january fifteenth, 3021
dear journal,
today i learned how to make my first potion. it is one that is used for healing small cuts and bruises. it was kind of hard to do at first but i think i did it right. my mentor told me that tomorrow we need to get more supplies for my classes.
my second class will be tomorrow morning. she told me that she would try to start me off with something a little more simple than a potion. she wants to start getting me used to meditating without me creating my own protected space. once she knows i have the jist of meditation she'll teach me how to create my own protected space. that'll be saved for another class though.
my mentor has four other students besides me.. all of us are girls and we are all around the same age I think. there's this one girl who looks at me differently than she does at anyone else. it kinda gives me the creeps but i don't let it get to me.. i don't really know the other girls' names yet.. i don't really talk to anyone except the mentor. i guess it'll take some getting used to. i mean i was almost always shy. it's hard for me to speak up about anything.
our mentor says i just need a friend who won't push me away and who'll try to understand where i'm coming from but i don't think i'll find anyone like that here. my entire life is about my classes. i have no family. i have no friends. why would i try making friends with the only people i know especially since one of them really freaks me out? i don't know. i don't really care either. but I have to wrap up for right now. dinner is being served soon and then chores. then i have to study some of the papers and books that my mentor gave me today. she said that, depending on how i do on the placement test she's giving us on friday she might be able to break out the really old books of ancient witchcraft. they date back to before christ ever was conceived in god's mind.
sirius.
LATER THAT NIGHT:
dear journal,
after i ate some of the dinner that the other girls made, and after i did my chore, which was washing the stove and counters, i cracked open one of the books that keri (that's our mentor's name) gave me. inside, on the first page, was a diagram of the pentagram and the name of each point, with each name having it's own explanation. i turned the page to see another diagram, this one was of a human body and each of their energy points in the body. These were basic things to know about. i jotted down a few notes before i heard a knock at the door.
i pushed my chair back from the small desk that i had been given to work on. when i opened the door
my heart started pounding. it was the girl who constantly kept staring at me during class.
"can i come in?" she asked softly, her voice smooth and kind.
i opened the door wider and she walked in to sit on the chair i had been sitting in before she came to my room.
"i'm sorry that everyone has been picking on you. i don't like it. it makes me feel like knocking their heads together to see if that knocks any sense into them. but if i did that keri would have me outta here before i could make a potion," the girl said in a calm, soft voice as she watched me cross my legs under me on the bed.
"well it's not really fair that they judge me because of my name," i said quietly.
"NO it's not!. they give keri the excuse ' but it's a boy's name! she's a girl! she should have a girls name!'" the girl continued after i was done speaking.
"does anyone even know the reason why i have that name?" i asked with raised eyebrows at the passion and protectiveness in the other girl's voice.
"i can bet they don't. i don't think anyone knows anything about you except for the fact that you have a really unique name."
"thanks. you ever heard of the star called sirius?" i asked.
"yes. it's known as the dog star, right?" the girl asked.
"yeah, that one. well because i was born with many things that are different from most people, my parents wanted to give me the name of a star. and because these differences are unique, and I mean one-of-a-kind-can't-find-another-person-with-these-same-or-even-similar-differences type unique, they gave me the name of the most unique star," i explained the story to the only person who showed that she acknowledged my existance in the least.
"wow. that's really cool. but what do you mean about the differences?" the girl asked.
"what's your name?" i asked, putting off the conversation about the many reasons behind my name.
"faith," she replied, questions in her eyes.
"look into my eyes and tell me what you see faith," i said as i moved to stand in front of the girl.
she looked me in the eyes and gasped when she realized what i was talking about.
"your eyes… their pupils are not round… they're stars… and they glow like stars…" faith kept staring into my eyes as if she were falling into them slowly.
i nodded before i spoke again.
"that's not the only difference. look at my back and tell me what you see," i said as i pulled my shirt up so that she could look at my long, thin back.
"i see a very intricate tattoo. but i see… are you glowing?" she said, her eyes widening.
i nodded again and moved to sit on the bed again.
"i was born with the tattoo. and my parents believe that i may have been born with a star instead of a heart. look at my arms and legs. tell me what you see," i said again, as i pulled my sleeves up and my pantlegs.
she gasped again as she watched little glowing lines, where veins usually were, pulsate with the gases of the star that burned deep within my body. she touched my leg and her hands felt soft and cool on my skin. i felt a slight tingle run through my spine and it kinda surprised me. i had never felt this way before so i let it go at that point, not realizing that it would soon spill into something a little more intense than a tingle running down my spine.
faith noticed my reaction to her touch and raised an eyebrow.
"have you ever been with a girl before?" she asked.
"no... have you?" i responded, looking deep into those violet eyes and seeing a spark of interest rising into flames deep within them.
"uhh, no, unless you count your dreams," she replied with a smirk.
"do you think you're..." the words drifted off into nothing.
i didn't want to invade her personal feelings, thoughts, space, or anything like that..
"i don't know. i've wanted to try it but i never found a girl who'd do something like that. plus most couldn't handle a bad ass for a girlfriend," she replied, still smirking.
the flames that had lit up in her eyes started dancing hypnotically, and i became entranced. i couldn't pull my gaze from her and she didn't try to look away either so it didn't help. we sat there for a long time in silence, just staring into each others eyes, reading each others feelings through them. finally faith stood and stepped towards me. she bent down towards my face and our lips met for a brief moment. though it was short it was sweet and electrifying at the same time.
it left me dumbfounded for a few seconds. just as faith was about to walk out the door i grabbed her wrist. she turned back to me. i shoved all of my fears away in that moment and pulled her into me.
she stared up into my eyes before i bent my head enough to have my lips brush lightly against hers.
what i didn't know was how turned on she was getting from me holding her so close to my body, so when she moaned quietly i raised an eyebrow.
"sorry... i'm just so fucking horny right now it's hard to control it."
a small smile was hidden away by her full lips on mine. i felt her losing herself in my arms, wanting me. i had never thought that i would ever be wanted by anyone for any reason. it felt good. i slowly walked backwards towards my bed, still holding faith as i went. we fell onto the bed, me on the bed itself and faith holding herself over me, both of us breathing heavily. she stared into my eyes, looking for something. evidentally she found what she was looking for because next thing i knew she was slowly kissing down my cheekbone. she continued down over my collarbone as she slipped her hand under my shirt and bra. she began massaging my breast as her other hand slipped down my leg to pull my knee-length skirt up so that she could pull off my panties. when she did she swooped down on my face and we shared another very intense kiss as she threw the panties over her shoulder.
they hit the wall and fell to the floor. my brain was a little slow at registering what was going on because the last i knew it was almost midnight. i was always a little slower than usual this late. when it hit me though i let go of all my gaurds and shields that i always had up and started my hands up faiths shirt. i ran my hand down her back lightly as my other hand went for the latch on her bra. when it was unhooked faith looked at me with raised eyebrows and whispered softly,
"natural much."
i shrugged as she undid the buttons on my skirt. one of my hands slipped to the front of her to cup her breast while my other slipped to the button on the back of her mini skirt. when the button popped open i unzipped the skirt so that it slipped down her hips and thighs easily. i threw the skirt to the side and pulled her thong off. soon after i slowly felt my way down over abs and down in between her thighs. by this time faith had already stripped me of my skirt and was teasing me by rubbing my clit lightly with her fingers. i moaned quietly in her ear as she slipped a finger inside of me. i felt myself pour slowly over her hand. she smiled before she bent down to kiss me again, her tongue flitting over my partially parted lips.
i slowly rubbed her clit as she pulled my shirt off with her free hand. her mouth then moved to my shoulder as i started unbuttoning her shirt with my free hand. i felt her start to bite and lick and suck at my shoulder and i felt an electric shock go through my entire body. i bit my lip to prevent myself from being too loud. finally i was pushed over the edge and i entered her.
she was beyond slick inside so it was easy to fit two fingers comfortably without hurting her.
she almost collapsed on top of me from a head rush that flowed through her as i entered her. she rested her head on my shoulder for a minute as she held back her orgasm and suppressed a scream. i reached inside of her, pushed her to the edge, and she let out a low moan of pleasure. she drove further into me with her fingers that finally i couldn't hold it any longer. i had an orgasm that made it feel like i was about to explode from coming so much.
and because of this i made sure that not long after faith had her back arched as she moaned a little louder than she meant to. we stopped for a minute and listened. when we heard nothing i drove even further into her until she orgasmed with a shudder before she collapsed on top of me. i wrapped my arms around her and felt her breathing become more steady and even. before i fell asleep i pulled out my pack of cigarettes and grabbed my lighter from the nightstand. i lit one up and and looked down at her.
"i didn't know you smoked. if i had known that i would've brought my pack so i wouldn't have to bum one from you after that," faith said as she looked up at the cigarette that was hanging on my lip.
i pulled out another one and gave it to her. we sat there in silence as we smoked our cigarettes. when we were done i put mine out in the ashtray that i kept on my nightstand and then handed it to faith. after she put her's out and i put it back on the nightstand i slipped back down and she laid on top of me. before long i felt her breathing become steady and even again.
january sixteenth, 3021
dear journal,
soon faith was asleep in my arms and i let my eyes close slowly. when we woke up in the morning i looked down at her and she looked up at me, her head just under my chin. she kissed my chin and i pulled her up a little closer so that i could reach her lips. they were as sweet as the were last night.. i looked at the clock that sat on the night stand next to the bed.
"shit," i swore as i slowly started to sit up.
"fuck." faith noticed the time and i quickly ran to the bathroom to grab something for faith to put on so she could at least make it to her room to get clothes.
i turned to get my stuff for a shower when i heard her say,
"wait for me. please."
i nodded and gathered my clothes for class as well as my robes and my shower kit. i plopped it down on the bed and waited patiently for faith to return.
while i waited i pulled a cigarette and lit it up. i finished my cigarette just as faith walked in with her's almost gone. we put them out and i grabbed my stuff and pulled faith into the bathroom with me. i started the water and let it heat up as i got everything ready for when i was done.
"faith?" i said as i waited for the water to get hot.
"mmmm?" she replied as she placed her stuff next to mine.
as i watched thought about how right her things looked next to her own.
"what happened last night... does that make us... a couple?" i continued my question.
"do you want it to?" faith replied as she turned to me.
i took off my bathrobe and stepped into the shower. i let the hot water beat down on me for a bit as i thought about faith's response to my question. i didn't know what i wanted. all i knew is that it felt good. and that it felt right to be there with her.
"kinda," i finally said as she stepped into the shower with me.
she smiled as she wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder. we stood there like that for a bit before i let go of her and began washing up. she stopped me before i got very far. she did something i didn't expect and started washing my body for me. her gentle touch sent chills through me. when she finished, she smiled at the look on my face. that's when i took the body wash i had and i washed her. when we were both rinsed off completely i turned off the water and stepped out. i took her hand and helped her out as well. we stood on the towel, dripping wet, and just stared deep into each others soul.
i grabbed a towel from the rack and dried her off first. as i dried myself off i watched her get dressed. today she was wearing a black and red, plaid mini skirt and a black button down shirt. she brushed her long dark auburn hair and pulled it back into a tight ponytail. she turned to the other clothes that she had brought with her when she saw that i had finished drying off. she tossed me a pair of black bell-bottoms with a nice white button down shirt made of silk. i put them on and she smiled.
"you are so hot! i knew when i laid eyes on you that i liked you," she said as she had me turn.
when my back was to her she grabbed my ass and i squeaked. i spun around quickly and grabbed her, pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss.
"you never said good morning!" i replied when she looked up at me.
she smiled and kissed me again quickly before turning to the mirror to brush her teeth. i watched her as i brushed my bright red hair back into a ponytail. when she saw me finish she moved over so that i could get access to the sink. as i brushed my teeth my eyes were on faith, watching her as she put on eyeliner and black lipstick. when she was done she turned to me and smiled.
"would you ever wear make-up?" she asked as she looked over me.
she and i were quiet as she thought about what she said.
"i take that back. i wouldn't want you to wear it. your face looks perfect without it," she said instead of letting me answer.
i smiled and we walked out of the bathroom together. i grabbed my bag and started shoving my stuff for class into it. i put my robes on quickly before i threw my bag over my shoulder. i followed faith out of my room. before we left i locked the door. we walked down the hall to faith's room. she unlocked the door and flipped on the light. she stepped aside to let me enter. when i did i looked around at everything. she had one wall that had shelves lined with potion vials. they were all full.
"wow," i said as i looked carefully at one of the vials.
"that one is to heal the wounded soul. it's for if someone is so far gone in their misery and they can't pull themselves out of it," she said as she went around the room, grabbing her things for class.
"does it work?" i asked.
"yes."
"who made all of these?"
"me."
"really? how do you know how to make potions so well?"
"it's the simple fact that my parents mass-produced potions. but all of them were made by hand. and by hand i mean my hand," faith said as she looked up from what she was doing.
"is that why you can make them so quickly in class?"
she nodded and i smiled at her. she was an amazingly wonderful person and i kept learning things about her that continued to get more interesting as time went on. when she was done grabbing things from around the room she threw her robes on and we walked out of the room. she locked the door quickly before we headed downstairs. i looked at my watch and shook my head. we wouldn't have time for breakfast unless we were late for class. and if that happened we would end up having a consequence of washing all of the cauldrons in the back room. and there were at least forty.
so we walked quickly to the meditation room to see keri setting up mats for each of us.
"hi keri. can i talk to you real quick?" faith said as we entered the room.
"sure faith," keri replied as she placed the mat she had in her arms on the floor.
"keri, i was wondering if you could teach me how to do a double meditation?" faith asked.
"hmmmm. that's some advanced stuff you're talking about faith. who did you have in mind?" keri replied as she looked over faith's shoulder at me.
"well, sirius is a pretty levelheaded person," faith offered.
keri smiled before she answered.
"how about this, i give you your placement tests today, while everyone else does meditation. you'll have to go to another room and no peeking at each others work. but i have to make an announcement before class goes into session. i will let you guy's know what i think about you two doing advanced magic next period," keri said.
"thank you," faith said as she gave keri a quick squeeze.
just then everyone else started to file in. when everyone was seated keri moved to the front of the room.
"i have a few announcements to make before class begins," keri said as she waited for the chattering to die out.
when it did she continued.
"the first announcement will be that we are moving from this house into something much bigger," keri said.
everyone looked at each other and whispering started up between all of us.
"did you see this coming?" faith asked me.
i shook my head and she whispered,
"neither did i and i have a pretty good grasp of how to control that power."
i raised my eyebrow and she mouthed,
*i'll tell you later.*
i nodded and someone raised their hand. keri nodded at the girl.
"why are we moving?" the girl said in a high pitched voice.
"we have more students applying here every day. there are over two hundred girls who want to learn about our heritage and how to use it appropriately. that brings me to the second announcement i have," keri explained.
all went quiet as we all waited for our mentor to continue.
"we will be hiring new teachers just before we move to the new school. each of the classes will be taken over by a new teacher except for meditation and one-on-one time."
we sat in silence and waited for her to continue.
"third, there will be grade levels and separate classes. you will have to share a dorm with at least one other girl. i know it's a lot of changing to do in a short period of time but there are so many girls out there who can't find someone to teach them because other schools are to far away or some too close for comfort.. some can't pay twenty million dollars to get the training they need. we are going to be moving in five months at the earliest and eight months at the latest. any questions?" keri asked as she looked around the room.
when everyone shook their heads she sighed before she continued.
"the final announcement is that faith and sirius will not be joining us for meditation. they will be in another room taking their placement test."
when she finished she set everyone else up on a mat before she turned to us. she had us follow her to another smaller classroom. she went to the teacher's desk in the front of the room and grabbed two boxes, each with a packet resting on top.
"these are the things allowed to be used during the test.. everything having to do with the test is in there. yes faith, there are extras in case of an accident," keri said as she read faith's mind.
faith and i took the boxes. keri told us where she wanted us to sit. i sat at one end of the classroom while faith sat at the other. we began as soon as she told us she'd be back in half an hour to check on us.
i pulled different items out of the box and looked at the packet. my name was already on the top of the test. this was how my packet looked by the time i was finished:
sirius hawethenks
1. what do each of the points on a pentagram represent? earth, air, fire, water and spirit.
2. for how many years has magic been in existance? it is dateless because know one knows exactly how old the earth really is and magic dates back to even before the earth existed.
3. name at least a lord and a lady or two lords or two ladies from the greek, roman, and celtic beliefs and label each set with which culture they came from. brigid and epona are two celtic goddesses. apollo and artemis are twin brother and sister from the greek culture.. jupiter and pluto are two gods from the roman culture..
4. name at least four of the chakras and explain which part of the body in which they are located. the crown which is the top of the head, the third eye which is in the middle of the forehead, the throat, and the heart.
5. name all of the ingredients in the vials provided and then label the vials themselves. (the ingredients were dragons blood, holly, willow, crushed bay leaves, lavender petals and chamomile.)
6. now i want you to create a potion out of the ingredients that you labeled. remember to write down how you made it on a piece of paper and what it's purpose would be. (my potion was intended to strengthen psychic abilities while countering negative energy around the person who uses it.)
7. magic is created through the use of the will of the heart and mind. but there are some exceptions to this rule. what are four of these exceptions and how do they fall under these special circumstances? telekenesis is used through the will of the mind. levitation is also used through the will of the mind. and so are psychic abilities and self-copy.
next thing i knew keri was walking into the room, announcing that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes and that she would be collecting the tests now. faith and i grabbed our bags and left the room to go to the dining room. just as we left the room faith took my hand in hers. we dropped each others hand when we reached the dining room though. we sat together at one end of the table while the other three girls sat at the other end, staring at us as they whispered about us.
finally faith had had enough and stood up.
"you better watch what you say about her," she said through her gritted teeth.
"or what? are you gonna throw a potion at me faith?" the girl, who had evidentally been talking about me, said in a high-pitched voice.
"i challenge you," faith finally said, her face turning red with anger.
as faith got angrier i actually saw flames start to lick her hair.
"uh faith... your hair's in flames," i said from behind her.
"i know. it does that when i'm pissed," faith replied without taking her eyes off of the girl.
i saw a ball of flames form in the palm of faith's hand as she grew ever more pissed.
"you can't challenge me! we aren't allowed to duel. i'll tell keri if you throw that!" the girl shrieked as she stared at faith's hand, wide-eyed.
just then, keri stepped out from behind the wall.
"well, jessica. aren't you going to accept faith's challenge? because i could have you expelled for being very rude to your peers. this'll be your way out of that.," keri blew up jessica's spot right then.
jessica went pale and nodded and then looked at faith and said,
"don't think you'll win this."
then she stomped out of the dining room with the other two girls behind her.
"i'll let her know that the duel shall be before dusk tonight. we will go over the rules just before you guys start the duel," keri said just before she turned and walked back out of the dining room.
"have you ever been in a duel before?" i asked as i watched faith cool down.
she shook her head before she bursted out laughing.
"no but i have a plan," she said in between her gasps for breath.
i smiled and helped her out of her chair. as we walked down the hall keri pulled us aside and said,
"first off, i'd like to congratulate the both of you on passing the test with a's. second, i'd like to know where faith learned how to makes such a potion?"
"my parents mass-produced potions for a living. i was the one who made them all by hand. up until the last fifty or so, when the factory blew up with my parents in it," faith explained quietly.
"oh. i'm so sorry. and sirius, how do you know that self-copy exists?" keri said.
"well, the power runs in my family?" i replied.
"what?! you belong to that family line?! self-copy was found in only one family that everyone thought had ended centuries ago!" keri exclaimed in shock.
faith turned to me with raised eyebrows.
"self-copy is an ancient technique that was used during the wars of light and dark back just after the earth had been created. this family was the second to exist on earth. they belonged to the dark side of things. the woman had a child who, when he grew up used the self-copy for good.
his parents had him exiled to another country. he was banned from ever going back to his home country in england. in ireland he met a woman whom he took for his bride. and the power was passed on for hundreds of years. the strangest thing about the family is that each generation only had one child who obtained the power. meaning never did any of the kids ever have a sibling," keri explained as she eyed me.
"it's true.. i do not have any brother's or sisters and everyone in my family has been dead for years. my parents died when i was only four," i said in response to keri's lecture on my family history.
faith just stood there and stared at me. i looked at the floor. i hadn't expected to spill my entire family history onto the floor so soon and i was kinda ashamed of it.
"i'm willing to teach the both of you more advanced magic but only if you think you can handle it," keri said.
faith and i nodded and keri walked away, leaving faith and i alone in the hall. faith put her hand gently under my chin and lifted it so that she could look me in the eye. all i saw there was love. i had expected her to be upset about the fact that i kept my history a secret.
"i understand. it's a lot of pressure to grow up knowing that you're a legendary witch," she said as she read my thoughts like a book.
i smiled at her. i should have known that she'd be understanding and not angry.
"why should i be angry? i'm dating a girl who's a descendant of a legendary family line! i think it's cool to have such an amazing history," she said as she continued to read my thoughts.
she took my hand and we walked to our next class, not letting go even after we walked through the door. we sat at a table together and pulled out our notebooks for spell casting. the class went by quickly and soon enough faith was dragging me to her bedroom to prepare for the duel. she pulled out a bunch of ingredients for a potion. after the potion was almost completed and she was leaving it to set she turned to me. as she did so i pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.
"she asked if i would throw a potion at her so that's exactly what my final move will be. i will make the antidote after this one is done setting. it should be done after we eat dinner, which should be being served in the next ten minutes," she said.
she watched me for a minute before deciding she wanted a cigarette as well. she pulled her pack out of one of the drawers and took out a cigarette. she lit it up and continued to watch her creation set.
"what's the potion going to do?" i asked curiously.
"you have to swear you'll tell no-one," faith said as she stared at me hard.
"i swear on the honor of james hawethenks that i will not tell a soul," i vowed.
"who's james hawethenks?" faith asked,before she took another drag off of her cigarette, just as curious as i was about the potion.
"remember the son who turned on his family who supported the dark magic? that's his name," i explained.
"wow. that's a pretty big vow. okay. it's supposed to act basically like battery acid except worse.. instead of just burning her and giving her burns it'll actually start to eat away at her skin like termites eating through wood," faith explained.
"and there's an antidote for it?" i inquired.
"yes. technically it's almost like a hallucination. or it'll seem like it after she's had the antidote. but this potion here will really eat her skin and if i don't get the antidote on the areas that were hit with it before fifteen minute pass she would end up a skeleton," faith explained.
"don't you think that's kinda dangerous?" i asked nervously.
"dueling in general is dangerous. why not make it fun in the process?" faith replied nonchalantly.
"if you say so," i replied with a shrug.
we squashed our butts before we walked out to go to dinner after we locked up. we hurried back upstairs after we ate and completed our chores. faith dipped a vial into the cauldron, using a pair of tongs to do so. when she pulled out the full vial she put it,, cap-less on the table.
"wanna see how this shit works?" she asked excitedly.
"sure," i said.
she pulled out a piece of steel and placed it on the table. she then pulled out an eye dropper and squeezed some of the potion in to it. she wore gloves the entire time she handled the stuff. she turned and placed a solitary drop on the piece of metal and we watched as the potion ate through it easily. my eyes widened at the piece of metal which now had a hole going through the center of it that was the size of the tip of my thumb.
"wow," i breathed quietly.
"i know. i made this one up myself when i was fifteen," faith explained.
i nodded and continued to stare down at the piece of metal as faith capped the vial. she turned and started pulling out the ingredients for the antidote when keri knocked at the door.
she stepped inside and looked at us.
"i was thinking about how i had said we would have to move and you girls would have to share rooms. you two wouldn't mind bunking together, would you?" she asked.
"no. we wouldn't mind at all," faith said as she winked at me.
"well then with that settled i should advise you two of two things: start packing your things. it turns out we found the next place sooner than we expected and i'd rather get you guys over there first before anyone else because i know you two can handle being in a big old castle by yourselves. the second thing is that if you're gonna be doing anything during the night try to keep it down. as much as i am pleased that you enjoy each others company to that extent i still don't want to hear it through the walls when i'm trying to sleep," keri said.
faith and i looked at each other with wide eyes before we started giggling. keri smiled and then said,
"the duel will take place in an hour and a half so i hope you're ready by then faith. i just hope your antidote works as quickly as your decidic potion."
i looked quickly at faith as she gaped at keri.
"we'll go over the rules in about an hour," keri continued, ignoring faith's look of awe.
faith nodded and continued preparing the antidote. keri left soon after. it was unbelievable.
soon enough it was time to go to the court yard to hear the rules, set up by keri, of the duel.
"there are only two rules: no tag teaming your opponent. you are allowed any attacks until your opponent concedes defeat," keri stated in an official tone of voice.
we all stood in a circle around keri and then she moved to the center of the courtyard with faith and jessica.
"now this is a one hundred pace duel. you are to walk one hundred steps each away from each other. when i say draw you may begin your duel," keri announced.
faith and jessica stood back to back for a moment before starting their paces. the instant they each reached one hundred keri shouted,
"draw!"
and the wands were whipped out. with my nerves going bizerk i pulled out another cigarette and lit it up as i watched my girlfriend and the girl who constantly picked on me prepare themselves for a very big, very real fight.
faith sent a stun spell flying at jessica and jessica blocked it. then jessica sent an itching spell at faith and faith jumped out of the way. this attack pissed her off and i saw the flames start to lick at her hair again. jessica sent a dozen vines after faith and they wrapped themselves around her. this really pushed faith over the edge. she singed the vines with her flaming body as she formed a large ball of flame in the palm of her hand.
"you've only managed to master one element jessica. you've forgotten how much experience i have with the elements!" faith shouted as she hurled the ball of flames at lightning speed at jessica.
immediately after faith had thrown the flames an earthquake rumbled, sending a fizure down right between jessica's feet.. faith looked at me and smiled wickedly. my jaw dropped. she had caused the earthquake. i looked up then just in time to see blackish purple clouds rolling in overhead. i heard a crack of lightning as it hit the ground in front of jessica. and through all of it jessica remained calm. i watched as jessica kept evading and blocking faith's attacks. i felt like it was going to be a draw when it hit me. tag-team means two different people, i thought as i continued watching the battle. my mind reverted back to the ancient technique of self-copy. faith saw the images in my head. i heard her say *do you trust me with this power?*
i looked at her. *i can't just let you take it. i'd have to take something even more important in return. it's a rule.* she heard my thoughts and replied with her own: *i will give you my heart and myself in two years time. i will marry you if you want that. will that be enough of a trade.?* i didn't answer. my ancestors answered for me. i watched as faith bordered the entire courtyard. i had forgotten that the technique wasn't limited to just one copy. you had unlimited copies. it all depended on how much energy you had stored up before hand because it's your energy that pushes the speed at which the cells in a person's body will duplicate.
the original faith passed the vial from hand to hand as everyone stared at her. she laughed as jessica slowly tried to back away from her but couldn't because she was on all sides. finally a copy of faith tossed the potion at jessica and she let out a scream as her face instantly started peeling and melting away.
"i give up!" she shrieked as she fell to her knees in front of the whole class.
faith snapped back into one person and walked over to jessica and dropped the antidote in front of her. as she turned to walk towards me she said,
"there's the antidote. now don't fuck with me again or else i won't make the antidote."
jessica grabbed the vial and ran for the house. i ran to faith and she grabbed me in a huge hug.
"very well done," a voice said from the shadows.
a man stepped out from under a tree and walked over to where i stood.
"you used our technique very well faith. remarkable that someone from outside the family could have mastered it so quickly. although, after the promise you made sirius just before you received our gift, you might as well be part of the family," the man continued thoughtfully.
"who are you?" faith asked as she looked from me to the man and back.
"why, i am james hawethenks. well to be more precise i am the spirit of james hawethenks. i was brought here by your doing. you made a promise to my descendant, sirius, and i need to make sure you uphold your promise. if in two years you two are not married when i return you will not like the outcome of it," james said.
"what would the out come be?" faith asked boldly.
"for one thing we would send our ghostly after you assassins to slice your eyes, as pretty as they may be, so that you will be blind. we will stab your ear-drumbs so that you may be deaf. and you shall be all alone. and you will live forever. you would never die. and you would suffer these consequences for all of eternity," james warned.
"okay," faith said solemnly.
in an instant james was gone.
faith and i walked back to the house, holding hands as we thought about what had just happened.