IGNIS AND AQUA

Chapter 2 - The Article

Surprise, surprise. Isabelle thought to herself as she stood alone in the Director's office staring at a lined piece of paper with a short briefing on it. Was it really to much to ask that he would be here in person to talk it through to her? Probably. Maybe she was expecting to much, or maybe it was just bad luck but she couldn't dwell on it. Isabelle took a deep long breathe and began to read the note left for her.

 Briefing for the girl who came in my office yesterday

Write me an article on T.E.T.P and its connection to the occurrences that keep getting reported. This is the kind of article that could make or break your career. It doesn't matter if its controversial, as long as it get our magazine selling  - I couldn't care less
You have a month, then i want a first draft. 

P.S Don't mess this up. I'm giving you a chance to show me what you've got.

The note was direct, simple and somewhat rude but this was the chance Isabelle had been waiting for, albeit she did not foresee having to write an article on something as controversial as T.E.T.P. 
"I'll put my all into it" she quietly muttered to herself but the real question was where was she to even start?! 

The Energy Transferal Phenomenon was something that barely discussed in the modern world, there was a boom of people forming small groups and trying it in the 80's but since then, nothing. Sure, moving an object with the power of ones mind was an amazing feat but when it took a group of 10 people, focusing on the same objective to do so, it was far less impressive and some what pointless. It was not even useful, at first it baffled scientists but then the theory which is now the most popular came about. T.E.T.P being an effect of a kind of combined mental energy that exists from humanities grown intelligence, of course it was just a theory... Isabelle sat down at her desk, letting herself slide effortlessly into her chair as she sighed. All the hope, ambition and strength draining from her like a slow deflating balloon. This was not the article that she wanted to write. Running her fingers over the hard edges of the keyboard, she began to type. 'Research is where i'll start' she thought to herself and before long she was at the mercy of hundreds of videos, all of people doing simple tasks. Using the phenomenon to unfold paper, make water ripple, spin the blades of a fan, make a feather momentarily float. The list went on and on, yet at the end of the day, they were all the same. Small feats that showed if anything, that T.E.T.P was a useless tool that served no purpose. The amount of energy expended didn't meet the desired reaction, and that was the simple truth of the matter. Isabelle picked up the pen from her desk and began to impatiently chew at the end. She felt as though she was getting no where. Without anything credible, she couldn't link anything to the Shadow-Sightings, and the Director wanted something controversial. How was she supposed to do that without hard evidence? Isabelle sighed again, this time much louder, so loud that her colleague Julian overheard. 

"Isabelle, are you okay? You look kind of...blocked" Julian's white teeth gleamed as he smiled down upon her.
"Uh yeah i'm fine, I just. I need to find information on T.E.T.P or the supernatural, something concrete at the very least, can you believe my luck. A chance to right an article and it has to be about this of all things" Isabelle sat up in her chair, as she spoke with undertones of anger in her usually gentle voice. Julian was one of the very few people she felt relaxed around so it came at no surprise that she was so easy able to express her feelings around him. He was 5 years her senior, and an editor at the magazine. He was tall, and dashingly handsome with wind swept blonde hair and white pearly teeth. Big brown eyes, and always smartly dressed. He was the type of person you could always rely on no matter what. Whenever she had a problem, he was always there to help and that's part of the reason why she admired him so much. Julian lifted an eyebrow in amusement at Isabelle's dilemma, he was no stranger to her opinion of T.E.T.P and the mere mention of her assignment seemed somewhat humorous to him.
"Why don't you go check out that Occult shop on the corner of  Venson street, iv'e heard a lot of strange rumors about that place. Could be a good starting point?
Isabelle lifted an eyebrow, it wasn't a bad idea at all, and honestly she was shocked that she didn't think of it first. She smiled and nodded "Thanks Julian, that's actually really good advise"
Isabelle stood up fast as though her new found motivation was pushing her forward to her feet. Julian nodded as he smiled,  "I know you're not motivated to write this article but remember, we all have to start somewhere, this could be great for you" he walked off as he spoke, his positive words resonating with Isabelle. She put her coat on, and began her journey to Venson street. She had never been to an Occult shop so she wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but from what she imagined, it would make a great place to gather information. Julian did make some sense, sure this wasn't the article that she wanted to right, but it was hers to write none the less. Isabelle slid her arms through her jacket sleeves and pulled it over her shoulders, her new found motivation giving her hope that this would all work out. 

She set off by foot and it wasn't long before she was near. Her pace quickened as she got closer, she used her phone to track the location which was surprisingly close to where she worked and before she knew it she was standing in front of a corner shop that looked rather un-inviting. The once black-painted wooden window frames where rotting and stained. The glass looked dusty and the crooked sign was faded from the sun.  As she approached, she hesitated, this really was not the kind of place one would want to unexpectedly walk into. There was something mystifying about black peeling paint, dust and an unhinged sign.

'Venson Occult and Antiques' it read, although Isabelle had to look hard to make it out. Isabelle slowly pulled open the glass fronted door. The shop was small with cluttered shelves, books stacked on the floor and a large front desk at the back of the room. There were an arrangement of bottles, jars and containers at one side as well as strange rocks at another. Walking inside the front bell dinged, notifying the shop owner.  An old man, with small round glasses and a bald head appeared from the poorly lit black room. He was short with a white beard, and used a cane for support. He peered above his glasses before he coughed to clear his throat.

"Can I help you miss" he shuffled around the counter, before clearing a space on it.
"Um, I don't suppose you have any information of actual 'magic" Isabelle hated that word, but she knew that it would be the only way to get through to people like this. Isabelle paced forward, the creaky wooden floor moaning as she approached the front desk. The man stared at her, and then a small gleam seemed to appear in his eyes. 
"It depends what you call magic, little miss.. I could direct you to a practicing coven if that's what you mean?" The shopkeeper lifted out a tray from one of the boxes beside him and began placing the contents into the display cabinet.
"I guess but that's not really what i..." Isabelle's sentence was cut short when something caught her eye. The man placed a beautiful bracelet into the cabinet, and Isabelle couldn't help but feel instantly drawn to it. An intricate golden band, with a simple but spectacular ruby-red stone embedded in it. The colour so bright and vivid, it could almost be made from flames themselves.
"Striking piece isn't it, not sure on its origins. I know its old though- it actually came here by accident" The shopkeeper delicately lifted it and placed it on the counter for Isabelle to observe. It truly was beautiful, the golden band looked both strong yet delicate, with intertwining pieces, joining where the ruby-red stone sat. Isabelle couldn't not take her eyes of it, it was as if she were under a spell. 
"How much is it?" Isabelle's eye contact did not falter, the fiery red gem seemed to pull her in, deeper and deeper, trapping her in a sort of trance.
"Aha, well I haven't really got a price range, I mean despite its beauty, I don't believe its of anything valuable or of historic meaning" The shopkeeper peered over his glasses at her, it was clear he was thinking hard.
Isabelle rummaged through her purse, bringing out all her notes and change to the very last penny that she could muster from the depths of her purse.
"£57.80 that's all I have, but i really want it" Isabelle cut the gaze from the bracelet and pleaded to the shopkeeper. She had never felt this way before, Isabelle was definitely not one to splash out on jewelry, sure she liked a ring or two but this was so different. She felt incredibly drawn to it, like it was silently trying to call her name. She just had to have it.
"Hmm, Okay, it's a deal" He took the money from the counter, gesturing Isabelle to put the bracelet on. She reached out her hand allowing her fingers to touch the cold golden band as she lifted it and slid it on her right wrist, admiring the gentle refraction of light from the deep red stone as it bounced red light onto the surface of her skin. It truly was magnificent. The shopkeeper then handed her a small piece of paper with an address scribbled on it, as well as a time and date. "If your looking for information on the supernatural, tonight at 9pm, you should go to this address. There's a large gathering of believers, Iv'e never been to one myself but iv'e heard its quite the sight"
Isabelle nodded slowly and thanked the man, sliding the note into her back pocket as she left the shop, still in awe at the radiating beauty of her new bracelet. Staring down admiring her wrist, the red stone glimmering in the soft light of mid-day. Isabelle paced forward, unaware of everything around her until she remembered the task at hand. "What am I doing, I went to get information for my article and ended up buying Jewelry"  she thought to herself. She stopped walking, her feet pressing into the ground as she reached into her back pocket pulling the note from it. The only thing she had gathered, was the address to the practicing Coven. The one place that Isabelle did not want to be - Tonight at 9pm she would be going to a place she dreaded most, a Coven. Isabelle slid her phone from her pocket, there wasn't much time so she would have to be quick. She hurried off in pursuit of her apartment in order to get ready for tonight.