It was raining when Anu got to the arena where the WWF was taking place at for that night. Anu sometimes liked getting to the arena early because then she would be alone in the ring to write in her Book of Shadows. Not this day, someone was already in the ring that she liked to sit in. Well maybe if the person allowed her to share it because she didn't have enough time to write that night. Anu also knew the way that the person sat belonged to one wrestler, Raven. Swallowing she hid all her infatuation for the man and placed her beloved backpack next to one of the ring posts.

Raven looked at Anu, the new photographer for the company as well as a journalist. He had heard about her quietness and odd holiday vacations when overhearing Matt and her talk. She had only been with the company for two months and already a friend to Matt Hardy, one of the men he would rather beat the living hell out of. He watched her with intensity as she sat downin the diagonal corner from him. Neither of them said a word, probably because whenever Anu looked at Raven he pretended that he was engulfed in his book.

She wrote:May tenth, 2000.I can't get the dream out of my head. I am sitting in a field and overhead there is a black bird, a raven, perched in a tree watching me intensely. I know they are the sign of death, but death of what. Am I going to be loosing something or what? Maybe there's another meaning that I don't know yet. Goddess, sometimes I don't know what I think anymore. To top it off, I'm sitting in the wrestling ring like I usually do but I'm not alone. Raven is sitting across from me, nose buried in a book.

I'm glad I have someone like Matt Hardy to talk to; he's the one guy that I will console in if I'm having emotional problems about Jeff and his blatant disregards to about how Raven is a satanic follower. He should look in the mirror since he is the poster child for Hot Topic. I swear I just want to stand up to him and tell him that I am one of those people that he hates so much. Maybe that will shut him up, or get me fired. All I have to do is say "I'm a witch, a real witch" and he'll probably have me fired for sure. If I can only get up the nerve to talk to Raven then I know I would actually like him, if he allows me anywhere near him. Goddess, he's so cute with the braids. Wait, what am I thinking, he's about fifteen years older than me and besides I'm too young for him.

Midsummer solstice is coming up, I want to do something really special. Whichever city I'm in I'll see if there's an event I can go to. I feel like dressing up and just showing off some of my extravagant outfits to Matt. I'm glad he's here to support me in secret but I know that I'll have to come out of the broom closet soon and I will most likely hate it. Wonder what kind of spell I can do to protect me from harm. I'll make one up and see what I come up with.

Ending her journal entry there Anu flipped to her spell section of her binder, which served as an organized Book of Shadows. Already she had spells that the coven had done but she had yet to have some that she did on her own. She didn't know why she neglected to create any of her own, but since she's only been in the craft for over a year and a half she didn't know why she didn't create any of her own. As she stared at the lined piece of paper she knew this spell had to be small so that she wouldn't be noticed. As simple as charging a stone or pendant with protective energy, she concluded.

"Crud." She mumbled to herself as she flipped through her notes.

Looking at the color coordinates she found that red was used in protections. Well maybe she can see what she had any jewelry that was red that she could use as a protection charm. Jewelry would be a lot less hazardous to explain.

"Having trouble?" Asked a voice just in front of her.

Looking up Anu had to swallow hard to keep her drool from falling out of her mouth. Raven stood in front ofAnu watching her with intensity and analyzing her.

"Just going over some things in this binder."

"You don't have to bull shit me. Tell me what's really going on?"

"If I'm not careful then in rough terms all hell is going to break loose. My religion is a touchy subject amongst people around here, especially Jeff Hardy. He's got so much against other religions that don't worship his god I'm scared of what people would say if they found out what I follow."

Raven squatted down in front of her. "You're not a Christian are you?"

"No, not anymore." He waited for her to go on. "I'm a witch on the Eclectic Wicca path."

He smiled. "Yeah, that would make people uneasy. So you haven't told anyone yet?"

"Matt Hardy knows, and he's the only person besides you."

"Even though I don't much like either of the Hardy Boyz I know Matt will keep a secret for however long he needs to. If it gets too out of hand he will tell someone. Granted I'm not the one he would tell but we have an understanding if the other needs to know something then we tell him. You get what I'm saying?"

"Sure, if you know something about Jeff that would hurt him you would tell Matt. Kind of like an invisible big brother act."

"Right. What are you doing anyway?"

"Just trying to make up a magical rite for protection. I have a thought in my mind but I don't know if I can find the right ingredients for it."

Anu was surprised when the man sat down in front of her and peered at her handwriting. "So this is what a real Book of Shadows looks like huh?"

She nodded. "It's good to keep it organize. I have a section for rituals, for spells, for sabbats and for other things, like correspondences. What colors corresponded with in nature. Love, passion, sex, protection and all that good stuff are in here. The correspondences to the four quarters are different, their elements and all of that are in here. So the color for fire is red and the direction is south, and the rituals use for fire is courage, sex, destructive, cleansing, energetic, authority, banishing negativity. All elements have different correspondences to do with their properties. You get what I'm saying?"

Raven smiled. "Yeah I do. Would you like some help with it? You know doing this spell?"

"I'm using a charm but I don't know what to do. I don't want to do something big and seeable like a pentacle necklace."

"What about a stone? You can put that on a necklace and no one would think of something like that?"

If it were possible a light bulb would have gone over Anu's head.

"You just gave me an idea." Opening a sachet from her pocket she showed Raven a fossilized water buffalo tooth. "These are a symbol for strength. Well I'll need strength when my religion is released. And clear quartz is both a healing and protective stone. Thank you Raven, you've been a real good help. I found a charm that will help me out and it was your influence that helped me. Now, how would I go about doing a spell?"

"Do you mind?" Raven took her binder in his hands. "Well I'm not a witch or anything but maybe do a candle spell, with the proper elements that would be used for a protection rite. Why not take one that you have and manipulate it to fit in with what you want, or something like that?"

Together they went over possibilities and as they did so Anu became comfortable with this man. She didn't know why but there was something in him that she had liked.

Raven glanced into the oddly emerald green eyes of this young woman and couldn't comprehend why he wanted to talk to her. Usually he was always avoiding the opposite sex, lack of romance in his life sent him to believe that no one loved him. How could this girl be any different? She was too innocent to him, her eyes showed her feelings and he could make out the happiness behind her eyes.

"Thank you!" Anu yelped out after finishing writing down the small incantation that he had helped her write. Out of response she leaned forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his broad shoulders. "Thank you so much, Mr. Raven. I really liked your ideas. I have a feeling that they will work out for me."

Sitting back on her knees Anu went through what she had put down. Raven just looked at her, not sure of what to say.

"I have to go." He stood up.

"Wait! Can we make some time together? I really like hanging out with you."

"No." He covered his emotions really well as he slid out of the ring. "I don't want to meet up with you."

Looking at her hands briefly Anu looked back up and watched the one of the few people that didn't care for her religion. Why did he cloud over like that? Why would he just shut her out like that? Anu flipped back to her journal page and wrote one last entry: Does Raven hate me?