Ghost chapter 2
Signs
I nearly forgot about the job I had to be at today due to the strange encounter with a strange biker. This morning was definitely strange. Huh, I thought, why was that biker so surprised I was Morgan Rowlands? I mean I barely knew anybody here.
"Excuse me?" asked someone cutting through my thoughts. "Are you the witch who works at Practickal Magick?"
"Um, yeah," I said cautiously after my run-in with the biker.
"Oh," she said. The girl was barely fourteen years old with auburn hair, well actually it was more like a copper wire sort of colour. Her hair was in a terrible perm and she had freckles all over her face. She quite short with wide blue eyes that clashed with her hair colour. I half suspected that copper wire-auburn was not her natural hair colour.
"Can I help you?" I asked kindly.
"I…I was wondering if you can help me… with something to do with magick," she stuttered shyly, her face turning bright red. It must be scary for her to talk to a real witch.
" Oh course I can help, that's what I'm here for," I smiled, "just follow me Partickal Magic". She nodded, seeming unable to speak. I turned the corner with her following me wordlessly.
Then I stopped abruptly, my senses pricked, my spine tingling. I felt something coming. Then I heard it, so vividly in my head, the witch is late. I smirked. Cole. The witch is coming I sent back.
"Is something wrong?" the girl asked. I almost forgot she was there.
"Nothing," I said quickly. She looked suspiciously at me. So just we continued walking.
"What is your name?" I asked trying to make light conversation.
"My name's Anita," she answered , "Anita Blair."
I stopped in my tracks. "Blair?" Cal Blair?
"Yeah, is that a problem?" she said viciously, sounding offended.
"No!" I said quickly, "Not at all!"
"Huh," Anita replied gruffly.
"So, how did you know about I worked at Practickal Magick?" I asked trying again to break the ice.
"I've been in the store I few times before," she answered. There was silence for the rest of the walk. Finally we made it to my wicca shop. My shop doesn't look like one of those clique witch shops with a picture of a witch on the broomstick on the shop window. It looks like an ordinary shop. Inside there is shelves of various books on spells, herbs and other magical items for aspiring witches. We supply scrying stones, incense, candles, everything you can think of. We even perform spells and give advice to those seeking magical advice or those who turn to magic to help in healing or a solving of a problem. All around the circular store stands candles that illuminates the room.
Cole was standing outside and he was tapping at his watch jokingly with mock disgust.
"Well, well Riordan is late… again," Cole said with mock disapproval, "tut…tut." Riordan is a kind of nickname for me. Only Cole calls me that, everybody else calls me Morgan. At first it irritated me but now I am used to it.
"Excuse me!" I said with pretend indignation, "Riordan is always on time! Maybe you should come later!"
Cole laughed. "Ok, ok! Just open the door, and who's your friend?" He said glancing at Anita. She scowled.
"Mind your manners! This is a customer!" I hushed. Cole snickered. I took out the keys and opened the door. Cole stepped inside, then Anita, then me.
Turning to Anita I said, " step through there, I'll be right with you." I gestured to a door in the far side of store which led to my 'office' that the visitors go in for a 'consultation'. She nodded and hurried off. Cole has already taken his place at the counter.
I sat my bag down next to the counter and walked through the door. My 'office' is another circular room lit with candles. There is two cushions in the middle of the room. In one side there are cupboards and shelves of some magickal equipment. I love this room. It gives a homey feeling. I saw Anita sitting on a cushion, fiddling with what looked like a necklace. I walked up to the cushion vertical opposite of her and sat down. She seemed a little awestruck by the room.
"I think that this room is intense!" she exclaimed as I sat down, "and I can even feel the magick! Are you like the real thing?" Nearly every visitor asks me that, it gets annoying over time.
"It depends on what you mean by 'the real thing'" I replied. She just nodded and continued fiddling with her necklace. There was silence for a while.
"May I see your necklace?" I asked breaking the silence. She nodded and undid the clasp and produced a … I froze. In my hand was a beautiful silver pentacle, just like the one Cal gave me, the one he bewitched to take control of me! I took a deep breath and asked, "where did you get it?"
"Umm, it looked really nice so I bought it," Anita answered. Suddenly, I became teary-eyed, all that pain concerning Cal came rushing back to me.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Anita asked seeing me clearly disturbed.
I wiped a tear from my eye and replied, "no, its beautiful." Suddenly once again, I sensed something was wrong, terribly wrong.
"What on Earth?" I heard Cole cry from outside and a sound of shelves collapsing. Now I knew something is definitely wrong. I stood up abruptly and hurried out the door. I gasped. The shop was pitch black as the curtains on the shop window was drawn. There is definitely something wrong.
"Cole? Are you there?" I called. He answered but he seemed so distant, so far away. I decided to cast my mage sight towards the room. "Oh Goddess!" I exclaimed, the shop, my shop was in ruins, all the contents on the shelves were scattered all over the floor, all the shelves and cupboards have fallen, the wallpaper have been stripped down. I tried sensing for Cole but then my magic was blocked.
Who would do such a thing? I wondered. I started walking blind towards the shop window to draw the curtains for some light. Suddenly, all the candles flicked on, lighting up the room revealing a horrible sight. Dark runes, harm sigils were written all over the walls in… blood. I started feeling drained and weak. I struggled to keep my focus. My vision started getting foggy. Oh, Goddess what is happening? I collapsed, feeling isolated and suffocated. I struggled to breathe. The walls were caving in on me and trapping me in. The room seemed to start spinning faster and faster until I felt nauseas.
"Cole?" I tried calling hoarsely, "Cole?" I gasped, trying to keep my footing. Suddenly, I found myself in Cal's souma, I could see the walls, and candles so vividly. It was like being transported back there. I smelt smoke. What? No! I was being burnt from the outside… again! No! I thought desperately, not again! The room filled with smoke. I could hear voices outside, voices of Selene Belltower and the other woodbane coven members arguing about my soon-to-be demise. I could even hear Cal's. Tears welling in my eyes, I heaved one last breath and then fell out of consciousness.