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Long story short, read on!
Chapter 7: Kawasaki Ninja
Simone hopped out of the tub grinning to herself. Today was going to be a good day, she could tell. The teenager then brushed out her hair and braided it loosely, before wrapping a towel around herself. She had found out in the last couple of days that Dan rose pretty early and then liked to snooze his alarm downstairs as he dozed off on the sofa in the living room. Eve got up even earlier, as she enjoyed watching the sunrise while she did yoga on the patio out back. So, as the guests never wandered upstairs, Simone could simply wrap a towel around herself and run to her room, without taking her clothes with her.
She quickly padded to her room, opening and closing the door as fast as possible. Minuit sat on her bed, giving her a rather unimpressed face. Her kitten was a peculiar one, but cute none the less. The teenager walked to her new wardrobe and opened it. She easily chose an outfit. A simple white shirt and denim overalls. The shirt was a pretty tight fit, but the jeans were rather loose, just the way she preferred them. On her feet, as always, went her precious Dr. Marten's.
The room which Dan and Eve, but mostly Dan, had prepared for her wasn't too big. It was just the right size, with a large window looking out at the back of the villa. But, even though she could perfectly see the beautiful garden that had Godmother took care of, she could also see the woods of the preserve on the right. They stretched all the way out to the tall Californian mountains, which were but a speck and a shadow in the distance on a clear day.
When Daniel had showed her the room, she had been quite astonished. It was far bigger than her old room, which had barely fit all the furniture that her mother had packed into it. This one was rather spacious. Like all rooms at the Inn it had a high ceiling, which was common for old Victorian houses. The walls were white, but they had wallpaper plastered carefully on them, showing a red and black flower pattern. Simone would've preferred them to be blue, but she didn't mind the striking colors, as they had faded quite a bit with time.
The wardrobe was large, made out of dark wood, the same as the floors, and it had numerous carved knobs which opened different parts of it. Simone hadn't unpacked all of her things yet, but most of her clothing had found its place on the shelves already. There was a desk next to the window, which reminded Simone of the old desk from her father's office, which he had inherited from his grandfather. Surprisingly, the rest of the items in the room were quite modern, just like the furniture in the kitchenette and living room. The bed was positioned against the wall, with bookshelves above it. Simone could see the door from there. The bed also had a small hole in the side, where the witch figured a drawer for sheets had been. It was now fashioned into a small alcove with soft padding underneath and a couple of cat toys. Dan had excitedly pointed it out to her, asking if it was fine that he had added it.
Other than that, the room was rather plain, similar to the other rooms of the villa, which were often rented out for travelers. Eve had told her that since the Foresters witches were quite an old and famous family, there were a lot of supernaturals staying at the Inn. Her Godmother had warned her not to get too noisy or too involved in their business, as it was often quite unorthodox. Simone had noticed only a couple of guests during her short stay at the Lighthouse Inn. A lone Asian woman with long, glistening hair and rather stern features, who sometimes chatted with Aunt Eve out on the patio, drinking tea. There had been a couple on the second floor, as well. A handsome man in his forties and a meek woman with hair as red as fire. But, they had quickly left. The other guests were very ordinary, even Simone could tell that they weren't a part of the supernatural world.
She had asked Dan one time about the three guests that she had noticed. They had been driving back from Beacon High, where she'd just registered her classes. He had given her a serious look and reminded her that the Foresters did not get involved in any supernatural nonsense. But, Simone had been troubled on the way back by thoughts of those three so much, that the handsome warlock had caved. He'd told her that the couple were druids from Europe, who had come to pray at the Sacred Root for their sick child. He had also told her that he thought that the man wasn't what he was saying, and that he was probably a werewolf and not a druid. Then, Dan had told her that the Beacon Hills were the territory of the Hales, and that it was quite common knowledge that a werewolf shouldn't trespass on their property. This had led into a long explanation about Talia Hale and her work on the peace between species, which Eve had wholeheartedly supported. Then, of course, came the tragic story of the fire some years ago, and the lone survivors of the horror, the eldest Hale siblings, Laura and Derek. During Dan's wild story, and boy did he have a gift for storytelling, Simone had utterly forgotten about the stern Asian woman that was staying at the Inn.
The teenage witch walked into the kitchen, closely followed by her kitten. Minuit rushed for his bowl of food out at the patio, which was full of some of the other treat that Eve spoiled him with.
"Good morning." Simone greeted the group of guests who were sitting at the table, eating their breakfast.
"Hello, Simone." The only kid in the group greeted eagerly, and the others followed suit. He was a couple of years younger than Simone, a cute kid named Thomas, who was traveling with his parents. "Anything planned for today? I was thinking of going out to the preserve and checking out the birds again. If you're free, do you want to come with?"
And, surprisingly to Simone, he was quite smitten with the young witch. If she were being honest, he was quite annoying with his childish attempts to woo her. Sure, it was flattering, as Simone almost never received this sort of attention, but it was bothersome. She had been successfully avoiding him for the last three days.
"Sorry kid." Dan's familiar voice came from behind her and an arm swung across her shoulders. "She's mine today."
"Well, maybe tomorrow?" Thomas didn't give up.
Simone gave an awkward smile. "Maybe." She agreed, mentally thanking Dan, fully aware that he could hear her. The warlock gave a grin to the young guest before pulling the witch away. They stumbled out, Dan wheezing with laughter.
"Persistent little fellow, isn't he?" The warlock teased, leading Simone towards the right, instead of the small parking space on the left of the property.
"We aren't taking the KIA?" The witch chose to take the higher road, as usual. Dan was quite childish with his teasing, as she had found out, and once he got going, he didn't really know how to stop. The key was to cut him off in the beginning.
"I don't think that I'm that bad." Dan commented, letting go of the teenager so that he could pull of a protective plastic sheet off of something.
Simone gaped. It was a bike. A red and black, sleek and utterly beautiful motorcycle. She stared. Her jaw had probably hit the floor, as well. It wasn't a Harley, she could tell that much, but it was impressive none the less.
"Wow." Simone managed to gasp out.
"So you like her, then?" Dan grinned, going behind Simone to push her forward. "She's not the best out there, but she's the best that I could afford. Not to mention that I've made some adjustments as well."
"It's beautiful." The blonde witch slid her fingers across the surface of the bike, feeling the sleek metal. It didn't have even one scratch on it. Obviously, Daniel loved it very much.
"She. Not an it. That's my girl." The warlock frowned a bit. Well, that was familiar, Simone smiled as she circled the bike. Boys and their toys. Mr. Jones was the same way about his Mitsubishi, cleaning it whenever he caught the chance. "Her name's Tomoe and she is a Kawasaki Ninja."
Simone looked up from the bike, grinning at the warlock. "You, Daniel King, are a complete nerd."
It had taken her about until the end of the short dirt road to get comfortable on the new mode of transportation, and in the first kilometer of the highway she was begging her driver to go faster. Dan, even though she couldn't see it, grinned like a little kid on Christmas, before stepping on the gas and allowing the sport-tourer to soar like it could. He held back a little on the speed, going a moderate pace even for a two person ride, as Simone had admitted that this was her first time on a motorbike.
The warlock could tell that she was feeling the adrenaline by the way her arms, which had barely been gripping him before, clutched onto him for dear life. She was a little socially awkward, but not in a bad, creepy way, the young adult had noticed. She stayed quiet and wasn't sure what to do with herself a lot, and most of the time Dan was actually forced to peer into her mind to find out what she needed.
If he was being honest, which he wasn't too often, she reminded him a bit of himself. No, not his teenager self. He had been a cocky teen, afraid of little. She reminded him of when he had lived back home, with his family. He had been a little on the quiet side and even more so on the shy side. But the thing that he connected to Simone about the most was her hunger for magical knowledge. He, too, had once wanted so badly to use his gift freely.
The ride into the center was over rather quickly. Daniel took a turn off the main road and into one of the smaller, side streets. It was cozy, with quite a few cafés and small shops, along with a good pizza place. He had to take Simone there, since Eve was terrible with pizza places, as she was a vegetarian. The Kawasaki bike slowed down and then finally stopped in front of a familiar shop.
Dan pushed down the small leg, leaving his bike standing. Simone slid off clumsily, swaying the bike as she did. The warlock steadied her, his hands coming to her waist. The teenager brushed him off, moving away. Dan forced himself to focus his mind on something else than the girl in front of him, but he still got a wave of her feelings as she was taking off the helmet. The taste of bitter shame and anger was strangely unfamiliar, because it was directed at herself and not at him.
"Shall we?" Dan grinned, pushing the uneasiness down. He would give her her space. She needed to come to terms with her own stuff and then talk to him. After all, not matter how close he felt to her, since she was technically a Forester witch now, she didn't feel like it. Simone probably still thought of herself as a Jones, and Daniel knew that she wasn't going to change her views easily.
"Of course." The girl handed him the black helmet which he hooked up onto the bike.
"I thought that you might help me a bit today?" Dan asked, taking Simone towards the shop without a sign on the right side of the sunny street. It had a large display window, which was empty, and the inside looked like it had been painted recently. "Aunt Eve and I got this place some time ago and we want to open a separate shop here." The warlock explained as he unlocked the shop.
"What are you selling?" Simone asked, entering when Dan held the door for her.
"Well, since not a lot of people come to the Lighthouse Inn, because it's pretty far away from the center, and a lot of guests like the herbal remedies and teas that Aunt Eve makes, we figured that we would start with that." Dan grinned, turning in a circle. "What do you think?"
"Are you sure that it's a good idea to sell spells?" Simone murmured, frowning. The shop was rather wide, with a couple of tables which were covered in protective fabric. The walls were bare, and she could smell the paint still drying. There was a door in the back, which probably led to another room.
"Only little ones. The Muggles don't even notice the magic anyways." Daniel smiled. "We are probably going to offer ingredients as well." He walked towards the back door, opening it. "There are a lot of witches and warlocks that pass through and want to restock their herbs."
"I see." Simone nodded, following the warlock. The back room was way smaller than the front. There was a desk and a little cupboard, and loads and loads of paper everywhere. When the witch peered at them, she could see numerous calculations and notes. Money. Money ran the world. She couldn't imagine how much a room rent at the Inn cost, but it probably wasn't much. And with the size of Beacon Hills, it probably wasn't enough for a comfortable lifestyle. She briefly wondered how Aunt Eve managed on her own. In the Jones family, it was Mr. Jones's job which gave them their usual lifestyle.
"We were planning on bringing in the wallpaper and plastering it on today, but Eve's busy brewing." Daniel explained. "One of the witches that is coming next week asked for a couple of complicated spells which take some time to make. Auntie was pissed at the late order, I can tell you that." The warlock tossed his keys on the desk and placed his phone there as well. "The delivery guys should be here any minute."
"Of course." Simone placed her phone next to Dan's carefully and then went to fidget with her hair. She noticed that it had gotten entangled during their brief ride and hurried to undo the knots. As soon as Dan left the back room, she began pulling on the locks even harder, not trying to do so unnoticed.
"Simone?" Daniel called and she hurried to the front of the shop, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. "There you are." He nodded. "Shall we?" And the two spent the next couple of minutes tidying up the mess that had been left behind by the painters. Soon, a knock came from the door and a man in a uniform greeted Dan. They talked for a while as Simone folded one of the protective sheets carefully, watching them. They pointed a couple of times at the truck and then the man in the uniform nodded. Soon, Dan re-entered the shop-in-progress. "He said that he's going to do another delivery while we unload."
"Alright."
It was a couple of hours later, when Dan and Simone had mostly finished with plastering new wallpaper all across the shop, in a very Victorian design, that Aunt Eve stopped by. She bundled in, with an aura of pure sunlight, carrying cups and a paper bag with a giant smile on her face. In all honesty, Simone wouldn't have been surprised if a flock of helping birds followed the blonde witch in.
"Hello!" The joyful woman greeted. "You both look absolutely exhausted." She pushed her sunglasses on the top of her head and placed the treats on the nearby ladder. "Shall we take a break?" Daniel playfully glared at her and helped Simone off one of the tables that they were using as a makeshift ladder.
"That better be coffee in that cup." The warlock said, walking towards the drinks. Eve handed him one of them, smiling. The other she took to Simone, who had been nervously wiping her hands on her denim overalls.
"Here you go." She smiled. "I think that this should be alright."
"Thank you very much." The teenager sipped the hot beverage, immediately noticing the flavor. Passionflower. As the taste spread through her insides and sent warmth to her limbs, Simone noticed the familiar calming effect of the brew choice. But, it was a bit more potent that the one that she usually made. A smile from her Godmother, who was not bickering with Dan about where the cash register should go, confirmed her suspicions. Eve had noticed Simone's little problem with nervousness.
"Simone, what do you think?" The blonde witch asked, pulling her Goddaughter once more into the conversation. At the confused and quickly reddening face of the teenager, the woman repeated her question. "Should we put the cashier here, behind a dark wooden long table," The woman painted the picture. "Or, should we simply put a desk and a chair here, painted white, in a more relaxed manner?"
"Um, w-where are you planning to put the products?" Simone stammered, a little uncomfortable with the attention which was on her.
"I was thinking shelves?" Eve placed a finger on her lip, thinking. Dan frowned, gulping down the coffee which was in his mouth.
"Why not have armoires with glass displays?" He suggested, pointing at the walls. "They can be long and go all the way around. We can lock them with a spell and put a lead charm on the glass."
As Eve was nodding along, liking the mental image, and Simone spoke up. "Lead charm?" She immediately blushed, embarrassed that she had said the words out loud. She was a witch for God's sake. She was supposed to know her spells and charms.
"It will make the glass almost unbreakable." The blonde witch explained. "Quite useful, in fact." Then she turned to Dan. "And for the cash register?"
"What about a long, white counter that goes all around the room, instead of a desk?" Simone suggested quietly. However, it gained the attention of the other two, who nodded along, agreeing.
Then suddenly, Eve smiled even wider than usual. "If you'll excuse me." She giggled girlishly. "I have a previous engagement." And then she placed her sunglasses back onto her eyes and fixed her hair, exiting the shop. Simone sent Dan a questioning look, but he had this peculiar expression of general pity mixed with disappointment on his face. Pretty soon, the teen witch realized why.
Eve had gone out of the shop only to accidentally slam into a rather tall, middle-aged man. She obviously began apologizing, taking off her sunglasses and looking quite genuinely sorry. As the two adults began to chat, Simone focused on the man. He had short hair and kind, light eyes which had numerous wrinkles around them from obviously smiling too much. He was also wearing a uniform, but for the life of her, Simone couldn't guess what his occupation was from the angle that she had.
Thankfully, Dan knew. "Sheriff Stilinski." The warlock sighed out, shaking his head. "Aunt's eternal conquest."
"Eternal?" Simone wondered out loud as she watched her Godmother flirt shamelessly with the oblivious Sheriff. She could feel herself blushing at the general disinterest that didn't deter the beautiful witch in any way. She found herself admiring her Aunt's confidence.
"Yeah, she's known him for quite some time, as they grew up in the same town." Daniel explained. "But Stilinski is older than Aunt Eve and was always oblivious to her… interest." He attempted to make the obvious crush seem milder. "She's never really given up. Even after he married." Simone hummed, nodding. They watched for a couple more moments as the witch flirted, the teenager blushing even more. "Transference of shame." Dan commented offhandedly.
"Mhmm." Simone hummed along. Luckily, they were saved by the bell. Well, more like a car horn. A teenage boy was sitting in the passenger seat of the Sheriff's car, waving his arms wildly at the older man in question. The Sheriff made his excuses to Aunt Eve and hurried to the car, beginning to bicker immediately with the teen.
"His son." Daniel explained even though Simone didn't ask. "Actually, he should be around your age… Maybe you'll meet him at school?" The warlock chuckled.
"Maybe." Simone agreed, going to one of the glue cans to continue putting up the wallpaper.
"Those Stilinski men, eh?" Daniel waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to blush and began laughing hysterically. That was not happening, she told herself, remembering the uncoordinated motions of the boy with extremely short hair. No, she liked older guys. Handsome. Tall. Dark haired. Like Dan, for example, Simone thought with a smile. The warlock, who had obviously been listening in on her inner monologue, chocked on air and began coughing.
Simone refilled her baby blue watering can for the tenth time that evening. Obviously, Eve and Dan had found out what her favorite color was, hence most of the things that she had been given at the Inn were in some or the other tone of it. She walked over to the dry patch of earth and she slowly poured the water on it, careful not to make it too soggy.
Simone had kept Dan's unofficial rule of 'a spell a day' by helping out her Godmother with small good luck charms and calming brews that she made at the Inn for her supernatural guests. Not all of them bought them, but quite a few did. So, after spending her mornings in the Forester library for at least a week, the teenage witch had attempted to remember as many plants and rocks, along with their properties. Mrs. Jones's books had helped with the herbs, as they were much more detailed than the ones which the shelves of the library held.
Aunt Eve had found her one afternoon, curled up on the sofa of the library, reading away and taking notes into her diary. She had smiled and invited her to join in on the spell crafting. Since then, Simone's afternoons had been filled with choosing just the right herbs for the different blends. After a while, though, her Godmother had taken her to the beautiful gardens behind the house. There, she had led the young witch all the way into the back of the property, almost into the preserve, and through a single, white door.
Simone looked around the patch of land that she had been given, nodding. It looked so much better than the first time she'd seen it. She'd pulled the weeds and made the ground soft with different fertilizers. There had been quite a bit of Google searching done before choosing what to do with garden, as she had never taken care of anything like that before. Minuit had been quite happy with the change of scenery, as he was forbidden from playing in the library after a number of mishaps with the books. He enjoyed chasing butterflies and bugs while Simone got herself dirty as she worked on making the garden usable once more.
The blonde witch grinned to herself, looking around the freshly watered ground. This all reminded her a bit of the book called The Secret Garden, which her mother had often read to her when she was a child. Except, she wasn't Mary and she had no Dickon to help her out. Though, she had Google. Perhaps that was her Dickon. Giggling to herself, Simone placed the watering can next to the door, turning once more to look at the garden. It was plain in the evening shadows, dark and rather boring-looking. But, Simone knew that soon all of her precious herbs would blossom and she would have her own, carefully selected, array of plants to use in magic spells.
During the first couple of weeks that she had been living at the Lighthouse Inn Simone Jones learned an important lesson for one witch: One must have their own ingredients to use.
That's all folks!
I hope that all of you are enjoying the story. Frankly, I'm humbled by the amount of attention that it's been getting.
A side note form the author:
-The bike that Daniel has is a Kawasaki Ninja 1000, which is definitely one of the best in its class of sport touring motorcycles in my opinion.
-The name of the bike, Tomoe, comes from Tomoe Gozen, an infamous onna-bugeisha from the 12th century.
Onto the reviews!
MsPatricia: Hopefully, I didn't drag it on for too long, and the story hasn't become boring xD I couldn't resist the tiny Stiles appearance in this chapter, it was utterly unexpected. Though, I do have a few more OCs to introduce, along with some witchy lore…
RandomWeirdGirl: Thank you very much! I take time with my stories, but try not to make the descriptions too long… A lot of people find them boring, but I enjoy writing them out hahaha
Yeah, Deaton was planned from the beginning to appear first… He's seriously such a mysterious and cool character to me, I couldn't resist putting him in there xD He has sooo much potential in the show…
Hopefully, you enjoyed the tiny Stiles appearance in here? I couldn't resist it, as it was practically screaming at me to write it out.
Anyways, all the best! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
