SpellBound UNFINISHED AND ONHOLD

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

*Jason Goode*

I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into me. I felt a sudden wave of courage as I tried to hold her hand, but she only tensed at my touch.

'Why would you hold her hand, idiot!' I mentally slapped myself. 'Now things are just gonna be awkward and she won't help you anymore. Do you even know how to take things slow?'

I was just going to pull away when her hand became responsive and she gripped my hand, squeezing it a little to show me that it was alright with her. I could feel Sara trying to burn a hole through my skull with only her eyes, but I couldn't care at the moment. I just sat there for the rest of the way with her hand in mine and I finally relaxed.

Ever since the incident at lunch yesterday, I've been distant and constantly worried. I know that Tim has noticed it, but thank God he didn't say anything. But somehow her touch earlier had soothed me, just a hand on my shoulder and I was calmed.

It reminded me of when her voice had cut through the magick at the cafeteria, when she ordered me to stop and I immediately came to my senses. Now, her touch was doing the opposite, dulling my senses instead of heightening them.

Her palms were so soft and delicate against my callused ones. So small and fragile in my hand, but she was a BloodWitch. Judging from what she explained earlier, from the rain that she caused, and the flower that she gave life to, she was anything but fragile.

I thought back to my disappointment earlier. Stephanie wasn’t special, she was as normal as a Witch could get. I was the abnormal one. I should’ve found my affinity by now, but what Roxanne said made sense. I wasn’t trained, I haven’t practiced this like she has. That’s why I haven’t found it yet. But at the same time, Stephanie hadn’t practiced it either. We didn’t even know anything until that happened and she was only seven years old then. I’m more experienced now and still nothing.

"We're here," she announced, waking Timothy and Jessica who fell asleep in the back seats. She abruptly pulled up into the parking lot of a building of red bricks. The storefront window read 'Once in a Blue Moon' and above it is a, pentagram, a five-pointed star in a circle.

Anne led us to a rust colored door and we followed after her to enter a brightly lit room. The shelves that lined the walls of the store were stacked with books both old and new. While some had crisp papers, others were ready to crumble in our hands.

There are narrow walkways created by tall shelves that contained a variety of things from candles and tapers to small knives and daggers. Small bags held herbs and there were even chalks, robes, and salts.

A rhythmic song softly played throughout the store and Anne lightly skipped to the music, twisting and turning as she danced down the aisles, running her fingers across the items on the shelves. She looked so happy, finally at ease, like she belonged here. She suddenly spun, reaching for my hand.

"Come on, all of you, I wanna show you something." She called to us. Even with her abrupt calm, her voice still held that order. She never seemed to let that guard down, at least not that I’ve seen.

I let her pull me to a door in the very back of the store, she was still skipping, her hair bounced behind her. The door revealed a set of stone stairs that led down to a basement, no light was lit overhead, but the stairwell was bathed in the soft glow of candles' fire that came from the room below. Anne brought her finger to her lips, motioning for us to be quiet as we made our way down and the sounds of singing got louder.

The room had candelabras placed at intervals on the walls and candles were placed on the floor, their white wax dripping down to the floor. Around the massive circle of candles stood about 13 people, most were dressed in black robes with silver-stitched symbols on them, but a woman who stood at what I presume is the head of the circle wore a deep purple robe that was drawn tightly around her. She seemed to be in her late thirties or early forties.