Tales of Elderbrooke

Ancestral Herbology

Alice had woken up early on Friday anticipating her last day of lessons for the week. The previous days had been full of new knowledge and getting to know her peers. Penelope talked to the twins the most, along with her familiar Odesza who never wanted to leave Alice's side when they were together. Even Dahlia was starting to warm up to them a little bit. Penelope confided that Dahlia couldn't help but notice how much Odesza liked her, and the cat always grew close to good souls. Still not giving Alice much attention, Dahlia no longer pretended the twins didn't exist when they sat together at lunch.

During the last lesson, Professor Josephine let the twins know that next week they'd finally be able to join some of the other children in lessons. Dahlia maliciously joked that they'd be with the Sprites since they're probably at the same level. Nonetheless, Alice was excited to finish up the week and enjoy her weekend. Penelope had asked if she wanted to stay in the dormitory for a night and join the girls in a Full Moon ceremony led by Lady Josephine. It was going to be a true Wiccan ritual and Alice's first experience with anything of the sort. She had asked her mother for permission the previous night. After a discussion with her father, and a tad bit of begging, she was permitted to attend the ceremony. Alice packed up her overnight bag unsure of what a ritual would entail. If any of it were to happen outside she'd probably be cold since it was mid-September so she packed her old high school's sweatshirt, some black basic sweats, and the thickest socks she owned. She even tucked in her favorite shawl that her grandmother had given her as a child. It had a beautiful sun and moon design on it that Alice always found herself doodling on the corners of her notes. It was a hidden symbol of magic that Alice had never noticed before and now it made her feel the connection to her grandmother even more.

Oliver was slightly jealous that Alice got invited to a ceremony away from home and he didn't. Alice teased that it was only for girls which is why he couldn't join. Still, he was itching for his own experience in the magical world. His parents suggested he ask the teen boys if he could stay with them for the night while his sister went to the ceremony, but Oliver brushed off their idea not wanting to insert himself where he wasn't asked. He just figured he'd find something else to do that he normally couldn't do when his sister was around. Charlotte and Vincent were excited for their daughter to be making friends so quickly at the Academy. It definitely made the transition to the new town easier and allowed them to worry less. But the worry they lose for Alice goes right to Oliver. Upon hearing about the ceremony, they had hoped that he would be invited out this weekend too. Knowing his history with peers and his relationship with Alice, they worried that he'd turn bitter, just as he had in Baltimore. They knew there was so much potential lying within their son, they just didn't know how to unleash it. A huge part of the reason for the move was to give Oliver a fresh start. He definitely seemed a little bit happier in Elderbrooke than he was in Baltimore.

The lessons with Professor Josephine seemed to have an effect on the boy. Being able to feel the innate power of magic within his body electrified Oliver. He didn't care much about making friends, he knew how to be alone, but the magic part drew him in like no other. He could empathize with Pearl more now and understood how hyperfocused she was on her studies. Even with the little magic he's learned so far, he feels more powerful than he ever imagined he could when he was just a boring mortal. He didn't need to use his hands to do simple tasks and he could conjure things out of thin air when he needed it. This alluring side of life was exactly what he had been waiting for. There was finally a path Oliver was excited to follow and something deep inside of him knew that he had a destiny to uphold.

"Oli, you ready?" Alice shouted halfway down the stairs. Oliver had just pulled on his jacket and gave a final once-over in the mirror. He followed his sister into the kitchen where their father waited at the counter with bagel sandwiches.