Authors: Annastaysia Savage
Adrienne took Sadie by the shoulders as Crazy Mary wandered off amongst the mess, obviously looking for something. “Sadie, she’ll be alright. And she and her sister have a millennia long argument over who’s the crazy one; you’ll hear that story one day,” said Adrienne.
“But shouldn’t we at least help her look for Ms. Cabot’s cat?”
“Sadie, Ms. Cabot doesn’t have a cat,” said Adrienne.
Sadie was confused once again, but she accepted it and realized this would probably happen lots until she got a better understanding of the new world she was a part of.
I guess I’ll learn more about this story in time.
Sadie turned and hugged her mother. “Mom, I don’t think we should call her Crazy Mary anymore—names like that hurt people’s feelings. And who’s to say who really is crazy?”
“Yes, Sadie, I agree with you completely.”
“C’mon, me lassies, let’s go find the Three so they can clean up this mess and make Cranberry Grove whole again,” said Tara as she snapped her fingers and transported them from the mess.
As Sadie sat on the carved, dark wood steamer trunk in the corner of the vast hall, she couldn’t help but think about how lucky she truly was. Seeing everyone at the celebration party made her so happy. Realizing what a lucky girl she was—even more so. Everyone she cared about had somehow, miraculously, survived the final battle of the long time war with the Syndicate. Well, all of them except Whistle. Sadie’s brow furrowed at the thought of her friend.
Cranberry Grove had been fully restored to its former small-town self along with all its human inhabitants. It was likewise for every city and town around the world where the battles had raged. What was also amazing (and good for their sanity as well) was that the Three made sure no human had any recollection of any battle, magik, or “strange events” ever taking place.
Of course, with destruction of this scale, the Three had to call in Mother Nature to help with the restorations. She was more than glad to help since so much of nature had been destroyed, and she always did like a tidy house. When all was said and done, everything looked as if nothing had ever transpired. The Three, Mother Nature, and any others who helped set things right slept for a solid week.
The most important, wonderful, and miraculous thing to Sadie though, in spite of all of these things, was that she now actually had not only her mother back, but also the people who genuinely cared about her. She felt like she fit in and belonged somewhere for the first time in her life.
Her eyes glazed over as she watched her mother laughing with several others. Some mountain dwarves were telling all who would listen how they won the battle against the Syndicate’s forces in Colorado with their sheer strength and unequal brute force.
Do all gnomes and dwarves have height issues? What did Miss Bruja call it, Little Man Syndrome?
Sadie felt like crying, and for the second time in her life (the first being when she found her mother alive), she wanted to cry from happiness.
“Don’t tell me you’re still an unhappy child? I mean, this entire party is for you,” said Mrs. Felis as she handed Sadie a package. Saying she handed it to Sadie was somewhat incorrect. She more pushed it with her nose as she was in her true and most comfortable form—a cat.
“No—no, I’m just thinking about how lucky I am, that’s all. And I’m glad you weren’t involved with all the treachery Grimm created. Well, I just KNEW you weren’t. What’s this?” Sadie asked taking the brown paper-wrapped article from the floor.
“Just something I thought you needed long ago and think you may need even more today,” replied Mrs. Felis, licking her paws.
Sadie carefully untied the string and began to unwrap the parcel. Inside was the familiar green leather embossed book that Mrs. Felis had given her on her thirteenth birthday back in the bookstore. Sadie sighed; it all seemed like a lifetime ago. She stared at the beauty of the book and ran her hand across the cover. As she did, sparkles of light trickled down from about five inches above her fingers. She looked at Mrs. Felis wide-eyed.
“Don’t look so startled; you are a witch now. It’s not often that one becomes a full witch without the usual three years of transformation from witchling. I’m guessing it all had to do with the Ataraxia Heart and all its glory and magnificence,” said Mrs. Felis with a wink.
“But I didn’t do any magik just now,” said Sadie.
“The Book knows you, dear,” Mrs. Felis replied, magikking a very old fashioned ink pen out of thin air. “Now, finish what you and your book started.”
Sadie opened the book. Inside, where it used to be blank, were titles to spells intricately scribed in beautiful cursive. Sadie was a bit stunned and looked at Mrs. Felis before looking down again at the pages. She turned them carefully, stopping on one with the title How to Produce a Protective Shield.
Without even thinking, Sadie began to fill the page with what she knew to be the correct spell. The pen in her hand flew over the paper, writing down exactly what should be written. Mrs. Felis sat in front of her, proud and admiring, like a grandmother would be.
“Having the girl do school work at her own party? Not very celebratory,” said a voice off to the side.
Sadie recognized the voice, but knew it couldn’t be. She shivered and continued writing in her book.
I must still be stinging from all that’s happened, either that or, because of all that’s happened; I’m finally losing my mind when I just found myself.
“What? No, hello, how do you do? You were just thinking about me were you not?” asked the voice.
She slowly raised her head and looked over her left shoulder. Floating in the air, a bit above her head was a grey, cloudy figure. It hovered and floated and wore a huge smile on its face.
“WHISTLE!” Sadie shouted as she jumped up from her seat. She set down her book and fountain pen in front of Mrs. Felis before throwing open her arms to hug her long-lost dead friend. Her arms wrapped themselves back around her own body as she swiped thin air.
“Whoa, now, girl, don’t be stirring up me molecules just ‘cause you be gettin’ emotional,” said the apparition of Whistle.
“I thought I’d never see you again. Are you a ghost now?”
“Well, aren’t we the ever smart child? I suppose next you’re going to tell me I died a horrific death or that Elgarbam is a pain in the rump. You always were one to point out the obvious,” said Whistle tauntingly, but as much himself as he used to be—although he now looked a bit younger and much sprier.
“I’m so glad you’re…okay,” said Sadie, unsure.
“It’s not bad, not bad at all. It’s not better or worse than being alive, just different. And that’s all I can tell you. Some things must remain a mystery. Now, where’s that incorrigible little wretch Elgarbam? I’d like to play some tricks on him before he knows I’m back,” said Whistle as he floated away over the tops of the heads of all the party goers.
Sadie watched him go, and she felt better about his death. Even though he wasn’t solid or alive anymore, he was still around. She picked up her book and pen again, looking at the fat grey cat wearing glasses, and smiled at her from the bottom of her heart.
A loud shrieking giggle caught her attention, and she looked up in time to see Miss Bruja being chased around the room teasingly by Sven the Strong, the Viking Warrior from Valhalla. The Lorelei sat on a tufted footstool with several men at her ankles, completely enthralled and obviously smitten.
Elgarbam was swatting an invisible “fly” that was apparently tweaking his ears and knocking off his little red cap. Sadie laughed knowingly. Tara was busy reprimanding several birds that had returned to take up residence twittering around her head. Apparently they had eaten several butterflies that also lived in her aura. All seemed right in the world.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got some work to do for The Guild. The Three are still a little mad that I didn’t catch Grimm’s deception so they’ve piled on more missions for me in some of the other realms. Then I can return and take my rightful place as both you and your mother’s cat. In the meantime, I’ve got packing to do and some stocking up on supplies. I’ll see you again soon, most definitely before I leave,” said Mrs. Felis as she arched her back and stretched. Smiling at Sadie, the cat turned and disappeared into the crowd.
“Sadie!” shouted her mother. “Come join us. We’re going to play a game of Who’s That Witch?”
“In a minute, Mom, I want to put this book in my room,” said Sadie.
“Well, just snap it there,” replied her mother.
“I want to do some other things first. I’ll be right back,” said Sadie. She didn’t want to tell her mother she just wanted to be alone for a minute. Though she had come to terms with, accepted, and actually liked her magik and her new life, she was a bit overwhelmed. Now, she was even a bit of a celebrity if only in the magikal realm. And never, ever, being able to be a ‘normal’ teenager, well, what was normal anyway?
And like Tara always says, Sadie thought, normal is just a setting on the washing machine if you use one of those blasted human contraptions anyway. Magik is so much more...normal.
Walking down the sconce-lit corridor to her room at the Guild, Sadie felt a tightening in her chest.
Uh-oh, I know that feeling, she thought.
But she dismissed it as quickly as it came, for there was no reason to fear the Syndicate, the Seether, or anything really at this moment in time and especially not at her party.
It must be all those Forgur cookies I ate.
With the way they made the troll burp, it was no wonder they were having an effect on her as well.
I wonder where that troll is anyway, I should probably check on him.
Earlier in the evening, Sadie had shared a plate of the troll’s favorite cookies with him since he didn’t want to leave his post. He took his job as security of the Guild offices very seriously.
She felt bad when she saw him staring in one of the windows and joined him outside. If it weren’t for Tara arriving and bringing Alroy with her, she felt surely the troll would have had a miserable evening. She didn’t want that as she still felt badly for tricking him when she wore the invisibility earrings.
Plopping down on her bed, Sadie closed her eyes and continued relishing all her new friends and family, and her new powers, and full witch status. Though she knew she should probably get back to the party, her party, she just wanted some peace and quiet. Her life had been one problem after another since Halloween and her thirteenth birthday. She had not a moment’s time to really rest.
Drifting off to sleep had not been in her plans, but when Sadie opened her eyes, she realized she must have been out for several hours because she was so stiff. The room was dark, and she felt so groggy. Sitting up, she stretched and then made her way back to the party hall.
As she walked back down the corridor, everything was eerily silent. It was dark, as well. Reaching the great hall, Sadie took a deep breath. It was even darker and more silent than her room or the hallway. Squinting to get a better look, she noticed that all the guests were motionless, as if held in suspended animation. Her stomach dropped.
Sadie’s heart began to beat faster. She walked over to the closest figure, a satyr still holding his flute to his mouth. She walked around him. He looked like a statue. Sadie began to get that tight, strange feeling in her chest. She saw Tara, in the midst of dancing, the birds and butterflies eerily hanging in mid air above her head like a disoriented tiara.
Her mother was caught mid-laugh and frozen like a three-dimensional photograph. As she walked through the room, her stomach began to tighten and her mouth became dry. There was no sign of any movement or breathing.
“Is this the work of the Seether? Have you healed and come for me already?” She shouted into the echoing hall.
“Not the Seether, Sadie, that thing will be on the mend for some time yet. By the time it’s ready to fight you, you’ll be long gone. I’m here to take revenge on you for ruining my plans,” said Grimm as he slowly walked from the shadows.
“What have you done to them? I demand you fix them immediately, or I’ll make you pay—again,” said Sadie, her anger building.
“If you do anything to me, they will stay in this state for all time. Plus, you’ve forgotten your talisman. I know it’s back in your room. I don’t care if you’re a full witch now either. You’re still new enough at it that you most likely will need your talisman for quite some time. I know many things, remember? Now, what I want is this…” Grimm began, but stopped to lick a still wounded paw.
Sadie’s heart reeled, and she tried to contain herself. Another thing she learned through all of this was not to act rashly as she used to do.
Grimm began again.
“I want you to watch as I destroy the things you value most, like you did to me. I’m going to take from you what you wanted most, a family and people who cared about you, just as you took my power and my being human: what I wanted. Hmmmmm, where to start? Oh, puuurrrrrrfect,” he hissed, “I’ll begin with that annoying nature-lover Tara and end with your precious mother.”
“But I didn’t banish you from being human. The Seether did.”
“I blame you; he wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for you.”
“Grimm, are you still doing catnip and taking that energy? I think your judgment is a bit clouded.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing. It has nothing to do with my extracurricular activities!” Grimm shouted as he took a bit of catnip out of a pouch he had around his neck.
Grimm walked towards Tara stealthily. Sadie was frozen, not like the rest, but because she knew there was nothing she could do. He had her. If she destroyed him, they would all be lost. If she tried to freeze him as well, there was no one to help her break this spell of his. She was stuck, caught in a catch twenty-two. Exhaling exuberantly, she felt defeated, and after all she had come through to end like this was pathetic.
Grimm jumped and grabbed one of the birds from Tara’s aura. He ate it slowly, bits of feathers sticking to his mouth, and the crunching of little bones was grating on Sadie’s last nerve.
“Must you drag this out? Must I watch? Can’t you just be done with me, leave them alone, and move on to do what you intend? I’ll not just sit here and watch this latest horror show of yours,” said Sadie.
“I’ll do this as I please, not as you wish. But I must say, you’ve given me a better idea,” said Grimm.
Looking directly at Sadie, he whispered unintelligible words and in a flash of dark magik, bound her head to foot. She couldn’t move a muscle, though inside her, her heart beat furiously.
Saying more garbled incantations, the crowd of party goers began to come back to themselves, slowly and a bit confused. Sadie felt a bit of remorse at having destroyed the Ataraxia Heart; she could have used its powers now. That’s for sure. Grimm sat in front of Sadie and cleared his throat loudly before speaking.
“If any of you tries anything, Sadie dies a most horrible death,” he spoke to them all.
The crowd stayed hushed after a slight rumble, and Adrienne stepped forward.