Air

Shell Beach

"Self made success, now she rolls with rockafellas."

-Halsey, "New Americana"

Arielle and her friends lie down a few towels on the golden sand of Shell Beach. One of the boys in our group draws a pentagram in the sand. I am now aware of the fact that these individuals make up a coven, and they want to initiate me.

I take a seat on a white towel, and look up to the sky. Today is a rather cloudy day. I love the clouds. Each and every one of them has their own unique shape and size. They're so beautiful.

"Ladies and gentlemen," says the boy at the pentagram. "My name is James. Today, we gather here to practice magick with our newest addition, Anna Robins. Anna, do you enter with fear or with love?"

Holy crap. This is the question coven Witches ask you during your official initiation. I need to answer the right way. This will determine my fate.

"Love," I say.

"Great," James replies. "Now, Arielle, did you have any particular ritual you wanted to perform?"

Arielle opens her mouth and says, "Yes, I would like to hex someone."

Hex? Did she just say what I think she just say? Cursing and hexing aren't allowed in Wicca! This girl is ludicrous.

"But Arielle," says James, "We don't hex people."

"Well we do now!" Says Arielle.

Arielle turns her aura into a dark black color. She opens her as wide as she can. She starts chanting something in Latin, something I don't understand. I know this is not good, though.

"Stop!" I yell. "Wiccans don't hex people."

Arielle smirks. "My darling," she says, "We are just Witches. Not Wiccans."

"Witches ARE Wiccans!" I say.

"Not all of them, actually," says the girl next to Arielle. "I'm Caren. And we're just Pagans. We aren't Wiccans."

Shit. I've gone against my religion and joined a coven that practices evil. What is wrong with me?

I stand up. I smack my arms against my legs. I am tired of this shit. "I can't do this," I say, "I'm out."

I run away from the beach. I head into the downtown area as quickly as I can. I don't want to be a part of this coven. I really regret being initiated. I'm never going back to them ever again.

So I keep moving forward. I zip through the town at the speed of light.

Out of the blue, I hear footsteps behind me. Someone has been following me this entire time. Stupidly, I stop running. I turn around to see who it is. He is none other than James.

"Anna, wait," He says. "My intention was not to turn you against your religion. I would never do that."

I laugh sarcastically. "Oh yeah? Then what was your intent?"

"My intent was to be close to you," he says.

Suddenly, my mouth drops. I am drawn to James. I am brought so close to him. In no time, I am wrapped in his arms with his lips on mine.

I love him.