Okay, sorry, this took a bit longer than I anticipated…my apologies. It seems as if every two chapters when I write this story I get kind of stuck, sorry. Please, do review.

When I awoke the next morning, I could hear banging around in the kitchen and somehow just knew it was Hunter in there. Some knew witch-sense, probably, that I hoped wasn't about to kill me.

He came out then; mug in hand, gave me a look, and then went back inside the kitchen. When he re-entered the living room that was more-or-less my room now, he had two mugs, both steaming. Handing me one, he said, "Tea. It's good, especially with the honey I added. Just try it." Giving me a strange look, he added, "And no, we have no Diet Coke."

A strangled laugh escaped me, but he didn't even crack a smile and my laugh didn't last very long. As I put the mug to my lips, he stopped me. "No! Wait!" he cried, and I jumped. A bit of tea sloshed over the side, instantly forming a warm, wet spot on my flannel pajama pants. "Don't you know…you have to cool it first, Morgan."

I nodded, and said, "Of course," and then began to blow on the top of my tea. Surprising me, Hunter began to laugh.

"I suppose you've never learned how to cool tea the proper way," said Hunter mockingly, and I found myself glaring at him and his British-ness. He took my mug from me, me squawking in protest, and muttered, "Cool the fire," while moving his hand in a circular motion counter clockwise. He then handed the mug back to me. When I didn't feel the heat warm my fingertips through the ceramic, I stared at him, wide-eyed. "Go ahead," he said with a nod, "drink it."

I took a tiny test sip, and felt my eyes grow wider (if that was even possible). The tea was perfect; room temperature, not to hot, but not too cold. Hunter was giving me a cocky smirk, and for some odd reason I felt like wiping it right off of his face. Huffing, I said, "Diet Coke is still better."

He gave me the strangest look then. How can anyone think an artificial drink is better than a healing, medicinal, calming mug of chamomile tea?

"Sorry," Hunter said bracingly, breaking my thoughts. "There are no soft drinks in this house at all."

I somehow felt Sky and Mom above me; I stretched out somehow, letting my mind drift away from me, as if I could just touch their essence and see what they were doing. "How are you doing that?" breathed Hunter next to me, and I snapped my head towards him.

"Doing what?" I said, utterly perturbed.

"Casting your senses." They way he said this, as if it were the most common thing, had me frowning. I didn't want to say, "I don't know what that means!" and sound like a total idiot, but I was so unsure.

"Casting your senses," began Hunter in a cool voice, and I felt my cheeks flush involuntarily, "is when you put your magick out around you, and see if you can feel any presences, sort of." He looked like he was struggling to describe it.

I frowned. "Well, I had been trying to do something sort of like that…I guess. I was just trying to see if Sky and my mom were awake."

Hunter looked at me. "Where they?"

"No." I looked back at him, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, like his eyes were shooting out electrical currents. What the heck was he doing? Dark magick? Surely playing with people's emotions must be against some rule…

Ignoring him, I went back to sipping my tea. I wished it was sweeter; it still seemed kind of bland to me. Should I ask Hunter where the sugar was? No, I decided, that'd make me look even more stupid and immature than I already looked.

I gulped down the rest of the tea with a grimace, pretending it was something else tasty and sugary but not really buying it. It seemed my life had gone in a downfall; I had to break up with Joey, that new boy Cal thought I had left forever, and I was stuck here with this blonde British-boy named Hunter. It was just peachy.

Once he put down his tea, he turned to me. "We're going to need to study, Morgan," said Hunter, and I couldn't help but look irritated. I hated studying. "The major thing in Wicca is learning the smaller things. To complete the larger magick, smaller things – even if it's just performing remedies for a headache or helping a plant grow."

I stared at him. Was he serious? Couldn't I just take an aspirin and water a plant or something?

"You'll need to focus," he said, and then began showing me runes and sigils, like Eolh for protection and Ur for strength.

He made me retrace them again and again until I memorized them, and my back hurt for sitting still for so long. By this time, I was really going weary from Hunter's antagonizing accent (which might be nice if it wasn't being used to lecture me on symbols).

When my mom and Sky finally came down to save me from my torture, it was nearly eleven and my head was pounding.

Later, Sky and Hunter made me relive what I had seen during the circle yesterday. It was a bit painful to revive it; it had scared me so much that I was trying to forget about it. Sky, Hunter, and Mom puzzled over it for a while; they thought it might be just a dream, and then a message, and then a bunch of things from me or to me, and it all didn't make any sense at all.

While they worked over it, I went outside and sat on the back porch, looking at the expanse of green leaves and thick tree trunks. It was peaceful until I caught a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. It was just what seemed to be a bit of a shadow, but I was certain I had seen something. Out of reflex, my gaze immediately snapped to the spot where I had apparently hallucinated. Nothing was there except for a few rustling branches and leaves.

"Hello?" I called out softly, and then realized with stupidity that that was the thing when you were watching a horror movie you were telling the lead not to do. And secondly, I could "cast" my senses. As Hunter had told me, I stretched out my mind seemingly, but nothing in the forest came to me. There were no human beings out there.

However, I could feel something new. It was like someone was watching me; I could feel pressure from all around, but I didn't know what to do. Falling to my knees, I looked up. Everything seemed hazy and uneven, and I couldn't help but feel lost and afraid.

And then the sensation went away, and doors were banging shut behind me as my Mom was on the porch. She looked frantic; her hands were shaking. For once, I noticed Sky and Hunter did not follow. They must have thought we needed mother-daughter-bonding-time or something. Mom looked different from how she had before, when everything didn't relate to Wicca and magick. She had dark bags under her eyes; she seemed thinner and paler than I had seen her in a long time. It gave me an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of my stomach to realize things now were out of my reach.

"Was there another presence here?" Mom questioned, and I found myself staring at her in pure amazement.

"Yes…like someone was looking for me."

"Oh, Goddess," whispered Mom, reaching out to grasp my arm. "Someone was scrying you! Morgan, please, if you know who it was, please tell me!"

Feeling desperate at the look of pleading on her face, I looked at my ratty shoes that were unraveling as I just stood there. Finally, I looked into my mom's dimmed eyes.

"I don't know."

Again, I apologize for the lateness. Please, please review!