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Author's Note: Sorry had a bit of writer's block so it took me way longer to write this one. I think the wait was well worth it though. I'd like to thank djkauf and Indy for the magical editing and everyone for enjoying this universe :)

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EIGHTEEN:

“Princess, get back here”

A white streak darted into the kitchen, right underneath my chair. A second or two later, Mary followed. I looked up from my book as my cousin and her new cat disappeared around the corner. Watching them go I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt. Relief too, but mostly it annoyed me that Mary got a Familiar before me. I tried to ignore it as I went back to reading but it was hard when I could hear her shouting at the cat all through the house. The cat arrived two days ago. I think Mary was shocked more than excited. It was a big deal when a young witch got her Familiar and I don’t think Mary was expecting to get one so soon. I was a bit surprised too. I was even more so when there was no fanfare that followed. I thought for sure my grandmother would make a big deal out of it but the day went on like it was ordinary.

Ordinary for them anyway.

My days were anything but ordinary lately. When I met with Melissa at the beginning of the week, I was convinced that things were going to be different. I was a Novice now, which meant the whole of the magical world was open to me. I was going to be like my sister, like Mary, like my mother. I guess I my hopes rose too quickly though because Melissa shattered my expectations. Sure, I was going to learn magic eventually. It turns out that all witches have different ways of teaching. The Crawfords for instance were a little more hands on. I remember watching my mother teaching Jess a spell on day one. Hell, even Mary knew half a dozen or so spells now.

Me, I was stuck with the boring stuff.

Ok so it wasn’t boring per se, but it definitely wasn’t floating pencils or trying to make seeds grow into tiny saplings. I would learn those things in time according to Melissa but her family was all about the theory of magic first. The night of our first official lesson in the basement of her home, she handed me two large leather bound books. She told me to take them home and read them from cover to cover. I think I might have whined more than once. The books turned out to be on the history of Witches. The first one was specifically about Ravencrest itself while the second---much larger than the first---was about the history of witches throughout the whole world.

I tackled the Ravencrest one first.

I’ve never been much of a reader but it didn’t take all that long to read---about three days. It was surprisingly entertaining. I especially liked the bit where it told about how all the families were partially related. Melissa and I, it turned out, were actually like third or fourth cousins. I’m not exactly sure how all of them worked out though. I was glad to see that Jack and I were like sixth cousins or something. It would have really freaked me out if he was like my first cousin or something. The rest of the book told how the witch families came to be in Ravencrest. Of course, the Crawfords were here because they were directly related to Ravencrest. The other families trickled in after the town was built in the 1860s. It was a surprisingly interesting read, unfortunately it did nothing to quell my curiosity about Crowley. He and his family were almost completely absent from the book. I knew Ravencrest and Crowley were magical families I was just a little surprised that the anonymous writer of the book completely left Crowley out of it.

The second book wasn’t nearly as interesting as the first. It was a dry read. I only started it about a day ago and already I was struggling with it. There were a lot of dates and people. According to Melissa, she wanted me to learn everything. She told me it helped me to become a more well rounded magic user. I guess the Williams thought that if a Novice learned about magic history they could better appreciate it. I guess I couldn’t complain with that. After all, I was pretty certain that Mary or my sister didn’t know anything about magic other than how to cast it.

“So she still has you reading,” said Mary as she walked into the kitchen.

I looked up from the large book to see my cousin walk back into the kitchen. She was holding a white cat in her arms. The cat was squirming, trying desperately to get away. I think I knew exactly how it felt. When my grandmother presented the cat to her I think it was the most excited I’d seen Mary in a long time, her face actually lit up. The cat on the other hand seemed to have other plans. To say the two of them didn’t hit it off was an understatement. The first thing it did was scratch her hand and take off. It spent the night under the couch. It turns out that humans aren’t the only ones who had a distaste for Mary. It only seemed to get worse after that. Not that I could blame it. Mary had it wearing one of those spiked black collars and the name Princess, I’d attack someone too if they named me that.

“You two bonding yet?” I snorted.

“She and I are just trying to find common ground,” said Mary as she dropped into one of the chairs.

The cat let out a yowl, after which it bit Mary’s hand and took off. Mary cursed but didn’t follow. Instead, she looked a little relieved.

“Why Princess?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Why not?”

I was never going to understand her. Here was my badass Goth cousin---the one people called Malice---and yet she names her cat Princess. Talk about a conundrum.

I wonder what was coming next, Mary actually smiling. Hell, maybe even giving someone a compliment.

“So what’s this one about?” she asked, pulling the book across the table.

“I was reading that” I snapped.

She groaned after only a few seconds. “How? This is some of the most boring crap I’ve ever seen. I mean who the hell cares about who married who and who begot who.”

I couldn’t agree more but I wasn’t going to let her know that. Instead, I was bound and determined to impress the hell out of her.

“Actually it’s kind of interesting” I lied. “Did you know that Wizards exactly existed once? They had this group called the White…”

“Lame” she interrupted. “Look I’m sure you’re really into all that crap but real witches could give a damn about something that happened all those years ago” She smirked. “Real witches care about important stuff.”

She waved her hand, causing my class of milk to rise off the table. I watched in awe and a bit of anger. Say what you will about Mary, she had great control of her magic. Me, I was lucky if I could even move a pencil. Trust me, I tried. I spent nearly two hours the other night trying desperately to move a pencil from one end of my desk to the other. I couldn’t even move it a millimeter and here she was raising a whole glass of milk nearly a foot off the table.

It was a good thing that my grandmother chose that particular moment to walk in.

I saw her first of course. She walked into the kitchen with the morning paper, Nicodemus in tow. When she saw what Mary was doing, I think I saw the anger in her eyes before she spoke.

“Mary Alice Crawford” she snapped.

Mary lost concentration and the glass dropped, spilling its milky contents all over the table. I scrambled quickly, grabbing the book to keep it from getting soaked.

“Go get something to clean this up,” continued my grandmother as she walked into the room.

Mary turned a particularly interesting shade of red before rushing over to the counter to get a washcloth. When she came back, my grandmother took up her usual seat at the table. Mary started to wipe furiously. As soon as she was done, I set the book back down. My grandmother caught sight of it and for a split second, I saw a smile curl the corner of her lips. It was quick and fleeting but it was. I thought I was actually going to die of a heart attack. Agatha Crawford actually smiled, what was the world coming too.

“Are you enjoying your studies with Melissa?”

She actually asked me a question and there wasn’t a hint of malice to it.

Two surprises in one day.

It took me a second or two to answer. “It’s not spells and glass raising but it’s interesting.”

She nodded. “Not all magic is about practical use. Each family has their own approach to things. The Williams are more lore based than most but the women from their lines are some of the best magic users to date. I know it might not seem like much now but trust me one day you’ll be glad that you learned all the lore first.”

I nodded. I wasn’t lying when I said it was interesting.

“It sounds boring to me,” said Mary as she dropped back into her seat.

“Don’t you have something to do?” My grandmother was in top form today, I was just glad that it wasn’t directed at me for once.

Mary gave her a clueless look.

“This is a crucial time for you” continued my grandmother. “When a witch first gets her Familiar it’s important that the two of them create a bond as soon as possible if not it could be disastrous.”

Mary groaned. “But she hates me.”

“She only hates you because she’s feeding off the negative vibe you keep on giving her. Try showing her a bit of kindness and before you say anything, no you haven’t. You’ve been giving her falsehood and she knows it. Familiars might have been human once but now they’re tied to their Witch. They pick up things we never can.”

Mary groaned, pushing herself up out of her chair. She didn’t say anything but she was grumbling as she stomped out of the room.

When she was gone, my grandmother sighed softly. “I fear for her sometimes. Her impatience is troubling.”

“She’s always been that way,” I said before thinking.

I cringed, waiting for the backlash that was going to come from insulting my cousin. Instead, I was rewarded with another smile, this one not hidden away.
Wow, two in one day. I wonder if she’d take offense if I touched her head looking for a fever.

We sat in silence after that. I’d never actually been alone this long with my grandmother before. Usually as soon as Mary left the room, my grandmother soon followed. Before I thought it was because she hated me because I was a boy. Now that I was a girl, I was surprised that she still didn’t want to be around me. I’m not sure when it happened but something had changed. Was it because I was a Novice now? I wanted to ask her about it but I was too afraid of her reaction.
“You seem to be adjusting well to things,” she said after a minute or two.

I shrugged. “It’s strange. It’s like I’ve always been this way.”

“Magic is peculiar that way.”

I nodded. “It’s definitely changed my life.”

She chuckled. “It changed mine as well.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t…”

She shook her head. “I was much like your friend Maggie. I was very shy and withdrawn, scared of my own shadow actually.”

I found that hard to believe. “What happened?”

She smiled. “I turned sixteen and the world suddenly opened up to me.”

I knew how that was.

It was kind of strange just sitting here with her talking. I’d never actually just talked with my grandmother before. She always just scowled at me and made me feel like shit. I now felt like I could ask her questions and actually get some answers. I had a lot of questions too but I surprised myself when I actually asked one that didn’t seem to be plaguing me as much as the others.

“Can I ask you a question about Crowley?”

I’m not sure where that one came from.

My grandmother seemed surprised. “What about him?”

“Well I’ve been reading these two books all week and they mention Ravencrest more than once. Mortimer Crowley on the other hand, is only mentioned once or twice. It surprised me because I thought he was one of the founders of this town.”

My grandmother sighed. “That is the question. Frankly, we don’t really know all that much about him. He was a bit of a recluse. He didn’t keep a diary like my grandfather.”

Grandfather? “Ravencrest is your grandfather!”

She smiled. “I thought you knew that.”

I was confused now. “But he disappeared in the 1800s, and that would mean….”

She winked. “That I look rather good for my age.”

I was floored. My grandmother laughed.

“I think that’s enough questions for now. If I remember correctly, don’t you have a date to get ready for?”

Crap. I’d forgotten all about it.

“Wait, how did you know about that?”

She laughed. “We Witches have very few secrets.”

Great.

It felt like a hundred butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach. It was by far the strangest feeling. I know the expression of course but I never thought I’d actually feel it. I just thought t was one of those things people said. I never actually thought it was something real and tangible. I mean who actually feels butterflies dancing about but sure enough it was there. Not real ones, of course, but it sure felt like it. The feeling was definitely uncomfortable. It was a combination of excitement and nervousness but definitely more nervousness. I also felt a bit like an idiot. Here I was waiting impatiently outside my house for my date to arrive. How clichéd did that sound. The girl outside waiting for the boy to come and pick her up. A small part of me wanted to turn around and run back inside but the rest of me seemed to be glued to the spot.

I don’t think I was ever truly going to understand this new girl body of mine.

I mean one minute I loved it more than anything and the next it was my worst enemy. Thankfully I had yet to live the real nightmare of womanhood but it was only a matter of time before that came. I couldn’t help but think there was some mystical force out there, smiling down on me and laughing. I was a bit of a nobody as a guy and now the universe was getting back at me for being such a blight on it. Sure I got to be a cool, kick ass witch but at what price? Here I was this nervous and anxious new girl waiting for some guy I didn’t even know I really liked. Ok so that last bit was only half true. When I thought about Jack I couldn’t help but feel a little warm inside.

Unfortunately, that warmth wasn’t as real as I wanted it to be at this very moment.

I shivered, rubbing my hands over my arms. Even though I was wearing a jacket, it was still really cold. I wish I’d told him to come to the door like a proper date. Of course that would have meant admitting this was a real date, which of course we hadn’t. We were friends, two friends going out to enjoy mutual interests. First, a movie, then dinner at Mario’s afterwards. Maggie and I would probably do something like that. Hell, we had plans to do it next week actually. Yet, I knew going out with Jack was going to be nothing like hanging out with Maggie. I shivered again just thinking about where this evening might lead and possible outcomes of it.

Mainly though I was shivering because of the cold.

I’m glad I decided on jeans. I actually tortured myself over the last few days about it. I wasn’t quite ready to wear a dress of course but that didn’t stop me from buying one. It was on sale at the Teen Scene. Darcy actually helped me pick it out; she said it was a killer that showed off my legs. It was rather hot looking but it was definitely not something one wore to a “not date”. Darcy pressured me into buying it though. I spent the last few hours with it sitting on my bed, staring intently at it. I almost put it on three times before I talked myself out of it. I wasn’t ready for a dress even though I really wanted to wear it. At my birthday party---before things went to shit----it was the one thing I wished I had done more than anything. I couldn’t help but wonder where the night would have led if I had been wearing one.

My thoughts of the cold and dresses were interrupted by the arrival of a red Camaro. It was one of those older Camaro’s. I didn’t really know much more about it than that though because I’m definitely not a car person. I knew it was Jack’s car though because I’d seen him driving around in it. He used to talk a lot about the car during lunch too; it was something of a love of his. The car originally belonged to his brother I think, an heirloom passed to him by his late father.
The car stopped in front of our house. Jack got out a second later, smiling. I was glad to see he was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt.
“I was beginning to think that you were going to make me walk to the theater,” I said, as I followed him around the car to the passenger seat.

“Sorry” he said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair.

I was shocked to see a large bandage on it.

“You ok?” I asked, pointing it out.

He laughed. “The car was giving me problems yesterday. I kind of burned it on the engine block.”

I frowned. “Here I thought you were a mechanical genius or something.”

He laughed as we got into the car. We didn’t really say much to one another on the ride into town. It was this strange awkward silence actually. Yesterday we discussed what kind of film we wanted to see. I think he thought I was all for one of those sappy romantic comedies, there were two currently playing. Truth be told, I wanted something action packed. Hey, I might be a girl now but that didn’t mean my taste in movies had changed.

At the theater ticket booth, a smiling Dana Stiles met us.

“Hey guys,” she said, giving us a coy smile.

I smiled. “Hey”

I didn’t know her all that much actually. I think I had a class or two with her but we didn’t really run in the same circles. She was one of the guests at my birthday though, sadly we didn’t get all that much time to socialize.

“So” said Jack, looking at the selection. “We can see the new Twilight movie if you want?”

I groaned. “Not”

Twilight, gag me now.

I gave the list a quick look. “How about Immortals?”

Jack looked surprised. “You serious?”

I nodded. “Hell yeah.”

There were wild Internet rumors that Henry Cavill---the lead actor---might be up for Superman in a new movie. If those rumors were in fact true, I wanted to see if this guy really had the chops to pull it off. The guy from the last movie they did sucked so bad that even at ten when I saw it I wanted to walk out of the movie theater. What can I say; I’m really devoted to my heroes.

“I hope he doesn’t suck,” said Jack as we made our way to the concession stand. “I mean I heard he might play Superman.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t know you were a comic fan?”

“You kidding me!’ he said excitedly. “I used to spend every day after school in the comic shop in middle school.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “Ravencrest has a comic book store?”

“You didn’t know?” I shook my head. He wrapped his arm around me. “Monday after school, I’m so taking you there.”

I found myself enjoying his closeness. “It’s a date,” I said softly.

The first time I’d come to Ravencrest’s little theater; it was the first summer I came here. I remember being unimpressed with it because it was so old and had only one screen. We had a multiplex back home---everything there had been chrome and all shiny, practically new. Standing here now---my umpteenth time in the theater---I kind of missed it. Now when I went to the movies back home I couldn’t help but miss this old little place with its one screen, polished wooden seats with velvet cushions and the people who worked here who actually looked like they enjoyed their jobs.

We found a pair of seats in the middle.

I’d like to tell you what the movie was about but I was so nervous that I barely paid attention. I did find myself holding Jack’s hand halfway through it. The movie went by fast though. From what I did see, I had to admit that Cavill could definitely pull off Superman. As we got out of our seats and started down the aisle, I got a sudden chill I was being watched. I let go of Jack’s hand and turned around, scanning the faces of the people behind us. A lot of the faces I knew because they were fellow classmates. None of them were actually looking right at me though.

“Something wrong?”

I shook my head. “I thought someone was watching me.”

Jack put his arm around my waist. “C’mon, pizza awaits.”

When we got out into the concession area, I had to go to the bathroom.

I stopped myself a split second before walking into the Men’s room. I guess I was never not going to get used to that. I spun on my heel and went into the Ladies’ instead. I peed quickly, wanting to limit my time in here as much as possible. I’d been a girl for a while now but I still felt like an interloper somehow. So as I rushed out of the stall and started washing my hands, I barely noticed when someone came into the bathroom with me.

“Aren’t you two so cozy and sweet” said a cold voice that sent a chill up my spine.

I caught sight of the woman that appeared in the mirror beside me. For a second my breath seemed to catch in my throat. It was the same dark haired girl from the sorority, way back when I was still male me. I’d almost completely forgotten about that, actually. Seeing her now jogged my memory. It was the first time that I realized something had changed about me because I was able to detect the Wards around the house. Of course, I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time. I’m not sure why seeing the girl now made me so scared though. There was something about her that made me want to turn and run as fast as possible. She was really beautiful but sinister looking too. Her skin was very pale; her long raven black hair flowed down her back. She was dressed in a simple top and skirt but it looked far too flimsy for the cold weather of tonight.

“You’re Agatha Crawford’s granddaughter aren’t you?” she asked, touching up her dark lipstick.

Not that she needed it; her lips looked really red already.

“You know my grandmother?”

She laughed. “We’re old friends, very old friends. Your name is Kelly right?”

I nodded. “Are you are?”

She smiled. “You’re a sweet and innocent one aren’t you” She turned away from the mirror, stepping close. She sniffed the air. “You smell like lilacs. I always used to have a thing for lilacs when I was a girl your age.”

She gently ran her fingers through my hair. I cringed at her touch, especially because her hands were ice cold. There was something else I felt when she touched me, something familiar and yet very foreign. It was power but a power unlike anything I’d ever encountered before. Sometimes witches were able to sense the power in others. Most witches were on the same level but the girl who stood before me now was so beyond anything I’d ever felt before it was terrifying. Not even my grandmother had a level anywhere near the one I was feeling now.

It made no sense though. If she had so much power, then why wasn’t she on the Coven?

She smiled. “You felt it didn’t you?” I numbly nodded. “You have it too, child. Not as strong as mine but its something. I sensed it the first time we met all those weeks ago. Do you remember?”

I nodded. “Outside the sorority house.”

She smiled. “Yes. A girl like you with that much power, it’s rare. There are only a few like you that come along. The last one was…well a very long time ago. When I met her, I knew there was something very special about her. She and I became fast friends you know” She moved closer, her face nearly touching mine. “You and I can become friends too if you want?”

She was too close. I could feel my body seizing up, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. She reached out and gently put her hand between my breasts. There was a surge of pain, a slight pinch. I jerked slightly as she gently pushed me against one of the stalls. She was something I’d never seen before. I’m not sure where it came from but suddenly I couldn’t resist her anymore. I was numb to everything as she gently started kissing my neck. She moved slowly, until her mouth was right near my left ear.

“So delicious, just one taste.”

She moved away from my face, back to my neck. I felt her mouth open but this time it wasn’t a kiss. There was two slight pricks and then…then the bathroom door slammed open loudly.

“Hey get the hell away from her you fucking nutcase,” snapped a loud and very familiar voice.

The voice shook away any numbness I might have felt. I pushed the woman away from me, turning toward my rescuer. I was shocked, surprised and relieved all at once when I saw Sophie standing there. I was even more surprised to see her holding a gun. It wasn’t a toy either. She held it level with the woman’s chest.

“If you pull a gun, girl you better be prepared to use it,” said the woman, her voice still danced about like a melody.

“You want it in the head or the heart?”

The woman smirked. “Now isn’t this interesting.”

“Kelly come over here,” said Sophie, ushering me to her side.

I didn’t have to be told twice. I pushed past the woman and went to stand beside my friend.

The woman laughed. “Have your moment of triumph but you’ll be back, they always come back. Next time you won’t be so lucky either.”

Her eyes seemed to flash silver---was that even possible? Then she slowly walked past us. She whispered something in Sophie’s ear, smacked me on the butt then walked out of the door. I shuddered as soon as she was gone and nearly collapsed to the floor. Sophie grabbed me and led me over to the sink.

“You ok?” I nodded. “Who was that?”

I shook my head, tearing up. “I only met her once and she scared me then too.”

“You and the people you meet, total freaks.”

I laughed. “You putting yourself in that category?”

“Always, girlfriend”

We both laughed. Sophie helped me with my tears, making my face presentable again.

“Don’t want you looking like a spaz for that cute hunk of yours,” she said with a wink.

“You saw us?”

She nodded. “Does he know about…well … you?”

I was confused for a second until I remembered Sophie thought I was a cross dresser. So I decided once again to play into her misunderstanding.

“He knows and he’s ok with it.”

She smiled. “Then you’re a lucky girl.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it. You always just seem to be around when I need you the most.”

She laughed. “You’re just lucky I downed a whole tub of popcorn and a large drink. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to burst if I don’t well…you know.”

I let Sophie pee. As soon as she was done, she insisted to stay with me until I found my way back to Jack. We found him standing outside, looking worried. When he saw us, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Everything ok?”

“Girl stuff” said Sophie with a smile.

“You ok for pizza?”

“Of course she is” said Sophie speaking before I could. “Our girl is in good form tonight. You better treat her well too, buster or I’m going to make sure you sing soprano for the rest of your life.”

Jack looked down at Sophie’s leather boots, they were clearly steel toed. He gulped. I couldn’t help but laugh. I gave Sophie a hug, thanked her for her help and promised to call her so we could finally do that hanging out we kept on trying to do. As soon as she left, Jack treated me like I was made out of glass. I have to say it was a little annoying but really nice. He kept looking at me the entire drive to Mario’s, well any chance he could get anyway. While we were in the restaurant, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight. It was clear he thought something was wrong. He probably thought that someone was out to get me. He knew all about the alley incident now. The Coven and the Inquisitor have still yet to catch the second bastard.

When he finally drove me, he walked me to the door. I didn’t complain about that part in the least.

“I had a really good time,” I said, smiling happily.

“Except for the mysterious thing in the bathroom of course.”

“Nothing happened I swear.”

He gave me a look that said he knew I was lying. “I’m just glad your friend was there to help you with whatever didn’t happen.”

I laughed. While I was laughing, he moved in. He kissed me. It happened so fast that I didn’t really have time to react. This time I didn’t want to react, well not like I did before. This time I let him kiss me, feeling a bit weak in the knees. It was really nice, a lot better than the first one. It felt like it lasted forever but I knew it was only a few seconds.

“That one was much better,” I said when he pulled away.

“I’d really like to do that again.”

He leaned in but I stopped him with a hand. “One per date mister but there will definitely be a repeat performance very soon.”

He said his goodbyes and I slipped into the house, well before the allotted time. The living room was vacant so I slowly made my way upstairs to my bedroom. As soon as I got inside, I shut the door and locked it. I ran over to the mirror on the wall and checked my neck, the spot where the woman had tried to bite me. Yes, bite me. I saw two tiny little pricks but nothing more. I couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if Sophie hadn’t shown up. Would the woman have sucked my blood? Would she have drained me dry?

I couldn’t even say the word but it was definitely on the tip of my tongue. It was there for the rest of the night.

When I finally got to sleep, I couldn’t stop myself from dreaming about it. In the dream though, we were in my bedroom, on my bed and both of us were wearing very little.

In the morning when I woke up, I was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

I was scared too. I’d been careless, far too careless. I could have been killed, just like every other time. I was I that stupid, that naive. Ravencrest was a dangerous place and I nearly screwed up again. As I sat there and tried not to remember the dream or the night before, I made myself a promise. I was never again going to allow myself to be the victim.

No one was ever going to do that again.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF