Chapter 1
Rolling onto the main street in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a sleek black Challenger R/T, followed closely by a green Four-Door Wrangler and a red Ducati Superbike, pulled to a stop and parked in front of what looked like the local drug store.
Fallon O'Brien pulled off her helmet, shook out her spiky red hair, rubbed her bottle green eyes, and sat back in her seat, watching her three best friends pile out of their cars. Her leathers clung to her like a second skin, keeping her body insulated against the slight October breeze and the slowly setting sun. She swung her leather-clad leg over the side of her most precious possession, and stretched her petite frame all the way down to her boot-encased toes. A shudder of pleasure slid down her spine at the sound of bones popping and stiff muscles stretching.
"Holy hell," she drawled, her Southern accent definitely noticeable. "Whose idea was it to drive those nine hours straight from D.C, my ass is permanently molded to the shape of my seat…" She trailed off. "…We are definitely NOT below the Mason-Dixon line anymore, Toto." She took in the quiet tree-lined cobble-stone street and the slightly older buildings and couldn't quite help the shiver that racked her form. Except for a few people walking around at the other end of the street, she didn't see anyone.
Madison Blake closed the driver's side door of her Challenger, peered around with curious sharp gray eyes, ran her fingers through her waist length wavy black hair, and walked over to where Fallon stood observing. "What's the matter, Fal? Can't handle a little bit of spooky?" she joked. "Seriously, we've done this before. It's nothing new. It's not like we can't handle… the… creepy crawlies, right?" She questioned uneasily. The October breeze, or not so much the breeze, gave her a serious case of goosebumps even with the protective layering of her jeans, flat gray suede boots, and gray sweater. The sky was cloudy and overcast, totally unlike their hometown of Edgewater, Florida on the Florida Panhandle, where the sand was hot and the tide was high. There, it was always sunny without a rain cloud in sight, no matter the time of year.
Climbing down from behind the wheel of her Jeep, Blaire Mendez tossed her thick, straight brown hair over her shoulder and blew her bangs out of her face. She turned her wide honey brown eyes towards the sky and heaved a sigh. "Do you think the place could look any gloomier? I mean por el amor de Dios, it practically has 'evil' tattooed all over the place. It looks like it came straight from the mind of Stephen King himself." She shuddered from the top of her head through her forest green sweater and brown pants all the way to her toes, which were encased in her favorite brown flats. This place gave her the creeps. Sure the trees with their fall colored leaves were pretty, but still…
"Oh come on ya'll. Quit being pussies," smarted Charlotte Saunders as she slid her tall, lean body out of the passenger seat. Her curly blonde hair whipped in front of her cerulean blue eyes as she took in her surroundings. "Where is your sense of adventure? We've been in worse places than this. I like it. Kinda got that small town feel. Definitely mysterious. Something I could look forward to! So what if it is a bit gray and doesn't have the waves and sun, it could totally be my kind of place." She and Blaire walked to where Fallon and Madison stood at Fallon's bike. "Sorry Charlie, don't mean to bust your bubble or anything, but I just don't dig this place at all," complained Madison. "Maddie-kins, you are no fun…" Charlie sulked.
"Alright enough, what's the plan, chicas?" questioned Blaire. "I don't know about you guys, but I could totally use a bit of food before we head to the dorms to unpack."
"I agree," said Charlie. "It's almost getting dark, and I don't want to be driving down back roads trying to find this… Spenser's?... with nothing but headlights. I vote a quick bite and then back on the road. Then, when we get there, we can just unload and worry about unpacking. Maybe even do a bit of exploring. We ARE here for a reason." A nod of agreement went around the group. They spotted a small diner a couple blocks down the street and started walking.
After being seated, the young, pretty waitress came to take their orders. "Hi my name is Mac, and welcome to Brenda's Diner. What can I get for you ladies?" she said. "I want a Diet Coke with the chicken finger basket," said Fallon, clicking the barbell through her tongue against her teeth. "I want the salad plate with honey mustard dressing, and I would like water with lemon," said Blaire. "I want the bacon double-cheeseburger with fries and a Coke," said Charlotte, twirling a curl around her finger. "And I just want fries and a chocolate milkshake," said Maddie, eyeing the little girl's shake in the next booth over.
As their orders came, the girls made small talk, sharing their nervousness for transferring to Spenser, excitement for the new adventure, and a small amount of fear for the job they came to do. "So," Fallon whispered, "we basically just have to go to Spenser, pretend to be students, well, actually BE students, integrate ourselves into the student body, make good grades, keep up our training, discover what evil is brewing in this epicenter of magic, and thus, find the cause of Gaea's heebie jeebies? THAT'S IT? Well fuck, no pressure, huh?" "Si," agreed Blaire, "in a nutshell, that is what we're here to do." "BUT! She never said we couldn't ENJOY ourselves, no?" Charlie said conspiratorially licking her lips as she watched a cute boy walk across the street. All the girls laughed and heartily agreed.
They finished their dinner and paid their bill. As they left, a rowdy group of boys in school uniforms came through the door laughing and cutting up. Each was drop dead gorgeous in his own right. "Aye yi yi! Madre de Dios! Oh yes, ladies, if all the boys look like that, we will enjoy ourselves immensely!" cackled Blaire.
The dusky evening was cold as the girls pulled into the Spenser parking lot. Some students were still roaming the grounds, heading to what they assumed were the dorms. Misty fog was settling around the school, giving the whole place an eerie appearance. Surrounded by woods, the school looked like it came right out of eighteenth century England. With its turrets and steeples, it fit right into the Gothic era. "Well, this is lovely," Fallon muttered sarcastically as she slid off her bike. The other girls got of their cars, and they opened the back of the Jeep to unload their belongings. They grabbed some duffels bags and a couple boxes and walked to the main office to get their room assignments. "Hello, ladies. Can I help you?" the robust and cheery woman at the front desk questioned. "Hi, my name is Madison Blake, and these are my friends, Blaire Mendez, Fallon O'Brien, and Charlotte Saunders. We are transfers from Florida, and we need to get our room keys and such to move our stuff in, if you don't mind." "Ah, yes. We were informed that you would be coming in a little later than the other students. So, we already have your uniforms and rooms available to you. However, you will have to meet with Provost Higgins after the weekend is over to get the rules and regulations of the school and your schedules. He will be back Monday morning. I must say, after seeing your records and files, we are extremely glad to welcome such fine upstanding ladies to our lovely establishment." "Well, thank you, ma'am. We are just glad to be here. Driving from Florida was a bitc-oof! -I mean, it was pretty rough," Madison said through clenched teeth, rubbing her ribs where Blaire had elbowed her. "Well," said the woman, "here are your keys. You will be located on the third floor. Two per room, if you don't mind. I believe they are next door to each other, so, you will be close together. So, you can decide on the arrangements. But enjoy your first night here at Spenser, and the Provost will be in at 8:00 AM on Monday morning for you to pick up your schedules." "Thank you!" the girls chorused as they turned to head up the stairs.
True to her word, the rooms were next door to each other. Charlie and Maddie took the first room, and Blaire and Fallon took the other. After several trips to the Jeep, they were finally able to lock it up and settle themselves into unpacking mode. Several empty boxes later, and after piling clothes into the chest-of-drawers and stuffing them into the closet, the girls decided to call it a night. Tomorrow they would go into town for the essentials and do a bit of exploring to find what was going on in the town of Ipswich.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early, the sun's rays flitting between the crevices of the blinds and right onto the Charlie's closed eyes. She groaned at the contact trying to push away consciousness. After a few attempts to fall back asleep, she found that resistance was futile. She reached for her phone, trying to determine the hour. Pushing the center button, she saw the time read 9:27 AM. "Uggghhhhhhh…" she protested out loud. It was early, way early. But when her body refused to let her fall back asleep, she grumpily pushed back the covers and headed to the half bath to brush her teeth and relieve her bladder. When that was done, she quickly undressed, wrapped a clean towel around her toned body, and grabbed her toiletries she unpacked the previous night. Sending a jealous scowl over to Maddie, who slept peacefully on, blissfully in the darker part of the room, she silently crept out of the room and headed towards the girls' showers. Humming a melodic tune under her breath, she rounded the corner and screamed when her body collided with another sending both of them to the ground. Her toiletries scattered, and she just barely caught the towel before it fell to reveal her naked body. "Holy shit!" the other person yelled. She looked up at the masculine voice, and her mouth went shock dry, which for her, was never a common occurrence. "I am so sorry! I should have watched where I was going," the boy said with a sincere apology in his deep blue eyes. Charlie could say nothing. She just stared at the most beautiful person she had ever seen in her life. He was tall, taller than her, and lean, not ridiculously buff, and his t-shirt fit him snugly while his jeans settled low on his hips. His biceps were toned, and the muscles on his forearms danced as he reached for her shampoo bottle. His hair was short and dark, almost black. It was spiked in all directions, but looked amazingly soft. She wondered what it would be like to the touch... His face was soft, but very masculine with high cheekbones, dark eyebrows, and a pointed jaw. Good Lord… he looked like sex on a stick. Snap out of it, Charlie! She shook her head, pulled herself off the floor, and stuttered, "Oh nn-n-no, you're fine. I shouldn't have come around the corner so quickly." She pulled the towel tighter around her as he finished picking up her cosmetics and saw his eyes travel over her. "Oh, here you go," he said handing her the spilt items. "I, uh… I guess we're both to blame then, huh? My name's Tyler, and you're new…" She shook his hand, and felt a spark hit her palm and shoot up her arm. She quickly jerked it back, her eyes wide. "Hi, um, yeah. I'm new. Actually, my friends and I are new. Got here last night. Transferred from Florida. Name's Charlie, I mean, Charlotte. But my friends call me Charlie," she said in a rush. "Sorry, I talk really fast when I am flustered. I mean, not that I am flustered or anything, I just…" Her cheeks flamed. "Well, I, uh, yeah. I'm gonna go now, before I make myself look even more like an idiot…" She muttered to herself, and she rushed past him to the safety of the girls' bathroom.
Tyler wasn't really sure what just happened as he watched… what was her name…Charlie! That was it… Charlie… walk away from him and into the showers. She was cute when she blushed from rambling, and her clear voice and made him tingle. It was like water that rolled over him and teased him. And dear God she was gorgeous. Her eyes were the color of the water in the Caribbean, and her blonde hair was shoulder length and curled in tight ringlets. And she was toned, goodness, she was toned. He had felt that when she stumbled into him, his jeans tightened at the reminder of how she had felt. She was tall, and she fit to his body perfectly. Matched his in all the right places. Her tanned skin was clear and blemish free. Except for the tattoo… the tattoo he had seen as she was walking away. It was located just to the right of her right shoulder blade, but he couldn't tell what it was… He'd have to ask her about it the next time he saw her. He smiled. Oh yes, he'd see her again. The spark he'd felt when he shook her hand… He definitely felt it. Felt it run all the way through him. There was no way he could ignore that…
After bathing, Charlie stood in the shower for what seemed like forever, feeling stupid and embarrassed. She let the water from the shower fall onto her shoulders, letting the soothing feeling seep through her pores and into her bones. Water had always calmed her, ever since she could remember. It had empowered her. When she turned fifteen, she first heard it call to her. She could hear its whispers in her head, could feel its tendrils curl and writhe over her body. Three years later, after much practice and patience, she was now able to control the once overwhelming sensation. Her eyes glowed a bright blue, and she pulled the water that had fallen on the tile up over her feet and legs. Soon, it was almost like a protective covering. She let it coat her body, and when she had all the energy and she needed from her life source, she allowed the water to freely fall back down. Her eyes changed back to their normal color, and she shut off the faucets. After drying her skin, putting on deodorant, and applying lotion, she wrapped up in the towel and headed back to her room, praying not to run into Tyler. She reached her room, and upon entering, noticed that Maddie had awoken.
"Good morning, Maddie-kins!" Charlie yelled at her best friend. "Dammit, Charlie! Not so LOUD!" Maddie scolded her. She had woken up, changed into her yoga pants and a tank top, and was now in the Downward-Facing-Dog position of her everyday yoga routine. Yoga took concentration and controlled breathing, and now her breathing had been interrupted. "Oops," Charlie giggled, now whispering. "Sorry, Mads, forgot about your obsessive need for quiet and uninterrupted yoga-ing. I'll let you finish." "Gee, thanks for the consideration," Maddie retorted sarcastically. As quiet as possible, Maddie slid on her panties, clasped on her matching bra, and pulled on her warm, fuzzy socks. Opening a drawer, she grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them on. Then, she put on her tan Ugg boots and pulled a cute long-sleeved brown shirt on over her head. She brushed out her hair, put some mousse in it, and dried it. Once her curls were tamed, she applied her makeup. Nothing much, just some eyeliner and mascara. When she finished, Maddie was in the process of pulling her gray ankle boots on over her black leggings. Her gray sweater-dress fell neatly to her mid-thigh, and her hair, like always, fell in waves down her back. She quickly applied some black eyeliner and mascara. Five minutes later, both girls were ready and were walking next door to their best friends' room. "Rise and shine, loves!" Maddie yelled as she banged on the door. A few seconds later, Fallon opened the door to allow them to enter. Blair was already awake and dressed in a pair of wide leg jeans, green flats, and an olive green long-sleeved Henley. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail with her bangs and a few wisps of hair framing her face. She was using the mirror at her desk to apply her green eye shadow and mascara. Fallon on the other hand had just rolled out of bed, apparently. Her shocking red hair was sticking up in all directions, her bright green eyes were still hazy with sleep, and her four-sizes-too-big sleep t-shirt was sliding off one of her delicate shoulders. "Haha, Fallon, please tell me you are not just getting up… It's almost eleven!" Charlie smiled. "STFU, Charlie… Some of us need our sleep. And it will only take me a few to get ready." Turning to her closet, Fallon pulled out a pair of skinny jeans, her leather, 2-inch-heeled boots, and her leather zip up jacket. Then, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a red lacy bra. Flipping off Charlie, she went into the bathroom to change. Five minutes later, she came back out ready to go. Her red hair was still sticking in all directions, but a little more tame and neat, expertly done with the help of styling gel. Her eyes were rimmed in black liner and mascara. Her lacy red bra was peeping out of her zipped up leather jacket, and her jeans fit her closely. She grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Ya'll ready to see what this town has to offer?"