Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Vance met me at Grandma's right when I was pulling in on my scooter. He waited for me to park and get off before coming over to drape his arm around my shoulders as we walked up the front steps.

Grandma swung the door open before we could even knock.

"Hello, kids!" she called out, stepping to give me a hug, then patting Vance on the back. She ushered us into the living room.

Soon the three of us were in the cellar where she pulled the wooden table out from the wall. She already had some items sitting on it.

"Have a seat." She gestured toward the benches. Vance and I dutifully sat down together while Grandma remained standing.

"All right. The first thing I want to start with is a concentration exercise," she said, jumping right into things. "Your magic is already a strong current flowing through you. You'll not always use it in a circle of protection but out in the open if need requires it.

"Since you'll need to be able to call upon your powers at any given point in time, I want you to learn to recognize the energy.

"Close your eyes now, and clear your mind. I want you to try and think of nothing. Use deep breaths to help calm you, like we use in the meditation rituals at the store."

I did as I was instructed, letting my mind drift peacefully, and soon began to feel deeply relaxed.

"Very good," Grandma's voice said softly after several minutes had passed. "Now keep your eyes closed and listen carefully. I'm going to start saying random words, and I want you to think about them like you normally would, visualizing them mentally. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Tree," she said.

Instantly, my mind was flooded with the image of a beautiful oak tree in its full, green leaves of spring. I could see the gnarled twisted branches as the sunlight filtered through the flittering foliage. I could even smell the tree, and I reached out to touch it.

"Cat," Grandma's voice cut through to me.

Immediately, I was nuzzling Jinx as she rubbed herself under my chin. I could hear her purr and feel the tickle of her whiskers, and it brought a smile to my face.

"Flower," her voice came again, and I was leaning over the most beautiful, red rose. It hadn't completely opened yet, but it was still round and full with the most delicious scent. I reached out to grab it and felt one of its thorns sink into my finger.

"Ouch!" I said, and snapped back to reality. I looked at my finger and could see the blood oozing to the surface. "How in the world . . . " my voice trailed off as I questioned what I was seeing. I glanced at Grandma and Vance, holding my finger for them to see too.

"You were manifesting," Grandma said, smiling a look of approval at me.

"Okay. What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means your powers are much more advanced than we originally thought. Normally, only you would experience the things you were seeing."

"You mean you could see them too?" I asked, surprised.

"We experienced it just like you did." Vance held up his pricked finger.

"Amazing!" I said, truly meaning it.

"Your finger is bleeding?" Grandma asked him. "Mine isn't." She showed us her hand. "What did you see exactly?"

"I saw myself reaching out to grab the rose, and it poked me," he said. "Didn't you?"