Dreamlike State (The Magic of Black Forest Book 1) (16 page)

“Morning, Nat. I got your message then checked out my emails. Good news. I already put in a call to my friend and he’s talking to the home owner as we speak.”

Rubbing my eyes, I hauled myself into the kitchen. “Jesse, I need coffee.”

“Oh did I wake you? When you were here, you were up before dawn. It’s nine and you’re just waking up?” His cheerful voice was getting on my nerves.

“Coffee, Jess! Hey, wait a minute. I have a bone to pick with you.” -- Remembering my conversation with Bradley last night, a conversation that kept me up most of the night, I’m now wide-awake. – “Did you tell Bradley everything I told you or just what he wanted to hear?” By the tone of my voice, I’m clearly irritated.

“Aw, Nat, the last time I spoke to Brad was right after you hung up on him. He’s been avoiding all of us ever since, he’s even avoiding Dave. If he didn’t leave me a note saying you called, I would have never even known he stopped by. He’s too miserable to be around so I told him not to come back until he was in a better mood. Why what happened?”

Back pedaling, “You know, Jesse, you’re supposed to be his friend you could be a little more supportive. He’s going through a tough time. Please don’t force him away.” I felt horrible, and yet I was ecstatic that Bradley had said the words I’d been waiting to hear, without being told what I wanted.

“I’m going to talk to my lawyer after I’m finished talking with you. So have your friend call him directly. All the paperwork will have to go through him first anyway. I’ll be there in two weekends to see what I’ll need to move in. We’ll make further arrangements then.

“Listen, Jess, I still don’t want Bradley to know about my moving there. However, I would appreciate it if you made sure he was okay and told him that I said hello. He’s a good friend and should be treated as such. I have to go. The next few days are going to be extremely hectic around here so I’ll need to prepare for that. Thanks, Jesse. For knowing what I needed all along. You’re a good brother. Please give Colleen and Bradley my love.”

“O-o-okay. That was a sudden change. I’ll see ya.” I definitely threw Jesse for a loop, but I knew he would do as I asked. I needed Bradley to know that I heard him and it had softened me, just a little. I was not as upset as I was before. I had no sooner hung up the phone than my aunt was knocking at the door. She let herself in and joined me for coffee and breakfast.

We jumped right into things. The first lesson she taught me is how to shield myself. With this skill, I would hear no one and they could not hear me. She showed me how to lower my shield completely and how to lower it partially. Immediately after my lesson, she demanded that I start shielding myself. She didn’t want to hear a peep from me unless it was verbal.

When she asked how far I’d gotten with my reading, I could tell she was pleased by my response, “I’m three quarters of the way through it. Aunt Susie, I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.”

“Listen, Natalia, in our vast multi-cultured world, to protect yourself you’ll have to seek out magical knowledge, test the knowledge you’ve learned, and then forge your own destiny. Also, stay away from those new age magic want-to-be’s. Be careful, because they are all around us. They perform illusions by sleight of hand. Their jealousy for true witches can cause us much trouble. Never let anyone know that you are of witch and wizard decent.”

“Umm… Aunt Susie, there’s something I need to tell you…” I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew what I was going to say. “…I told Melissa. She knows almost everything about me. I can trust her, so please don’t be upset with me.”

“Oh, well I knew you’d tell her. Your mother even predicted that you wouldn’t be able to keep your newly inherited gift from her. Now unless you have anything else to say…” She waited a few seconds, until she was sure I had nothing else to say. “…let’s get started on your training. Tomorrow you turn twenty five.”

“Will one day of training be enough?” I was so nervous that I was contemplating a temporary block of my inheritance. Seriously.

“Yes, plenty. You have read most of the book, and reading that book is the most important part. You’ll need to finish the rest by midnight. Let’s get started.”

For hours, we practiced mind and self-control. She went over a few spells that I could use throughout my life so I made mental note of them. We also discussed several pages in the book. She made me promise not to cast certain spells unless she was present. If I messed up the ingredients, or used the wrong word, someone could get hurt, even killed. One of the spells she was concerned about would actually cause the earth’s floor to shake and crack. I had no clue why anyone would ever need to use that spell.

She insisted that I gain experience on how it felt to have the power used on me. Knowing how it felt should help me to respect it more. I was about to tell her there was no need, and that I already feared the power when I heard her mumble a few words, and then I felt myself being thrown from the kitchen onto the living room couch.

While helping me up she said, “Natalia, you won’t need to say a spell to do something like that. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll be able to do that just by thinking it. Including words or motions will only strengthen the blow.” If it was her intent to scare me more than I was before she had succeeded, now I was terrified. Starting tomorrow, I would try to never think again.

We went over a few more spells before she called it a night.

“Tomorrow I will be over bright and early.” Tapping her finger on the book she said, “Finish reading the book.”

“Aunt Susie, isn’t there any way I’ll be able to protect myself, you know from thinking a spell? Can’t I put a password or something on it?”

She giggled, “I’m glad you’re worried, you should take this seriously. You’ll have nothing to worry about. I’ll stay with you as long as you need me. I hope you weren’t expecting to go anywhere. It’ll take us a week or so to get you fully trained.” Although I was going somewhere, I didn’t say anything. After a brief skeptical glare, she said her goodbyes and left. I, on the other hand, continued my training, along with more reading. It was about ten in the evening when I finally finished. I even took some time to write down a bunch of questions for my aunt.

I had just gotten out of the shower and climbed into bed when the phone rang.

“Hello.” Usually I check the caller id but I didn’t this time. I just assumed it was Melissa since I hadn’t heard from her today. I was shocked when it was Bradley.

“Hello, Natalia. Did I call too late?” His voice was cautious, unsure if calling me was a good idea.

“A little, I just climbed into bed. It’s okay though. How are you?” I needed to hear his voice. I was terrified as to what my birthday was going to bring, and had to admit to myself that I’d much rather have him here with me but that was impossible. For now anyway.

“I wanted to apologize for hanging up on you the other night. That was rude of me. You had mentioned that things would be hectic on your birthday so I thought I should call you tonight instead.” Hearing his voice relaxed me while it soothed and healed my broken heart. Actually, the words he said the other night started that process.

I giggled. “I’m glad you did. Bradley…” just saying his name caused my heart to race, and my breathing to accelerate. “…there’s no need for you to apologize. I hung up on you twice. I’m sure you were expecting me to do it again. Tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself. Have you written any more songs?” When he didn’t respond right away, I took the opportunity to say, “Every night I listen to the CD you made me. Thank you again for that wonderful gift.”

“It was my pleasure. I haven’t been inspired to write any new music. My inspiration is five hours away.” I could hear that he was still saddened by the hurt he caused me when he left.

This would be a good time for me to test the waters. “So does this mean you’re ready to try having a long distance relationship with me?” I couldn’t resist, I had to laugh aloud. When he didn't respond I became nervous. “You don’t have to answer.”

“I still think you deserve better.” I could tell he was disappointed at the subject.

“Listen, Bradley, how about we try this long distance relationship with a promise to each other. A promise that if either of us finds someone else, we’ll end the relationship before so much as a kiss can happen. Deal?” He probably wouldn’t go for it but I figured I’d try one last time.

“You could live with that?” He sounded as though he was seriously thinking about my request.

“Well, not forever. We’d have to see each other, at least monthly. I can live with it, can you?” My fingers were crossed, hoping he said yes.

Whispering my name, “Natalia…” he said, “If you were here right now, I’d seal this deal with a kiss.”

I couldn’t resist. I decided to try to show him what I was thinking. I concentrated really, really hard, let down part of my shield, and sent him an image showing the moments we had together, his kisses that left me breathless. Once I was sure he had seen everything I wanted him to see, I put the wall back up.

His heavy breathing told me he saw it all.

“Is that okay for now?” Since the memory was still so vivid for me, my breathing was also heavy, due in large part to the extra concentration I had to do. I was sweating a bit from it.

“My memory didn’t do us justice,” he laughed. “You’re incredible. Yes, that was perfect since we can’t be together. I should let you go to bed. Would it be alright if I called you tomorrow, you know to wish you a happy birthday?” He was still trying to catch his breath.

“Tomorrow won’t be good... Um.”

“If you have plans with someone else I understand. There’s no need to explain, you don’t owe me anything.”

“Bradley, it’s nothing like that. If I was seeing someone, I wouldn’t have tied myself to you in a relationship.” I told him everything that had happened since I got home, about the money and my gift inheritances. As well as tomorrow being my big day, the day that’s supposed to change my entire life. I didn’t, however tell him that I’d be there in two weeks or that I was buying a house up there. Once I moved up there, well, then I’d cross that bridge.

“That is a lot for one person to digest. If anyone can handle it, you can, Natalia. I’m confident of that. Okay, I’ll wait for you to call me. You can reach me on my cell or at Jesse’s. Be strong. Tell Seager I said hello. I love you, Natalia. Good night and have only sweet dreams.”

“Good night and I love you, too.”

Even though I was the happiest I’d been in a while, I couldn’t stay awake long enough to think about it. I drifted into sleep-land almost immediately after my head hit the pillow.

Chapter 12

The night before my “big” birthday I had the most vivid dream. Sometimes I didn’t remember them, but when I woke the morning of the big day, my dreams came rushing back to me. I dreamt about my parents. It was as if they were there with me. They told me I made the right choice to move to the mountains and not to worry about my gifts. My aunt would teach me what I needed to know. I didn’t want to wake up but they insisted that it was time, that my aunt was on her way. My mom said that they’d hidden my gift under a floorboard in my closet, the one where I used to hide my money when I was a kid.

Excitedly, I jumped up, ran to the closet, and lifted the floorboard. Under it was a wrapped gift with a note. I opened the note first and read it.

Our dearest Natalia,

We love and miss you dearly. Happy 25th birthday. Please open your gift, put it on immediately and wear it always. It will keep you safe from evil. We made it especially for you.

Follow your destiny.

All our love, Mom and Dad XOXOXOX

With tears in my eyes, I opened my gift. It was a necklace with four gems tied together with a leather strap. I did as they said, and put it on immediately. I felt a warmth and confidence I’d never felt before. It was almost comforting. Other than that, I didn’t feel any different. I felt the same as I did yesterday. If, like my family said, I am a powerful witch, I sure didn’t feel powerful.

Still sitting on the floor in my closet, I heard my aunt asking if I’m awake yet. I shot up, and ran down the steps as I yelled, “Here I come.”

I wondered how she had let herself in. “How did you get into the house? I know I locked the doors last night.”

“Are you serious, Natalia? I think you need some coffee. Oh, happy birthday sweetie.”  She hugged and kissed me on the forehead before handing me a gift. “I see you got your parents’ gift. You should wear that always.” She pointed to the necklace.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Aunt Susie,” I said as I ripped the wrapping paper off the gift. It was a small jewelry box. Hoping that it wasn’t jewelry, I was pleased and a little confused when I saw a key. “Huh?”

Beaming from ear to ear she said, “Look out the front window.”

I looked out the window and in the driveway right next to my truck was a blue Chevy Silverado, four-door crew cab. Not caring about how I looked, I ran out the front door yelling, “You’re kidding me right? Is this really mine?”

“Do you like it? I think your ATV will still fit in the back. It’s fully loaded with a rear camera, 4x4 and has off road capabilities. You can also tow with it. It has a huge engine.”

“I love it! Thank you, but you shouldn’t have. This gift is way too expensive.”

“I’ll be insulted if you don’t take it.” The smile on her face said otherwise, but I think it would have hurt her feelings. “Like you, I have money, so please don’t worry about the cost. You’ll need the truck for when you move to upper Pennsylvania. Maybe after breakfast you can take me for a ride.”

We went back in the house. I cleaned myself up while my aunt made us breakfast. Well technically she performed magic that made our breakfast. Awestruck, I stood at the kitchen entrance watching as she sat at the table while the eggs were being flipped and the toast being buttered by witchcraft. We discussed my gifts over breakfast, and then we went right into training.

My first lesson was to rearrange the living room furniture with my thoughts. It took a while for me to figure out how to actually process my thoughts. Susie patiently explained the process several times, “Visualize where you want the furniture. Once you’ve made your decision, concentrate and your magic will do the rest.”

I was worried that if I just thought of something it would happen, but thankfully, it didn’t work that way. It was quite complicated and it took a lot of concentration when using just my mind to perform magic. Spells on the other hand, well they happened instantaneously. They were just as powerful and made me even more concerned. If I misspoke or added the wrong herb, the entire spell could do nothing, change to something totally unexpected, or explode. When I tried to turn the lights on, I accidently said born instead of on and the room filled with fireflies, hundreds of them. Thankfully, my aunt was there to clean it up.

For our break, we took a ride in my new truck. Seager was in his glory. The back seat was much bigger than my other truck. He already had his nose marks all over the windows. We got some fast food and ate it at the local park. Afterwards, we walked Seager around for a while. My lessons continued discreetly.

As we pulled into the driveway, we saw a delivery guy at my door. Jumping out of the truck, I told Seager to behave. I greeted the deliveryman while my aunt took Seager into the house. He whined as he passed us but didn’t lunge at the man, thankfully.

Four dozen roses were carried into my house. After giving a generous tip, I escorted him out, thanking him.

I stood there admiring my roses when Susie asked, “Aren’t you going to find out who sent them to you?”

“I already know who they’re from.” But I didn’t know what, if anything, he wrote. I opened the card and read it out loud, “Beautiful roses for a beautiful woman. Happy Birthday. All my love… Always… Love, Bradley.” I felt all warm and fuzzy inside, wishing he was here for me to thank properly.

Before we could even enjoy the roses, there was a knock at the door. Another florist. This time I received a bouquet of my favorite flower, daisies. I carried them into the kitchen and pulled out the card. Once again, I read it aloud. “Happy Birthday, love your brother Jesse and Colleen.” I giggled.

Yet again, another interruption before we could discuss the flowers. This time the doorbell rang. I answered it wondering who or what it could possibly be. I’d already been blessed with wonderful precious gifts. I opened the door to find Melissa holding balloons and a present.

“Happy Birthday, Natalia.” She hugged me then went straight to the kitchen. “Wow where’d you get all the roses and your fave… daisies?”

Smiling I said, “The roses are from Bradley, and the daisies are from Jesse and Colleen. That beautiful truck parked in my driveway is from my aunt.”

“Wow maybe I should have gotten here sooner. My gift is so small compared to theirs.”

As I opened her gift I said, “It’s the thought that counts.” I wasn’t prepared at all for her gift. It was a picture of my parents in a beautiful crystal frame. Crying I hugged her, “It’s the best gift ever, thank you, Melissa.” She couldn’t stay; she had to get back to work. I thanked her for my gift and said I’d call her this weekend. Immediately after she left, my aunt was back to business training me.

This time it took a few hours before we were interrupted by a call from Harvey. As it turned out, he knew Jesse’s friend. He agreed it was a great deal and purchased the house. He told me it was an excellent investment. He also said that I should get up there to see it as soon as possible. I let him know I would be there in two weeks, and that I was taking Melissa with me. He reassured me the house was mine and the keys were on the way along with the rental paperwork for Melissa to sign. Then he wished me a happy birthday.

After hanging up, I saw my aunt’s eyes were full of questions. She’d been here all day, hinting. She was aware I was leaving but would not ask me to explain. I got the feeling she was torn over wanting to respect my privacy while at the same time dying to know what my future plans were. This was probably one of the things she saw before I started shielding my thoughts from her. Therefore, I decided to tell her.

“I just bought a house in Lockhaven, Pennsylvania. I’ll be going up to see it in two weeks. Melissa is coming with me. Oh and Melissa will be living here.” Even though I was happy to have my aunt here with me, I still didn’t want her to know everything. I barely knew her really.

“Well… congratulations. Let me know when you’re having a house warming party and I’ll be there. I’m really happy for you. Now let’s get back to work. We have much to do in a short amount of time.”

For two weeks, my aunt taught me about the history of our coven, as well as how to use my powers. The house hadn’t been blown up or anything so that was a good thing. I was feeling confident about my new skills. It was pretty neat being able to lift and move large, heavy objects without straining myself physically. I also felt confident that if necessary I’d be able to protect myself, especially with Seager around.

Aunt Susie got a little upset when she found out that Melissa wouldn’t be able to go with me when I went to check out my new house. She had to work that weekend, it was mandatory. Having only two weeks of training, my aunt grew concerned that I may get myself in trouble if I went by myself. Her concerns were valid, but it didn’t matter. Seager and I were still going to see our new home. I believe in fate and that we were supposed to go alone. Actually, I liked the idea of having the place to myself. It’s an experience I needed to do on my own. To spend the first night in my very own house would be something I’d never forget.

This time I decided to leave before dinnertime. That should get me there about eight or nine. Melissa made me promise that I would call her when I stopped for gas and again when I finally arrived. My aunt told me to have fun and enjoy myself. I could tell the situation still bothered her, but to her credit, she didn’t try to stop me.

For this trip, I didn’t plan my timing very well. Too excited about getting there, I forgot how dark it would be when I arrived. We arrived sometime after nine o’clock. The house sat back on the property a little. The driveway, long and narrow, led right to the front of the house. When we pulled up in front of the garage doors, the outside lights turned on. Smiling I thought,
love those motion lights
.

Keeping the doors locked, I sat in the truck waiting to see how long the outside lights would stay on. Pitch black and spooky, I didn’t want the lights to go out while trying to unlock the front door. To kill time, I left the truck running and flicked on my interior lights to call Melissa. I’d forgotten about the Bluetooth feature. Instead of music coming from my radio, the phone was ringing. This would take some getting used to. Melissa was relieved to hear from me. She insisted I call her from inside the house to be sure I made it in safely.

The outside security light finally went off after about twenty minutes. Perfect. I jumped out of the truck, which triggered the light to turn back on. Letting Seager out, I reached inside to grab my flashlight when I heard, “Hey, Seager boy, how are you? Natalia…” My heart started pounding rapidly feeling his closeness and his voice, like the first day we met, made my body tingle excitably. Smiling, I turned to face him. My joy disappeared as soon as our eyes met. His were full of disappointment and sadness. Maybe I should have told him about buying the house.

Before I could explain he said, “I heard someone had bought the house, that they were coming to look at it this weekend. I stopped by to sneak a peek at the new owners. I’m quite stunned to see you and Seager here.” He closed his eyes, but not before I saw how my not telling him had hurt him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I wasn’t sure why, but I hesitated. This made him look at me. Betrayal. That’s what I saw in his beautiful eyes. Unsure of how to make it right I reached out to him. Instead of taking my hand, he turned and ran into the woods. I tried to run after him but he was too fast, unbelievably fast. Still I attempted to follow.

When I turned around the corner of the house, I saw what looked like a snake dangling from a tree branch. Terrified of snakes, I let out a blood-curdling scream. Panicking, I spun around, tripped over my own feet, and fell heavily to the ground, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I freaked out even more when I imagined it falling on me. Trying to catch my breath, I crawled my way to the front of the house. Not thinking rationally, things only got worse when I felt something touch my shoulder. Thinking a poisonous serpent fell on my shoulder, I whipped around to swat it off but instead I whacked my head, hard, on the side of my house.

“Natalia… you’re bleeding.” Concern and frustration trembled in his words.

My head hurt so bad that when I heard a low growl, I wasn’t sure if I’d been hearing things. Blackness began to surround me. Fearful the creature that growled was not my imagination, I whispered, “Bradley… don’t leave…”

When I came to, I found myself alone and in the dark again. My pounding head had a bandage on it. Confused and dazed, I tried to recall what had happened. The last thing I remembered was a snake falling on me.

“Seager…”
He had to be here.

“I’m here, Natalia. Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard, actually knocked yourself out. You should really take a chill pill or two.”

“Quit it, Seager. The last thing I remember was a snake falling on me. Just because you’re not afraid of snakes… well it's obvious I am. How did you get me into the house?” I sighed. Before Seager answered me, the lights came on and I saw Bradley standing there. Relieved, I reached out my hand to him. Slowly he walked towards me. As he got closer I noticed his blue green eyes were black, his skin paler than usual. The muscles in his clenched jaw were trembling. I’d never seen him like this.

“Bradley, are you okay?” I tried to get up to go to him, but I got dizzy and fell back onto the sofa. When he told me to just sit still for a minute, his harsh voice sounded cold. It startled me. Dizzy, the room spun. Sighing, I put my head in my hands. Fearful of throwing up I asked urgently, “Where’s the bathroom?” When he didn’t respond, I looked at him. He just stood there pointing down the hall. Frowning, I got up and ran for it.