by Cassandra
Apparently, he hadn’t been joking about being hot.
“How in the world are you doing that?” Jessica asked and marveled at how—as unbelievable as it seemed—he was literally smoking.
Chad smiled. “It’s nothing more than a simple heating spell.” He winked. “One of the perks of belonging to my coven.”
“But my grandma said no magic. You’ll be in so much trouble.”
“First of all, I’m a grown man. I most certainly will not be ‘in so much trouble.’ This isn’t even my punishment. I’m only helping you out. And secondly—most importantly—Miss Ethel said no magic for the garden work. She didn’t say anything about keeping my own body warm.”
“Wow. So witches are ridiculously sneaky, I see.” she shook her head but laughed nonetheless.
“Aren’t you the one to talk. Sneakiness is one of the first skills you learned, is it not? That’s how you got into this mess with garden work in the first place.”
Despite being cold, Jessica’s face reddened at the comment. “Anyway,” she said when she saw the need to change the subject, “not that I’m asking you to show me, but do you know any spells that would make this stuff go a lot faster? I know there have to be some cool spells for garden work, right? Grandma’s garden always looks too impeccable. Her whole house, really. I know she has to use magic to keep everything in order.”
“I suppose,” he said from across the yard. “But I’m sure as hell won’t tell you about them. Sneaky, remember? I won’t have Miss Ethel come after me for showing your shortcuts to this work.”
Jessica huffed. “I thought you were a grown man who most certainly couldn’t get in trouble?”
“Yeah well… There’s an exception for everything.”
She resumed her work, thought about the demon cards in the house, and made a mental note to read the card that corresponded with the Earth Coven to see if it had any gardening tips. Seconds after the thought occurred to her, though, she had to laugh at herself.
I’m sure the cards only focus on killing demons, not growing a green thumb.
“What’s so funny?” Chad asked and looked curiously at her.
“Oh, nothing.”
The two of them continued to work in silence for a while to gather garbage that had flown into the garden thanks to the neighborhood kids who had a habit of leaving litter in the streets. That done, they turned their attention to the plant pots located toward the back of the yard.
“Almost done now, right?” Chad said. He sounded as if he desperately needed the answer to be yes. “We only gotta get to the side of the house.”
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Jessica said. “I hate working on the side of the house. There’s no shelter from the wind there.”
“See? All the more reason you should join the fire coven. Then, the next time you want to get drunk and make-out with schoolboys, you can use a warming spell when Miss Ethel assigns you to garden work in the middle of winter.”
She sighed. “There won’t be a next time, so I really wish you would stop rubbing that in my face,” she said as they made their way to the side of the house. “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”
“Sure I will—if you join my coven. It’s the best one, you know. The coolest one. Our animal is a scorpion.”
“Your animal?”
“Sure. All covens have an animal—sort of like zodiac signs.”
“But why a scorpion, then? What does a scorpion have to do with fire? It seems like your animal should be a…a dragon or something.”
“Scorpions have historical significance to the fire coven,” Chad said. “You see, contrary to what your imp thinks, I do know my history. Long ago, a powerful witch was stung by a scorpion. The pain from the sting was so intense, it felt like fire ran through his veins. Afterward, he discovered that he could create fire with magic. He realized he could do all sorts of incredible spells using fire, including the heating spell I’m using right now. Hence, he gathered some friends, created a coven, and taught them those spells. That’s how the fire coven was born. Like I said, fire spells are great for killing demons. Even this heating spell is good to use against demons. Pastor Norman would never tell you, but a lot of demon hunters are actually from the fire coven.”
“Hmm,” Jessica said. “My grandma’s not from that coven though, and she’s one of the best demon hunters who ever existed, from what I hear. Maximus too. So spells from the life coven must be good when it comes to fighting demons too, right?”
“I guess…” he said after a slight pause. “You’ve learned a fair amount about the covens lately, huh? I didn’t realize you knew so much about them already.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve been learning—or trying to, at least.”
Chad laughed. “Always so modest. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me how much you’ve learned, though. We’ve all known from practically day one that you weren’t a normal witch.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Duh.” Chad shook his head. “You know, you can be a little slow sometimes to be such a skilled young witch.”
She punched him in the arm, and he laughed.
“Come on. Are you sure you’re concentrating?” Chad asked with a frown.
“Yes,” Jessica said, agitated. “If I concentrate any harder, my brain will ooze out of my ears.”
They had finished the garden work for the day and were now in the garage, which Grandma Ethel and Father Norman had helped to clear out in order to make a place to practice fire spells. Chad had wanted an area that was away from everyone else in case things temporarily got out of hand.
“After all, new witches and fire spells can get sloppy from time-to-time. I don’t want to burn your house down, Miss Ethel,” he’d said after he and Jessica had returned to the house and she had finished a cup of hot tea to warm herself up.
To which Ethel had replied, “I’d appreciate it. I’m too old to relocate.”
When they first started the lesson, Jessica had been ecstatic. Although she wanted to play it cool, she couldn’t deny that Chad had made the fire coven sound fascinating, and she’d been anxious to delve further into learning more about it.
He had warmed the garage with another heating spell, which made it comfortable for her.
But now, after an hour had gone by and she hadn’t managed to succeed in a single spell, she began to have doubts about her abilities and had lost a considerable amount of her enthusiasm.
“Don’t give up. Try again. Hold your hands out like this,” Chad coaxed as he demonstrated again for what felt like the millionth time. “Envision flames in your mind and—”
“Yeah, I know.” Jessica cut him off. “Imagine the flames shooting out from the palms of my hands. I’m trying, but it’s not working.”
He lowered his hands and his frown deepened. “Let’s try a different route then,” he said after a moment. “I want you to simply think about light. Forget fire for a moment. Hold your hands out and imagine a ball of light.”
Jessica did as she was told. She squeezed her eyes shut, held her hands out with her palms facing the ceiling, and thought of a ball of light. In her mind, she thought of something the size of a basketball glowing bright white.
A surge of hope went through her when she felt a slight tingling in her hands.
“Good, good…” Chad said. “Keep your eyes closed. Now, I want you to convert the image in your head to a fireball. If it helps, think of the sun. Imagine it covered in flickering flames and glowing bright orange. Feel the heat in your hands… Feel the heat all over your whole body…”
She gritted her teeth but she could feel herself losing it, nonetheless. The more she tried to follow his coaching, the more the tingling in her hand faded until it fizzled out altogether. Whatever small progress she’d made had come to an abrupt stop.
“Dammit!” she cried and stomped her feet like a toddler. “This is pathetic. I am pathetic. I couldn’t even light a candl
e when my grandma tried to teach me. And now this. I should have known I would suck at this. You can’t even teach me, and you’re from the freakin’ fire coven!”
Chad scratched the back of his head. “Maybe you need a break. Let’s stop here. It’ll get better after you’ve had time to clear your mind and recharge.”
“That won’t help! And we don’t have time.”
He held his index finger in the air. “Rule one of magic—think positive.”
Jessica swore. “Oh, whatever. Gimme a break.”
“I am,” he said, “because a break is exactly what you need. We’ll practice more tomorrow. You’re too frustrated right now. We’ll never get anywhere with this attitude you’re sporting at the moment.”
She muttered under her breath but left the garage, nevertheless.
“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” Grandma Ethel asked when they returned to the house.
“Don’t ask,” Chad whispered as Jessica stormed through the house without answering.
“Oh, boy,” Jessica heard Grandma Ethel say as she dashed up the stairs and headed straight for her room.
Once inside, she flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, feeling defeated. She hoped Chad was right to believe that she would do better after taking a break. However, she also couldn’t help the thought that a break would simply increase the chances that she would be unprepared when the demon arrived.
And if she couldn’t manage to defeat this demon, how would she ever finish the game?
What if she was stuck playing the stupid thing for the rest of her life?
How would they ever manage to get Roger back? The game had specified more than once that it was all up to Jessica, and Jessica alone.
And so far, she had proved to be a horribly unskilled player.
Chapter Fourteen
If Chad had thought rest would put her in a better mood, he had been terribly mistaken. Jessica knew that much from the moment she woke up. The fact that she had to get up and go to school the next morning only made matters worse because she couldn’t help but think of it as time wasted.
Time that could be better spent in practicing fire spells until she finally managed to learn one.
Knowing that the demon could come after her at any moment and she had no way to defend herself definitely wasn’t a good feeling.
“There you are. You’re running late, aren’t you?” Grandma Ethel said when Jessica finally made her way downstairs, fully dressed and with her backpack slung over her shoulder and her coat draped over her arms.
“I overslept,” she said, even though that couldn’t have been further from the truth. In reality, she had merely moved in slow motion and dragged her feet despite feeling pressured for time. She’d been too preoccupied with worry as she paced around her room, afraid the demon would suddenly lunge out of her closet.
In the living room, she began pulling on her coat.
“What’s this? Aren’t you going to have breakfast?”
“Sorry, Grandma. I’m not hungry. Just…can you put me some hot tea in a thermos? I’ll take it with me. Thanks.”
“All right, girly. Spill it. What’s eating at you this morning? You aren’t really that ticked off about the garden work, are you?”
Jessica sighed and shook her head. “No. It’s this stupid demon card game. And these fire spells. I’ll never learn them.”
“Well, not with that attitude, you won’t. Now stop worrying so much. Chad will be here to help you more after school.”
“And what good will that do if I get attacked before then?”
“You won’t,” Ethel said firmly.
She wanted to argue but no longer had the energy.
“Well, if you want to redirect this worrying you insist on doing, just think—your parents will be home soon.” The old lady wiggled her eyebrows and waved her hand. The gesture directed a thermos with the hot tea Jessica had requested to float out of the kitchen toward her granddaughter.
Jessica caught the thermos in her hand and grimaced at the thought of having to explain her night of drinking to her parents. Despite punishing her with garden work, Grandma Ethel’s reaction had been fairly calm, considering. Somehow, she didn’t think the same would be true for her parents, especially her dad. In their eyes, she had been their perfect and innocent little girl for far too long. Disobeying them by wanting to know more about her magical heritage was one thing. Breaking the law with underage drinking was another.
“Have a good day at school,” Grandma Ethel said as she headed out the front door.
In response, she grunted and hastily waved goodbye.
Jessica parked her truck in the school parking lot and returned her extra gloves and hat to the glove compartment. She sat for a moment and already felt as if this would be the longest school day ever.
She stared idly at a trio of kids who smoked cigarettes outside the entrance door from the parking lot, sipped her tea, and wondered if there were spells that could slow or quicken the passage of time. Then she reminded herself that time spells weren’t what she needed to be concerned with at the moment. She only needed to learn how to conjure fire.
Morbid fantasies played in her mind about the two-headed demon dog appearing to attack her in the middle of class and slaughtering the whole room because she couldn’t so much as light a candle.
With a heavy sigh, she returned her gaze to the kids, who were still smoking. Time was ticking away, but she didn’t want to get out of her truck. Actually doing so meant that the school day would officially start.
Sadly, she would have to get out sooner or later, though. The tea had left her bladder quite full.
One of the kids in the smoking group laughed and put his cigarette out by tossing it to the ground and stepping on it.
Hey, wait a second. Why do I need magic to create fire?
A solution formed in her mind and a prickle of excitement raced through her. She retrieved her backpack quickly, scrambled out of her truck, and rushed across the parking lot, hoping to catch up with the kids before they entered the school building.
“Hey!” she called to them as she raced up the steps.
They turned and looked curiously at her. She recognized the kids by face but not by name and had a feeling they might be a grade behind her.
She hoped they were friendly enough.
“Yeah?” a girl with long dark hair and dark eye-liner said after a moment.
“This may sound weird but…can I borrow your lighter?” Jessica asked. “I’m sorry, it’s…I left mine at home. Actually, my parents threw it out. They don’t want me smoking and—”
The girl grinned. “Say no more. Been there, done that.” She handed her lighter over.
“Thank you!” she said, relieved her lie had worked.
“Keep it. I have more than one. My folks threw mine out too the first time they found it. So now, I keep a secret stash.”
She forced herself to look impressed and tried not to gag at the lingering scent of the cigarettes. “Smart move. I’ll have to start doing that.”
“I’ve seen you around before but you don’t strike me as a smoker. I always thought you were such a goody-two-shoes,” the boy volunteered with a curious expression.
Jessica winked. “Everyone’s not always what they seem.” Excitement reminded her that her bladder was full, so she nodded at the kids. “Thanks again for this,” she said, ducked into the school, and headed for the girls’ bathroom.
More hopeful than she had felt in a long time, Jessica relieved herself and went to the sink to wash her hands, where another girl whose face she recognized stood in front of the mirror and fixed her hair.
“Good morning,” Jessica said cheerfully.
“Morning,” the girl responded and drew a can of hairspray from her bookbag.
Jessica stared at her and then at her hairspray as another thought formed in her head. This is too perfect…
“What?” the girl asked when she noticed her rapt stare.
“Sorry. Um…what kind of hairspray is that you’re using?” she asked. She touched her own hair, which she had barely bothered to comb that morning. “I’m looking to try something new.”
The girl nodded and snickered. “Yeah, you need it.”
Jessica forced a smile and tried not to look offended.
Once she’d proceeded to spray her hair one more time, she handed the bottle to Jessica. “Here, take it. I have some more at home.”
“Really? Are you sure?” she said and attempted to keep the excitement out of her voice.
“Yeah. You need it more than me. Good luck.”
The girl sauntered out of the bathroom and Jessica stayed behind, once again trying not to feel offended. But her superficial worries drifted away when she reminded herself how she had managed to score both a lighter and some hairspray.
When the demon came after her, all she’d have to do was torch that sucker.
Nothing on the cards said anything about not being able to use non-magical means to kill the demons, she thought, pleased with her problem-solving skills.
Granted, she knew Chad would be annoyed, but she didn’t care. After all, he should only be concerned with her finding a way to finish the game so that she could get Roger back.
With a skip in her step, she left the bathroom and felt much better prepared to face the rest of the day. The more she thought about it, the more she thought her plan to use the lighter and hairspray on the demon seemed ingenious.
Now, her only concern was her fragile hope that she could come up with something to help her successfully negotiate the inevitable meeting she would have with her parents about why Grandma Ethel had put her on punishment.
“Okay, I really can’t take this anymore,” Ashley lamented and stared at Jessica.
It was their lunch hour, and Ashley and Eric sat across from her, while Sara and Kacey sat on either side of her. Jessica, however, realized that Ashley was looking solely at her.