The Prophecy

Chapter Seven

I woke the next day and stretched my arms above my head. For a second I was lost in my blissful morning fog, then crashing back to reality the events of the night before hit me like a freight train. I shot up in bed and looked all around the room. I guess Athen wasn’t joking when he said he would only stay till I fell asleep, I surprised myself realizing I was a little disappointed not to wake up in his arms. As I was getting ready for the day Bianca jumped onto my vanity where I was applying some mascara and startled me, “Jesus what are you trying to do? Have me poke my eye out?”

*Do you prefer that fire witch to the others?* she said. 

“Oh god I forgot you were here, you didn’t… you didn’t WATCH us did you?”

*I went to rest in the closet, thank you very much. I do not prefer to spend my time eavesdropping on others personal moments.*

I brought my hand to rest on my chest, “Oh thank the goddess.” I came down the stairs to the kitchen for the first time in two days and Athen was at the stove and the smells filling the air were pure heaven. “Oh my my, what are you cooking up there boy it smells absolutely wonderful and I’m starving.” I said as I sat down at the massive island behind him.

“Well good mornin’ sleeping beauty, I’m making good ole fashion biscuits and gravy what do you think about that?” 

“Mmmmm, that sounds amazing.” I sat and continued to watch him but Ms. Loretta came flying through the side door with the phone in her hand.

“It’s Marg and Arthur loves they have news! Alright ya’ll Athen and Echo are here I couldn’t find Waylon but you’re on speaker let’s have it.” She brought the phone to the counter and they both came to stand on either side of me as we listened to the news. 

Aunt Marg began, “well good news is we found the Elder that helped your mother with the spell that bound your powers sugar, he’s writing us down instructions on how to reverse it when we get home. Bad news is we have shared a bit of what’s going on with echo and the boys and no one has any real answers. A few theories but nothing concrete so we still don’t know exactly what’s happening  but they said when we all travel to the sacred grounds for the next devotion ceremony they will try to have more information for us, so we just have to get through the next couple of weeks for some answers I’m so sorry my girl.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment on my face, I was hoping we could figure out what was going on with this crazy love triangle, I did’t like feeling like a common hussy even though deep down I knew there was more to it.

“That’s ok, I appreciate you trying, ya’ll hurry up and get home we miss you.” We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone. After breakfast Ms. Loretta had chores to do and Athen went to town to take care of some things for his families business so I was left alone sitting on the front porch. I held Bianca and let the warm summer sun wash over me. For a few minutes I forgot that my parents were dead, that my mother had lied to me my whole life and maybe I wasn’t a handicapped witch after all, and I especially forgot that I was falling for three brothers at the same time. I just relished the simplicity of those moments and smiled up into the clear blue sky. But of course my bliss wasn’t meant to last, as I heard the sound of footsteps nearing. I squinted my eyes tight and thought if I kept them shut maybe who ever it was would go away.

“Can we talk?’ Of freaking course, I finally had some peace and the one remaining Witten brother on the property had to find me. 

“What do you want Waylon?” I chose to keep my eyes closed, if I couldn’t see those eyes, and that tanned skin maybe I wouldn’t get lost in that trance of teenage lust that always seemed to get me into trouble around here. 

“I… Well I… I really don’t know.” I opened one eye, he was looking down at the ground kicking the dirt with his boot. He brushed his hair back his right hand and all of a sudden I was back under the water of the pond in his arms remembering just how that hand felt as he moved it down my back. 

“ARG!!” I jumped to my feet and shook the images out of my head and walked past him. He turned and followed me.

“Hey wait, I wasn’t done! ECHO WAIT!”

“Waylon goddamn it! You wanna know what’s going on? Hell I do too! I don’t like this anymore than you! Do you think I like feeling this way? Do you think I like not being able to control myself when one of you touches me? What the hell do you really think huh? MY GODDAMN PARENTS DIED! less than a month ago!! The last thing I wanted was to move out in the middle of god knows where with a family I’ve never met and end up going all Big Love on the sons of my parents closest friends!” I there my hands up In the air out of frustration and threw myself onto the ground. I looked up into the branches of the tree above me. 

“I know.” He said coming to stand above me.

“You know? YOU KNOW? Weren’t you the one accusing me of doing some idiotic middle school charm crap? But now you know?” I lifted myself up onto my elbow so I could look at him with as much attitude as I could muster.

“Yeah, after you ran away at the pond I took the next few days to think, like really think about everything that’s been happening and you’d have to be a damn fool to think you could waltz in here and just start playing at us like that. I don’t think you’re that kind of girl really, so believe you now.” He got down on his knees beside me on the ground. “I’m really sorry, I was a jerk. I can’t stop thinking about you, and when I do you make me angry, and I fantasize about you and can’t wait till I’m next to you agin which makes my brain hurt.”

“What brain?” I said with a smirk on my face, payback is a b***h Mr. Witten. The open mouthed look of shock and surprise meant I accomplished what I meant to and I broke out into a fit of giggles. His confusion turned quickly into a smile. 

“Really now girl?” He lunged towards me and started tickling my stomach. I fell onto my back into a fit of laughter and he fell on top of me. Both breathless, it took a second for me to catch my breath only to realize… Waylon was on top of me… and he wasn’t laughing anymore, in fact the look on his face was quite the opposite he looked incredible serious and handsome as hell. “I’m sorry.” Was all he said and before I could question him our lips met. 

His kisses felt… almost desperate. Like he would die if he didn’t taste me. And after a few seconds I matched him move for move, hands entangled in one another’s hair tongues exploring each others mouths like our lives depended on it. The farther we fell into each other the stronger I felt, there was something growing inside me that I’d never felt before. All of a sudden, without warning I couldn’t hold it in anymore, all of a sudden my head and arms flew back and BOOM! Waylon went flying off of me and smashed into the tree next to us, the force of the power that erupted from my body shook the earth beneath us and every single leaf on that tree came falling to the ground. As he slowly got up rubbing his back and looking confused he said “What the hell was that? Some kind of advanced air magic?” 

I looked down at my hands, “I don’t know…” just then Ms. Loretta came running out of the front door. 

“What was that? Did ya’ll feel that? Was it an earthquake?” She looked from him to me, the leaves on the ground and back to me. 

“It was her.” He pointed at me and I met her worried eyes and shook my head. 

“What the hell did you do girl?” She came and bent down at my side stroking the side of my head. 

“I couldn’t hold it in, I wasn’t trying to hurt him… It wasn’t something I could control it happened so fast I’d never hurt him on purpose.” Tears welled in my eyes and I grabbed onto Loretta and sobbed into her chest.

“There there girl, we know that shhh shhh we know you didn’t mean to hurt him. Look the boy is fine, hey there look sweet girl he’s just fine.” Waylon was on my other side rubbing my back and I looked up at him tears still falling. 

“I’m fine, hey really I’m fine!” He smiled and handed me a bandana from his back pocket. I wiped my eyes and nose and sniffled. Just then we heard the phone ring inside, and Waylon took off running to catch it while Ms. Loretta helped me to my feet. She and I walked into the house and when we got there Waylon was standing in the foyer with the receiver with his hand, looking at me with wide eyes. 

“Yeah… uhhh I think it did. Uh huh she’s right here.” He held the phone out to me and I put it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Honey it’s Arthur, we are about to leave and Elder Mikhail was able to begin the process of undoing your binding, he said your powers would start to slowly come back little by little and fully be released when we get home and complete the ritual but from what Waylon said maybe your powers are already coming through.” Oh god… “Sweet heart are you there?”

“When did this happen? When did he do that?” I whispered.

“About five minutes ago, why?” He sounded concerned. 

“I… Uncle Arthur I… I blasted Waylon 15 feet through the air into a tree.” 

“WHAT?!? Is he ok? What do you mean???”

“Yes he’s fine, I couldn’t control it. It hit me like a ton of bricks all of a sudden I felt something happening and the next second the power washed through me and shot out of my body like nothing I’ve ever felt before, I mean I can’t even move a book across a table let alone push a full grown man across the yard without trying!”

“My god, well thankfully we called before we left we will pass along this information and see what they think but we are leaving today we will be back before you all go to bed tomorrow evening, please be careful echo you haven’t had your full powers since you were a child and while they may not be complete you could end up hurting yourself or someone else if you get overwhelmed before me and Margret get back to help teach you how to use them. Tell the boys we are on our way and we will see you all tomorrow. Stay safe.”

“You too, see you soon. Buh bye.” I hung up the phone and turned to Loretta and Waylon who were still standing in the doorway waiting for me to fill them in.

“Well? Sugar what did they say?” Said Ms. Loretta.

“Umm, well, so… I guess the Elder that helped my mom all those years ago began the unbinding process and released some of my powers. Arthur and Marg will finish it when they get back tomorrow evening.” 

“You mean what happened out there was a result of just SOME of your powers returning echo? As in there’s MORE?” Loretta looked like she would fall down, “I need a drink.” She walked passed us and into the kitchen.

“Hey pour me one too!” Waylon came up and placed his hand on my face, “Don’t worry Peaches, we are all gonna help you through this and hey! On the bright side, you aren’t a handicapped witch after all. You’re actually kind of bad ass.” At that I smiled and he walked out of the room. I stood there a minute or two longer looking through the open door across the porch over the lawn to the tree we were under only moments before. Barren, leaves heaped in piles at its based, hauntingly mocking me. Maybe there really was a reason my mother bound me, maybe she wasn’t overreacting when she did it. If I had done something like that as a toddler I probably scared my parents half to death. What if I was a danger to myself, what if I was a danger to them… What if I still was.