Power Surge

by S. L. Perrine

  With the spell cast on Elle, I should have been able to relax and enjoy myself. However, my nerves were just too on edge to have any fun. I walked aimlessly around the property by myself, having lost Chad in the crowd. I wandered to the back yard, where most of the graduating class had congregated.

  The house I grew up in wasn’t small by any means. Compared to the Blackwood’s house, it was a shack. The in-ground pool was Olympic-sized at best. The back deck extended off the rear of the house on the first floor, and there was one on the second floor. Arranged on a patio, between the lower deck and the pool, were four stainless grills that were all smoking. The pool was half-filled with kids in bathing suits, and some were even in their ceremony best, which made me smile…slightly.

  I got lost watching the kids with their clothes on trying to tread water. I was so enamored with them that I didn’t hear Crystal speaking when she stepped up beside me. “Elyse?”

  Feeling like I jumped out of my skin, I quickly pulled my hands against myself, tucking them into the pockets of my dress. “What have I told you guys about sneaking up on me?” My eyes were wide, and I could see a quick show of fear in hers.

  “I’m sorry. I just thought maybe you might want to speak to me”–she fidgeted with her tassel, which she had pinned to the waist of her skirt– “before we leave for Dublin.” She teetered back and forth on her feet.

  “Is this about your mother?” I asked, knowing she would be feeling badly about what Elle had done.

  She nodded and looked down at her satin turquoise heels that matched her dress perfectly.

  “Crystal, it’s okay. I spoke to Peter today. I know you guys had no idea.” My reassurance didn’t seem to help whatever she was afraid of. She looked sort of surprised instead of relieved. It was just like her to think I was going to hate her for something her mother had done. For heaven’s sake, when Elle helped Sabina find my parents, she wasn’t even born. I couldn’t help the irritation that showed on my face.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. You’re my best friend. It’ll take a bit more than a conniving mother to make me hate you. Geesh.”

  The look on her face showed she believed me then. Her eyes grew wide and she flung herself at me. She threw both of her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight. “You have no idea how bad I felt about this when I found out. I’m so glad you don’t hate me.”

  “Okay Crystal, you’re choking me.” She let go and we both started laughing as Matt and Chad did simultaneous cannon balls into the pool, completely dressed.

  “Did they still have their shoes on?” Clara bound up behind us and sucked her teeth. I turned around and saw that Michelle was close by, as usual. The look on her face spelled out annoyance.

  “Yeah, well they are boys,” Crystal answered Clara while my sister and I had a silent conversation, her blue eyes glaring at me.

  I turned my back to my sister. I couldn’t bear to look at her. We had just bonded as sisters for the first time in forever, and she was acting as if nothing between us had ever changed. My stress level instantly rose ten notches. Instead of focusing on Michelle, I tried to focus on having a good time. All the other stuff would come tomorrow. I could spend this last day enjoying being an eighteen-year-old; a new graduate and looking forward to college.

  Ughhhhh, I thought to myself. I hadn’t even thought about college yet. I hadn’t stopped to think about what my life would be like once all of this witch stuff was taken care of. Without knowing if my life would ever go back to normal again, I couldn’t possibly plan for the future. That was one of the reasons for keeping my sister in the dark, I realized. Once the truth came out, once she knew everything about me, she’d be in danger too. If she stayed out of it, maybe she could continue on with her normal life.

  Once I found out about my parents, my only focus had been for them. All the college stuff had been put on hold. There was no way I could think about college yet. So, within the same compartment I put tomorrow’s stress, I tucked away any future plans for school as well. It could serve as my own internal time capsule. When it was time, I’d open it and go through the contents.

  “But not tonight,” I said out loud to myself.

  I wandered down, off the tall deck at the back of the house, and to the patio. I grabbed a plate and let Mr. Blackwood’s chef plop a cheeseburger on my plate. I sat at the overly crowded table, then noticed Elle standing by the back door to the garage, under the deck. She was just standing there. She wasn’t talking with anyone. She wasn’t even on her phone. The Bluetooth earbud she usually wore was nowhere to be seen.

  “Serves her right,” Chad said with a wet kiss to my temple. He dropped beside me on the bench. He was dripping wet and my dress had absorbed much of it before I noticed.

  “Hey!” I screeched.

  “Come on, E. It’s just a little water. You gotta learn to have some fun,” he said, eyeballing my burger.

  “Nuh-uh, get your own.” I picked it up after I’d properly smothered it with barbeque sauce, onions, and an extra slice of cheese. Grease dripped from the back of it and landed on my plate.

  “But E, I’m all wet.” He gave me the sad puppy-dog eyes he was famous for.

  “Fine.” I lifted the burger to his mouth and let him take a generous bite.

  “So, you may-e 'anna 'o 'wim?” He tried to speak with food taking up all the room in his mouth.

  “Ew…just ew.” I saw Clara sit down opposite us, with a grossed-out look on her face, and put a hand up to block what I assumed was Chad’s open mouth full of food. “Didn’t your father ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full…or eat with it open?”

  Chad shook his head and Clara rolled her yes. “I doubt that’s true. Remember, I know your father.” She put her hand up, blocking him completely from view, and looked at me. “So, did Crystal talk to you?”

  “Of course, she did. It’s fine,” I told her, dismissing the conversation. I was finally starting to relax. I didn’t want to go back down the rabbit hole until it was necessary.

  “Good, at least we can put the question about those stones to rest then.” She got up and left the table.

  I looked to Chad. Thankfully, he swallowed hard before talking again. “We figured out what they were. Now they're gone,” he said as he swallowed the last bit of burger.

  I shrugged my shoulders and compartmentalized it with the rest of the things I didn’t need to think about at that moment and finished off my burger. When the music got louder, and I was full and trying to remember the last time I actually ate real food, I let Chad lead me to the lawn. Some of the kids were dancing to the music. Chad pulled me close to him by my hand as a slow song started. The melody was calming, as much as his touch. I laid my head against his shoulder and tried not to think about anything except the way I felt in his arms. He smelled like soap and a wood-burning fire. The same as his house during the winter when the fireplace was ablaze. A strong calm washed over me as we swayed in tune to the music. My hands played with the hair at his nape, as he rubbed the curve of my back. I could see Matt and Crystal on the edge of the dancers; Clara and Michelle tucked in a corner of the patio with a couple of guys. I closed my eyes and let the calm wash over me.

  I was able to relax enough to enjoy myself and have a little fun. The only thoughts in my head were song lyrics and the feel of Chad’s arms around me. Soon, early afternoon became evening. The grills hadn’t been shut off all day. I watched on as my friends danced, played horseshoes, and made splashes in the pool–all normal activities for teens our age. Even Michelle looked like she was having a great time. She wasn’t swarmed by the usual football playing meatheads. Instead, she was cornered by her closest friends. I was a little more than sad when I realized I didn’t know who any of them were, even though I had seen her with some of them on occasion.

  How much time it took to bring back Gwen and Silas would determine how much time Michelle and I got to spend together this summer. She already had her college plans locked in. She was g
oing to Georgetown in the fall, living it up with Clara in Washington D.C. Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard Clara talking about college much, either.

  I yelled at my internal time capsule to close back up. Tomorrow. I will deal with it tomorrow.

  “I’m gonna go grab something to eat. You hungry?” Chad threw his last horseshoe and came to me, grabbing my hands in his.

  “No, I’m still stuffed from earlier,” I said, giving his hands a squeeze.

  I watched him walk to the grill and the large table that had been laid out like a buffet line. He looked like he was piling his plate up with a little bit of everything.

  “You having a good time?”

  “Oh, my goodness!” I yelled at Peter when he brushed his hand against the side of my neck from behind. “What in the world was that?”

  “Sorry, you had something in your hair.” He held up his hand, which held a small yellow feather.

  “Oh.” I let out a heavy sigh. “You shouldn’t surprise me like that. I could have killed someone.” The heavy feeling in my chest returned.

  He laughed a little. “What on earth does that mean?”

  “The new powers. I haven’t really been able to stop myself from making things blow up when I’m startled.”

  “Well, unless you're responsible for the large amount of water splashing from the pool, I think it’s safe to say all is well.”

  “Yeah, maybe this time.” I looked down at my hands. I realized I hadn’t had an episode of accidental implosion for a few days. Maybe I was finally in control.

  “You okay, Elsie?” The sound of the familiar nickname he used to call me when we were little startled me more than his touch.

  “Um, yeah Pete, I’m okay.” I thought about it for a moment and decided it was true. “I’m having fun too.”

  “Good,” he said. “We don’t need a stressed out high priestess on our hands. Do we?”

  “No, I don’t suppose we do,” I said as a hand wrapped around my waist.

  “Hiya Peaty,” Chad mocked Crystal’s older brother.

  “Hey Chad. How’s it going?” Peter shoved his hands in his front pockets.

  “Not bad. How about yourself? I hear you're done with school. Congrats man.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Peter was genuine, but I felt Chad’s mood. He was goading Peter.

  “So,” Chad whispered in my ear, “what’s going on?”

  “Nothing. Peter was just saying 'hi,'” I told him when he tickled me and offered me a bite of watermelon.

  “Yeah, just figured I’d show my respect to our high priestess. Also, I wanted to ask her if she had a chance to let everyone know I’d be joining you all on the trip,” Peter told Chad.

  I had forgotten about what Peter had said in the library, about possibly going. When Chad’s face went taut, I thought he was choking, but he swallowed. “What do you mean, 'you’re going?'” he asked Peter in a hushed voice.

  “Just what I said. I don’t have an official coven. According to Chester, I should be helping yours.”

  “My father told you to come?” Chad looked somewhat confused, as well as upset.

  “Chad, calm down. It’s not a big deal. He’s a witch. We could use another one on our side.” I brushed my fingers through his unkempt hair and kissed his cheek. Peter flinched a little and excused himself. I thought I caught a glimpse of crimson in his face before he turned away from us.

  “I guess he didn’t get the memo,” Chad said, taking a big bite from his chili dog.

  “What memo?” I asked, but quickly changed my mind. “Never mind. Just chew."

  Chapter Eleven

  It felt weird waiting for everyone to leave so we could sneak away. I was tired and wanted to go to bed, but instead, I dragged myself upstairs to Clara’s room and changed into my comfortable black cotton leggings and long purple T-shirt. Those coupled with a pair of sandals and a light sweater, and I could sleep in the car. Chad already told me he would be driving Cooper, so there really was no reason why I shouldn’t be able to sleep on the drive. Except once I was sitting in the car, I was too anxious about getting there. I mean, I knew my parents wouldn’t be freed the minute we got there. I even knew we had no clue how to free them. It might take a few days. Hell, it might even take a few weeks or months. Chad must have been able to tell I was anxious, because he kept looking at me through the corner of his eye and asking if I was okay and could hardly stop touching me while he drove.

  I took to watching the scenery ahead of us instead of thinking about Gwen and Silas. The sky was dark, and I couldn’t make out a single star. I couldn’t even see the moon. For me, that was strange. I had always been able to see the light of the moon, even when I did everything possible not to.

  So instead of star gazing, I started watching the white and yellow lines in the road as we went down the highway. The way they blurred in Cooper’s light was hypnotic. It wasn’t until Chad put his hand on mine that I heard him talking to me.

  “Hey, you alright over there, E?” He was pulling off the road and into a rest stop.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Why are we stopping?” I asked as he parked the car.

  He pointed at the dashboard. “You forgot to fill up today.”

  “Oh wow, I am so sorry. With everything going on...” He put up his hand to stop me from continuing.

  “I get it, E. It’s been a long day. So, I’m gonna fill up and grab you a pomegranate water. How’s that sound?” He winked his eye at me, standing bent over so he could talk to me through his open door.

  “That’d be great, but what I could really go for is some coffee.”

  “Coffee. Coming right up.” He shut the door and I forced myself to put my head back and close my eyes.

  Coffee wouldn’t wake me up at this time of night. If anything, it would maybe help me relax. Although, it could have just been inside my head. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I started to hear static coming from the speakers.

  “I was meaning to ask Michael to take this thing in to get checked,” I said to myself as I started twisting the knobs on the stereo. I couldn’t check it properly without power, and Chad had taken the keys. I smacked the dashboard and the sound got louder.

  Just when I was ready to give up and ignore the noises, they became more audible. Instead of static, it sounded like talking. I looked around at the gas station. It was the same stop we made on our first trip up to Dublin last November. Clara and I also stopped there when we went up to visit Spirit. It was the night I found out where they actually were; a night I’d not soon forget.

  The longer I listened, the clearer the words got. I listened closer. When I saw Chad coming out of the station, I put up my hand and mouthed the word ‘no’ to him. He stopped moving and to my surprise, he didn’t look confused.

  “Elyse!” The voice in the speakers seemed to scream my name just then. I jumped back in shock and Chad, seeing me jump, ran to the car. The minute he opened the door, the voice had gone.

  “What was that?” He looked around inside the car through my open door.

  “The speakers.” I pointed to the dashboard.

  “Again? More static?”

  “No. Yes. Well, yes and then no. It started as static, but then sounded like someone screaming my name.” He looked at me with wide eyes, shut the door, and ran around to the other side. “What’s wrong?” I asked as he buckled and started the ignition in the same moment.

  “I don’t know, but my gut is telling me we have to get to the cabin. Here, you might need the extra shot of espresso I got in there for you.” He handed me a tall cup of dark roast.

  I took a few sips of the hot liquid and realized Chad was right. The espresso started to do the job of waking me up. “Do you think she’s there already?”

  “I’m guessing Sabina thought we would be partying right now. That could mean she would choose this moment to go after the book. Makes sense if she thinks we're too preoccupied.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Adelle thought also. Where is e
veryone else? I haven’t seen them since before we stopped.” To be completely honest, I lost sight of our companions on the road almost the minute we hit open highway.

  “They're up ahead of us. I didn’t tell anyone I needed to stop. So, I doubt they did.” He looked at the clock on the stereo mount. We had only stopped for ten minutes or so. Still, with Matt and Clara driving, it was quite possible they would get there in record time. It only took about an hour and a half to get to the cabin. Even then, from the Blackwood house, it was about fifteen minutes less than that.

  “So much for sleeping.” I sat up straight in my seat and concentrated on sipping the hot coffee.

  When we pulled onto the long, winding dirt road that led from the main road to the cabin, all seemed quiet. The scene before me was much different than what I remembered from the visits before. That was when the snow and ice had taken over the ground and plants all around the small house.

  As Chad pulled the car to a stop behind Clara’s little green car, I noticed the fullness of the trees as the light from the car moved around the scenery. I saw the multiple purple, pink, and white flowers surrounding the house in pots on the ground and in the planters along the windows.

  The night was quiet there as well. We could only see one light on in the house. I could pinpoint the room we would all congregate in, from outside. It was on the second floor, and the windows were in the back of the house. The light I saw was from the small kitchen.

  “Maybe my gut was wrong,” Chad said as he pushed open the door that led to the little Wiccan shop, Spirit. The counter sat to the right of the door, and alongside the rest of the long room stood shelves and cases, showing off a variety of magical wares.

  When I looked closer, I could see that Ophelia must have packed everything away. The shelves were bare and only a few trinkets were still in the cases. The case under the cash register was still full of small overstocked items. We made our way past the counter and through the beaded curtain that led to the living quarters of the house. Still, we heard no one and saw nothing.