Lithium

Chapter Four

There was a sudden pounding on my door that sent me jumping from my sleep.

"Faye? You need to get up! You'll be late for school!"

School...?

I turned over and saw the numbers 6:45 glowing at me in a startling blood red.

"Shit! I overslept!"

I jumped out of bed and the spell book fell from my lap with a thud.

"Are you alright, Faye?"

Aunt Gracia.

"Uh, yeah! I'm okay aunt Gracia, thank you!"

I stuffed the book under my bed and scrambled to get myself ready. By 7:00, I was completely ready, and thumped down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. I grabbed the first thing I touched from the pantry - a bran muffin from the looks of it - and rushed out the door. I hopped into Scarlet's car and slammed the door shut. I turned to see Scar glaring at me.

"What is this, summer vacation? You planning on keeping us waiting every morning, your royal highness?"

I sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. I was up studying almost all night."

Well, it wasn't completely a lie. I was studying, just not anything school related.

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We reached first period, and for the first time in my life, I was actually excited. I couldn't wait to see Alex. Did I have a crush on him? I wasn't sure whether my feelings had reached that point yet, but I definitely felt something for him.

I reached my seat and sat down, bouncing my foot up and down while watching the door intently.

"Faye, are you okay? You seem ... jittery." Alaina whispered to me, looking at me with eyes filled with concern.

I nodded. "Mm-hmm, I'm great. A little tired, but perfectly fine otherwise."

A small voice stirred up inside me. Are you sure about that?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Wanting to see Alex didn't mean anything bad was occurring, right?

As I thought this over, and bag thumped on the table, and I looked up to see the two brothers sitting at our table.

I raised an eyebrow, "Was that really necessary?"

"You tell me, Princess." Jackson said, winking at me.

Alex looked at Jackson, looking rather irritated. "Jackson, can you try to behave yourself, if even a little?"

Jackson clicked his tongue at him, "Aw is someone a lil jealous?" He smirked while ruffling his hair.

Alex smacked his hand away. "Grow up." He turned his gaze to me. "Something the matter?"

I realized I was smiling while watching their exchange. "No, I just thought you two are so close it's amusing."

Jackson jumped up and put his arm around my shoulders. "You're exactly right, Faye!"

Alex glared at him like his eyes were burning him to death. "Jackson, enough. Get off of Faye, and come sit down." His voice was a low growl, like that of a pissed off lion.

Jackson seemed shocked by this, and quickly backed off. "I got it, I got it. Sheath your claws Mr. Scary Lion, sir" He joked, returning to his seat.

Alex immediately switched back to his I-don't-care, usual expression, but Alaina and I still exchanged a glance. We had just seen a different side of Alex Ross, and we weren't quite sure what to make of it.

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At the end of the day, I stepped out of Scar's car and walked into my aunt's house. I went into the kitchen to get a snack, and froze dead in the doorway. My aunt Gracia was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. A book called Secrets of Magic.

As if on cue, my aunt turned her head towards me and smiled. "Ah, Faye. Welcome home. How was school?"

Why? Why was she acting so normal? So nonchalant? I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"Um, it was okay, I guess..."

"Well that's good. So, why don't you have a seat?"

I cautiously walked over and sat next to her, watching her carefully.

"So you discovered the spell book I had hidden away. I must admit, I'm quite impressed. Just like your mother, it seems your powers have awoken at the ripe age of sixteen."

"Um, aunt Gracia? What do you mean, my powers have awoken?"

My aunt smiled very faintly at me. "You don't understand quite yet? Faye, you're a witch."

"I'm a what?! "

"I guess that means I need to explain from the beginning. Relax Faye, this will be a long explanation."

We headed into the living room and made ourselves comfortable. I sat on the loveseat, and my aunt on the chair across the coffee table from me, placing the spell book between us.

"Our family comes from a long line of powerful witches and warlocks. Our family's surname is 'Bhiotáille', which translates to dark spirit. Each witch and warlock have their own powers, sometimes they're passed through the family in generations, and sometimes not. It's impossible to tell. Your mother was a very powerful witch, and your father a powerful warlock. They were targeted because of your mother's unique powers, which I hope to god she didn't pass down to you. It's highly unlikely, so maybe we're lucky. I'm sorry I had to hide all this from you, but your mother asked me to give you a normal life if possible."

I started at her in shock. "So if I went by my mother's surname, my name would be Faye Bhiotáille, huh?"

My aunt nodded slowly. "That's right. But you should keep using your father's name. It may very well protect you at some point."

"Protect me from what?"

"The witch hunters."

I laughed nervously. "Witch hunters? Did they ... I mean, are they responsible for killing my parents?"

My aunt put her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "Yes Faye. That's exactly correct."

As the shock began to wear off, anger began bubbling in my blood. "Aunt Gracia...you're a witch as well, correct?"

"Of course. Not as powerful as your mother, but everyone in our family has magical power of some sort."

"Then I'm asking you, please teach me magic. I will take revenge for my parent's deaths."