Chapter 2

Since there were three leaders of the group, now, they had separated the responsibilities. Faye was ahead of business and organization. She ran meetings, scheduled rituals, and kept track of everything they decided. Cassie was ahead of incantation and spells. Her duties included leading rituals and creating and keeping record of new spells from the group. Diana was leader in charge of research, resources, and relations. She gladly accepted the most responsibility. She took care of the master tools, the books of shadows, and anything they needed for rituals. She also worked on communication to improve relations with the outsiders.

Faye began the meeting. Diana watched her walk, not saunter, to the center of the group. "This meeting was called to discuss new matters and ideas concerning the coven. Does anyone have a point of business?"

Cassie stood to speak. "I wanted to suggest that we begin looking for ways of broadening our powers."

"We've been trying to do that all of our lives, Cassie," Diana mentioned.

"I know," Cassie said excitedly. "But I've been looking through my family's book of shadows, and around the time they colonized this island, they were doing things that we haven't even thought of trying!"

Deborah, looking interested for once, raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

Melanie answered for Cassie. "In the old books, it says they performed different spells that brought up prophecies, telepathy, astral projection, and some other things. In other words, they were able to enhance their psychic abilities."

Chris jumped in. "That would be so cool! We could read other people's thoughts and stuff?"

Doug was on the same thought path. "I could get the answers out of my teachers' heads and stuff! Cool!"

"That's going a little overboard, you guys," Adam said, trying to calm them down.

Melanie waited for silence to begin again. "Not quite, but not very far off, either. Some of that stuff is very risky, though, and we don't even have the slightest clue how to do it."

"Did your book say anything?" Laurel asked Cassie, then looked toward Melanie. "Cassie's book of shadows didn't make it into your program, so maybe there's some information that we don't know about in there."

Cassie's excitement began to die down. "No, my book only gave spells to use when you had the power. I figured one of you guys might know something."

"What about the master tools?" Sean asked. "Can't we use those? They do have the power of all the witches before us."

"First of all," Faye started, "we have to be careful of using the master tools. We can't just pull them out when we want to do something." Looks of disbelief spread through the group. Faye was the original person who wanted to use the tools at the drop of a hat.

Diana finished for her, "Second, we are still unsure of their power. We don't know how to control it, and that might get out of hand. We can still put the idea on the back burner, though."

Cassie sat down disappointedly. Deborah stood up next. "I have a point of business."

Faye looked at her, gesturing with her hand. "Go ahead, Deborah."

"How is the ancestry thing going? I don't know much about it, but I do know that I ain't marrying either of those two." She pointed directly at the Henderson brothers. They both made vomiting faces.

Everyone else in the group laughed until Suzan spoke up. "She has a good point. If we're the last generation in America, then this is it. Out of five guys and seven girls, I don't think we can repopulate the witches."

Melanie leaned on her elbow. "Diana and I have been looking through the archives and books. We've made some progress, but you have to wait. I mean, we're only teenagers. Other than Adam and Cassie, I seriously doubt any of us are in a hurry to get married."

Diana heard sighs come from Laurel and Suzan, and saw Sean and Deborah roll their eyes. The Henderson brothers made vomiting faces again. Adam and Cassie just looked into each other's eyes.

Cassie had told Diana in February that her and Adam were making plans. Of course it was quick, but what else do you need when you're soulmates? Cassie had asked her to be the maid-of-honor, and Diana had gladly accepted. It was still a couple years away, until after Cassie graduated, but it was a very romantic thought.

Then Diana glanced over at Nick. At the mention of Cassie marrying Adam, the already lack of attention in his eyes dimmed to bare existence. Cassie and Nick had had a thing in November, and everybody thought that it had blown over. Diana knew better, though. She saw the sadness in his eyes. It was obvious that he still loved her.

Everyone began discussing on new subjects. The Henderson brothers and Sean were talking about a bachelor party, Deborah and Faye about the master tools. Melanie and Laurel were explaining the family lines to Suzan, and Nick just sat by himself, a few feet away from Diana. Adam and Cassie saw nothing but each other.

Diana lied back on the sand, looking away. "Yuck," she muttered out loud to herself.

"You're saying you wouldn't want that?" Nick had lit a cigarette, moving closer to her.

She laughed. "And you would?"

"I don't know." He looked out toward the water. "Had you asked me six months ago, I would have laughed at you."

This was the most conversation Diana had had with Nick in a long time. She looked at Nick closely. "What about now?"

"Now?" He looked back at her. "I think I just want to be happy."

Diana looked around the group, thinking for a moment. Happiness. She knew how Nick felt. "What's happiness to you, Nick?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I'll know when I find it." He kind of gave her a half smile. "How about you?"

She pondered for a moment, biting her lip. "You know," she giggled, "I don't think I know, either." She thought for another second. "I think I just want . . . love. Not necessarily that," she pointed her chin at Adam and Cassie, "But just, not to sound too cliché, unity. I used to feel like I was a part of everyone in this circle. Now I feel like they've all outgrown me." Noticing Nick looking at the water again, she suddenly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm babbling. You probably don't want to know all of that stuff."

He smiled, "I asked, didn't I?"

She noticed his face fade as he glanced at Cassie. Diana felt the impulse to say something. "You know, you're not the only one who lost her. So, you're not alone."

"I didn't lose her," he said grimly, slowly standing to leave. "You can't lose something you never had."

"I'm sorry, Nick," she said quickly, thinking that she had offended him. "I didn't mean it--"

Nick cut her off by raising his hand. "It's okay," he said, in a halfway decent voice. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. And I know you lost your best friend. But there's one thing you were wrong about. I have always been alone." He stomped his cigarette into the sand as he walked away.

Diana didn't want to protest, but she felt a tug in her heart as he began to walk away.

She sighed, sitting up to look at the group. Members were slowly lingering away. She stood, brushing sand off of her. "If there's nothing else, then I think we can end this meeting."

Nobody objected. Nobody said anything. Diana turned to the path going up the bluff, slightly irritated. As she climbed, she began to understand what Nick was talking about. Being alone. She decided she needed to go someplace to think. And she knew the perfect place . . .