"You're both certifiably insane."
That was Rachel's initial response to her sisters' story about the Book of Shadows, and everything Raelyn had found. They'd purposely left out the note. They thought it would be better for Rachel to see it for herself.
"Thanks, sis," Rhianna replied dryly.
She'd expected this from Rachel, she'd warned Raelyn that this would be the reaction they'd get, but Rae had insisted on telling her anyway. "After all," Rae had argued, "She's going to find out eventually."
"I know it sounds out there," Raelyn said now. "I can hardly believe it myself. But Rach, there's something you need to see."
Rachel reluctantly followed her sisters up to the attic. "This is rediculous," she muttered.
"Just read this," Rhia insisted, pointing to the page the Book had been left open to.
Rachel did, her forehead creasing in a frown. "This is such BS," she said. "Whatever game you two are playing, you need to stop it now, because it's really not funny."
"There's no game, Rach," Raelyn denied. "Look closely. You know that's Grams' handwriting. You might not believe that I saw Melinda, but you can't dispute what's on that page."
Rachel shook her head, struggling to come up with some kind of rationalization. "Okay, so I'll assume for a minute that this isn't some ass-backward trick you're playing. This looks a hell of a lot like Grams' handwriting, so for the moment I'll pretend that I believe it is. She can't have been serious. Maybe she was... speaking figuratively. Or... or playing a joke on us. Or..." Rachel let her voice trail off, giving up. She was grasping at straws, and she knew it. "Well, just because I can't think of a reasonable explanation doesn't mean there isn't one," she insisted, as much for her own assurance as to convince her sisters.
"But what if there's not?" Rhianna pressed. "What if everything in Grams' letter is true, and we're witches?"
"That's not going to happen, Rhia," Rachel insisted. "Raelyn was probably just dreaming or something. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She turned, and, with a harsh glare to her sisters, started toward the attic stairs.
"Rach, wait," Raelyn called. Rachel spun around. "Just out of curiosity," Rae asked, "Why did you come home?"
Rachel shrugged. "I had the feeling the two of you were doing something crazy. Obviously I was right."
Raelyn and Rhianna exchanged glances.
"So, you knew what we were doing just as we were doing it?" Raelyn questioned. "Almost like... magic?"
Rachel sent her a look of pure disgust. "Rae, I don't know what kind of creepy-ass stories Rhianna's been feeding you since she got back, but there's no such thing as magic. Now I really don't want to see both my sisters go psycho on me, so please just drop it." With that, she turned and started out of the attic.
"So what now?" Rhianna whispered to Raelyn. "Do we do what she said? Do we just drop it?"
"I don't think that's an optian anymore," Raelyn replied quitely, staring at the Book of Shadows. Pages were turning on their own again.
"Rach, look," Rhianna called triumphantly.
"Now wha-" The words died on Rachel's lips as she spun around again and saw the book. She ran over to it, inspecting it as the pages continued to turn. By the time it stopped, she was convinced that her sisters were telling the truth.
"Yamta," she read aloud. She looked up at her sisters expectantly. "What the hell is this?"
"Still think we're insane?" Raelyn asked with a hint of satisfaction.
Rachel sighed. "Fine. You were right. I can't explain this one. Now what the hell is a 'Yamta'?"
Rhia and Rae went over to the book, silently reading the page it had opened to.
"It says here he's a warlock," Raelyn pointed out.
"And that would be...?"
"Probably the evil that Melinda told Rae about," Rhianna said.
"There's some kind of spell here," Raelyn added.
"So what are we supposed to do with a spell?" Rachel asked impatiently.
Just then, the girls heard a crash downstairs. They ran out of the attic, Rhianna clutching the book, and found a short, bald man in a black suit standing in the conservatory amid shattered glass. He'd obviously broken in through the windows, but it wasn't so apparent how he'd done it. It looked like there had been a major explosion.
"What the hell?" Rachel exclaimed.
"I think this would be Yamta," Raelyn told her.
"Come here, say the spell," Rhia told her sisters. They all gathered around the open book, and started chanting.
"Blowing things up was your m.o.,
So out with a bang is how you'll go,
Yamta, you no more shall be,
We vanquish you with the Power of Three!"
The sisters huddled together and looked on with awe as the warlock disappeared in a fantastic explosion. The stood, holding the Book of Shadows between them, and leaned against each other for support. Although they'd all been at least partially convinced of the existance of magic, none of them could quite grasp the reality of what they'd just seen. All three siblings came back to the same quiestion.
What now?
That was Rachel's initial response to her sisters' story about the Book of Shadows, and everything Raelyn had found. They'd purposely left out the note. They thought it would be better for Rachel to see it for herself.
"Thanks, sis," Rhianna replied dryly.
She'd expected this from Rachel, she'd warned Raelyn that this would be the reaction they'd get, but Rae had insisted on telling her anyway. "After all," Rae had argued, "She's going to find out eventually."
"I know it sounds out there," Raelyn said now. "I can hardly believe it myself. But Rach, there's something you need to see."
Rachel reluctantly followed her sisters up to the attic. "This is rediculous," she muttered.
"Just read this," Rhia insisted, pointing to the page the Book had been left open to.
Rachel did, her forehead creasing in a frown. "This is such BS," she said. "Whatever game you two are playing, you need to stop it now, because it's really not funny."
"There's no game, Rach," Raelyn denied. "Look closely. You know that's Grams' handwriting. You might not believe that I saw Melinda, but you can't dispute what's on that page."
Rachel shook her head, struggling to come up with some kind of rationalization. "Okay, so I'll assume for a minute that this isn't some ass-backward trick you're playing. This looks a hell of a lot like Grams' handwriting, so for the moment I'll pretend that I believe it is. She can't have been serious. Maybe she was... speaking figuratively. Or... or playing a joke on us. Or..." Rachel let her voice trail off, giving up. She was grasping at straws, and she knew it. "Well, just because I can't think of a reasonable explanation doesn't mean there isn't one," she insisted, as much for her own assurance as to convince her sisters.
"But what if there's not?" Rhianna pressed. "What if everything in Grams' letter is true, and we're witches?"
"That's not going to happen, Rhia," Rachel insisted. "Raelyn was probably just dreaming or something. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She turned, and, with a harsh glare to her sisters, started toward the attic stairs.
"Rach, wait," Raelyn called. Rachel spun around. "Just out of curiosity," Rae asked, "Why did you come home?"
Rachel shrugged. "I had the feeling the two of you were doing something crazy. Obviously I was right."
Raelyn and Rhianna exchanged glances.
"So, you knew what we were doing just as we were doing it?" Raelyn questioned. "Almost like... magic?"
Rachel sent her a look of pure disgust. "Rae, I don't know what kind of creepy-ass stories Rhianna's been feeding you since she got back, but there's no such thing as magic. Now I really don't want to see both my sisters go psycho on me, so please just drop it." With that, she turned and started out of the attic.
"So what now?" Rhianna whispered to Raelyn. "Do we do what she said? Do we just drop it?"
"I don't think that's an optian anymore," Raelyn replied quitely, staring at the Book of Shadows. Pages were turning on their own again.
"Rach, look," Rhianna called triumphantly.
"Now wha-" The words died on Rachel's lips as she spun around again and saw the book. She ran over to it, inspecting it as the pages continued to turn. By the time it stopped, she was convinced that her sisters were telling the truth.
"Yamta," she read aloud. She looked up at her sisters expectantly. "What the hell is this?"
"Still think we're insane?" Raelyn asked with a hint of satisfaction.
Rachel sighed. "Fine. You were right. I can't explain this one. Now what the hell is a 'Yamta'?"
Rhia and Rae went over to the book, silently reading the page it had opened to.
"It says here he's a warlock," Raelyn pointed out.
"And that would be...?"
"Probably the evil that Melinda told Rae about," Rhianna said.
"There's some kind of spell here," Raelyn added.
"So what are we supposed to do with a spell?" Rachel asked impatiently.
Just then, the girls heard a crash downstairs. They ran out of the attic, Rhianna clutching the book, and found a short, bald man in a black suit standing in the conservatory amid shattered glass. He'd obviously broken in through the windows, but it wasn't so apparent how he'd done it. It looked like there had been a major explosion.
"What the hell?" Rachel exclaimed.
"I think this would be Yamta," Raelyn told her.
"Come here, say the spell," Rhia told her sisters. They all gathered around the open book, and started chanting.
"Blowing things up was your m.o.,
So out with a bang is how you'll go,
Yamta, you no more shall be,
We vanquish you with the Power of Three!"
The sisters huddled together and looked on with awe as the warlock disappeared in a fantastic explosion. The stood, holding the Book of Shadows between them, and leaned against each other for support. Although they'd all been at least partially convinced of the existance of magic, none of them could quite grasp the reality of what they'd just seen. All three siblings came back to the same quiestion.
What now?