We jumped into Tim’s car and went back to my house. We had just opened the doors to get out when Debbie came running down our street. She collapsed into me, crying almost hysterically. She was bruised and bloody, and her clothes were ripped and torn to shreds. I saw that she was in severe distress, so I carefully knocked her out with my telepathy.

Without saying anything, Tim picked her up and carried her into the house. Mom and Grandma went to work on her immediately, and I helped Mom. We started by closing any open wounds, and then went to work on the swelling and bruising. Grandma went into Deb’s mind, calming and reassuring her.

Tim watched in amazement as Debbie was healed before his eyes. While Mom finished healing her, I started fixing her clothing. I ran my finger along the rips and the fabric rewove itself, until it looked as good as new. It only took a few minutes, and by the time I was done, Deb was starting to wake. I knew she might be a little violent when she woke, so I stepped back and Tim put his hands on my shoulders in support.

As I expected, Debbie woke with a start, then looked down. “Was it all a dream? I thought...”

“No Debbie, it wasn’t. Can you tell me what happened? Emily said something about your mother being...possessed?”

“Oh God,” She said as she put her face in her hands and wept. “I was out very late last night, and when I woke today I got busy with my usual weekend routine. I took my shower, then picked up my laundry and took it down to the laundry. When I came back up I made some breakfast, then straightened the house and watched a couple of DVDs.

I was starting some Dinner when Mom came in looking furious. I have no idea what had set her off, but she went right into attacking me like a stranger in the house, screaming for me to get out, over and over. I was finally able to get out and I kept thinking I had to get to Emily. I called her and said I was on my way to your house, and I remember seeing her and she reached out for me, and then I woke up here.

“Tim, I hate to do this,” Grandma said. “I have to borrow your fiancé for a little while.”

I turned to him and he kissed me. “I’ll be here, waiting for you. Do what you can, bit be careful, please.” He said.
I knew he understood how important this was. Debbie, Grandma and I squeezed into my truck, and then we headed over to her house.

I think Grandma and I felt it at the same time, a feeling that made us want to turn back, almost like a physical force. I looked over and saw that Debbie and Grandma looked like they were in pain. I got angry and threw up a shield, and suddenly the feeling was gone. Both Grandma and Debbie looked like they were quickly recovering as I pulled into Debbie’s driveway. I could feel something trying to hold me back, but my shield held without difficulty. We got out of the truck and I was impressed at the way my shield was made. It surrounded us like a bubble. It had no reaction to material things at this time, but no magical force could get in. Grandma looked at me and smiled.

“Nice work,” She said, and I blushed.

Debbie opened the door, but Grandma went in first. “Gwen? Gwen, it’s Liz, honey.”

I had changed the shield to make us as invulnerable as I could, fortunately. Gwen came out with a pistol, and though Debbie tried to say something, she started shooting.

Now, you have to understand how my head works. I had built my shield to absorb the momentum and inertia of anything it came in contact with, so the bullets hit it and immediately slowed. Gradually they slowed enough to just drop to the ground.

I felt Grandma go on the offensive, and she attacked Gwen from inside her mind. Gwen dropped to her knees, but she started to get back up, and her face was contorted by rage. I don’t think she was able to think, let alone speak, because she made a feral growl and attacked, running right at us.

“Emily, stop her.” Grandma said. I focused on her and grabbed her with my telekinesis. I lifted her a bit so she couldn’t get any traction against the ground, and then created a bubble of force around her. She floated inside, raging at us as if anything she could do could hurt us. Debbie was on her knees screaming at seeing her Mom like this.

“Grandma was focused on Gwen, sweat pouring off her as she fought with whatever was in Gwen’s mind. I watched for a few seconds, and I was worried about Grandma putting too much energy into the fight. I reached out to her and took her hand in mine, and everything changed.

Grandma’s flagging powers suddenly flared with my additional energy. She pounced on whatever she was fighting with and easily forced it out. She absorbed the energy of our enemies attacks and threw it back at them. I had a short vision of several figures in a circle, screaming in pain as they collapsed.

Grandma stood, triumphant, and caught her breath. I was still holding her hand and I used that to check her out and send her healing to anywhere she needed it. She smiled at me and then took me into a hug.

“Oh, my! I’m so proud of you! You handled that beautifully, Honey. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, why?”

She stared at me. “I think we need to do a little more testing, my darling Granddaughter. It may be we’ve
under-estimated you.”

I heard Debbie weeping for her Mama. Gwen was totally limp inside my field, just floating there. I went to them as fast as I could, and while Grandma held and calmed Debbie, I dropped the field and telekinetically moved Gwen to her sofa. I held her hand and poured energy and healing into her.

She began to stir and Debbie rushed to her side and took her into a hug.

“You had me so worried, Mama! I thought you were dead!”

“What happened?” She said, looking around and acting very confused. She looked at me, and stared. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Grandma came up and took her hand gently.

“Lizzie? What’s going on?”

Grandma ran her hand along Gwen’s brow. “Oh, dear.”

“What!?” Debbie asked. “Is she all right?”

“Physically she’s fine, although that may be to Emily’s credit. Gwen, what’s the date?”

“April twelfth, 2011. Lizzie, what’s going on?” She demanded.

“Gwen, I’m not sure, but you seem to have been possessed. It’s almost March, 2012.”

She stared in shock, and then she got very angry. “Who would have had the temerity? I want their fucking necks!”

“Mom!” Debbie said, then smiled. “Yep you’re okay.” She hugged her mother, who held her lovingly.

“I don’t know who-yet. I know it was a circle, but how many there were or who they may have been, I have no idea, and I’m not sure what their reasons may have been.”

She seemed to relax and looked at Debbie, and smiled. “Thank you for saving me, both of you. Do I know you young lady? You seem very familiar, but...”

“Mom, this is going to blow your mind, but believe me, it’s the truth. This is the best friend I’ve ever had, and my sister in every way but biology. Her name is Emily Elizabeth Randall, and she used to be Gabe Randall.”

“The boy you had such a crush on?” Debbie blushed, but I just smiled and nodded. Gwen got up and gave me a hug. “I can never thank you or your Grandmother enough, Emily. What ever happened to change you, it certainly left you beautiful!”

I blushed. “Thank you” I said quietly. “I’m glad we could help you, Mrs. Holloway.”

“None of that!” She said. “If you’re going to be my daughter’s sister, then you’re a part of my family now. You can call me Mama, or Gwen if that’s too much.”

We hugged and I whispered in her ear. “Thanks...Mama Gwen.”

“Good girl.” She smiled. “Let’s sit down, and someone bring me up to date, please? Deb, would you bring me a Coke, please?”

“We don’t have any, Mom. You said that you were gaining too much weight, so all you’ve been drinking is bottled water.”

“Oh My Gawd!” Mama Gwen said. “I can’t believe it! Debbie, you know how I feel about Coke!”

Debbie smiled. “It’s the elixir of life, I know.”

I had an unopened Coke in the truck, so I telepathically told Debbie. She smiled and snuck out to get it. I got a bottle of water and a couple of glasses of ice, and took it out to Grandma and Mama Gwen.

“Emily, if that ice is for me, I’m sorry but I don’t drink bottled water, hon.”

“Oh?” I asked innocently.

She smiled. “That stuff’ll kill ya. I mean, fish poop in it, for goodness sakes!”

Debbie came in with the bottle of Coke, and I opened it from where I was and then winked, which made her laugh.

“Is that the bottle of Life I hear? I thought we didn’t have any?”

“We don’t, but Emily did.”

“She’s only a daughter for a few minutes and already impressive! Thank you, dear.”

Debbie brought her the soda and poured it into the large glass of ice.

“Ahhh. That hits the spot. So who’s gonna tell me what’s been going on?”

Debbie told her what had been happening, and when she got to the part about finding the spell book, Mama Gwen interrupted.

“Spell book? I never had a spell book! My teacher would have roasted me!”

“Who was your teacher?” I asked.

“Your Great Grandmother, Viola. She was tough, she made us work, and I loved her very much.” Both Mama Gwen and Grandma had tears in their eyes. “I was one of her last students before Liz took over. She was a very powerful fire-witch, Emily. What magic do you use?”

Grandma smiled. “All of them, Gwen. It seems that Emily is the most powerful witch that has ever been recorded in the books.”

“Yeah, and it’s generally a pain, if you ask me.” I said. “Well, until today. That was awesome!”

Grandma took over the story, up to the part about our battle with the circle, and Gwen looked at me. “So for some reason, this “Circle” is trying to influence and manipulate your emotions? But what could their goal be?”

“We don’t know yet.” Grandma said. “It may have to do with the fact that Emily will inherit the leadership of the coven when I step down.”

“But it seems like they started this even before Debbie cast her spells. How would they know about her power back then? Unless they have a very powerful and accurate Diviner, which could be true, I suppose.

“There has never really been a Diviner with that kind of accuracy, Gwen.”

“And there has never been a witch with power like Emily’s, either. Maybe they have some way to produce special people? Looking at the long game, say Emily was supposed to have been a girl, all along? What if they’ve been using some influence to ‘push’ certain people together in some kind of breeding program?”

“That sounds like the plot from Dune, Gwen. In reality, there are far too many variables to do anything like that. I think it’s far more likely that it has something to do with the Wild Magic, and may even have been influenced by the Lord, for his purposes. I will admit, though, that things are moving in a pattern that is far too smooth to be random. Who ever the master Chess player may be, it looks like the game might be coming to a critical point.”

Debbie and I were just sitting in our chairs, watching the discussion go back and forth like a ping-pong game. I suddenly thought of Tim, and I told Grandma we needed to go, as my parents would be worrying,

She smiled, slyly. “To say nothing about how your fiancé will feel.”

“What? You mean...”

I held up my ring, and Debbie squealed and hugged me. Even Grandma wanted to see it.

“Oh. now I know this is much more than we thought, showing Mama Gwen my hand with the ring on it.

She inhaled sharply. “The Moonstone?”

“Yes, and Emily’s birth date is in mid July.” Grandma said. There was something going on here, but Mama Gwen and Grandma would say no more.

I hugged Debbie, and after Grandma and Mama Gwen took advantage of my energy to set up some powerful household wards, we headed home. I was eager to get back to Tim, so Grandma had to tell me to back off on the speed every so often. I just had this feeling of wanting to get home to where we were safe.

At least for now.