4. Olivia
The coven circledthe cauldron on the coffee table, their shadows flickering against the walls as candle flames danced to an unseen rhythm. In the center of our circle stood Ava and Melody. Ava dropped a raven”s feather into the bubbling potion. A plume of violet smoke spiraled upwards.
Melody spoke the incantation. We repeated each line she spoke.
”Let no word of magic be spoken to those who don”t believe in it.”
”Bound by will, sealed by silence.”
With each line of the incantation, the potion”s vapor grew denser, weaving through the room like a living thing. Ava sprinkled a pinch of powdered silence stone, which was really just a bit of slate, into the mix, and the potion turned a deep shade of indigo.
”As we command it, so mote it be,” Melody commanded.
There was a palpable shift, a tightening like a drum”s skin just before it sounds. The candles extinguished in unison, leaving us in darkness for a heartbeat before the lights flickered on.
”Did it work?” Ava whispered.
”Shh, listen,” I said.
We stilled and listened.
Then the world turned to pure chaos.
”Everyone, stay calm!” Ava”s voice somehow cut through the din in the living room, her hands raised in a commanding gesture.
I blinked and scanned the room. People were everywhere. Pressed against the walls, spilling down the stairs, jammed into corners. The house groaned, a low rumble of distress from Winston echoing through the close-packed bodies. Above, heavy footsteps thudded, a cacophony of confusion.
”Back up, please,” I tried to say, but my words were swallowed by panicked chatter and cries for space.
”Quiet!” Ava shouted again, louder this time. Her yells were completely lost in the jostling sea of townspeople. ”Listen to me!”
Nothing. The people were not having it, not one bit. They”d been transported into Ava”s house, by the looks of it, every human in town was here. And they were not happy.
Lucifer”s clap echoed through the cramped living room, a sharp sound that cut off every whisper and murmur. Sudden silence fell like a heavy blanket over the crowd.
”Thank you,” Ava said, nodding at Lucifer. She turned to face the sea of bewildered faces. ”Okay, folks. I know this is, well, a lot. We were trying to cast a gag order, a silencing spell. It was supposed to keep certain things secret.”
”Like what?” someone called out from somewhere in the throng.
”Magic,” Ava stated plainly. ”It”s real. And now, because of this mishap, you all know it. But you can”t tell anyone else about it. That part is crucial.”
”Magic?” the same person who just spoke scoffed. ”You”re joking.”
”Not even a little bit,” Ava replied earnestly. ”The whole town didn’t see our founding fathers rise from their graves, but now you’re all here. So if you didn”t know before, you do now.”
Confusion twisted the faces around me into identical masks of disbelief. I composed myself and raised my hands.
”Hey, everyone. Olivia Thompson here. Many of you know me. Look, magic is not just card tricks and pulling rabbits out of hats. It”s elemental, ancient. There are witches, fae?—”
”Like fairy tales?” someone interrupted.
”Sort of, but not quite,” I continued. ”There”s more to the world than we”ve been taught.” I didn”t mention vampires. No need to go there yet.
”Are we supposed to believe this?” someone else asked, tinged with skepticism.
”Believe it or not,” I said, ”it”s the truth. And now that you know, you”re part of a bigger universe. But we have to keep it under wraps. For everyone”s safety.”
”Listen up,” Ava”s called. ”No one can speak about magic to people outside of this house. If they don”t know, you can”t tell them. That”s part of the spell.”
A weight lifted off my shoulders. Consent mattered, and now they were getting it – even if it was after the fact.
Squeezing between bodies, I tried to find some space when I bumped into someone familiar. Mom and Dad. My heart skipped. No, not Luci and Phira. My adopted parents. The humans. The humans who had no freaking clue that I was, er, what I was.
”Olivia?” Mom”s brow furrowed in concern. ”What is all this?”
”Guess the cat”s out of the bag now.” I laughed nervously.
”Cat? What do you mean?” Dad peered at me over his glasses, just as bewildered as everyone else.
”Are you here because you got pulled in like us?” Mom asked, her voice rising with fear and curiosity.
”No, Mom.” I sighed, locking gazes with her. ”I”m here because I”m a part of this magical community.”
Ava caught my eye from across the room and motioned urgently. With a tug at my heart, I turned back to my parents, who were still absorbing the bombshell I”d just dropped.
”Mom, Dad, I have to go now,” I said quickly, ”but why don”t you come over for dinner tomorrow after you close the shop? To our new place.”
”New place?” Mom said in confusion. ”You sold your house?”
I shook my head, offering a rueful smile that didn”t quite reach my eyes. ”No, we still have the house. We”ve just... not been staying there. Sorry, there”s so much to catch you up on.”
My fingers fumbled as I pulled out my phone and tapped out a message, texting them the address of Luci”s house. They looked out the window, trying to orient themselves, but recognized nothing that seemed to click. I wondered if they even realized where they were right now.
”I texted you the address,” I said, pressing send. ”We can talk more over dinner, okay?”
”Okay...” Mom trailed off, still dazed, while Dad simply nodded, his mind clearly racing with unanswered questions.
”See you tomorrow,” I promised, then turned away, squeezing through the crowd.
”Excuse me, sorry, just need to get through.” My voice was a murmur lost amid the sea of bewildered townsfolk filling the living room.
”Can everyone please move towards the back?” Ava”s command rose above the din, her authoritative tone parting the crowd like a ship through calm waters.
”Thank you,” I said to no one in particular as I finally made it to the conservatory, only to find it just as crowded.
”Everyone, this way. Out to the porch, please,” I directed, gesturing toward the doors that led out to the back deck.
”Are they all going to fit?” someone muttered, but the shuffling feet and collective movement proved efficient enough.
”Keep moving, that”s it,” I encouraged, feeling like a shepherd herding an exceptionally large flock of cats.
Once the conservatory was cleared, the air felt a fraction lighter, the atmosphere a smidgen less tense. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but I”d take it.
Melody and the rest of the coven entered the conservatory. Ben carried the cauldron and sat it on my worktable.
”Okay, let”s try this again,” Ava said as she scanned the grimoire. We put the stuff in the cauldron, repeated the incantation, our voices melding into a single, harmonious whisper that seemed to resonate with the very walls of the conservatory.
”Now is it done?” Melody asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.
”Should be,” Ava replied, biting her lip. ”But we have no way to test it.”
”Hang on, I”ve got an idea.” Luci raised a hand and then vanished before our eyes.
”Where did he go?” Ben asked.
”Luci does that,” I muttered, knowing better than to question his methods. ”Far too often.”
Moments later, Luci reappeared, a bewildered human in tow. The man blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
”Wh-where am I?” he stammered.
”Yoooou”re dreeeammminnggg,” Luci intoned, while making his words echo like a spirit from beyond. He put a little magic behind it to give it oomph. ”Dooon”ttt woooorrrryyyy, iiiiitssss alllll a ddreeeaaammmmm.”
Luci leaned over and said, ”Try telling him.” Luci”s command was for the townsman beside me. The man stepped forward, mouth opening. Silence. Not a word escaped.
”Your turn,” Luci nodded at another person, again a human.
”Hey, I was going to tell you—” The second townsman”s words cut off abruptly, his lips pressing together as if sealed by an invisible force.
A cheer erupted around us. The spell had worked.
The poor guy Luci had brought looked petrified. ”Whaaaat a fuuuuunny dream,” Luci cooed, still using that eerie tone, then the two of them disappeared.
”Right,” I said, raising my hands again. ”Let”s get everyone sorted now.”
”Hey, you brought us here, how are you going to get us home?” someone in the crowd interrupted.
I let out a sigh. Drat. They weren”t wrong. ”Come on out back.” I waved everyone toward the door.
We shuffled into the backyard. We had them line up and one by one they told me their address. I’ve lived in this town all my life, I knew every street.
The first couple stepped up and told me their address, then I flicked my wrist, creating a portal. ”Step through,” I instructed each person, ”straight to your living room.”
”Next.” I called out, again and again.
Luci popped back beside me, his usual smirk plastered across his face. ”Need a hand?”
”Please,” I said, motioning toward a waiting couple.
He snapped his fingers, and another portal sprang to life. ”Off you go,” he said as people hesitantly stepped through.
We worked in tandem, Luci”s flair for dramatic entrances and exits making the process smoother. The line dwindled as townsfolk began to disappear into their own homes, still bewildered but safe.
When my parents stepped up, I made the portal myself. It was not the time for them to meet my devil-father.
Mom took my hands. “Are you okay, dear?”
I smiled at her, then pulled her into a hug. “I am. Promise. I’ll explain everything tomorrow night.”
She nodded and kissed my cheek before walking through the portal. Dad leaned in and kissed my forehead. “See you tomorrow night.”
When my parents were safe at their own house, I glanced over to see Luci watching me. I gave him a reassuring smile. We went back to work, getting everyone back to their homes.
”Thanks, Luci,” I said once the last person had stepped through.
”Anytime, Liv,” he replied, dusting off his hands with a satisfied grin. Then vanished.
This had been a long day, and it was only afternoon.