by Jared Stone
Lucian nodded in agreement after she said this, thinking that Schuntz could very much benefit from some mindfulness meditation. He considered for a moment the stark juxtaposition between Panhavant on the one hand and Schuntz on the other. How different that class would be if Panhavant taught it…. Now, there’s a thought! Lucian let out an audible snort as he imagined the blank stares of countless perplexed students as Panhavant danced around merrily on stage.
“What?” Willow said brusquely, cutting through the happy world inside Lucian’s mind.
“What what?” Lucian responded back, confused.
“You snorted,” she said blithely in return.
“Oh, I was just thinking of something funny,” said Lucian vaguely, not wanting to have to explain all of what he was thinking to his new acquaintance. It wouldn’t really make sense anyway.
“I see…,” said Willow.
“So, I must ask…,” Lucian began as something he had been wondering for a while rose to his mind. “Why are you taking this class anyway? You seem to hate the professor so much; I can’t imagine you suffering through it unless you absolutely had to, and it’s not exactly a required course.”
“For me it is,” interjected Willow sullenly. “I’m a Religion major, and it’s the prereq. for all the other classes I have to take to fulfill the requirements.”
Lucian was rendered nearly speechless. “You?” he sputtered. “You’re a Religion major?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Willow snapped back almost defensively.
“Oh, nothing,” replied Lucian, staring at the girl in amazement. “I just never thought that sort of thing would be your area of interest.”
“I honestly can’t think of anything that could be more interesting to me,” the girl countered with as much emphasis on her words as her stoic exterior would accommodate. “Religion is one of the most powerful and influential forces in the world. The spiritual beliefs and practices of countless ages of beings open up whole new worlds and possibilities. There are so many things out there greater than ourselves; it’s only through magic and religion that we could ever hope to access these wonders.”
Lucian just stared at Willow while she continued to walk down the path, always looking ahead of them. He couldn’t think of a good way to follow such an eloquent description, so he turned his head to look forward as well. The two students continued on without speaking after this for a distance, following the pathway as it curved around campus to a side street Lucian had never visited before. He looked around him, taking in the beautiful scenery of the campus and enjoying the comfortably cool autumn weather before snow would arrive. Then, stopping suddenly on the path, Willow flatly stated, “Well..., here we are.”
Lucian looked over at the building on their right. It was a two-story row house with a white exterior and a crimson door on the front. It was connected to several other identical units that stretched down the block. The finish on these houses appeared to be new within the past couple of years, and the pure white paint shone out against the red and orange leaves on the trees in front.
“Wait…,” said Lucian, shocked. “You live here?”
“Yeah,” replied Willow apathetically.
“But… how?” Lucian stammered. “I thought fresh-men had to live in the dorms.”
“Yeah, well, my parents are loaded,” responded Willow with a distasteful look on her face. “My dad gave a big donation and got me this place. One of the few things my parents are good for….”
Lucian had assumed that Willow lived in a room similar to his own, only darker and creepier. He had never expected such a privileged lifestyle for this jaded girl, and he stared at her jealously, thinking that he would never have turned out like she had if he had been given the same resources in life.
“Come on,” she said, as if it was more of a chore than a pleasure. “Let’s go inside.”
Ascending the steps, Willow fished some keys out of her black shoulder bag and inserted one into the lock. The doorknob twisted open and swung inward smoothly, and Lucian found himself even more envious, thinking back to his struggles with his own impossible door. He followed her inside.
The doorway opened into a living area larger than Lucian’s entire room back at the dorm. The floors were light wood with a highly polished coating over them, and the walls were a beige color that gave the room a warm, welcoming feeling. Off to the right was a brick fireplace, and the chimney which ran up to the ceiling was painted in a pure white that popped out against the beige wall beside it. To the left, a staircase ascended to the floor above. There was a large black area rug in the center of the room, and on top of this sat a spacious white couch and two love seats, all of which looked luxuriously comfortable. Toward the back of the room, a high dining table stood with four chairs, and a doorway led into another room, presumably a kitchen.
This was not at all what Lucian had expected, and it seemed entirely at odds with Willow’s character. Several pieces were also scattered about the place which more accurately reflected his expectations, however. Over the dining room table, a collection of crystals were hung from the ceiling in a particular pattern which seemed to float weightlessly. On the fireplace mantle, an assortment of different-colored candles perfectly accented the stark white of the chimney bricks behind. Some of these were adorned with hanging pendants and crystals, giving them more of a mystical quality than mere decorations. Between these candles, various items were strewn about. One looked like a stick with feathers and crystals tied to it like a magic wand of some kind, and another appeared to be a decorative glass bottle with a mystery liquid inside. On the coffee table in front of the couch, a few books were piled atop one another, and Lucian could see that the first one was titled “Modern Witchcraft.” Below this, he could see “Useful Spells for the 21st Century Witch” and “Spirit Compendium.” But, beyond these, Willow’s living quarters were wholly different from the girl who inhabited them.
“What a beautiful place!” Lucian exclaimed, still shocked and feeling disadvantaged by his own meager living arrangement. Light poured in through large windows at the front of the building, and, even though the unit was connected to others on either side, this provided enough light to brighten the whole living room.
“I hate it,” Willow retorted scornfully. “It’s just like living at home with my parents. They wouldn’t let me choose any of the furniture in here; it was all just picked out and set up when I arrived.” She had a scowl on her face as she looked around the space in disgust. “The only room here that’s decorated to my liking is my bedroom.”
Lucian wasn’t sure whether or not he really wanted to see what decorations the girl had chosen for her bedroom, fancifully envisioning severed goat heads and upside-down pentagrams drawn in blood, so he let the topic drop. “Well, I think you’d appreciate it more if you saw my place!” Lucian said with a chuckle. “It’s tiny and horrible.”
Willow looked at him, and he could tell from her face that she was entirely unconvinced. There was an awkward silence for a moment, until Willow motioned toward the couch and said “Well, wanna sit?”
“Sure!” said Lucian, placing his bag down on the floor next to the indicated furniture and sitting down gently. As he did so, the fluffy cushions enveloped him, and he felt as though he had fallen into a cloud… made of marshmallows….
“Want some tea?” Willow asked halfheartedly. For as much as she seemingly resented his company, one would swear that Lucian had convinced her to allow him to visit.
“Yes, please,” he said with a smile. Willow turned and disappeared into the back room, which now proved to indeed be the kitchen, and Lucian could hear the clicking of a gas stove igniting before she returned again. She sat down in one of the love seats and stared at Lucian. Lucian stared back and raised his eyebrows awkwardly.
“So, what you wanna do?” Willow asked bluntly.
Lucian was caught off guard by her question. She invited me over. Isn’t it her responsibility to keep me entertaine
d?
“I don’t know,” he responded. “Watch some TV?”
“I don’t have TV,” said Willow with another scowl. “My parents never let me watch it as a kid, and they refuse to buy one for me now. ‘Corrupts the soul’ apparently.” She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers and rolled her eyes as she said this.
“Ah, I see,” said Lucian, nodding. He found himself wondering why Willow’s parents had been so strict and how it was that their efforts had so obviously backfired. But it already seemed like a tense subject for the girl, and Lucian didn’t want to open such a Pandora’s Box.
“Well, there was one other thing…,” said Lucian, remembering suddenly Willow’s connection with magic and its potential application to his demon troubles. “You said you practice magic, right?”
“Yeah…,” Willow said with slight hesitation in her voice.
“Well, I was wondering…,” continued Lucian hope-fully. “Where did you learn that sort of stuff?”
Willow looked at him quizzically, as if she was trying to determine whether or not he would judge her if she told him the truth. Taking in a breath, she said, “Mostly from reading books… and online….”
Lucian was a little disappointed by this answer. He had hoped that Willow had been trained by some great sorceress, like the Panhavant equivalent of witchcraft. Instead, it seemed that she had greatly overstated her knowledge and skills.
“What about your coven?” asked Lucian, hoping to follow some other lead. “Where do you all meet?”
“You know,” Willow responded quietly. “All over the place….”
Lucian began to feel his skepticism creeping over him again. “Could I ever sit in on a gathering?” he asked as a last-ditch effort to salvage his hope.
“No, sorry. We’re actually very secretive,” Willow responded quickly and turned away to stare out the window. This effectively drove the final nail in the coffin of Lucian’s aspirations, and he glumly settled himself into the fact that the girl truly had no experience or abilities whatsoever.
“That’s a pity…,” Lucian sighed. Just then, the high-pitched whine of the tea kettle shot through the air, and Willow hoisted herself out of her seat and walked to the kitchen. Returning with two mugs, she set one down before Lucian and took her own back to her place next to the couch. Lucian picked up the tea and blew on it, watching the wisps of steam scatter through the air as if retreating from his breath. Taking a cautious sip, he discovered that it was some kind of earthy mystery tea which he did not find particularly appealing.
“So, tell me,” Lucian said, placing the disagreeable tea back down on the table in front of him, “what made you so interested in magic?”
“Well,” Willow began, using two fingers to swipe several strands of pitch black hair away from her face, “my parents are super religious. Like, crazy religious. All my life, I’ve been subjected to all these rules and regulations and condemnation from their Christian beliefs. Now that I’m older…, I guess I’m just looking toward other alternatives to craft my own life.”
“More like witchcraft your own life!” joked Lucian with a chuckle, never one to pass up the chance to indulge in a witty pun. His glee was immediately cut short, however, by Willow’s unfeeling, steely glare, clearly expressing her lack of enthusiasm for Lucian’s humor.
Lucian sat there grinning for a moment, hoping that his amusement would prove contagious; but without effect. Willow’s cold exterior remained unaltered. Taking another reluctant sip of his tea, he finally inquired, “So, how do your parents feel about you practicing magic then?”
“They hate it,” Willow stated, more readily than Lucian had expected. He could almost swear he saw just the slightest hint of smugness beneath the girl’s flat affect. “Something about making Jesus cry or something,” she added with a flippant swipe of her hand in the air.
“That’s still tough,” said Lucian sympathetically. “I know you might not like them, but they’re still your parents; it must be hard to not have their approval.”
Willow’s green eyes rose up to meet his. “Eh,” she said, “I’ll live.”
Lucian could never get a good read of how Willow was feeling, least of all at that moment. He knew that, if his parents had ever not supported his life choices, he would be greatly saddened by it. But, on the other hand, he knew that his emotions operated on a very different spectrum from Willow’s own. Perhaps it really didn’t matter to her.
Willow kept her eyes on Lucian as he stared down at the ground in contemplation. After a minute, she let out a sigh. “So, you wanted to see some magic, huh?” she asked.
Lucian looked up at her. “Yes, please!” he answered enthusiastically.
“Fine…,” Willow begrudgingly whispered as she got up from her chair. “Don’t say that I never did anything for you….”
With this, the dark girl walked over to her fireplace mantel and reached out toward the items set atop. Pausing, she turned back to Lucian. “What kind of spell do you want me to cast?” she asked.
“Ummmm, I don’t know…,” Lucian said, having never given any thought to the variety of spells at a witch’s disposal. Briefly considering his current predicament with Zagan, he suggested, “How about some sort of protection spell?”
“Good choice,” said Willow, turning back to the mantel and picking up a green candle. She also grabbed the stick with feathers and crystals attached and a matchbook from the table beside. Coming back over to the furniture and kneeling down on the floor, she placed the candle in front of her and said to Lucian, “Come. Sit.”
Lucian got up from the couch and knelt in front of her so that the candle was between them. The girl lit the wick with a match before swiping her hand through the air in a trail of smoke. As the green candle burned, it released the aroma of sage through the room, and Willow began to slowly wave the wand above the dancing flame.
“Great Goddess, we beseech you,” Willow began in almost a whisper, “to watch over Lucian and guide his path.” Lucian watched the girl as she continued her motions, eyes closed and head bowed. He felt a little silly sitting there, knowing that nothing would come of such an effort. But he reminded himself that, if she truly believed and it made her happy, it was probably the right thing for him to do. So he remained quiet.
“Spirits of the Four Directions: North, South, East, and West,” Willow continued, her voice increasing in volume and conviction, “protect your kindred spirit, Lucian, from harm and evil intentions.”
Lucian admired the girl’s conviction, but he still didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. With Gus and Panhavant, he had always immediately seen the results of any energy being utilized. In that room, with Willow, there was no such sense of cosmic influence or involvement. Still, he closed his eyes and focused his concentration on the intention of the spell, rather than its lack of results.
“I call upon the life force shared by all beings,” Willow said, even louder, “to serve as a guardian over Lucian and give of itself to preserve him and keep him safe!”
CRASH!!
Both Willow and Lucian suddenly jolted in alarm as something hit the ground beside them. From the mantel, a brown candle had fallen and shattered upon making contact with the wooden floor. The clear crystal pendant which had once been wrapped around it now lay to the side amidst the pieces of its unfortunate bearer.
“Does… Does that… normally happen…?” Lucian asked shakily.
“No…,” Willow stated in a serious tone. “Nothing like that is supposed to happen. But maybe I just moved it too close to the edge earlier….”
“Yeah, maybe…,” Lucian agreed, slowly standing up. Willow did as well.
“Well, I should probably grab some lunch before class now anyway…,” Lucian said, walking to his bag and pulling it up onto his shoulder. For some reason, there was an ominous quality to the whole situation, and something inside him wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
“Yeah, totally,” agreed Willow solemnly. “And I
should probably clean this up. Thanks for coming, Golden Boy.”
“Yeah. My pleasure,” Lucian responded, still a little shaken and out of sorts. Opening the front door, he stole one last glance at the shattered remains of the brown candle before stepping back out into the daylight.
* * *
Friday, November 7th
It was now Friday morning, and Lucian had awoken earlier than usual to get dressed and head down to Deer Park to meet up with Gus and Panhavant. He hadn’t been there all week, as he tried instead to finish the next week’s reading and assignments, giving him the weekend free to strategize and train. The meeting with Dareia and the acquisition of the spear had lit a fire within Lucian, and he felt more motivated than ever to excel in training and achieve his full potential. This was the first morning in… well, ever… that Lucian thoroughly looked forward to making the trip downtown.
As Lucian was tying his shoe before bounding from his room to the transit stop, he heard a knock at his door. Lucian glanced up with a puzzled look on his face. He realized that this was the first time anyone had ever bothered to knock on the door of his new home. He had run into Sam standing outside the door on their first interaction, and Gus always just seemed to find his way in somehow. The knocking seemed peculiar to Lucian, and, for a moment, he paused to contemplate whether he should simply say, “Come in!” or go to open the door himself. Deciding on the latter, the boy stood up from his crouched position and went to greet his mystery visitor.
Opening the door, Lucian immediately encountered Sam’s gorgeous, smiling face. The upper classman was dressed as he usually was, and in his hands he held a thick black binder of some sort. Lucian felt that familiar butterfly sensation in his stomach that always seemed to appear when Sam was around, and he stood mute, staring.
“Lucian!” Sam said, thankfully saving the boy from his own giddy stupidity at that moment. “How have you been?”