It wasn’t until she was halfway to work and had finished most of the bacon that she realized it was Monday. She didn’t work on Mondays. At the next stop sign she turned left toward her parents’ neighborhood. As she neared their house, she noticed Uncle Cliff’s camper parked beside her dad’s Jeep in the driveway. That was odd, considering he and her father shouldn’t have been home from their annual fishing trip until Saturday.
She pulled into the drive, killed the engine, and ate the rest of her breakfast. She moaned when the first bite of eggs passed her lips. They were cooked to perfection, as was the bacon. It made her sick to think how perfect Lana seemed. She knew looks could be deceiving, but she bet the hash browns tasted amazing as well.
Paisley frowned when her mother pulled back the living room curtain for the third time, and with a groan she stepped out of her car before her mom came out and got her. Bracing herself for whatever would come, she climbed the porch steps and walked to the front door. Deep in her gut she knew that what would happen inside the house would be life-changing, even more so than what had already occurred the previous day. Before her hand touched the doorknob, the door swung open, and her mother grabbed her and drew her into a hug.
“Sweetheart, how are you this morning?” She pushed her to arm’s length and ran her eyes along Paisley’s body. When she was satisfied, she pulled Paisley through the open door and deposited her on the couch beside her grandmother.
Paisley adjusted her glasses, then scratched her nose. “I slept okay, all things considered, and Lana made me breakfast.” At Lana’s name, they both frowned.
Grams patted her knee. “Well, that was nice of her. So, she came back after we left?”
Paisley shrugged and bit her lip. How much should she tell them? “I don’t know when she came back or if she even left. The last thing I remember is falling asleep on the living room floor. When I woke up, I was in my bed.” She decided to leave out that she was practically naked.
“That’s nice, dear.”
Paisley regarded her grandmother. “Dad and Uncle Cliff came back early?”
Her mom sat down on the recliner across from the couch. “I called your dad last night and they both insisted on coming back early. They’re not here now, though. I asked them to give us today to talk to you and they both agreed. But, your dad has a lot he wants to talk to you about.” She stood abruptly and headed out of the room only to return a few minutes later carrying a wood box, roughly the size of a shoe box. When she set it on the coffee table, Paisley leaned forward to get a closer look. Numerous, differently shaped squares and circles were cut into the surface of the wood. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure but it looked like cherry wood. Honeysuckle vines lined the edges of the box and wrapped around the lid. Again, looks could be deceiving, but by the wear and rust on the hinges, the box was old.
Paisley looked from her mom to the box, when her mom pulled her necklace off. A small key dangled from the simple silver chain. Ever since she could remember her mom had always worn the key around her neck and she had never seen her use it before. It always held an air of mystery to her, and now she wished she never had to know what the key was for and she wasn’t at all sure she was ready for what was in the box. She took several deep breaths when her mom placed the key in the lock on the box and opened the lid. Paisley squinted and tensed, but when nothing happened she felt a bit let down.
A hardback-sized, black leather book and several different pieces of jewelry were nestled inside the box. Grams reached into the box and lifted out a necklace that had a square-shaped ruby dangling from the silver chain. Paisley eyed the stone, then the hands that held it, and couldn’t help the sadness that overcame her. She reached for her grams’s hand and ran her fingers over her palm. Where had the years gone? Her grandmother was eighty-five. Every inch of skin was wrinkled and weathered, but still as soft as ever. Grams wrapped her fingers around Paisley’s hand and tapped her chin, then smiled. When hundreds of memories flooded her mind it suddenly hit Paisley: what would she do if she went to Dangor and something happened to her grandmother? She didn’t think she would be able to survive that.
“Sweetheart,” Grams said. “I know what you’re thinking and you need to stop right now. Life is a cycle. A cycle that doesn’t end for anyone and life is meant to end. But rest assured, I am not done living yet. We have plenty of time.”
Paisley sucked in a breath and held the tears at bay, but smiled and kissed Grams’s palm before pointing to the necklace. “What are you going to do with that?”
“It’s for you. Here.” She handed it over. “Put it on.”
Paisley accepted the necklace and slipped it over her head. When nothing happened, she looked up. “Was something supposed to happen?”
Mom shook her head. “We weren’t sure if it would. The necklace is one that has been passed from generation to generation. There is more power in that pendant than any of us combined could ever create.”
Paisley laughed to ease the tension that suddenly flared up in her. Good grief, if it held that much power, why would they give it to her to begin with? “So, I guess I shouldn’t lose it then? Huh.”
“It would be best not to, dear.” Grams winked.
“I’ll guard it with my life, Grams.” Kate pulled the book out of the box, closed the lid, then set the book on top of the box. The leather was weathered, but looked to be in good shape, and had the same honeysuckle patterns that were etched onto the box. Something told her this wasn’t an ordinary box or book. She was quite confident she could have been Sherlock in another life.
Her mom opened the book and flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. “Paisley, this book is our heritage. It contains everything that has ever been written about our family and the abilities they have received. This is not a joke and something you must always take seriously. No one, and I mean no one, outside of this family should ever be allowed to see this book. Do I make myself clear?”
It was the first time she had ever heard such passion in her mother’s voice. She pointed to the book and her mom nodded. She flipped through the pages and frowned. All the pages were blank. “I don’t understand?”
“You will.” Grams handed her a pen. “On that page, I need you to write your full name, age, birthdate, your parents’ full names, your grandfather’s full name, and mine. Underneath that you need to write Lana’s name, then a short biography about yourself. It only needs to be a couple of paragraphs.”
“Okay.” Paisley bit her lip and accepted the pen her grandmother handed her. Her hand hovered above the pages. For some reason, it felt wrong to be writing in the book, but she shook off the nerves and wrote down what they asked her to. When she reached the biography, she hesitated. It would have helped if she could read what others had written about themselves. She didn’t want to write the wrong things down. She scribbled a few things, then handed the pen to her mom, but as soon as her mom took the pen, she grabbed Paisley’s hand and without warning produced a knife and slid the blade across her palm. Paisley hissed in pain as the blade tore her flesh.
Her mom turned her hand over and allowed the blood to drip onto the page she had just written on. The blood soaked the paper and spread out, devouring her words. Good grief. Paisley yanked her hand back and squinted at her mom. This was some weird shit. What had she gotten herself into?
As she traced the wound with her fingertip, it started to heal. Where once there was a deep, angry gash, one would have to look closely to even see the faint scar that now dotted her palm. “How?” Her mom winked and closed the book, only to reopen it a second later to the first page, then started flipping through it. Every page was filled with writing and pictures of different women. Some of the languages she recognized, others she didn’t.
“This is our heritage,” Grams said. “The book will only reveal itself, or its secrets, through a blood sacrifice from our line.”
Paisley glared at them. “You could have warned me.” All of a sudden, th
is felt too real.
Her mom waved her hand in the air. “You’re fine.”
“Whatever.” Paisley slumped back on the couch and glanced out the window. There was no turning back now. If she had any reservations before, they had all been thrown out the door. She still wasn’t sure what it all meant. Sure, she knew that magic existed now, but that still didn’t explain so many things. She was a nobody. There wasn’t anything special about her. What she did know was that she was…a witch. In a long line of witches, including her mom and grandma. Holy shit. Play it cool. She fiddled with her glasses before pushing them back up the bridge of her nose, then turned and faced them both. She needed more answers. “Not to worry. I’m good. I just needed a minute.” She pointed to the book. “What does all this mean? What is to be expected of me?” Those two questions seemed straightforward enough. Dozens more lingered on her tongue, but they could wait.
“P.J., your grandma and I were talking last night and we don’t want keep anything else from you.”
“Okay.” That didn’t sound good at all.
“If you had shown signs of your powers before now this wouldn’t be so difficult. As it is, I don’t know anybody in our line that has come into their powers at the age of thirty-two.” Her mom waved her hand in the air and took a deep breath. “We think Lana may be right about your powers manifesting themselves in Dangor. As much as it pains me to say this, we believe your best chance will be to go back with her. Learn from the people there and learn from her. She has the means to protect you that we never will. Let her protect you.”
“Just like that?” How could they be so nonchalant about everything? They may have had years to become comfortable with their purpose in life, but she’d only found out about hers the day before. She needed her family right now, not some stranger, and she needed them to be on her side. Instead, it felt like they were throwing her to the wolves. Granted, Lana was an attractive wolf, but she was still a wolf.
“Lee.”
Paisley jerked her head up at Grams’s voice. Only her grandpa had ever called her Lee, and to hear it coming out of Grams’s mouth felt wrong, but it also meant that whatever she was about to tell her was important. She was glad she was sitting down. Grams slipped her hand into hers and squeezed.
“Sweetheart, you are a part of something. Something far bigger than any of us. You are part of a legacy and as such you will show only respect to it. Do not do anything to draw disrespect upon it or our family. Once you wrote in the book, you signed your fate. You cannot turn away from your powers, and you cannot run away from this. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me or your mother. We will gladly answer them.” She squeezed once more, then released her hand.
She loved both her grams and her mom, but just like Lana, they had also sealed her life to something without asking her permission first. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Fate. That was only a word she read in books. It shouldn’t have any bearing on real life. At least not her life. How did everything get so screwed up? She dug her fingernails in to the couch cushion before she said something she would regret. She loved them both too much to do that. “May I look at the book?”
Mom held up her finger. “Hold that thought.” She then walked out of the room.
“Grams, what if I can’t do this? What if I fail? What then?” She choked back a sob and rested her head in her hands.
“Oh, Paisley. That won’t happen. For one, you’re too smart to allow that to happen. For two, you come from a long line of strong women, magic notwithstanding. Draw from them, and as much as I hate to admit it, draw from Lana. I am sure she is a fine woman, but first and foremost you have been and always will be my girl.” Paisley raised up and grabbed her into a hug, only pulling back when her mom walked back into the living room carrying a container filled with chocolate cupcakes.
“I made these for you last night. Take them and the book home. Eat and read. Trust me, P.J. It’s what you need right now and if Lana is there, share the cupcakes with her.” She winked.
“What about the book? May she see it?”
“You can let her look at the book, because you are bonded to her, but all she will see is blank pages. Only one that has sacrificed blood can see what has been written.”
“So, if she was to let her blood soak into the pages, she would be able to read them too?”
“Well, no,” her mom said.
“Oh. Okay. That’s awesome.” Awesome and frightening at the same time. They both laughed, but Paisley couldn’t even muster up a smile. She picked up the tray of cupcakes and the book.
“When you get home, take a shower, eat, and read. It will do you some good.” She let her fingers linger on Paisley’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, but I won’t be able to read most of what is written.”
“Not now, but you will be able to. In time.”
Paisley readjusted the items in her arms. “What do you mean?”
“Over the coming days, you will start to adjust to the different languages. Your brain will decipher them for you.” Her mom patted her on the back. “Call us tomorrow.”
“All right. Shower, eat, and read. I can do that.” She hugged them both before stepping out of the house and walking toward her car. She set her belongings on the passenger seat letting her finger linger along the spine of the book, then jerked her finger back and grabbed the pendant around her neck when it felt like it was getting warmer. She pulled it out of her shirt and let it rest against the fabric. She shook her head, backed out of the driveway, and headed toward her house. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
****
Instead of going home right away, Paisley drove to the nearest park. She needed a moment to herself, and the water always had a calming effect on her. Her mom never understood the appeal, but her dad had her in the water only a few months after she was born. Next summer they had planned to learn to surf together. It was going to be the first family vacation they’d had together in years. She’d even convinced K.G. to take a week off work and go with them. The plans were made, and the hotel and surf lessons were booked. Those plans were shot to hell now. This time next year she would probably be in Dangor.
After pulling into an open spot and turning the car off, she grabbed the book off the seat beside her and walked toward the hill overlooking the river. She took a moment to appreciate the stillness of the water before sitting down at an empty picnic table. Her fingers lightly thumped against the cover of the book, but she couldn’t bring herself to open it. The women inside the pages were special, and had something unique to offer the world. Paisley wasn’t sure she would ever measure up to their standards. Did her mom and grams even realize the pressure they were putting on her? Did they even care?
Her family had always been supportive of her, and she guessed that’s why it felt now like they were abandoning her to a life she never asked for. Without taking her feelings or concerns into account they’d decided what was best for her. They just expected her to go along with everything that was happening. Her life wasn’t anything fancy, or exciting, but it was her own life, to do with as she wished, with whomever she wished. Now all that had changed, in what amounted to a blink of an eye.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze that whispered through the trees, only to snap her eyes open a moment later when the sound of giggling reached her ears. A mother and a small boy were perched on the picnic table near hers eating ice cream. The carefree looks on both their faces caused a deep ache to grow in her chest. She’d always wanted kids, but now she didn’t know if that would be possible, or if she would even want kids with Lana. Lana who was a stranger, a princess, and according to everyone, her wife.
She traced around the edge of the cuff with the tip of her finger. On one hand, it felt like it had always been there. On the other hand, she wanted to grab a knife and try to cut it away. This would have been a vastly different situation if she would have been asked, or at the very least, told what wo
uld happen when it was slapped on her wrist. Who knew all it took was a nondescript piece of jewelry to flip the switch on someone’s life?
She took several deep breaths, breathing in the freshly mowed grass, trying to slow the pounding of her heart. Besides being married, she was a witch. A legacy witch, at that. Jesus. This stuff wasn’t real. How could it be? What she needed was someone to talk to, but she knew K.G. was still at work and she was the only person she would be able to talk things over with who wouldn’t think she was crazy. Because crazy was exactly how she felt. She slipped her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. After a few minutes of staring at the blurry water, she put her glasses back on and opened the book. No time like the present to delve into an unknown world.
Every page had a woman’s picture on it, and she wondered if someday her picture would grace these pages as well. She steered clear of her mom and grandma’s section. The last thing she wanted was to learn any more about them right now. She skimmed the biographies and skipped over the languages she couldn’t read, before coming to a stop on a page that held a photo of a woman who looked like her. Emily Harger was the name printed at the top of the page. Her great-great-great-great grandmother. Except for Paisley’s glasses, the resemblance was uncanny and a bit eerie.
Emily was ninety-two when she died, and had two children. Her powers were manifested by her emotions and she had a knack for creating power orbs. Paisley frowned. Whatever they were. She tore her eyes away from her picture and skipped down to her biography and read.
I refused to write my biography when I was first approached to do so. I was a scared fifteen-year-old whose mother thrust her into this crazy life. And yes, I do mean crazy. Now I am twenty-four and still don’t completely grasp what is expected of me and what my powers fully are. I was hesitant when I first learned of my family’s secrets and what that would mean for me, and I still am. I don’t fully embrace the fate I was given, but I also will not throw it away. It is a gift that very few are allowed, and I would be a fool to not try and make it work.
The DragonWitch Tales - An Unexpected Beginning Page 3