Dancing on the Dark Side

1 Clan Alumno

I stare at the clear plastic cup in my hands, watching the chunks of ice swirl with the orange liquid. Despite thinking it's orange juice, around this crowd I'm never really sure what I'll get. For all I know it's been spiked with magic that will make me spontaneously combust or turn my hair pink. Or it could be totally fine - just fresh-pressed OJ. For some reason, I still can't find it in myself to trust my own eyes. Not here.

I'm sitting at one of the round, oak tables that look like they sprouted from the hard-packed dirt floor. Instead of the surface looking like a regular tables, it's covered in a thin layer of moss. I don't touch it. My mistrust and natural cynicism warning me off. In typical Alumno-fashion, the rest of the room follows the nature theme. The walls are made of bark in a thick, somber tone of brown, leading from floor to ceiling and branching inward to block out the sky - save for the very center. At that point, there are various crystals strung to form a rough sphere. Light trickles in from the noon sun, the crystals refracting the light and forcing the beams to hit every inch of the room.

I was dazzled the first time I walked in, completely speechless for ten minutes by how incredible the effect was. Now, however, it just annoys me. I can't help but feel irked by the need for there to even be a meeting in the middle of the day because of the 'no electricity' rule. What pisses me off further is the overwhelming heat in the room. A soft breeze roams over the fifty-something others around me, but I can't help but shift uncomfortably as the intense humidity creates perspiration on my skin and makes my clothes stick to my body.

Living in the south is nice for the most part - if you can ignore the thickness of each breath and amplification of heat living so close to the Gulf also provides. But, hey, at least you can pretty much grow anything all year 'round. For most of the Alumno, that's what really matters, the fertility and energy that hums in nature. I'm just about to give in and take a sip of my drink to quench the building thirst, when movement catches my eyes.

"Good afternoon," A woman at the front of the room calls over the gentle hum of chatting voices. At the sound of the familiar lilting voice, all conversation dies, and all eyes are fixed on her. The woman is someone I've met on several occasions, the Clan leader who goes by the name Alison Alumno. Her bright expression and confident posture are dead giveaways, even from where I'm sitting. The auburn bob, sparkling green eyes, and healthy glow to her freckled skin give the the woman the unmistakable outward view of youth- though as far as I know, Alison's old enough to me my abuela.

"Thank you all for coming," Alison tells us in her slightly accented voice. Her heritage being something of a mystery to most of us, though I know she's got to be either Irish or something from that area of the globe. "Though it's only been a month since our last meeting," She continues, and like most leaders, her gaze sweeps over each and every part of the room, meeting people's admiring looks as she speaks. "So much has happened." I feel a slight tingle along the skin of my arms as her eyes briefly meet mine, lingering only a second before moving to the rest of the room. I'm still not used to the feel of her power, trying not to shift too visibly as it crackles along my skin like static. I fight the urge to run my hands over my exposed arms and leave the room.

"Before I get to the main reason why I've called you all here, just a few reminders," Allison announces in a lighter voice. "Potion makers," She addressed a few of the tables off the the side of the room. "I give you a lot of leeway when it comes to crafting and selling your brews, but remember if your users are not part of the supernatural world, they have to be watered down." Allison narrows her eyes at a particular portion of the tables where two of the witches won't meet her gaze and are slowly sinking into their chairs. Busted... "We had a close call with a lust potion in Marfa." Allison's tone is steely. "The Dispellers got there in time, but I suggest you use your abilities more wisely." Then Allison turns to face the other side of the room. I quirk an eyebrow at her use of the term 'Dispeller', something I learned about recently - a faction of witch that has the ability to undo any magic cast or potioned. They're incredibly rare, however, and are only ever sought out for really dangerous spells. It was something Alison had spoken to me about when we first met, sounding more like a warning about the boogyman than something I thought she'd call in. Whatever happened must have been really bad...

"Elemental Magic users," She addresses the back row a few tables away. "I understand you have been providing much needed rain for some of the cental towns, but remember that what you cast has consequences for the rest of the state." She warns. "This humidity is the result of your spells. Think about that." Allison sounds like a scolding mother for the briefest second before turning to face the middle, her eyes scanning over the first few rows. "Spell casters, just because you haven't had any issues with your magic this month, remember I've got ears everywhere." The whole room falls eerily silent. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Then we all relax.

"Now that that's been addressed," Allison claps her hands together once before her cheerful expression is back. "The reason I've called everyone together today is that we have a new member," Allison gestures at me and gives me a warm smile. "Fi Vene." She only says part of my name, as is customary of the witches. Names have power. Abuela once told me when I asked her why she wanted me to write only 'Fi Vene' when my full name was 'Fieri Venefica'. Never tell anyone your full name unless you trust them to never use it against you. Her cryptic warning was something I never took lightly, even to this day. So, to everyone I meet, I'm Fi Vene. Only my birth certificate has my full name, and that thing's spelled so only I can read it. Humans see Fi Vene, and witches would see smudges over the rest.

I feel an awkward attempt at a smile jump to my face. The kind that I'm sure looks like a cross of a grimace and forced-smile, but it's something. I don't normally like the 'get-to-know-you' parts of meeting new people, but I know I can't let my antisocial tendencies make me more of a pariah that I already am. A few curious eyes meet mine and I get a returning smile or two - more than a few wide-eyed glances between me and the table of Vene closer to the front of the room.

They're not surprised to see me, but neither are they particularly happy - or interested by my presence either. I don't blame them. We're all still adjusting to the recent discovery of each other. I thought my family had died when Abuela did last month. I was wrong. Now I'm not only dealing with the death of the woman who raised me, the discovery that magic exists, and there's a whole world I've been blinded to - but I also have an entire estranged family. It's been a rough month, to say the least.

"So, thank you all for joining us, and have a good night." Allison dismisses us. Without missing a beat, I'm up and out of my chair as conversation begins once more. I take my still-full cup of 'juice' with me as I silently make my way out of the crowded room. Just outside the door is a little trash can, the mesh kind often used at parks, and I drop my cup in, trying not to be too conspicuous about it as I shuffle away from the building.

From the outside, the meeting hall looks like any normal business. A single-story sandy-tan color, blending in so well with the other businesses around the block, you'd never guess it was anything other than what it appears to be. The glamor over the thing is only visible to other witches, the slight shimmering of the supernatural power clinging to each atom of the structure. To me, it looks like there's heat waves rolling off the thing.

I almost manage to make my escape without incident, but the second my muscles unclench and I feel like I can finally breathe - it all comes down around my head.