Witchy Prequel

Part 1: Lizzie Rose - March 1999

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Lizzie had taken her niece Tabitha to her share of magic-centric events here in Crystal Cove and it had never been an issue. However, when her half sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, the Councilman Conrad Chase, arrived at Lizzie's houseboat to drop off eight-year-old Tabby this time, something seemed off right from the get-go.

"Now, we feel that we shouldn't have to tell you this, but we don't want you filling our daughter's head with all sorts of crazy ideas while she's here." Conrad offered something close to jazz hands as he said this.

Lizzie couldn't help but bite back her smile and ask, "What kind of crazy ideas do you mean, Conrad?"

She knew perfectly well what Conrad Chase was afraid of. Anything to do with magic or prophecies or anything with even a hint of the supernatural scared the pants off her brother-in-law. Elizabeth, meanwhile, gazed around the boat in awe, as though she might be willing to believe in at least a little bit of it. If she hadn't married Conrad, perhaps.

People used to make a big deal about the two sisters having the same name. But first of all, they were only half sisters, and second, they did not have the same name at all. Elizabeth would never have allowed herself to be nicknamed Lizzie or even Beth, and Lizzie had never gone by anything but her nickname.

Conrad cleared his throat. "You know exactly what I mean. Tabby's been bragging about her 'magical aunt' and not just with the family, either. She's been saying these things in front of colleagues and embarrassing me, and we all know she's too old to believe in this sort of thing."

"Too old? To believe in magic?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow at her brother-in-law. She had invited the three of them to sit down and visit on her boat, but Conrad and Elizabeth had insisted they had to get on the road headed south as soon as possible. This trip was only for one night, but Lizzie suspected their hurry had a lot more to do with their fear of being trapped anywhere they might accidentally experience something they didn't understand than an actual deadline.

If only they knew it wasn't a matter of chance or accidents. Magic took a lot of hard-won belief and focused energy. And hope. That was the most important ingredient, and neither of these two had much stored up in that department.

"You know I'm always happy to have my niece as a guest in my interesting life." Lizzie always teased Conrad with a statement like this, making no promises at all. She didn't want Tabby to grow up with the same kinds of fears her parents had if she could help it.

Conrad turned and murmured something to Elizabeth that was too low to hear. But Lizzie could make out her half sister's response.

"What are we going to do about it now, Conrad? The wine tour is adults-only."

Lizzie did feel bad. If Conrad didn't act so uppity every time he stopped by her town, maybe she'd be able to calm his fears a little more, rather than ruffle his feathers. But as it was, she couldn't seem to help herself.

She figured this was the least she could say to try and put their minds at rest: "I'll take really good care of Tabby, as always. We'll have a great time together walking beaches and eating good food. Don't you worry about a thing."

Conrad and Elizabeth shared one more short look, and then in silent agreement, they backed out Lizzie's door and over the gangplank to what they considered safety.

"Do call us if you need anything," Elizabeth said, which was clearly only a formality.

Lizzie smiled and nodded to this, determined not to provoke Conrad any further. She truly did enjoy the yearly visits from her niece, especially as she was getting older, and she wouldn't put it past her brother-in-law to cancel his trip altogether if she kept pushing him.