The Book at the Top of the Closet

Chapter Twenty-One

I have an entire Saturday completely to myself. Everyone else has plans, and I'm caught up on everything for the week, so it's the perfect time to try out some more spells. I've found a few online that look pretty promising (and dorm friendly) so I've got plenty to keep me busy all day. I've spent most of the morning doing little energy boost spells because I'm tired and extra energy would be some seriously awesome magic right now. So far none of them have worked, but I've got one on the list that incorporates coffee.

The best spells are the ones with practical elements, too, I think. It's easier to believe in them, which makes them more powerful. And even if they don't work, the practical element usually does. This particular spell involves stirring creamer into the coffee in slow counter-clockwise circles and envisioning a ball of energy and light manifesting in the mug. I play some peppy music in the background just for an extra bit of power, bobbing my head along to the beat.

I take the coffee over to the couch with me, curling up to drink it while it's still warm and try to keep the image firmly in my mind, picturing that ball of light seeping into me as I drink the coffee. I concentrate on bringing that energy into myself and feeling the coffee warm my throat. After a few minutes, I feel more energetic, although I don't know if I'm any more so than I would be with just plain, non-magical coffee.

Pepped up from the coffee, I decide it's time to try scrying again. Even though it went a little sideways last time, it's still the only thing I've done that was unquestionably magical. Maybe if I practice more, I'll get better at the other spells, too.

Heart beating just a touch too fast, nerves jangly from coffee and anxiety, I set everything up like last time. There's no Veronica to watch my back this time, though, so I move some of the furniture around and lay out some pillows, hoping that will be enough to keep me from injuring myself. Once everything is set up, I sit still and try to focus, this time specifically on Aria and where she is now.

For a moment, nothing happens. I feel frustration welling up in my chest but I push it down, steadying my breathing as I stare at the scrying mirror. After a minute or two, I feel myself start to zone out a bit, but I go with it, hoping for any clue as to what happened to Aria. I don't know how long I've been staring forward when the mirror's surface seems to ripple, and I'm pulled into a vision.

The first thing I notice is the smell- cinnamon and something else, something that just smells like fall. There's a girl drinking coffee and laughing, talking to another girl. She says something about pumpkin spice lattes being like liquid luck, and her friend makes a Harry Potter reference. They pass the cup back and forth, taking little sips as the steam rises up around them. It's cold out, but they're radiating warmth.

I'm pulled toward another moment, but I don't know if it's before or after the day with the coffee. The two girls from before are loading bags into the back of a car, and although I don't see their faces, I know it's the same two girls. One of them must be Aria...

Abruptly, I'm back in my own room. The lurch back into my physical body isn't as disorienting as before, but it still takes me a few seconds to get my bearings. When I do, I can't help but smile. The visions I saw were so full of warmth and love, I can't help but think that perhaps Aria left school for a happy reason. Maybe she ran off with her girlfriend and is off somewhere having happy adventures.

Still, I can't help but feel like that isn't the whole story. After all, if she left for an ordinary, happy reason, why did she leave her journal behind? If nothing else, it holds a lot of personal information that seems too intimate to leave for some stranger to find. The thought that I am missing pieces of the puzzle nags at me, pulling on my subconscious like an impatient child demanding attention. Practically buzzing with anticipation, I clear my mind again, drifting along a tide of psychic energy as I reach out for more answers about Aria. This time when I'm pulled into her memories, I focus on feelings that are tumultuous, hoping to steer myself toward a memory that will tell me more information.