“Vance, come,” I
said, though I felt extremely foolish doing it. I opened my eyes and looked at
Grandma.
“Has that worked
before?” she asked, seeming a little skeptical.
“I’ve never tried
it before,” I said, laughing. “Vance is always claiming I subconsciously call
to him. I just want to see if there’s any validity to his claims.”
“He says you call
him?”
“I guess, when I
have bad dreams and stuff he says he can hear me calling him,” I explained. “And
he said something yesterday about being able to hear my thoughts, but we were
interrupted before I had the chance to ask him anything further about it.”
“Was this before
or after you joined the coven?” she asked.
“Before,” I
replied. “I’ve slept like a baby ever since my initiation.”
“That’s
interesting. What were your dreams like?”
“I never really
could tell. I was always surrounded by this thick, intense fog, but I could
feel a dark presence lurking there, like something was chasing me. I would run
from it and then I would wake up, except for one time. That time Vance showed
up in my dream and told me to wake up.”
“I think I’ll talk
to your dad about this,” Grandma said, looking a little bit concerned.
“Why?”
“Well, it could
possibly have some significance to what has been going on with Vance and his
father. You weren’t protected by the magic from the coven at that time. Perhaps
you were sensing something.”
“Oh.” The bells to
the door chimed and Vance entered the store.
“Vance, come?” he
asked, shaking his head at me. “Am I like your loyal dog now or something?” He
grinned his sardonic grin at me.
“Sorry,” I said
apologetically. “I just wanted to see if it would work. Apparently it does.” I
walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck, reaching up to peck him on the
lips.
“You’re forgiven,”
he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer. “I was
driving toward your house anyway. So why did you need me?”
“Actually, I
wanted to show you something,” Grandma spoke up. “Come here.”
Vance released his
grip on me and put his arm around my shoulder. We casually walked over to where
she was holding my book.
“Take a look at
this.” She handed it to him.
He dropped his arm
from me and took the book, leaning up against the counter. After a few seconds,
he lowered it to look at me.
“You wrote your
first spell to protect me?” he asked, looking completely amazed.
I nodded, a little
embarrassed now.
“It’s a good
spell,” he said, placing the book down and walking back behind the counter. He
soon emerged with a pair of scissors. “Here.” He handed them to me.
“I don’t want to
mess it up,” I replied, suddenly nervous about cutting it. I loved his hair.
“You’ll only need
a little bit,” Grandma said. “Just cut some off the very end.”
I carefully
selected a spot where my cutting wouldn’t be too noticeable and snipped some of
his fine wavy locks, being careful to keep my hand cupped to collect the
trimmings.
“Wait just a
minute,” Grandma said, going into the back and emerging again in a couple of
seconds. She was holding a small silver locket on a chain. “Put his hair in
this.”
I took the locket,
gently placed the cuts inside, and then snapped it closed. Vance lifted the
locket from my fingers and placed it around my neck next to my talisman.
“Wearing this will
help to charge it for your ritual. The more you touch something, the more you
charge it with your magic,” he explained to me, his fingers lightly brushing my
skin in a gentle caress when he was finished.
“The same goes for
your candle,” Grandma added, not noticing the interaction that had set my heart
racing. “Go pick out the white pillar you want, thinking of the purpose you’re
going to use it for. Use it only for the purpose you intended it for—otherwise,
you’ll waste the magic you put into it.”
I went over to the
candles, selected one and carried it over to the register to pay for it, but
Grandma shook her head at me.
“These are my
gifts to you,” she said, “in celebration of your first spell.”
“Thanks, Grandma,”
I said giving her a hug.
“I just have one
request,” she added. “May I come to watch you work it? There’s a lovely waxing
moon right now.”
“Of course you can
come. Then I’ll know if I’m doing it right.” I turned to Vance. “Will you come
too?”
“I wouldn’t miss
it,” he replied.
We picked a
pretty, little, secluded spot Grandma knew about
,
out under one of the
giant red cliffs which dotted the land. We’d been able to drive most of the way
,
but had to set out on foot to get exactly where we wanted to be.
Grandma led us in
a mediation ritual while we waited for the sun to set completely and for the
moon to begin its ascent into the night sky.
It was very serene
up here, and we could see the bright stars shining above and the lights of
Sedona twinkling below. There was only the softest of breezes every now and
then, which rustled the leaves of the foliage. It was the only sound other than
our breathing.
We sat that way
together, not moving, until suddenly I felt the urge that now was the time to
perform the ritual.
I got up without speaking,
walked over to where I’d placed the candle next to the aloe plant, and lit it. I
picked up the sword and used it to draw a circle in the dirt around myself, the
candle, and the plant. When it was complete, I lifted the sword and pointed it
in each direction—North, South, East, and West—acknowledging the presence of
the elements. Then I broke the piece of the aloe plant and squeezed out the
juices around the circle while reciting my chant.
When I was done, I
knelt on the ground next to the plant and opened the locket, gently shaking the
small pieces of Vance’s hair into the soil surrounding the aloe. I mixed the
hair into the dirt until I couldn’t see any of it anymore. I stood and raised
my sword once again thanking any listening deity, the moon, the earth and her
elements, and I released my circle. I blew out the candle and picked up the
potted plant. I carried it over to Vance, placing it in his hands.
“Blessed be, Vance,”
I said, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the forehead.
“Blessed be,
Portia. Thank you,” he replied, pulling me back toward him and placing a soft
kiss against my cheek.
I laid awake for
several hours into the night, thinking of all the things that had happened in
my life over the last few days. I also pondered over the energy I’d felt
flowing through me during my first solo ritual tonight.
Jinx suddenly
lifted her head and nudged me under the chin with a soft meow. That was when I
heard the tapping at the window. I went over and opened it, finding Vance
standing on the trellis outside.
“What’re you doing
here?” I whispered with a smile, surprised to see him.
“I couldn’t
sleep,” he explained. “You have too many things running through your head.”
“I’m keeping you
awake?” I said, wide-eyed.
He nodded. “Can I
come in?”
“Of course,” I
said, moving to the side. He easily boosted himself in through the window,
walked over to the bed and patted the sheets.
“Come get in,” he
said with a nod.
I lifted an eyebrow
at him questioningly, but he’d never given me a reason not to trust him, so I
complied with the request.
He quickly covered
me up and hopped up next to me, but on top of the quilt. He laid his head on
the pillow next to mine and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, so that one
arm rested beneath my neck and the other rested over the top of the blankets.
My heart raced a little more at him here on my bed with me.
“You need to get
some sleep,” he whispered into my hair, his breath giving me goose bumps as it
blew softly against me.
“I know. My mind
won’t stop racing though.” I didn’t have any hope his presence was going to fix
that either. Him being here like this caused a whole new set of thoughts to
rush through my head.
Vance placed the
palm of his hand against my forehead and began whispering words I couldn’t
quite understand. I suddenly felt very tired and relaxed. My eyes slowly
drifted shut while I listened to his quiet mutterings.
I wouldn’t have
known I’d fallen asleep, except for the fact I was now standing in a large,
beautiful meadow full of little purple and yellow wildflowers. The clearing was
surrounded by cedar and pine trees, and I could see the tops of red rock cliffs
in the distance. A breeze passed over me, ruffling my hair, and I could feel
the golden sun washing over my skin, heating my body.
“There. This is
better,” Vance’s voice came from behind me as he joined me in my dream,
wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned my head back into his shoulder.
“It’s so beautiful
here,” I said, looking around to take in the soothing sight.
“You created it. It’s
your dream.” He nuzzled his face in my hair.
“I’ve been
wondering something.”
“What’s that?” he
muttered, placing a small kiss at the edge of my jaw.
“How come you can
always hear my thoughts, or when I’m calling to you, but I can’t ever hear
yours?”
He stopped to
ponder this for a moment and shrugged. “I guess I’ve been blocking you.”
I turned to give
him a quizzical stare, and he laughed.
“Don’t worry. I
haven’t been doing it intentionally. I’ve just become so tuned in to keeping my
mind closed to protect myself I’m doing it now without realizing. You’re so new
at this, and your mind is so fresh and unfettered it’s easy to read you.”
“Can anyone read
my thoughts then?”
“No, it’s part of
the special connection between the two of us. This is rare,” he said, waving
his hand to the scene in front of us.
“So I could read
your thoughts, if you’d let me?”
He turned me so I
was facing him and lifted my arms up around his neck. Then he wrapped his arms
around my waist and gazed deeply into my eyes.
“Read away,” he
said softly.
I felt a shock go
through my system, and suddenly I was connected to him. His emotions flooded
over me in great waves, and I started to tremble.
“Don’t scare her.”
The words weren’t spoken, but thought, to himself. I could feel him begin to
pull back a little.
“Stop,” I said out
loud to him. “I want to see everything.”
The wave washed
over me once more. Everything came rushing at me. I could see scenes from his
life complete with all the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that accompanied
them.
He started with
some of his childhood memories. I saw and felt the joy of the sugar cookie
secret he’d shared with me, as well as some other happy family moments. Then
the images in my head changed. His father’s abuse, his mother running away with
him all ran through my mind. I wanted to cry over the sorrow and hurt I could
feel emanating from him.
The memories
changed again.
I experienced his
magic with him as he became familiar with the workings of things. I could
completely comprehend everything he did and why he did it. It was like having a
life’s worth of lessons handed to me all at once, only from another person’s
perspective. After viewing several things from this part of his life, things
shifted once more.
I saw the first
time he’d ever laid eyes on me and felt the shock he experienced when he felt
my emotions run through him. I saw how he watched me every day from that moment
on, but doing it discreetly to not draw attention to himself. I felt how he
began longing for the day when I would get my powers, and he could share his
secrets with me
,
making me realize he was terribly lonely.
I could feel a
slight hesitation before the next set of scenes started coming.
“Please don’t stop,”
I whispered, staring deep into those blue eyes. “I want to know.”
He let loose,
honoring my request, and I felt the most powerful feelings coming from him yet.
Visions of him
tossing and turning at night, as he would dream about me, filled my mind before
moving on to dreams of my own I’d forgotten. I saw him sitting many nights
outside my house, or even my bedroom window, giving into temptation once or
twice to climb the trellis so he could watch me sleep. He was always watching
over me, consumed with making sure I was safe, yearning to make a connection
with me but unable to do so because he’d promised my dad he would stay away
until I knew I was a witch.
I felt an
overwhelming sensation then. One I’d never experienced in my life, but I
recognized instantly. He was in love with me… deeply in love. The attachment
was so powerful it threatened to devour him at times, and he was certain we
were meant for each other—destined to be together forever.
It was at that
moment my own emotions mingled with his, and I realized I totally reciprocated
his feelings. He just shared every ounce of his being with me, unfettered and
laid out for me to accept or reject. It was a tremendous gift to be given.
I wrapped my arms
tighter around his neck
,
pulling him to me and kissing him with
everything I had inside.
It was intense.
His fingers
tangled in my hair, slipping up behind my head to push my mouth harder to his. I
could feel my lips bruising as we tried to convey our feelings to one another
through the contact. My lungs were on fire and felt like they were about to
burst from lack of air, but I didn’t want to stop. I just wanted to keep on
kissing him like this forever. Soon, however, we both had to step back,
gasping.
We stood that way,
staring at each other, for several moments while we tried to catch our breath,
lips swollen and chests heaving. Then we both started laughing.