something wicked this way comes

⛧ I ⛧

One more round of car karaoke and I'd kill myself.

My family was known for casting spells, palm reading, being psychic, but certainly not for their vocal skills.

Today was moving day. We were well on our way now to Moonlit Falls (the worst name for a town, sounds like something out of a fantasy name generator). I was a little less than happy to be moving, as any teenager typically would be. We had lived in the heart of New York City, so as you can imagine, I had been quite accustomed to city life after living there for sixteen years. I had built a life for myself, I had my two best friends and a job at a retro video rental store. Then one day my mom came home and told me we were moving. True to my mom, her reason for moving was because she felt it was time. So, we moved the entire family, and we're not a small crowd either. Now I'm stuck in a tiny car with my godmother, cousin and great aunt.

"So Easter, are you excited to meet people at the new school? They seem like nice folks down here." My godmother, Sage, asked after her solo ended.

I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses, shrugging. "Sage, why are we actually moving here? There's got to be more reason than what mom already told me." I dodged her question about new friends, that was barely on my list of priorities.

Sage bit her lip for a moment, but the silver haired woman knew better than to keep the truth hidden. "This is a very active town. They're like us, supernatural, spiritual or whatever you want to call it. The town is mostly humans, but there have been huge amounts of energy surrounding it. Last month when your mother and I went on a trip for the weekend, we came here just to get a feel for the place. There are lots of witches, probably a new age coven as well. Of course, with that there are downsides. Like those pesky werewolves that seem to be everywhere. Of course, when you go to school, I can give you some of my werewolf repellent, as well as a dog whistle, that really gets them going. " Sage drifted off topic, chuckling quietly to herself.

I let out a sigh, letting my gaze drift out the window as the conversation settled into silence.

Back in New York, I hadn't ever really dealt with outsider witches or other creatures. It was always just our little bubble of friends and family. I think that'd I'd ran into a werewolf before, but even then it could have been just another sketchy homeless dude.

We came off the highway, and I could already see the water. Moonlit Falls was beautiful from the pictures online I'd seen. It was a bright, outdated small town, but looked nice enough. It was more the people that scared me most. Who would I meet here? Would I find even better friends than the ones I have now? The thought was intimidating as much as it was hopeful. Maybe I'd finally be more exposed to witches my age, and I'd finally get to meet a real werewolf. There were many pros, but the cons still tugged at my mind.

--

We were finally in town. After around two hours of driving, I wasn't sure if being here was really a reward or not. Either way, at least I wouldn't have to suffer through any more car games.

It was mid afternoon and by the looks of it, school had just been released for the day. We took a drive past the high school itself, which was a lot smaller than my last school, like five hundred students small. The people didn't look that sketchy from what I could see. They all looked like average students, stressed, high on caffeine and living the dream. I had a hard time believing that any one of these people could be a spell casting witch or a rabid wolf.

We finally reached our neighborhood. They were all navy blue condos lining the beach. From the front porch you could see the ocean. It made me wonder how my family even began to afford something like this. Maybe they but a charm on the seller, or robbed a bank somehow, but to go from a small, cramped apartment to a beach house with a view of the water, seemed crazy to me.

"We bought the other one beside it too. There are four bedrooms in each, so it's just enough." Sage said as we got out of the car. We parked on the street and my mom's car pulled up soon after, everyone joining us in awe as we looked at our future.

"How did we ever afford this?" I asked, looking warily at my mom and Sage.

"They were cheap. It's a small town, plus we know the seller." My mom answered, talking a step towards me and placing an arm around my shoulders. "But the price doesn't matter. Our future awaits and all that you should be worrying about is what you're wearing to school tomorrow." My head whipped around at my mother when she mentioned school. Was she insane? Tomorrow?

--

It was the morning of my funeral. And by that, I mean school.

With the power of magic and moving trucks, we already unpacked most of the stuff. In the first house it was me, my mom, Sage and my aunt, Lila. It was weird being split up into two houses, but it was already way less chaotic, or at least that's what I thought until I opened my bedroom door this morning.

I walked down the carpet stairs and into the kitchen, immediately being bombarded by people. I guess that they really couldn't stay away from each other long enough.

I poured myself a cup of coffee that was already made up, dodging everyone in the small space. I was honestly still so in shock that I was even going to school today that it really hadn't hit me that I didn't even know my classes for the day, or even where to go. I considered skipping and just hanging out on the beach all day reading, or faking sick.

"Morning Easter. I can drive you today and you can just text me when you need a ride back." My mom said quickly to me, barely acknowledging anything other than the egg she was cooking. I nodded a reply, taking my caffeine boost and heading back upstairs to process and mentally prepare myself for the worst.

--

"Alright Easter. Here's my famous werewolf repellent, aka wolfs bane perfume. Smells like flowers to a human, irritates the crap out of a werewolf. And here is your dog whistle. Use it like a rape whistle, if someone harasses you that looks particularly canine, blow it and I assure you it'll do the job." Sage winked at me from the passenger seat of my mom's car, handing me my survival kit. I looked at her with nothing but worry in my eyes, but took it anyway, shoving the whistle into my pocket and spraying myself with the perfume, maybe a little too much.

"Do you think I'll really need this? If it's really dangerous, maybe I just shouldn't go." I said as innocently as I could.

My mom and Sage shared a look that I didn't understand for a moment, before my mom looked at me through the rear view mirror. "Look honey. You really haven't been exposed to anything other than humans or the witches you've known for your entire life. This is a whole new playing field. You can't trust people too much, especially if you don't know who they really are. I want you to only be with humans, just ignore anyone else because they'll only mean trouble for you. You'll know most of the time what someone is just by looking in their eyes, that's something witches can do. If the eyes are bright yellow, red or blue, that's a werewolf. If the eyes seem to be looking at you like you're looking at them, probably a witch."

My brow furrowed and I ran a hand through my purple hair. We had arrived at the school already and the first bell rang in twenty minutes.

"I agree with your mom. Just be careful, okay?" Sage looked back at me reassuringly, her eyes guilty.

I didn't say anything more, slamming the car door shut when I got out.

There were people lingering outside the main doors, smoking and talking. Their eyes burned into me, but I didn't think they were any threat, after all they didn't react to my perfume.

The halls were pretty empty, I assumed people weren't really stressed about not getting to school in time.

My mom had printed a map off for me, not that there was really much to the school. I found the office pretty quickly on my own, opening the doors and heading in with a wary look. There was already a lineup, so I stood patiently, glancing around at the other people there. I noticed that one guy in line was rubbing his nose, he must've sneezed three times in a row. I didn't really think much about it, but the guy shot a glare back at me. He was short, maybe a year younger than me. I connected the dots pretty quick, either he was a werewolf or it was allergy season.

I got a bit anxious, it was almost my turn in line, but now all my attention was on the possible werewolf in my presence. He was talking to the teacher at the desk and I caught a bit of what he was saying, not that I meant to eavesdrop. It was something about it being a full moon. My face flushed, he was a werewolf, no doubt.

"Yeah, all three of us gotta leave early, you know how bad it gets." The guy said. The secretary nodded, typing into her computer. "Alright Wyatt, good luck tonight." She nodded at him, almost like they were friends or something.

Wyatt walked away, shooting one last glare at me before sneezing on his way out.

It was my turn next, and I asked for my schedule. The secretary didn't have a reaction to me, so a werewolf was ruled out for her. She smiled and looked up at me, handing me my papers. I looked into her eyes and they seemed normal to me. I nodded a thanks, walking out of the office. Setting aside the whole unsettling werewolf thing, it was time to actually focus on what I was here for. My first class was English, not bad. Math was next, then music (I play the violin), then last was history. I let out a short sigh, heading up to the second floor to find my classroom.

--

I walked into the English room, looking around. The bell was a few minutes away from ringing, so it was just me, the teacher and a few other students. I turned to the teacher, instantly feeling better when her soft, kind eyes met mine. "Ah, you must be my new student. Easter, right? I couldn't forget such a unique name." She said, smiling. She held out her hand, and I shook it. "I'm Mrs. Jefferson, or Mrs. J for short."

"Nice to meet you," I smiled, blushing slightly. Back in New York, teachers never really got too close to you, they treated you like just another number among thousands. "Where can I sit?"

"Oh, you can take that window seat beside Denali over there." She pointed to the seat, nodding dismissively.

I smiled a thanks, walking over to my seat and setting my notebook and pencil down (my only supplies, not even a backpack).

Denali, the girl beside me, was staring right at me. Her green eyes were wide and intense, but she had a chill and cool vibe to her. She gave me a look, then muttered one thing that sent a shiver up my spine. "Might want to lay off on the wolfs bane. It stings my nose."

--

The entire period, I couldn't concentrate. Not just because I wasn't following the lesson at all, but for the obvious reason that was the girl beside me. She really didn't seem all that fazed by the scent, although her eyes were watering and red. I instantly felt bad, but at the same time threatened. My first day and I had already met two werewolves. What luck was that? Not to mention that tonight was a full moon. I didn't know all that much about werewolves, but it's common knowledge that a full moon is never a good sign for them.

The bell finally rang and everyone jolted out of their seats, eager to escape. I got up, grabbing my stuff. Denali also got up, and I noticed that her nose was bleeding. She covered it almost immediately with her sleeve, walking out of the class. A wave of guilt washed over me, I assumed that it was probably the wolfs bane. I didn't know what to do, so I just decided it best to head to the next class.

--

Math was boring, nothing really happened. No werewolf nose bleeds or anything, which was a relief. For lunch, I decided chilling in the library was the safest option.

Surprisingly, the library was actually pretty big. Lots of free tables and little to no people, the perfect setting. I hadn't packed a lunch, so I sat down and started on my math homework. Algebra, fun.

Everything was peaceful and calm, the perfect environment for productivity. Of course, this is high school, where noisy teenagers must ruin everything.

A group of around five girls waltzed right into the room, taking a free table not far from mine. I ignored them of course, but I couldn't help but overhear their loud conversation.

"So, guess what happened last night? I got with Jake again." One red headed girl laughed airily, smirking. The other girls immediately either protested or congratulated her.

"Scarlet, how come you can get with a werewolf and we can't? Even the playing field, man." A girl with a blond bob spoke hesitantly, her face twisted in confusion.

"Bryn, we've been over this. I'm the leader of this goddamn coven and I say what goes," Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "And besides, you're only saying that because of Wyatt. He's got a boyfriend you know? You have no chance." She shrugged, laughing snarkily.

Honestly, could these people be any more obvious about themselves? Here was a coven of witches. I got all that just by listening to one conversation. I was always taught to never talk about it in public, let alone like they were, careless and open.

One girl at the table looked over at me, and I turned by head back to my page, hoping I hadn't caught their attention.

Their conversation resumed and I was left unnoticed, thank god. That was the last thing I needed today. I already made myself known as a witch to at least two werewolves, I really didn't need an entire coven coming after me.

"Does anyone smell wolfs bane?" One girl asked. My face immediately flushed like a ghost. I guess this 'perfume' was really obvious, and not to just werewolves.

"Hey you over there," the red headed girl called to me and I could feel all of their eyes burning into me. I looked up wearily, biting my lip. "Mhm?"

"Is it you? That smells like that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow accusingly.

I gave a slow nod, not really thinking, more just doing whatever she was prodding out of me.

She nodded too. "You part of a coven?" She asked simply.

"Uh, not really. I just work with my family." I answered.

"We could use another member." A few girls started protesting, but Scarlet look me dead in the eyes with serious intent.

"I- I'll have to think about it." I managed out, my eyes wide.

Scarlet nodded simply, turning her attention back to her group. "Anyway, full moon tonight girls. We better be ready."

The bell eventually rang, but all I could do was sit in the library and think. A coven? This was exactly what I was told to stay away from. Was it really worth double crossing my family just to make a few potential friends?