The Audition – Chapter 11
Hand in hand they walked back to the hotel from the drugstore. The air was mild in spite of the fact that it was late February. As the moon's light shown down on them Zoey realized she hadn't even taken notice of the full moon's approach on the calendar in all the events of recent weeks. She looked up at the moon and saw that it was full tonight. She thought briefly about skipping her full moon ritual this month, but quickly decided that she wouldn't since it was important to her as she needed a good calming influence right now, and they had always been a source of calm for her. She thought she had seen some things at the drugstore that she could use instead of her normal ritual things, so she told Loren that she needed to go back to the store for some things she had forgotten and the he could head back to the hotel without her if he wanted. He decided he would walk back to the store with her.
They walked quickly back to the store, so Zoey could take full advantage of the full moon's light. Grabbing a basket from beside the door, they walked the aisles finding the things Zoey needed. Zoey found everything she needed, even some small individual votive candles in the appropriate colors for each element. They were even scented with scents that closely represented each element. A clean cotton smell for Air, a cinnamon scent for Fire, a slightly crisp slightly salty smell for Water, an earthy pine scent for Earth, and a light flowery scent for Spirit. Her basket full with everything she needed, Zoey and Loren headed to the counter. Zoey grabbed a small lighter from the display by the cash register and put it with the rest of the items on the counter while Loren put the basket back. The clerk gave them an odd look but didn't say anything as he rang up the items. As the clerk bagged her purchases, she swiped her bank card through the card machine to pay.
Zoey took the bag and thanked the clerk as they headed out the door. Taking Loren's hand again, Zoey thought about her ritual, while Loren thought about what he might do to raise Zoey's spirits as they walked in silence back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, being the ever perfect gentleman, Loren opened the door for Zoey and let her in first. Zoey put the bag with her ritual supplies on the bed and hung up her coat on the clothes rack by the bathroom while Loren put the toiletries in the bathroom. Looking around the room for a good spot to do her ritual, Zoey saw that there was a small balcony and that the moon was shining down right on it.
Zoey slowly dumped the ritual items onto the bed so as not to break any of the candles or the square glass plate they would sit on. Carefully Zoey arranged the candles on the plate so they sat in the order they would be lit and snipped the wicks so they would burn evenly during the ritual. Loren, who had been putting the toiletries in the bathroom, walked out into the room and asked Zoey if he could join her for her ritual. She gladly agreed and together they grabbed their coats from the rack near the door. Her coat on, Zoey grabbed the plate with the candles and the lighter from the bed and walked to the balcony door where Loren was already waiting for her. He opened the door for her and she carefully stepped out onto the balcony and set the plate of candles on a small plastic table that was near the lounge chairs and moved the small table to the center of the balcony.
Picking up the lighter, Zoey raised her hands, palms up to the sky and spoke with a melodic tone.
"I call upon you Air. You are taken in with the first breath of life, so it is only fitting that you are the first element called. Come to me Air!"
With a flick of the lighter, Zoey lit the yellow candle as the wind gusted around her and Loren like a tamed but playful tornado. Raising her hands to the sky and speaking in the same melodic tone again Zoey spoke the words to summon fire.
"I call upon you Fire. You keep us warm from the cold and provide us light in the darknes. Come to me Fire!"
With another flick of the lighter, Zoey lit the red candle and they were surrounded by a warmth and a reddish orange glow that only comes from fire. Zoey repeated the process to summon water.
"I call upon you Water. You are a perfect balance to Fire just as Loren is a perfect match for me. Come to me Water!"
Zoey smiled at Loren as they were surrounded by the sound and smells of the the sea as the lighter sparked the wick of the blue candle to life. Repeating the summoning process, Zoey continued on to summon earth.
"I call upon you Earth. You give us a home and support and nurture us. Come to me Earth!"
The green candle sparked to life and Zoey and Loren were instantly surrounded by the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers. They smiled briefly and Zoey continued on to summon the final element of her circle, spirit.
"I call upon you Spirit. You make each and every person and thing unique. You give us courage and strength and you remain even when our bodies are gone. Come to me Spirit!"
As Zoey touched the lighter to the purple candle, both she and Loren were filled with peace and joy as Spirit made itself known. Setting down the lighter, Zoey noticed that her candles were connected by a faint shining thread of light. Smiling, she again raised her hands, palms up, to the sky.
"Nyx, I come to you this full moon with happiness, worry, and hope. So much has happened since my last ritual. I need your guidance to handle it all. My heart is happy and worried at the same time and I don't know how long I can keep going like this. I am the happiest I've been in a long time since Loren has asked me to be his wife, but my heart is worried as well that my Grandma might not be in as good a shape as she makes it seem right now. My heart is also filled with hope that Grandma Redbird pulls through her accident and surgery and also that Loren's and my relationship stays strong and helps us get through our new roles in the production we auditioned for. I ask you to help us get through these things and strengthen us. Blessed Be!"
Zoey put her hands on her knees and bent down to kneel on the balcony and was about to extinguish the candles when she heard a voice the voice of Nyx in her head.
"I am always with you to guide you u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, and I will continue to guide you so long as you are faithful and follow me. While your heart is full with happiness, worry and hope, it need not be so filled with worry. Your grandmother will be fine. She is a strong woman. Your relationship with Loren will be strengthened as you work through these things together and continue to follow your heart as you always do. Blessed Be!"
Pleased with the answer she had received from Nyx, Zoey whispered a thank you and blew out the 5 candles on the plate. Rising to her feet, she tucked the lighter into her pocket and carefully picked up the plate of candles and turned to face Loren who was waiting for her at the door. Carefully carrying the plate of candles inside, she set the plate on the short wide dresser that held the television and took off her coat and hung it back on the rock near the door out to the hall. Turning back toward the bed where the suitcases were, she smiled at Loren who was hanging up his own coat on the rack. Moving around him, she went to her suitcase and lifted it onto the bed to find her pajamas so she could shower and do her nightly routine. Kicking off her shoes by the dresser as she walked by, Zoey headed into the bathroom.
After closing the door, Zoey placed her pajamas on the side of the sink and turned on the water in the tub to let it warm up while she undressed. Zoey leaned forward and put her hand under the water to test the temperature and decided it was just right. Leaving the clothes piled on the floor, she stepped into the shower and turned on the spray. She stood in the warm spray of water for quite a while relishing the way the warm water felt as it ran down her body. It felt as thought it were washing away the worry and making way for the feelings of love and happiness she felt to come through even more. She didn't have a waterproof watch, so she had no idea how long she stood there but decided it was time to wash up. Almost methodically she found her soap and began washing her body. She took her time making sure she washed thoroughly. Placing the soap back on the holder, she reached for her shampoo and conditioner to wash her hair.
Meanwhile, Loren had come up with an idea of how to raise Zoey's spirits. He knew she would be a while in the shower and so he slipped his jacket back on and slipped out the door quickly and quietly. Once he was out the front door of the hotel, he quickly used the power he had to conceal himself in shadow and darkness so he could move quickly without detection. Making his way down to the small 24 hr. drugstore again, he removed the concealment as he got to the door and walked in. He quickly made his way around the store getting some small pink and white candles that were scented like roses and vanilla along with a few medium sized pillar candles in the same colors and scents, and also a small bottle of mint scented massage oil and lube as well as a box of condoms should his idea lead to something more.
Quickly making his way to the check out counter to pay for his purchases, he grabbed a small box of chocolates from a display near the counter and put the items on the counter. The cashier was surprised to see him again for the third time tonight and winked at him when he saw what Loren was buying, but said nothing. Loren pulled out his bank card and quickly swiped it through the machine while the cashier bagged the purchases. Loren thanked him and left, quickly calling the concealment back to him so he could move much more quickly back to the hotel. He arrived back at the hotel in record time. It had been barely 15 minutes since he had left. He quickly and quietly entered the room and hung his jacket on the rack. Hearing the shower still on, he quickly set to work placing the candles around the room and lighting them. Just as he placed the small box of chocolates on her pillow, he heard the shower stop and knew Zoey was almost done. He quickly zippered her suitcase and placed it back by his own which he grabbed up as he kicked his shoes off by the dresser next to Zoey's. He quickly unzipped his suitcase and found his silk boxers that he normally slept in and undressed leaving his clothes in a pile next to the bed and slipped on his own pajamas. Zippering his suitcase he placed it back with Zoey's he flipped the lights off so that only the glow of the candles lit the room. As the bathroom door opened, he laid down on the bed to wait for Zoey.