Generations of Magic

Chapter 3: Training Begins

"Maureen come in here please." Gerard said as she passed the living room a week after her birthday.

"Yeah Dad?" Maureen asked as she joined her parents.

"You and your cousin will be in training classes during your free periods at school." Margaret told her and she nodded her consent.

At school Maureen found her cousin and they went to the classroom that was added to their schedule. The two girls walked into the room and saw Dayton sitting at a desk.

"What are you doing here?" Kathleen asked him.

"I'm ¼ witch from my mother. My father is a mortal and my mother is ½ witch because my grandfather is mortal as well." He explained as the girls took seats next to him.

"Okay you three, this is the first day of your lives as witches. Do all of you have a spell book?" Their instructor Lord Richard James asked. Kathleen and Dayton pulled out spell books but Maureen sat in her seat.

"You can share with Kathleen. Now who wants to read the Introduction?" Lord James watched as Maureen switched seats with Dayton and she raised her hand.

"I would like to." Maureen said to Lord James.

"Very well, do so Maureen." He nodded and she pulled the book to her and began to read from Kathleen's spell book.

The bell sounded before Maureen finished reading the Introduction so Lord James assigned them to read the rest at home and dismissed them. After school Maureen and Kathleen headed to Maureen's house so they could finish the Introduction in the spell book.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home and Kathleen is with me!" Maureen called into the house as the two girls entered.

They went up to Maureen's room and Kathleen took out her spell book and joined Maureen on the bed. They leaned against the wall with the spell book between their legs.

Kathleen took over reading the rest of the Introduction where Maureen had left off.

"Maureen! Kathleen! Dinner is ready!" Margaret called up the stairs. The teens closed the spell book and went downstairs to the kitchen for dinner.

After dinner Gerard went into the living room and brought back a package that he gave to Maureen.

"Sorry it's late but we had to make a new one, the other one your mother blew up." Gerard said to his daughter as she opened the package to find a spell book with her name embossed on the front cover in gold script lettering.

"Why did Mom blow the other one up?" Maureen asked her parents.

"I was reinforcing the book and the spell went a little haywire due to reacting with Kathleen's magic and the book blew up." Margaret said as Kathleen giggled.

"It was so cool to watch, your Mom making the book, not the blowing it up part." Kathleen told Maureen as she continued to giggle at the memory.

Maureen shook her head at her cousin as she opened her new spell book.

"Now this is not a toy. You need to treat the book with respect and not leave it around on the floor. Understand?" Gerard asked Maureen and she nodded.

"What would happen if I did that?" She asked.

"I will show you how to treat me then and you will not like it." The book told her. The book had formed a mouth and opened it again. "My name is Seamus and I will make sure you are well taught in magic." Seamus told her. Maureen nodded to Seamus' mouth.

"I have eyes at the top of the book Maureen." Seamus told her. She looked up and was met with amber eyes staring back at her emerald ones.

Later after Kathleen left, Maureen opened Seamus and looked at the list of beginner spells.

"Seamus what does this 'Nail Grow' spell do?" Maureen asked the book.

"It makes short nails grow longer into perfect manicured nails." Seamus told her and she nodded in contemplation.

"My nails are short and stubby,

Make them long and lovely." Maureen recited from the book. She watched as her short blue painted nails grew into long manicured nails with royal purple polish on them.

"Cool it really works." Maureen whispered to herself as she inspected her new nails.

"Want to try another?" Seamus asked her. Maureen looked up from her nails at the page he was showing her.

"Solo Popularity? What does that do?"

"It will give you a small taste of popularity for a few days. Would you like to try it?"

"Now I only have two friends,

Make me popular so that all ends." Maureen recited. A swoosh of air followed after.

"In the morning at school you will have more popularity." Seamus told her and she smiled down at him as she closed the book and placed him on her book shelf.

"Good night Seamus." Maureen told him as she got ready for bed, making sure he was facing the wall and couldn't see her change.

When Maureen woke up she didn't feel any different, she felt the same as before. As she picked up Seamus, the book winked at her.

"So that means the spell worked?" Maureen asked him. He winked again at her and she smiled before placing the book in her back pack.

Maureen arrived at school in her Volkswagen beetle and soon was swarmed by her peers.

"Hey Maureen!" A cheerleader called to her.

"How's it going Maureen?" The captain of the football team asked as he watched her get out of the car.

"Good and you?" Maureen asked him back. He smiled at her as he took her back pack and slung it over his shoulder as they walked into the school together.

"Dayton, Kathleen! Save me a seat?" Maureen called when she passed them. Kathleen nodded as she and Dayton walked into the classroom together.

"I see she didn't waste any time in using a spell or two." Dayton said to Kathleen as they sat down together in the back row.

"I guess not, oh well the spell will wear off on Thursday any way." Kathleen said as she opened her back pack and took out her book for English class.

Maureen entered the room right before the bell for class sounded and took a seat next to Kathleen.

"That was so cool but I wouldn't want it to be like that all the time." Maureen told them as she removed her English book and two notebooks. "Here Kath, you left this at my house last night." Maureen said as she handed her cousin the red spiral.

"Thanks Mo." Kathleen said then the three teens started to copy down the notes Mrs. Jennings had put on the blackboard.

"Miss Donovan, what is your take on how Shakespeare wrote Lord and Lady Macbeth in his play?" Mrs. Jennings asked halfway through class.

"I think he wrote them extremely well and that he made Lady Macbeth seem like she was in control of her life before she lost it and went mad." Kathleen replied to Mrs. Jennings.

"Very well said Miss Donovan." She told Kathleen and Kathleen smiled at the praise.