Casters of Oblivion
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, American Horror Story, and Practical Magic
Warning: Underage drinking
Chapter 18: Coconut
Zelena and Fiona were fiddling around the kitchen, preparing for tonight's event. Of course, Fiona could sense something happening in this small coven but decided not to get involved. Instead, she gave Zelena a shot of tequila and started getting their ingredients. It was midnight, and the girls were not concerned about going to school during spring break.
Therefore, the two older witches walked around getting the blender out and the alcohol. The women snickered since they had stolen a few shots. They had already put the ice in the blender. Their drunkenness had resulted in them quoting the Weird Sisters from Hamlet.
"Eye of newt…and toe of frog… wool of bat and tongue of dog," Fiona said, pouring the tequila.
"Adder's fork and blind-worm sting," Zelena grinned, adding some spices and herbs for flavor.
Fiona grabbed the pitcher of margarita mix and poured it in, "Barbados lime is just the thing."
"Cragged Salt like a sailor's stumble!" Zelena croaked out, tossing in some salt.
Fiona placed the lid on top of the blender.
"Flip the switch…and let the cauldron bubble."
Both use telekinesis to turn the blender on as the Casters laugh excitedly. They cackled like a bunch of hags watching their brew be made.
"Ooh, how convivial!" Fiona cheered.
Zelena turned on the music and went to the stairs, where she called out, "Girls! Midnight margaritas!"
It took a moment for Eleanor and Ginger to come down slightly sleepy, only to wake up as if they had just fallen asleep. They stared, confused, at Fiona and Zelena in their pajamas, drinking margaritas while dancing to the infamous Coconut song by Harry Nilsson.
"Should we?" Ginger asked.
"Underage drinking during spring break?" Eleanor replied.
Ginger and Eleanor couldn't help but grin as both girls rushed in to get their own glasses and join in the fun. They dance around the top granite island, singing horribly with the radio. They drank around and spun while singing.
"You put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up!"
.o0o.
Ginger's POV
We finished our margaritas and went to the sun nook, where Fiona brought over a bottle of tequila, salt, lime slices, and shot glasses. Apparently, Fiona's lesson for us is learning how to drink. How to apply salt on our thumbs, lick the salt, take a shot, and suck on the lime. Fiona did it as a pro, not needing a chaser as she gulped down a shot of tequila. Zelena needed the assistance, though, to take a shot with ease.
Eleanor tried her first time and gagged as she covered her mouth to force the alcohol down. Zelena had to give her the lime just to ease the pain. Fiona and I were laughing until it was my turn. Fiona applied the salt on the back of my hand and a lime slice in the other. I licked the salt off, chugged down the tequila, and quickly sucked on the lime. I cringed at the strong and sour taste. Feeling my esophagus on fire and heat in my stomach.
"Whoa!" I breathed.
"You'll get used to it," Fiona assured, pouring us a drink.
We drank for the next twenty minutes, feeling the alcohol clouding our judgment and just talking. Fiona told us about her travels, and Zelena corrected her on some of them. Eleanor snickered when that happened, and I joined in.
It was like a haze came over us. A giddy haze that makes you want to forget everything. Fiona talked about palm reading and how divination doesn't need to be a witch's power to read one's palm. I drunkenly volunteered and took hold of Eleanor's hand, reading the lines on her palm.
"No, no, no, no. This is serious," I told Eleanor, who was laughing. I continue to trace the lines. "All right, um… I see a man…I see a man in your future, and he is – Oh! He's, um, he's gorgeous."
"Oh!" Eleanor blushed, looking at Fiona and Zelena.
I traced a line with a grin, "And—Oh! Ooh-la-la! He is big."
All of us were laughing.
I laughed until feeling a cold hand on my shoulder that held a mixture of humor and dominance. I pointed my finger at Eleanor, grinning like crazy, "But you're scared to death, and you wind up like a frigid old hag!"
I bobbed my head, clapping my hands while swaying. The laughter burst out of me like some hyena. I glanced at Eleanor, who held a somber expression. The mirth she had a moment ago vanished. I took several deep breaths as the cold pressure I felt on my shoulder disappeared.
"I…I don't know where that came from," I panted, trying to catch my breath while rubbing my shoulder. "That was weird."
Eleanor nodded as she took the bottle of tequila and poured herself a shot.
"As we know, Ginger doesn't possess divination," Zelena said. "She just made that all up."
"Come on!" Fiona praised and laughed. "Ginger has her own magic, and we all know what it is."
"Oh, please," Eleanor said, then shuddered violently. "Since when is being a vampire slut a crime in this coven?"
She drowned her shot of tequila without salt or lime.
Zelena and Fiona belched in laughter while I sat there God-smack before joining in on the laugh. We were laughing everywhere, not expecting Eleanor to say such a thing. Eleanor is hackling like crazy. The tequila continued to be passed around as we took shot after shot.
"Oh, honey, what would you know about it?" Zelena cried, taking the bottle.
"When I put a spell on Zelena's crush in the eighties, I had to bind it with molasses just to get her legs to open," Fiona announced, laughing in tears.
"Fiona!" Zelena cried.
I had a hand over my mouth, yet the laughter sounded like an engine, "You self-centered shrew!"
"Ingrate!" Zelena shouted.
"Goody two-shoes!" Fiona countered at Zelena.
"Bitch!" Eleanor exclaimed and covered her mouth.
We all laugh, nearly pissing ourselves. We panted, trying to collect ourselves. Zelena poured herself another shot. I looked around, seeing Eleanor playing with a used lime while Fiona scooted closer to Zelena, humming a song. Something did not feel right. The atmosphere changed, no longer humorous but more dreadful. Both older witches hugged each other, completely out of it. Both are entirely drunk.
"Just never found the time," both sang. "You were always on my mind."
Why does that song sound familiar? I thought.
Eleanor tensed as she stared at the two. Horror was written on her face,
"You were always on my mind…."
Fiona twirled the bottle around, showing the golden label of Diablo de Flores.
"You were always on my mind."
Eleanor lurched forward, grabbing the bottle. She panicked and looked at me, showing the label. It took me a moment to recognize it. It was the same brand we drank before confronting James. And the song…the drunk guy we managed to save before the conflict sang that song. The guy had literally forgotten his drink, and thinking it was our last, we took a gulp for good luck.
"Where did this bottle come from?" Eleanor asked them.
Zelena and Fiona snickered.
"Where did this bottle come from?" Eleanor demanded.
"Someone left it on the porch!" Both witches sang proudly, arms wide open. "Someone left it on the porch…."
"They've been bewitched," Eleanor said, taking the bottle and rushing to the sink. She smashed the bottle and set it on fire, burning away what remained of the alcohol. The presence hovering over our heads vanished, and both witches sobered up. However, both were furious, realizing what had just happened. They got up and walked over to Eleanor. I sat there with a hand over my mouth.
"What's going on here? What's going on, you two?" Zelena asked. "Ginger, what's going on in this cabin?"
"I…I don't know," I answered, unsure what was happening.
"Something's going on." Zelena looked at us. "I can smell it."
"Yes. It's a very distinct smell," Fiona added. "It's a smell of bullshit."
Eleanor opened her mouth to speak when a loud bang scared us. It startled me that I stood up. All eyes went to the corner where a traditional broom that had been in the Magnus family had toppled over. Zelena, Eleanor, and Fiona's eyes widen. I wasn't sure what was so scary about a broom falling.
"Broom fell," Zelena murmured. "Company's coming."
Fiona glanced between Eleanor and me. "We deserve an explanation."
Eleanor and I opened our mouths to explain, but no words came out. How do we explain this to the Supreme about a possible haunting of a vampire ghost? Zelena seemed to read our discomfort and looked at Fiona.
"This is my coven's matter," she said to the Supreme. "It might be wise if we talk in private."
Fiona nodded as she crossed her arms and made her way upstairs. We waited for a moment until we were sure privacy was secured. Zelena stared at us, waiting for answers.
"Eleanor, you better tell her," I said.
.o0o.
Eleanor's POV
I wasn't ready to tell Zelena this. I already told Ginger this morning about James haunting me after last night. But I'm forced to do this after someone hexed a bottle of tequila. Someone knew what happened the moment before confronting James to save Betsy. It can't be James. He's dead. Yet… that bottle allowed him to be present and manipulate us.
Therefore, I told Zelena everything that happened. The moment before confronting James, where a drunk man was walking by singing the Elvis cover and bumped into us. He almost dropped the bottle we caught, except he left without the bottle, and Ginger and I took a sip of luck. After the fight with James and seeing his spirit in the mirror, I told her the message he had left. Followed by the months of seeing him in my dreams or dreaming of that specific day. Along with the encounter in September after trying the mock Descensum and last night.
Zelena asked, "Why didn't you tell me this?"
I sighed, crossing my arms to rub them, "I don't know if I was dealing with PTSD or this."
Zelena sighed, "I can see that. Not sure if it was trauma or a haunt."
"What do we do?" Ginger asked.
"We would need to cleanse the house," Zelena answered. "Apply salt lines just to be safe and rid of any limestone in the house. Along with any relics that conjure dark spirits."
I nodded.
"And Eleanor, you can never do Descensum," Zelena added. "Even if you had the ability, James won't let you escape."
I nodded again.
"I'll see if any of my contacts can give you a protection tattoo," Zelena said. "You can't always rely on the dreamcatcher."
"Will it work?" Ginger asked.
"I'm not sure," Zelena answered. "It's late."
She went over to the cabinet, pulled out a container of salt, and then handed it to me.
"Salt line along your window and door," Zelena instructed. "Along with a ring of salt around your bed."
I nodded. With nothing else to say, Zelena levitated the remains of the glass bottle and threw it away in a garbage bin.
"Question is, how did this bottle get here?" I asked.
Ginger shrugged. Someone knew about the encounter with James and the drunken fool. The only ones who knew about the drunk were Ginger, me…and probably James since he heard it. But I doubt James knew of the tequila.
"There must have been a lookout," Zelena suggested. "And the coincidence that Laurent was here. He could have seen you girls, gone to a caster to bewitch the drink that allows James to manipulate us."
"But Laurent was with the Denalis," Ginger said.
"He said he was heading North, but we can't trust him with his word," Zelena reminded.
"Unless it was Victoria," I said.
The room was engrossed in silence. James was Victoria's mate. She was the one snooping around Forks to get our contact information and school files. She could have made her way back undetected from Rosalie and Esme. Made all the way back to be a lookout and watch us outside as the ordeal was happening, ensuring we did arrive.
"But how did she get past through the barrier?" Ginger asked.
Zelena sighed, rubbing her neck, "Fiona. She must have lowered the barrier defenses and didn't put it back up."
We sighed, shaking our heads.
"I'll increase the barrier to full power," Zelena said. "No guest over without a twenty-four-hour notice. There will be no more vampires allowed on my property."
We nodded again.
"It's late," Zelena noted, staring at the clock that read 1:47 am. "Let's go to bed. We have a lot of cleaning tomorrow."
With nothing else to say, we headed upstairs.
Once in my room, I applied the salt lines by the door and window. I then levitated my bed away from the wall to do a ring of salt around it. Once that was out of the way, I turned off the lights and lay in bed.
So far, I am not having a good spring break.
.o0o.
I woke up to the worst migraine imaginable. The gray light from outside did not help. I buried my face into the pillow, along with the thunderstorm. As thunder roared, sounding like a tiger was next to my ear. My stomach churned from the sudden motion, and my mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert.
I wasn't sick.
No….
This was me being hungover.
Never again will I drink with Fiona Goode.
Or ever drink tequila.
Raising my head slightly, I stared at the clock on the nightstand that read 10:11 am. I groaned because I did not want to get out of bed. My stomach made a growl, desperate for food. But if I move, I might end up vomiting.
If I move, I'll puke. If I stay, I will suffer from this migraine. I contemplated which one was worse. After accepting my fate, I slowly climbed out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. It was worse as I sauntered to the bathroom to do my morning routine and shower. The shower helped a little, yet not enough. I even grabbed some aspirin and took it. Hopefully, that can help. If not, chugging a glass of water.
Another thunder roamed, and I stared out the window to see the garden. I headed outside with an idea my mother used to do. I stopped at the porch, seeing the storm as the rain poured.
Walking down the steps, I stepped on the wet grass and sighed. I closed my eyes, allowing the rain to drench me as the droplets splattered across my face. My toes curled along the grass, and I spread my arms out.
Rain.
Something about the rain can wash away most of the problems. The migraine and sensitivity to the gray sky started to ease away. All I want to do is lie down and bathe in the rain. Slowly, I slid my foot along the damp grass, almost to ice skating, as I started to dance. My motions were slow, and I could catch every droplet on my body.
I stopped dancing and stared at the sky when I opened my eyes. I molded my hands to form a cup to collect the droplets. Once there was enough water, I took deep breaths and concentrated on the puddle in my hands. I could feel the vibrations as each droplet was gathered, seeing the drop go in and bounce back up only to join the rest. I took a deep breath, and soon, the water in my hand formed a tendril.
I smiled, concentrating on the aquatic tendril moving around in my hands, almost like a caterpillar. It was inching around until it reached the tips of my fingers and wiggled. I giggled because it was childish, but small moments like these were worth it.
There was another flash of lightning and a roar of thunder.
Losing concentration, the tendril wept away, falling onto the ground.
I sighed, and with a sharp spin and arms spread out, I paused the rain, creating a time capsule. The droplets froze in midair. All look like crystal droplets. I smiled at this. I rarely do this since I don't like showing off. Philip would call me a water bender based on a show he watched on Nickelodeon. I chuckled at the thought.
Suddenly, there was a snap of a twig.
I gasped, losing hold of the droplets as they splashed to the ground. I focused on the forest, seeing a mass. I couldn't see who or what it was with the weather darkening the sky and not wearing my glasses. The barrier was up, so it couldn't be a vampire.
"Who's there!" I called out.
No response.
Using transmutation, I apparated in the direction of the forest line from which the noise was coming. There was a surprised yelp and a motion of running. I was not wearing my glasses, so I couldn't see it. Yet I saw a dark brown and the russet color blur. I sighed, realizing it was the wolves. Two of them. They kept their distance, yet I could sense how guarded they were.
"Thank you," I shouted out.
The Wolves tensed when hearing that until one gave a bark. I smiled before making my way back into the Cabin. I bet everyone will be hungover after last night. Remembering what people say for a food cure was anything greasy. So I cooked some bacon, sausages, eggs, and toast. I was not in the mood to cook anything fancy.
Zelena came down with some vials and handed me a potion.
"Hangover remedy. "She explained.
Although the rain cured the migraine and sensitivity, I appreciated it and took the potion. She helped me set up the rest of breakfast when Fiona finally came down fully dressed for the day. She accepted Zelena's potion and drank it with ease. Not long after, it was Ginger's turn.
We gathered around the table and started eating.
"I will be leaving today," Fiona announced.
Zelena stared at Fiona, surprised. "Are you sure?"
"I have seen enough and can tell your girls are in good hands," Fiona explained. She then faced Ginger and me. "Now, if there's one thing you learn before leaving your mentor, it is that we, even the weakest among us, are better than the best of them."
Ginger and I nodded.
"I may not understand what is going on here in this logger town, but there is something you need to know."
"Which is?" Ginger asked.
"The point is…in this whole wide wicked world, the only thing to be afraid of… is me," Fiona warned.
I inhaled sharply, unsure whether to take that as a threat or if she advised us not to be afraid of those out there.
Ginger gave her a sharp look. She has encountered vampires, specifically Cold Ones. However, she has not seen all the supernatural creatures in the world, and many monsters roam around on human skin.
"And for god's sake, fix your hair," Fiona added. "Or better yet."
Fiona waved her hand. The dark red dye Ginger had put in her hair last summer completely vanished in seconds. Instead, her natural red hair showed. It was more orange, almost like hot embers. There were two shades, and the dye's damage had been reversed as the straight hair was slightly wavy. Somehow, her hair looked nice. It was different compared to Victoria's, which was like a vibrant fire. Ginger's darker, as if the heat had been contained.
"Much better," Fiona murmured.
Ginger gasped, touching her hair. She rapidly stood up and ran to the powder room. We heard her scream a moment later, "WHAT DID YOU DO!"
"Merely fixed it," Fiona replied as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it with the tips of her fingers.
Zelena chuckled, shaking her head.
I snorted.
.o0o.
Fiona left an hour later.
Afterward, Zelena got Ginger and me to move the furniture to the center of each room, taking down paintings and relics so we could scrub the walls with a purifying solution of salt. It made things easy by using telekinesis to move stuff around. Ginger and I scrubbed while Zelena went through the artifacts that might contain limestone or a spiritual conduit.
Limestone is known to amplify energies for spirits. It's not really the limestone but the quartz in the limestone that draws spirits in and gives them the burst of energy to affect the living realm. The same can be said with lightning storms and running water through rivers and streams.
Anyway, all afternoon and the early hours of the night scrubbing and cleaning with the solution. Once that was out of the way, Zelena got some sage and started blessing the Cabin. She chanted a spell, purifying every inch of the house and using an eagle's feather to blow the negative energy out of the house.
By the time she was done, the tense atmosphere we had all felt the past several months had vanished. I don't know if it was all James, but the tension that had bothered us since September seemed to disappear.
"There, that should do it," Zelena announced.
Ginger and I nodded.
I started cooking as Zelena and Ginger put the furniture and paintings back in their original place. Thanking my coven sisters for all they did for me, I made their favorite lasagna with garlic bread and Caesar salad. Both appreciated it as we sat around in the kitchen nook.
The storm had passed, and it was a calm night.
We ate in peace, and once we were done, we did the dishes.
Zelena gave a yawn, "I'm going to bed."
"Night," Ginger and I said in unison.
Zelena nodded, going upstairs and taking back her bedroom.
Ginger sighed, "Think we'll have an easy spring break?"
"I guess we'll find out," I replied.
The first weekend is over; now we have seven more days left. There will be some training, and we will work at Zelena's store. But at least we don't have to bother with homework and sleeping in slightly.
We did the final cleanup and locked the doors before saying goodnight. I took a quick shower and got ready for bed. Once done, I sat on my bed using a towel to dry my hair. The last three days have been a whirlwind from confronting Jacob and fighting with Ginger on Friday. Training and encountering Laurent with the Spirit Warriors, who are giant wolves, on Saturday. And then, during the turning of the hour on Sunday, being possessed by James in a drunken petty entertainment. Followed by purifying the house.
At least Fiona is gone, and the James problem is temporarily solved.
I sighed, lying on the bed. The clock read ten in the evening. After a hectic weekend, I should get some sleep. But I did not want to close my eyes. I lay there magically turned off the lights and it the candles. I stared at the Victorian blue wallpaper and the mirror.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
There was a rewrite in Wicked Casters that explained the song and tequila.
Always on my mind, covered by Elvis
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