Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 11

There’s a slight tingle from the warding spells as I crossed the boundaries, like a warm greeting from the house. It’s comforting, even though they’ve never done it before - nor were they supposed to.

Behind me, Lee shivers as he crosses the threshold.

"Woah, did you feel that?" he asks, running a hand over his bare arms, now covered in goosebumps.

 “It’s... not supposed to do that...” I frown, my hands already rubbing out the bumps on my arm, and try to think. Had there been a warning in there? Was the spell warning us it had gone off? Or been tampered with?

But it hadn’t felt like a warning – in fact it still doesn’t. Was it another spell? Maybe for surveillance? It hadn’t hurt us, or hadn’t seemed to.

Lee’s already got the door closed and is heading to the kitchen for a warm drink, as he passes me I get that extra brush of something unexplainable in my aura; we’re overlapping again.

“I guess it could have been the spell recognising us like always, but we just felt it more because our aura’s are hanging out all over the place...” I follow him, unzipping my coat and tossing it and my bag over the back of the sofa “Do you feel any different?”

Flicking the kettle on, Lee frowns up at me – well, through me actually, which is a little creepy right now – and hums.

“Well, I feel lighter somehow – but I don’t know if that’s just because of not holding back anything... but everything seems fine. Why? Are you really worried?” He may as well just say ‘internal scan complete – systems at 100%’

I hum, tapping two fingers against my lips, slipping discreetly into the same light meditation I use when checking the spells on the house.

First I send my senses everywhere in the house that I can reach. Sometimes that’s about a meter around me, sometimes it’s further, but I’m pretty sure I can check the whole house from the kitchen. For a second I’m startled – there’s a massive presence all around me pushing my senses back at me – then I realise the spells on the house ward from both directions and my senses had swam straight into them. I’ll get used to this increase in control one day, maybe, but for now it’s dizzying to fling my senses and them actually go where I want them to.

There’s no one in the house, nothing actually, not even a spider – so that one I chucked out of a window yesterday must have been the last of them. No one but me and Lee that is. But I don’t pull my senses back in straight away, because I’ve just realised I can feel our spells around the house now. Not just as the presence pushing me back, but the actually individual spells.

 I check through the one on the door, feeling through it and notice how it’s coloured with both mine and Lee’s thoughts. Not in an “oh my god, the door read my mind” way, but in a “we both shaped this spell with our thoughts” kind of way. Other than that it’s fine.

After a quick check on all of the spells I withdraw, pulling all my senses back to me in the kitchen. There’s a steaming mug of hot chocolate on one counter, and a Leigh-John on the other, sipping his own steamy mug and watching me with curiosity. Apparently tea doesn’t cut it after what happened at Jim’s – couldn’t argue with that.

Before I take my mug, though, I focus on Lee; ignoring his frown and slipping deeper into that meditation that used to be so elusive. It’s like a waking dream, where things aren’t defined by what you see, but the energy things are comprised of. It’s the way I like to do spell craft, and after two months of practicing four times a day it’s the most comfortable way to work magic.

I’m not working magic right now, just probing. The energy of Lee’s aura is more pronounced that it had been yesterday when we worked together, but other than that it’s undamaged. His aura isn’t what I’m interested in though, and I probe past his energy to his body.

There are spells that can be cast on your aura, but they’re extensive and complicated and I’d have felt it just when I opened my senses.  Most commonly cast spells are hidden on the body – for two reasons. You don’t have to go into this meditation when you cast it (assuming you know what you’re doing and aren’t making it up as you go along – which apparently you aren’t really supposed to do) and also they become difficult to detect (dependant on the spell) because they get hidden behind the person’s aura.

As I push my senses past Lee’s aura it changes slightly, like changing colour, and I can tell he’s discomforted by the sensation this causes. It isn’t like touching another person with your aura, or the itchy pain of someone trying to get into your mind, but it feels odd – especially if you don’t know what it is. Imagine someone lifting your shirt when your eyes are closed and you didn’t realise you had a shirt on to begin with.

“Um, Lilly... what are you doing..?”

I hear the words but can’t drop my concentration to answer properly. My mumbled reply could have been ‘hold still’ or ‘one sec...’ I’m not sure. See, I’ve never been interrupted doing this before, and I’m not sure what would happen. I carefully check him for spells, or the traces of one, and find nothing. Not even a hint of the treatise enchantment lingers on him.

“Huh...” I mutter, pulling back from him and releasing my hold on reality just long enough to check myself for any spells. Nothing.

“What was that?” he asks as I pull myself up from the dredges of meta-consciousness.

Grabbing the hot chocolate I swig half the mug before answering. I hate meta-consciousness. That’s probably not its name, but it’s how I think of it. It’s one step away from astral projection, and the sensation is creepy as hell, but it’s the only way I know of doing a thorough check of your own aura and body.

“I was checking for spells on us” I shrug, leaning against the counter my mug had been rested on. “We’re both clean... like, totally clean – no traces of a spell anywhere...”

Lee chokes slightly on a mouthful of chocolate “What!? You’re saying there should be spells on me?” He starts frantically looking at his arms and torso’s as if symbols will suddenly appear.

“No. Well yes, because we just left an enchantment, but no there shouldn’t be spells on you.” I’m frowning too hard to laugh at him, even as he double checks his chest again. “I wanted to make sure no one had spelled you. But still, there would be the residue of an enchantment...”

Something isn’t adding up. Are my senses still being blocked, but in a specific way? Think, Lilly, think...

“Enchantment residue... yummy...” Lee says, now checking his hands as if he might be able to wash the last bits of magic away. “How does that work then?”

“What?” I’m too distracted, and can’t decide which is more important, talking to Lee or working out what just happened.

“How does an enchantment leave residue?”

I plump for talking to Lee, because maybe, just maybe, explaining stuff will lead to working things out. Yeah, sure...

“Same way a normal spell would really. It’s not a residue like a snail leaves behind or anything, it’s more that unless the spell is purposefully removed, like through a cleansing, its effects are still sort of there.” I cast around for an example and find the chopping board.

“Okay, look –“ I slide a knife out of its block and place it on the chopping board.

“A target specific spell is pin-point accurate” I stab the knife point into the board slightly, just enough to make the mark I need,

“A general spell that you get caught by isn’t” I make a slicing motion with the knife and am rewarded with a shallow straight line in the wooden board a few inches from my dot.

“And then you have enchantments that are kind of like a net” on the spur of the moment I grab a couple more knives and make a few intersecting cuts with all three at the same time.

Lee looks at me like I might be a little mad, but doesn’t say anything.

“Now, even though the knife isn’t there, the effect still is. They all leave a mark – and while this one’s deeper” I point to dimple dot of my ‘targeted spell’ “This one has more marks” I tap the ‘net’ creation with a knife “So, while a specific spell will leave a bigger impression if it’s on you, an enchantment will leave some kind of mark if you’re anywhere in its’ area – just not as big or obvious or anything like a problem.”

“Okay...” Lee looks about ready to tell me I’m crazy “What’s your point?”

“There should be a mark or something – anything – that says you were in the enchantment...”

“Yeah, I got that bit”

“But there isn’t. There’s nothing... on either of us.”

“So, there wasn’t an enchantment then?” Oh good, all I’ve done is confuse him.

“After their reaction there’s no doubt we were in one... but I’ve got a theory...”

After another half hour of drinks and talking, both of us are stood probing the spell on the door.

“Well, you may say they yield information, but they don’t to me...” mutters Lee into the wood, resting his head against the door in frustration.

I pull out of the spell and frown “Really? But you understand so quickly... I always assumed they talked to you too.”

His eyebrow rises in an unspoken ‘talk to you?’ or ‘crazy lady!’ which I ignore.

“Doesn’t really matter – we know these spells now, inside and out, you could cast them in your sleep same as me. So what thoughts do you put into them?” my back rests against the door as I tilt my head back to look at him. It’s a semi-rhetorical question.

“Well, keeping out bad things, stopping entry to anything harmful... you know, all the stuff you think of when you think ‘protection spell’.”

“Right. So if there was a spell acting on us, would you class that as a bad thing or harmful?”

“Maybe...” He shrugs, placing a hand on the door as if feeling the spell there.

“What about foreign magic itself?” I ask, folding my arms. I’m finally feeling confident about my theory. After all, my magic is always based on intuition – so surely my spells will be intuitive too? The logic is sound. Honest.

“But surely that would bar us entry?”

“But they’re our spells.” I counter “They know us, they’re made up of us.”

“I guess it does explain the shivers we got....” he acknowledges after a minute, then grins and strokes the door, putting on a soppy voice “Awww, you protected daddy didn’t you, and mummy too – who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?”

“It’s not a dog Lee...” I laugh and move to collapse into the sofa, head tilted back with my eyes closed.

“Who’s a good boy?!” Lee makes a last show of stroking the pet door before coming to slump in a chair, grinning.

“And you think I’m crazy?” I ask the ceiling.

“I know you are sweet peach.” he replies “Still, it’s good to know... I mean, that they’re working – and working better than we thought.”

“True, true...” I sigh, adding a bunch of tests to my to-do list and reaching for my coat. “Still up for seeing Bree?” 

The walk there is going to kill, but I’m also looking forward to the comfort of healing magic after Hannah and Cairn. A flash of emerald eyes and red hair darts through my memory, forcing a little heat into my cheeks – yeah, healing Bree will help with that as well... I hope.

 

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 10

Not far from Jim's, Lee pulled me over to him. I stopped inches in front of him.

"I have so many questions, I might just explode." He said, taking both my arms gently in his hands as he looked down at me.

I was still feeling edgy though.

"Can we go home first?" I asked, resisting the urge to rub my arms. I was getting really sick of this feeling.

He made a frustrated noise. "I sat through that whole conversation without asking a damn thing. I felt like an idiot! Tell me - "

"Please!" I cut him off, "Please, can we just get out of this enchantment first? It feels so oppressive!"

He frowned at me slightly, as if I'd reminded me of another question.

But he could see how much discomfort I was in - practically fidgeting from one foot to the other.

"Okay." He nodded once, sliding his right hand down my left arm to take my hand and releasing me with the other. "But, can you explain the enchantment while we go?"

I started moving before he'd finished asking. 

Why had I not felt it before? This was like a pressure on my entire body. It itched and crawled and felt like a thousand creatures battering against me. Lee didn't seem to be feeling it, which either meant that his aura was so far clamped inside that it wasn't touching the spell, or it was something different - directed solely at me. Fingers-crossed it wasn't the latter.

"Alright." I sighed, tugging at his hand to make him walk faster. So much for him having longer legs and always walking too fast for me. I was practically jogging away from Jim's.
We didn't say goodbye to Jim... I thought suddenly, and instantly felt bad. Best bring him something next time we went in to make it up to him.

"The Treatise Enchantment?" I asked, trying to focus through the nauseous feeling creeping up my spine.

Lee nodded.

"It's a spell that acts on an area as a suppressant. Theoretically no one can cast spells in the area it's cast on. It dampens all magic - in everyone that's there. I'm not sure if you'd have noticed since you were holding back so much...?"

"But you cast a spell. I felt it. For a second it was as if I could feel the spell and see how it worked and everything..." He said. I could feel his confusion at my conflicting explanation, and his amazement at the experience he'd had.

I'd never shared in a spell like that, except yesterday when we'd channelled each other to heal Bree a little. Which reminded me - we were supposed to go do that some more today.

"I don't understand how it worked." I admitted, turning the final corner out of town. It had taken only two minutes to reach the edge of the town centre, but I could still feel the spell. "You shouldn't be able to work any magic in a treatise enchantment... though the enchantment is only as strong as the caster - or only as strong as they want it to be. Maybe they wanted to be able to cast if need be?" I shrugged at myself. I hated not having the answers.

"How did you know it was in effect?" He asked. "Did you try to cast a spell and it failed or something?"

I shook my head, pushing us just a little faster along the street. The bees under my skin were dancing too fast now.

"No, it was just... I was trying to feel for anything big and bad and magical in town. Just to check sort of thing. I couldn't feel anything - I mean, nothing. Like - not even normal everyday people's energy..." I looked at him as we speed walked to see if he understood at all.

"So... you knew that it was there just because you couldn't feel anything?" The concept seemed silly when he put it that way.

"I knew something was suppressing either everyone's magical abilities, or something was cutting out my senses like you wouldn't believe. I've been hoping the entire time that it's not the latter - though when they said that they just wanted to talk I made the connection and assumed a Treatise Enchantment." We were at the final stretch of shops, before rows of houses started taking over the street. 

"So their reaction was what let you know that it was a Treatise Enchantment..?" He was trying to piece my thought process together.

"Is." I corrected "And I'm still only hoping I'm afraid."

How can those things reach anyway?

"Wait - you said you could feel it a little back there... like a pressure... was that just so they didn't understand how much of a guess it was - or was it true?"

"Both." I admitted, "It felt like that headache you get when a thunderstorm is close whenever I tried to do anything with my magic."

"So stop trying to do magic." He said, as if this were the most blindingly obvious thing in the world, and I were being stupid for not doing so. "It's clearly hurting you - like the see-me-not thing..."

I shook my head "I'm not doing it. I think I activated something in the spell by leaving early. Need to get out of its area ASAP. If it's not a Treatise Enchantment I really don't know what to do..."

Finally he seemed to click onto my fear and urgency. I needed to get out ASAP, because if it weren't the Enchantment I thought it was, we needed help. Immediately.

His pace picked up to slightly faster than my own so that I had to jog slightly to keep up with him.
I figured - to hell with it - and started jogging properly, if not running. Running while holding hands is awkward because your hands go all flaily - especially when the person you're holding hands with is nearly a foot taller than you. Plus, I look like an idiot when I run; I really need to start practising. I was just so glad no one could see us jogging along now - my bag bashing against me with every bouncy step we took, my legs not wanting to move in any kind of fluid motion, instead choosing to fling themselves to a fro like a baby zebra learning to walk. 

Women often get compared to gazelles when they run... I'm definitely more a zebra... or a giraffe with dwarf-syndrome.

I felt the moment we passed the barrier of the spell. It was like that moment where your ears pop after a long build up. There was a sudden 'eep' from my body, then a sigh of relief as the horrible feeling just disappeared. 

My feet slowed to a gentle jog, then a walk as the relief washed over me. It hadn't been a targeted spell. I was okay. It was okay.
Lee was looking at me as if he weren't sure whether to pick me up and run or not. 

I stumbled into him and giggled, tears sliding down my face in gratitude for the universe granting me this out.

He was picking me up, probably ready to run, when I squeezed him and sighed.

Arms round his neck and legs wrapped round his waist I hugged him

"It's okay - we're through. We're outside it now." I said into his neck, not wanting to let go.

Gosh, that had been a close call. 

We were going to have to have some serious talks about this, but I really wasn't ready for them.

Explaining everything to him was going to take long enough, without me telling him off for agreeing to go to lunch with strangers who he could feel were witches. From now on, no matter who they said they were, if they felt like witches I wanted Lee to turn tail and run. Or what ever the subtle equivalent of that is?

"Thank God for that!" He said into my shoulder, hugging me tight "I thought you were going to pass out or something!"

We stood like that for a minute and giggled at our fortune.

Then Lee eased me back to the floor and let go. I felt his aura come flowing back as he put me down, and it made me smile. Slipping my hand round his waist and ducking under his arm, I let my own aura swim up and meet his.
He gasped and shivered. 

"Woah! What was that!?" he asked, a touch of ecstasy in his voice.

I grinned and let my aura bubble up further and swim round us. Along with being able to strap down my aura, I'd worked out how to open it outwards. It was just the opposite - like stretching your belly outwards instead of sucking in your gut.

"Wooah!" He said again, almost stumbling "What is that!?" 

He was staring at me like some glowing, radioactive fairy. Like I was unreal.

"It's me... well, part of me..." I was starting to blush.

"That's your aura?" He asked, raising a hand as if to touch it. "But... that's... I've never felt it like this before."

Amazing how much I've been holding back around you, isn't it? I thought briefly. It was strange how much my relaxed state had become more and more tightly bound.

Then the question I was dying to asked slipped out.
"What does it feel like?" I was so scared of the answer that I instantly wished I hadn't asked.

"Warm..." was all he could manage at first. "Comforting..." He added.

I understood why he was being so vague though. They don't feel like anything you can describe really. It's like feeling a person - only more... and different... in face it was nothing like feeling them at all. Sometimes they have a taste - other times a colour... but the feeling is pure emotional reaction most of the time. Warm and comforting was probably the best description I could have come up with for Lee's in fairness.

"Like yours." I said, smiling as we walked along in the glow of escaping something not so pleasant.

"Really?" He sounded sceptical.

"Nah, yours feels like a fish..." I said sarcastically, slugging him in the arm playfully "Yeah, really."

He laughed, then squinted slightly.
"You're like... pushing it outwards... aren't you?" He asked.

Observant much?

"Yeah, kinda." I said, easing off the pressure I'd been exerting and allowing it to lapse back to where it naturally wanted to be. It felt so good not to be reeling it in - like stretching when you've been in one position too long. "That's me not stretching it outwards."

There was a slight look of surprise on his face, but it quickly disappeared into his 'concentration' face. It took a second, but his aura grew a little - pushing out to brush mine more firmly. 

The sensation made me shiver. 

If it hadn't been Lee, I'd have thrown up a barrier so high the sun would be blocked out and withdrawn as far as possible. It was intimate in a way I couldn't explain. Not sexual - just close. Really really close. 

I hesitated, but didn't pull back.

Lee barely noticed, he was still concentrating on pushing his aura further.
Soon it was pressed so hard against mine that I was fighting the urge to shove back with my aura - see if I could shove his aura literally back into him.

I was just contemplating trying it when we reached our front door. 

"Home sweet home." Lee said, his aura seeping back to a bearable distance again. He hadn't pulled it down and into himself, it was just where it should be. The pressure had been getting uncomfortable, yet as he let up on it I felt almost sad - as if I missed that awkward intense pressure.

That kind of reaction told me it would be more endurable to have his aura smushed against mine for hours on end than to have it removed and shoved in a locked box somewhere deep in his chest for hours.

His key turned in the lock before I'd even got mine out of its pocket. 

There was a brief second where I thought something bad might explode out at us, and I considered checking all the warding spells before entering the house - just in case. 

I decided against it though, and stepped through the open door Lee held open for me trustingly.

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 9

There was a moment of silence in our secluded corner, and I wondered if I'd just lit a fuse to some high explosives. Hannah still looked like she'd like to shove a crackling psi-ball into my chest - or maybe even just shove her hand in my chest and rip out my heart.

I don't like it when people look at me like that.
Neither does my magic, which was itching to leap across the table on its own and extinguish her life force.
Just the thought of a part of me being able, let alone willing, to do that scares me if I'm honest. It's as if it has a mind of its own at time and I'm just along for the ride.

No one moved. No one said anything. The tension levels just kept getting higher and higher.
Let me explain something about magic: a lot of it is linked to your emotions. As far as I can work out, our aura is like an energy force - and for witches it's either a lot bigger or we can just flex it like a muscle; almost like being double jointed. So you can concentrate and use it in a controlled way - just like using your hand to write; or you can react with it - like catching a ball. The concentration is only needed in a big way if you're writing something you're unfamiliar with - like an English person starting to write in Cantonese symbols - which is why it hurts my head so much, it's all so unfamiliar. On the other hand, you don't always react; you wont always catch the ball, you wont even always  go to catch the ball. So it's not fully predictable.
With Li, his 'magical reaction' was to dodge rather than catch. I got the impression that Cairn would be similar. They're more intuitive when it comes to defensive magic - or healing I guess.
Hannah was probably more like me - ready to catch that ball and fling it back at you as hard as she could.

Alex was the only one I couldn't predict. He was so under control of himself that what ever he did would be a surprise. I always wished I could be like that. Calm, in control, unaffected by the situation.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, placing my hands palm down on the table and splaying my fingers. Sometimes you can dissipate energy or feelings through contact with your element. Mine's earth, and Jim favoured granite table tops. Lucky me.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked, sounding (if not entirely feeling) composed.

My gaze hovered around Hannah, but the question was directed at all of them.

Hannah didn't hesitate this time - she was still too mad at me.
"What were you doing out there? We felt the power you were raising all the way at our circle! What kind of evil are you trying to manipulate that requires that much power?"

My mouth literally dropped open. I couldn't think of a reply to that. All we'd done is forged a circle and started raising our own power levels so that we had enough to work our spells with. Everyone does that - except endurance junkies - otherwise you burn up your own aura and it takes so long to replenish that you're ill for days.
Hannah, however, seemed to take this as an admission of guilt.
Apparently I was shocked they'd worked out the truth, rather than thinking they were crazy.

"Oh yes, we felt it!" She went on, sliding into a comfortable snobbish air of contrition. "If it had been your full coven we would have believed your innocence; but for only two of you to be power raising like that? Do you think we're fools? What evil are you trying to draw down on us?"

My wide eyed stare wasn't helping where Hannah was concerned; but it seemed to be having an uncomfortable effect on the boys. They didn't seem half as certain as her - or maybe they just hadn't planned on letting this much information slip.
Alex kept looking at me as if he were trying to pry back my mind and find the truth.
I realised a little too late that he probably was doing that.
My gut reaction was to shut him out completely - but then I remembered that I hadn't that sort of thing to hide.

I couldn't work out how to protect my inner most secrets without closing him out completely. This was getting far too complicated.
There's a technique to shutting your mind. I'm apparently a natural at it though. My first circle Tanya had decided to probe my mind. I'd cast her out so forcefully she literally flew away from me. It was as if I'd hit her hard in the chest. I was learning control though, and this guy was barely probing more than the edges.
I gave a little nudge; with the enchantment still in place he wouldn't be able to do much anyway, but I still wanted him to know I wasn't happy with him trying.
In fact, if it weren't for the enchantment, that little flex might have shoved him clean out of my mind.
That place was just a fortress of its own sometimes.

Part of me wondered if Circle White Dawn were right to think of me as a weapon.
I'd not been reaching anything like my potential without Lee to compete and practice with.
I wondered if that little zap I'd felt earlier, when his leg had touched mine and the 'look away' charm had settled on the remaining customers, meant that we were literally stronger together.
Dan had 'shared' power with me only recently - but it hadn't felt quite like that. It had more been like leaning on someone when you can't walk easily. This was like being zapped by a plug socket.

Concentrating on keeping Alex a little further distanced from my inner thoughts had given me time to calm down and try to think of what to say.
My mind had been running through a check list:

Your first thoughts of that amount of power is of raising evil creatures? Interesting...
I couldn't say that out loud though.
You think we were raising a demon or something? Do you realise I'm scared shitless of those things??
Too personal, better to not give away your fears to people you think are trying to hurt you and your friends. People who could, possibly, have been the cause of a friends death...
You think two of us could raise something like that? Don't you need a full coven? 
If that were true they'd think I knew more about raising demons than I did.

"There's no way we called enough power for you to feel at any distance. There were only two of us - and I'm not even initiated yet. Bree may be good, but she's not that good."
For the first time I wished Lee had been in that clearing with me - just so he'd have been able to back me up with the truth. I realised a second later that having him with us, as a healer, would have been a huge help too.
I shook my head, both to clear the thoughts and to emphasise my disbelief.
"I'm sick of this bullshit." I said, swearing for the second time in only minutes. I wasn't exactly angry any more, just annoyed and frustrated. "You lied to Lee to get us here, you cast a spell that effects us without intending to even tell us, you lie about the reason your High Priestess was in a clearing trying to kill us, and now you accuse me of summoning the sort of things that have been sent to attack our coven - that I've watched kill people, my friends..." I shook my head and felt Lee's hand on top of my own.
Some how the tears didn't come. It was one of the first times since thinking about Lani's death that I'd not cried. Go me!

Cairn was looking at me in surprise, Alex was frowning - deep in thought I think. Hannah was frowning in a completely different way. Anger really did not suit that girl; it made her look ugly in a way that I couldn't describe. Right now she looked like she'd very much like to reach across the table and rip my throat out, then use my blood as ketchup.

"We're leaving." I said, Lee and I standing simultaneously - hands still clasped together.

"Wait." Cairn stood, but made no move towards us. He simply stood with his hands held loosely by his sides. "Please. What attacked your coven?"

The question threw me. Was he so new that he didn't know what his own coven had been doing? I felt pity for him.

"Demons. Shifters. Creatures of evil that no one would name..." I looked down on Hannah, my face showing all of my contempt and repulsion at her and her beloved Circle Half-Light. "Just remember the Rule of Three..." I said, directly to her.
Then we left.

None of them made a move to follow us.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 10

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 8

All my muscles tensed where I was sat. I was trying so hard not to let my power flair up.

I had no idea what it would do under the blanket damping of the Treatise Enchantment.
It was possible that it would damp it so much that absolutely nothing would happen - at which point running would be a good idea.
Then again, most blanket spells are broken by too much force - so it was possible that if I didn't keep control of myself the whole spell might break; and at the minute it was possibly keeping us safe, and I wasn't ready to give up that protection just yet.
Not to mention if I could summon a good attack or defence spell without breaking the damping spell Circle Half-Light would probably double the pressure to try and get me either out of commission or part of their own army.

None of these were options while they put Lee in the firing line. He could possibly defend himself, but his instincts weren't that way inclined and he wasn't trained. I wasn't willing to take the risk.
Swallowing down the power that was surging up inside me was difficult, but not as difficult as it used to be now. Lee probably didn't realise how much help he'd been with all the joint practice of swallowing down power. He still had his tightly under wrap, and probably hadn't noticed the blocking spell very much yet.
It was like a pressure on the top of your head as your power built, like standing up under a low ceiling slowly.

"You noticed the spell?" Asked Alex, leaning across the table towards me. He was a bit too close for comfort, sitting practically directly opposite me. I didn't reply, I figured it was rhetorical. "You recognised it and knew what it was?"

Why did people have this reaction to me? Was I supposed to be ignorant just because I wasn't fully trained?

I nodded once, not sure whether he actually wanted an answer or not.

"How?"

His eyes were green like his shirt. Why someone would dye their hair red when  they had green eyes, I had no idea. Yet, somehow, it worked. His eyes were like emeralds - not like the leaf green that some people have. There was an intensity to them that made me want to sit back.
Instead I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"How? How did you recognise it?" Lee leant forward slightly. Not much, but I could feel that he was ready to protect me from this man who had turned from friendly to mildly intimidating.

"I knew of it. How else?" I said, trying to refrain from holding Lee back. He was doing a good enough job on his own without me drawing attention to it.

"What Alex means," the other man, Cairn, explained quietly "is how did you find the spell? How could you tell it was active?"
He hadn't moved, and seemed calm and gentle. I was reminded of the roles of good cop and bad cop.

I still didn't understand.
"Is this a trick question?"

Hannah shook her head. They looked a little afraid.

"What is a Treatise Enchantment?" Asked Lee in the emptiness left by my lack of answer.

"A spell to dampen magical abilities within a designated area." I explained briefly. I'd go into detail with him later - now was not the time.

Lee frowned.
"Why would you do that?"

"It's like a no-arms deal. You can't cast on each other." I was trying to look purely at Lee, but couldn't stop my eyes from drifting over to them.

"A safe zone." Added Hannah.

I glared at her. "Safe for you."

Lee didn't ask, I think he'd worked it out. I felt his aura move slightly under my hand. It was flowing slowly and gently back to the surface. He was trying to do it discreetly - but I shook my head slightly and he stopped. They'd notice.
Who ever they were, and I could take a half decent guess, I didn't want them taking an interest in Lee for his magical potential.

"What do you want?" I asked, before they could argue.

Again, they exchanged that glance; trying to decide what to say and who would say it.
They seemed unnerved.
"We really do just want to talk." Hannah took the lead.

Jim moved out from behind his counter with a bowl of chips in each hand. Jim's a fairly tall bloke, wide set around the middle, and thinning brown hair that he kept just long enough to cover the top of his ears. I'd never seen him without an apron tied round his waist, and I'd never seen him in a spotlessly white one. In a word, Jim was common. I liked him.
 My eyebrows raised as he began to head towards our table. Normally only the infirm got table service. Basically he was nice to the old ladies and would take their tea and scones to them. But everyone else just paid attention and fetched their food from the counter when it was ready. He didn't even call out or anything. Either you watched for it or you didn't want it enough to deserve eating it; that was Jim's philosophy at least.
Like I say, he's bit lazy, but a good laugh.
The first few times we came in we'd had our order to go, so by the time we ordered in we'd worked out this 'protocol'. There's still be the occasional newbie who gets the whole "d'yer want this food er not?" spiel after it's been sat on the counter a good ten minutes or so.

I wondered if Jim wanted to get another up-close look of Hannah - couldn't blame him if he did, she was very pretty.

The bowls landed in front of me and Lee, and he looked down at us instead of the three model types opposite us.
"How're you two doin?" He asked, leaning his hip against the wall beside me and crossing his arms.
"Not had ye in here fer, what, months now? Nearly fergot what ye looked like."

Me and Lee both smiled up at him sheepishly.
"We're okay." Lee said awkwardly. I wondered if he'd just become as overly aware of the fact we were holding hands as I had.

"Just been busy." I added, then tried not to blush at what that explanation sounded like.
Jim smiled and nodded slightly.
Damn it...
"How've you been?" I asked him - change of subject. Not so subtle, but good enough:

"Ah, not bad lass..." His eyes moved across the table to our 'friends' and it wasn't a pleasant look. Maybe he'd noticed the tension that had been building in his back corner, whatever it was, he didn't seem keen on them.
Turning back to us he nodded and said "If ye need anything, ye know where I am."
I smiled as he walked away. I'd missed Jim and his eccentricities. Sometimes I thought of him as Uncle Jim...

Hannah was looking blankly at my bowl of chips.
I glanced down to see what she was staring at. There was nothing there but a regular bowl of chips. Maybe a bit bigger than I remembered - but there was salt and vinegar on them, just how I liked them. Lee's had drizzles of ketchup on his as well.

Looking back up at her, I asked what was wrong.

"He told us he doesn't serve chips. I asked, and he said that he didn't do them." She actually looked hurt. She hadn't said anything to Jim though. Either she was hurt instead of offended, or she was too polite/wasn't brave enough to call him a liar to his face. She wasn't too proud to complain...

I could feel Lee's discomfort. He didn't like Jim's double standards any more than I did - though right now they had given us the edge; proven who had home advantage.
Shrugging I took a chip from the bowl "He doesn't normally. You have to have been coming for nearly a year before you get the privilege."
Lee pushed his bowl forwards to the centre of the table in a gesture of sharing. We both did actually; synchronised as twins.

We should probably stop doing that. Most people found it creepy at the best of times.
Now was not the best of times.

The three of them sat frozen for a moment, and I popped the still hot chip in my mouth.
Mmm, hot home made chips. 
Alex was the first to reach out towards the bowl. He hesitated for a second, then slowly took one of the chips and popped it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, watching my face. I'd have liked to smile, but I was still a little too on edge to do it naturally.

Jim saved me from having to react by placing five fat sandwiches on the counter; and, catching my eye, mimed hitting a small bell - 'order up'...
I stood, and Alex was on his feet as soon as I was - if not faster - standing slightly in front of me. We both froze for a second, eyes locked. I hadn't even noticed Lee stand up, but he was next to me, shoulder to shoulder.
For some reason, my mind was stuck on the idea that it would be bad for people to notice we were acting strangely; so I smiled.
"I can get them... but if you two want to help..?" I motioned slightly towards the sandwiches and Alex turned just enough to see them. His shoulders relaxed fractionally and I stepped forwards.
He stepped up beside me and agreed to help. No one stopped Lee from following us, and neither of the other two made any sign of moving.

In all fairness, carrying five plates would have been a slight struggle. I'm fine up to four - then it gets complicated. But three people is overkill for collecting three sandwiches.
Alex had picked up two sandwiches and was aiming for a third; but I picked it up along with my own. No need to struggle when there were too many hands for the job anyway.
He opened his mouth to say something, changed his mind, and - after hesitating again - said "Thanks."

This bunch liked hesitating a lot. I was starting to wonder if they were bad guys or not.
We'd soon find out.
We returned to the booth in reverse order, Lee sliding into his seat with his own sandwich as soon as we got there. I hovered by my own seat, as I didn't know whose sandwich I actually had hold of, and didn't want to be rude and lift it over anyone. I'd have slid it over to someone, but the bowls would make that awkward. Plus I was happier on my feet right now. Sitting down felt like getting willingly into a trap.
Not sure what was even in between the bread in my right hand, I didn't bother asking whose it was; I waited till Cairn and Hannah had received theirs from the red head.
He hadn't taken his own first. I liked that in a person.

I placed his down next to Hannah's before either of us took our seats. Our eyes met again as I moved my hand away and I got a strange feeling of understanding, or respect.

Lee hadn't moved quite as far across this time so that our five plates formed a trapezium, fitting easier onto the table. The chip bowls sat in the centre of this plate-pezium, and I made a point of gesturing to them and saying "Help yourselves. There's salt and vinegar on them..." before picking up half my mega bacon butty and taking a bite. The side of Lee's leg rested against mine if I sat at a slight angle, and it seemed to relax us both, or maybe that was just the food; he was already tucking into his sandwich too. Either way, I felt better being in contact with him.
The three opposite us also began eating. Hannah was far more dignified than either of us with her sandwich, taking lady sized bites. The boys didn't chomped through theirs; mouthfuls of the thick cut bread and its delectable fillings being masticated and swallowed in what looked like enjoyment.

The level of hostility - that, admittedly, I'd instigated - eased as we ate together. It's strange how sharing a meal will do that.

Once we had all finished our breaded delights, we sat back and surveyed one another; occasionally reaching for a chip.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked again, popping a still warm chip in my mouth.

They all glanced at Lee, and he smiled nonchalantly as he picked up some more red chips.
What ever it was, they hadn't planned on talking directly about it in front of Lee. What on earth they had been expecting to do I still hadn't worked out.

"We're members of Circle Half-Light." Cairn said.
Thought so...
"We wanted to talk to you about Saturday." He had been the most straight forward, matching my own bluntness.

Saturday had been the night Bree and I had been attacked.
I stiffened slightly. So much for being all happy and cosy three seconds ago.

"What about it?" I asked frostily. "If you've come to apologise, I'm not the one you should be talking to." My anger was simmering just under the surface from thinking of Bree's pale face.

"Apologise?!" Burst out Hannah, her own anger quite evident "The cheek!! How dare you?"
She was almost standing in her seat, Cairn had to place a strong hand on her arm to keep her down. He seemed to have had a calming influence through out, but it wasn't enough right now.

My own anger rose to meet hers though.
"How dare I? How dare I?" I only just managed to keep my seat "After you attacked us? After you nearly killed Bree?! Girl, you're lucky I asked for an apology and not your fucking head!"

She was on her feet now, and the boys were close to following - though Alex looked more confused than angry.

"Are you threatening me?!" Her voice had done that scary thing that some peoples do when they get angry, where it gets quite and sharp - like a ninja's blade.

I stood to face her, leaning my clenched fists on the table. "Oh, when I threaten you, you'll know about it." I whispered into her face, letting the power I'd been holding back surface a little and crackle around my iris. It was a nifty trick Kali had shown me once.

Hannah's jaw set.

"You threaten us under our own Treatise Enchantment?" There was something formal about the question as she stated it. An undercurrent to it that meant more than the words.

It was Alex that touched her arm this time, he'd sat back slightly in his seat now. "I think she just said she would if you kept pushing her buttons Hann, but that's a no - and you know it."

I swear she ground her teeth.
Frustrating? Me? Always.

Lee hadn't moved through out our exchange. Hadn't stiffened, or indicated he'd stand up; just waited. He and Alex looked almost relaxed. I wondered if they were just good under pressure or whether they were more susceptible to Cairn's influence than Hannah and me. What ever it was, Lee reached out for some more chips in the silence that stretched between us.

"She has a point." He said after swallowing his ketchupy carbohydrates. "Why get offended by a request for a simple apology?"

"Our high priestess was attempting to save them from the dark creatures they had summoned." Hannah's voice was like hot ice down the back of our necks. "And she has the audacity to ask for an apology?"

"We didn't summon anything!" I replied before anyone could say anything else. "We were practising protection spells for crying out loud!"

Hannah sneered at me "Is that right?" her voice dripping with sarcasm and condescension.

All of this was being conducted in quiet voices - but we were still starting to attract attention from the rest of the customers. I hated that. Being the centre of attention is not my idea of fun.
I could see everyone over the back of the bench seat Alex was still sat on, and a majority of the faces were turned towards us in open curiosity. I had a feeling the rest were just waiting to dart a glance across. The question "Who are these strangers, and what are they doing?" was painted on most of the faces I could discern at a glance.
Those faces made me bite my lip and sit down abruptly.

Four pair of eyes, much closer to me than those questioning faces, widened - staring directly at me.
I was so tempted to fidget, because I was sure there was a red colour creeping up my neck to my cheeks.
"Yes, that's right." I managed to control my voice, making it a lot calmer.

The change was so abrupt that everyone paused (except Alex and Lee, who carried on finishing off the chips). Cairns arm moved slightly and Hannah's knees buckled under the table. Cairn sat with her.

"You still attacked Magdalene..." Hannah began, deciding on a different tact.

I glanced at the café where a few heads were still turned towards us.
Nothing to see here; nothing happened... I thought, pushing with my mind the way I did with the 'see-me-not' spell.
A warm prickle shot through my leg where it touched Lee's, and the last few heads turned away from us.
Whoops...


"It was self defence. She attacked us first." I didn't mention the fact that she'd sent shapeshifters to attack us, or that they'd nearly killed Bree.

"Bullshit!" Hannah's voice raised an extra notch, going up half an octave. Swearing just sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry - but you weren't there." I said, managing to keep calm but caustic "Any information you have about what happened is second hand. Mine isn't."

If looks could kill, the one she gave me would have obliterated me off the face of the earth.
So nice to be getting along...

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 9

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 7

Town was only five minutes walk from our house if you had long legs... so it always took me nearly ten to get there. Walking into town with Lee was like being four years old and walking with a grown up - I actually had to hold his hand most of the time just to remind him that I couldn't keep up. Probably drove him crazy, but he never really complained - just occasionally looked at me in that way that says "haven't your legs grown yet?"

Normally those extra five minutes aren't a problem. You can always be five minutes late anyway - people will wait that long without getting too impatient. With Lee you could be as late as you liked - if he would wait a minute, he'd wait an hour for you; if he wouldn't wait a minute for you... well, best be early. Lee would wait forever for me, thought not without getting worried; I always had a longer grace period than anyone else with him - though I'd never really worked out why. Guess it was because we'd been such good friends for such a long time... or maybe he just knew that I was always late, so didn't take offence to it.
But the fact that he'd sounded strange on the phone kept me practically jogging all the way there.
I really need to take up running I thought to myself as I slowed down enough to catch my breath back. Four minutes of jogging and I was already running out of breath. Not good at the best of times, so when you're pretty sure you may have to run to save your ass it's really bad.

I kept going over the conversation in my head. What was it that had made me nervous?
The main thing that had gotten me was his tone of voice. It was as if there was something he really wanted to say but wasn't doing. Not to mention he hadn't asked me to meet him after work in a long time... though in his defence that was probably more my fault than his.
Had I just been stressed over the psi balls and he'd heard the strain in my voice? That could have set him off. The abrupt 'bye' could have been because I'd sounded like I really wanted to get off the phone, couldn't it?

So why was my stomach still in turmoil?

Over the past few months I've learnt to trust my instincts.
Your instincts are basically your subconscious processing everything at super high speed and letting you know if something's wrong or not. Sometimes it's wrong - after all, it's working at top speed not in detail; but a lot of the time it's right.
Add to that the fact that magic enhances your senses, letting you practically smell danger, and your instincts are probably the best thing you have going for you.
Tanya and some of the others in Circle White Dawn liked to act all mystical; "I sense that we should not hold the circle tonight..." blah blah blah - they call it premonitions, but they aren't actually psychic. You ask what they see and they just say "Misfortune".
That, to me, is instinct. Premonition is where you full on know what's going to happen.
Lee and I had both had experiences of 'seeing' the future. Nothing big or impressive, but still - that's premonition. That's magic. Not sensing something is wrong.

Right now my senses weren't telling me anything. Doodly squat.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong at all in town. I couldn't even feel the normal amount of power flow through the crowd as normal.
A large majority of people have what we call magic in them. It's just that a lot of people prefer to ignore it and carry on with their lives as if the supernatural just doesn't exist. No, like it couldn't exist. Most people would actually freak out if they realised what they were capable of; them in their little every-day-lives being able to control the weather, or create a ball of light between their hands.
We leave them alone, let them be blissful in their ignorance. But you can still feel it. Little pin pricks of warmth or cool through out crowds where people are more or less 'gifted' (Tanya's words). Today either I wasn't paying enough attention with that extra 'sense' of mine, or there were just no 'special' people in a crowd of 500+ people.
I'd think it were fine, but my gut was clenching as if I were about to need a toilet - fast.
At least I can't feel any bad-guys around here. They'd stick out like sore thumbs
Then it hit me. What if the bad guys were here? What if they were damping my senses; or worse, what if they were damping the magic around this area?
I'd heard of spells that could be set up that totally deadened peoples powers. They could be specific or have a blanket effect on everyone who passed through the area it was dedicated to. In either case there was always a space limit to them. Like a bubble of 'safe' space that is created during treatise between witches. No one can cast, so theoretically everyone is safe.
It's also effective if you intend on stabbing, shooting or kidnapping a witch.

I didn't like any of these theories.
I don't like having part of me dampened down by someone else.

Paranoid? Me?... a little.

I'd slowed enough to totally catch my breath now, and was walking calmly through the busy street towards our favourite café.
Little Jim's is a tiny blue coffee shop that sells the best sandwiches for miles (unless you count Subway - but they're expensive). If you knew Jim, he'd sometimes shove some chips on in his own little fryer back in his kitchen. If not, he couldn't be bothered.
Jim's a nice guy - a little lazy, a little abrasive to new customers - but he's a laugh, and we've been coming here for years now. He knows us by name and age - a rarity for him he says... but I'm pretty sure he knows everyone in his shop's date of birth, national insurance number, bank details... okay, maybe that's an exaggeration.

Today there's a group of people that I've never seen before.
Two tall guys and a nicely shaped young woman who I was instantly jealous of. Her hair came to her waist in gentle curls of gold and silver, her dress was tailored over perfect breasts and a small waist, showing lovely long, tanned legs beneath. She was stood by the counter, smiling up at Jim. The two men, both rather well tanned themselves, and just as attractive as the woman, were in shirts and shorts - like every other man I'd seen today. A bit of sun, and it becomes a uniform, I swear!
One had dark brown hair to just below his ears, the blue of his shirt made me think he'd have blue eyes - there was something too coordinated about his appearance that made me assume he'd colour coordinate with his iris's. He reminded me of Kali in that way. The other man was about an inch or two shorter, with very short red hair. Not ginger, bright red - as if it had been died that colour. It matched the red lines in his black shorts, and contrasted a little too much with his green shirt for my liking.

No one else was paying these exotic strangers any notice - apart from Jim of course. I wondered if I would have noticed if it weren't for a familiar face among the two men, smiling and chatting away. Lee's black hair was gelled into place, but had this tendency to move like normal hair. Kind of like those kids you see whose hair just sticks up in random directions - only this was more tamed.
My instant thought was that they were his work mates... but I still proceeded with caution.
After the week I'd been having, anyone would approach strangers with caution. Heck, I was proud of myself for leaving the house without a bullet proof vest and hard hat.

There was a second where I was tempted to run. That little hot wave of fear swept over me, pushing me towards the door like a gale force wind. But I didn't move. I didn't run - because even if this were about to go wrong, I couldn't leave Lee.
And how much of an idiot would I look if I ran away from his work mates?
That thought alone plastered a smile on my face and got me walking confidently towards the group.

"Hey Lee!" I called in my indoor voice.

His head turned and a smile washed over him. It was as if the smile started from his hair line and moved downwards, pulling the smile out of him like a brush of happiness sweeping over his face.

"Lilly!" He stepped around the two men and hugged me.
I hugged back, and it felt good. We hadn't hugged in public since this whole thing started. I felt like lifting him up and spinning round - but I refrained. After all, the old lady sat at the table by my hip probably wouldn't have been happy about it.

It was a surprise to realise he was clamping down on his aura again. I frowned at him questioningly as we let go of each other. He flicked his eyes behind him to the strangers in answer.
Why did Lee think he had to hold back so much around these people? They didn't seem...
I focused for a second, and there it was. That little flick of something that you could find in someone no matter what if they were a trained witch. It took a lot of focus though, and I realised these people weren't trying to hide it.
There was a damping spell then.

The woman turned to me and smiled. It was the sort of smile that would take your breath away - especially if it had the full force behind it that I could tell normally went with it. There was still an echo of it there in her eyes.
Lee was looking at me in concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing my tension.

"Nothing." I said and smiled up at him. He frowned, and I could tell he was frowning at himself now - his eyes not focused on me - as if he'd made some faux pas.

He hesitated a second, then "I ordered your usual, Jim's being cheeky today though - says the chips'll take a while. I... figured that'd be okay?" He wasn't so sure any more.He did well though, not darting a look at the people behind him or searching my face too hard. It was as if he'd read in my mind "Play it cool..."
Either that or I was taking this all wrong - as usual - and he just wanted to be polite. Not nice to make assumptions about people's food.

"Yeah! Of course!" My voice was bright, and a little too close to fake to escape his notice.
Or so I thought.
He smiled and turned back to the group who were now finished ordering.

"Shall we take that booth at the back? It's got the comfiest seats." Lee grinned, gesturing to the booth farthest from everyone else, with a good view of the door. I was glad he'd picked that one.

"Lead the way." The brunette man had a nice voice. Smooth, warm and persuasive. He gestured for Lee and I to go first.
This was both blessing and curse. We would get to choose the seats that faced the door so I could take up my paranoid position looking at the door. However, it meant walking with them at our back. I just didn't feel up to trusting these people just yet - but I also didn't want to make things awkward for Lee, who was already stepping forwards happily, my hand in his.
We'd fallen back into the habit of staying in contact because we couldn't feel each other again.

I tried not to hesitate, and fell into step slightly behind Lee so that we fit down the aisle easier without bumping peoples tables or chairs. The three of them fell into step behind me, the woman closest and the brunette bringing up the rear. I got the feeling she took charge most of the time; but maybe that was just Tanya's influence. She seemed to think women were supposed to lead and men supposed to follow - maybe it was starting to rub off on me; or maybe I just clumped women together that made me uncomfortable.
None of them had done anything yet that should make me uncomfortable.
If my time with Circle White Dawn had been any different I might have brushed away the feeling.
But like I say, I trust my instincts.

We sat at the booth, Lee scooting across the bench seat so that I was by the aisle. Our backs to the far walls, the door in my peripheral vision, I felt a little safer as we watched the three of them slide gracefully behind their side of the table.
Smiles all around. But it was time to break this.

"So, Lee... who are your friends?" I asked casually, resting an arm on the table and turning slightly so my question was directed at him while I kept everything in sight.

There was a slight tension in his hand, but he didn't seem as shocked as I would have expected. I was expecting shock, surprise, disbelief - or a simple 'These are my mates from A&E'. Instead his hand tightened in my below the table and he shrugged languorously, relaxing back into the seat.

"They said they were friends of yours. I agreed to invite you here for a nice surprise lunch with them." His voice was just as casual as mine had been, though there was an edge of distaste to it.

Part of me wanted to scream at him "And you agreed?!" but we'd have that discussion later.
I kept my face pleasantly surprised.
Oh, I hadn't even thought they were anything other than your friends...honest...
It explained why he'd clamped down on his aura though. He'd sensed they were witches and assumed they were from my circle. Since we'd agreed not to reveal anything to my circle yet he'd automatically hidden his power deep inside.
I squeezed his hand.
"Really?" I said out loud "How interesting."

I looked across the table waiting for an explanation.
Their faces betrayed their surprise. Clearly they'd been expecting more confusion.  A round of "You mean they aren't your friends?" They weren't used to people telling the truth, especially if they thought they'd made a mistake. Most people will try and push the blame off on someone else instead of risk looking stupid.
I was rather proud of Lee for making the connection soon enough to not betray that he hadn't known all along. He wasn't normally a good actor, but he'd taken his cue from me.
We hadn't done this since we were kids. We'd be doing something we shouldn't and one of us would realise we were about to be caught. There had never been those moments of "Oh come on, you were doing it a minute ago" or "Why'd you stop?" - we'd always just stopped with the other person and started the innocent act.
Apparently we hadn't lost the knack of reading each other.

"My name is Hannah" The woman said with a smile when she realised that Lee wasn't going to introduce them "This is Alex" she gestured to the red haired man to her right "And this is Cairn" she placed her hand on the brunette man's forearm where it rested on the table. The gesture gave me the impression of intimacy. Both men nodded as greeting when their names were made known.  I smiled at each in turn. The way they sat made me realise that though Hannah was their spokesperson for today, she wasn't in charge. They were all of equal rank. Maybe they thought a girl should do the talking to keep us calm and feeling safe.

Lee nodded without realising it, confirming to me at least that these were the names they had given him. He didn't like being lied to; neither did I. Unfortunately I expected it, he didn't.
Working at a hospital where everyone has to tell the truth in order to be treated made you expect honesty more than working with witches who hide things constantly and work in untruths more often than truths.

Hannah glanced at Lee, uncertain of what she should and shouldn't say in front of him.
I realised that they hadn't told Lee what they were. He knew, but they weren't aware of it.
She hesitated then placed her hands together in her lap and looked at me.
"We just want to talk."

I was getting tired of them holding back. Maybe if I showed my hand they'd do the same.

"Hence the Treatise Enchantment. Though most treatise aren't conducted through the leverage of a hostage." My voice was steady, but a little firmer than it had been. I felt my eyes narrow, the threat hanging there. If they wanted a peaceful talk they had broken the universal rule of bringing someone they thought was leverage into the equation.
Then again, you weren't supposed to start peace talks without letting the other people know that's what you're doing.
The three of them glanced at each other, and I felt Lee grip my hand slightly tighter. I wasn't sure whether he'd just worked out what was going on, or whether he was irritated at being called a hostage.
We both felt the prickle of their energy though, and I was pretty sure they felt the first tingling of our fear.

We're in trouble...

--------------------------------------------------- Part 8

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 6

My to-do list went like this:

1. Learn more protection spells
2. Practice Psi-Balls
3. Learn and practice defence spells
4. Get Lee to teach me more healing stuff
5. Check on Bree
6. Research Shape-Shifter Venom
7. Research Demon Anatomy
8. Hell, research HUMAN anatomy for that matter...

So when I realised that it was nearly that time of the month where I have to go and explain to the government where I've applied for work and why I haven't been accepted anywhere, I kind of felt like ramming my head repeatedly into a wall.

Sometimes, life is too complicated.

Kali and Bree both worked for the Circle... I should really ask if there's something I can do that will keep me out of trouble and keep some money coming in. Lord knows Lee has been supporting my ass for too long since my last job went down in flames.

Since Lee had promised to teach me healing, and we were both going to see Bree later, I figured some research on the human anatomy should come first.

My theory was that Lee knew where everything in the body actually was - so he'd been able to navigate it easier than I had. He also know what everything was and what it was supposed to do.

Now, maybe this is just common sense speaking - but these seem to be things that are helpful to know when you're trying to heal people. 

So, for the first time since we moved in together, I decided to ransack Lee's shelves for anatomy books.

I only found three - but one of them was big and had lots of really good pictures in. Gray's something or other I think it was. I wasn't really concentrating on names, I just wanted to know the layout. Like looking through a map - you try and remember the places in conjunction to each other, rather than just their names. I could care what the things names were, all I wanted to know was where they were, what they looked like, and what they did. 

Surprisingly, that made things easier. 

Things break down into systems in the body. Circulatory system, digestive system... they all have a purpose and (thank god) a logic to them.

So the bits at the top of the digestive system do one thing, while the things at the bottom do another - and all it takes is remember what order the process goes in and you're set on both place and role; the only thing that was difficult was remembering what things looked like... and I figured a process of elimination would work for now on that.

Circulatory system was similar in logic - what things did and how; it was simple.

The only things that were giving me grief were the liver and kidneys. 

They were too complicated to get my head around. 

Both cleaned the blood... but I just didn't understand how - or how they were different. That's what you get for skim reading though I suppose.

It was half one when I finally closed my stolen books in a huff and massaged my temples. 

When did biology get so complicated?

The only cure for doing too much reading and thinking is something physical. The only thing that was really physical on my ever expanding to-do list (apart from the usual "Take up running", "Learn Aikido", "Join the Gym", "Go swimming" that never really got done) was spell practice.

My favourite spell has always been the psi-ball. You can make it look pretty, you can use it to give power, I've even seen it used to heal people in the past - and it's also one of the most common and effective weapons witches ever use. Since seeing Bree blast a shape-shifter at least seven foot in the air with one I'd been planing on practising harder.

When provoked, my powers would make spells up out of thin air; it grabs and magic that I've never even heard of and winds it into spells that would probably blow the socks off any creature... but it was unreliable. If I was panicking even slightly it would just leave me. Meditation wouldn't help on that front - only being constantly prepared for battle.

One of the things that makes me panic is thinking that I don't know how to protect myself. The theory I've come up with is this: Practice till I'm confident that what I know will save my ass in a fight - then I wont panic and so the uber-power wont run and hide.

Fear gives normal people adrenalin. Some witches get a power rush instead. It's completely meta-physical, there's no chemical change in their bodies what so ever. Occasionally I get that power rush instead. 

It's only happened before when someone I care about is in danger; but I think there's a way to make it happen instead of the adrenalin. The only thing is, I need a really powerful psi-ball first.

So: Psi-ball practice it is.

First things first, when practising heavy-duty magic (which this is) you need to get prepared. 

I'm not talking protection circle or anything like that. That's only for, like, ritual magic, or stuff that could get you hurt. No, for this kind of practice the preparation you need comes in the form of chocolate.

Snacks are imperative after performing big spells. They help you recover, and the sugar rush can also keep away any 'blow-back' energy. For example, if you make a powerful psi-ball and then you discharge it, some of that energy can linger around. If you encounter it in a weakened state it can flow back into you and act like an electric shock. Apparently there's been cases of it causing heart attacks. So you keep the snacks at hand for the instant boost of sugary goodness - just to stop any nastiness occurring. 

Kali and Bree always keep chocolate cake and crisps close by when working magic; especially for Circles.

My snack of choice is the bourbon biscuit.

Chocolatey, yet biscuity. 

I also like to have a bottle of juice laying around - both for in between spells and for during the biscuit binge. 

I fetched my trusty sip-and-seal 'sports' bottle and filled it with orange squash. Maybe one day I'd use it for actual sports... but I doubted it. Grabbing the bourbons out of the cupboard I headed back to the living room. 

If you move the coffee table to the wall there's enough space to lay down on our floor. I wasn't intending on lying down - but if I fell over, I didn't want to hit the table. It would hurt, and I was still nicely funky coloured from my last round of injuries; thank you very much. So after depositing my biscuits and books on the table, I unceremoniously shoved it towards the far wall; then dragged the cushions off both chairs and the sofa and scattered them in a heap in the centre of the room.

I brought my bottle along with me and nestled it between some cushions by my side as I settled down into a meditative position. 

You don't have to clear your mind to make a psi-ball, but it helps. Being relaxed is the best way to get magic to flow; which is why battle magic is so hard to master.

After a few breaths I cupped my hands together and focused on pouring my energy into my hands. At the same time, I constructed a shielding spell around my hands to keep the energy in. It was like using the energy to create a forcefield around itself; one that would feed the energy and keep it in one place.

According to Marcus, once you have enough control you don't need the shielding spell; you can simply keep your energy in that ball through force of will. I'm not that controlled yet. 

Aren't you? ... a little voice in my head asks.

After the hours practice with Lee at clamping down our energies I'd gained a larger degree of control than anyone had ever thought I'd manage. Maybe I wasn't as out of control as everyone thought..?

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the energy swirling in my hands, and dropped the shielding spell.

Instantly I felt the energy dissipating. 

Before, I would notice it dissipating and then it would just stop staying where I put it. It would leak out until there was nothing left.

But maybe the trick was not to focus on the leaking. Maybe it was like the 'see me not' spell, where focusing on something else made it easier. 

I closed my eyes and thought about Bree's ball of crackling power that she had summoned. 

Focus.

The word rippled through my mind as I focused on my hands. They were drifting further apart. 

I glanced down and saw not emptiness as I expected, but a growing orb of blue lightning. It looked just like the one Bree had made. 

My psi-balls had never really had much colour or shape or light to them. They were more like that shimmer that you get in air when it's really hot - a slight rippling. Not like this. This was a weapon if ever I saw one. 

The shock of it was making me loose control. It was growing rapidly.

Focus.

The cool voice in my mind soothed me and I unfocused my gaze, pulling the energy back inwards. The ball shrank, but didn't seem to diminish in power. The colour intensified, turning a bright blue; white surges of power seemed to crackle around it like barbed wire and silver razors. It looked almost physical.

Another deep breath and I thought about Kali's pink balls of light. She had been able to summon psi-balls that glowed with light and could be left and picked up. They were like lanterns. 

She had told me that if she surrounded someone with them, they formed a strong protection circle.

I focused on how they had felt to touch, closing my eyes as I tried to recreate that feeling. Safe, warm, light.
When I opened my eyes again, a round purple ball of light hovered between my hands. 

It was almost too easy now. Psi-balls normally drained my energy and were frustrating. What had changed so dramatically in the past day and a half that was allowing me to create such near-perfect balls without a struggle?

Surely making up with Lee hadn't made this big a difference...

Confidence... the little voice whispered.

I pushed it aside.

Purple has always been my protection colour. Everyone uses colour for symbolism, but not everyone's is the same. I'm so very different to most people that they get confused. Purple for protection, Green for summoning, Yellow for celebratory magic, Red for healing...  maybe I was just wired up wrong?

As it was, the psi-ball felt firm and good; protective. I wondered if I could put it down with out it winking out of existence like Kali's. 

Most psi-balls are thrown, or shoved into people/objects/animals (in that order in my experience) so you don't have to worry about them after a few seconds. You keep them formed in your mind till they've done their job.

Ones that you leave on the ground have to be kept alive in your mind. You have to stay in control of them until you want to dispel them. It's harder.

Putting the orb down was slightly nerve racking, but the calm voice that I like to think of as my voice of reason was there, keeping me chilled out enough to not loose focus. The ball glowed slightly brighter as I move my hands away and sit back. 

It didn't grow dim, or start to fade... or anything else bad (like explode).

Now I just had to know how far I could push this new found control. 

Yes, I admit, surrounding myself with a bunch of stuff that could potentially explode probably wasn't my best idea's ever... but then, I don't have many good ideas; nor do I have many that go terribly wrong most of the time. So it was worth the risk.

After half an hour, I had six purple orbs laid out in a circle around me. 

The strain of keeping them all glowing bright and powerful was starting to give me a headache - but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Some how the stress was just... not there. It was as if things were just too simple to stress about; only the concentration was getting to me. I didn't even feel that drained. 

My phone started to ring, breaking my concentration slightly.

The orbs began to wobble and go dim.

"Shit." I cursed my phone as I dug it out of my pocket. 

Lee's picture smiled up at me and I tried to split my focus between the orbs and him.

"Hello?" I answered, the strain not showing too badly through my voice

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah... you?" Three of the balls were flickering darker. Best case scenario: they'd just sputter out and disappear. Worst case scenario? I didn't want to know.

"I'm good. Finished a little early. Do you fancy meeting in town before heading to Bree's? We could grab lunch?" There was something odd in his voice, but I was too focused on the damn orbs to work out what it was.

"Sure. You sure you're okay?" One of the orbs was starting to vibrate. Not good.

"Yeah, yeah - see you in fifteen minutes?" Now I knew something was going on. He was acting too odd. But I had to get off the phone and deal with the orbs. Two more were starting to shake.

"Okay, see you soon." I agreed, trying to focus on the balls

"Bye." -click-

I'd have taken more time to be offended at him hanging up so abruptly on me, but hey - I could be about to blow up. Priorities!

I took a deep breath and concentrated on the orbs. Just them, nothing else. 

If I concentrated hard enough I could almost touch them with my mind.

As soon as I thought of it, the six balls stopped shaking.

I bet I could move them round...

The six of them shifted left, slowly starting to rotate around me. 

"Okay, cool - but creepy." I said, opening my eyes and willing them to stop.

The first ball I touched still felt warm and soothing, and I was loath to disband it; but needs must. 

One by one the purple orbs of light winked out of existence in my hands, until I was left alone in the room with my cushions. 

It felt colder, and somehow sadder, without them. 

I reached automatically for my biscuits, munching through at least four before realising I didn't really need them. I felt fine. 

Something was definitely up if I was able to play with that many psi-balls without passing out.

What the hell was going on today?

I glanced at my phone and swore again. 

There were only 7 minutes left to get to town and meet Lee; only 7 minutes to get there and find out what the hell was up with him.

My phone was shoved into my pocket, my bottle of juice slung in my favourite book-bag along with a few 'essentials' (like notebooks, pens, pencils, salt, books, purse) and, key in hand, I was out the door. 

When was the last time Lee finished work early?

Well, when was the last time he finished early and told you about it? 

Still, something didn't feel right. 

I hoped it wasn't anything bad. I didn't know if I could bare any more bad this week; even if my control did seem to have gained new bounds. 

Just please, Goddess, let him be okay...


-------------------------------------------------------------- Part 7

Random piece - Witch Way Round? - part 5

I stretched in bed, keeping my eyes firmly closed against the sun shining through my thin curtains.

I held myself up slightly to look across at my bedside clock. It was either nearly 6am, or half past 11. I couldn't remember which hand was which. Never a good sign.

Why on earth would I wake up before 6am?

Must be half eleven then. I sighed and let myself fall back into bed, turning face down in a soft pillow where I was more comfy. It would be so easy to just fall back asleep here. Warm, comfortable, safe...

A groan escaped my sleepy mouth and I wiggled further under the duvet in protest as I realised I had a full house of protection spells to check. Soon. A whine of protest vibrated in my throat as I threw myself back onto my back, pulling the quilt off to try and give myself some motive to get up and dressed.

I hate mornings. No, strike that - mornings are fine. What I hate is getting up.

You've spent hours getting comfy, working the bed up to the perfect body temperature, found the exact right position to stop the bruises and achy parts from hurting; then you have to get up and start the day again. It's no fun. Laying in the comfy spot till you need too pee too badly to hold it any longer. That's fun. Getting up, coming back and slipping straight back into the comfort zone. That's fun too.

Getting up and forcing your stiffening muscles to get on with the day again. That's no fun.

Despite the healing work Lee had done for me yesterday my back still ached. It was that healing ache that you get though - just towards the end of your bruises. Not the 'boy this is going to look a right mess' kind of ache you get before they come out.

I caught sight of my torso as I stripped off to go for my shower. My skin was a pale mess of light green. I looked like some kind of reptilian alien life form. It wasn't pretty - but I should have been an interesting deep brown all over, with patches of mottled green seeping from the dark smudges. It was definitely an improvement. Not that it mattered, since no one ever sees my torso unless I'm wearing my backless ball gown (which is practically never) or an old top to do the cleaning in.

A few months back it had bothered me that no one seemed interested in my body, but since joining circle whack-jobs-'r'-us it hadn't seemed like a big deal any more. I'd lost the urge to dress in anything other than decent trainers, jeans or jogging bottoms, and a t-shirt (and a bra I could run in too). I was tempted to take up running as a hobby - a little practice would go a long way to keeping you alive when there really were people out to get you.

I should really check the spells before showering, but I didn't particularly care right now. I needed a shower. I needed hot water to wash away the sleep and the soreness - not to mention the smell. Let the monsters come; I was too tired to give a rats ass. I would be no good at repairing defences until I felt more human anyway.

Logic. It's normally just an excuse to do what you wanted in the first place. That's what reasoning was invented for.

Think about it - if no one had ever wanted to do something selfish or arguably bad, we'd never have needed powers of persuasion. You wouldn't have to reason why you were doing something, it would be obvious to everyone.

After a good half hour in the pounding hot water, and a thorough scrub, I was ready to face the world.

My shoulders didn't ache half as much any more. The heat had finished off the work Lee had started, easing all of the kinks out of the battered muscles.

Downstairs, the kitchen was still a bit of a mess.

We had decided on having a roast dinner after all, and after cooking for two hours, eating for half an hour and laughing for a few more, we just hadn't felt like cleaning up.

The kitchen was piled up with pots and pans, gravy covered plates still sat on the side. My task for the day. Fun.

I flicked the 'on' switch of the kettle down and left it to boil as I finished my rounds downstairs. 

I'd taken the sensible route and checked upstairs before coming down to the mess. Nothing. Not even decay since yesterday.

The most complicated spell was on our front door, and I was in the middle of poking it with my mind when the stairs creaked. 

We don't live in a creaky house; it's nice and new. Our stairs only creak if you step on the fourth step just to the left... 

I had spun around before my mind was completely out of the spell, and I felt it react to my fear. It moved forward and around me, mixing in with my own defensive spells before my eyes even adjusted to the threat.

They were starting to clear as I raised my hands - the spells fully formed and ready to fly.

"Jeeze Lilly - what the hell are you doing up th-" Lee stopped mid sentence and stared at me.

The spells recognised him before I did, and started to hesitate. 

I'd got him to take these spells apart and put them back together yesterday, they were as much his as they were mine now, and they didn't want to hurt him.

My vision cleared fully, allowing me the view of a half dressed Leigh-John stood half way up the stairs, mouth hanging open. He was just frozen there - like a deer in headlights.

I hadn't even checked to see if he was in the house. 

How asleep had I been this morning to not check the house for presences??

My hands lowered, along with the spells. Their energy sank back into nothingness and I took a second to centre myself.

In that second Lee was down the stairs and stood less than a foot away from me.

"What the hell was that?!" he almost yelled.

I flinched. 

"You surprised me..."

"Surprised you?! You were nearly floating Lilly!" there was an edge of fear in his voice now. "Your hair was blowing around you for crying out loud! Your eyes were white... pure white!"

Now I was blushing.

"My magic reacted..." I mumbled. 

Part of me was actually wondering why his hadn't flared in reaction to the threat.

"Your magic reacted" He gripped my arms - though I'm not sure whether it was to force me to look him in the eye or to keep his balance. He didn't seem to be taking this well. "To what!?"

I shifted uncomfortably again, unable to meet his eyes.

This was the reaction I'd been afraid of all along. The reaction Circle White Dawn had first had to me. Fear. 

They'd told me it was just because I was untrained... but Lee wasn't either - so why hadn't his powers reacted like mine always did?

"To you... to my fear... I don't know." I moved away, trying not to cry.

See - getting up is always a bad idea.

I stood very still with my back to him, arms clutching my sides as if hugging myself, and he didn't move. 

For a moment we just stood there. Neither of us sure what to do or say.

Then he stepped forwards and placed a hand on the door. 

I felt him reform the protection spell there. I must have still been connected to it in some way though - because it pulled on me in an aching way; snapping off as he placed the last seal. 

His hand lingered on the door a moment, and he sighed in that defeated way that says "I'm going to regret this" or maybe just "I'm in way over my head now..."

The sigh was what made me turn to him. 

His head was resting against the wood of the door, and he looked more tired than I felt. 

Lets face it, it had been a long couple of days. And the poor sod had work today. 

"I'm sorry." I said, touching his arm. He didn't pull away or flinch. "Cup of tea? The kettle's just boiled..."

He rolled his head against the wood so that he was facing me. There was something I couldn't quite read in his eyes - some question I couldn't quite understand. I tried for a smile, and he closed his eyes, sighing again. His biceps tensed under my hand, and he pushed smoothly away from the door.
"Sounds good."


I moved towards the kitchen and listened to him follow, padding behind me on bare feet.
There were two cups on the draining board, but I reached in the cupboard and brought out the biggest ones we owned. One was blue with star signs on, the other green and red with a dragon curled around it. 
Lee lifted himself onto the kitchen counter behind me, and rubbed his arm in a sleepy gesture. 
As I turned to him with a steaming mug of tea his right hand was resting on his left shoulder, his chin resting on his wrist and forearm, his eyes far away - lost in thought.
He didn't even seem to wake from his thoughts as his left hand took the mug and cradled it against his legs, the rest of his body never moving.


Normally I would sit opposite him and wait for him to say something, but I just wasn't awake enough to do that today. My own mug held against my chest, I wedged myself between his legs and rested my head against his arm where it crossed his chest. Screw boundaries. Screw patience. I was tired, and more than that, I was tired of tiptoeing around him.
I'd been tiptoeing around him for months because of Circle White Dawn. Enough was enough.
He lifted his arm over my head and rested his cheek on my head, hand moving to my shoulder instead of his. The rest of him stayed immobile.
"What would that spell have done to me?" He asked, quietly, as if scared to hear the answer. 


I didn't honestly know. The spells had almost taken on a life of their own - something they didn't do very often any more. My defensive magic was as instinctual as his healing magic. 
"I'm not sure..." I replied hesitantly, "I wasn't particularly thinking. It was just a reaction... but there was something incendiary in there. Fire's one of the only thing that works against anything, so my auto-cast normally includes it..."


I wanted to shake my head, but at the same time I didn't want to dislodge Lee. I settled for taking a sip of the hot tea. It didn't burn my tongue much - even though I hadn't thought to cool it. 


"Incendiary..." he replied, still not moving.


I slipped my spare hand round his waist. 
"It was part of the door spell too... I was submerged in it when I heard you on the stairs. It kinda reacted with me."


He stilled further. I think he was holding his breath.
We both knew what that spell was for. Extinguishing life. It wasn't just a ward - or a protective buffer. It was a killing spell - meant for demons and evil - and it had been directed at him. 
The muscles in his whole body tightened with the thought, and he swallowed. I fought the urge to do the same.
I had just nearly killed my best friend. 
Maybe Circle White Dawn was right to treat me as a loose cannon. Pointed in the wrong direction I could do some terrible things.


Yet still they didn't understand why I wanted to be disarmed. 
I had begged Tanya to bind my powers before they destroyed something, or someone - but she had refused. They wanted to teach me to use them. Or so they said. Maybe they just wanted to aim me at their opponents and set me off...


I blinked the thought away.


"I'll be more careful. I promise." I whispered, blinking more than thoughts away. 
He must have believed me because he hugged me close and placed a kiss on my forehead. 


"Remind me never to sneak up on you!" he grinned and took a large gulp of tea.


My laugh was shaky, but at least I had an idea of why his magic reacted so much differently to mine.
Lee has always had more power than me - you can just feel it. Not only that, he picks things up faster. Just look at the warding spells on the house; it had taken him mere hours to learn what had taken me days. I just hadn't understood why his power hadn't flared to protect him as soon as I became a threat.  
But it was like yesterday, when I tried to heal Bree. His instincts lead to healing... mine, apparently, lead to destruction...
Not the most pleasant thought to start your day on.


"What are you doing up so early anyway?" He asked again, running a hand through his short hair in a languid gesture that suggested he'd much rather be in bed than sat drinking tea in the kitchen.


"Woke up..." I shrugged, leaning back into his leg "I thought it was half 11..." I admitted, going a little red.


He laughed properly this time, shaking his head "Trust you!"
I retracted my arm from round his waist and used it to push him playfully in the chest.


"What time have you got work anyway, smelly?" 


"Nine." He answered, taking a surreptitious sniff of his underarm as he stretched in a yawn and making a face - 'yuck'.


"Nine Was?" I asked, attempting a German accent.


He rolled his eyes and finished his gigantic mug of tea in a single, long, gulping swig. Patting my back to shoo me out of the way, he slid off the unit and round me to balance the dragon mug on the precarious pile of pots still waiting to be cleaned. 
He'd already called shotgun on not washing up. House rules meant that if you added to the washing up after shotgun had been called it was tough - you were stuck with the washing till the pile was gone. I hated that rule... but I couldn't bitch about it since I'd been the one who came up with it one night after managing to call shotgun before taking my plate through.
When I added my plate Lee said that it was open for recalling; so I'd made the rule of no-recall.
Sometimes it's a pain... but in all honesty I'd never win the game if we didn't have it.


I sighed at his retreating back and took another mouthful of tea. 
Lee had started to turn me to the way of the tea... it is apparently the magical cure-all that helps with any and all situations. I'd never believed him, but I was starting to enjoy the milky warmth it afforded. 
I always felt so... British drinking it. But oh well.


The pipes gave a rattle, and I heard the shower start up overhead. An evil smile played over my lips as I thought Time to do the dishes then!




---


I didn't do the dishes till Lee was out of the shower and getting ready for work.
We weren't accustomed to being in each others way in the morning - mostly since by the time I was awake he'd have been at work for a few hours already. It made a nice change though, to be elbow deep in bubbly water while he made a sandwich to take to work with him, along with a pint glass of orange squash and toast and cereal. 
Luckily the women at the hospital liked feeding him, otherwise I doubt we'd be able to afford to feed him enough now that I was out of work. His salary paid the bills fine, and my now tiny income paid for the food each week. Enough for a family of three... so nearly enough for the two of us. 


For a while I hadn't understood why Lee got so hungry at work. But after a few minutes attempting to heal Bree and the exhaustion that had accompanied it, I was surprised he didn't need five times more!
He wasn't just running all over the hospital being bossed around, he was expending his life force on patients who weren't responding to treatment up to six or seven times a day. 


"Hey Lee," he was slicing up all manner of salad vegetables for his sandwich.


"Mm hmm?" apparently it takes concentration


"Do you think you could teach me healing sometime?" I tried to make it offhand and disinterested, but I doubt he missed the longing in my voice.


"Sure."


Wow, early morning conversations were so deep and interesting in this house. 
I turned and realised there was a large chunk of cucumber being masticated and he'd been talking around it. Ah; explanations.


"Cool." I smiled, rinsing off the last plate and pulling the plug from the sink.




I was still drying up when he slid his manwhich into his bag along with a bottle of juice.
"I get off around 4 today. You still planning on swing by and checking on Bree?"


I nodded "Want me to text you before I leave?"


"Sounds good." he kissed me on the cheek "See ya later." 
and he was gone. 


The pot in my hand reflected back my own smile, and I tried to remember the last time he left for work on such good terms with me. 
I should nearly kill him more often...
Being open with him had cleared the air more than I'd realised. Things were really starting to look up...


-------------------------------------------------------------------------  Part 6