Hello people!
I would like to thank flowerpower14, Smartha12, Triggerfinger213, NexyVsBlacky, MsPatricia and LittleRedCupcake for the favs and Dcow14, flowerpower14, justme2134, Triggerfinger213, NexyVsBlacky, Jinkiestrap, MsPatricia, LittleRedCupcake, The Angel Grey and LunaxEclipse for the alerts :)
Also, I would very much like to thank my reviewers, RandomWeirdGirl, TheHugryRainbow and MsPatricia, you guys keep me writing :D
Anyways, my cast for this chapter is:
Evangeline Forester: Beth Riesgraf
Daniel King: Beau Mirchoff
And, as it used to be Simone Jones: Portia Doubleday
I hope that you guys enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5: Homecoming
Simone turned around, but was wrapped in a tight hug of two strong, but thin arms before she could find the speaker. The scent of coconut and something flowery wafted her nose and enveloped her into a warm cocoon of 'safe'. The teen immediately relaxed.
"Simone." The melodic voice, somehow mystic to the ear, as the word was pronounced slowly, like a chant, sounded once more. "How you've grown."
And Simone finally looked at her Godmother. It was like a Disney Princess had met the 60s head on and decided to have a love child. The woman was slim, a little taller than the teen, and positively beautiful. Her Godmother had golden hair, which cascaded in careless waves down her back, shining healthily in the airport lights, undoubtedly causing all the nearby women to stare in jealousy. She was wearing one of those boho chic dresses, in brown, maroon and white, which fell to her lower thighs, showing off her long, toned legs and simple flats. There was a modern kimono that she wore over it, in one color, perfectly accenting her tiny, cinched by a belt, waist.
"Godmother." Simone squeaked, immediately blushing terribly. Her Godmother's pale cheeks lit up with red as well, but from a wide smile. She was wearing maroon lipstick. Simone could remember that lipstick from a long time ago.
"Oh, Simone!" The woman hugged her once more. When she let go, her deep brown eyes were still shining with affection and laughter. Simone truly wouldn't have been surprised if everyone at the airport suddenly burst into one of the Disney numbers. For example 'Be our guest'? Her Godmother certainly looked the part. Even the air around her looked like it would attract friendly forest animals to help with the tidying up at any moment. "Please, call me Eve, or Aunt Eve. Godmother makes me sound like a fairy, and I am anything but!" The woman laughed again, causing Simone to smile as well. It was impossible not to smile when the woman was laughing.
"OK." She murmured unsurely, beginning to fiddle with her passport.
After a moment of staring at her Goddaughter, Eve seemed to snap out of it. "Oh, Goddess, how silly am I!?" She exclaimed, another smile on her face. "This is Dan, my nephew." The woman introduced, showing the young man beside her with a flourish movement of her delicate hands. Simone noted the many bracelets and rings on them, which jingled pleasantly as she moved.
"Sup." Dan greeted, causing the teen to look up at him. Simone held in both her gasp and her blush. He was nothing short of gorgeous. Dan was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. He had at least one head over Simone, causing her to have to tilt her neck a bit to look at his eyes. His hair was a messy, dark brown, almost black. It was longish and wild, but not in a way that you would suggest him a metalhead or anything. He was handsome, with his pronounced jaw and symmetrical features, wide shoulders and an olive green spitfire jacket. Simone didn't doubt that he was a right ladies' man. Damn, she thought as she was drawing into his striking green eyes, blinking a couple of time to be able to look away.
"Simone Jones." She extended her hand politely to the older guy. He couldn't have more than six years on her, she figured. He shook her hand, nodding.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Dan smirked. Great, Simone thought, he's caught her staring. "Only because you were practically shouting your thoughts at me." Simone's face got even redder than it had already been.
"Dan, we talked about this." Eve warned. "Simone has had no training, she can't help it." Then, she turned to her Goddaughter with another smile. "Don't take it personally, he is a bit on the nosy side with his newly developed telepathy skills."
Simone nodded, too embarrassed to speak. What does one even say to a guy whom she checked out a moment ago, practically out loud? Dan chuckled from his spot beside her.
"Don't worry about it." He said, patting her shoulder comfortably. "I'm still learning the skill, so I might be a bit on the nosy side." He explained. "Let me start over. Daniel King, enchanted." And the young man extended his hand. Simone gripped it this time, shaking it. She looked into his mesmerizing eyes with unusual confidence and smirked.
"I'm sure." And then they both laughed.
"Good. Good. You're bonding." Eve had grabbed the cart, pushing the luggage out of the airport. "You'll be living together, after all." And the unlikely trio left through the glass doors, into the open California air. It was a short walk down the parking lot, as Simone and Dan (who was, as Simone found out, not such a big jerk or flirt, but actually a fun guy) chatted about nonsense. By the time that they had reached the KIA Soul, in, you guessed it, maroon color, the two youths had become almost inseparable.
Eve clicked the car unlocked and walked to the back, where she pushed one of the back seats forward in order to create more space for the suitcases. Dan walked over, loading them in as the two women helped. Soon, the trio was shutting the trunk and Simone pushed the cart away, so that they could leave the parking. She went to get in the back, but Eve touched her arm gently.
"No, no. You take the front." Her Godmother said, smiling. "I'm a very boring co-pilot for Dan, he's always complaining how the only thing that I do is sleep. And the teen then climbed into the front seat, careful of the tall step into the KIA. Dan was already twisting the keys in the ignition, turning the car on as she buckled. He started moving the car backwards, just as Simone shut her door. The young man awarded her a wink and a smirk when she gave him an incredulous look. Eve laughed from the back seat.
Well, this was certainly going to be interesting, Simone thought as Dan shot out of the parking lot, way faster than even her father would approve of.
By the time they hit Yuba City, Eve was snoozing in the back seat rather adorably, her head wedged between the window and the car seat comfortably. Simone had caught her blowing on the glass and drawing a strange circular image in the condensation on the window before doing so, and she had figured that the woman had used a spell to make herself more comfortable.
By the time Dan passed through the first town in the Oroville area, Eve was dead asleep, lightly snoring in a very adorable way. Simone had been mostly silent, listening to the generic radio station that was playing. Dan looked in the back mirror, noticing Eve's state. He took his right hand off the wheel and fished out a small bag on a string which smelled of herbs, mostly sage. He handed it to Simone, eyes on the road constantly.
"Hang that on the little light there, would you?" Dan whispered, pointing at the back. Simone twisted in her seat, quickly finding the light on the roof of the car, along with a small handle that had obviously been added. She tied the bag there tightly and turned around. "Done?" The young man asked in his normal voice.
"Mhm." The teen answered, looking to the cat carrier which was at her feet. Dan had already expressed his love for cats and how he was ecstatic to see if the kitten would become a familiar or not.
"That's a silence charm, so that we can talk freely." He explained, rolling his window slightly to let the fresh air into the warm car. It whooshed through, unusually quietly. "As great as Aunt Eve is, she's a light sleeper and horrible in the morning. Do you have any questions about the Lighthouse?"
"Lighthouse?" Simone asked, bending to take Minuit out of the carrier and into her arms, as he meowed for the second time.
"I'm an idiot." Dan laughed. "Aunt Eve has an inn of sorts that she keeps. It's a large Victorian villa, and there are loads of guests coming in and out all the time. We have the top floor to ourselves, but the lower floors are for customers. I work there, as does Eve." He paused, as if waiting for a question. When Simone stayed silent, petting Minuit and listening intently, the young man continued. "The pay is pretty good and you can earn your keep without looking for a part time job. There are two computers, one in my and one in your room. But only one stereo system, so we can share it?"
"Sure, if I can have it on Fridays." Dan frowned.
"What's on Fridays?"
"Loud music from my room?" Simone countered, causing him to laugh. "I'm kidding. I don't really need a stereo, I have great headphones."
"But, what if you're playing a game?" Dan question again.
"I'm not much of a gamer…" The teen answered, shrugging. "They take up too much time."
"I will have to amend that." The handsome man grinned, speeding up a bit on the highway. "There's a rest stop near here, do you want anything? I need to get gas and something to drink."
Simone felt her head churning with options. She didn't want to eat anything from a rest stop, despite her disagreeing stomach. She was already barely fitting into her 'measure shorts'. Maybe she could drink something? But she would need to go to the bathroom later. And, who would pay for the thing? Her wallet was in her backpack, but she still needed to set up her bank account.
"No thanks." The teen politely refused, petting her cat. The KIA slid in between two trucks easily, stopping at a gas meter and Dan jumped out, grabbing his wallet in the process. He filled op the tank and then went inside to pay. Simone had just twisted the keys in the ignition and begun to change through the radio stations when he came back and plopped back into his seat.
"Here you go." He handed her a blue slushie, putting his pink one into the cup holder and buckled up. Simone held Minuit with one hand and the slushie with the other, confused. Dan slurped his through the straw, driving forward with his knees. He gave her a shrug. "You are neither fat nor do you need to worry about money. It's my welcome gift. And, if you need to pee, we'll make a stop before Beacon. But I doubt it, as we're pretty close."
Simone felt her cheeks heating up, but she managed to duck her head and simply slurp the blue, raspberry slushie. It was good. She hadn't had a slushie in ages. Minuit's pink tongue poked out and the small kitten licked the drops of water on the outside of the Styrofoam cup. The teen took another sip, smiling as a familiar intro came onto the radio. At the sound, Dan reached for the volume with his right hand and turned it up almost all the way, banging his head happily and causing Simone to giggle.
"Thunder!" He yelled along with the song. The witch began laughing, lowering her window as well and yelling along.
"Thunder!" Dan threw her a rather cocky smirk and then they sang (screamed) together as loudly as possible.
"I was caught in the middle of a railroad track!" Minuit jumped from Simone's lap, hiding back in his carrier as the song continued, the two youngsters laughing and singing as loudly as possible to the familiar lyrics of AC/DC.
Simone felt her previous anxiousness vanishing completely as she yelled along with Dan, this rather handsome young man who she had met hours ago. It was quite strange that she felt so secure, so comfortable with him, when she felt awkward around her own parents. Then again, she didn't really have anything to compare to. She had never had many close friends. Especially impulsive ones.
A slim hand full of bangles and rings reached forward in between the laughing youths, turning up the volume even more as the second song came on. Aunt Eve had taken off the silence charm and was now humming along with the intro of the guitar.
"Livin' easy. Lovin' free." She and Dan sang together as his fingers danced in rhythm along the steering wheel. For a moment, Simone stared, shocked and then, she managed to snap out of it, just in time to join them on the chorus.
"I'm on the highway to hell! On the highway to hell! Highway to hell! I'm on the highway to hell!" The trio yelled out, Dan's fingers dancing, Eve throwing her arms in an air guitar and Simone laughing uncontrollably while clutching her blue slushie as the KIA ran towards Beacon Hills.
Maybe, she had been anxious over nothing.
"So, I have already sent your transcripts to Principal Thomas." Eve chattered as Dan drove the maroon KIA further away from the small town which they had entered moments ago. "He's a nice man, single, very polite. You will like him."
Dan rolled his eyes as he drove, mouthing at Simone 'flirt'. The teen managed to suppress her laugh, but ended up smiling, still. "I'm looking forward to meeting him." She told her Godmother.
"If you'd like to, you can work at the Inn during the remainder of the vacation, get some pocket money?" Eve continued, her blonde head of perfect locks appearing in between the two seats as she looked back and forth between Dan and Simone. The front seat was enveloped in the scent of coconut and wildflowers.
"I already told her about it." The young man interjected. "Besides, she has so much to learn about magic, as well." He continued, not allowing Simone to speak. Not that she wanted to. She was often shy and quiet with strangers, observing their dynamics first. Well, could she still call them strangers after screaming to AC/DC like they had before?
"Simone." Her Godmother caught her attention once more. "Have you been tested yet?" Dan's eyes flickered from the road to Simone.
The teen frowned. "Tested?" She wasn't sick. She wasn't HIV positive. Goddess, did they think that she had some form of a disease? What would she need to test anyways? Would it be painful? What if there was no cure!? What if it was a magical disease, one that couldn't be cured by human doctors?
"Woah! Woah!" Dan exclaimed, making Simone jump as he swerved on the road. "Would you stop shouting? We're not asking about a disease of any sort, calm down. She was asking if you've been tested on your affinity."
"My affinity?" Simone dumbly repeated, her cheeks red from her mental outburst.
"Your elemental affinity." Eve clarified. "Since you are choosing the path of a Crafter, you should know. Each Crafter has an element that chooses them, one that feels more natural, easy. Mine is air. Which means that I do much better with spells of its domain, for example flying." The woman explained, smiling.
"Knowing what your affinity is can be very useful once you start learning. You will know which spells you can do to their full capability." Dan spoke, turning right. "And, here we are." As the KIA went off the highway and onto the small forest road, Simone noticed that the trees were somehow becoming much more arranged, as if they had been told how to grow, positioned even.
A large house came into view, its four stories stretching high to the tops of the trees around it. It was like one of those houses that you saw in magazines, vintage, old and covered partially in ivy. The windows were tall, with many parts in them, separated by delicate looking wood. Their tall arches matched the one above the door, which was heavy, wooden and had a large door knocker. There were two stone lions sitting in front, guarding the Inn.
Dan parked the KIA in the front, just outside the small patio with a comfortable looking two-person swing. Simone realized that her hands had gone cold with anticipation once more, as she couldn't wait to explore the house and its surroundings.
"C'mon, little guy." She placed Minuit gently into his carrier and then unbuckled and exited the car. The kitten let out a pitiful meow of protest, not liking the movement. "I'm sorry, I'll let you out soon. I promise."
Simone grabbed her backpack from the back seat and walked towards the trunk where Dan had already unloaded her suitcases. Eve bent towards them, whispering something and then, she placed a tiny flower from her hair onto the suitcases.
"Shall we?" Dan asked, smiling and gesturing towards the door. Simone was about to come with him, when she remembered that Eve was a slight woman. She couldn't possibly carry the suitcases on her own!
"Sure, but just a-" Simone turned, only to see her Godmother following her with only the red purse that she had had before in her hand. The suitcases were gone. "What the-" The teen began, her eyes widening.
"Magic." Godmother Eve smiled, wiggling her fingers about. As Dan entered the Inn (the front door was unlocked for some reason), Simone began looking about in wonder. If she hadn't known any better, she would've said that JK Rowling had come to the Lighthouse Inn to get her inspiration for Hogwarts.
"I had no idea that magic could be used like that." Simone slowly commented on her Godmother's earlier trick, causing the woman to laugh and continue talking about the spells that she could teach the teen. But, the young witch was lost in looking.
There were colorful tapestries on walls, paintings of beautiful women and men, old, metal lanterns here and there, now lit with light bulbs instead of fire. All the furniture was old, in dark wood, undoubtedly protected by magic. The rugs on the floor were impossibly soft, even under Simone's shoes. The stairs which lead straight up immediately drew her attention, but Dan and Eve had gone right, so she followed.
She found the two in a kitchenette and living room, surprisingly modern, with its back wall made entirely of a glass sliding door. Eve had gone over to it, sliding it open and letting the air in. Simone noticed the small wooden patio in the back along with a vast garden, separated by a carefully trimmed hedge. Her mother would've been green with envy.
"My small obsession." Eve laughed when she noticed the young witch staring. "I find it very relaxing to work in the garden, despite the fact that I don't have an earth affinity. Unlike your mother." Eve smiled, giving Simone a side hug, her scent of coconut wrapping around the teen in a warm cocoon. "Now, Cathy could grow anything anywhere."
"Hungry?" Dan called, causing Eve and Simone to breakaway, heading towards him. He had pulled out ingredients for sandwiches from the large fridge and was quickly making them. "You aren't a tree-hugger, are you?" The warlock asked.
"They're called vegetarians, Daniel." Eve corrected, taking a banana from the fruit basket and leaving for the wooden patio outside. Simone noted that she had lost her flats somewhere along the way.
"She's a tree-hugger." Dan whispered accusingly, nodding towards Eve.
Simone chuckled. "I eat meat." She took some of the ingredients that Dan wasn't using, immediately taking a piece of ham to give Minuit.
"Good, otherwise I would've disowned you right away." Dan told her. "You can let him out, you know." Simone unlatched the metal door of the cat carrier, allowing the little kitten to stumble out. "Here." Daniel reached over, swiftly grabbing the soft neck fur of the cat and lowering him to the floor. "Off he goes." The handsome young man commented as the white fur ball scampered off towards the stairs.
"Ah!" Simone rushed around the counter to race after the kitten, but Daniel stopped her with an offhanded wave.
"Don't bother." He chuckled. "He can roam wherever he wants." Simone nodded, slipping back into quiet. She walked around the spacious living room as Daniel fumbled behind the counter with the sandwiches. The carpet was cream and soft under her favorite Dr. Marten's and Simone briefly wondered if she should've taken them off. Her gaze slipped over the sofa chairs and the couch, which all looked quite welcoming. There were old, wooden cabinets, stacked with different antiques lining the walls. She gently touched a small figurine of a man on a horse, his sword raised. "You like him?"
Dan appeared behind her with a plate of food. Simone turned with a polite nod. She took the sandwich and quickly bit into it. The awkwardness in the pit of her stomach had returned once more. She really hated that part of her. It was like she would be thrown into an endless labyrinth of self-doubt that she could never leave. She would re-think her words a dozen times before speaking them and then curse herself for saying those exact ones. With painful realization, she was hit with the truth like with a bus.
She had just moved in with complete strangers.
"Well, supposedly he was a suitor of Aunt Eve's great-great-grandmother." Daniel spoke breaking her from her melancholic and self-destructive thoughts. "But, she was a witch who was completely in love with a local fisherman. The soldier found out and made fun of the commoner, saying that he was unworthy of such a lady, as the Foresters were quite wealthy. After he tried to duel the fisherman for the woman's hand, she intervened. As revenge, she cursed the soldier into an ornament, so that he would see her everlasting happiness with his own eyes." The young man made his voice grave, like he was telling a horror story. "Of course, this is just a family legend. It's not true at all."
Simone nodded. "Imagine what kind of magic you would need to turn someone into a metal ornament." She said in a far-off, thoughtful voice. There was a moment of complete quiet as the two just looked at the man on the horse.
"Well, now that we're done contemplation highly unlikely doable spells, shall I show you your room?" Daniel's arm came to rest on Simone's shoulder and the teen jumped. She nodded, swallowing the last of her sandwich quickly. "This way." The handsome youth led her out of the living room and towards the staircase. "Here." He took her empty plate and passed it onto the countertop. "I'll take care of that later."
The stairs that lead upwards were wooden and nothing short of beautiful. They were spacious, so that at least two people could walk side by side easily. If her mother were here, she would've already planned out where to put which potted plant. Mrs. Jones had, after all, filled their own house with different flowers. Each window had to have a pot, or she wasn't calm. Simone noticed the decorative carvings on the hand holders, which were made of a different wood.
"We had to put those there a couple of years ago." Dan explained once he noticed her curious look. She must've stared, Simone scolded herself and avoided looking around, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself. Her hands had gone cold from her nervousness already. She hated that part of herself. Simone really did.
You see, despite being quite a pretty girl, in an objective way, Simone Jones suffered from a thing that a lot of girls in the twenty-first century did, especially those in high school. Low self-esteem. She would change at least a dozen times before leaving her room. Or, she would check the number of a service that she was calling a couple more times that necessary. Or, she would simply go cold and numb in a situation where she was supposed to speak to a stranger. This, coupled with her self-consciousness about her appearance brought her into a lot of awkward situations.
"Here we are." Daniel had led her all the way to the top floor of the house, showing her a wooden door on the end of the hallway. With a tentative hand, aware that the older boy was watching her every move, Simone pushed the door open.
That's all for now folks!
Onto the reviews:
MsPatricia: I'm sorry for the long wait! Hopefully, it wasn't too long xD
TheHungryRainbow : Thank you so much for the lovely review! :) I wasn't too sure if I should post the story or not in the beginning… since I'm not a fast writer, I tend to wait sooo long between chapters and it can be disheartening to my readers :'(
I'm glad that you enjoy the story and I hope that you will continue to do so :D All the best!
RandomWeirdGirl: Hello again! I was soooo happy to receive your review :D
I'm glad that I'm describing a good, normal family xD I live only with my mom, so this is pretty much a complete fantasy for me hahahahaha
Aaaah good old Alvin and the Chipmunks… Simone was actually supposed to have a different name, but I chose this one instead. It's old-fashioned and sounds kinds witchy to me xD Also, it's connected to the name Simonida, which is an old Slavic name and will come into play later :P
Hopefully, this chapter gives you even more on Eve? She is such a darling character of mine :)
Hopefully, you will continue to enjoy the story xD I'm going to try and keep up the good work and live up to your expectations :D
There are three great stories that are StilesxOC that I've read: Black Water, The Wild Side and Where the Wolves Play, So Will Bears. If you are interested, check them out :D
All the best!
