Mate

Nine

The picture to the top/side is of the sanctum in the forest.

~~~

It was Christmas break by now, two months after the incident. My jaw was healed as of two weeks ago and I'd done well at keeping my distance from Julian at school and very seldom did I speak to Makenna. Of course, Toni was always there during my speechless weeks and he was super sweet the entire time, never once mentioning Julian.

And, it's been hard, but I haven't used magic at all.

Today was Tuesday, three days after Winter Break officially let out. I was home with Gran, baking a cake just for the heck of it.

I laughed as Gran spilt some flower on the counter and glared at it accusingly. She shot me a childish pout and continued making the batter.

I shook my head with a chuckle as she handed me the bowl to stir so that she could wash the egg from her hands. I did so swiftly, holding the large bowl close to my side for support and concentrating on not making a mess.

Gran got out the pan we were going to use and sprayed it with natural cooking oil. I finished and poured the batter into the pan as she stepped away to make sure the oven was heating. Scraping away the remnants in the bowl and smoothing out the top of the batter, I placed the pan into the oven that Gran opened for me and smiled as I licked the chocolate-batter covered spatula.

"Aspen Joyce Theadore," Gran scolded me. I moved the spatula away from my lips with a small frown as she took it from my grasp. "You know better."

"But Gran-" my jaw fell open as she licked off the rest of the chocolate. She laughed at my expression and cleaned the dishes we used, placing them in the half full dishwasher.

"Gran!" I whined. She shook her head with a smile. I pouted before sighing.

"I'm going into the woods - I feel weak and need a serious nature session," I told her. After not using my abilities for so long, I felt like I was slowly being drained, like I was betraying myself as a witch for not acting as such. Witches are connected to nature, it's our power source. So, not using magic takes it's toll, but sitting in a sacred place in the forest will definitely help me connect with my inner witch and regain my strength.

"Ok, dear. Be careful," Gran replied, closing the dishwasher. I nodded before grabbing my jacket, boots, scarf, and a beanie, and heading out of the house and towards the nearby forest.

I smiled at my surroundings as I walked. It was silent and cold, but I felt life buzzing even as the naked trees slept and bears and squirrels hibernated. It didn't normally snow, but there was a soft layer of frost that made the would-be-creepy area look absolutely breathtaking.

I made it to the sanctum, near the center of the forest, after miles of trekking through trees, weaving through dense bushes, and observing a few deer as the ate at the bark on trees with a smile. Smile still in tact, I sat on a log near the small lake that marked this spot.

During Winter, the sanctum wasn't overly beautiful. The soft fog made the water look murky dull, but the trees were almost white with the sunlight above. I looked around, feeling the power emitting from the area. This was always my favorite place to be.

Sadly, I haven't been able to visit very often.

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jacket and puffed out a breath of air, watching it escape my mouth in white wisps before disappearing. Dragging in a deep breath of the fresh air through my nose, I smiled at the mulchy sweet smell.

"Why are you on this land?" A man asked from behind me. I jumped to my feet, careful not to fall into the lake, and whipped around.

"What?" I gasped, startled.