WICKED { #Wattys2016 }

Chapter Fourteen: Seeing Auras

An hour later, Cordelia sat on the cool, dark unpolished wooden floor of the den as people started arriving.

Pillars of cream-coloured candles of various shapes and sizes were placed around the room. On the fireplace mantel, on black wrought-iron stands, on the floor, and even set on top of stacks of ancient-looking books. The room was lit only by candlelight, and the wavering shadows thrown on the walls were hypnotic and beautiful.

Cordelia let herself admire her handiwork.

Cal had been sprawled out on the floor next to Cordelia when Indigo arrived, followed by Drew.

The first thing Cordelia noticed was Indigo's newly bleached blonde hair. Indigo's hair changed with her mood. But something about their now similar hair struck her as odd.

Tonight Indigo looked like a dominatrix. A black leather dog collar circled her neck. It was connected by leather straps to a black leather corset. Her pants meanwhile looked like she had taken a dip in a vat of shiny black spandex and they were the dried result. Cordelia vaguely wondered if Cal found her look attractive.

Drew looked like he always did: scruffy long, curly haired and stoned.

"Drew. Thanks for coming," Cal said in his confident, intimate way. "Indie, nice to have you back."

So Indigo had been to his house before. Maybe even his bedroom. It's none of your god damn buissiness, Cordelia chided herself.

Drew shrugged and muttered something unintelligible, while Indigo eyeballed Cordelia.

Cal smiled, his attention turning to more newcomers.

Pretty soon everyone was there. Everyone from the last circle minus Jade, Wyatt, and Nathan plus Nina's parter in crime, Lauren and Marisa's boyfriend Ryan.

It hadn't seemed odd to Cordelia that people stayed for the first circle, because lots of people were willing to try anything once.

This group had hung out a few times at school in a new, multiclique assemblage, but here they were separated into their old patterns.

Ryan was sitting on a low velvet settee with Marisa curled up in his lap. They were talking to Tiana who was sitting stiffly with her legs to her chest on the floor. Kendra and Ethan were in the corner whispering to each other. Nina and Lauren were seaten on a wooden bench, and Cordelia could've sworn they were talking about how hot Cal's brother was. Indigo and Drew were by the drinks. Since Cordelia's usual group was divided up, she'd started chatting with Madeline and Alex.

"Good, I think everyone's here." Cal said. "Last week we did a banishing circle, and this week I was thinking we'd have an informal circle and get to know each other better. So let's begin."

He picked up a piece of white chalk and drew a large circle that almost filled the entire room. Alex and Ryan got up and pushed the couch out of the way.

Cordelia was able to discern smudged and faded outlines of previous circles. She also noticed that even if Cal was drawing freehand, the end result was almost perfectly round and symetrical.

What would happen if one of them stepped outside of it?

Everyone stepped inside the chalk circle, and Cal drew the circle closed. It reminded Cordelia of sheep being ushered and locked into a pen.