How do you like it so far? Im really excited about this! The Feedback I'm getting on twitter is awesome! You guys rock! After this I have about 3-4 more chapters already written then I have to write some more. So there will be about a week or 2 where there are no updates.

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Xoxo H

I DON'T OWN THE SECRET CIRCLE ALL OTHER CHARACTERS ARE MINE

Amanda POV

"Amanda" "hey Amanda wait up" I heard Diana and Deborah calling after to me. I stopped by the shoreline the hot tears still spilling down my face.

"calm down" Diana said putting her arm around me "good for you for putting her in her place" Deborah said proudly. "not now Deb" Diana said with disapproving eyes "I'm so sorry guys. I didn't mean to cause any trouble" my voice cracked. "no need to apologize" Diana said. "Faye has some good in her she just doesn't show it" Deborah rolled her eyes "I just got so angry" I said "when she brought up Alex I lost." Tears came rushing down my face again at the thought of him. "I'm grateful to be here and I really don't want to hurt Nick's feelings in saying this but I wish I was home with my friends" I started sobbing and it was Deborah who hugged me "it's completely understandable" she said "I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes" the softness in her voice was comforting.

"What's Faye's problem anyway?" I snapped. "Faye is threatened by beauty and power and you have so much more power than she does" Deborah said "and you are beautiful inside and out and Faye doesn't show the inner beauty she has" Diana said. "I hope the others don't hate me. It's hard enough coming into a new circle without pissing off one of their leaders right off the bat" I said calmly. I took a few deep breaths. "no one is mad at you Amanda" Diana said. "They know how Faye can get and we also understand your anger. We all felt it when we lost Kori" Deborah added. At least Diana and Deborah understood me.

I just hope Nick could forgive me for disrupting his circle. "I hope Nick isn't mad at me" I said wiping the last of tears from my eyes. "Nah I'm not mad" I heard his voice from behind me. I turned around and there he was smiling. He looked proud. He put his arm around me "you did great back there! If it was me I would have clocked her" he said smiling wider. Diana gave nick a look and Deborah giggled. "So how is everyone back there" Diana asked. "Chris and Doug calmed me down, Cassie and Suzan got Faye to calm down and Adam got everyone else calm. I had a lot to say and everyone listened." I could feel my eyes narrowing. "what did you say?" I asked and I noticed Diana and Deborah were very curious too. "I told them everything from how we met through what happened Thursday night. I didn't leave anything out I even told them about the vision" nick said. "Oh you should have seen their reaction" he laughed a real loud laugh. I loved the sound of his laugh. Diana even smiled "you certainly have changed nick" She chuckled. "did you tell them the game plan?" She asked "no Cassie said that we would have a meeting tomorrow morning at your house and go over the game plan and for Amanda to tell everyone the story of her circle, if you're up to it" He asked. "I'm ok with that" i said "yes a meeting in the morning is perfect. Then we can have our solstice celebration at night." Diana said. "I'm going to head back are you guys coming?" she said to me and Nick "in a few minutes" Nick said. Deborah and Diana walked away and I looked up at Nick. "I can't get over how awesome you were back there" he smiled kissing my forehead "thanks. I'm really sorry I disrupted your circle" i apologized "you have nothing to apologize for" he hugged me tight. The minty cigarettes smell engulfing me. "I'm proud of you" he said. I pulled back and looked up at him. His mahogany eyes looked like a sparking black in the moonlight. I stared into those eyes for a moment and they had a look of longing, of desire in them I had never seen and a heat within me started rising. He took my face in his hands and kissed me. He kissed me like we were the only ones on the beach. He wrapped his arms around me and I entangled my fingers in his hair. "oh get a room" a voice said. It belonged to Faye. we broke a part and I just stared at her smirking face trying hard not get angry again "what do you want Faye?" nick asked sounding quite perturbed. "I have something to say to Amanda" she said coldly. "go ahead then" Nick said putting his arm around me. "look I shouldn't have gone after you like that tonight. I didn't know the entire story and I know what its like to lose a friend" I was shocked. I didn't know Faye well but that seemed to be her way of apologizing "I probably wouldn't be too pleased if some stranger was being brought into my circle either" Faye smiled a wicked smile "she's a feisty one nick, I like that" she laughed but it sounded more like a cackle. I just laughed along with her though she was definitely someone I was going to keep an eye on. "well I'm bored so I'm going home. See you two love birds tomorrow" she said as she walked away. Nick and I just looked each other and laughed. We headed back to the others and the atmosphere was light.

The minute we got to where the group was Laurel came and pulled me away from Nick. "I need to borrow her for a minute" laurel said dragging over to where Melanie and Diana were sitting looking through my book of shadows. "I hope you don't mind Nick said we could look" Diana said apologetically. "oh no not at all. What are you looking for?" I asked. "we are looking for more elixirs" Melanie said "Diana let us try the cactus flower mint tea and it was exquisite" Laurel said. "if there is anything you would like to try or make let me know. I have all my herbs at nick's" I said looking over watching him try to stop Chris and Doug from shooting sparks at each other from the tips of driftwood. "do you think he would mind if we came over one day?" she asked. "I don't think so I'll ask him though Maybe you guys can come after the meeting at Diana's"

I was still staring and he noticed me watching him and flashed me a smile that I knew only belonged to me. I couldn't help but smile back. "you guys have got it bad" Melanie giggled. "I have never seen him like this" laurel said "hes softened up quite a bit it's almost like a whole new nick" Diana added. "I don't care what Faye said I'm glad you are here and more importantly I'm glad Nick found you" Melanie said "he was so sad and so cold for so long I never thought I'd see the day where the ice man melted" laurel smiled. "it's getting late we should probably go" Diana said handing me my book of shadows. "Thanks for letting me check it out there are a few I'd like to try out." She said "Definitely. I'll let you know what Nick says at the meeting. Maybe we caneven make a silly potion and sneak into someone's drink tomorrow" I giggled. "a silly potion?" Melanie asked. "yes it's a fusion of yellow daisies honey suckle and jasmine. Then you say "he who laughs with endless smiles let him be silly for a little while" then after they drink they do silly things. We had Alex chicken Dancing in the middle of McDonalds one night" I smiled thinking of my lost friend. The girls laughed as the boys approached. Nick was right at my side and he had a mischievous look in his eye. "ready to go?" he asked "I'm ready" I said and I was pretty much ready for anything.

NICK POV

After the whole thing with Faye I was proud of Amanda. She stood her ground and didn't flounder. She even accepted Faye's form on an apology gracefully. It amazed me. Every time I thought I couldn't love her any more that I already did she would do something to make me fall harder. Everyone that mattered seemed to be accepting of her and I thought how could they not, she's amazing. I was biased though. When we walked back to circle Laurel came up and took her away to where Diana and Melanie were. Adam and Cassie had gone off by themselves and Suzan left with Faye. So I was hanging out with Sean, Deb and the Henderson twin. "your girlfriend is so pretty" Sean gushed. I was going to say something smart but Chris and Doug had found some driftwood sticks and were shooting sparks out of the wood at each other. As I was breaking them up I looked across to where the girls are saw Amanda watching me smiling. It was like her and I were the only people of a big room seeing each other for the first time. I couldn't help but smile back. I saw the girls get up and knew everyone was heading home. We said our good byes and walked back to Number Two. As we were walking Amanda asked "would it be ok if the girls came over tomorrow after the meeting they want to check out my herbs and make some fusions and elixirs from my book of shadows" I smiled at her "sure! I wanted to work on my car tomorrow so that's perfect! I won't have to worry about you being alone or bored" she frowned "nick don't stop doing what you normally do just because im here" she said. "I won, Now I don't have to worry about you so much as you fit right in with my circle just like I knew you would" I smiled. It was an emotional night for her so when we got home we went right to bed. She just cuddled up to me and was asleep in a minutes.

The next morning seemed to just fly by. We got to Diana's at 10 and the meeting started. Everyone was there and no one not even Faye gave Amanda a hard time. Mainly it was Amanda telling the story of Black John's connection with White Morris and she told us about her circle. She got choked up when she talked about Alex. My heart ached for her. Everyone in the room was somber as we had been through it about 2 years ago when John Black killed Kori Henderson, Chris and Doug's younger sister. Faye looked bored until Amanda explained that her Dad who was like our crones but he was a guy, thought we should fight whatever battle we would be fighting here where john black and white Morris were from and that they would be coming with their set of the Master Tools. "You have Master Tools too? What do they look like? How did you find them?" Faye shrieked. Amanda stifled a laugh. "our master tools consist of a gold arm band, a gold diadem and a leather and gold ribbon looking garter. We also have a crystal moon that's supposed to conjure up White Morris' spirit in times of trouble but we haven't had a need for that until now" Amanda answered "wow" was all Faye could say. "when are they coming?" Sean asked looking nervous. "we are not sure yet" Diana said. "we need to practice and we need to go through all of our books and see if we can find evil purifying spells or potions. So that when we know who possesses the evil we can purify it and fight the outside entity that will want to destroy" Cassie added. Everyone looked around at each other wondering who was evil. "well if that is all we can end this meeting" Diana said. "also Melanie, Laurel, Cassie and I are going to Nick's to look at Amanda's collection of herbs and try some new teas and potions out of her book. Suzan and Faye you are welcome to join us" Faye Grimaced "we are going to Suzan's to set up for the celebration" Suzan smiled. "im coming too" Deborah said looking annoyed that she wasn't invited. "oh of course Deborah I didn't extend a formal invitation because you live there. Thought you would be there anyway" Diana said apologetically.

"Hey maybe us guys can do something then?" Adam said. "sorry Conant I have a baby in my garage that is desperate for attention" Everyone stared. Man these people were on edge one flick of a finger and they'd all fall over "The Stang you idiots" I said and stormed off. Amanda and the girls followed me. I glanced back and she was in conversation with Laurel. I couldn't hear what they were talking about probably something about trying to save the squirrels. We got back to Number Two and Amanda and the girls piled into my room. I grabbed an old t-shirt and the grease covered jeans I wore when I worked on my car and headed into the bathroom. When I go out Amanda was setting out the box of herms on the coffee table. I went over and gave her a kiss. "you ladies have fun" and I disappeared into the garage for the rest of the afternoon.