The Power of Witches

by Shay Bencosme

  The second was much better. It was a dark blue thing with a heart-shaped bodice and sheer short sleeves. The torso was tight on my body, but the dress flowed out at the waist, ending at the top of my knees. I left the dressing room and modeled for Lily, who clapped her hands excitedly.

  “It’s perfect!” she exclaimed.

  “I still have one more,” I turned back towards the last green dress still hanging inside the room.

  “But why waste time if we’d already found the perfect dress for you?”

  I grimaced, fingering the tag attached to the hem of the dress I wore. I glanced down and gasped. Over a hundred dollars. “I can’t let you buy this.”

  Lily looked at the tag and shrugged. “It’s not like I have anything else to spend four hundred grand on.”

  “Lily, no.” I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t think any clothing I owned was that expensive. In fact, the entirety of my wardrobe probably amounted to the price listed on the tag of the dress.

  “Take it off. And let’s get going. I want ice cream.”

  “We’re not getting anything for you?”

  “Ew no, I’m not going to Homecoming. That’s lame.”

  I burst out into laughter, mine deep and musty compared to Lily’s light and melodic one. I went back into the dressing room to change and came back out, handing the dress over to Lily.

  Lily took it from me and made her way to the check out counter, paying the one hundred and sixty dollars for the dress. I watched with guilt churning in my stomach as Lily swiped a silver debit card, and a receipt slid out noting that the transaction had gone through.

  “Thank you,” Lily said with a large smile to the cashier, stretching her arm out to grab the bag that my dress was now carefully folded in. “You ready?” she asked me.

  We headed out of the store and back onto the streets of downtown. The warm air hit my face and I breathed in deeply. “Ice cream?” Lily was saying, but I had my attention fixed elsewhere.

  Across the street was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

  She was older, maybe thirty or forty but there was something about her that was ethereal. Platinum silver hair and light eyes, strong cheekbones. She looked to be eternal and ageless. She wore black slacks and a mesh top with floral stitching, heels that would break my neck if I ever wore them. The woman turned to make direct eye contact with me.

  “What are you—oh my God.” Lily shoved me into the alleyway between the clothing store and the shop next to it. “You don’t know who that is!”

  “What? No.” I tried to peek my head around the corner, but Lily grabbed me and pulled me back.

  “That’s Sofie Aagard. She’s part of the Order.”

  “I thought they’d be older,” I murmured. Lily stuck her head out and yelped, turning to me and placing her hands on my face. She breathed intention into my aura, and suddenly I felt a slight breeze and the scent of fresh pine.

  “Be quiet, she can’t see you now.”

  “Lilith Caine.”

  Lily turned quickly and bowed her head, tucking her arms behind her in a sign of respect. “Elder Aagard.”

  “Where did your friend go?” Sofie Aagard spoke in a European accent that I couldn’t place.

  “She, uh, had to get home. Her mom is super strict.”

  “Ah, a mortal friend then, I assume.”

  “Yes, of course. You know my mother always wanted us to be close with mortals. Helps with integration.”

  Sofie smiled lightly and looked Lily up and down. Then she glanced over in my direction, a brow raising. “Do you smell that, Lilith?”

  Lily shook her head.

  “It’s odd to have the smell of fresh pine in a suburban downtown.” Sofie touched her ear and then nodded. “I must get going. I am making an appearance at Gardenside tomorrow morning to speak with your head mother about the circumstances of the closure.”

  Lily bowed her head again. “May Rhiannon send you peace,” she replied.

  Sofie turned from the alley and waved down a black town car sent to pick her up.

  Lily let out a breath I hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She waved her hand over in my direction and the smell of pine disappeared. “What just happened?” I whispered.

  “The Order’s in town. That can’t be good.”

  CHAPTER 22

  It wasn’t actually a huge deal for the Order to be there. No one else had even seen Sofie before she disappeared back to wherever it was the Order stayed. Elsa looked more relieved than usual, as if the Order had a plan to keep Gardenside open. I didn’t trust whatever plan the Order came up with.

  The next afternoon after school, Tomás and I were helping the twins and Taylor with homework, which had become routine for us.

  Tomás was patient with the kids. I didn’t help much; I wasn’t as good at school as Tomás was. I sat aside mostly, watching as he took his time to make sure each kid was understanding the material he taught.

  After our homework was done, I walked Tomás out to the foyer. I smiled up at him, noticing Cyrus, Lily, and Alana entering the library. It was part of our routine, teaching magic to the twins.

  “You got any plans next week?” Tomás asked. “Saturday, specifically.”

  I bit my lip. This was it. An invite to Homecoming. I shook my head, my cheeks flushing.

  “I love your cheeks,” Tomás laughed loudly. “They tell me everything.”

  “That’s not fair!” I cried, hitting him in the shoulder.

  “Let me take you to homecoming.” Tomás took my hands in his and brought his face closer. He kissed my forehead. “I know it’s not the most romantic way of asking, but I had no ideas.”

  “Could’ve made a goat run into the foyer with a sign,” I shrugged, a smile on my lips.

  “Damn.”

  “I’d love to go with you.”

  Tomás brought my chin up and kissed me on the lips. He pulled away slightly then came in again. “You’re awesome,” he murmured.

  We broke away and said our goodnights. Tomás went upstairs to his bedroom, and I stood outside the foyer, my chest tight with anxiety. I turned to look at the closed library door, magically charmed to be locked to anyone who wasn’t a witch. This was how they got around the mortal issue. No one expected me to be able to open the door.

  I turned slowly, walking towards the library door and placing my hand on the knob. Then with a deep breath, I turned it and opened the door.

  Lily turned her head quickly and gasped. Cyrus stood up abruptly. Josie and Harry, who were never explicitly told but somehow Josie knew anyway, merely smiled. Alana looked angry. Taylor just looked confused.

  “What is going on?” Alana asked. She turned to speak to Lily accusingly. “Did you not lock it?”

  “She did, I watched her,” Cyrus defended his best friend. “Alana, there’s something you should know.”

  “I’m a witch,” I cut him off, wanting my secret to be mine to tell. “I didn’t know it until I came here.”

  “Because she’s the bloodborn!” Josie cried.

  “The what,” Alana’s mouth dropped open in horror. “We have to tell the Order. We have to tell Mama.”

  “No,” Lily commanded. She gestured me into the room. I closed the door to the library and came closer to the table where the witches had been studying. Lily continued. “We are teaching her before bringing her before the Order. So all their worries wouldn’t exist.”

  “Are you crazy?” Alana asked. “Your parents died over this exact issue. And here you are, following their exact footsteps.” Alana scoffed.

  “I didn’t know you were such an Order Sympathizer,” Lily growled.

  “I didn’t know you were stupid.”

  “Stop,” I spoke up. “I am here. I am not just a baby anymore. I’m not what the Order fears me to be, and that is thanks to Cyrus and Lily.”

  “She will save us all,” Josie whispered.

  The teens looked over at Josie, who was pale as if she’d just seen a ghost
. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head, and she scribbled furiously on a scratch paper. “She will save us all,” she said again.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, rushing over to the younger twin, but Cyrus put his hand out to stop me.

  “She’s Seeing,” he said, astonished.

  “What does that mean?” I insisted.

  “Visions. Like a prophecy,” Alana responded in awe.

  They all stared at Josie as she drew. Her scribbles were just that, scribbles that made no sense. She began to convulse, so violently that I wanted to take the young girl into her arms.

  And then Josie collapsed in her chair.

  Cyrus dashed to grab her frail body before her head hit the floor. She opened her eyes gingerly. “What just happened?” she asked weakly.

  “You’re a Seer,” Alana breathed.

  “What does that mean?” I said.

  “Seers see the future. I’ve never seen one before.”

  “Josie, what did you see?” I asked.

  Josie rubbed her eyes. “My head hurts,” she complained.

  “I know, honey,” Alana took the small girl into her arms. “You don’t have to tell us.” She looked at Lily expectantly. “You have to tell Mama what Noa is. You’re endangering all of us.”

  “We can’t!” Josie exclaimed.

  Everyone looked over at her as Josie freaked. “We can’t turn her in. They’ll hurt her like her mama. She’s going to help all of us, Noa is.”

  “They’ll find out eventually. It’s the Order, for Christ’s sake.” Alana grumbled.

  “They haven’t found me for sixteen years,” I insisted. “Alana, just give me a chance.”

  Alana looked up at Cyrus and sighed. “Fine. But I’m not part of this.”

  “In other news,” Taylor joked. “We know Josie got her powers.”

  “Now it’s my turn,” Harry said. “No fair, Josie always gets to go first.

  Everyone laughed.

  CHAPTER 23

  I banged loudly on Cyrus’s door at five-thirty in the morning on a Saturday. He opened it grumpily. “Is there a reason for this?”

  “The spell you used, to see Patrick. We can use it to find my mother.”

  Cyrus shook his head. “That’s not how it works.”

  “Why can’t it be?”

  “Because we have to push the intention onto Wanda. If we don’t know where she is, we can’t do that.”

  I sighed.

  I hadn’t slept well. In fact, I’d barely slept at all since Tuesday, when Josie first had her vision. I had all this weight on my shoulders, and I still couldn’t figure out the one thing that was bothering me the most: where my mother was.

  I began to cry.

  “Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Cyrus sleepily pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back.

  “I just want to find her,” I sobbed. “I just want to know if she’s okay.”

  “Shhh,” Cyrus said, rocking back and forth in the hallway. “I have something I can show you.”

  I pulled away from Cyrus, wiping at my eyes. “What?”

  Cyrus gestured me to go into his bedroom, and for the first time ever I was in a boy's room alone.

  His room was messy but in a teenage boy type of way. He had clothes strewn everywhere, and The Chair held clothes that were still considered clean in his eyes. His bed was messy, but that made sense considering I had woken him up. He sat down on his bed and padded the seat next to him. I joined him quietly, and he took my hand.

  “I can’t show you her memories,” he murmured. “But I can show you yours with her.”

  “I was a newborn baby,” I said.

  “They’re still in there somewhere.”

  I clenched my hand tightly in Cyrus’s. I closed my eyes, and Cyrus pushed intention over to me. His intention was warm, filling my toes up to my belly and down to my fingertips.

  ◆◆◆

  When I opened my eyes, I was cold. I let go of Cyrus’s hand to rub my biceps of the sudden goosebumps. My attention turned to a screaming woman in the corner of the room.

  It wasn’t a room. It looked like an empty parking garage, shut down for the night. Or for a long time. The woman huddled on a dirty mattress, her body naked from the waist down and a swollen belly erupting from her shirt. She rocked back and forth on the mattress, screaming loudly.

  The woman couldn’t have been any older than eighteen or nineteen. She was so similar to me with the same brown hair and same brown eyes. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought the woman in front of me was myself with longer hair. Even the bangs matted against her sweaty forehead were the same cut and style as my own.

  The woman screamed again, and grabbed at her belly like that was the source of her pain. She grunted and growled, and then suddenly she was screaming bloody murder.

  Silence.

  A baby’s cry.

  The woman took the baby from in-between her legs and held the child up to her chest. She began to sob. “My baby,” the woman cried. “My beautiful Hella.”

  “That’s her,” I whispered. “That’s my mother.”

  “That’s kinda gross we just watched you be born,” Cyrus joked, scrunching up his nose. I hit him.

  “That’s me,” I said. “She named me Hella.” Tears formed in my eyes again and I smiled. “She did love me.”

  “Of course she did,” Cyrus said. “She gave her life for yours.”

  We watched as Wanda cut the cord and held the baby to her chest, sobbing. For the first time, I understood the circumstances of my birth. A teen pregnancy, no father, no support from the family. Her life and her baby’s life threatened. If Wanda had just gotten pregnant a few weeks later, both of our lives would’ve been entirely different.

  Instead, this is where Wanda wound up. Dirty, on an old broken mattress in a parking structure in Charleston. No one to help her give birth. Wanda was nineteen when I was born. Just three years older than what I was now.

  I wanted to reach out and touch my mother, show her that her baby daughter she held so close to her chest now was going to grow up and live.

  Cyrus squeezed my hand. “Let’s move forward.”

  I closed my eyes again.

  ◆◆◆

  When I opened them, it was a day or two later, and Wanda now had Hella wrapped tight to her chest. She was in downtown Charleston, her brown hair braided against her back and her face clean from dirt and sweat.

  She looked fearful as if being chased through downtown and the only thing saving her was the crowds of the public eye. I followed her fearful gaze behind her and spotted a much younger Sofie Aagard on Wanda’s tail.

  “Look,” I whispered to Cyrus.

  “That’s Elder Aagard,” Cyrus explained.

  “I know.”

  Wanda dashed down an empty street and up came the familiar Blockbuster that I had visited many times over the years. Knowing her time was limited, Wanda dipped into the alleyway and up to a trashcan.

  “My baby,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, my Hella.”

  I felt tears brim in my eyes. We saw Sofie closing in fast as if she was tracking Wanda to her exact location.

  Wanda placed her hand on Hella’s chest, breathing her intention into the newborn’s body. The baby began to coo, and opened her mouth to cry. But Wanda took her hand off the belly, and moved it to the baby’s mouth, pressing a finger to her lips. “Shhh,” she whispered. And the baby obeyed.

  Wanda placed Hella into the dumpster, wrapping her up carefully. She placed the baby gingerly into the dumpster, then shut it. She was almost out of the alleyway, towards freedom when she suddenly became stuck.

  Sofie had entered the alleyway, thrown her hand up and blocked Wanda from the exit. “Where is the baby?” she called.

  “You’ll never find her!” Wanda cried out, throwing her hands towards the witch. Wanda had an affinity for water, it seemed, because all of the dirty water in the alley shot up and towards Sofie. Sofie blocked it, made the water
fall back towards the ground. She threw her hands over in the direction of my mother, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutching her head and falling to the ground.

  “Where is the child, Wanda?” Sofie asked again, walking carefully towards the crying witch.

  Wanda was having difficulty breathing, and Sofie dropped her hand for a second. Wanda took this opportunity to shoot flames from her fingertips.

  Two affinities, I looked on in awe.

  According to Lily, it was rare. Sofie cried out in pain as the flames licked her left hand and arm. She flung her right hand out in the direction of Wanda and she collapsed to the ground again.

  “You could’ve had everything, Wanda,” Sofie sobbed. “You were chosen to be the High Priestess, chosen to receive all the power and riches. You threw it away! For what?”

  “For change, Sofie.” Wanda choked out the words.

  “A baby with Rhiannon’s gift is deadly. Will bring the end to witch kind.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Sofie shook her head. “The High Priestess said so.”

  “The High Priestess is crazy! She can’t even do her own dirty work. Sends my best friend to kill me instead.” Wanda looked Sofie up and down. “You’re just like her. Trash.”

  With one swift movement, Sofie knocked Wanda to the ground with her magic, rendering the teen mother unconscious.

  Throughout the whole encounter, the baby in the dumpster stayed quiet, undetectable. Sofie seemed to make some sort of portal, dragging the unconscious body through it and disappearing without a trace.

  It was the last time the rest of the world had seen Wanda Rosdahl.

  I closed her eyes to return home.

  ◆◆◆

  Baby Hella stayed in the dumpster for three days. It seemed the spell that Wanda had put on her was for protection, nourishment, and silence. By the time Hella started crying, she was found quickly, by a worker taking a smoke break. They were lucky she had been found, as the next day was trash pickup.

  Hella Rosdahl became the Rembrandt baby, and later given the name of Noa. She grew up to be the person I was today.

  “How do you feel?” Cyrus asked quietly.