Little Red Riding Witch

016: Rosemary and Rue

[Slone]

I would hate her a bit if she was not my best friend and if she were not one of the kindest, most sensitive, loving people I have ever known. I want to be happy for her, but how can I when I see she is getting everything I ever wanted to be offered to her moments after being introduced to MY coven?

I’ve spent the last two years studying, and practicing my craft, only to have little to no results. The coven has been generous with me and has continued to allow me to study with them, but I have never been allowed into their innermost circle.

And Gideon. All night he has been watching her with hungry eyes. Not just lust, hunger. There is something about her that excites him.

Gideon. I worshiped him. Offered myself to him. Slaved away for him, preparing his spell materials, cleaning his altar.

All Rosalynd had to do was walk out on him.

I always felt a bit sorry for Rosie. The day we met, she was a friendless girl in torn clothing eating alone. She would have been alone without me. Even her mother didn’t seem to care about her existence. As best friends, we shared everything--clothing, secrets, sometimes boyfriends. But now, here she is, becoming one with a coven that I have only managed to scrape into by humbling myself before them, begging for the smallest scrap of attention. When I saw the power of that spell earlier today, I thought for sure my powers were developing, finally, and that Rosie here was proof that I was worthy, that I could make a contribution.

Instead, I’m still sitting here across from Rosie and Gideon watching something unfold between them that should be impossible. Acceptance. The acceptance that I tried to get so hard just handed to her without any effort.

Getting up from the table, I head to the bar and order another rosemary martini. I turn around.

Gideon is touching her thigh.

I take a deep gulp of my drink, shaking myself as the gin burns itself down my throat.

She leans back against his chest, allowing herself to relax against his body and his power. I might not be able to do much by way of spellcraft, but I have enough power to see their auras merging around the edges, a touch more intimate than s*x. A touch I’ve been unable to experience.

Downing the rest of my drink I turn back to the bar to order another.

I want to be happy for my friend.

I want to be supportive.

If I need to pretend, I’m going to need a lot more alcohol.

[Rosalynd]

It's been three hours and several drinks after Gideon brought me back to The Goat, and I'm lying across the laps of Juniper, Marigold, and Gideon while a very drunk Slone, Antigone, and Jasper scream the words to the song "I Put a Spell on You" in discordantly confusing words while each one croaking in a different key. Slone is especially embarrassing as she points to the audience every time she sings the backup parts “Mine, mine, mine--all mine!”

I had already sung to the point of having lost my voice, sounding more like a frog than a person, and as I watched the group onstage, Gideon massaged my neck, easing my pain with his touch. There is a gentle hum of energy as Gideon and the others share their auras, my body reacting to them in a surprisingly passionate way. I found myself wanting to be closer to all of them, to be one with them. All of them and I am not sure what to do.

Is this what it means to be a member of a coven? A bond so deep it connects to one’s soul?

There is something about this tenderness, the bond that they share, that is so beautiful but at the same time terrifying. To be so open and vulnerable to others.

I don’t know if I can be that vulnerable. Every time I am, something in me breaks when I am rejected again.

And the way Gideon is staring at me, the way his hands touch me as if in reference…I find myself breathless in his gaze. This man, this infuriating man who only hours before had been the most insufferable jerk, is suddenly looking at me, touching me, as if I am a prized treasure. While part of me is enjoying it, another part doesn’t trust that it will last, and yet another part is also feeling guilty. I find my thoughts wandering to Axel and I turn my gaze away. I’m supposed to meet him early tomorrow morning.

I roll over on Gideon’s lap until I’m facing him. He takes a deep breath as if the movement is causing him pain. I guess I was lying here a bit too long.

“Gideon,” I murmur. “What time is it?”

He moves his rolled-up sleeve a little higher on his arm to reveal a nice gold watch. “12:45.”.

“s**t,” I swear under my breath.

“How can I help you?” Gideon immediately responds as I adjust myself.

“I need to get home,” I confess. “I have…” I almost trip over my feet as I fight to stand upright without falling over. I have never felt quite this drunk before. “I have someone I’m meeting for breakfast this morning and I …”

Something dark crosses his vision but it fades quickly. “I’ll get you home. Let me drive you. You are in no state to be alone.”

I nod my head in assent, allowing him to guide me out of the bar.

[Gideon]

Rosalynd is a perfect fit in our coven. The missing focus for our multi-pointed star. Because yes, she isn’t just another point, she has the potential to connect us all, to focus our abilities, and to amplify them. Just the thought of her during one of our ceremonies, draped in our sacred robes, standing bare before the moon and her coven, glowing with power…

I have to close my eyes to clear my vision. The thought of her with me, beneath me, our souls perfectly blended as we ride the power of ritual is so overwhelmingly erotic that I almost groan aloud. As she rests on my lap, I watch her eyes start to close, her body warmly draped over me, her heart fluttering underneath my palm.

I feel oddly territorial and I cannot understand why. She hasn’t even agreed to join our coven yet, although without her realizing it, her aura has already begun trying to connect with all of our auras. I can feel the push and pull as the edges blur, giving and taking energy freely with all of us.

Her movements are slow as she rolls over to face me. Blinking up at me with impossibly long lashes which press against the lenses of her glasses she asks, “Gideon, what time is it?”

Pulling my sleeve up and looking down at my Rolex, I reply “12:35”

“s**t!” she swears, sitting up suddenly, trying and failing to stand. Beyond the drinks she had tonight, she has been slowly sampling the power of the coven, and her body, not used to the energy surge, is power drunk.

She mumbles something almost incoherent about needing to go home and needing to “meet someone,” and I don’t know how, but I understand immediately that it is another man.

My jealousy makes no sense at all, but I feel it darkens my vision.“I’ll get you home. Let me drive you,” I offer. “You are in no state to be alone.”

She nods, and within minutes she’s sitting in my car, curled up on the leather seats. “I’ll go back and make sure everyone else has a ride home. Will you be okay here?”

She nods again. I leave to check on the rest of the coven.

Funny, I’m already considering this crazy, reckless girl as one of our own.

I leave the car running, to let it warm up, and when I come back she is curled up on the seats like a kitten.

“Is this a spell?” she asks, she feels the warmth of the seats. “How are these seats so warm?”

“A spell? No,” I chuckle. “Just modern technology. My seats have heaters in them.”

“That’s a thing?!”

“Yeah….” I look over at her carefully guarding my expression, “It's a pretty standard feature on cars these days.”

“My car is older than me. It doesn’t even have power windows.” And then, as if sensing my judgment she adds “But at least it is paid for!”

She then burps and her stomach begins to gurgle. “Oh god,” she holds her hand over her mouth. “I think I’m going to vomit.”

“Oh no you don’t,” I pull over and place a hand on her head. I chant a small incantation under my breath and her breathing begins to calm.

“What did you just do?”

“Just a little spell to ease your future hangover,” I explain. “I came up with it when I was working on my first bachelor’s degree back east.” Smiling at the memories I add “I call it the Hangover Helper.”

“You named your spell ‘hangover helper’?”

“That’s what I said.”

“That’s a dumb name,” she burps again, but this time it doesn’t have the accompanying gurgle. “But it works. I guess.”

“You can thank me tomorrow,” I laugh.

“No I won’t,” she looks away. “I probably won’t ever see you again.”

“So you don’t want to join us?” my heart starts to sink.

“No, I mean I don’t know I just…need to figure some of this out. It’s all, too much all at once.” She looks frightened as she adds, “I didn’t even know witches were real until three hours ago. I just need some time to consider.”

We pull up to the small yellow house she and Slone share. “I have a proposal for you.”

Her hand is hovering above the door handle when she turns to face me. “Proposal?”

“I teach classes on mythology, history, literature, and nature studies,” I explain. “The rest of the coven attends my Monday night Studies in Local Ecology course. It is a small group of people who are either members of a coven already or are aspiring to become one. Your friend, Slone, attends this class as well, so she can bring you with her.”

“I don’t know, I…”

“I want to show you more of our world. I think you’d be a wonderful addition to our coven. In fact, I feel in many ways you have already started to bond with us.”

Her eyes widen in shock, “Bond?”

“Yes,” I explain. “In the best covens, members are all tightly connected, sharing thoughts and feelings across our auratic bond. Without even trying, I could feel your aura reaching out to all of us, not just me, but everyone in the group.”

“I don’t know what you..”

“I think you do,” I cut her off. “I think you felt it. I also think you are afraid.” I reach out to hold her hand, surprised when she lets me. “Your mind may not have made up its mind yet, but your heart and soul have.”

“I need…I need to think I just can’t…”

“I understand.”

“You do?” She blinks up at me, surprised. “You mean, you aren’t going to sit here and force me to agree with you?”

“Of course not.” I let her go. “Joining a coven is a serious thing. It is a commitment to yourself and everyone in our star. But I do hope you will come to class just to see how it is before you make up your mind for good.” I nod my approval. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from a future coven leader.”

“Of course,” I confirm. “I am sure you are the strongest of us all. With proper training, you can be the best of us. Will you at least come and see what we are all about?”

“I don’t know,” she restates as she steps out of the car.

I watch in silence as she enters her house alone.