AN: Hey Everybody! So out of all the new fic ideas that I had, this is the one that won out. I really wished I had taken the time to storyboard it so I would have a clear vision of where I was going, but I'm impatient. But I do know where I want to go with this so there's that, and while I'm working on this I'll try to storyboard something else. And with that said I just want to point out a two things.
1. This is AU Senior Year which would be Season 3. Most prominent change is that Quinn never became a skank. She's still part of the Cheerios and her hair is still short and for visual reference just think back to "On My Way" when she was in her Cheerios uniform. Admittedly, the way she looks isn't that important, but I'm still really disappointed that we only got to see her back in her Cheerios uniform, and with short hair at that, for only a couple of minutes.
2. The spell that I have in this chapter is in Latin, or at the very least it's supposed to be. I have never taken Latin. I don't know anyone who has taken Latin. And I don't know of any 100% correct online translator. This spell could very likely be worded incorrectly, and if anyone knows if it is, I'd very much appreciate it if you told me.
Quinn was browsing through her local bookstore when she found it, a large black tome with ornate cravings into it. It bore no title, nor any indication of an author. There was nothing about it that could have caught her eye, but it was the mystery surrounding this book that intrigued Quinn enough to pick it up and look inside. The writing was elegant, almost as though it were hand written. It was beautiful. Quinn flipped through the pages, and as she read it became clear that the book in her hand held no story.
No, it didn't tell a tale in some faraway fantasyland as she had hoped. It was better. Then a thought came to mind and she went back to the table of contents to check, if by chance, there was a certain something in this book. As eyes skimmed over the words her lips began to curve upward. Oh, this would be fun and she needed a bit of fun, just a little something to brighten up her mood. She was excited, and although she still kind of needed a new book to read, Quinn quickly made her way to the check-out counter. Besides it's not as though she couldn't just come back the following day if she needed too.
After a hasty transaction she was off, and with purchase in hand she ran for her car and sped home. Thus far, Quinn had had a pretty bad year. She had promised herself that she'd be nicer to Rachel, that she'd try to be friends and slowly build her way up to asking her out. But whenever Rachel was around Quinn would get nervous and scared and thus she would inadvertently revert back into Head Bitch mode.
And that was really just a shame. She had less than a year left before high school was over and that meant less than a year to get things right and to, hopefully, get the girl of her dreams. It was actually kind of pathetic, especially since was now going to hide her head in a book instead of going out there and taking some action. But she hoped that the thing she was about to do would at least help in doing just that. Maybe, just maybe it would give her the courage to go up to Rachel and say something nice to her for a change.
When she finally got home the house was empty, which may have been for the best. She darted upstairs into her room and jumped into her bed. She pulled out her new book, and after rechecking the table of contents, flipped over to the chapter which she looking for; love spells and potions. They weren't real of course, Quinn knew that. Magic didn't really exist but she liked to think that it did. And really, what harm could be done if she used this book as a way to build up some confidence by convincing herself that Rachel loved her back?
It was all just fun and games really. Quinn liked the idea of being a witch… a good witch of course.
She looked through her spell book, examining each spell and potion carefully. There plenty of them and each appeared to have different effects ranging from mere infatuation to lust and everything in between. The effects of some were temporary, others permanent. A couple looked fairly complex and others could be completed with everyday household items. It was actually pretty impressive; how much work someone had put into making a realistic spell book. At the very least, it was well worth the price.
Quinn searched a while longer as she tried to find the ideal spell. Really, any one would have been sufficient for her goal but she was going to play the role of a witch then she was going to do it right. A smirk crept onto her lips as at that moment she began to think of Rachel and her need to fully engulf herself in any role that was presented to her. It was always a cute sight. Quinn shook the idea out of her mind and continued with her efforts.
She scanned through the pages at a steady but fast pace until she found it. "The True Love Spell," she read. The name sounded a bit presumptuous, but given Rachel's theatricality it felt fitting. "When used, the True Love Spell will allow its caster to enchant any man or woman and have that person fall in love with him or her. The enchanted person will then devote themselves entirely to him or her. They will love and care for him or her with all their heart." This was it. Quinn knew it, this was the spell.
She studied the spell more closely and found that a small ritual would be needed to preform it. At the top right corner of the page was a list of ingredients that would be required. She would need candles, the petals of Rachel's favorite flower, a lock of Rachel's hair, and a lock of her own. Candles were simple; she would snag some from her mom, and she could easily cut off some of her hair. Getting Rachel's hair would be a bit more problematic but it was doable. And the flower petals… well, she had an idea of what Rachel's favorite flower was but she didn't know for sure.
It wouldn't take too much work to get what she needed, and it might even be fun. Since her mom wasn't home yet, Quinn decided that it was as good opportunity as any. She got out of her bed and snuck into her mom's room. She went into her closet where she found the box of candles that her mother kept in case of blackouts. There were a couple of scented candles mixed in with the plain ones, and while Quinn was intrigued by the names of some, she stuck with the average non-scented ones.
Quinn picked out a couple of small candles and brought them back to her room after fixing up her mom's closet to make it seem like she hadn't disturbed it at all. And after nabbing a pair of scissors and a quick snip, Quinn had half of what she needed. That was all she would be able to do for the time being so she returned to her spell book and went over how to preform her spell. The instructions were pretty clear. After arranging everything in a particular way she'd have to recite an incantation and it would be done. It seemed simple enough.
She put away what she had gathered so far and grabbed for her backpack. Quinn pulled out her homework and tried to get started on that, but she couldn't focus. Her mind kept drifting back to her spell book. Even if it was all just make-believe, it was actually pretty exciting. Despite her best efforts, Quinn didn't get much done for the rest of the day. Later on she had nice, quiet dinner with her mother. And when night fell Quinn sat in her bed with her covers wrapped around her as she read through her spell book with aid of a flashlight.
It was an amazing piece of work. So much detail and care was put into piecing it together. And the feel of the paper, it was unlike most any other book Quinn had ever held. It felt old and worn as though it would tear at just the slightest action, and yet it was also strong. There was something about this book that Quinn couldn't understand. She stayed for hours, studying it but eventually her body gave out and she fell asleep with her spell book nestled safely in her arms. Quinn awoke with a new sense of purpose. It was a new day, a school day at that, and one where she would need to snatch some of Rachel's hair. With a sigh, she got up from her bed to get ready for what awaited her.
After cleaning up and getting dressed up in her Cheerios uniform Quinn went downstairs and had a nice breakfast with her mother. A few questions were thrown her way about if she knew anything about her mom's candles, but she denied any involvement. It was pretty clear that Judy was skeptical but as long as she didn't find out that her daughter was practicing the occult there would be no harm done. Quinn finished up her meal and after kissing her mother on the cheek she was off.
The drive to school was a tense one. Quinn was nervous. The simplest and most direct way of getting the hair she needed was to pluck it straight out from Rachel's pretty little head. That would hurt and it surely wouldn't help her in her efforts to win Rachel's heart. Quinn could only hope that she'd be able to find a hairbrush, a headband or something of the like to snag some of her locks instead. When she reached the parking lot Quinn sent Brittany a quick text, instructing her to ask Rachel what her favorite flower was. And then after some thought, she sent out another telling Brittany to make sure not to tell Rachel why she was asking. A few seconds later her phone buzzed with a response.
Brittany: Are you finally going to ask her out?!
Quinn's face reddened instantly. She should have expected something like that but she didn't and she wasn't really sure what to say.
Quinn: Maybe.
Going with a vague answered seemed like the best idea. Of course it would all be a bit sudden to just ask Rachel out right now. They weren't even friends yet… or they weren't really friends. They were more under the category of frenemies, kind of. At times it was kind of hard to tell. Her phone buzzed again.
Brittany: You totally should. Then you and Rachel can go on double dates with me and San.
Quinn: We'll see. Are you going to ask her?
Brittany: Sure Q. And don't worry, I'll be discreet.
Quinn smiled as she read her friend's reply. There was no reason to doubt that Brittany wouldn't have done as she asked but she was a little worried. Brittany's definition of discreet wasn't exactly the same as her own. But all the same, Brittany was her only real option. And with that in mind, Quinn headed off to get the last ingredient. With well memorized steps, she made her way to Rachel's locker where she found the brunette grabbing some books out of her locker.
Much to Quinn's displeasure, she wasn't wearing a headband or any hairclips. It looked like she had to do things the hard way. Quinn strode over to her. She kept her eyes straight to keep up appearances, but she carefully watched Rachel out of the corner of her eye. Once she was within range, she reached up for a loose strand of Rachel's hair and tugged. The reaction was instant. Rachel cried out in pain, her hands flying to the back of her head. Immediately Quinn felt bad but she continued to walk until Rachel called out to her. "Quinn! What was that for?!" Quinn spun around on heel to face her. Behind Rachel's anger, Quinn could see tears prickling in her eyes. Now she felt really bad, but she hid her feelings behind a mask of indifference.
"What was what for?" she asked with faux innocence.
"You pulled my hair," Rachel accused to which Quinn scoffed.
"You wish." She spun back around and continued off to class. After rounding a corner she looked down at the lock of hair in her hand. She fully regretted her actions, especially since it was done because of some silly spell. But it was too late to take back her actions now. She took the lock of Rachel's hair and safely tucked it away into her bag.
For the rest of the day, Quinn made certain that Rachel would be left alone. It wouldn't fix anything, but knowing that Rachel was would be okay at least made Quinn feel a little better. And every chance she could, she watched Rachel intently. From what she could tell, Rachel seemed to notice the change and every so often she would rapidly check around her as though what she was experiencing was simply the calm before the storm.
But after a while she came to accept that nothing else bad would happen to her for the rest of the day. She grew more relaxed and stopped checking over her shoulder every few seconds. And during a brief moment when she caught Quinn looking, Rachel looked at her with these big, brown doe eyes. She gave her a smile and a silent thank you, or at least that's what Quinn thought Rachel did. Seeing that smile directed at her, Quinn almost forgot about her spell.
And she would have too if not for the timely arrival of Brittany. "Gardenias!" she said immediately, not even taking the time to say hi. She excited and giddy, practically bouncing with energy. Actually, she was bouncing.
"What?"
"Gardenias," Brittany repeated. "Rachel's favorite flowers are gardenias."
"Gardenias, huh?" So she was right after all.
When school let out Quinn went straight to the flower shop. She bought a single gardenia and then went home. She had everything she needed, and while she stilled hated herself for hurting Rachel there was no reason for her not to go through with her spell. She went up to her room and gathered everything she needed. With careful reference to her spell book, Quinn set everything as needed. She felt like a genuine witch. It was very exciting. To help set the mood, she turned off the light and shut the curtains.
With her lit candles providing the only light, Quinn sat down on the floor of her room. She picked up her spell book and went over the ritual one last time before starting the incantation. "Est purus Amor, amores. Amore mihi, quia te amo." As she spoke the words, Quinn felt… something. It was hard to describe. It was just a feeling, something deep inside her heart. Suddenly a strong gust blew into her room, blowing out the candles and causing the flower petals as well as the locks of her and Rachel's hair to dance about. And then, just as suddenly everything calmed.
Quinn felt out of breath. She got up to check the window, but it was surprisingly closed. Quinn had no idea where that odd wind came from, but she decided not to dwell on it. Her room was in quite the state and she needed to clean it up. After doing just that, she hid her spell book inside her closet. Just like she had thought, it was really fun pretending to be a witch. Maybe she'd try out another spell the following day.
AN: Well... I'm pretty sure that you all saw that coming. Now the question is; what's the worst that could happen? What do you think? Or do you think that everything will work out fine? Questions, questions. Until next time.
