Becoming Coven Vol. 1 Emerald

Blue Skies

Small towns in the midsts of winter were often filled with a light nostalgic breeze; different from that of its Autumn counterpart that was more designed to loosen the changing leaves and grab one's attention only long enough to remind any passerby that the seasons were changing. This wind was more cold, more callus, and cared not about attention as it knew it already held it; in the red noses, puffy coats, and snow plows on trucks. This weather did not grace anyone with its presence, it stole the evening and didn't think twice- at least that's how Jenna felt. She loathed the winter time and while its contrasting counter season, summer, was not her ideal weather either she often preferred it over the bone chilling gust that begrudgingly followed her on her weekend strolls to her local potion shop.

Luckily, Jenna had time this weekend and the weather was the best it had been in months. The day had most definitely gotten off to a better start compared to most others, which meant all the difference. It helped that Jenna had actually gotten enough sleep the night prior which was no coincidence. She had been looking forward to this weekend for some time now as last Monday marked the final week of her grounding, though she believed that was an unethical way to parent. Her mother made it abundantly clear every chance she could that resistance, no matter how just, was futile and speaking up did not matter; admittedly that did not always stop Jenna from speaking her mind when it mattered most. At any rate, she took the time she forcefully spent cooped up in her home, mainly her room, to not only study her "practices of spirituality" and "Arcane fine arts'' material from school, but also the more 'traditional' fine art; painting. Jenna had built a reliable following with the right community on an almost underground art trading social media platform and was able to sell a couple of the paintings as well as secure a few more commissions in the process. The day was young, she wasn't stuck at home, the sun was bright in the sky, warming the day more than the previous few, and Jenna had some money saved that she was itching to spend at her favorite local business. Bonus points for the hot cocoa in her hands that she acquired near downtown at the corner cafe adjacent to her bus stop.

The walk was not short, but it was also not long, and Jenna didn't find the distance to be the most troubling part of the endeavor. It usually gave her time to do things she otherwise neglected, like relax and take in her surroundings.There were times when the world around her had its own noise that would be enough to entertain her excursions, other times she listened to her favorite podcast, or a playlist, curated for the event. Now was not the time for any of those. Low rhythmic R&B immersed her soul as it did her every movement, persuading the mood of her thoughts while she sauntered down the nearly empty sidewalk. Looking up at the light prussian blue painted sky, noting its almost expertly placed small white whipped clouds and the trees that lined the sidewalks , all bare of their leaves.The moment gave way to a comfortably mundane feeling; not usually welcomed as she sought out more spiritual experiences, but alas the day was young, maybe she could have both.

Days in her room had restrained her from witnessing others in their natural lives, more regularly. She liked to watch how they so casually walked in and out of stores. They were happy, mad, sad, or, more likely, just casually passing by on their own Saturday afternoon trips, and so she watched. Curiously observing what the illusory normality in actions that could be perceived by a bystander like her were really hiding. Though she was certain that Mr.Monroe from two houses down was just stopping at Sam's subs for his usual, which was a stark comparison to the tasks she had planned for the rest of the day. Jenna used this time to let her mind wander, watch the clouds shift in the sky, the cars as they passed by, and just the town in its natural course. Her observations were accompanied by an occasional sip of her cup to borrow its warmth and remind her that she too was a part of that course, she too was just another cog in the wheel, a speck on a giant rock floating through space.

Just as she began to dig into the philosophy that was time she was knocked out of her day dream by a forceful shove to her shoulder, startling her more than anything. The shock was enough to stop her dead in her tracks, but only momentarily while she swiftly dodged splashing herself with the drink in her hand and regained her footing. Her immediate reaction was to look for the cause of this incident, how else was she supposed to decide who she was angry with, but there was no one near her. Turning to check for answers behind her, Jenna was met with nothing and no one making the incident all the more peculiar.

A book she had read recently talked about the habits the collective society has created in their disbelief of the supernatural, one being a response to rationalize logical explanations for events that seem to have very few, and Jenna was working on recognizing when her mind wanted to excuse these things, so she stared for a little longer allowing herself to be in more disarray than she initially felt necessary. After a moment she took a deep breath and turned back to the way she had been walking. It was only then that she heard a laugh, almost childlike, as clear as day in her ears, despite her headphones. Her hand reflexively reached to turn the music off as her head glanced calmly around the street. Acknowledging her previous perceptions of the people around her Jenna reflexively reacted with poise so as to not make too much of a scene. Her stride was not broken this time and she was careful to mimic someone unbothered naturally looking around a road they had been walking along as she had just been doing moments before this disturbance, instead of any frantic movements.

At first Jenna could not fully discern what had occurred with the bump to her shoulder, but after the laugh she had a sneaking suspicion that someone was messing with her. This running theory was confirmed as she caught a glimpse of two people sitting on a bench together on the sidewalk adjacent to her. To any normal observer there may have been nothing odd about the pair, aside from the almost insulting clash of aesthetics they shared, but Jenna had a much more keen eye...and she may or may not have done a simple low-scale protective clairvoyant incantation on herself before leaving home...for safety. In the short moment she glanced over them she could already tell the boy on the left was unmistakable Rochester High's infamous Ricky Jackson, who Jenna had made sure to steer clear of after the few interactions she did have with him; not a very difficult objective considering they didn't even go to the same school. Yet small towns were small towns, so here she was. Ricky wore a Maroon and cream colored letterman paired with a plain gray shirt and blue jeans, whereas his less infamous friend was wearing an all black turtleneck under a much baggier brown, black, and white argyle sweater that matched his black pants with combat boot combo seamlessly.

'A moment of silence' she called to herself in her own head knowing that she could have attempted to be friends with the more fashionable of the two if not for the fact that she had caught their stare with a shared snicker. This was enough to know he was most likely the one behind the giggle and shove. The fact alone that the Rochester High jock had looked her way and then began laughing with his friend was enough confirmation for her that the theory was factual and as much as she wanted to repay the favor, she knew better than that. Mages of her caliber were not exactly allowed to use magic outside of schools, though a younger her would consider these laws mere suggestions. A younger Jenna would have surely made her disapproval well known,but instead she took satisfaction in knowing as much and swallowed her pride while quickening her pace. The shop was nearby anyway.