Shifting Shadows (Sparks Collide Trilogy) (11 page)

The thing is I live in constant fear of
being discovered. Not by humans but by my own kind, the witches. There was a
war going on between two groups, the Light and the Dark. They’ve disliked one
another, believing their own ways to be the right ones but 28 years ago,
tensions were at an all time high and the attacks began. My parents had escaped
their coven in
Washington
in order to remain out of the war and
out from under either side’s control.

Technically they practiced Light magic,
which included healing spells, helping spells, and defensive spells. Dark
magic, as expected practiced offensive spells, spells that were dangerous and
deadly. One side derived its magic from life and earth’s devotion to it. The
other derived its magic from death and the darkness from beyond.

My parents hid in
New Mexico
and a few years later, I was born. We
lived there until I was about eight and even though no one had come looking for
us, after a few mishaps with my magic in front of humans, my parents decided we
needed to disappear, just in case. After roaming from place to place for about
eight months, we ended up in
Boston
, the home I hadn’t left until a week
ago.

My Mom and Dad were unwilling to let me
go when I wanted to go away to College for my undergraduate studies but they
agreed that I could leave after that. They were reluctant to do even that but I
had one trump card up my sleeve and once I got accepted into Brisdale’s
Veterinary Medicine Program, I played it.

My parents had run from the Light
Witches because although they were the “good guys” in the war, they were not
blameless. The Light Witches were strict and when it came to their beliefs,
they were ruthless. Under their leader, Zorlon, rules became more constricting
and spells were limited to their exacting standards. Trying so hard to make
sure no Dark magic would taint them turned them into zealots filled with
paranoia and suspicion.

Yes, Mom and Dad ran away to be free of
the risks and danger of war but they also ran away so they could be free in
general. Keeping me cooped up in our home defeated the purpose of freedom.

I was a responsible adult, I knew the
dangers I could face but I also knew how to protect myself. In short, I
deserved my own life. When presented with that, they couldn’t deny me any
longer.

If there was a possibility I was in
danger, I owed it to myself and to my parents to take every precaution
possible. That’s why today I was going to make my protection potion and hope
for the best. I ate, showered, and dressed for the weather, still raining. I
grabbed my umbrella on the way out and ran to my car.

I’d been in my house for a total of six
hours before I got the call. Six hours of lying in bed, unmoving but not
asleep. Six hours of staring at the blank ceiling and listening to the rain,
lightning and thunder that had finally stopped. Six hours alone and empty
enough to allow the images of my life before my mother’s death to take over.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and ripped
me from my thoughts. On autopilot, I picked up.

“James” My father’s voice came through
the phone and it was stiff and formal.

“Dad…” I waited.

“I think I knew, I think I knew and I
blocked it out because it’s too hard. I loved her so much, Jay. ” His voice was
as unsteady as I ever heard it.

“Yeah.” I responded.

“I know it’s not an excuse. I don’t
expect you to think that it’s ok but we’ve both made mistakes.” I didn’t know
what to say. He continued, his voice much stronger now. “Well, it’s clear to me
that I need to reassess my earlier decisions.”

I answered a shocked, “Ok.”

“I’m going out of town for a few days
for business. We’ll discuss this when I get back, just you and me.”

“Ok”

“Don’t do anything crazy, please. We
both know this is your last chance.”

“I…I know I-”

He cut me off “My first provision is
you need to thank Will for bringing this to my attention and then help him to
move into your house.”

I sat up, suddenly awake. “What? Dad,
just, no. I promise you, this is a terrible idea. I don’t want this and I
guarantee Will doesn’t want this.”

His voice was back in stern territory.
“You’re wrong about that but regardless I don’t care what you want. This is
what’s happening. It’s what’s best for you. Trent and Logan already agreed and
you have plenty of room. He’ll be there Monday. I suggest you start cleaning
out a guest room today and tomorrow. You
will
make him feel comfortable.”

I punched my headboard but said the
only thing I could. “Sure.”

“That’s more like it. Goodbye, James.”

I didn’t respond but hung up after I
heard the click from my father’s phone. I looked around my room. I was alone
and I was lying here, starving, and in bloody clothes from the night before.
What for? I wondered. For times that no longer existed? For people who were no
longer there? It was stupid and pointless.

Phone still in hand, I called the local
pizza place and ordered two larges with everything, breadsticks, and a 2 liter
soda.

I called up
Trent
and he picked up on the first ring.
“Jay, hey I’m really sorry, Dude. I couldn’t say no to your pops. Don’t be
pissed.” I took my ear away from the phone and waited till his rambling began
to wind down. “He’s the frickin Alpha, man. It’ll be ok, you’ll see. I doubt
Will
will
ever be there, I mean he practically lives
with Demi anyway and-”

I placed the phone back to my ear.
“Whoa,
Trent
, slow down. It’s whatever but that’s
not why I’m calling. Who are you with?”

“It’s just Logan and I. We, uh, tried
to give you some space.”

“Well stop that shit. Come home for
lunch, I got pizza coming in ten. Plus you need to catch me up on that meeting.
Then who knows, the day is young. ”

“We’re in. Be home in a few but are you
all right, man?”

I noticed the rain starting up again,
heavy as before. I answered honestly, “Hell no but I’m no longer excommunicated
so we should probably celebrate.”

“True. See you soon.”

I hung up, stripped and took a much
needed, hot shower. They say you’re not supposed to shower during a lightning
storm but I was feeling pretty lucky.

Winterfat A.K.A White Sage, check.
Cedar, check. Sweetgrass, check, Juniper Berries, check. All I needed now was
an amethyst crystal that I could crush.

It’d been a long, rainy day but it
wasn’t over yet. I’d been to the bank, to the local grocery store where I
happened upon the Sage, and home again to put that and the other groceries
away. I’d found a garden and I’d bought the Sweetgrass there. I went to a
vitamin shop and they had Cedar leaf oil which is kind of a substitution but it
works well enough, as well as the Juniper.

The girl who worked there seemed normal
but I worried nonetheless. She had purple tipped hair, a nose ring and read a
punk magazine behind the counter. She seemed more interested in the magazine
than the fascinating world of vitamins so that convinced me more than anything
that she was human.

I hopped back in my car and noticed it
had stopped raining finally. It hadn’t bothered me either way, though. I
actually enjoyed driving around in the rain. It calmed me in some weird way.

I was finally headed to my last stop, a
craft store, and I was feeling good because I knew for certain that I would
find the amethyst there as I’d gotten them from this store chain in Boston,
many times. I bought several of them in a necklace beading set that was on
sale, score, and headed home.

I got into my apartment just as it
started raining again. As usual all the wards of my apartment were secure and
in place. I pulled all the curtains tight and made sure every window and door
was locked.

I took off my coat and grabbed a bowl
and a mortar from the cabinets. I grabbed the deepest pot, poured water in it
and placed it on the stove top to boil. Lastly, I hooked up my Ipod to
Christina’s large stereo in the living room. An upbeat song about walking a dog
from one of my favorite bands blasted through the speakers. It was time for a
little magic.

I danced around the room with growing
excitement. As much as I craved normalcy, I couldn’t deny that I loved magic.
It caused problems, deprived me of a standard childhood, and was the reason I
had to watch my back constantly but it was a piece of me. It flowed through me
and connected me to the earth in an amazing way.

Instead of a black cauldron bubbling
over a fire, I used electricity. It was easier and the intent was the same so
it worked. I wasn’t your average folklore witch to begin with. My wand was pink
for crying out loud. It was hidden in my room under every lock and ward and
spell I could find but would be used in emergencies only.

I sang along to the music and crushed a
few amethyst pieces on a chopping board. I checked on the Sage to make sure it
was dried and I double checked the Cedar oil to be certain all of the
ingredients were pure. They were, thank Hecate. Then I began braiding the
Sweetgrass in the way my mother had taught me when we lived in
New Mexico
.

The song changed to a pumped up beat
and it was all about partying and rocking out and I measured out enough Juniper
Berries from the package. I heard the pot’s lid popping behind me and turned to
see the water had boiled. “Double, double, toil, and trouble, indeed.” I smiled
as I turned the temperature down to medium and took off the lid. I may or may
not have did the song’s dance from the music video when the chorus came around.

After that, I thanked the ingredients
for their help and care and I thanked the earth for providing me it all. I
poured some Cedar oil, added the braided Sweetgrass, and then the Juniper
Berries, mixing it all the while. Then I added the Sage and took the chopping
board to the pot and pushed in the amethyst dust.

I thought of nothing but protection and
safety, health and light. I spoke the words aloud in Latin. Magic can be done
in any language but I like to throw in Latin every now and again because it had
been passed down in my family for generations as the go-to magic language. Plus
some things could get lost in translation. “Contego, Tutis, Salus, Lux”. I
mixed it until the smoke turned blue, then white. I breathed in the beautiful
scents of the ingredients and luxuriated in a potion making well done.

There were several ways to make a
protection potion especially if you wanted to make it specific to what you
needed protection from. I found that this recipe worked well for me as general
protection. After all, I wasn’t sure what those dark shadows in my mom’s vision
could be. This particular potion’s results were unpredictable but at its base,
it would ward off attackers one way or another.

I went to my room and grabbed a few
vials from my chemistry set. It was crazy how similar science and magic were
once you understood them. When I came back into the kitchen the music had
changed to an older song, about of all things Santeria. I laughed at the
appropriateness.

I took the vials and one by one filled
them with the potion. When there wasn’t a drop left I turned off the stove and
washed down the pot, the chopping board, the bowl, and the mortar, leaving no
evidence behind. I placed all of the leftover ingredients into a box in the
pantry for another time.

While I couldn’t and shouldn’t do magic
often, I figured I’d have to do it occasionally for my sanity. Magic was too
important to live without. I was almost glad I got to have this excuse. Almost.

I took one vial and slipped it into my
purse and took the other vials to my room and placed them under my bathroom
sink. They looked they could be soap bottles or something and if anyone used
them accidentally, it wouldn’t harm them.

I went back to the kitchen and switched
the Ipod for the T.V. so I could watch as I made myself dinner. I whipped up
some pasta and a salad and settled on one of my favorite series’ marathons. It
was a great night.

Monday morning and the sun had finally
come out again. Logan, Trent and I pulled up to Will’s parent’s house. It was
one of the largest houses in the entire neighborhood. A few boxes sat outside
the porch, it didn’t surprise anyone that he only had a few possessions. True
to his personality, he liked to keep things simple. We loaded the hummer in
about two minutes and waited for Will in the car. He’d already brought his car
over to our house and we drove him back here to get the rest of his stuff.

His parents, standing at the doorway
fighting displayed exactly why he didn’t need more complications. Jackie and
William Pendleton Sr. were in short, awful people. William was the CEO of an
investment firm. An investment firm that Jackie’s father created. Both of them
were pushy, manipulative, and greedy. Neither was on my father’s council though
and when they were wolves, unlike their son, they were nowhere near dominant.
That happened sometimes but it was pretty rare. I suspected Jackie was stronger
than she led on but she played the part of the vapid trophy wife too well to
give it up.