An hour later, Cordelia sat on the cool, dark unpolished wooden floor of the den as people started arriving.
Pillars of cream-coloured candles of various shapes and sizes were placed around the room. On the fireplace mantel, on black wrought-iron stands, on the floor, and even set on top of stacks of ancient-looking books. The room was lit only by candlelight, and the wavering shadows thrown on the walls were hypnotic and beautiful.
Cordelia let herself admire her handiwork.
Cal had been sprawled out on the floor next to Cordelia when Indigo arrived, followed by Drew.
The first thing Cordelia noticed was Indigo's newly bleached blonde hair. Indigo's hair changed with her mood. But something about their now similar hair struck her as odd.
Tonight Indigo looked like a dominatrix. A black leather dog collar circled her neck. It was connected by leather straps to a black leather corset. Her pants meanwhile looked like she had taken a dip in a vat of shiny black spandex and they were the dried result. Cordelia vaguely wondered if Cal found her look attractive.
Drew looked like he always did: scruffy long, curly haired and stoned.
"Drew. Thanks for coming," Cal said in his confident, intimate way. "Indie, nice to have you back."
So Indigo had been to his house before. Maybe even his bedroom. It's none of your god damn buissiness, Cordelia chided herself.
Drew shrugged and muttered something unintelligible, while Indigo eyeballed Cordelia.
Cal smiled, his attention turning to more newcomers.
Pretty soon everyone was there. Everyone from the last circle minus Jade, Wyatt, and Nathan plus Nina's parter in crime, Lauren and Marisa's boyfriend Ryan.
It hadn't seemed odd to Cordelia that people stayed for the first circle, because lots of people were willing to try anything once.
This group had hung out a few times at school in a new, multiclique assemblage, but here they were separated into their old patterns.
Ryan was sitting on a low velvet settee with Marisa curled up in his lap. They were talking to Tiana who was sitting stiffly with her legs to her chest on the floor. Kendra and Ethan were in the corner whispering to each other. Nina and Lauren were seaten on a wooden bench, and Cordelia could've sworn they were talking about how hot Cal's brother was. Indigo and Drew were by the drinks. Since Cordelia's usual group was divided up, she'd started chatting with Madeline and Alex.
"Good, I think everyone's here." Cal said. "Last week we did a banishing circle, and this week I was thinking we'd have an informal circle and get to know each other better. So let's begin."
He picked up a piece of white chalk and drew a large circle that almost filled the entire room. Alex and Ryan got up and pushed the couch out of the way.
Cordelia was able to discern smudged and faded outlines of previous circles. She also noticed that even if Cal was drawing freehand, the end result was almost perfectly round and symetrical.
What would happen if one of them stepped outside of it?
Everyone stepped inside the chalk circle, and Cal drew the circle closed. It reminded Cordelia of sheep being ushered and locked into a pen.
Cal picked up a small brass bowl of salt, picked some up with his fingers and sprinkled it around the circle. "With this salt, I purify our circle," he boomed.
Cal placed the bowl on the circle's line. "This bowl signifies one of the four elements: earth which is motherly and nourishing."
Next Cal put an identical small brass bowl, filled with sand and a burning stick of incense at the east end of the circle. "This incense symbolizes air." He said, focused but relaxed. Comfortable. Natural. "Air represents intellect and communication."
In the south was an eighteen inch candle. "This candle represents fire, the third element." Cal said, his gaze flickering towards Cordelia. "Fire represents passion, and strength."
Cordelia felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but was determined not to flich or look away.
Finally, on the western side Cal put a brass bowl filled with water. "Water is the last of the four elements," he said. "It represents emotions. Love, beauty, and healing."
Cordelia found herself mesmerized by the subtle ripples in the brass bowl of water.
When she looked up, she met Cal's cat like eyes, and she felt like he was trying to tell her something with a look. It was like he was talking to her in latin, and expected her to understand latin even if she didn't.
"Now, let's join hands," he said. Cordelia was closest to Alex and Drew, so she took their hands. Drew's hand was warm and rough, while Alex's was smooth and cool. She remembered what Cals hand felt like and wished she were standing next to him. Instead he was sandwiched between Nina and Indigo. Typical.
"Let's close our eyes and focus our thoughts," said Cal, bowing his head. "Breathe in and out slowly, to the count of five. Let every thought still, and every worry fade. There's no past or future. Only here and now and the thirteen people in this circle." His voice was even and calm.
Cordelia bowed her head and closed her eyes, letting Cal's voice, the candlelight, and the incense soothe her. She felt all tension go out of her body. Thoughts of Cal and Nina and her french paper simply faded. She felt pure and distant, as if she were floating above the circle.
"Tonight, we're doing a ritual for purification and focus." Cal explained.
They started moving in a circle like last time, holding hands and moving in a clockwise direction.
For a moment she felt nervous about the end of the ritual. The last time she'd done this, she'd felt like an ax had been buried in her chest, and had felt like crap for the next two days. Would that happen again? It doesn't matter, she told herself.
Cal started to chant,
"Water, purify us,
Air, enlighten us,
Fire, give us strength,
Earth, center us."
The rest of the circle slowly caught on and repeated his words. They turned in a circle and chanted, and Cordelia saw her peers relax. Soon they looked like they felt as light and happy as she did.
The chanting got louder, and their running intensified. Cordelia started to feel a palpable energy building up in the circle. And then she felt a pressure weighing down on her and when she openned her eyes she gasped.
Because she could see everyone's auras. Cal's was a vibrant, fiery red. Kendra's was a soft lilac. Indigo's was orange. Nina's was silver. Ethan's was a pale green. Drew's was brown. Tiana's was turquoise. Lauren's was fuschia. Madeline's was pink while Marisa's was canary yellow.
Cordelia dazedly wondered whether she had an aura, and if she did what colour it was.
Like before, at some unseen and unspoken signal, the circle abruptly stopped and they threw their outstretched arms in the air.
"Send the cleansing energy into yourselves!" Cal said firmly, thumping a fist against his chest. Everyone followed suit, and for a brief moment Cordelia felt warm and peaceful. Almost immediately after she felt nausea hit her.
Jesus Christ, Cordelia thought as she tried not to double over and puke her guts out.
Somehow, Cal sensed her distress and crossed the circle in long strides to reach her. She swallowed back tears.
"Sit down." Cal said softly, and when she didn't he repeated himself, this time ordering her, while softly pushing down on her shoulders.
She sat down and all but crumpled to the floor.
"What is it this time?" She heard Nina say, and no one answered.
Cal lowered himself next to her and said softly, "Lean over." She nodded and almost gagged when she did. She rounded her back and pressed her forehead to the cool wood, her palms on either side of her.
After a few breaths, she felt the wave of sickness pass as quickly as it had hit her.
"Are you okay?" She heard Kendra ask, proceded by a hand rubbing her back.
"Wait." Cal ordered, "Wait until she's grounded."
"What's wrong?" Marisa asked with genuine concern.
"She channeled too much energy," Cal answered, his warm palm on the nape of her neck. "She's a real channel for energy." He said, with what Cordelia could've sworn was admiration.
After a minute or so Kendra asked, "Better now?"
Cordelia nodded and slowly raised her head, worried that if she made any sudden movements the nausea would return.
She looked around at the faces watching her. Faces riddled with confusion, worry, and distrust (from two certain individuals).
Her gaze landed on the doorway, where she saw Kol watching her with a mix of raw fascination and...respect.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! You got to see more of the circle members, how covens work, and what sort of effect it has on Cordelia.
Next chapter should be interesting!
Please leave me your ideas, thoughts, reactions, and suggestions because they give me motivation and an idea of what you guys want!
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Have a lovely day,
~Liz