I’m very afraid. I get the feeling that while I scored a rather easy win over Thomas, the true enemy has stepped up their game. Assuming that Thomas was just the agent of the enemy, rather than the enemy itself, I have several questions.

Are we still dealing with an agent, or could we be facing the true enemy this time? How much power does the enemy have? What are we going to face this time? And then, there’s the worst question. If they’ve gone from possession to murder, where will they strike next? How can I protect those I love? What have I stepped in?

So many questions, and so few answers. I can hardly rest, worried that some one close to me will be the next victim. How well does my enemy know me?

I need help, and I’m not sure where it will come from. I spend so much of my time reading, trying to find hints as to what I can do in this situation. I’ve read through many of the books from Mrs. Andrews’ collection, most of which tell of our history.

Her collection goes as far back as Medieval France, roughly just before the Norman invasion of Britain. At that time, our people had to be extremely careful. It was bad enough that superstitious peasants saw witches, demons and other frightful creatures around every turn, and in every shadowed glen. The people who actually had magical abilities had to feel both wonderful and afraid.

I’ve even begun to read popular fiction that uses witches. Since our magic is mostly limited by our imagination, I get ideas for creative uses of my abilities. It also amuses me to read some of the beliefs people have about witches. Tim, Debbie and I have had lots of laughs at what some people will believe. Time travel, raising the dead, transformation into animals....

From everything I’ve learned so far, all I can say is... No. Not going to happen. There are still natural laws that shape this world. I have many abilities, but they all fit into the world as we know it. I can manipulate matter and the forces of the world, but that other stuff...

Maybe it isn’t completely fantasy, but I’m going to stay within the bounds of reality. The one I believe can raise the dead is... well, he’s more than a little bit out of my league.

My abilities seem to be mostly psionic, you know, telepathy, telekinetics, things like that. I guess I don’t really believe in “magic”. Odd thing for a witch to say, huh? From what I know, my abilities are just like ESP, but taken to a more extreme, but still logical, level.

Thomas’ abilities still puzzle me. I have always been told that magic only exists in the abilities of the women of the five families and their relations, but I have begun to question this. Could there be others who have chanced upon a similar version of the mutation that allows us to use magic? Is it possible that there are those who have found ways to harness the energies that we use?

Or is everything I think I know essentially flawed?

As the famous saying goes, anything’s possible.

Tim and I spent our last date in an isolated part of the Davies’ property, where I have been trying several of the abilities my readings have suggested (Okay, yes. We did a few other things, too. Hey, we’re teenagers in love, gimme a break). Some things do work, while others are either far beyond my skills, or just not possible in the first place.

I can cause pain, and even kill. I can also heal, but once something has died, I cannot restore that spark. I don’t know why this is true. It seems to me that it would merely be an extension of my healing abilities. Creating life is also beyond me. I get the impression that some things are possible, but that I’m not allowed to do them and whoever is making those rules is not someone I want to argue with.

If there is some kind of guiding spirit leading my enemies, it would make sense that there would be a guiding spirit, leading me and others of my kind who want to do good in the world.

Hey, if you’re out there, I need some help! I have power, and ability. Using the memories of those I have defeated, and the experience my Grandmother shared with me, I have done my best to serve good, and protect my family, but I need more. Not more power, but more wisdom, the wisdom to know how to best serve you and your desires. To change this world, for the better. I hope you hear my prayers!

Well, I don’t feel any different...maybe it takes a little time?

Where else can I look? Who can I talk too? I’ve been talking to Mom and Grandma, I’ve looked through Grandma’s books and papers, and I’ve been asking around the coven for any thing else that might come in handy. Leading the coven has become worse than any homework assignment!

I need to relax, back away from this and then come back at it with a fresh start, so I called Tim and Debbie, and we’re going to spend the day in Grand Haven at the beach.

One of the best parts of cruising the Grand Haven/Holland area is the wide variety of cars that you will see. Super cars, lifted trucks and Jeeps, lowriders, rods, even RV’s and motorcycles, everything is here! There’s enough room at the many beaches for everyone, and we wanted to go and walk around town, spend some money and watch the different boats going through the channel. It’s a fun way to waste a few hours in the summer.

I stopped at Debbie’s house and picked her up. Someday her car will be fixed (yeah, sure it will). She inherited her mom’s 1981 Mustang Cobra. It’s not a bad car, And back when her Mom and Dad were married, he stuffed a 351W into it, so it scoots fine, it just needs a few important parts (like a clutch, a transmission...) to be up and running. Deb says it will be running this summer, but I’ll believe that when I see it!

I called Tim once we were on the highway, wondering where he was. He told me not to worry, he’d catch up to us soon. I wondered what he meant when I saw a flash of red with a hand sticking up through the T-top, waving at me! The brat! I tapped my truck’s throttle, the 455 roared, and we very quickly caught him. We weren’t really speeding (no, honest, we would NEVER do that!) and driving along together made the highway seem more interesting. We got off the highway and drove through Spring Lake, then got on 31 South, over the bridge and into Grand Haven.

Getting down to the beach meant we had to drive through the line of cars. What a beautiful mess! We were slowly moving down the lakefront road, following a couple in a very pretty yellow Pantera. Behind me was a 50’s style flamed Merc, driving low and slow, then a lifted Ford truck, then Tim’s Firebird. There were beautiful cars everywhere.

We drove past the beach the first time. It looked great, but very packed. We chose to drive around again, to see if we saw a couple places to park. We were all sitting still, waiting for someone to move, when Debbie took advantage of the traffic. She jumped out with her camera, and climbed into the bed of my truck. She sat back there, taking pictures of the cars, the crowds and the lake, until the road took a turn away from the lake, and when we stopped, she ran back to Tim’s car, jumped in, and as we drove back up to the main roads, every so often she would pop up, out of the T-tops and take more pictures.

It’s very odd, it wasn’t that long ago when a pretty brunette with a bikini popping out of a T-top every so often really would have interested me, but not now! Things like that really make me think about my transformation. Heck, if I had been able to have powers then, a situation like this would have had interesting potential!

Come to think about it...ooh, that would be so naughty! Hmmm...y’know, if our positions were reversed, I’ll bet she’d do it to me.

Such temptation! I wonder how pissed off she’d be?

Oh hell, let’s find out.

“EMILY!” The loud scream as her top fell off, coupled with the sight of Debbie rapidly vanishing into Tim’s T/A, made me laugh so hard I had to pull over.

Maybe I should have waited until we got past the Stes. Peter and Paul Catholic Boys school bus?

Naah!

We pulled into a gas station while Deb put her top back on and Tim and I caught our breaths. You know, they say that laughter is very healthy. If so, I won’t need medication for a looong time!

Whoops. That look Debbie just flashed me might mean I need that little bit of extra health. Oh, interesting. She’s coming back to my truck, and she doesn’t look very happy. She climbed into the seat, buckled her seatbelt and hit me softly in the shoulder.

“Bitch,” she said and then started giggling, which got me giggling, too.

‘Hey, I wasn’t gonna, but then I thought, well, what would Deb do? I knew the answer to that, and don’t try to deny it!”

“But I do deny it!” She said, then looked at me with a smirk. “I would’ve dropped your drawers, too.”

She really started laughing then!

A few hours later, we were sitting on the beach back in Grand Haven and watching some boats returning to port. We were all a little tired and just kicking back on the beach. There hadn’t been a great sunset, it was too cloudy. The darkness was starting to close in, and the lake looked very dark. I was glad I wasn’t a sailor tonight.

I was kind of watching this woman, walking toward us from the pier. Strange, I had not seen her walk out to the pier, and we’d been sitting watching the sunset for some time. She was tall, I’d guess at least six feet, and slender, although It was a little hard to tell from what she wore. As the wind blew it around, it almost seemed to change shape. I wasn’t sure what to call it. At times it looked kind of like a Mumu, then again, maybe it was a robe...no a skirt...no a shawl...but, no, it...

“It is my wrap, Emily, let us leave it at that.” She looked at me and my eyes couldn’t look away. It wasn’t that I couldn’t, really, more like I honestly didn’t want to. She was very beautiful, with long brown and nlonde hair and eyes that looked to be a mixture of brown and gold. Her eyes just made me want to trust her, so warm, and I felt so much love coming from her.

“My name is Elisabette,” she said, and with that, Debbie covered her mouth, as though in shock. "I have been sent to you as a trainer in the mystic arts. We need to get you home so that you may introduce me to your Mother Jenny, and your marvelous Grandmother, Elisabette Carstairs. I would suggest leaving soon; there is an incoming squall line that will have everyone trying to leave at the same time, which could be hazardous. Let us begone before the panic starts.”

I knew I had to trust her, so we packed it up. Debbie rode with Tim, while Ms. Elisabette rode with me, which seemed only natural. As we pulled out onto the main street, we heard the boom of distant thunder.

Who is Elisabette, I wondered in the back of my mind, and why do I feel so comfortable with her?