Chapter 3

At the indoor flea market later, Fi browsed some nearby tables while her brother and grandfather haggled over the price of a pool stick. The small town her grandparents lived in had this event in a huge, old barn for a week once during each season. Fi had plenty of memories of visiting for the occasion and helping her grandparents set up tables.

This time, however, her grandparents hadn't had enough junk to put out this year, so Fi was free to wander the tables as she pleased. Grandpa Colin had said he would buy her whatever she wanted, but knowing both he and Grandma Kathleen were retired, she looked for cheaper items. Not that there was anything over fifty bucks at a flea market, unless a seller had specialty items.

A purple t-shirt caught her eye, so she picked it up for inspection. It seemed barely used, and sure enough, further examination proved that the price tags were still attached. The original price had been crossed out, and a sloppy "3" was written above it. Three bucks? Fi thought. Perfect.

"Hey, um, excuse me?" Fi asked the man behind the table. When he nodded at her, she held up the shirt. "Could you hold on to this for just a few minutes? I promise I'm going to come right back and buy it."

When he agreed to put the shirt to the side, Fi ran to get her grandfather. She walked up to the table where an elderly man held a nice pool stick in her hand. Her grandfather and brother had serious looks on their faces, which to her indicated that they were still haggling, so she stood to the side.

"Now come on, Bill," Colin insisted, his palms flat on the table. "You and I both know you got rid of your pool table years ago, and that thing's been collecting dust in your garage ever since. You were going to give it away if this flea market hadn't been coming up soon. Five dollars, or we walk."

Bill paused for a second, a serious look on his face, his hand under his chin."Fine, but only because I've known you for ten years."

"Deal," Colin said. The two shook hands, and Bill handed over the pool stick.

As they walked away, Jack pumped his fist in victory. "Fi, you missed it! Grandpa got him to lower the price down from twenty bucks! Thanks Grandpa!"

Colin laughed. "You're welcome, Jack. Now maybe it'll bring good luck."

"I don't think I need it," Jack said as he examined the pool stick in his hands.

"I meant for me!" Colin teased. "Let's hope it's a bad luck charm for you."

While Fi chuckled, Jack retorted, "Nice thing to wish for your only grandson."

Colin laughed again, then turned to his granddaughter. "So Fi, did you find anything you want?"

"Yeah, it's over here," Fi answered. They bought the shirt, and Fi thanked her grandfather before he and Jack went to look visit more tables. She searched among the crowd for her mother to show her the "new" shirt, and spotted her at a table full of old record albums.

Before she could take a step in that direction, however, her grandmother walked over and intercepted her path. "There you are, love!" Kathleen greeted.

"Hey Grandma," Fi greeted and held up her shirt. "Look what Grandpa got me! Don't worry, it was only three bucks."

But her grandmother didn't seem to interested in the purchase. "It's lovely," she replied even though she'd barely glanced at it, then looked around. Her eyes rested on Molly, who was a good distance away, then put an arm around Fi and guided her in the opposite direction. "Come with me, Fiona. There's someone I want you to meet."

Fi sensed the urgent tone in her grandmother's voice, and was instantly curious. "Who is it?"

"An old friend who I think will be able to help you," Kathleen mysteriously replied, but didn't say anymore as she guided Fi towards the back of the barn.

The way the barn was set up, the majority of tables were gathered close together near the front doors, the so-called "prime real estate" of the flea market. Congestion thinned out the further back a customer went. They passed the first group of tables that were crammed together, and the second that had some breathing room, Finally they slowed down as they arrived at the section closest to the back wall of the long barn, that tended to be less populated since it was typically a dark, damp place.

"Grandma?" Fi questioned, but Kathleen shook her head in assurance, and they turned into one of the aisles that held only four tables. They stopped at the second one.

Fi couldn't figure out why this table didn't have a prominent spot at the front of the barn. The table was covered with sparkling jewelry. All of them seemed to contain a deeply colored gem of some kind, and most of it was silver. And they were all beautiful. "Wow," she whispered.

"I'm glad you like it," said the woman about Kathleen's age behind the counter in an Irish accent. Her long, auburn hair reached down to her waist, which was impressive given that she was at least a head taller than Fi's grandmother. Her thin frame was clothed in a long, deep blue skirt and a dark gray sweater. She stretched out a hand for Fi to shake. "You must be Fiona, the granddaughter I'm always hearing about. So nice to finally meet you."

As Fi shook hands, Kathleen nodded proudly. "Yes she is! Fi, this is Nora. We knew each other back in Ireland, and came to America together."

"Oh, cool! It's great to meet you too," Fi replied. For a brief second, she wondered why, in all her visits, she had never met Nora before.

Her question was answered when Nora's expression turned from friendly to serious. "Ah," she said with a knowing look in her eye. "I know why you are here. You, Fiona, are an O'Sianhan witch."


Shocked, Fi took about half a minute to recover. She would have never expected to hear that from one of her grandmother's closest friends. While Grandma Kathleen knew about their family history with the paranormal, Fi had assumed that she'd put that life behind her when she came to this country. Then again, she supposed she should've caught the hint when Grandma Kathleen had said they knew each other from Ireland. "I-I guess Grandma told you. Are you a witch too?" she blurted.

Nora laughed and replied, "I figured your grandmother wouldn't tell you about me. You must have only recently found out about your heritage, otherwise Kathleen wouldn't have suddenly brought you here. Am I right?"

"Well, Fi's had her suspicions for a while. But...she's had a run-in with a demon, and I knew it was time," Kathleen answered.

At the news, Nora's gray eyes widened. "So young and so untrained, yet they already go after her? This isn't good news, Kathleen. It means they are already aware of the power she holds."

Kathleen nodded gravely. "I feared as much when I heard. So she is powerful, then? I knew she would be. The O'Sianhan magic has been suppressed for two generations - it tends to make itself known if ignored for too long."

"You are correct," Nora replied to Kathleen, but her eyes were focused on Fi. "It is radiating from her, an intense magical energy. She has the potential to be a great witch."

Stunned into silence, Fi could only watch the amazing conversation with her eyes wide. What's going on here? she thought, overwhelmed. Apparently, her grandmother was more knowledgeable about magic than Fi had always thought. And it seemed to Fi that Grandma Kathleen had always suspected that her granddaughter would be the one to renew their family's magic.

But she could ask her grandmother about it later. At the moment, she was more interested in Nora. "I-I don't get it," she finally managed to say. "H-how do you know this?"

"You asked me if I was a witch," Nora answered, then gave her a small smile. "I am, Fiona. My ability is to sense magical presence in others. I've detected a limited amount in both your grandmother and your mother...but you are different. If you embraced your gift, you could be a considerable force."

Fi let out a deep breath as she took in the information. This was good, actually. It meant that with some practice, she could take on whatever demons came after her. All she had to do was educate herself so that she wouldn't, say, accidentally conjure another dragon. "Thanks," she said. "Honestly, that's really comforting to hear."

"Ah, yes, you're worried about your demon problem," Nora replied.

"Yes, that's actually why we're here," Kathleen informed her. "I thought that Fi would be safer, not to mention feel much better, if you gave her one of your protection charms."

Fi's eyes widened, and she gave the various jewelry on the table another glance. "You mean, these are all...but how?"

"All witches have the ability to turn an ordinary object into a charm that will ward off evil. I've just practiced the craft so that mine are more effective," Nora explained, then indicated the pieces around her. "These have all been enchanted."

Though they were pretty, Fi held up her thumb, which wore her father's ring. "They're all wonderful," Fi assured her. "But I'm really not one for jewelry. Is there anything you can do with this?"

It was Nora's turn to be shocked. She put a shaking hand on the ring and leaned in close. "T-this ring...where did you get it?"

Confused, Kathleen answered for her granddaughter. "My mother gave it and its match, to Fi's parents. Her mother still wears the other one."

"Never take it off, Fiona," Nora insisted, so urgently that Fi tensed. "Your ring is packed with protection magic, which your great-grandmother must have done before she gave them to your parents. I also sense a strong spiritual connection, presumably to your father. It has probably saved your life many times." She then dropped Fi's thumb as if it was on fire and took a deep breath. "And I recommend you tell your mother come over here so I can see what magic is in her ring as well."

Though amazed by what she'd just learned, Fiona shook her head and instead replied to Nora's request. "No, no way. My mom would never go for that."

"She's right, Nora. You know how Molly is," Kathleen reminded her.

"It is not essential, but I highly recommend it. At least bring me the other, then, if Molly will not come," Nora compromised, though she didn't seem happy about it. "Not only would I be able to sense the power in hers, but I'd be able to sense the connection between the two. There usually is, if the two were given to two people who are close to each other. Then I would be able to renew the the connection if it has been weakened."

"What would that do?" Fi asked.

"It would help you call on your mother's magic as well," Nora explained. "Though she has suppressed her abilities, they're still there, no matter how much she may try to deny them." She then glanced at Kathleen. "That is how it works for any witch who tries to ignore what she is."

Fi raised an eyebrow when her grandmother lowered her eyes, but decided not to comment. Like any longtime friends, Kathleen and Nora clearly had issues. "Well, that would be great. I guess I could at least ask her for her ring."

"If you do, bring it to me immediately. I wouldn't want your mother unprotected for too long," Nora replied, then sighed and looked down at her jewelry. "I would give you something else to help you, but I think your ring is more powerful than anything I have here."

There was a noise at the end of the aisle, and all three looked up. "Well, you'll get rid of some soon, I think some customers are coming your way. I'll see you later this week, Nora. Even if Fi doesn't get the ring, I'll make sure she comes to say good-bye before she goes home."

"Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you, Fiona," Nora replied.

"You too, Nora," Fi said. Nora quickly began to straighten up her jewelry display as the potential customers neared, and Fi and her grandmother began walking back to the front of the barn. Though she had learned some amazing information, she had only one thought on her mind.

How can I possibly get Mom to give me her ring?


The next morning, Molly felt almost content as she did her make up in the bathroom. For the first time since New York, she and Fi were doing...okay. That little talk they had that first day seemed to smooth things over. Of course, she couldn't deny that Fi would be talking about the paranormal with Kathleen during the whole week. But it took the pressure off Molly, gave her some time to decide what she wanted to do.

Weeks ago, Molly would still be annoyed that Fi was talking about the subject at all. But after New York, everything changed. Molly was starting to understand that no matter what happened, whatever she did, Fiona would always be involved with the paranormal. For Fiona, it was like a personality trait, a part of herself.

Before, she thought that if she just discouraged Fiona as much as she could, Fi would give it up and see reason. Two years of that clearly didn't work. But then she canceled the tour. That would make this stop. It would confine Fiona to their hometown, where she couldn't find all these...things she found.

But then New York happened. They had just been taking an innocent trip for Molly to be on the talk show, and to visit the kids' aunt. And Fi had fallen off that roof. While she wanted to believe with all her might that her daughter had just slipped, she could not deny the feeling in her bones that it had been the result of foul play. Then Fi got back and told her the story about a demon pushing her off.

That was when Molly had her epiphany. There was nothing she could do about Fiona. Just like there had been nothing she could do about Rick. The realization had been...disheartening, and scary, which was why she had been so harsh on Fiona ever since the incident.

After not talking about witches or magic since the fight, Molly decided that this was the way to be. The key to getting long with her daughter was passivity. Fi could do all the investigating she wanted. Molly was just going to pretend it wasn't happening. When that didn't work anymore...that was when she'd consider losing her sanity and believing.

Satisfied with her hair and make up, Molly headed back into the room to check on Fi. Her daughter had been restless the night before, and had already been dressed when Molly awoke. Even though Kathleen and Colin were already up, Fi had decided to try and relax a little before the day began so she wouldn't feel exhausted later. Since Molly had a feeling that Fi had been worried about some perceived supernatural threat, she decided she wouldn't ask her daughter about it.

All part of her new passive attitude.

So when she got back to their room, Molly froze, then took a deep breath. Instead of sleeping, Fi was reading her spell book, which Molly hadn't even known her daughter had brought. Be passive, she told herself, as if repeating a mantra. Be passive. Just pretend she's reading a paperback or something.

"Hey, baby. Feeling better?" she greeted, her voice strained in her effort to be casual.

At her mother's voice, Fi looked up from the book, panic in her face. "H-hey, Mom..." she replied. Even though her mother hadn't said anything, Fi still closed the book and put it in her nightstand drawer. "Uh, yeah, I'm a little better." She then held her breath in anticipation of her mother's response to what she had just done.

Molly sighed as she walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "I've decided I'm not going to yell at you anymore. I'm just...I'm done. I can't believe you yet, but I won't get in your way."

The statement caught Fi by surprise. "Is this because of Grandma?"

"Maybe," Molly admitted. She hadn't been thinking of her mother, but she supposed she was another reason Molly had stuck by her decision to give up. Now that Fi had a supporter in the family, she would be even more unstoppable. "I just don't want to fight with you anymore."

"I don't want to fight with you either," Fi replied. "But sometimes, I won't be able to help it. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to admit it, but you're a part of this too."

Molly stubbornly shook her head. "No, Fi. These are your ideas, your beliefs. None of it has anything to do with me." At least, that was what she had been telling herself. Over and over.

"That's a lie and you know it," Fi retorted. Her voice was developing a note of anger "Grandma's friend said that she detected power in you. You're a witch, just like Grandma Kathleen, like Great-Grandma Fiona...and like me."

Annoyed, Molly jumped up from the bed. "No, Fiona! Don't you see that I'm trying to compromise here? Why do you always have to force this on me?"

"Because I can't stand it that you just keep denying what's right in front of your face!" Fi shouted.

"Well, you..." Molly trailed off, her retort cut off mid-sentence. "Grandma's friend"? she thought. Her eyes widened when she realized who Fi had been talking to. Then her fury spiked. "You...were talking...to Nora...weren't you?" she seethed.

Slightly afraid, Fi noticed she was still on the bed, and stood to face her mother. "Yes," she retorted with as much courage she could gather. "She said that you and Grandma have power, but that I have more because of how long the O'Sianhan magic has been suppressed. And that our rings have tons of protective magic in them, and they connect us to Daddy. You can't stand there and tell me that you've never seen yours glow."

Molly paused, then looked down at her ring. There had been many times she'd had to convince herself that it was just the way it caught the light...even when there was barely a light on in the room. Last time she saw her ring "glow" was that day, during her "premonition" on stage. Well really, she wasn't the one who had seen it. Later on, Irene had joked that Molly didn't have to worry, no one had seen the dazed look on her face because the ring had been so bright. Like Molly, Irene had dismissed it as a lighting error that had worked in their favor.

As if on cue, both rings began to emit a soft light. Molly sucked in a breath in surprise, but quickly put her hand down to her side so it wasn't in her line of vision.

"See? It's right there in front of you!" Fi insisted, tears in her eyes. "You can't keep doing this!"

But after two years of resisting, Molly wasn't about to give in just yet. "Yes, I can! Fiona, believe it or not, I am trying to accept that this is part of who you are. That will have to be good enough for now." Before she turned to leave, she added, "And I don't want you talking to Nora again."

Before her daughter could argue, Molly walked out of the room, her intention to go downstairs for breakfast. But she paused at the stairs to calm herself. And tentatively looked down at her ring again.

It was still glowing, now a little brighter than it had been before. Determinedly, Molly made a fist over the ring and stuffed her hand in her jeans pocket as she continued down the stairs.