Martha—with tears running down her cheeks—looked up and saw Gloria walking her way. “Yes?”
Gloria gestured towards the hallway while saying, “Come with me into the hall.”
“Wha… why?!” Martha demanded to know. “I didn’t do anything!”
“You’re not in trouble,” Gloria assured her. “I just want to speak to you privately for a moment. So please come with me.”
“Okay,” Martha said in an uncertain tone before standing.
Martha exited the classroom first, and when Gloria exited, she shut the door behind her.
When Gloria faced Martha, Gloria said, “I had never studied a course in human behavior, but I believe I’m pretty good at reading people, and your reaction to the news about Warren McCrae wasn’t one of surprise.”
“What are you saying, Mrs. Anderson?”
“You knew about Warren before I told the class.”
“How would I have known that, Mrs. Anderson?” Martha asked while trying to sound innocent.
“Sarah was wrong about you.” Martha stared curiously at Gloria as Gloria continued to say, “You’re not witnessing events that only you can see. What you are doing is witnessing events prior to everyone else. You are seeing things before they happen.”
Martha slightly hesitated before nodding and asking, “What’s wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Gloria assured her.
“Then why do I see things before they happen?”
“You just have a sixth sense when most people have only five,” Gloria began. “It’s rare to have, but by no means are you alone, and those who have the sixth sense are called many things.”
“Yes,” Martha agreed sullenly. “I’ve been called many unpleasant things myself.”
Gloria slightly and amusingly laughed before saying, “No, that’s not what I meant. Throughout the ages, people with the sixth sense have been known as prophets, seers, oracles and psychics.”
“Okay,” Martha began while pondering over what was said. “So how do I get rid of it… this sixth sense?”
“You can’t, Sweetie,” Gloria said. “It’s a part of you.”
“How did this happen to me?”
“It could’ve manifested on its own, but normally it’s something that gets passed down from parent to child. So if I would have to guess, I would say that someone else in your family—like one of your parents or one of your grandparents— has the sixth sense also.”
“And you’re certain that there is no way to cure me of this sixth sense?”
“Having a sixth sense isn’t an infliction, Martha…”
“Mrs. Anderson, unless you have a sixth sense, you can’t really say that it’s not an infliction,” Martha quickly interrupted with.
“There have been seers among my ancestors through the ages with the last one around one hundred and fifty years ago. So although I’m not a natural seer myself,”—Martha gave Gloria a curious look —“I can say with certainty that as long as you are controlling your power and not your power controlling you, it’s not an infliction, and the best way for you to take control over your power is for you to learn all you can about it. And I can even help you with that.”
“You’re a seer, but not a natural seer?” Martha questioned.
Gloria grinned before rhetorically questioning, “You caught that slip?” Martha slightly nodded. “There are ways for someone who isn’t a seer to bring about a vision. And if you know what you’re looking for, some of those ways can be found in books at a neighborhood bookstore… in fact, I’m going to write out a list of book-titles for you that will help you.”
“I can’t afford to buy books, Mrs. Anderson.”
“Okay, I’ll only write down the titles that can be found at the public library, and if you don’t have a library card, I’ll help you get one.”
Martha slightly hesitated before nodding in agreement. When Gloria glanced at her watch Martha asked, “Why are you helping me, Mrs. Anderson?”
Gloria thought of her answer before saying, “By me not helping you would be much like a lifeguard seeing a drowning swimmer in the deep end and not jumping in to save that swimmer.”
Martha grinned before saying, “So you’re my lifeguard who’s pulling me out of the deep end.”
Gloria grinned before saying, “Actually, I’m more like your swimming coach who will teach you how to go into the deep end without drowning.” Martha slightly hesitated before nodding. “It’s actually almost time for class to begin, but before we go back in there, I’m curious to know how far into the future are your visions.”
“It’s random, Mrs. Anderson. The vision of you and Principle Summers speaking in the hall about Warren’s asthma attack came only a minute before it came true, but sometimes a vision can take days before it can come true. And my dreams can take as long as nine months before one of them can come true; most of them don’t take nine months to come true though.”
Gloria nodded before saying, “Oh and when you do get a vision, come to me instead of mumbling to yourself about it.”
Martha grinned before saying, “I will.”
“Okay, it’s time to teach you and your classmates some math,” Gloria told her while gesturing for her to re-enter.
Martha nodded before opening the door and entering the classroom. Gloria followed her in.
Within only seconds of being under the influence of the incantation, Ellen and Harris experienced days of Martha’s life as it had played out. They learned that Gloria would attract birds and animals as Ellen would.
Ellen and Harris had also learned that after Martha had known Gloria for an entire month, Martha was shown through one of her dreams that Gloria was a sorceress. When Martha inquired about it, Gloria confirmed it as well as allowing Martha to see the Legacy volumes that she owned.
As the time continued to pass, Gloria and Martha became close as any mentor and apprentice would. Martha had even noticed that her reputation as a freak was withering while her list of friends was growing each day.
After an entire year of Martha knowing Gloria, Martha was given a psychic dream that deeply disturbed her.
It was a Saturday morning when Martha shot upright from her dream, and after she collected her bearings, she quickly got dressed and left her house.
As soon as Martha reached Gloria’s house—after running for four blocks—she quickly rapped on the front door a few times. She then glanced at her watch, which read 8:35 A.M., as she tried to get her breathing under control.
Alexander—Gloria’s eleven-year-old son—was the one to open the door and once the door was open, Martha hurriedly spouted out, “Good morning, Alex. Will you get your mother for me?”
Before Alexander had a chance to respond, Gloria stepped up behind him while asking, “Are you okay, Martha? You sound anxious.”
“I had one of my dreams,” Martha replied.
“Alex, go finish your breakfast,” Gloria ordered.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Alexander said as he walked away.
Gloria gestured for Martha to enter while saying, “Come in.”
“You’re the white dove,” Martha said while entering.
“Okay,” Gloria said in a confused tone before shutting the door behind Martha. “I’ve been called many things in my life, but a white dove just now makes the list.”
“I mean in my dreams,” Martha corrected. “You are the white dove that I’ve been seeing for weeks in my dreams; but my dream had changed this morning. A raven flew in and as it circled you it changed into a large hawk, and then you changed from a dove to a large hawk. In my dream, you two were killing each other, but I woke up before it had happened.”
“Okay, I get why you’re so anxious,” Gloria began. “And I’ll certainly take your symbolic dream as a warning, but until the… raven makes him or herself known, the only thing I can do is stay alert as I go about my daily life as normal.”
“Can’t you cast a spell to learn more?” Martha asked,
barely loud enough for even Gloria to hear.
“I don’t see that to be necessary,” Gloria assured her.
“You don’t want to get caught off guard though,” Martha warned.
“I won’t be caught off guard, Martha,” Gloria again assured her. “You just eliminated the element of surprise, so the only thing that I have to do is identify the danger first.”
“Can’t you cast a spell for that?”
“If I changed into a hawk in your dream and so did the raven, I’m thinking that the threat is a wizard or another sorceress, and if I magically scroll for a wizard or a sorceress, my older sister, my two older brothers and their kids will be what I’ll find. So my best course of action is to wait for the danger to come.”
“But waiting is just inviting my dream to come true,” Martha insisted.
“Here’s an allegedly true story that was told to me by my grandpa one week before he passed away. I remember this conversation clearly because it was the last conversation I had with him, and I was nine then. Anyway, when my grandpa was ten years old, a local psychic had given the town’s blacksmith a psychic warning that he was going to be killed that day by an anvil dropping on his head. The blacksmith wasn’t sure how that was going to happen, but he heeded the warning and closed up shop for the day. He decided to go fishing beneath a bridge that spanned a river. While he was fishing a team of horses hitched to a wagon was spooked and took off running with no one at the reins. The wagon was hauling anvils, and when the team of horses got to the bridge, the wagon tipped while dumping its load onto the blacksmith and killing him instantly as the psychic had predicted. Now if the blacksmith wouldn’t have gone out of his way to avoid the prediction and opened his shop as normal, he might’ve stayed out of harm’s way.”
“So by trying to avoid a forewarn danger he inadvertently walked into it.”
“Exactly.”
“Or he was destined to die by an anvil falling on him,” Martha said as an afterthought.
Gloria grinned before saying, “The former was the point I was making.” She then glanced towards the kitchen. “Anyway, Felix, Alex and I are in the middle of eating pancakes. There is still some batter mixed up, so I can cook you some pancakes if you care to join us for breakfast.”
Martha thought for a second before saying, “I am a little hungry.”
Gloria gestured towards the kitchen while saying, “After you.” Martha grinned before walking towards the kitchen. “So are you ready to start your sophomore year Monday?”
“I am,” Martha said. “I’m actually looking forward to this year… which is a big change from one year ago today.”
Gloria grinned and rubbed Martha’s back before entering the kitchen.
Chapter Seven
The time had moved into Monday. Martha’s third period was gym with Gloria as the gym teacher. Gloria carried a pen and a clipboard with an attendance list attached to it. As the students were gathering in the gym to begin their gym class, Martha saw a disconcerting expression on Gloria’s face as she faced the door of the gym.
Martha followed Gloria’s gaze and after a second an older teenage girl stepped into the room while carrying papers.
An expression of relief came across Gloria’s face, and as the girl walked across the gym floor Gloria’s expression changed again to a confused expression.
When the girl stepped up, she grinned while asking, “Are you surprised to see me, Aunt Gloria?”
“I am,” Gloria confirmed. “Why are you here, Vincentia?”
“I’m going to do my senior year of high school here,” Vincentia said while holding up the papers. “I need you to sign these papers to make it official though.”
Gloria held out her hand to receive the papers, and as Vincentia was handing them over, Gloria asked, “Do your parents know about this?”
“Mom, Dad and Brian left for Toronto last night,” Vin-centia began as Gloria placed the papers on top of her other papers. “Since I’m eighteen…”
“Wait!” Gloria uttered. “Your mom told me that your dad had passed on that job in Toronto.”
“He changed his mind.” When Gloria glared incredulously at Vincentia, Vincentia continued with, “My dad took the job. He, Mom and Brian had gone to the airport in a cab last night with all their clothes.”
“That’s not like your mom to leave without telling me,” Gloria retorted.
“Okay, after school you can go to my house and look around,” Vincentia said. “They and their clothes are gone. I didn’t want to go and before I can start my senior year, I need those papers signed.”
Gloria continued to stare incredulously at Vincentia for a second before turning her attention to the papers.
After taking the time to look over the papers that she received from Vincentia, Gloria signed them while saying, “We’ll discuss your living arrangements later.”
“Whatever you say, Auntie Gloria,” Vincentia said haughtily.
As Gloria was handing the papers back to Vincentia, she said, “We’ll discuss your growing poor attitude as well.”
“And I look forward to both discussions,” Vincentia said sarcastically before turning towards the exit and walking away. “See ya around.”
“Yes—you will,” Gloria agreed before turning towards her students.
As the days passed, Gloria was getting frustrated when she couldn’t reach her older sister and brother-in-law. Gloria would try not to let her frustration show in front of her students, but Martha knew.
Martha—after hesitating for several days—had also discussed with Gloria the bad wave of psychic energy that she was picking up from Vincentia, and although Gloria wasn’t a psychic, she got the strong feeling that Vincentia wasn’t being honest about Vincentia’s younger brother and parents’ whereabouts.
As the days turned into weeks, random deaths from animal attacks were reported around the city.
After Thanksgiving, Gloria was given an obscure message to call her oldest brother, but before Gloria was able to do so, Gloria’s brother was caught and killed in a fire at his work. Her brother’s family and her other brother and his family were caught and killed in the same house-fire two days later.
On New Years Day, information concerning the animal attacks around the city—that the police were trying to keep a tight lid on—had made the headline news. All the victims were made to appear as if animals had killed them, but, in fact, they were murdered from a bloodletting ritual, and that the police were suspecting a devil-worshipping cult for the crimes.
Before the first class could begin on the first day back to school after New Years, Martha went to talk to Gloria about the recent headlines.
Gloria was about to enter her classroom when Martha called, “Mrs. Anderson!” Gloria stopped and faced Martha as Martha hurried to her side. “Mrs. Anderson, have you read the newspaper? A devil-worshipping cult is responsible for those deaths…”
“I don’t believe a cult is responsible, Martha,” Gloria interrupted with.
Martha gave Gloria a curious look before saying, “You suspect someone else.”
Gloria hesitated before nodding and whispering, “I fear that Vincentia is responsible for those deaths.”
“My God!” Martha uttered, shockingly.
“Yes,” Gloria agreed sullenly. “In three days—during the next full moon—I’ll do what I can to stop Vincentia, but if I’m right about what had happened to her mom and brother, she might be too powerful for me to stop. So I’m going to give you my Legacy volumes for safekeeping.”
“What about Mr. Anderson?” Martha asked.
“When he had found out that I was a sorceress, he had assured me that he would leave me if I would ever use witchcraft. That’s why I wait until he’s not around to do my minor spells. However, trying to stop Vincentia won’t be minor, so I expect that he will honor his warning and leave with Alexander once he sees me pulling out my books on incantations… which is good because I don’t want them around when I attempt to stop
Vincentia.”
“The Legacy volumes belong to Alexander after you though,” Martha pointed out. “Not that I want anything to happen to you… I’m just saying.”
Gloria slightly grinned before saying, “Yes, but Felix will burn them if given the chance. I’ll try to get a message to Alexander on where he can find the volumes, but if I don’t make it, there’s a good chance that no one will be coming back for them.”
“I can help you… to increase the odds of your survival.”
Gloria thought for a second before saying, “Yes; there is something that you can do actually.”
“What is it?” Martha asked eagerly.
“Come to my house this evening. I’ll give you an incantation that will incite psychic visions and dreams.”
“Will I be able to work it?”
“It’s a minor incantation so anyone can perform it with marginal success, but by combining it with your already existing psychic ability, it should enhance your ability. In fact, I think the incantation was actually created for the seers during the Wizard Wars.”
“Alright, I’ll be there,” Martha told Gloria.
Gloria glanced at her watch before saying, “Anyway, you had better get to class before it starts.”
“Right,” Martha agreed before waving. “See you later, Mrs. Anderson.”
“Later,” Gloria said with a nod before turning and entering her classroom.
After school, Martha had gone directly to Gloria’s house. She saw immediately that no one was home, so she sat down on the front stoop. She was only sitting there for a few minutes when Timothy—a fourteen-year-old boy and one of Gloria’s neighbors—stepped up to her and started a conversation.
Martha and Timothy talked for only a short time before Felix pulled up in his car.
Felix was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase, and he stared curiously between Martha and Timothy as he moved from the car to the house.
Martha and Timothy watched Felix as he was walking towards them, and when he was only a few feet away from the stoop, Martha asked, “How’s the insurance selling, Mr. Anderson?”
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