A TEENAGE ENCHANTRESS
Copyright © 2016 by S.B. Bartlett
All rights reserved. Printed in Australia. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Book and Cover design by S.B. Bartlett
For my daughter, Tayla,
who inspired me to write this story and is amazing in every way.
I love you.
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thank you to:
my daughter, Tayla, and my son Nicholas,
for believing in me from day one and encouraging me to put my imagination into writing;
my parents Michelle and Graham,
for a lifetime of love and inspiration;
my sisters Katey, Carley and Melissa,
for providing immense support towards my sudden obsession;
and to my editor Maria Al Ameen,
for her help in refining A Teenage Enchantress
and whom without this would still be an unfinished piece of writing,
you are amazing.
“I want to share my imagination with the world.”
- S.B. Bartlett
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Part One: The Beginning
Preface
My name is Arabella. Over the last couple of weeks, I have discovered my true identity. You go through life thinking you know yourself, only to realize you have an unknown side to you. It takes a lot of courage to face change. I’ve seen and done things that shouldn’t be possible in this world. Within such a short timeframe, I have loved, lost, and battled for survival.
This is the story of my revelation, how I found out who I am and the events and consequences that followed.
Part One:
The Beginning
I couldn’t believe it! I was about to turn sixteen – an exciting milestone! It’s the age at which things start getting cemented, and I was looking forward to the prospects.
I live with my mom and younger brother, Sebastion. There’s a six-year age difference between us. Our father deserted us four years ago, leaving an unspoken of presence despite his absence. Mom never speaks about it. In a sense, we’re kind of forbidden to bring him up in conversations; his abandonment left a huge desolate hole in our lives. But Sebastion and I are doing well in spite of our father’s desertion; we have a lot of friends and a healthy social life.
My best friend is Emma. We’ve been friends since we were toddlers, and live next door to one another. Emma is an only child. Her mom sadly passed away when she was very little and was left in the sole care of her father Ray, a kind and comical man. He goes to great lengths to show that Emma is his pride and joy.
Emma and I are excited for Thursday, the day of my sweet sixteenth, even though I wasn’t having a party; just a quiet dinner with mom, Sebastion and Emma. I was looking forward to the magical feeling of finally turning sixteen. Little did I know that on the day of my birthday, I would find the irony in that thought.
When Thursday morning finally arrives, I wake up with an exuberant smile, excited for the day. I check my phone to see a text from Emma, “Arabella, happy birthday beautiful, finally sweet sixteen, get your butt ready, and I’ll see you soon! xox.”
“Thank you Emma, I’ll be ready shortly, can’t wait to see your pretty face! xox.” I text back with a laugh.
“Good morning my birthday girl!” Mom says in a sing-song voice as she enters my room.
“Morning mom!” I reply with a huge smile, putting my phone aside to accept her warm hug.
“Yeah, happy birthday Arabella,” Sebastion parrots as he scrunches his face.
“Thanks Sebastion.” I giggle.
“Here you go honey,” Mom hands me a pink box tied by a black ribbon. I start opening it enthusiastically, heart hammering with excitement.
“Sebastion, honey, can you go to your room and get ready for school?”
“But mom, I want to see what Arabella got,” he replies, disappointment coloring his voice.
“Please darling,” Mom beseeches.
“Fine,” was his reply as he stomps out of the room in a dramatic manner. I roll my eyes at his attitude and return my attention back to my present. I excitedly open it as mom watches me with a fond smile.
“Mom, I’m ready, can I see what Arabella got now?” yells Sebastion.
Mom rolls her eyes with a grin and briefly shakes her head.
“Go and eat your breakfast honey, I’ll be downstairs shortly,” says mom, a tone of finality in her voice, letting him know not to argue.
I absentmindedly listen to their altercation, focusing on the blank white card lying inside the box. This is strange, what am I supposed to do with a blank card?
“It’s time you know,” she states calmly with a soft smile.
Time to know what? I think with trepidation, feeling uneasy.
“Pick up the card honey.”
Bewildered, I do as she says only to be startled by black words magically forming, as if roused from sleep, as soon as my fingers come into contact with the card. I freeze in shock and drop the card, which flutters downwind.
Mom leans down and picks it up, handing it to me again with an understanding smile. I carefully take it from her and look back at the card, the words now completely unveiled.
It read: ‘One, two three, magic you’ll soon see, you’re now sixteen, an enchantress you’ll be…’
I look at my mother, more confused than ever. “What’s going on mom?” Is this her idea of a joke? And how did those words form like that?
“Now that you’re sixteen, sweetheart, it is finally your right to know the truth. Our family comes from a long line of witches and warlocks. We come from a completely different world; Aquarian Falls is the name of our realm. Your father wanted to raise you and your brother in the mortal world, and after he left I continued to bring you up here,” elaborates Mom as she rests her hand on my leg that’s hidden beneath the covers as I sit up in my bed, “Your grandfather is one of the most famous warlocks of all time.”
“Wait, what!” I was shocked. I can’t be? Can I? I was too distracted to notice that Mom made mention of my father, a taboo topic in this house.
“You have powers baby, you have magic coursing through your veins, which makes you very special,” Mom continues with a serious undercurrent in her voice, “You must never tell another living soul who you truly are, it’s our most absolute law that we must abide by.”
“I can’t tell Emma?” I was dumbfounded, not really grasping what I was saying.
“No baby, not even Emma. Our world is beautiful, but if our kind were aware that a mortal knew about us, it will put her in danger.”
Well that’s just great. I scoff internally. Mom has gone mad.
“Ok mom, joke’s over! Let’s go back to reality. But I gotta admit, the way those words appeared on the card was a cool trick! Which shop did you buy it from? I’d like to play a prank on Emma as well.” I muse out loud.
“Arabella honey, this is serious. I know it’s sudden and hard to believe, but sooner or later you’ll have to accept the truth of your identity.” Mom says gently, cupping each side of my face with her palms.
“Mom come on, next thing I know you’ll be tell
ing me we’re descendants of Harry Potter.” I say sarcastically, refusing to believe her.
“My darling daughter, don’t you know that behind every book is a spark of truth? People tend to look at the ordinary and overlook the extraordinary because it’s just easier to pretend that there aren’t bigger things happening in the world. Magic truly exists baby, whether you choose to accept that right now or not. It’s as real as you and I. It isn’t easy to open our minds to such distinct possibilities, but once we do, a figurative portal opens in our minds and you’ll find yourself much more aware of your surroundings.”
I could feel myself panicking. Could it be real? Am I still dreaming?
Mom leans over and hugs me tightly. With the security of her arms around me, I feel lighter; with her on my side I can overcome whatever looms in my future. “You will come to terms with your magical abilities soon, just keep your mind wide open. I’ll teach you everything you need to know, but you must remember the ultimate rule: You must never use your powers to harm anyone. There are serious consequences if you do that.”
“Of course not mom!” I reply indignantly. Even though I don’t quite believe what mom is saying, I know that I’m no Voldemort…
I look at the time. 8:12am. I’ll shelve all thoughts of magic for now, I’ll be late for school. “I have to go Emma will be waiting for me.” I hug her again.
“You can’t tell anyone, not even Emma,” she reminds me, returning my hug and rubbing my back in a soothing manner.
“I know mom, I love you,” I grumble, not having the heart to ask her if she needs to be put on any
A Teenage Enchantress: Earth, Air, Fire and Water Page 1