Spellbound

Chapter 1

Hey lovelies. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, but this one should be much better, since it actually begins introducing characters. 

Dedication goes to the beautiful... @808sunshine, my friend Tinah. She's so sweet and incredible and if you don't know her, you should go meet her <3

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Chapter 1 *July 24, 2014*

            "And then he cupped my chin, sweetly, not rough, and kissed me goodnight. I swear, it was the most amazing kiss I've ever had. Like he thought I was priceless, or something, and didn't want to let go," the miniature blonde gushed, a sappy grin blossoming across her glossy lips. "I kid you not; it was love at first sight."

            Reed Westland's nose crinkled in skeptical displeasure at the idea, the smattering of freckles that peppered her pale, creamy face connecting like a starry constellation; perhaps because she'd endured the enthusiastic, excruciatingly detailed ramblings of her older cousin's love life on repeated occasions or perhaps because the concept seemed so mystical, so happily-ever-after, so distant from the reality of a typical eighteen-year-old girl.

            Then again, Reed strayed rather widely from the definition of a typical seventeen-year-old girl herself; although she was not, in her own opinion, exceptionally pretty nor particularly intelligent or talented, the remarkable power at her fingertips transformed her from average to, in more pleasant terms, extraordinary. In less pleasant terms, a freak.

            No, she admitted wryly to herself, rolling her caramel-flecked emerald eyes and collapsing lightly onto the unmade bed. I'm most certainly not an option to portray 'normal' in Webster's dictionary. The thin, flexible wand wedged securely into her buttery leather handbag spoke for itself, as did the collection of spells tucked forever into her memory.

            "I'll bet it was," Reed agreed wearily. And so, sprawled delicately on the turquoise-patterned comforter and staring with intensity at a smudged, hardly visible handprint smeared messily on the surface of the ceiling, she deliberately scanned the details of her unfamiliar surroundings.

            Details, after all, provided some semblance of order to a disorganized tangle of jumbled thoughts. Details could be sharpened or focused, blatant or undetectable, breezily forgotten or startlingly memorable and it was that, the way in which your own standpoint discerned the value of each and every one, which attracted Reed to them like bees to an amber pot of gooey, rich honey.

            A slim-fitting, scarlet pair of jeans and leopard print infinity scarf lay strewn across the beige carpet, along with various indistinguishable items which seemed destined for the washer, but had not yet made it there. An assortment of glossy-covered magazines emphasizing flawless celebrities and the occasional ragged textbook littered the scarred wooden desk. A scatter of photos were tacked carelessly to the soft peach-painted wall, consistently featuring a short, curvy blonde beaming animatedly at the camera, surrounded by throngs of grinning friends or family. A simple white dresser, the surface of which was showered with a seemingly endless supply of clutter ranging from glittering bangle bracelets to plastic Starbucks lids, squatted sturdily in the corner. Skimming the mess, she cringed. Reed, after all, was organized and neat to the level where it became less of a character trait than a compulsion; she knotted her fingers in discomfort now, combating the urge to sweep the clutter into a garbage bin and scrub at every visible surface.

            As if to further distract herself, her gaze flitted instinctively to the mirror suspended ever-so-crookedly above the disarrayed dresser, speckled with flecks of mascara and dust. It wasn't that, however, that intrigued Reed about the mirror... no, as she squinted curiously at its border, it became apparent that the reflective glass was framed with neon writing. Lazily easing off of the bed, the mattress springs groaning in mild protest, she cocked her head to the side and approached the table inquisitively.

            In a fat, loopy scrawl, the words you are beautiful had been etched repeatedly onto the mirror, handwritten with an explosion of bright, colorful pens. Bundling this observation away, a grin spilled softly onto Reed's lips, her jaded green gaze inching downwards and locking on the somewhat unfamiliar reflection peering back from the glassy surface. The blazing determination which had before flamed consistently in her sparkling eyes had vanished with the sputter of a water pail upturned on a ferocious fire, and subtle bags rimmed her eyes from countless restless nights; her naturally pale complexion appeared almost ivory in the dim light and limp, strawberry blonde waves rippled lifelessly down her back.

            For the briefest second, though, despite it all, the words made her feel just that... beautiful.

            "Oh, my roommate made me that last month, for my birthday," Sara-Marie chirped, abruptly interrupting her mounting monologue and tilting her head slightly. An odd, sheer silence lapsed in the room, tinged with the low mumble of the air conditioner, peaceful and soft as a whispery lullaby. "Isn't it beautiful?"

            Smiling wistfully, Reed nodded. "Really, it is." Then, with a shuddery gasp, she swiveled to face the older girl, forehead knitting anxiously together as she added, "She won't mind me staying here, will she? Your roommate?"

            Shaking her head, -- her sleek, tinted blonde hair and vivid pink streak splayed outward in a fragile arc -- Sara-Marie tossed out a crisp, bell-like giggle. "My God, I forgot you acted like this. There's no need to be so panicked about everything," she reprimanded; Reed's cheeks prickled indignantly at the remark. "To answer your question, though, she moved out a few months ago, so you're welcome to stay. Unless you begin to bother me."

            "Funny," Reed replied dryly. "Why'd she leave?"

            "Her boyfriend. There was this massively complicated dramatic ordeal earlier, and she wound up moving in with him. Honestly, I miss her loads," she confessed plaintively, supplying a bitter frown which almost immediately transformed into a dreamy grin. "But they're flawless together, honestly, and madly in love. I swear, destiny had to have been involved."

            Reed blinked. "Destiny?" The word was densely shrouded with sarcasm -- more disbelieving than venomous, but sarcasm all the same.

            "Oh, a skeptic. So true love is some sort of impossible phenomenon, then?" As she spoke, she fumbled clumsily through the cluttered oak drawer of her table, scrabbling to grasp a half-eaten chocolate bar.

            "That isn't what I said. I mean, of course true love exists," insisted the younger girl. "But according to everyone's expectations, love is effortless to find. Divorce rates are skyrocketing and relationships hardly ever last; what are the odds that the first person we run into is 'the one'? This whole every-relationship-is-scribbled-into-the-stars-for-all-eternity concept is completely illogical."

            "Love isn't about logic," Sara-Marie scoffed, eyes -- blue and stormy as the depths of the Pacific -- rolling with a flippant air. "It's unconditional. It's genuine. It's about ignoring the imperfections because they only make the relationship more unforgettable. Don't you know that?"

            In the dust-smudged reflection of the mirror, with an almost imperceptible frown, Reed faintly shook her head. 

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I hope you liked reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing if for all of you. Let me know what you think about Reed and the storyline so far. And I TOLD you there'd be some mention of Harlie (there's more to come!) I love all of you: please vote and comment and share this story with friends/fans <3