Mariel's Magic

Chapter 8. Trista

Two years later, Mariel was three. The family had moved to the sleepy town of Woodacre, a short trip north of San Francisco, where they felt they had found a haven amidst the tall Valley Oaks and Pine trees. It was a quiet community with few sidewalks, cracked pavement, and high-tech homes sitting next to rustic cottages. Many homes had extensive vegetable and fruit gardens, and others had chickens, goats, or horses in the yard. Here, Mariel could be close to nature in their spacious old house that sat on a one-acre lot, which included a small orchard of plum, pear, apple, orange, and cherry trees. There was enough fruit to hire people to come out and pick it, to be donated to the local food bank. It was here, amidst the soft murmur of nature, that Mariel's gifts were nurtured under the watchful eyes of her parents and her teacher, Hana.

They had moved the year before and immediately found life to be simpler than in San Francisco. Being closer to nature allowed Mariel to be closer to the source of her magic. The quiet life allowed Jonathan and Adriana to deepen their bond, and the property offered privacy and a kind of sanctuary where Mariel could freely explore her powers without attracting the attention of neighbors.

Into this idyllic community walked a woman named Trista. She was tall, with dark flowing hair and cold blue eyes. She was elegantly dressed and quite beautiful, as befitted the new manager of a small boutique clothing store named Sylvan Chic, where the prices were high and many of the items were one of a kind.

Trista seemed to fit in with this town, where many of its residents flaunted their unique personalities. She lived in a small apartment above the shop and initially went unnoticed by her neighbors. However, Mariel noticed her, feeling a disturbance in the local energy. The shop was not more than a quarter mile from her home.

Jonathan met Trista at a small market where he was buying vegetables. He was struck by her beauty, dressed in a simple, though expensive, sweater and skirt. The high heels she wore were a little out of place, and they caught his eye. She had only a few things in her basket, and he got the impression she was there only to pick up a few things for lunch.

They were side by side inspecting apples when she looked at him. "Hello," she said in a low voice, with a slight smile.

"Hi," replied Jonathan, looking at her closely.

"I'm Trista. I don't mean to be forward, but I just arrived to open a new shop. I'm saying hello to everyone, you know, networking a little. My shop is outside the door and to the right. It's called Sylvan Chic."

"Welcome to Woodacre, then," said Jonathan. "I'm Jonathan. I'll let my wife know about your shop. There's not a lot of places to shop for clothes here, so she'll probably want to drop by."

"Thanks, I hope so, but I'm just getting ready to pay. Perhaps you'd like to walk back with me and have a look."

"Sure, I'm curious. Just let me pay for these things and put them in my car."

A few minutes later, they were walking up the road to her store. Trista unlocked the front door, turned the sign back around to "Open," and showed Jonathan around. She leaned back against the store counter, and her perfume was much more pronounced in the small space of the boutique.

"So, have you lived here long?" she asked, smiling at him.

"No, only a year. We moved here from San Francisco with our daughter."

"So far, I love it here," she said, "but I hope I can make some friends."

Jonathan, like Adriana, possessed a small amount of magic, and having a magical daughter who had a magical teacher, he was sensitized to the feel of a person with magical powers. He felt that power in Trista and was intrigued and wondered if she could be added to their small group that was helping Mariel learn to use her powers. Also, he found her very attractive, extraordinarily so, in fact. Suddenly he wanted to know more about her.