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JADE DIDN'T SPEAK much to her God Mother, Marina. She mostly stayed to herself, which wasn't a very hard task, considering how large the house was. Jade only left her room when she needed food, or had to use the bathroom, other than that, she'd either sleep, or skim the pages of The Book of Magic, a book Marina insisted she read, as a beginner witch.
Jade's witch practice wasn't going the greatest, Marina sat down with the girl, to practice some basic spells, but it ended in ultimate chaos. Jade's task was to light the table of candles, with a flick of her finger, but, instead she ended up, flicking each of the candles in every direction of the dining room, nearly busting open a window, none of the candles lit.
"Just concentrate on the fire and the candle, you're overthinking it." Marina said, retrieving each candle, for some reason, the women's calm voice enraged Jade, if I was supposed to be some almighty witch, why couldn't I light a fucking candle? Jade thought to herself angrily. "Try just the one." Marina offered, placing the single candle, in the middle of the table, Jade groaned, lifting her pointer finger, hesitatingly, at the candle, this time there was fire, but not in the places it was supposed to be, Jade let out a gasp, as she noticed the drapes ablaze, Marina flicked her finger putting the fire out, before it grew too big. "That's okay, we can always try—" before she could finish her statement, Jade rises from the chair, abruptly, nearly knocking it over. "I told you, I couldn't do this, I can't do what you need me to do, I'll only make things worse." She says, before storming up the stairs, that was the last time she'd spoken to the women.
If Jade was being honest, she was embarrassed. She was supposed to be some mighty and powerful witch, Marina said they needed her, no one had ever needed her, she wasn't sure if she quite liked being needed.
She'd only been living at the house for a little less than a week now, and only mumbled a few words to the other witches. The three younger witches, didn't live in the house with Marina and Jade, they had their own families of witches and warlocks and came to Marina as a mentor, she was training the three to be High Ladies of The Church of Day. Jade on the other hand, moped around, feeling sorry for herself, some witch she was.
The curly haired girl, finally pulled herself from her bed, pulling out fresh clean clothes from her dresser, Jade's first night here, Marina had done a summoning spell, retrieving all her belongings from her foster mothers house, Jade was thankful for this, despite how much she hated that shit hole of a house, it was still home, she had pictures and records and all kinds of little trinkets that reminded her of better times.
Marina had done a great deal for her, more than anyone had ever cared to before, the least Jade could do was light a fucking candle, and that's exactly what she was going to do.
Jade took a quick shower, throwing on an oversized sweater, a pair of sweats, finally throwing her curly wet locks into a bun.
Jade made her way down the stairs, grabbing a candle from the windowsill, placing it on the dining table. She then plopped in the chair, in front of the candle.
"I'm gonna make this candle my bitch." She said to herself, as she focused her attention purely on the half melted white candle.
After staring at the candle for a little over twenty minutes, her confidence began to dwindle. She pointed her finger at the candle over and over again, yet nothing happened.
"Hocus Pocus!" She called, pointing at the candle. She knew the words were made up, nonsense, but it was worth a try, regardless. "Abra cadabra!"
Jade groaned, flopping her head on the table with a light thump, out of the corner of her eye, she made out a yellow flame. She picked her head up, squealing excitedly, this was unlike Jade to act cheery, but no one was around to see, so she triumphantly danced around, some of her wet hair escaping her bun.
"Yes!" She said excitedly, the girl felt silly for celebrating a small flame, but she hadn't just lit the candle, she had done it with magic and it felt amazing, she felt it now, the magic that was dormant in her had now awoke, maybe she could do this.
Jade stopped her dancing when an eerie gust of wind swept through the house, blowing out her candle. Jade with mild fear coursing through her, went to examine the back of the house, finding the kitchen window open, the curtains blowing. She knew for a fact that she had not left the window open.
Jade silently reached for the draw, grabbing the biggest and sharpest knife she could grasp in the heat of the moment. "Who's there?" She called trying to sound brave, yet her voice quivered pathetically. "I have a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it." She called, raising her knife higher, as she examined the large kitchen.
Jade nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a flash of orange, skitter in front of her. It was a Fox. Jade exhaled a breath, placing the knife on the counter. "You scared the hell out of me, Mr. Fox....or Mrs." Jade added, staring down at the fox, who lay down on the ground before her, almost as in a bow. "Are you lost?"
The fox of course said nothing, just cocked his head at the curly haired witch. Jade was relieved when she heard the front door open and Marina call a hello.
"Hey, Marina, there's a fox in here." She said plainly, as if this happened to her all the time.
Jade listened as Marina's heels clicked and clacked, all the way to the kitchen where she was. "Oh heavens." Marina said peering down at the fox, as she placed grocery bags on the counter.
"Oh this is so exciting!" Marina said smiling brightly, clapping her hands together, with excitement, Jade flashed her a look of confusion.
"It's exciting that a wild fox broke into the house?" Jade asked, raising a brow, there was still so much she didn't know about being a witch, was it normal for wild animals to just...wander into their houses.
"He wants to be your familiar!" Marina adds, "trust me, you'll be needing one of those."
Jade peers down at the fox, who was now, rubbing its head on her leg. "So it's basically....a pet?"
"It's a protector, but in its simplest form you could call it a pet."
Jade reached down petting the fox. "Okay...fox, I accept you as my familiar." The fox almost nods, leaping back out the kitchen window.
"Somehow, that wasn't the strangest thing I've seen while leaving here." Jade comments, searching through the grocery bags, suddenly hungry.
"And it certainly won't be the strangest." Marina says, beginning to place food away, neatly. "Speaking of strange, we're having dinner with the Spellman's tonight."
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"I really hate this." Jade whispered to Marina, as the two stood on the Spellman's doorstep.
Marina hushes her, handing her the pie knocking on the door. Almost instantly, it swung open, revealing a ginger, middle aged women. "Marina Goode, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" The woman called, reaching in to hug Marina.
"Zelda, always a pleasure." Marina mused, Jade could here the distance in her voice, the two clearly had some history. Jade tried prying anything out of Marina, but only found out that Zelda Spellman was her parallel and Sabrina Spellman was Jade's.
When the two pulled away from the hug, Zelda smiled down at Jade. Jade didn't smile back, Jade wasn't a smiler, instead she nodded her head, as in saying hello. "Jade Brightly." Zelda said with awe.
"That's me." Jade said awkwardly, not sure what else to say.
"You look just like your mother." She began, placing a hand on her shoulder, she offered a smile then.
"You knew my mother?"
"Your mother and I were the best of friends, come inside I can tell you more about it." Jade followed after the women, still holding the pie, Marina followed after too, a slightly sour look on her face, shutting the front door.
Jade's eyes scanned the house as she half listened to Zelda mention something about the Church of Night. Her eyes stopped scanning when they met with a boy, who sat on the stairs, flipping through a book.
"Ambrose, where are your manners?" Zelda asked, staring at the boy, he glanced up at his book, uninterested.
He rose from the stairs, a smile on his face. "My apologies auntie." He then walked over to Jade and for some strange reason her heart skipped a beat. "And this beautiful specimen must be Jade Brightly, I've heard so much about you, I'm Ambrose." He said reaching out his hand, Jade took his, Ambrose then brought his lips to the girls hand, kissing it, making her blush like a school girl, the boy was quite the charmer.
Zelda rolled her eyes, with mild annoyance and Marina just stood there with an unreadable look. "Must you flirt with everything that walks through this house, Ambrose?" She says lowly, so that only he can hear, yet Jade hears it anyways.
"What can I say? I'm lonely." He says with a shrug. "May I take this off your hands, for you?" He says referring to the blueberry pie.
"Sure." She says, her first words in what felt like forever. The boy takes it, walking away.
"Is Sabrina here yet?" Marina asks, Zelda as the three of them walk to the kitchen, Jade's eyes taking in every inch of the house. The house was large, with character, she liked it better than Marina's, though she would never admit that to her.
"Sabrina's running a little...late." Zelda says, looking down at her watch. "As usual."
"Oh the guest are here!" A curvy blonde says excitedly, as she stirs a pot on the stove.
"This is Hilda." Zelda says, gesturing to the blonde at the stove, she waves, smiling happily.
Jade decided that she liked the women, she wasn't sure why yet, but she knew that she did.
"You're stunning, darling, Zelda, isn't she stunning?" Hilda asks smiling over at Jade, Jade looked down at herself, not convinced, she looked nicer than she looked in a while, but she wouldn't call herself stunning.
Somehow Marina talked Jade into wearing a dress, she self consciously pulled at the dress's fabric, staring down at her slightly dirty sneakers.
"I think she's rather stunning, Auntie." Ambrose says, placing the pie on the kitchen counter.
"Oh stop." Jade said, blushing deeply, not knowing what else to say, Jade didn't like this new Jade she was becoming. She was weak, she was a shaky awkward idiot. She missed the old Jade, she needed her right about now, she needed her sass, her bitchiness, her fire.
"Ambrose, go and make the table." Zelda said, sternly. For some reason every time Ambrose spoke to her, Jade felt like Zelda was trying to get him to stop, why that was? She had not a clue. She didn't like Zelda and Marina didn't either, at least from wha Jade could tell.
"You guys go get settled in the dinning room, we'll be there in a jiffy."
The two plop down at the table and Jade almost instantly turns to Marina. "You don't like Hilda." It was more of a statement than a question, anyone with eyes could see the tension between the two.
"What gives you that impression." Marina says simply, shrugging as she readjusts the already perfectly placed, place mat.
Before Jade can bark out a response, the Spellman's come shuffling, placing down platers of food, Jade gives Zelda an awkward smile, when she notices her staring, as she takes the seat across from her.
Zelda clears her throat, clasping her hands together. "Shall I lead the prayer?" She asks, glancing to Marina.
Marina nearly scowls, raising a blonde brow as if insulted. "A prayer won't be necessary." She says curtly, leaning back in the chair.
Jade looks from Zelda to Marina, who knew witches could be so bitchy, she could definitely fit in with this crowd.
"How about if we pray to your false God, then his superior, Satan?" She muses, as she begins to reach for the mash potatoes, plopping them on her plate, then passing them to Ambrose.
Hilda looks to her sister a look of flustered embarrassment in her eyes, as she begins to slice the roasted chicken placing some on everyone's plate. "Oh please, Zelda, don't give me that bullshit on your disgusting satanism."
Ambrose chokes out a fit of coughs, as he chokes on his beverage. "Wrong pipe." He utters through coughs, as he pats his chests, violently.
"This isn't about The Church of Day or The Church of Night, this is about two parallels bonding, so what we don't have the same religion, but I'll be damned if I'll let you sit here and talk bad about my God, when yours is the pure embodiment of evil." Marina finishes poking at her chicken.
Before Zelda can bark back a reply, the front door to the Spellman's swings open. "Aunties, Ambrose?" A young female voice calls, her footsteps approaching.
"And where on earth have you been?" Zelda asks, the blonde who now stood in the corridor, her hands in the coat of her ruby red coat.
She blushes the shade of her coat. "I was with Harvey." She says while her eyes roam the table, locking with Jade's for a brief moment, she offers a smile.
Jade immediately felt a connection with the girl and maybe that was supposed to happen since they were like spiritually connected or some shit.
"Oh I totally forgot about the dinner." She says slapping a hand to her forehead. "Will you all excuse me for a sec." She says before pulling off her coat, leaving the dinning room.
The four exchange a look, Jade sighs a long loud sigh under her breath, this was going to be a long dinner.
A/N
Okay so I got lazy and ended on a cliff hanger, I wanted to post tho so sue me, also ik this chapter is pure garbage but at least I posted right....? 🤠 also this is unedited so don't cringe too hard at my grammatical errors thanks 🤩