[Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I wanna thank all the people who reviewed my story! Thank you! And, just a note: My school year starts on Tuesday, September 2, so I might not be able to get chapters out as fast as I'd want to. But, I will be writing. I'm not ending it all just because of school. Just wanted to make that clear ^_^ Enjoy this chapter! –Katie]

Shadow Girl

Book Two: Soul Searching

[Chapter Six: The Rose and the Thorn]

      April 14

                        I have definitely made a name for myself at Widow's Vale High. I'm the guy who publicly embarrassed the cheer squad captain, the guy who looked popularity in the face and then walked away. I'm Moira Riordan-Niall's boyfriend, and I'm damn proud of it.

                        Moira. Every day with her is a revelation. It almost seems that there's something different about her every time I see her. And lately, whenever she smiles at me, whenever we're together, it's almost as if I hear these words inside my head. They're actually more like sounds. It doesn't make sense to me, like they're in a different language. Maybe it's what people always talk about, how when you're in love, you can't think straight. That's the only way I can explain it. It must be love.

                                                                                                -Jordan

            "And what comes after Lammas?" I quizzed Jordan.

            "Mabon," Jordan answered with a serious expression of concentration on his face. "It's the autumnal equinox, where night and day are equal. It's the harvest festival, and at Mabon, Wiccans seek balance within themselves."

            "Very good," I said, grinning at him. "Another right answer." And to reward Jordan, I leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. We'd been using this rewards system for the hour that we'd spent going over what I'd taught the coven.

            "Can you tutor me in everything?" Jordan asked me, his eyes playful.

            I smiled, imagining Claire writhing on the floor screaming, Damn it! Stop that now! I can't take it! "Seriously, Jordan, I am really impressed," I told him. "You're really picking this stuff up."

            Jordan shrugged. "Wicca's really interesting to me. I can't stop reading about it."

            "Hmm," I said thoughtfully, putting my book back onto my desk. "What does your grandmother think about this?" I knew that Jordan had been raised Catholic, so my own experiences with my grandparents told me that it couldn't have been easy.

            Jordan shifted uncomfortably. "I haven't told her yet."

            "You haven't?" I turned around and looked at him. "Jordan, you really should be honest with her."

            "Don't worry. I'll tell her eventually." I sat back down on my bed, leaning against the pillows, and Jordan turned to face me. "So, what was it like to grow up as a blood witch?" he asked me. "That must have been anything but ordinary."

            I nodded in agreement. "It was. But my situation is much different than most other blood witches'."

            Jordan looked at me quizzically. "How so?"

            I shrugged, pulling my legs up to my chest. "Well, my mom's pretty famous among Wiccans. She has power that only comes along every few generations."

            Jordan watched me with interest. "Wow. That must be interesting."

            "Sort of. But it's like…I'm always being watched to see if I'll live up to my mom's legacy. If I'll have my mom's strength, her intelligence. It's nerve wracking." I sighed. "It's not always fun when everyone knows who you are, and they're constantly telling you how amazing your mother is, and they make you feel like you can't just relax, you always have to work, work, work so you're not a disappointment. I'm the daughter of a prodigy, so everyone expects me to be one, too."

            Jordan nodded sympathetically. "Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're amazing." We looked into each other's eyes, and any intelligence I had was completely erased.

            Soon, Jordan was leaning in and kissing me, and I moved my legs so he could get closer. Jordan's hand curled around my neck, and his mouth pressed against mine. All I could think was, Jordan and I are alone in my bedroom, with the door closed, on my bed. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him more, and I felt like saying, I love you, I love you, you're perfect…

            Slam. "Oh my God, Moira, your mom just told me what happened to you with--" My mother's best friend, Bree, stood in my doorway, staring at Jordan and I. We had stopped kissing and sat there, still in each other's arms. "Oh. Oh my."

            I gave her a sarcastic smile. "Hi, Aunt Bree." Yes, hello and welcome to my make-out session. Sit back, relax, and grab some popcorn, why don't you?

            "Your mom, she didn't tell me…I didn't know…I'm gonna go now." Aunt Bree gave a nervous laugh, and then disappeared.

            I shook my head and laughed, then turned back to Jordan. He was staring at my doorway, looking shocked. "Was that…Did Bree Warren just come in here?"

            I smirked. Aunt Bree is a freelance model, and she's pretty famous. "Aunt Bree is my mom's best friend," I informed him with a grin.

            "I've had dreams about this," Jordan said, still looking perplexed. "I was kissing a pretty girl, and then Bree Warren storms in, and the girl and Bree start wrestling each other and ripping each other's clothes off…"

            I scooted away from him. "Sicko."

            "It was only a dream, Moira!" Jordan defended himself as I laughed and got off my bed. "Come on, don't leave!" He leapt up and followed me.

            "Relax, Jordan," I told him. "I just have a feeling that my mom put Aunt Bree up to that. You know, check up on us so we're not reproducing like rabbits."

            I don't think I've ever seen anyone blush as hard as Jordan was at that moment. "W-would she really think we're…doing that?"

            "She's a mother, it's in her job description," I told him. "But I was kidding, anyway." I put my finger to my lips as we passed my parents' room. "My dad's sleeping in there."

            "Is he okay?" Jordan whispered, looking concerned. I loved how he was concerned.

            "He's got the flu. Mom could heal him in a second, but she doesn't like to use her powers unless it's an emergency."

            Jordan nodded, and then he stopped me in the hall and kissed me.

            I pulled away, smiling. "What was that for?"

            Jordan shrugged, looking intently at me. "'Cause I love you."

            I fell for Jordan even more in that second. "I love you too." I wasn't sure if this was how most relationships went, but this was how mine was going. And I wasn't complaining a bit.

*  *  *

            The next day, Saturday, I called Jordan in the morning and asked him to meet me in the woods near the field out past Tower's Market. I walked there by myself, imagining Jordan and I spending the day alone in the woods, talking, kissing…I shivered with excitement. It was pleasantly chilly, and I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked across the field.

            But when I got to the edge of the woods, I stopped and stared with dismay. Derek Boles and about five of his mindless buddies were standing around, smoking. Derek was the first to notice me. "Well, well, well..."

            "What are you doing here?" I asked, feeling like I'd been slapped. No, no, no! This was not supposed to happen.

            "I'm sorry, is this The Witch's Woods?" Derek spat, throwing down his cigarette and walking towards me. "I had no idea." He fixed me with his hard glare. "You know, my parents weren't too fond of the little stunt you pulled on me."

            "Oh, you mean the one where I taught you a lesson?" Derek is a huge jerk, and a few weeks ago, I knocked him off his chair using my magick when he was sexually harassing me. "Funny, I rather enjoyed that."

            Derek's eyes glittered menacingly, and I started to feel worried. "And I think that I am going to enjoy this."

            Suddenly one of the other guys standing around grabbed me from behind and started dragging me deeper into the woods. "What are you doing? Get off me!" I started jumping up and down, kicking my legs out, doing anything to make them let go of me. But the boy hanging on to me was on the football team, so there was no way I could shake him. He finally slammed me against a tree, and held me there by going around the back and holding onto my arms.

            "So how does it feel to be powerless?" Derek asked me, getting in my face.

            "I wouldn't know," I told him, then kicked out my legs right into his stomach.

            Derek doubled over, his face contorted in pain. "Get her legs," he snarled to one of the guys standing around watching. I immediately tried to kick him, but he grabbed my right foot and twisted it. I made a pained sound as a small crack ensued, and stopped fighting, much against my will. Meanwhile, Derek had straightened up, and now had a fresh layer of fury in his eyes. "You're going to pay for that, witch." And with a heightened sense of fear, I realized he now held a stone the size of his fist in his hand.

            "Let her go." Derek turned to see Jordan standing a few feet away, watching the scene in both fear and anger.

            "Jordan, go and get help," I told him, my voice sounding ironically calm. "Go and get help and come back here as fast as you can. If you see somebody running around with his head on fire, don't worry, it just means I'm handling it."

            "Let her go now," Jordan hissed at Derek, stepping forward.

            "Nope, sorry, can't do that," Derek replied, tossing the stone in his hand like a baseball. "I'm afraid you're going have to watch your witch girlfriend get stoned to death." My eyes widened in fear as Derek turned to me and drew his arm back.

            "NO!" Suddenly, everything went into slow motion. We all watched as a ball of blinding white light began to grow in the palm of Jordan's outstretched hand. He suddenly threw his arm forward, sending the orb of light straight towards Derek.

            Derek jumped out of the way, which meant the ball of light was headed for me. Luckily, both guys who had been restraining me had released me and moved out of the way. I threw myself to the ground, covering my head with my arms. The ball of white witch fire collided with the tree with a thunderous impact. I gasped when I realized a huge crack had been made in the trunk of the tree. "It's gonna fall!"

            Everyone moved as far away from the falling tree. The sound of the tree crashing to the ground was horrific. There was a horrible silence.

            "Come on, guys, let's get out of here." Derek and his friends ran out of the woods, scared as hell. I could feel their fear. Or maybe I was only feeling my overwhelming fear.

            Jordan and I were left there alone, staring at each other. I picked myself off the floor and winced; my right ankle felt sprained. Jordan started walking towards me, saying, "Moira--"

            "No, get away from me." My whole world was shattering. Everything that had happened in the past two weeks flashed before my eyes: Jordan staring at my pentacle. His willing acceptance to me being a witch. The way he picked up on all the information so quickly. And Ashley being thrown into the table. It all made sense now.

            Jordan O'Brien had lied to me all along. He was a blood witch. And right now, he'd almost killed someone.

            Jordan actually looked shocked. "Moira, I don't…"

            "No, you lied to me," I choked out, trying desperately to keep my emotions down. I felt like crying, throwing up, and strangling Jordan. More images came to me: him staring lovingly into my eyes, telling me I was pretty, telling me he loved me. Oh, Goddess, Jordan, how could you…how could you…

            "You're a blood witch," I said, unable to do anything more than state the obvious.

            Jordan had the nerve to still act perplexed. "What? Moira, I'm not--"

            "Jordan, you just conjured up white witch fire," I told him, my voice wobbling. "Not only do you have to be a blood witch to do that, but you have to be a pretty damn powerful one. You lied to me, all this time…"

            Jordan face was pale, and he walked closer to me. But I called up what little strength I had left and shoved Jordan as hard as I could. He fell to the ground, and I ran, limping, pain searing through my leg as it seared through my heart. I had let myself become vulnerable to love, and this was what happened. Sobs racked through me as I ran home.