Bewitching the Beast

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ainsley

Leaving the diner, I follow behind Jonah’s dark green truck in my 1966 Mustang Coupe. I smile at their reaction when I walk over to my overly packed car. I got it after I turned eighteen with my money from my not so great father and I fixed it up slowly over the years and now it was finally restored to its original glory. I had it repainted to sky blue and there are two white race stripes going down the middle. The interior is all black leather so it hides stains and I updated the radio and put in a GPS system.

Driving down the secluded road, I’m surprise that I feel at ease as how quiet it is here. Growing up in Alabama where heat bugs chirped every night and then moving all the way to California to go to Stanford was a really cultural shock, but I adapted very well there. After graduation I work for a few wealthy families as a nanny and on the side as a social worker, but I wanted to get away from the hectic lifestyle and experience something different.

I thought about going back to the south, but in all honesty; I didn’t want to go back to the humid summers and warm winters. Ever since I was little, I loved fall and winter over spring and summer; I know weird. Living in Mobile, it only snowed twice in my lifetime and it melted before noon. So when I saw the ad on craigslist that a family in Oregon was looking for a nanny for seven kids, I jumped at the chance.

I packed all my important belongings which isn’t much and then gave the rest to the Salvation Army. I know that there might be a chance where I won’t get the job, but I will find something else and I have plenty of money in savings to hold me over for a while.

Driving up here was a good long drive, but I find the area really nice. The town is called Echo Falls and it’s so secluded that I could barely find it on a map. On the sign outside of town it said that there are 1,251 people. For October, there is a nip in the air and I mentally remember that if I stay here, I have to get snow tires since the town is in the northeastern part of the state and snow was common.

Thinking back to what Jonah and Donnie told me about their family, I’ll admit that I’m a little nervous. Including the older siblings there are a total of ten siblings; seven boys and three girls. Nathan is the oldest at twenty-six and he runs the family and is legal guardian. Then Jonah is twenty-four and Donnie is twenty who both try to help out as much as possible. Next there is Asher and Ashton who are twins and from what I understand are the pranksters in the house and they are only sixteen. Shawn is thirteen who is starting to rebel out and Emma who is ten is beginning to blossom into preteenhood. Alexander is the youngest boy at eight and he is quiet and very smart. Payton is seven, but I was told that she was adopted two years ago and feels out of place in the family. Last there is Sophie and she is the baby of the family, only being three and everyone adores her.

I have a feeling that this family will be a challenge, but I’ll work my magic on them. When we were talking before I get this energy from Jonah and Donnie, but I’m really not sure what it was. I do know for sure I can’t tell them I’m a Witch; a high power one. It was a shock when I develop my powers after I turned eighteen, but luckily when I went to college, one of my professors was a Witch and she guided me. People tend to freak out when they hear Witch, magic, or powers; so I just keep it to myself.

Many think that a Witch is someone who practices witchcraft and looks like someone from Hocus Pocus, but there is a lot more to it. We are not ugly, green, or devil worshiping group who wants to hurt mankind. Witches are those who work with magical powers and natural substances that help and heal. Usually magic is used for good, but there are some who try to use it for evil

Everyone is born with psychic senses, but most choose to ignore them or some will try to enhance them. First there is Clairaudience or Spiritual Body Ear; this is when you pick up on a thought and hear it. Usually I can communicate with those you have passed over or hear when someone is in the next room over. Next there is Clairvoyance or Spiritual Body Eye; this is when you pick up a thought and see it. Many call this the Third Eye and I can read auras and visions from others. Then there is Clairsentience or Spiritual Body Skin; this is when you pick up on a thought and know it. I’m sensitive to hunches, dreams, and predictions. Another Clairsentience is when you pick up a thought and it transforms into a feeling. Then there is Empathy which I can feel someone’s emotion and I can influence it; also I can hold something and read the energy.  Next there is Clairlinguance or Spiritual Body Tongue; which is when you are aware of taste without actually eating. That one is really not great, but I can taste with something is poisoned. Last of the five senses is Clairolerance or Spiritual Body Nose; this is when you smell different scents from spirits and find an earthy connection between them and here. There is also Claircognizance or Spiritual Body Mind; this is when you sense of knowing through our brains. Sometimes I will know something without realizing I know it. Also there is the use of spells that is connected to each sense, the power to move things without touching it, and the use of herbs for healing illnesses.