Chapter 1
Kelly sat on the couch of the small living room in the home her and her roommate shared. It was a small fifties style starter home. The living room and kitchen were connected through a wide door.
Kelly loved the way they had decorated whimsically throughout the house. Charity had liked the dragon, witches and fairies artwork. They both loved to go thrifting for glass and other accessories.
Charity rushed in the front door bouncing with excitement. She threw her bag on the floor by the front door. Which was odd since usually Charity liked to keep the home tidy. Kelly could tell that something was off. At ten on a Tuesday night, Charity should have been home an hour ago from her night class. She burst into the room. Collapsing on the old leather couch that they got at a second hand store the look of pure glee oozed out of her body.
Kelly arched her eyebrow as she looked up from her potion book. She could tell that Charity was on cloud nine. Kelly turned back to her book with a smile.
Charity had always had guys falling all over her. She never had to worry about a date to prom, or a dance. She could show up to any social event and within ten minutes she had a guy escorting her around.
Kelly was sometimes jealous that she was overlooked by most guys. She had never told her friends that sometimes she felt like the fourth wheel. The ones the wingman hit on so his friends could hook up with her cute friends.
Honestly since she had to manage the house during high school. She did not have time to date. Casual hook ups had not been her thing. She was not a nun, just picky.
“Who is he?” Kelly asked.
“His name is Wyatt,” Charity gushed. “Someone was hiding under my car. And he yanked him out with one hand and held him up. We sat and talked for a while. He was smart. He did not talk to me like I am a dumb blonde.”
“You are not a dumb blonde. What did the attacker look like?” Kelly looked up again from what she was reading.
“He was white more than pale. He had stringy black hair and his eyes were red. Crazy, huh? I must have been not seeing right.”
Kelly sat her book down, “Have you ever seen your attacker before?”
“Not that I recall. But Wyatt is going to meet me for lunch tomorrow. I think he will be interesting to know.” Charity squirmed realizing that it was more than a stalker.
“Probably, and it sounds like he was easy on the eyes too.” Kelly smiled, letting Charity change the subject.
“Oh he was like candy for the eyes.” Charity flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. Her blue eyes twinkled with the thought of this tall dark stranger that saved her.
Kelly laughed. Her dark short cut and tan skin was like night and day from Charity. Kelly had dark brown eyes and thick glasses. People called her petite and short. While Charity had a curvy tall frame with bouncy blonde hair, she was the stereotypical cheerleader.
It was crazy that their group clicked. Sarah had been the person to collect each of the friends. She was a cowgirl with an grit attitude. Teresa, the red head amazon of a woman, and Sarah had been friends when they pulled Kelly into their trio. Kelly had felt she hit bottom since her mom left. The group saw Charity at the beginning of their Sophomore year. She was hiding in the back of the cheerleaders team. Someone bumped into her and an anatomy book fell out of her bag. Kelly stepped in and blocked the idiot making fun of her.
The rest was history. The four girls did everything together. Even now they got together at least once a month.
“Well I am tired. Night.” Charity hummed down the hall.
Kelly thought more about the attack. Pale almost white skin, red eyes, and stringy hair made her think about the supernatural world. She was only on the fringes of it. Most supernaturals did not count her as part of their world. Witches were not humans, they had gifts of the other world. They were not like shifters, gnomes or vampires either. To name a few of the others.
She prided herself in throwing herself into her studies whether school related or witchy. She had never chased boys.
She was not sure any guy would want to tie themselves to a witch. Witches had unique visitors of different dimensions. They showed up at weird hours asking for help. Whether they needed healing, finding spells, protection spells or other questions. Witches were quirky. They had different spells going, different smells, and different pets. They just worked on a different rhythm of life.
What type of man would want to share his woman with the world. Most guys were over protective.
Take her friend Sarah. Josh had been in the right place to be the white knight over the year. He would sweep in and protect her from anything. Kelly had watched how even though Sarah did not know yet. Josh would protect her while she shopped. He had been there when a guy at the bar had taken her to a deserted road for the wrong reason. She knew that when Sarah healed Josh would be there for her.
Kelly did not need a white knight. Many time her talents could protect her and those around her. The idea of having someone to rely on was a dream. Then she reminds herself that everyone leaves. Her dad did not want anything to do with her. Her mother left without a backward glance. Only a note on the table. What guy can handle being with a strong independent witch?
Her mind wandered back to the attacker. Kelly closed her old leather bound book and stood. She stretched then picked up the closed book. Taking a few steps to the book shelf separating the living room from the kitchen, she tapped it three times. The case swung open and put her book up. Kelly’s hand grazed the old leather books that were older than her.
These grimoires and books of shadows was all her mom left her. At eighteen she came home from high school to find an empty house. The weather was cool for a fall day and the house smelt of a cleansing spell. The windows open to allow the evil energy. She walked through the silent house. A note under a book of shadows lay on the table.
Honey, I am gone. Don’t look for me. I will always love you. I am proud of you. Here is the number for a teacher. Goodbye sweetheart.
Mom left trinkets, charms, and her books. The house had a fresh protection spell around it. All the bills were paid for the next three years. Money was in an account for her living expenses. It was as if her mother had gotten bored and left without saying goodbye.
Had it not been for Kelly’s three friends, she may not have made the last few years. Being alone. Trying to take care of adult problems. Had been tough. Sarah’s grandpa always showed up when something broke. Even in the middle of the night when a pipe burst. Teresa helped to teach Kelly to cook on a budget.
Sarah’s family offered to let her move in with them but they did not know what she was. Charity had caught on during their high school years. She kept it to herself. But the two would hang out on weekends and Charity would ask all sorts of questions. Kelly enjoyed those late night talks.
After high school, Charity went against her parents’ wishes and headed for college to become a nurse. Her parents were happy to think she would land a doctor and not need to work. Charity put her head down and focused on school.
Kelly’s mentor was in the same college town. Charity and Kelly found a small world war two house together and bought it. The four girls and Sarah’s grandpa patched a few walls and fixed a faucet. This little house had been a great home.
The first semester had its challenges. Charity had to get used to weird potions brewing. Kelly had to remember that Charity was not used to guests from other walks of life stopping by. Both girls worked together strengthening their relationship. Kelly’s black cat even became friendly to Charity after a semester. That was three years ago.
Today Charity never blinks if a cauldron is cooking in the living room, or finding a bottle of eye of newton in the spice rack. She did make a rule of no spiders in the house, they could be in the garage. Kelly easily agreed to that.
Kelly hand paused on a book. It felt like a ghost used her hand to point this one. Kelly pulled it out. She laid it on the table knowing whatever was talking to her needed her to read it. She opened the book’s cover and the pages fluttered. Then stopped.
The title :Protect a home from vampires and shifters.
Odd. Why combine both groups for one spell? She thought out loud.
She went through the ingredients and had all of them. With a swish of her hand the cauldron appeared. Softly she started calling the ingredients from around the house. The items levitated and floated through the house to her. She mixed them measuring by eye and heart. Reading the enchantment written in her mothers hand writing. The boiling changed and smoke started to form.
With a green poof, five glass stones of red tint sat in the bottom of the cauldron.
That is different. Usually I make liquid to pour on something. She thought.
She reread the last part. The instructions were to place the gems near the opening in the house and they could be placed by diamonds to intensify it. She went and placed the stones at each door and window. Charity was asleep when she cracked her door. Kelly slipped in and placed one stone on the shelf above the window. The other two would have to be intensified through the diamond at the roof ledge.
She went out the back door and spook a word. When she reappeared she was on the roof. In a small handwoven basket at the peak of the roof, a few spell stones and the diamond were stored. She added these gemstones to the basket.
Back in her house the chimes rung one. She quickly cleaned up her mess. She reread the book and a note caught her eye.
By knocking the stone from the door frame and inviting the shifter or vampire into the home. Allows that one portal to be accessible while the gemstone is off the door. The house will recognize that as a tear in the spell.
That was an odd inclusion to do a protection spell but give a tear in the spell. She smiled because her mother seemed to know Kelly’s fate from years earlier. Fortune teller had not been in Kelly’s past from anything she knew. Tomorrow she had a class at 8 in the morning on the other side of town. So she went to bed without another thought.
