Chapter Two
Journal Entry: Evoking a spell of forgetting.
Ingredients: A white candle, small glass bowl, passionflower extract, lavender oil, spell.
Light candle for good energy. Combine 20 drops of passionflower extract with 10 drops of lavender oil in the glass bowl. Swirl contents together and hold over candle flame, allowing the potion to warm and release its scent into the air. Passionflower will help to soothe your subject's nervous tension and anxiety, while lavender works as a deep calming agent. Wave your hand through the scent, pushing it in the direction of the person you are working the spell on. Focus on their mind while reciting the following spell:
Divine powers hear my plea,
Remove, (insert person's name) memory.
But only those that harm may do,
The memory of me and you.
Let them fade into the past,
And do not the anguish last.
***
When the spell was complete, I slumped back into the chair, running a hand across my face and into my messy hair. My gaze fell on the ingredients of my impromptu spell. Thankfully, Flagstaff had a fairly prominent new age and metaphysical following and I'd been able to find the supplies I needed. My glass bowl was actually a shot glass, but one had to make due with what was available sometimes.
Inhaling deeply, I tried to let the soothing herbs calm my frantic mind. Too bad this spell wouldn't work on me, or better yet, my dad. That would make things a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, this type of magic would only work on the mind of someone without powers; and even then, it wasn't a complete mind wipe.
Intruding into someone else's life and messing with their memories went completely against my personal code of ethics. I didn't like doing it.
"Sometimes we have to do things we don't like to protect others." I could hear Marsha's voice ringing in my ears.
"It borders on black magic." I'd argued. "You can't tear into someone else's mind and not expect it to come back and bite you."
"Then be gentle with your spell. Manipulate it so it does no harm."
This spell was just that, almost like a comforting blanket to cover the mind. If someone stirred that blanket, memories would come to the surface, but with only faint recollection. From this point on, Amber would think I was merely some insignificant person who'd passed through her life.
In reality, I realized now, that's all I ever could be to anyone. There was no point in getting attached to people in the future, until things were resolved with my dad; and frankly, I didn't see how that would ever happen.
The lock in the door popped open. Marsha entered the room with a wide smile, her blonde curls bouncing as she dangled a set of keys in front of her face.
"We got it! It's not a big place—only a small two bedroom cottage, really—but it's super charming and comes fully furnished."
I gave her a halfhearted grin, wishing I could share her enthusiasm.
"Come on, Vance! Don't be like that." Her eyes sparkled with delight. "I feel good about this place. I had lunch with the High Priest and Priestess of this coven, Sean Mullins, and his mother, Milly. They're amazing! I think we'll fit right in with them."
Sighing, I glanced at the items on the table once more before locking eyes with her, again. "I hope you're right about this, Marsha. We won't be able to make them forget us if we need to leave."
She stood directly in front of me, cupping my face between her hands. "I'm so sorry for what you had to leave behind. Please understand, I'm doing the best I can to protect you. I need help. We need help. I honestly believe these are the people who can do that."
Covering one of her hands with mine, I gave her a sincere smile. "I trust you. How could I not? You gave up everything to help my mom and me. I'm simply tired of running is all. Not having any stability in our lives is starting to wear on me. Every time we move, I keep hoping the new place will be different. But, it never is, and that's discouraging."
She dropped her hands back to her side and sat on one of the beds. "I hope for that too. For both our sakes."
Her eyes drifted past the remnants of my spell and a small frown creased her mouth. She didn't like this anymore than I did.
"So, when do we move in?" I asked, eager to escape this dumpy hotel. It sucked that we had to keep such a low profile. We could've been living like kings with all the money I had, but we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves.
Her face lit up again. "Right now, if you're ready. We're moving to a little town about thirty miles from here called Sedona."
"Sedona, huh?" I asked, testing out the new name of another place I'd never heard of before.
"You're going to love it, Vance! It's a wonderful tourist location with all these gigantic red rock cliffs. People consider it a healing center. There are spiritual retreats and tons of New Age stores. The whole place has a very holistic feel about it. And, with all the visitors constantly in and out, we'll be able to easily blend in. No one will think twice about seeing new faces there. I really do think it's perfect for us. Trust me, you'll like it."
"Well, let's go then. It's not like we have a lot to pack." I stood, offering her my hand. She grinned and accepted it, allowing me to pull her into a hug.
"Thanks for everything you've done for me, Marsha." I rested my chin on top of her head. "I don't mean to seem ungrateful. You've been way more than an aunt to me. You've been a mom too."
"Stop," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You're going to make me cry."
I chuckled, holding her until she moved away, popping to kiss me on the cheek. "I never had any kids of my own, but I can't imagine having another child I love as much as you." She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door before I could respond. "Come on! I can't wait to show you this place!"
---
"Blessed be, Vance."
The unison of voices rose to greet me and I stared around the circle at the faces revealed from beneath their hoods. Everyone was smiling and seemed truly happy, welcoming Marsha and me with open arms as they crowded around us, speaking excited greetings.
Marsha seemed as thrilled as they were, but all I could feel was nerves tinged with fear. We'd just shared our story with strangers and bound ourselves to their coven. What if they proved untrustworthy? What if this was the beginning of our downfall?
Openly studying each person in the room, I didn't feel any malice or threat. But that concerned me as well. Did these witches even know the evil that existed out there? How could they prepare if they never had any experience with it?
The only people I really had any trust at all for were Sean Mullins and his mother, who seemed like a powerful witch from what I could tell. Sean was apparently a government agent of some kind, though his job was a secret. That gave me the tiniest sliver of hope, thinking perhaps he had a few extra resources at his disposal to use while watching out for us.
Sean caught me staring and gestured for me to follow him. I did, stepping from the dark, earthen basement room into the hallway. Candlelight danced over his features, catching the light in his eye as he stared at me seriously.
"Vance, I have a special request for you."
My pulse lifted as I wondered what he could possibly want. "What's that?" I asked casually, never breaking my cool exterior. I was an expert at not showing emotion, when needed.
"I understand you're going to be starting school tomorrow. Marsha says you've fallen behind a grade due to all the times you've had to run. You'll be a sophomore, right?"
I nodded in reply.
"So you're an underclassman, like my daughter Portia. She's a freshman."
Shifting uncomfortably, I folded my arms, not liking where this conversation was headed. Was she some loser he wanted me to befriend or something? "I'm not really into hanging out with anyone new these days," I replied. "Too many complications when we have to leave suddenly."
Sean scrutinized me for a moment and I recognized a brief flash of sympathy in his gaze. "That's perfect then. As rude as it sounds, I was actually going to ask you to not be friends with her. She's completely unaware of her impending magical abilities and has no idea witches truly exist. I'd like to keep her in the dark until her sixteenth birthday."
This surprised me. My parents had openly expressed their magic around me from birth. "Why don't you want her to know?"
He shrugged. "Her mother isn't a witch. We felt magic might change the way she would see things; so, we chose to give her as normal a life as possible."
A normal life. There was no way I could argue with that. It was something I craved above all else. "Don't worry. I'll stay away and keep your secret."
Obvious relief coursed through him. "Thank you, Vance. I appreciate it." He clapped my shoulder in a friendly gesture and reentered the ritual room to join the rest of the coven.
I slid the hooded robe off my shoulders and continued down the hall, leaving it on a table in the large supply room before climbing the secret stairs leading out of the basement.
---
"Why'd you leave?" Marsha's hands rested against her hips as she stared at me. I knew she was upset. "People wanted to visit with you."
Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair before continuing to click the remote, flicking through channel after channel. I finally turned it off, realizing Marsha had moved.
"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I simply don't see the point of making friends. We never stick around in one place long enough for it to do any good and erasing people's memories doesn't have to happen if we don't get that close to them in the first place. I figure I'll stick to myself as much as possible. Save myself some grief."
She sighed heavily and came to sit on the suede sofa next to me. "I hate how cynical all this has made you. You know I'd change things if I could."
"I'm not blaming you, Marsha. None of this is your fault. I only wish we could find a way to fix things once and for all."
"I do too." She patted my knee and stood, glancing around the small, but nicely decorated, room. The brown tones of dark wood, mixed with soft neutral fabrics and pops of red and gold accent colors, provided inviting warmth under the recessed and accent lighting. It was the nicest place we'd lived in a long time. "I feel a really positive vibe here. And it's nice to belong to a coven again. It will strengthen us. Maybe this will finally be the place that gives you the change you're hoping for." She turned to study me. "Just try, okay? For me?"
Standing, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You've been taking care of me for a long time now; and I appreciate everything you do. I'm happy you like it here."
"I love it here already. We have a pretty home and nice new friends; but it means nothing to me if you aren't happy too."
"Don't worry about me." I wanted her to have this peace in her life. Hell, I wanted it in mine.
She squeezed me tightly before heading to the kitchen. "You're all ready for your first day of school tomorrow?"
I groaned. "Yeah. Super excited." I rolled my eyes and she laughed at my sarcasm.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad."
"Another day, another school. Story of my life," I replied. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now."