Chapter 4: The Coven
"YOU DAMN LIAR!" Lisa's mind screamed at itself. Her heart raced as she found herself standing before the group of girls that were blocking her path home, all with knowing and, save for Allison, judgmental glares. With what was on her mind right before she stepped outside, Lisa's racing thoughts jumped right into a single conclusion:
She had been found out.
"Okay, Lisa. Stay calm." She mentally told herself. "You don't know for sure what it is they want with you just yet. It's very possible it's something entirely unrelated to what happened in the playground. Just take a deep breath and let's get this over with." Lisa inhaled and exhaled slowly before gifting the girls a nervous smile. "Um, sure, Janey. C-Can I ask what this is about?"
"Not here." Janey whispered as she looked around at the other students leaving for the day, some climbing into their parents' cars and others into Otto's bus. She shifted her gaze back to Lisa with a sly grin. "Let's go somewhere a little more...private."
Lisa gulped, her confidence draining away from her like the blood from her face. "O-Okay. If you say so." The middle Simpson child reluctantly followed Janey and the others to behind the school near the edge of the playground. There was no one within ear shot of the group and as there were plenty of kids out and about at the moment, no one took more than a second's notice of the girls gathered together.
Lisa gulped again, deciding it best to peel the metaphorical bandage off now. "So...Janey? What did you want to talk abou-"
"Lisa, are you a witch?" Sherri blurted out, earning a gasp from the other girls as well as Lisa.
"Fu...dge." Lisa thought.
"Terri! What the hell are you doing?" Janey shouted. "You just outed our agenda to the witch!"
"I'm Sherri."
"Whatever! Why did you just blurt that out!?"
"Come on, Janey. We're all thinking it. I just had the stones to say it."
"What kind of stones?" Terri asked.
"I don't know. Jasper?"
Janey groaned as she pulled on her hair. "You idiot! We need to handle this interrogation slowly so the witch doesn't curse us!"
Lisa was sweating now. Her heart was thumping in her chest like a dribbling basketball and her legs began to shake. Still clinging desperately to the fringes of denial, Lisa uttered a dry, forced laugh and swept her hand before the girls in a dismissive manner. "A what!? Oh come on, girls! Surely you just! Me!? A witch!? That is to laugh!" She paused to force herself to chuckle. "W-Where would you even get such a silly idea!?"
"Don't play dumb, witch!" Janey barked. "I saw you at the playground earlier today! You sent that gust of wind after Francine!"
Lisa's pupils shrank. "Oh god."
"Not only that but I saw how you summoned that root to trip her up afterward!" Janey continued. "And you did it all with your bare hands! There's only two rational explanations and last time I checked, nuclear waste doesn't give you super powers so you must be a witch!"
Lisa cocked an eyebrow. "You'd believe magic before radioactive superpowers?"
"Quit dodging the question!" Janey shouted.
Lisa jumped as Janey raised her voice. Her lips trembling, she uttered another shaky giggle as sweat trickled down her face. "D-Don't be silly, Janey! Everyone knows that magic doesn't exist! Are you sure you didn't just hit your head on the monkey bars or something?"
To Lisa's surprise, the other girls "ooohed" as Janey began to seethe. "That's it! You asked for it!" She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. "Allison, the book!"
Allison sighed as she reached into her backpack and pulled out the book she had read to the girls in the library. Lisa gasped quietly as she noticed the title.
101 Signs the Weirdo in your Village is a Witch.
Janey giggled darkly as she cracked open the book and scanned the pages. "If you won't confess to being a witch, then we'll just have to out you ourselves! Let's see." Janey hummed as she licked her fingers and turned the page. "Ah hah! It says here that a witch will always have a mole or a Witch's Mark somewhere on their body!"
Lisa raised her eyebrow again. "Um...Janey? Do you see any mole on me!?" Lisa splayed her arms and twirled around as she asked this.
Janey blushed. "No...b-but you could just as easily have one hidden under your clothes!"
"Are...are you seriously asking me to take off my clothes in public?"
Janey gagged. "Eww! What? No! What's wrong with you!?" She turned to the other girls while pointing at Lisa. "You see!? You see!? Only a witch would want to run around naked in public!"
Lisa shook her head and pinched her nose as the other girls shuffled awkwardly.
"Look, this is clearly getting us nowhere fast." Sherri spoke up. "Why don't we just ask Reverend Lovejoy about this?"
Everyone froze, especially Lisa.
"Reverend Lovejoy?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Sherri continued. "The Church used to hunt witches all the time. Maybe he'll know how to handle this."
Terri, Allison and Janey all uttered murmurs of agreement as Lisa began to sweat again. "Hey...you're right! That's a great idea, Terri!"
"It's Sherri." She frowned.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever" Janey dismissed. "Come on, girls! Let's go!" She walked past the girls who exchanged uneasy glances with each other before following their friend. Lisa watched with fear as the girls left, teeth chattering and legs wobbly.
"This is bad!" She thought as she recalled the rather uncomfortable encounter she had with Lovejoy in the library. "If they tell Lovejoy about this, he'll remember about the library! He'll confront my parents! They'll find the Grimoire! They-"
She didn't want to finish that thought.
"What do I do? Do I cast a spell on them to make them stop? No, Neoma wouldn't want that! That would just be feeding into their unjustified fear! I need to make them understand that magic is nothing to be afraid of! I need to make them-" Lisa gasped as a absolutely insane idea popped into her head. "Could...Could that be the answer to this dilemma? Dare I risk it? If it fails..." Lisa looked back up at the girls vanishing over the horizon and realized it was now or never if she wanted to save the Grimoire. She drew in another deep breath, mentally prayed to Lord Buddha for strength, and called out to them.
"Girls! Wait!"
The girls stopped in their tracks and turned to Lisa as she dashed toward them. It was only a few feet but with how fast she had taken off, Lisa still needed a second to catch her breath once she had caught up with the girls again, hands on her knees as she drew in quick and harsh breaths. Janey exchanged slightly judgmental glances with the Mackleberry Twins while behind them, Allison twiddled her fingers in concern. Lisa took a moment to mentally process just what she was about to do and stood up with fists clenched and gaze matching Janey's. "Girls, look...I..." Her bravery began to waver as Janey interrupted her.
"What do you want, witch?" She challenged with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed.
Lisa's lips trembled again as she noticed that same look on the twins and doubt began to eat away at her. "Dare I do this? There's no going back..."
"Well?" Janey asked, her left foot already turning back toward the opposite direction.
"Well...I...You..." Lisa sighed, lifted up her hand and held it up before the girls. "To burn my enemies to ash and coal, I now conjure Fire born from my soul!"
Janey and the other girls jumped back with gasps of surprise as a small ball of flame suddenly formed in Lisa's hand. Allison covered her mouth.
"You...You were right." Lisa said. "I...I am a witch. But it's not what you think-"
"Oh my God!" Janey cried. "Lisa really is a witch!"
"She even made a fire ball! Just like the Wicked Witch of the West!" Sherri cried.
"She's gonna curse us!" Terri added. "Curse us with being on fire!"
"No, wait!" Lisa shouted. "You don't understand!"
"Oh I understand!" Janey screamed. "I understand that I was completely right! You are a witch and you're going down!" With this, Janey turned around, ready to run as fast as she could toward the First Church of Springfield.
"Wait!" Lisa cried, regretting her decision more and more by the second. "Just hear me out!"
The Twins turned around to follow Janey toward the Church and report the witch to Reverend Lovejoy. To the great surprise of all three girls, however, Allison stepped out in front of them and blocked their path. The Twins both smacked into Janey's back, nearly knocking her down in the process. "Ugh! Allison, what the hell!?"
"Don't you guys remember our deal?" Allison spoke, her hands on her hips and her gaze narrowed. She looked a lot like Janey did earlier.
"Of course we do!" Janey shouted. "We prove Lisa's a witch and now we have!"
"We have to burn her at the stake before it's too late!" Sherri added with panic in her voice.
Lisa gulped once again.
"You promised we would give Lisa a chance to explain herself." Allison reminded them.
"Oh come on, Allison!" Janey shouted. "She already made a fireball in her hand! Isn't that enough to convince you she's a bride of Satan!?"
"I'm not a bride of Satan!" Lisa defended. "This power has nothing to do with Satan!"
"Than how else did you become a witch!?" Sherri challenged. "You get a letter from Hogwarts or something?"
"No!" Lisa shouted. " I just...look, it's a little complicated but if you would just give me some time, I can explain everything!"
Janey and the Mackleberry Twins looked at each other and then turned toward Allison who crossed her arms with a nod. The bookworm then turned to Lisa and, upon matching her gaze, smiled. Lisa gasped quietly for she could not believe what was happening.
"Did...Did Allison just stand up for me?"
Lisa returned the smile without realizing it as Janey and the twins whispered to each other and turned back to Lisa.
"O...Oh right!" Janey relented. "I...guess we can hear you out. But if you try any witchy business on us, it won't end well for you!" Janey reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle.
Lisa fought the urge to facepalm as she realized she was once again being compared to the Wicked Witch of the West. "Very well." She looked around. "But first, let's talk somewhere a little more private." She pointed to the jungle gym where Janey and the other girls had mocked her from during recess. Now that school had let out, there was no one close enough to overhear any conversations that might take place there.
Nodding to each other in uneasy agreement, the girls all made their way to the jungle gym. They allowed Lisa to take the highest possible spot and sat or hung all around her. Once Lisa ensured all eyes were on her and once she ensured no one was around to eavesdrop on her unexpected lecture, she slowly pulled out Neoma's Grimoire and began to speak. She spoke of how she found the book in her family's attic and the sad tale of the original owner's brief life. She spoke of the revelation she found within the middle of the book and the variety of magic spells that came with it. She spoke of how she doubted and even laughed off these writings until she tried one of the spells on a whim and heard the voices of the Forest King and Moon Queen. Her eyes appeared to light up as she spoke of these strange entities, a tone of joy hidden within her voice. When she was nearing the end, Lisa hugged the Grimoire tightly against her chest as if it were a lost childhood toy.
"I know it sounds like something out of a Angelica Button book but it's the truth. The Forest King and the Moon Queen. They're both real and they both have taken me in as their child!" Lisa exclaimed that last part of her sentence louder and prouder then she meant it to and brought the Grimoire over her mouth as her cheeks flushed. "S-Sorry, I...got a little carried away there."
The other girls exchanged uncertain glances at each other for a moment, clearly processing all that Lisa had told them. It was Sherri who first spoke to her and her words were less than joyous.
"Are you sure you didn't just sell your soul to the Devil?"
"Yeah," Janey added. "I mean, who ever heard of the Forest King and Moon Queen?"
"That's because their names have been lost to time by the spread of Christianity." Lisa explained. "But they're real! I swear I heard them!"
"Even if that's true," Sherri scratched her chin before pointing at Lisa. "Why would they pick a complete lame-O like you to become a wizard?"
"Witch."
"Same diff!"
"She's got a point," Terri brought up. "What makes you so special?"
"Honestly, nothing I think." Lisa admitted. "It's just that I'm the one who found the book. That's really all there is to it."
A moment of silence flowed over the girls as they once again processed all they had heard. Lisa gulped as she watch them puzzle, her own thoughts racing. "Are they really gonna accept what I told them? Will...Will they still try to report me to Reverend Lovejoy after this?" Lisa shuddered to think of what would happen should that fire-and-brimstone preacher ever discover her secret. She was just about to open her mouth to try and dissuade them from going to him further when Allison broke the silence with a most unexpected question.
"Suppose what you said was true...Does that mean...we...could become witches too?"
Janey and the twins gasped at the bookworm as did Lisa. "Allison!" Janey exclaimed. "Are you serious right now? Why on Earth would you want to become a witch?"
"I-I didn't say I wanted to be a witch!" Allison defended. "I'm just asking if it was possible to become a witch through that book like Lisa!" She uttered a shy giggle as she finished her sentence, earning her a glare from Janey.
Lisa thought for a moment. "I...I suppose it's possible. Neoma did mention other girls with magical powers after all."
To Lisa's further surprise, the twins exchanged a glance then turned to her with excited smiles and raised hands. "We want to be witches too!"
"Wha!?" Lisa exclaimed.
"I agree! Wha!?" Janey repeated. "Guys, what the hell's wrong with you? Do you really want to be brides of Satan?"
"She already said her powers come from the Forest King and Moon Queen, stupid!" Sherri shouted.
"Yeah!" Terri agreed as she lowered herself to Janey's level on the jungle gym. Carefully, she leaned toward the concerned girl and whispered in her ear. "Besides, if we had cool witch powers, we could make sure Lisa doesn't go crazy with hers!"
Janey's eyes widened as she considered Terri's words carefully. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Plus, as apprehensive as she was about this whole thing, even Janey had to admit the thought of having magical powers excited her. Thus, she turned to Lisa and pointed at her.
"Alright, Lisa! If what you're saying is true, then here's your chance to prove it! Let us all become witches!"
Sherri and Terri cheered in agreement and Allison met Lisa's uneasy gaze. The sole witch among them was a little caught off-guard. "What!?"
"You heard us!" Janey spoke. "Even if you didn't get your powers from Satan, you still can't just be left to run around unchecked. If we all have powers, we can make sure no one goes crazy with them!" Janey's eyes narrowed. "You can turn us into witches, can't you?"
Lisa thought for a moment. "Is this a good idea? I mean, it would be a cinch to make all the girls witches. There was a footnote on how to do it on the first page of the Grimoire side of the book. But, I don't know if it's such a good idea to give these girls powers. Who knows what petty ways they might abuse them." Lisa looked down at the eyes staring at her with judgement and wanting. "Then again, if I don't give them what they want, they might just tell Lovejoy on me." Lisa shuddered. "Guess I have no choice."
"A-Alright. You girls win." Lisa said. "I'll turn you into witches."
The other girls cheered at the news.
"When can we start?" Janey asked.
"This Friday night," Lisa explained. "We'll meet at my house, pretend we're having a sleepover. We'll wait until everyone's asleep and then we'll perform the ritual."
The girls nodded in agreement and excitement before Lisa picked up her hand. "In exchange, no one breathe a word of this to anyone until then, okay?"
The girls nodded as they climbed down the jungle gym and ran home, calling out goodbyes to Lisa as they left the playground.
"Bye, Lisa!"
"See you on Friday!"
"Farewell!"
Lisa sighed as she watched the girls vanish behind the trees and school building. Once she was alone, she held out Neoma's Grimoire in front of her and sighed. "Well, Neoma. Either I just made a huge mistake or I set the groundwork for reforming your coven. Let's just hope it turns out to be the latter."
With this, Lisa opened the Grimoire and started reading the footnote she was thinking about earlier.
Lisa paced back and forth in her room. Friday evening had come faster then she was ready for and while she had memorized the words and ingredients for tonight's spell without much trouble, her heart and soul were still far from ready. And within her head, troublesome thoughts crashed over each other like waves in the ocean.
"What if the spell doesn't work? What if it goes wrong somehow? What If the girls already told Reverend Lovejoy about me during the week? What if-"
There was a knock on her bedroom door.
"Lisa!" Her mother's voice spoke from behind the door. "Your friends are here!"
"Alright!" Lisa answered. "I'll be down in a minute!"
She listened as her mother's footsteps faded from her door and rushed to the window. From there, she could see three different cars parked outside her house. "I should have figured they were all going to show up at the same time." She sighed as she walked away from the window. "Alright, Lisa. This is it. No turning back now. O Forest King and Moon Queen, please give me strength." With this whispered prayer, Lisa opened the door and made her way down the stairs. Her mother was already there, chatting it up with Janey's mother. Neither adult seemed to notice Lisa as she walked up to them but the four eager girls in between them were another story,
"Hey Lisa!" Allison greeted as she leaned toward the right of Marge's legs and waved.
Janey followed likewise on Marge's left side. "We've been looking forward to this all weekend!"
"Are you ready for tonight?" The Mackleberry Twins asked in unison as they joined Allison and Janey on either side of Marge's legs.
"S-Sure am!" Lisa giggled halfheartedly, even thrusting her arm to her right for good measure. Her giggled died in a dreadful, quiet murmur.
Marge turned to face her daughter, allowing her guests to rush inside with cheers of glee. "Oh Lisa! I'm so excited!" She exclaimed. "I can't remember the last time you had friends over for a sleepover!"
"Yeah! Me neither." Lisa agreed under her breath, doing her best to sound like she was sharing in her mother's enthusiasm. Luckily for her, Marge was far too caught up in her personal excitement over her daughter having friends over that she failed to hear the dread in Lisa's voice and turned back to the other parents instead.
"Don't worry! Your girls are in good hands!" Marge assured the parents.
"Why you little!" Homer shouted from upstairs as Bart sprinted down the steps, his clothes and hair coated in green splotches. He pushed through the girls without so much as a word of explanation, staining some of their clothes and hair as well before vanishing into the living room. A single moment later, an enraged Homer clad in only a green-speckled towel thundered down the stairs after the boy. "I'll teach you to put lime jello in the showerhead!" All eyes watched as Homer sped into the living room after his son, the towel starting to waver due to his frantic movement.
Marge slowly turned back to the parents with a embarrassed chuckle. How her husband's foolish antics always found a way to manifest right at the worst possible moments she would never know. Fortunately for her, the other parents were either too concerned with prior affairs or too eager to return to a childless house for the evening to give much thought to the spectacle they had just witnessed or the choking noises that came from the kitchen afterwards. Marge chatted with them for a few moments more before turning them loose. As she turned around, she noticed Lisa already leading her guests up the stairs. "I'll be up in a minute with hot cocoa and cookies!" She called after them.
"Great!" Lisa shouted back. "Thanks, Mom!" She quickly ushered her friends into her room, practically pushing them past the threshold. Sherri and Terri whined as they found themselves pinned against either side of the door as Lisa pushed. After a few moments, the visiting girls tumbled into the room in a fashion most comical. Lisa walked in after them, taking a moment to pant. "Sorry about that, girls." She breathed. "I just want to keep everything about tonight as hush-hush as possible."
"Speaking of tonight," Janey spoke as she rubbed her head. "Do you have everything ready? For the spell, I mean."
Lisa nodded. "All the ingredients have been gathered and the backyard has been thoroughly prepared. We'll sneak out later tonight after my family's gone to bed." She promised.
"And you're sure this spell is gonna give us magical powers, right?" Sherri asked. "Not turn us into frogs or something?"
"Yeah! Because I already told my 100 followers on Springface that I was heading out tonight and they'll get suspicious if I don't update my status tomorrow morning!" Terri added.
"Rest assured," Lisa crossed her arms and unfurled them again. "You girls have nothing to fear from Neoma's magic! I promise!"
"Still, I think we should go powder our noses before we get this sleepover under way, right, girls?" Janey said. She noticed both twins on either side of her texting away on their cellphones, her weirdly-worded suggestion having gone completely unheeded. "Right, girls?" She repeated while digging an elbow into the closest side of either twin.
"Gah!" Sherri cried. "What the hell was that for, Janey!?"
"I said I think we should all head to the bathroom to "powder our noses." Janey repeated through gritted teeth as she nodded her head toward the door, placing great emphasis on the last three words of her sentence . Both twins widened their eyes as they finally realized what Janey was trying to communicate and turned to Lisa with nervous grins.
"R-Right!" Sherri agreed. "We should go to the bathroom! To powder our noses!"
"And definitely not to perform an anti-witch ritua-OOF!" Janey shoved her fist in Terri's stomach before she could complete her sentence.
"Umm...ok?" Lisa replied as the three girls shuffled past her quickly. She watched as they once again squeezed through the doorway and tumbled out into the hall before picking themselves up and heading to the guest bathroom. "That behavior seemed...less than trusting." Lisa commented.
"I wouldn't worry about it,"
Lisa heard footsteps approaching her and turned to face Allison, her hair still messy from her entry into Lisa's room. "They're just going in there to drink holy water they stole from Church and eat raw garlic. They read online that it would protect them against black magic."
"R-Really?" Lisa asked uneasily. "W-Where online?"
"A old webcomic about manga cats." Allison answered. Both she and Lisa shared a giggle over that fact. As the giggling died down, however, Allison looked down at her feet, her index fingers pushing against each other. "Listen," She spoke in a quiet voice. "I...I just wanted to thank you for the other day. At the playground, I mean."
"Oh!" Lisa was taken aback, certainly not expecting this. With all that had happened that day, Lisa figured any chance to receive a thank you for her magical services was lost in the confusion. "I-It was nothing, really."
"It wasn't nothing." Allison argued. "You really saved my bacon back there! Plus..." Allison shuffled her feet as she placed her hands behind her back, a guilty expression on her face. "I-If you hadn't done what you did to save me, Janey and the others wouldn't have caught you and you wouldn't be in this situation right now. So I...I guess I can't help but feel just a little guilty."
"Guilty."
As Lisa heard that word, she was reminded to the time when, out of a rather childish sense of jealousy toward Allison, she had attempted to hide her diorama and cost her a science fair ribbon. In the end her own guilty conscience got the best of her and while neither girl won the contest, Lisa was able to finally put her jealousy behind her. She and Allison hadn't really spoken since then and every so often, Lisa couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had destroyed any chance of fostering a genuine relationship with the one girl in school so much like her. Now, thanks to the power of the Forest King and the Moon Queen, it would seem she had received another chance.
One she had no intention of squandering.
Lisa smiled and patted Allison on the shoulder. "Don't sweat it! It's my fault for not being careful enough with my magic. And if it means I get to protect a fellow brainy kid from the undeserved tranny of bullying, than I'd consider getting caught a small price to pay."
Allison looked back up at Lisa, her lips returning her smile if but for a moment. Then it broke as she asked yet another question. "So this spell...becoming a witch...will it hurt?"
Lisa shook her head. "On the contrary, it was a completely enjoyable experience to awaken my powers. I...I'm not sure how to describe it but it's like...it's almost like dancing on the air if that makes sense."
"Dancing on the air?" Allison questioned with a small giggle.
"It...It'll make sense once we perform it. You'll see." Lisa assured as her mother entered the room, a grey tray holding a plate of freshly-baked cookies and five cups of steaming hot cocoa in her hands.
"Alright, girls! I hope you like chocolate chip because I..." Marge trailed off as she noticed the majority of her daughter's guests missing. "Um...Where'd everyone go? Didn't they hear me say I was bringing up cookies?"
"Oh yeah, well," Allison stifled a giggle. "They decided they'd rather have garlic instead." Both she and Lisa exploded with laughter, gripping their sides with Allison even falling back.
"...huh?" Marge uttered in confusion, a single eyebrow raised.
The rest of the sleepover went rather smoothly. Janey and the twins helped themselves to several helpings of hot cocoa and soda, all to wash the taste of garlic from their mouths. As their clothes were still messy from their run-in with Bart, the entire group opted to change into their nightgowns early. The activities were completely confined to Lisa's room and aside from a single attempt by Bart and Milhouse to sneak in and plant a stink bomb, no one dared to bother the girls. They watched a movie on Lisa's laptop, (At first it was a documentary about dolphin mistreatment in water parks then the girls vetoed it to watching a cheesy rom-com), told scary stories, (All of them except for Lisa's were about witches) and played truth and dare which somehow dissolved into a dance-off with Terri beatboxing. Throughout the entire night, every girl, Lisa included, held midnight in the back of their minds, excitement and fear boiling in their hearts in equal measure as that dark hour approached.
Eventually, it was only minutes away. Everyone else in the house had retired to bed, just as with the night that Lisa had awakened her powers. She made sure the coast was clear and then led the girls down the stairs on tip-toes toward the back door. She slowly opened it and led the girls into the back yard. The Moon was once again full and the stars were shimmering all around her like birds surrounding the Sun. Lisa ducked behind the tree where her brother's treehouse rested and came back out with a bag full of small white candles and a lighter. As the girls watched, Lisa planted the candles in a large but steady circle around them, lighting them up as soon as she set them down. Once she was down to one candle, she went behind the tree again and reemerged with a tray not unlike the one her mother was carrying earlier. On this tray were four bowls of water and a large crystal. She stepped into the large circle of candles and set the tray down before setting the final candle behind herself, enclosing herself within the circle.
"The following spell is an extension of the spell I used to become a witch," Lisa explained as she picked up the tray and approached the girls. "This version requires an existing witch to oversee it which, of course, I will be taking the role of." She passed the girls and continued to walk until she was directly in the middle of the circle of candles. She turned around, a air of seriousness to her face. "Before we begin, you must all promise me at this moment that no matter what I say, you will follow my instructions to the letter. It's the only way to unlock your powers."
The girls exchanged nervous glances for a few moments, then they turned to Lisa with uncertain nods.
Lisa returned a nod and set the tray before her feet. "Now, form a single file line and approach me one at a time." She picked up a bowl of water. "I will hand you a bowl of water and you will state your name and why you wish to become a witch and please, try to keep it noble. I will then point to where you should stand and await further instructions."
The girls scrambled for a bit as they fought to form the line with Janey ultimately winning the first spot, the twins in the middle and Allison dead last. She held a smug look on her face as she looked back at the other girls, only for it to turn fretful as she turned toward Lisa. She lifted a single foot in Lisa's direction, set it behind her, then forced herself to approach the witch.
"Your name?" Lisa whispered as she handed the bowl of water to Janey.
"J-Janey Powell." Janey answered as she took the bowl in slightly trembling hands.
"And why, Janey Powell, do you seek the power?"
"I dunno...it'd be cool to have powers I guess?" Janey saw at once that Lisa was unimpressed with her answer and sighed. "And to make sure no evil witches attack Springfield."
To her surprise, Lisa smiled. "That's as noble an answer as any." She pointed behind her. "Go stand over there."
Janey nodded and walked past her, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. Lisa picked up the second bowl of water as Sherri approached her next.
"Your name?"
"Sherri Mackleberry."
"And why, Sherri Mackleberry, do you seek the power?"
"Everyone's doing it." Sherri admitted.
"Very well," Lisa sighed as she handed the water bowl to Sherri and pointed to her right. Sherri took the water bowl and went in that direction as Terri walked up.
Lisa picked up the third water bowl. "Your name?"
"Terri Mackleberry."
"And why, Terri Mackleberry, do you seek the power?"
"If my sister going to become a witch, then so will I." She answered.
"Stop copying me!" Sherri shouted from where she was standing.
"Girls, focus." Lisa scolded as she handed the water bowl to Terri and pointed to the left. Terri took it and went on her way.
Now all that remained was Allison who stayed in place even as Lisa picked up the final water bowl. She looked around at the other girls holding their bowls of water and met Lisa's gaze with a fretful, uncertain expression. One look into Lisa's kind eyes, however, was enough to relax Allison and after only a single moment's hesitation, she stepped up to the witch.
"Your name?" Lisa asked as she handed the water bowl to Allison.
"A-Allison Taylor." Allison answered as she took the water bowl, nearly spilling it with how fast she held it to her chest.
"And why, Allison Taylor, do you seek the power?"
Allison looked away as she pondered the question for a moment. "To be honest, I just want to see if it's real. Magic, I mean." She answered clearly. "And if it's real, I wanna know what it feels like."
Lisa nodded, quite pleased with Allison's answer and pointed forward. Allison nodded and reclaimed her previous spot in the yard. Now all four girls were standing in a symmetrical cross with Lisa right in the middle. Slowly, she picked up the crystal and held it in both hands, taking in the glimmering light seeping from it. "Alright," She spoke. "Now here's where it gets tricky. I want you all to hold your bowls of water up to the moon over your heads. I'm going to set the crystal down and speak a chant to summon the Forest King and the Moon Queen. Keep in mind, they won't physically appear but if we get this right, we should be able to feel their presence."
"Just like God!" Sherri compared.
"Or Uncle Larry!" Terri added
Lisa nodded. "One more thing and please bear with me here. "After I speak the chant and clap, you will need to dump the water over yourselves and dance around in a circle."
"WHAT!?" All four girls shouted.
"Okay, now you have to be messing with us!" Janey poured the water out of her bowl but Lisa reached out for it before it could hit the ground.
"Whether it fall from the sky or spring from below, allow me to control where the Waters flow!" Lisa chanted as the water formed an uneasy orb. She lifted her hand, moving the orb as well until it hovered over Janey's bowl and willed it to fall back in. "How else can you explain this power of mine?" Lisa challenged. "Trust me! I had to dunk myself in water too."
Both Sherri and Terri giggled as Janey scoffed. "Fine! But if anyone records this, I'm so not speaking to any of you anymore!" She grumbled as she held the bowl over her head, allowing the Moon's light to dance on its surface. The others girls followed suit and Lisa smiled as they did so. Slowly, she set the crystal down at her feet and began her chant.
"Oh Great King of the Forest with all your beasts and wonders!"
Oh Great Queen of the Moon with all your stars and darkness!
"Hear us now, your lost children of flesh and bone! Accept our offering and allow us the gift of true sight and power!"
Lisa clapped her hands which told the other girls that the chant was over. Bracing themselves for the sheer coldness ahead, they dumped the water bowls over their heads, screaming and shrieking as they were chilled to the bone. Lisa fought the urge to laugh, remembering how cold it was when she did it.
"Now...what?" Allison asked, her eyes still closed as droplets fell from her bangs.
"Now dance!" Lisa instructed. "Let's keep it simple and move in a circle!"
Still dripping wet from their unwanted baptisms, the girls began to move around Lisa. At first, it was total chaos, with Janey and Sherri crashing into each other and Allison slipping on the wet grass below her. Despite this, however, the girls continued to dance around Lisa, moving in a slow, reluctant circle. Lisa watched closely, remembering with every detail how her own dance went. It wouldn't be long now, she figured, before their bodies took over and they began to attune with nature itself.
As Lisa half expected, it was Allison who seemed to figure it out first. She opened her eyes as her body did a twirl, surprised at her own sudden movement. As Lisa had before her, Allison tried to recapture control of her body which only caused her to trip up even more.
"Don't fight it!" Lisa spoke. "It'll be okay! This is how it's supposed to go! Just surrender control and you'll see what I mean!"
Allison turned to Lisa with concern. "I-If you say so." Allison stopped for a moment, then cried in surprise as she sprung forward. She landed and twirled again, her brown hair trailing behind her head like the tail of a comet. For a brief moment, it concealed the young girl's face from the rest of the group. As it fell over her shoulder and back behind her, however, everyone was mildly shocked to see Allison face betray an expression of joy. She chuckled to herself as she continued to dance, her fear and reluctance replaced by joy. Little by little, Janey and the twins followed suit, trailing after Allison effortlessly, their feet seeming to bounce right off the grass. Their groans of pain and confusion turned into giggles of rapture as they continued to dance around Lisa, the wind rustling around them.
"This must be what Lisa was talking about earlier." Allison thought. "I get it now! I'm one with the air! I...I am the air!"
"My children, I hear you."
"Huh?" Allison felt a chill run down her spine as a deep masculine voice spoke in her ears. She noticed looks of mild panic on the other girl's faces as well. But only an expression of knowing on Lisa's face.
"Don't panic!" She called out. "That was the Forest King! He means you no harm!"
"My children, I hear you."
Another voice, this one feminine and weirdly motherly.
"And that was the Moon Queen!" Lisa explained. "Same thing as the Forest King! They mean us no harm! Just keep dancing!"
And the girls did and as they continued to dance, the fear once again ebbed away even as the strange presences in their midst did not. Their bodies seemed to move faster than before, as if trying to match the wind dancing around them. It was around this time that Allison noticed Terri up ahead. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed the violet-haired girl's hand and matched her movements with hers. Terri turned to her in surprise but after only a moment, her shock was replaced with joyous understanding and she led Allison along. The circle of dancing girls began to close around Lisa and her crystal which was glowing a pure, almost blinding white. Once they were within grasping distance, Terri and Allison took Janey and Sherri's hands respectively and circled around Lisa as if she was a sacred campfire and they pagans of old.
"Our children, we hear you!"
The girls broke the circle for but a moment, Allison clasping Lisa's right hand and Sherri her left. Lisa giggled as she joined the girls in their rapturous dance, the magic of the Forest King and the Moon Queen flowing through them like a blessed wind.
Overhead, the Moon watched the newly-born witches dance as the candles around them flickered until at last, they perished.
"To burn my enemies to ash and coal, I now conjure Fire born of my soul!" Janey cried out. The curly-haired girl yelped in surprise as a ball of fire formed in her open palm. Her surprise only grew as she realized it was not burning her in the slightest. "No way!" Janey giggled happily as she turned to the twins. "Hey guys! Check it ou-"
As Janey turned her body rather quickly, she accidently launched the fireball directly toward the hair of one Sherri Mackleberry. The girl as well as her twin sister cried out as the fire began to devour her bow.
"Hang on, sis!" Terri shouted. "I'll save you!" She opened up her own palm and chanted. "Whether it fall from the sky or spring from below, allow me to control where the Waters flow!" Particles of water clumped together above her palm and before Sherri could argue, Terri launched the water ball at her sister's head, dousing the fire at once. What remained of Sherri's bow was both smoldering and soaked at the same time and from her damp bangs, she stared daggers at her sister.
"Sherri?" Terri asked nervously. "You okay?"
"Howling wind and storms astray, I now conjure Air to blow my troubles away!" Before Terri could react, Sherri launched a gust of air that knocked her sister flat on her back. It also knocked a few pencils and notebooks from Lisa's nightstand, catching the starfish-haired girl's attention.
"Guys! Be careful!" Lisa scolded. "I understand you're excited about your new powers but as the comics always say-"
"With great power comes great responsibility," The other girls droned in annoyance.
"That's right so please dial it back a bit!" Lisa sighed and sank back onto her bed. Besides her, Allison was sitting up, her eyes focused on the ever-changing lump of ice in her palm. "With water and wind now churned, I now call upon Winter's burn." The ice in her palm changed yet again, taking the crude yet recognizable shape of a saxophone.
"Wow, Allison!" Lisa spoke as she turned to her friend. "You've really gotten the hang of that spell fast!"
"I still can't believe it," Allison whispered without taking her eyes off the ice. "Magic exists! Magic actually exists and I'm literally holding it in my palm!" Allison sighed dreamily. "It's like I'm in a fantasy novel series!"
Lisa chuckled. "I know what you mean, sister."
"Hey, I just thought of something." Sherri spoke up as she squeezed the last of the water out of her hair. "If we're all witches now, wouldn't that make us, like, a coven?"
Hey, yeah!" Janey agreed. "And every coven should have a leader!" She closed her eyes with pride as she pressed her hand against her chest. "I, of course, nominate myself!"
"What!?" Sherri marched up to the still-smug Janey. "And just what qualifies you to be our leader?"
"Yeah!" Terri agreed from the floor.
"The fact that I called first dibs, obviously." Janey replied. "Plus, it was my idea to confront Lisa about her powers in the first place."
"Um, guys?" Allison spoke up. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder. "Lisa's the one who discovered Neoma's Grimoire in the first place. If she didn't take that first step, none of us could have! Don't you think that qualifies her for leader of our coven?"
Lisa gasped as she sat up, Allison's hand still on her shoulder. "Me? Really?"
Allison nodded with a warm smile. "I trust you, Lisa. We all do." She turned to the other witches. "Right, girls?"
Sherri sighed before answering. "I guess." She walked up to her sister and helped her up.
"Makes sense to me," Terri agreed as she and her sister walked up to the bed.
Janey huffed and crossed her arms for a moment, turning away from the rest of the group. Then, with a sigh, she turned back. "I suppose discovering the magic supersedes first dibs...but I call second in-command!" She walked up to the bed as well.
"All in favor of Lisa being dubbed coven leader say aye!" Allison shouted.
"Aye!" All three girls proclaimed.
Lisa covered her mouth as Allison stood her up on the bed. "You guys...I...I don't know what to say!"
"You can start by giving our coven a name." Allison suggested. "Every coven needs one, right?"
"And make it something cool like The Death Stalkers or Satan's Flower Girls!" Terri suggested. Both Janey and Sherri slapped her over the side of the head. "Ow!"
"Gosh! A new name for our coven, huh?" Lisa rubbed her chin as she thought for a moment. "Should be something mysterious but not evil. Something feminine but tough. Something that clearly describes who we are..." Lisa gasped as the name struck her like a bolt of lighting. "That's it!"
Lisa cleared her throat and walked up to the edge of the bed. "Hear me, fellow witches! From now on, we will be known as the Sisterhood of the Moon Queen and devote our powers to the causes of peace, charity and overall good will towards all mankind!"
The girls stared at her blankly, clearly not terribly interested in the charitable aspect of the coven Lisa was mentioning.
"Umm...plus using our powers to fight the forces of evil?" Lisa suggested awkwardly.
All four girls cheered at once. Their voices were muted due to everyone else in the house sleeping but that didn't stop Lisa from letting their praises and chants seep into her body and soul. For it was at this moment, as she watched her new sisters in magic celebrate the formation of their new coven, that Lisa came to a sudden and welcome realization.
"My wish came true," Lisa thought with tears of happiness forming in her eyes. "I'm not alone anymore!"