your
body. The others only have a couple inches. He dropped his hand. Youre afraid of
me.
I stared at him. I am?
He nodded, but didnt say anything more. He turned back to the rest of the group
and chuckled when Emma tried to climb on top of Alexs shield.
I thought about telling him that I wasnt afraid of him, that maybe that was just
how the spell worked. Or maybe I was more powerful than my sisters. My ego whooped
at the thought. But I didnt. I said the counter-cast and turned back to the others as well.
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Rose chided the twins for being foolish and Kristine called us all back to order.
She announced that we would try the lock-spell. We all got up and followed Kristine to
the twins bedroom door, which she opened. I peered in around her. Half the room was
empty, and Alexs mess was starting to spread to Emmas vacant bed.
Kristine ignored the mess and demonstrated the lock spell. She cast, and we
watched the lock on the door engage. The twins room had originally been the den before
wed moved in. Grandma had renovated the basement so that the den moved out into
the main area and the twins had a room to themselves. She even put a lock on the door
willingly, though as Kristine demonstrated, a lock would have been nothing if shed
really wanted to get inside the room.
I leaned against the wall opposite the door. I thought of all the times Grandma
had forgotten her house keys at home when she went some place. Id always wondered
how she got in the house. Then there were the times when my bedroom door was locked
at night as I went to sleep, and I woke up in the morning to find the door unlocked. Id
always thought maybe I sleep-walked during the night and didnt remember it, but
perhaps Grandma had unlocked it, checking on me, and forgotten to lock the door again
as she left.
I blinked away the tears and forced myself to focus on the demonstration.
Kristine asked me to try it first and I stepped up to her spot, forcing myself to look calm.
I stared down at the door lock and imagined all the times Grandma had done the same
thing. I said the spell. The lock clicked open, sticking its tongue out at me. I counter-cast
and the lock pulled its tongue back in with another click.
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Kristine congratulated me and I walked back to my spot on the wall. I noticed
Rose was looking at me curiously and would have come over if Kristine hadnt asked her
to try it next.
As Rose tried the spell, I slipped past Edward and up the stairs. I didnt realize he
followed me until I got into the kitchen and got a glass out for myself only to see him
standing in the entrance.
His face was blank, but his voice was gentle as he said, Are you alright?
I nodded quickly. Im fine. I turned away from him and filled my glass with
juice from the fridge. All of the locks in the house engaged and I jumped.
That was Alex, he told me, coming into the kitchen. He sat down in one of the
chairs at our breakfast table. You engaged all the locks in the house too.
I looked at him. Seriously?
He nodded. All of you are more powerful than we thought, he said. Youll
probably need to practice with those hand gestures in order to concentrate your energy
on only one object.
Did you want something to drink? He declined. Reluctantly, I started towards
the table. When I realized how awkward I felt, I squared my shoulders and sat down
opposite him, forcing myself to relax. How do you know so much about witchcraft?
He shrugged, indifferent. Observation, he replied. Ive known many witches.
And you had to know what they could do, right? To protect yourself?
He looked at me. Right.
Was it really hard for you to be a... There was no way I could make it polite, so I
just spat it out, slave for witches?
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Of course it was, he said. Being someones slave is not a walk in the park. They
rule you. They tell you what to do and you have to do it because theyll hurt you, or even
kill you, if you dont. My eyes widened at that. He looked away from me. Dont ask
about something you dont understand.
I understand a bit of what the black slaves had to go through, I began, but he
cut me off.
Trust me, our slavery was nothing like black slavery, he said heatedly. Then he
conceded, I do admit that human slavery was really bad, but shifter slavery was...
Imagine being prodded awake early in the morning with electricity because you had
slept in and they wanted you out in the fields. Supposedly shifters bodies rejuvenate
themselves and we all have plenty of energy, but when you have been working like dogs
day in, day out your energy runs down. Imagine them punishing you with magic because
you wont get up to complete another hard days work. Spells that... horrible spells,
designed to make sure that you always get up on time, even if your body quits working
right. Imagine that, then tell me you understand what it was like to be a slave.
He jerked his head towards the kitchen entrance. I looked up too. Emma was
standing in the doorway, her eyes showing a lot of white. She was staring at Edward in
horror, and I could guess that she had heard almost all of what he said. She immediately
looked down. IIm sorry, I didntI didnt mean to
Its alright, Edward said, his voice suddenly very gentle. Come on in.
She nodded. She kept her head down and quickly went to the cupboard to get out
a mug. While she made hot chocolate, we sat in silence, and I pondered what he said. I
had to admit that poverty was nothing compared to slavery. I could only imagine what
he, and countless other shifters, and humans, had went through during slavery.
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Suddenly, Edward asked me, Why were you crying downstairs? During the lock
spell.
I swallowed my Its none of your business and noticed that Emma had turned
towards me as well. I looked down at my cup. I was thinking, I began slowly, about
Grandma. About how much she has kept from us our whole lives. That lock spell made
me wonder whether she had ever used it on us, to unlock our doors when we had them
locked. I sighed. And I feel cheated. I looked up at him. She kept this most important
side of her away from us and I feel like now that we know about it, we hardly knew her
at all.
They had their reasons for keeping this from you, Edward said.
I know, but... that doesnt change the fact that they arent here now and we have
to deal with the mess they left. I was getting angry, and I welcomed it. They should
have taught us this when they were alive. We shouldnt have to go to strangers and beg
for help because we dont know who the hell we really are. We should have known all of
our magic when we were kids. That would have made us safe. Knowing who we were
would have made us safe because at least then we could deal with whatever it is that
everyone seems so afraid is going to happen to us.
Emma was nodding. I wish they had of told us too, she said quietly. I mean,
what would it have been like to have been taught by Mom and Dad about our magic?
She smiled a little. That would have been cool.
I frowned. Maybe they would still be alive. Emmas eyes widened again. Maybe
they wouldnt have died that night...
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I was getting sad again. I clenched my jaw and blinked furiously at the tears. I
struggled to hold onto the anger that Id just had, but thinking about the accident, how I
could have died too...
I forced that thought out of my head and concentrated on Edwards next words.
Youre right, maybe they would still be alive. But maybe they wouldnt be either. The
action is done, and you girls cant dwell on the past. You need to concentrate on the now,
on learning about your magic. That will make you safe.
I frowned at him. Kristine came up the stairs then. You guys want to come down
for more work? I got another spell Id like you to try out before we leave.
Edward got up immediately and I followed after him and Emma. Back
downstairs, we sat in our previous places and listened as Kristine laid out the next spell
we were going to learn.
Now, I have to warn you that I havent been taught this spell yet, Kristine said.
Its not part of my grimoire or Peggys, so I suppose its a family spell that was
developed. But I think if we can all make it work, the spell will be very useful.
What is it? Alex asked.
Its a long distance contact spell, she told her. It says in your Grandmas
grimoire that it is used to tell someone to contact you. Lets say that Alex was in Mexico
Alex hooted and she and Emma laughed, and that Emma was in England more
laughter and I couldnt help chuckle too, and if either one of them was in trouble or
needed to talk but couldnt get a hold of the other with a phone, then one of them would
use the spell to contact them for a few seconds. Does that make sense?
We nodded. Kristine began laying out the pronunciation and the instructions for
the spell. After we practiced the pronunciation, without going through the motions,
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Kristine and Rose began working on each other, the twins with each other, and then
me... with Edward.
I turned my pillow towards him. Do you think Ill be able to work with you?
Yeah, he said, shrugging. Ill have to pull down my shields to hear you, but Im
okay with you working with me.
Your shields? I asked.
He smiled a little. When I work with witches, particularly psychic witches, I put
up mental shields to protect my mind from them. I wasnt sure if any of you were
psychic, so...
I understand. I think Id want my mind protected from someone elses
interference too.
I shook the tenseness out of my body and forced myself to relax. The instructions
of the spell said that I had to picture the person I was going to call on. So I closed my
eyes and pictured Edward, which wasnt hard because hed been the last thing Id seen
before closing my eyes. Then I said the spell out loud and mentally asked, Edward?
I opened my eyes. Edward was shaking his head. I began to close my eyes again,
but he began, No, I meant... Your call was really loud. It hurt my... ears.
Oh. I looked around at the others. Emma was crying and Alex was trying to get
her to stop, and Kristine was rubbing her temple, a look of pain on her face. I looked
back at Edward. Sorry. Maybe we should be at separate ends of the house?
Edward nodded. Good idea.
We got off the pillows. Edward went upstairs to sit in the living room and I went
into Monas bedroom and shut the door behind me. I took a moment to look around the
room to let Edward get comfortable.
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I remembered that Monas bedroom had always been filled with her paintings.
Outside of law, Mona was quite artistic and I had always been impressed at the
paintings and drawings she had done. Every wall would be covered in them, making her
bedroom a collage of her own work.
But now, her bedroom looked completely empty. Her bed, her desk, and her
dresser were still there, but the walls were bare. None of her work was available to see
and for a moment I wondered when she had decided to take all of her work down. Had it
been after Grandmas death? And how had I missed this when I had yelled at her
earlier? And what happened to those paintings? I looked for her work folder, hidden
behind her dresser, but it was empty. All of her paints and pencil crayons were stacked
neatly in a bucket on her shelf.
I sighed and sat down on her bed, still thinking about her. I cast the spell and said
mentally, Whats wrong, Mona? Wheres your artwork?
I waited for the phone to ring. I waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
Mona didnt come home quickly to find out how she heard me, and I didnt know if I
even had managed to contact her.
There was a knock on Monas door. I got off the bed expectantly, but Edward
came in. Whats wrong? he asked.
Oh, sorry, I got distracted, I told him. I smiled. Sorry.
He nodded and closed the door to go back upstairs. I waited a bit again then
forced myself to picture Edward. Then I said the spell again, and said mentally,
Edward, can you hear me?
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My cell phone rang. I dug it out of my back pocket and flipped it open. It was
Edward. I got your call, he said. And I found your cell phone number on that list of
numbers you have in the kitchen. I hope thats okay.
Yeah, thats fine. Thats a good idea actually, instead of you having to come
downstairs every time you hear me. So you heard me fine? Was I loud?
You werent as loud as before, but I could hear you clearly, he said. I heard:
Edward, can you hear me? I didnt think you could say phrases over the connection,
just names.
Well, I decided to try it out, just in case, I told him. And because Id tried it with
Mona, I wanted to see if it was possible that shed heard me. Should I try again?
Sure. Maybe say something more, just so we can see how long the connection
lasts. Ill call you back.
Okay. We hung up. I pictured him again, said the spell, then thought, Hey,
Edward, can you hear me? I give you permission to add my phone number to your cell
phone, just in case. Can I do the same for your phone number? I hope thats not too
My cell rang. Startled, I flipped it open. Edward said, Of course you can add my
number. That would be beneficial since you might need my help sometime, and I
suggest your sisters add my number and Kristines number to their cell phones as well, if
they have phones that is.
They do, I told him. That was one thing Grandma was for, she wanted to make
sure we all had a way to call the police if we got hurt.
Good, Edward said. Unfortunately, the connection fizzled out after you asked
me if you could put my number on your cell. I heard I hope and then nothing, so I
called.
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Good to know. So I guess a couple of sentences is the limit for the call. Im sure
we can all work with that.
Lizzy, can you hear me? I rubbed my forehead as the phrase slid through my
mind like a brutally sharp knife. I must have groaned because Edward asked, Whats
wrong?
Um, someones trying to contact me, I told him. Then the door popped open
and Alex came in, followed by Emma. Both of them were grinning.
Did you hear me? Alex asked. I nodded. Alex punched the air and exclaimed,
Yes!
I wanna try! Emma said and she rushed out of the room with Alex following
behind her. I chuckled and prepared mentally for
Can you hear me, Lizzy? Its me, Emma! I winced as the sentences cut through
my head.
God, theyre loud, I said. On the other end of the phone, Edward chuckled. He
must have heard the whole exchange.
At least you know they can do it, Edward said. I made a noncommittal noise. I
have to get to work now, so if you want to come up...
Okay, Ill be up in a sec, I told him. We both hung up.
When I got out to the den, Kristine was talking with Rose and Alex was sitting on
the floor across from them, concentrating. I told them that Edward was leaving and both
Kristine and Alex yelled goodbye to him up the stairs. Rose followed me up and we met
Edward in the living room.
Rose held out her hand to him. It was very nice to meet you, she said, and
thank you so much for taking time out to see us.
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He shook it. It was my pleasure, he said, sincerely. He pulled out a card and
handed it to her. Theres my cell phone number and my home and business numbers. I
think you and your sisters would benefit from putting me on your contact list, and if you
ever need any help, dont hesitate to call.
Rose smiled. Thank you so much, she said. Really. She waved to him and
went into the kitchen to tack the card up.
Edward turned to me. Listen, I am sorry I got so angry today when you asked me
about our slavery, and Im sorry that your little sister had to hear what I said. You are
right to be curious, because you are a part of this world, and knowing about my slavery
would help you to understand our worlds history.
Thanks, I said softly. I held my hand out too, and he shook it. His hand was hot,
yet firm. Then he stepped down the stairs to the vestibule, his coat in his hand, waved,
and then was gone out the door.
I went and sat down in the living room, closing my eyes for a bit. It wasnt long
before I was joined by Alex and Emma. Emma sat down in one of the chairs while Alex
plopped down beside me.
So, did you notice anything unusual today? Alex asked.
I looked at her. Besides the fact that we can cast spells? No, not really.
She shook her head at me. I meant about Edward. I told you he has a thing for
you, and you didnt believe it, so now that hes been here with the rest of us, I say its
only fair that I point out how much he likes you to prove my point.
I closed my eyes again. What if I dont want to hear it?
Alex scoffed. Oh, you want to hear it. Youre probably visualizing him right
now... naked.
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My eyes flew open. Oh, for the love of god!
Goddess! Emma exclaimed. Not god. Were witches, remember?
Doesnt mean we cant worship a god, I told her. And I dont think our version
of witches worships any god or goddess.
You have to spoil everything, dont you? Alex asked.
Im not spoiling anything, Im just pointing out to you guys that we may not be
the stereotypical witches you see on TV or read in the books.
Right, so anyways, did you notice how into you he was today? He kept trying to
give his chair to you, then when Mona freed her chair, instead of taking that seat, he
pulled his chair next to you. Thats love, Alex sing-songed.
And he kept sitting with you during the practice, Emma added, grinning from
ear to ear.
He followed you upstairs after you performed the lock spell, Alex continued.
And he let you into his mind. I tried calling him, but I dont think it worked, so the only
one he preferred in his head was you!
How does he love thee? Let me count the ways! Emma parodied, giggling.
I rolled my eyes. Im sure you guys are taking everything he did out of context.
Alex frowned at me. Spoilsport, she said simply.
I sighed. Im just saying that maybe you guys are looking for love when there is
none. We only just met him yesterday.
Yeah, and yesterday he was hooked, Alex growled. You are in denial. She
shook her head at me and got off the couch to go back downstairs.
Emma looked between the empty space and me, unsure. I looked back at her. She
opened her mouth to speak, but Rose and Kristine came up the stairs.
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Were going to protect the house before Kris leaves, Rose announced to us. She
looked around. Wheres Alex?
She went back to her room, I told her.
Rose frowned. She leaned over the banister and yelled, Alex, can you come up
here please?
While we waited for Alex, Kristine explained what we were going to do. We were
going to hide bundles of herbs and a few charms around the house, and burn incense to
protect our house from outside influences. She had already gone through our purchases
and through Grandmas stuff and began putting together what we needed for the ritual.
As we grouped around the dining table, the smell of the herbs and the incense
was profuse.
...
I was nursing a headache from the fumes when Mona came home. I had my
bedroom door open and she came to the doorway, looked at me, then left. She looked
angry. I wondered if that meant that she had heard me call her mentally. I decided it
did, but she wasnt going to admit it.
I heard Rose talking to Mona in the kitchen. Then Rose came into my room with
a cup of tea. Mona doesnt work tomorrow, she began, handing the cup to me, so
maybe we should try to teach her the spells we learned today.
She looked at me for agreement. I shrugged. As long as she wants to do it. Im
not going to force her to learn the spells.
Rose nodded. She settled next to me on my bed and frowned to herself.
Shouldnt we force her to learn the spells? Isnt that the best way for all of us to be safe?
I mean, if we learn it and she doesnt...
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I shrugged again. If she comes around, then sure. But she is so friggin stubborn,
Id doubt that all of us would be able to force her to learn magic. It would be just a waste
of time and we could be learning more spells.
Rose nodded. Okay. She patted my arm. Im going to cook supper now. Too
bad Kris couldnt stay. She got up and went back into the kitchen.