by B. J. Smash
I had no idea what Izadora was up to, but I knew that it would be interesting. It always was.
Chapter Two
There was another reason that the family was a disturbed and inharmonious group. This reason was called: Uncle Royal. My great-great grandfather Edmund’s other son. My Granddad’s younger brother. He had arrived on the doorstep a few days ago, and this wouldn’t have been so bad – if he had left behind his daughter Elecampane.
She had one heck of an overbearing personality, and usually dominated every situation, and conversation that the family ever had. My sister, Zinnia, could not stand her in the least. The two were archenemies. The tea set that I mentioned earlier, the one that Zinnia had owned as a child…well, I’ll just say that that tea set didn’t remain a “set” for long. Zinnia had gotten so angry at Elecampane for bossing her around and cutting the arm from one of her favorite teddy bears, that she busted one of the saucers over her head. In retaliation, Elecampane had put toothpaste in Zinnia’s shampoo and filled her slippers with whipped cream. The result was a fuming mad girl that smelled of peppermint and cream. Zinnia then cut off half of Elecampane’s hair while she slept, and glued it to her most treasured dolls face and left the doll in the toilet with the lid down, so that when Elecampane picked up the lid – she had a surprise waiting for her.
It was no matter that Gran scolded and punished them. They still fought continually.
The cousins were four days apart, and Elecampane just happened to be the oldest. This never sat well with Zinnia, because at every opportunity Elecampane would remind her who was the oldest, and who had to be in charge. To this day, Zinnia would not acknowledge that she had a cousin.
We called her “Ella” for short. Her father preferred it that way. He had only named her Elecampane because Gran liked her kids and grandkids to be named after flowers and herbs (for reasons I’m not too sure about). Uncle Royal decided that if Gran and Granddad did this, then why shouldn’t he? Ella shouldn’t be any different, and he and his wife Lucille copied them.
Lucille was another story. She was bold and crass. If she didn’t like something – you knew it right away. Luckily, Lucille had not arrived yet and possibly wouldn’t. She was off to a spa in Switzerland for a special rejuvenating facial. That was how Uncle Royal had put it. But Aunt Clover informed me that it was not a mud mask that she’d be receiving, but rather – another face lift.
To put it mildly, we didn’t care for their visits, and no one had seen Uncle Royal and his clan for a good four years. The word was they had been living in New York City. And I would rather walk on glass shards than have to spend any amount of time with Ella. That is why I tried to spend most of my time at Ian’s.
However, this evening Gran coerced me to stay for dinner, and pointed to a chair at the table. My father wasn’t here this evening as he had to drive Aunt Clover to an appointment in Bangor. I seated myself between GG Edmund and Granddad, and on the other side of him sat Uncle Royal, and on the other side of him was Ella. She gripped a hand-held mirror and gazed at her reflection while she applied pink lip gloss to her pouty lips. Lip gloss that did not go well with her long, bright auburn hair. She then blotted her gloss on one of Gran’s fancy cloth napkins that complimented Gran’s amethyst colored teacups. Gran had sets that she changed out at every evening meal, and I knew for a fact that this set was one of her least favorites. But still, Ella’s actions did not go unnoticed.
Gran cringed, although she did not say a word. It was GG Edmund who spoke up. “Ella. If you are going to primp, please do it elsewhere. The table is where we eat.”
“Oh my. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. Sorry GG.” She smiled and put the mirror and gloss in a huge red bag that sat by her feet. She was an attractive young woman with a haunting beauty but her attitude spoiled it. “After all, city girl is here to visit country girl. And by the looks of it – Ivy doesn’t wear any make-up at all.” She winked her over-extended, over-mascaraed, eye lashes at me.
Gran rolled her eyes and took a bite of food. I did the same.
“Perhaps, she doesn’t need any make-up is the reason why,” Uncle Royal said. I didn’t know if he was implying that I was attractive enough to go without it, or if I shouldn’t even bother because applying make-up wouldn’t help anyway. You never could tell with him.
“Anyway, let us talk about something other than girly things – let’s talk about something of more importance, such as…magic,” Uncle Royal said. He was about four years younger than Granddad but he looked older with his gray, balding head. I had to believe it was quite stressful living with Ella and Lucille, and it had done him in.
“What of it?” Gran asked.
“Why?” Granddad added.
“Well, it has come to my attention that Ivy here has been practicing the craft with the old aunt.” He must have been referring to Izadora. “I hear she has taken Ivy under her wing. Literally.”
“So,” GG Edmund said as he chewed his food. His white hair flew about everywhere. He pushed his big black framed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Well, I wasn’t totally forthright with you when we first arrived. I told you that we were here just for a leisurely visit. On the contrary, we do have something else on our agenda,” Uncle Royal said.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Granddad mumbled.
“Hear me out, we’ve come to visit of course. We just thought that maybe, Ivy and Ella could become more acquainted since they have not seen each other in so long. And maybe while they are becoming better friends, Izadora could tutor Ella here, too,” Uncle Royal said.
My stomach felt queasy all of a sudden. The thought of spending any time with Ella made me want to run far far away and never look back, but I had to ask, “Uncle Royal – how did you hear that Izadora was my tutor? It’s not like that is general knowledge.”
It took him awhile to answer, as though he had to think of the correct words to say. “Well, I went to a meeting and saw Egbert Winemaker. He’s an old acquaintance of Izadora’s as you know. He told me that you had gone to the Renaissance festival to purchase a pixie from him. That was when I knew you had to be working for Izadora.”
“Egbert, huh?” I said. Old Egbert Winemaker was the wizard who gathered and sold pixies. It was true that I had gone to him to pick up a pixie. I had to wonder why on earth he would volunteer such information to someone. He wasn’t exactly on Izadora’s good side at the moment. He had cheated at a card game years ago, and she had changed his leg into a wooden peg leg.
“How do you know Egbert Winemaker?” I had to ask.
“I am a bit of a wizard myself, you see. Although my powers are not as grand as Ella’s. She is quite a sorceress!”
“Ella? I didn’t know,” I said while observing her long black painted fingernails from afar. Each nail had a small crystal dotting the tips.
“We never kept it from her. From the time she was twelve years old, we knew she would take after the Seaforth tradition. She’s been practicing,” Uncle Royal said, lifting an eyebrow.
I knew he was implying that my father had kept it from me and Zinnia for as long as he could. He had not wanted us to know that we came from a long line of witches. Before I could reply, GG Edmund changed the subject back to Izadora.
“The idea of Izadora teaching Ella is laughable,” GG Edmund snorted. “She doesn’t like visitors and well, I’m sorry to say but she doesn’t care too much for you either, Royal.”
“But father. I am your son. She’ll listen to you,” Uncle Royal piped in.
“That is not likely,” GG Edmund replied. “She hasn’t forgotten the time you tried to steal her blue bottle.”
Now, this was news. I didn’t know anything about Uncle Royal and Izadora. For all I knew, they had never spent any time together. She wasn’t exactly the “auntie” type.
“Oh that? I was but a boy,” Uncle Royal said waving a hand to accentuate his point.
“You were thirty two. And she hasn’t forgotten it,”
GG Edmund said.
“Well, it won’t hurt to ask,” he replied.
Ella batted her eyelashes, pouted and then said, “Oh please GG.”
“Ivy. The next time you see Izadora, go ahead and ask if she’ll tutor Ella for a time. We’ll let her make her own decisions,” GG Edmund said in a doubtful tone.
I nodded my head, but I knew it would be an iced over day in hell before Izadora agreed to any of this. It was an understatement to say that Izadora didn’t like random visitors. “I’m too old for that crap,” she had said one day.
“One more thing…do you think it is possible to set up quarters here on a more permanent basis – like a nearby cottage, or build a guest house for us?” Uncle Royal asked inquisitively.
Gran, who had been in the process of swallowing her food, began to choke. She reached for her ice water and tipped the whole thing over, spilling it onto Granddad’s lap. He let out a wail, and immediately handed her his water and began pounding her on the back. “Lift your right arm, Eilish. Lift it up!” he commanded.
Something told me that it would be an even more frigid day in hell before Gran approved of the idea of Uncle Royal living here with us.
After supper, I begged off with a stomach ache. Gran gave me a sour puss look. I couldn’t take Ella’s giggling any longer. The girl sounded like she had no brain in that head of hers.
Gran knew there was an escape route upstairs. We had found that out soon enough when Zinnia had escaped out her window and onto the huge tree limb that expanded to the sill. She used to leave at night to go dancing in the woods with the Fae. We never knew until it was too late.
But Gran knew that I’d be using this escape route. I needed to run and think things over. She grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear, “Be back by midnight. I’ll leave the front door unlocked.”
While I would be escaping out the window, I couldn’t come back through it, because Ella slept in that room. Oh man, would Zinnia be peeved if she knew Ella was using her old room. I tried to convince her to use mine so that I could use the secret escape route whenever I pleased, but she insisted on sleeping in Zinnia’s room. There was no arguing with her. She was spoiled and often got her way in the end.
I made my way upstairs, leaving them all behind in the living room. I went to my own room and filled the bed with pillows and pulled the covers over them to form a dummy. I had learned that trick from Zinnia, too. Then I shut my door and made my way to Zinnia’s old room. Inside, I noticed right away that Zinnia’s yellow bedspread had been removed and instead there was a burgundy comforter brocaded with gold stitching. Four matching pillows lay at the head of the bed. What amazed me even more was that even the curtains had been changed! The pretty yellow curtains had been replaced with matching silk burgundy panels, held back with gold cords. I knew that Gran hadn’t been responsible for this. Ella must have changed this stuff out herself. Or maybe – she used magic. I couldn’t sense any spells, and if she used magic – she was good.
To the side of the bed on the floor lay a beautiful and detailed Persian rug – in burgundy colors, and a large old fashioned storage trunk, made of expensive cherry wood sat next to the closet. This is what Ella used in place of a suitcase. It reminded me of a treasure chest, and it had taken both Drumm and my father to haul it up the stairs and into the room.
I hadn’t planned on snooping through Ella’s belongings. I had a strong conscience about such things. Yet, the bedroom closet doors were wide open and lovely gowns were hanging from the rod that spanned between the two walls. What would Ella be doing with such fine gowns? I walked over to get a better look.
There was just enough light outside as it was only six o’clock, and the sun’s fading rays filtered into the room. The first gown I observed, was made of light blue silk. It looked pretty normal. But the second, third and fourth were fancy vintage dresses decorated with jewels on the bodice, and intricate stitching. The black one had amazing detail, with open holes on the chest, connected to a solid collar that snapped in the back. It was beautiful, and I reached up to touch it. Immediately, I regretted it. I was zapped with an intense electrical current, as though I had touched an electric fence. Stumbling back, I fell onto the trunk and toppled to the floor.
“Holy Moses,” I said, catching my breath. What the heck just happened? Something was different. I pushed myself up and walked back to the closet but I was careful not to touch any of the garments. I just wanted to get a closer look at the garment that had shocked me to the floor.
Lo and behold, it wasn’t a beautiful black dress with fancy beads anymore…no not at all. Now it was a nothing but a simple black sundress that had faded with too much use.
“A glamour spell…” I said aloud. She’d been casting a spell over her ratty tatty clothing to make it grand in appearance. But why did the spell fail as soon as I touched it?
There were seven or eight fabulous gowns hanging in the closet, but I thought I heard a thump come from the hallway, and I suddenly had the urge to flee out the window.
I flung open the window and climbed out onto the thick branch, shut the window, and made my way down the tree. When I was on the ground, I jogged to the front of the house. All I could think of was my final freedom from the self-absorbed girl inside.
Unfortunately my plans were thwarted. I could have punched myself in the arm. I should have gone the other way. Waiting for me in the driveway was, Ella.
“Oh there you are! Now how did you get out here? I thought you were in bed, silly. Well, since you are feeling better, we are about to play a game of Yahtzee! Come on, let’s go.” She held her arm out to signify that she wanted me to swoop my arm through hers and walk back into the house.
“Oh, isn’t that wonderful,” I said through a fake, cheery smile.
She must have taken me seriously because she said, “I know. Isn’t it? I haven’t played that game in years!”
And so, I had been caught red-handed trying to sneak away. Reluctantly, I looped my arm through hers. I felt as though she’d just handcuffed me and was taking me to jail. She only stood about an inch shorter than me, and we could almost see eye to eye.
As we walked back inside, her over-powering perfume made my eyes water. It smelled nice, like jasmine, but she must bathe herself it.
I sneezed. Three times.
“Oh my. Three times a charm.” She winked and patted my arm.
There was something strange about her and I couldn’t place it. I couldn’t help but wonder why she felt the need to enchant her cloths into something they were not.
***
By the end of the evening, I was wiped out and ready for bed. We’d all been sitting around the table. My father had returned, but he had begged off to read a book in the living room. Gran had played one game of Yahtzee with us and retired to bed. She was lucky, and no one tried to stop her. After all, she was Gran and no one told her what she could and couldn’t do.
The rest of us sat around the kitchen table and played the game. Ella sat next to me, and every time she laughed, she touched my arm. And she laughed about something every thirty seconds. She drained my energy like a psychic vampire. With every touch, I felt my energy dwindle just a little more. Anything would have been better than sitting next to her, and at one point I wished the very ceiling above us would cave in just so we could stop playing.
I don’t know if Ella was stealing my energy on purpose or not, but I could barely stay awake. Izadora had told me there were people who did this purposefully. They could actually pull the energy right from you. It gave them a “high” feeling of being on top of the world. She told me the way to protect yourself was to visualize a white light surrounding your body. You wouldn’t be able to see this light – but it was real, and it would be there protecting you. I did this the entire evening, but for some unknown reason it failed me.
Finally, GG Edmund said I looked like I would fall out of my chair, and I better get to bed and rest. I had felt like I had just been released from a punishment. I
ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door behind me, collapsing on the bed.
I was out in seconds.
***
It was in the middle of the night when I awoke. I had an awful taste in my mouth and decided to get up and brush my teeth. When I reached the sink in my adjoining bathroom, I couldn’t find any toothpaste. I searched the drawers and opened the cabinet doors. No toothpaste.
Sighing, I turned and left my room and headed for the hallway closet. Gran kept ten of everything in there: shampoos, conditioners, several different kinds of soaps, hair nets, dental floss, shavers, and toilet paper. You name it, it was in there.
The house was dark and silent as I walked down the hall. The only thing I could hear were my own bare feet dragging on the wooden floor. I felt like a zombie.
I opened the closet door, and after sorting through a hundred things, I found the toothpaste. I grabbed a tube and headed back to my room. Out of nowhere, I heard laughter coming from the end of the hallway. Giggling. I scratched my head. All I could think was, oh dear God, don’t tell me she laughs in her sleep too?
Of course I couldn’t leave it alone, and I had to walk to Ella’s doorway. What could she possibly be laughing at now? Even if she was dreaming – what was so funny?
I forced myself to tip-toe to the door. It took a lot of energy.
As I stood in front of her doorway, yawning, I saw a faint light escaping beneath the door. I heard her talking about something. Her voice was low and even with my elven hearing I could only pick out a few words. “Fool,” was one of the words, “servant” was another, and “stealing” was among the words. Then she said something about “beautiful”… and laughed. I thought my head might explode.
She had to be talking to herself in the mirror or something. Cellphones didn’t work at Gran’s. You literally had to go into town to use them. But for all I knew, she was schizophrenic and she was having tea and cookies in there with her imaginary pals. I couldn’t help but think she belonged in a horror flick. After the third or fourth giggle, I couldn’t take anymore. I was seeing double and went back to my room. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and got into bed. This time I made it underneath the soft covers.