---

"I do wish you'd learn to relax Beatrice. Your visions are too vague to get so worked up over. This Awakening may be years off yet. And you've already agreed that Tina's discovery of glyphs isn't the cause of it." Esme chided.

"Um, is this some kind of magical council or something?" Tina asked.

Kelly laughed, "Not really. We all met through your grandmother and her shop. We've gotten together a couple of times for situations like Nathaniel and this fire elemental, or whatever it was. But that's all. At the rate things are going we might need to make it a more regular event, though."

"I think that would be a good idea." Esme agreed.

"Uh, not to be insulting or anything, but why is Stephanie here?" Tina asked hesitantly.

Stephanie pouted but Trent spoke up before she could complain, "She's here because her abilities are, to the best of our knowledge, unique. And because she's my daughter."

"And because I'm awesome!" Stephanie said, glaring at Tina.

"Hey, I'm not arguing with that! I just thought it seemed like everyone here is representing some group or has some other specific purpose and I didn't see where you fit in. Although I guess Rose, Willow, and myself are kind of extraneous, too." Tina said. That seemed to mollify Stephanie.

"Actually, you're presence here is very important. You're the first person to use glyphs in untold centuries, if not millenia. And your talent for magic, and sensitivity to it, are greater than anyone else we know of." Trent said.

"And Willow and Rose are here to make sure Nathaniel doesn't attack me again." Kelly added. "So there aren't any extraneous people here."

"Okay, but what exactly are we meeting for?" Tina asked.

"To discuss recent events, try to find a solution to the Nathaniel problem, figure out where that elemental, if it was one, came from, discuss Beatrice's vision, and now this woman we all sensed. Did I miss anything?" Esme said.

"Well, there have been several times recently that I've sensed magic being used. The first time was shortly before we saw the news coverage of the damage done out in the hills." Tina said.

"That was done with magic?!" Esme exclaimed.

Tina shrugged, "I think so. It's awfully coincidental, otherwise."

"I have to agree with Tiffany, as unlikely as it seems. And it doesn't seem so unlikely anymore, after seeing that fire elemental in the news and feeling that woman's presence earlier. Not to mention Nathaniel's flawed talisman." Charlotte said.

"I told you, it's the Awakening! It's not some far off event, it's happening now! How else do you explain Stephanie's powers? Or Tina's?" Beatrice said.

"I can't argue that it's happening, but that doesn't mean that magic will be revealed to the world tomorrow. It has been getting stronger for decades." Charlotte said.

"Maybe we should concentrate on something we can actually do something about?" Trent suggested. "Like Nathaniel? We have no information worth mentioning on any of these other events."

"Trent is correct. We must reign in Nathaniel before he hurts anyone else, or exposes us." Clarice agreed.

"I'd love to, but I don't even know where he lives or works! He disappeared after Tina destroyed his talisman. Maybe he won't cause any more problems?" Kerry said hopefully.

"Somehow I doubt that." Rose said.

None of them could come up with any better plans than simply keeping an eye out for him and telling the rest if he was seen. After a few more minutes of discussion they agreed to meet again on Saturday. Clarice left soon after, with Beatrice and Esme following shortly after. Stephanie was eager to help by beating up Nathaniel if they could find him, so Trent took her home.

"Why don't we have another cup of tea before you go Kerry?" Charlotte suggested. Kerry agreed and the two of them went back into the kitchen, leaving Tina with Rose and Willow.

"Did my grandmother ask you guys to talk to me or something?" Tina asked suspiciously.

Willow looked down and fidgeted but Rose nodded, "Yes, she did. She said you didn't have any friends and asked us to spend time with you. I hope you're not mad at us, or her?"

Tina sighed, "Not really, I guess. It's just kind of annoying. My parents did the same thing before. At least you guys know about magic, so it's not as awkward."

Rose nodded, "I know what you mean. Most people look down on Wiccans and Witchcraft, so it was always better to keep my mouth shut about it at school. Willow is the only one I ever told about it."

"I guess I was lucky, in a way, not to grow up with magic." Willow said quietly.

"How did you two meet, anyway?" Tina asked curiously. They seemed very different to her, with Rose being more serious, and from a magical family, while Willow was a relative newcomer to magic but almost childlike in her enthusiasm.

"We had some of the same classes in seventh grade and just got to know each other. We've been friends ever since. I finally told Willow about magic last year and she's been soaking up everything she can ever since." Rose replied.

"I love magic!" Willow added.

"Me too. Dad told me lots about magic, but he's no good at it. So when I expressed an interest my parents started sending me to Grandma's during the summer to learn, or she'd come over to stay with us. I think I was six when we started doing that." Tina said.

"How does your mother feel about magic?" Rose asked curiously.

Tina shrugged, "It was all a big surprise to her. She thought all the stuff Dad told me was just stories he learned from Grandma, at first. When Dad told Grandma how interested I was in it, she came over and tested me to see if I'd be any good at it. When I was, Grandma gave Mom some demonstrations and she and Dad told her all about it. She was reluctant at first, but I was so insistent she caved in."

They continued to talk, comparing their childhoods and interests. They all shared an interest in magic, but Tina realized she was rather one dimensional compared to Rose and Willow. Especially Willow, since she'd spent most of her life without magic. They exchanged cell phone numbers when Kerry came out and said it was time to go.

"So, what do you think about Rose and Willow?" Charlotte asked after they'd left.

"Grandma, please don't do that again." Tina said sternly.

Charlotte looked sad as she asked, "Was your talk so bad then?"

Tina held the expression for a moment longer before breaking out in a grin, "No, it wasn't. They're great. I think it's funny, though, that Willow is the one who is most devoted to magic."

"So you're not mad at me?" Charlotte asked hopefully.

Sighing, Tina shook her head, "No, not really. I guess it isn't so bad when the people I'm getting pushed together with actually know about magic and like it."

"Good. I promise I won't make a habit of it, but I was worried about you not having any friends. Magic is as much my life as it is yours, but even I have friends. Life can get pretty lonely without them." Charlotte said.

"Well, it's getting pretty late and I have work tomorrow, so I'm going to go to bed now. Good night." Tina said.

---

Work was strangely ordinary the next day. The fire elemental was forgotten, written off as a publicity stunt gone bad. Tina could hardly believe that people could so easily dismiss something so extraordinary.

When she got back to her grandmother's shop she went straight to work. There were an unusually large number of customers. As she was helping her grandmother close up Beatrice came in. "Hi Charlotte, Tina. Can we talk?" she said in greeting.

Charlotte nodded and flipped the 'Open' sign around before leading her back to the kitchen. "What's wrong Beatrice?" she asked, as Beatrice seemed troubled.

Beatrice sighed and said, "It's about a friend of mine. She's a psychic. She helped the police find a boy that was kidnapped yesterday. They thought she was involved, at first, because she led them to him so easily. That was eventually cleared up, but the person who did so was an FBI agent. He asked her to call him if she had any more visions like that one."

"An FBI agent, huh? That's a little awkward, but it shouldn't be a problem. He obviously believes in her ability, but I doubt he's going to cause her any problems if he hasn't already. What's the problem?" Charlotte said.

"When she was telling me about it she showed me the card. When I touched it I got a vision. It was one of my more straightforward ones, and forked." Beatrice replied.

"Forked?" Tina repeated in confusion.

"That's what Beatrice always says about a vision that has multiple outcomes. The future isn't set, after all. Her visions can be avoided, or helped to happen, if you can figure them out. But sometimes she gets visions that show her two possible outcomes." Charlotte explained.

Beatrice nodded, "Yes, and one of the outcomes is pretty grim. In my vision, Nathaniel goes after Willow."

"Willow?!" Tina exclaimed in shock.

"Yes." Beatrice said, "And in the first fork, Willow dies."

---

To Be Continued…

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