CHAPTER. TEN
Eden and Lucy waited at the gate that was to board for Houston, Texas.
"You better call me now and then or send me a text or something to let me know how you're doing" Lucy told her.
"You really think I'm going to forget?"
"No, but I'm just saying. I'm really going to miss you kid."
"I'm going to miss you too Aunt Luc. I will fly out there to see you all."
"I hope so. When your car sells, I will send you a check in the mail."
"I have a better idea." Eden went into her purse and pulled out a deposit slip with her name on it.
"Just deposit the money in my account with this. I've done it for mom before, so it shouldn't be a problem. I don't trust the post." Lucy took the slip and put it in her purse.
"I'll keep you up to date with the house. I was thinking, we should just sell it ourselves instead of going through a realtor. We can make more money that way."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I bet Mr. Kane knows a thing or two about the house."
"I know enough about the house to sell it, don't worry." Eden nodded.
The minutes flew by and before they knew it, Lucy's plane was boarding. They said their goodbyes and Eden watched the aircraft take off down the runway. Eden walked back through the airport quickly to get back to her car.
By the time she crossed the bridge and was on the island, it was a little after seven. As she drove down Page Road, Eden got distracted by the lights on the water. She turned her attention back to the road and screamed as she swerved and slammed on the brakes. She sat there with both hands on the steering wheel and her mouth was wide open.
"What the HELL was that?!" she shouted. It was a person, she knew that for sure. A person who had incredible speed. Maybe someone who was running….
Eden put the car in drive and continued down the road, not taking her eyes away again.
Eden pulled into the driveway and parked next to her grandma's car. She grabbed the shopping bags from the backseat, as well as Diana's urn, and went into the house. Clark barked a couple of times and came running at her.
"Yes, I'm home."
"Good timing, dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," Abigail said from the kitchen.
"Awesome. I'm going to bring my stuff up to my room and start unpacking."
"I'll call you when it's done." Eden grabbed her duffel bags first and lugged them upstairs. It took her three trips, but she managed to get everything into her bedroom.
She started putting her clothes in the dresser and hung up two dresses and one casual outfit.
"All this closet space and no clothes to put in it" Eden laughed to herself.
She took out her pentagram and the shoe boxes from the black trash bag and placed them on her bed. She looked around the room and her eyes stopped on a large light brown armoire. She walked over to it and opened the doors; it was bare and had removable shelves. Eden took out the middle shelf, walked over to her bed, grabbed her materials, and arranged them in the armoire. Her pentagram sat on the first shelf, her bag of stones rested below it, and her candles and incense were arranged on the top shelf.
"Eden! Dinner's ready!" Eden closed the doors and went downstairs. The smells wafted through the air and Eden helped set the table. She gave Clark his dinner and made a plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, fresh spinach, and dinner rolls. She sat down at the bistro diagonal from her grandmother and they began eating.
"So, what do you think of the house?" Abigail asked Eden.
"I think it's great. It's big and open and feels like home."
"I'm glad. I'm happy that you're here Eden."
"So am I. I've always wondered about you and when we would meet. Mom doesn't talk about Gero Island at all and when I mention it, she changes the subject."
"She didn't like it here very much, especially when her and your dad went their separate ways."
"Do you know the story behind that?"
"That is something your mom didn't want to talk to me about. Diana was closer to your grandfather than she was to me."
"Why's that?"
"I was stricter than him is my guess."
"I never had many rules with mom, but then again, I don't party, drink, or have even tried any type of drug. I never had to worry about people pressuring me into it."
"That's a good thing. Your mom trusted your judgment."
"I think that's why I didn't do anything. If I knew she didn't trust me, I probably would have been into everything."
"You have a good head on your shoulders."
"Walking into this house, I get this feeling of peace and comfort. I can think about mom and not break down completely. Since she past away, I think about dad and I wonder what he's like. Mom didn't have any pictures of him, so I'm clueless as to what he could look like."
"Very handsome is what he looked like. You look more like your mom, but your artistic talent and eye for detail comes from him."
"He's an artist?" Eden asked, intrigued.
"I don't know if he does it anymore, but he was great. He mostly did landscapes. What do you prefer?"
"I don't have a preference. I just draw whatever comes to mind."
"I could use an Eden Pogue drawing for my living room" Abigail winked.
"I'd be happy to" Eden smiled.
They finished their dinner and Eden helped with the dishes. She went upstairs with Clark and unpacked the rest of her things. She didn't have much, most of it went into storage.
Eden went into her bathroom and saw a small glass vile on a shelf over the toilet. She examined what was inside and her eyes widened. It was her mixture of salts and herbs! It couldn't have been since she left it at Lucy's house…could it?
Eden walked out of her bedroom and opened the door to one of the extra bedrooms. Since all the rooms had bathrooms, she checked it and saw another vile full of the mixture.
"What the…" she trailed. Eden looked in the next bathroom and, again, saw the vile. She didn't go into her grandmother's room, but went downstairs and looked around. In every room was a bottle of salt and herbs.
She heard the TV on in the living room and saw her grandmother watching the news.
"Is something wrong Eden?" Abigail asked her.
"The bottles of seasonings…how do you…" Eden trailed.
"How do I what?"
"Well, how do you know…I mean…it's a protection mixture…." Abigail smiled and told her to sit down.
"When did you know?"
"Know what?" Eden asked.
"You know what. When did you know?"
"You mean you're…" Abigail nodded and said, "So was your mother." Eden's eyes almost popped out of head.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"It's true. She left town when she got pregnant with you because she didn't want you growing up around magic. She was a powerful little witch in her day."
"I never told her because I thought she would disown me."
"Disown you? My god no! If she knew, I'm sure she would have taught you a thing or two honey."
"I was scared to tell her."
"Any young witch would be. I'm guessing you were around thirteen when you found out, right?"
"Yeah. I made the spoon in my cup swirl on its own."
"Your mom's first taste of magic was spinning a pencil on its tip" Abigail laughed. Eden laughed with her and sighed a breath of relief.
"Tell me what you've done, I'm very curious. I saw the pentagram in your room back in Seattle and I knew you had to be practicing."
"I just got the pentagram, candles, stones, and incense in Cape Cod. I don't really know how to use them well."
"I can teach you. What can you do?"
"I can communicate with animals, that's why Clark and I are so close. I can heal cuts and wounds."
"Communication with animals is a primary power."
"Primary power?" Eden questioned.
"Every witch is born with a connection to a specific type of magic. It's the strongest power they possess. Communication with animals is a primary and so is healing."
"So, which one is mine?"
"To tell you the truth Eden, our line of witch heritage is a strong one. We date back to before the Salem Witch Trials when magic wasn't even an issue in the world. My mother, your great grandmother Susannah Sharp, was good at charms and was also clairvoyant. Her mother, Rebecca Boss, was an Empath but also very crafty with potions. Your great great great great great grandmother was so strong that she could move earth masses. Not to mention their other children, but I can't say I know a lot about them. I only know of two and that's Elizabeth's daughters, Lyla and Mia. One was a tracker and the other was a healer."
"Healer and clairvoyance is self explanatory, but what is a tracker and an Empath?"
"A tracker is someone who can track magic back to its creator. An Empath is one who can read other people's emotions. There's also the alchemist who specializes in potions and elixirs. There's the fire witch, the water witch, the weather witch, and the wind witch too."
"Wow. What's your primary power?"
"I'm an earth witch. I don't move masses of land, but I do have an affinity to plants. I have performed simple spells and worked with stones as well, but I love my plants and flowers." Eden smiled and asked, "Would you like to see something I can do?"
"I would love to." Eden stood up and grabbed a candle by the TV. She sat back down, held the candle in front of her, and lightly blew on the wick until a spark ignited. Abigail smiled and took the candle from her.
"You have a good mixture of power in you young lady. It's fun, isn't it?"
Eden giggled and nodded.
"I have a Book of Shadows upstairs, but I haven't filled out a lot of it yet."
"I have one as well, but it's in the attic somewhere. We will have to fish it out sometime and you can take a look at it."
"I love the fact that I don't have to keep this a secret anymore! I would like to know more."
"I would be happy to tell you anything you wish to know."
"This may not mean anything, but I was on a beach and Clark ran away from me. I found him with this boy who looked to be about my age and I got this sudden feeling of darkness and mystery. It frightened me at first, but as soon as he said something, the feelings went away completely and never came back. I haven't been able to get him out of my head since that day. Can witches read people?" Eden told her.
"Well, some witches can read another person's energy. Have you been able to do that with anyone else?"
"No."
"Well, don't get discouraged. Just because you haven't been able to read someone else doesn't mean you can't."
"Can you do that? Read energy?"
"I can yes. Your mom wasn't able to. Maybe this boy you read has an ability of some sort."
"Caleb could be a witch?"
"He could be."
"That would make sense."
"What makes sense dear?"
"He gave me a Jade stone before he left to remember him by. Every time I hold it, I feel at ease and safe."
"Jade presents serenity and is a protective stone. It also presents immortality."
"I should read up on my stones." Abigail and Eden laughed together.
"Your powers will get stronger when you turn eighteen. That's the age when a witch's powers are fully mature. It's getting late and you should get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Okay, goodnight Gram. Thank you." Eden kissed Abigail on the cheek and went upstairs with Clark. She went to bed happy that night.