A Familiar's Guide to Magic

blind mice

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Something shocked me."

"Charlotte—"

"Mom—"

"Why do you have to be so impossible as of late?" She kept going on but her words were growing distant. There was a buzzing in my head, growing louder by the second. My limbs were growing heavy—my body sinking into the cushion of the backseat.

Then something pulled at the center of my being. It was like an invisible cord was lassoed around me and someone was trying to drag me down.

"Mom," I called in confusion, reaching for her.

"What? What is it?!"

Her narrowed eyes searched for me through the rearview mirror. The crease between her brows disappeared as her eyes widened. I didn't know what she was seeing but it looked like a ghost from how her jaw slackened and all the color left her face.

Eyes full of terror, she twisted and surged for the small space between the two seats.

"NOOOO," she screamed as the tips of our fingers brushed each other then I was falling down through the seat, out of the car, through the ground. 

I was plunged down into emptiness. Then I was yanked hard, sideways. It wasn't darkness, but blinding light that rushed around me. The heat of it burned my skin raw and settled into the marrow of my bones like molten lava. And like a volcano on the verge of explosion the pressure in my head threatened to turn my brain to mulch.

A scream ripped from my lungs and tore at my throat until I tasted blood in my mouth. When I became sure that I was going to die I collided with a solid matter. I pulled in a small breath as I lay stunned on the ground, quite happy to be alive. There was a gentle ringing in my ears and my heart sputtered to regain control.

"What is it?"

"Is it dead? Somebody better check."

"I'm not going near it."

"Neither am I."

"You brought it here, Willow. You check."

Something poked at my side and I rolled over onto my back with a grimace, skin still warm and raw. There was a collective gasp. I opened my eyes, blinking a couple times until my vision focused.

I found myself staring up into a small crowd of unfamiliar faces. They were all looking down at me as if I were some kind of alien. Except they were the ones dressed up like they had just left a Halloween party, dark cloaks and pointed hats. Maybe, I was dead...or dreaming.

"It's a human," One of the girls nearby whispered.

I frowned at the remark as I pushed myself up onto my elbows, my body protested the movement. Ouch. Yeah, I was definitely alive.

"Of course, I'm human. Don't sound so surprised..." I must have looked worse than I felt. A cackling laugh had me turning my gaze to a girl with unnaturally red hair.

"Oh this is priceless." She turned her cat-like eyes toward the petite blonde standing beside her. "You've got to be positively the worst witch in the history of Lore to have summoned a human as your familiar, Willow."

There were a couple of snickers from the other girls.

"I must have recited the summoning spell wrong, that's all." Willow scowled down at me as if I was the one to blame for whatever was happening. "Let me try again."

She lifted a crooked stick toward me, lips tightening together in concentration.

The redhead ripped the stick from Willow's hand, holding it high above her head when she reached for it. Annoyance twisted in my stomach as the other girls laughed at the sight. I was never a fan of bullies, and it was clear that this girl was exactly that.

"Give me back my wand, Rose."

"You know the rules, Willow. The summoning spell for familiars is a one-time deal." Rose held the wand within Willow's reach, allowing her to snatch it back. "You're stuck with the human."

Both girls turned their gazes on me, Rose smiling wide and Willow looking like she wished I would turn to ash.

"Fine. I don't need a familiar with magic anyway. I've got more than enough for the both of us." Willow snapped, taking a step toward me.

Rose and her entourage snickered. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. I was hoping that this was all a strange dream, and I would wake up soon.

Willow kneeled down beside me, disgust and discontent written all over her face. I blinked, getting a better look at her now that I could see under the large brim of her hat. She had a round shaped face and a small button nose. Her cheeks were rosy and speckled with freckles. She looked rather impish in her features, like a faerie. I stared into her green eyes as she leaned in closer to me, they reminded me of our barn cat, midnight.

"Why did it have to be you?" She grumbled under her breath as she lifted a hand to my face.

I leaned back in confusion, not getting far before her thumb was pressed to the center of my forehead. A burning sensation pulsed through me and I pulled away.

"Ouch! What the hell?" I reached up and rubbed my sensitive skin, feeling a slight indented mark. "What did you do to me?"

"I completed our contract, human. You're now my familiar," Willow replied dryly, the girls breaking out into another fit of laughter.

"what?"

Willow opened her mouth to answer me but snapped it shut at the sound of someone whistling loudly.

"Now, just what is going on over here?" A female squawked and the girls quickly got themselves under control, turning to reveal a heavyset woman marching toward us with a broom in hand. It wasn't the woman that held my attention, though she looked beyond angry. It was the fact that behind her the moon was high in the sky, correction, there were two moons. I blinked hard to make sure I wasn't seeing double but they both remained, one hovering slightly above the other.

I didn't think I was in Kansas anymore.