Chapter 1: Lily and Jake
Lily and Jake were walking home after school, he most often walked her home. The wind is harsh and overcast clouds as always. The crows squawked in the trees and perched on the telephone pole wires. The two stopped at the bottom of her hill, resting on a short cinder block wall the neighbors had carefully placed around their property.
Lily and Jake had been dating for a year and a half, she was 16 and he was 18. He was neat, clean, and crazy about Lily. She had longed to be with him 2 years ago, and then they both fell head over heels in love. They went to eat at local teriyaki restaurants, went to play billiards together, he took her to the movies, and they were happy. He always worried about her and her choice of friends; he told her they were no good losers. She did not entirely disagree with him, but she was optimistic that her friends would find their own paths once they were out of their toxic parent’s houses. But then they all began to drop out of high school, with no motivations or goals for the future. Just existing really, always smoking weed, and drinking beer and mostly liquor, their fates were grim at best.
But, despite how Lily and Jake felt and what they did together, Lily’s feelings were changing about him. He was controlling, judgmental and told her what to do constantly. She hesitated for weeks, but it was today she decided she was prepared to break up with him.
“Jake, I’m sorry, but I can’t be with you anymore, I’m breaking up with you.”
The look on his face was an expression of absolute surprise, “What?? Where is this even coming from? We’ve always talked about getting married after you graduate high school!”
Her head hung low, “I know, but even though I still love you, I don’t see a future with you and me.”
His face went from stunned to mean. “How could you do this to me? After everything I’ve done for you, after how much we’ve been through?! This doesn’t make any sense, at all!” He was breathing harder now. “Tell me right now, is there someone else!?” “No, there’s no one else, this has nothing to do with anyone but you and me!”
“Oh hell no.” His face turned wicked.” You’re not leaving me.”
It was right then, that he grabbed her by the back of her head, gripping the roots of her hair. “Let go of me!” She shrilled. But it was no use, he threw her to the ground, kicking her once in the stomach. “There’s no way you’ve wasted all my time these past two years, you can come with me until you’ve gathered your senses.” He began to pull her by her long golden blonde hair, away from the direction of her house. Lily shrilled in agony, not a soul or car was on the road. “Now are you getting up or am I gonna have to drag your crazy ass the whole way?!”
Lily cried, eyes squeezed shut, completely helpless while her stomach was aching in pain, knocking the wind right out of her lungs. She thought her hair might get ripped right off her scalp. Just then, thank God a neighbor was driving just at the top of the hill, speeding up to reach the bottom, where Jake had me, my back inching along the gravel, burning with every movement.
“What the f**k do you think you’re doing kid!?” A man’s voice echoed in our direction, with heavy footsteps moving quickly towards us.
“Take your f*****g hands off of her, NOW.”
It was then that Jake threw my head down on the pavement, smacking my temple and everything went black.
My gracious hero had put Jake into a headlock, pinned him down until the authorities arrived.
A medic came by ambulance, to help me wake up. “Miss, are you with me? Try to stay with me now, it’s okay you’re not in any danger. The boy is gone and taken by the police.”
My eyelids slowly peered open, vision blurred like a broken tv set, colors danced around me, drifting from black and white and seeing double.
My memory quickly faded back to me, the air had restored in my lungs. I began to scream and cry. “What the s**t just happened? He went absolutely batshit psychopath!”
“Honey, you think you could tell me what happened here?” A sweet young black woman, beautiful ebony colored skin with an amazing complexion. Her eyes were shining a glistening brown in the setting sunlight. Large lips and perfect teeth. She smelled almost like a lavender aroma, sweet and calming. “I told him I was breaking up with him and then he just went crazy.”
From there I spent some time speaking with the medic and police officer who entered the scene. They brought me to my house and my mom came to the door. She hugged me tight, cried with me and thanked them all for being there for her little girl, bringing her home safely.
Lily sat in her room, on the floor, in shock with looming fear above her head. “What now?” she thought about calling her friends…anybody. But there was so much to explain, Lily was exhausted from all of the crying. She decided she would lay down, curled up in the fetal position, her dried tears glued her eyelids shut.
Over the next few days, she brought her girlfriends up to speed. It is not surprising they were horrified by the story. And as a group they decided to take matters into their own hands, bring magick into to this banishing magick, which brings harm to anyone who tries to harm the spellcaster.
“We need to make sure Jake stays far away from you Lily.” Cynthia exclaimed. “He royally screwed up and he’s gonna learn the hard way what happens when you f**k with a witch.”
‘We’ll make sure he never lays another finger on you.” Fiona gritting her teeth, hands clenching into fists with her arms straight to her sides.
“Don’t worry Lily, we got your back.” Ashley told her with certainty.
