I put the two Black Magic spell books I got from the secret Black Magic store in my empty room where I kept my books. I decided to hide them underneath some stacks of other books—didn’t want Paris to find them.
I had a feeling she was beginning to pick up on sudden fascination and possible addiction to all forms of magic.
I just wanted to know what was on the other side. I wanted to know what I was up against if I was ever attacked with Black Magic. That was why the warrior spells seemed so appealing. I decided to grab the warrior book and take it outside to my back yard.
I wasn’t quite sure what had happened in that store. But I saw some serious magic at work. That was certainly a power unlike anything I had ever imagined, something I could definitely employ if I ever wanted to mean business.
I flipped through the warrior book. It was filled with different types of combat spells. No, I never wanted to attack anybody using Black Magic, but I wanted to learn how to protect myself. So, I decided I would teach myself two different spells from the warrior spell book.
Now, defensive spells were used whenever one was attacked. Except that three fourths of the book were attack spells. I flipped to the back and tried to find a defensive spell that seemed to be the strongest.
I found one particular spell that looked promising, and it was guaranteed to work “98 percent of the time.” Who guaranteed it? Who knows, but those were as good odds as any.
As I began to read over the spell, I felt a sense of authority. It took maybe five minutes to memorize it. A short incantation, thankfully. Actually, all warrior spells seemed to be short, especially the attacking ones.
Anyway, I decided I would say the spell out loud in its entirety. I wasn’t being attacked by anything, so it seemed to be a safe thing to do.
But it is Black Magic. I don’t know how intense this spell could be.
I started to get nervous and a little scared to say the spell out loud.
But gathered my nerves and said, “Menacing spirit, I speak against thee; take back your attack, or you shall face the wrath within me.”
I decided I would only learn one attack spell but not say it loud. The spell was very simple: “Lose control. Face your fate.”
This spell was supposed to knock someone backward off their feet. Another spell I saw was something I didn’t want to use—to take half a person’s soul and add years to my own life. The things that were clearly evil didn’t attract me. What attracted me was learning how to protect myself. I didn’t want to seriously hurt anyone.
Suddenly, I heard my doorbell ring. It startled me.
It seemed weird that anybody would ring the doorbell. The only person who had come over to my house in months was Paris.
I went into my living room and walked to the front door.
I looked through the peephole and I could see a red-headed woman that looked like she could be my sister. Maybe she was selling Girl Scout cookies...for her daughter, of course.
I was in the mood for a couple of Samoas so I opened the door.
“Hello, Sahara,” the lady said to me.
Before I could I respond, I instantly felt lightheaded. Flashes of light blinded me and suddenly I became deathly afraid.
It was Abigail, and she had slightly changed her appearance, which is why I didn’t recognize her through the peephole.
“Why are you here?” I said. “How’d you know I lived here?”
“Aren’t you the polite hostess?” Abigail said. This time, she was wearing a hideous guacamole-colored dress. It was the same type of cut as the horrendous bright green dress she had on last time.
Was this her deal? Wearing ugly green dresses?
“Why are zapping me with these dainty, annoying spells? Please, get lost.”
“That is a shame,” Abigail said. “I usually make a better first impression.”
“I heard.”
“You have?” Abigail asked.
“I heard how you used Paris. You made her think you were on her side. You made her think you weren’t actually wicked.”
“Wicked?” Abigail said, entering my house without being invited in. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t a vampire. Vampires waited to be invited in before they killed you.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To your back yard,” she answered.
“Why are you doing that?”
“I heard you were playing around with the dark stuff, and a little birdie told me you visited my favorite store in Westminster. Just to let you know, Irvine’s got one too and it is pretty much the same deal, but the one in Irvine does have the spell that traps your enemies inside a prism, where they eventually go insane looking at themselves from multiple angles.”
“Will I get trapped inside a spell?” I said.
“Is that how you feel?” Abigail asked. “Do you feel like you were held against your will?” I followed Abigail into my back yard. She turned and faced me and my back yard cement. I had cement where the richer houses in the area had pools in the exact same spot. “Or, did you do everything you did voluntarily?
“As far as Paris is concerned, that is none of your business,” I said.
Abigail started to get very angry. I could see it in her eyes. I could almost feel her rage. “You are very strong,” she said.
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Because you can already feel me. You feel my presence when I’m around you, but you don’t know what it is. Only someone who is very sensitive to both magic and the spirit world can do that.”
Abigail’s statement didn’t affect me the way I thought it would. I felt a sense of pride. “That doesn’t mean I would choose to do Black Magic.”
“You know, it’s nearly impossible to double dip. There only a couple of us that can do that around these parts.”
“Is Paris one of them?” I asked. “One wouldn’t know because she only practices good, wholesome, funny magic.”
I was taken aback by the intense feelings she had toward Paris. I had no idea what had gone down when they had parted ways, but it must’ve been rather traumatic. The hostility they had for each other was beyond petty.
“Why are you here? Why are you tormenting me?” I asked.
“Tormenting you? Honey, you have no idea what torment is.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” I said boldly to Abigail. I now knew three spells that I could use to fight her if I had to.
“No, I wasn’t trying to scare you. It was a just a tiny little warning, something you can stick under your cap and ponder later. Oh, wait, I forgot, you won’t be able to.”
“Why not? What are you saying?”
“Why do you think you couldn’t recognize me until I spoke to you?”
“A spell?” I suddenly got very scared and realized that was the evil that Paris had sensed around me. Apparently, Abigail had put under a rather strong spell—a forgetting spell, and who knows what else.
If only Paris were here, I’d ask her how I could combat such a nasty spell. Abigail had done me wrong, my short-term memory was severely diminished.
“Why have you come here?” I asked.
“I’m here to match Paris’s offer. I will mentor you and teach you spells that will grant you the power you’ve always sought after. Aren’t you tired of life and people kicking you down? Don’t you want to get back at everyone who has wronged you? Let me tell, what I can teach you is...better than sex.”
“Don’t think because you compared it to sex that it makes it more enticing.” Better than sex? I shook my head. There was no way I’d take Abigail up on her offer, no matter how tempting it sounded. Paris not only was my mentor, but became my friend. “Thanks, but no thanks. I like the team I’m on,” I said.
“Do you?” Abigail asked. “Is that why you wandered into one of our secret Black Magic stores and bought two books?”
“That is so creepy that you know all of that,” I said.
“What you see as creepy, I see as an opportunity to
teach one of the most promising witches to come around in a long time. You do understand that you have a power that is far greater than that preschool crap magic Paris is teaching you.” Abigail paused and continued, “She hasn’t even taught you what potions can do. I want to show you everything, all that is mind-blowing.”
“Mind-blowing?”
“Yes, mind-blowing. There’s a spell so powerful, you literally feel like your head is going to explode, like that movie Scanners, because it’s just that strong! I won’t hold anything back. Quick, easy lessons; you’ll learn fast, and my potions are highly addictive and foolproof. Black Magic and potions are a match made in heaven, there’s none of at preparatory crap involved like Paris’s feel-good potions. Sahara, would you please consider being my apprentice?”
“Apprentice?”
“Yes, when you practice sorcery that is what you are. But I am done speaking to you. I know deep, deep down that you want to come over to my camp. You can fight it all you want. But next time, if I don’t get a decision, I’m not going to be so friendly.”
“This is friendly?” I said. “You threatened me.”
Abigail stared at me and said, “Wiser is she, wiser is he. You won’t remember me until the next time we speak.”
Chapter Twenty-one