Yes, she thought but wisely kept that opinion to herself.
“I’m using my magic, Mom.I am literally using it right now to make this potion.”Setting the crushed lemongrass aside, she reached for the next ingredient on her list.
“Oh, pishposh,” her mom said dismissively, waving her hand and nearly knocking over a jar of dried juniper berries.“Potions are the lowest form of magic.Hecate’s lost trousers, Ria, even a vanilla human could stumble into an effective potion if they weren’t looking.”
Ria ignored her mom’s bizarre cursing and incorrect observation.A real potion required a spark of magic to make it effective, something only a witch could provide.It was an art form, really, and the only kind of magic she’d felt comfortable embracing when she’d moved back home, her tail tucked firmly between her legs.She’d planned to focus on finding another marketing job, but her mom was firm in her statement that only magic users lived under her roof.When given the choice between brewing potions or brewing tea in a barrel under a freeway overpass, she’d gone with potions.The more time she spent working with the herbs she’d always loved, the more she remembered how much potion-making always lifted her spirits.That didn’t mean she was going to dive into other witchy ways though.
Her mom sat down on the bench beside her and pulled Ria into a side hug.“I love you, Sangria, and it breaks my heart to see you withering away here.When was the last time you tried a handcasting?Or even a ritual?You could still become something special, you know.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ria remarked sarcastically, squirming out of the hug so she could start trimming the leaves off the feverfew plants in front of her.She liked to preserve the flowers as best as possible, but it was the leaves she used for her migraine potion.The longer she spoke with her mom, the faster she needed to get the potion brewed, sacrificing more and more petals to sloppy speed trimming.
“Oh, you know I didn’t mean you’re not special right now.But you could also be…more.That’s all I’m saying.You just need to embrace your magic.Can’t you feel it all around you?”Her mom slid off the bench and began dancing around the workroom, her long brown and gray hair whipping about her face as she twirled.
Ria kept her attention on the task before her.It wasn’t the first time her mom “embraced the magic” around her carefully organized space.Despite pushing sixty, her mom was more of a child than she was.Whether or not that contributed to a young Ria needing to grow up far too fast was anyone’s guess.
Well, except for her therapist.Dr.Huang didn’t need to guess.She was firmly convinced that was the reason why Ria was the way she was.
“Come on, Ria.Dance with me, baby.Surrender yourself to Hecate and be one with the earth.”Her mom began spinning faster, swooping from one side of the small shed/potion workshop to the other.
“Ouch,” Ria cried, when her mom lost control and crashed into the worktable, jostling the entire station.Ria glanced down at her bleeding finger and groaned.She dropped the herb scissors that had claimed their pound of flesh—okay it was only a drop of blood, but Ria was a wimp, so the cut felt like more—and turned to glare at her mom.
Susan Lewis just beamed up at her daughter from the floor of the shed where she’d collapsed, a picture of innocence amidst the swirl of her colorful skirts.“I think that’s Hecate’s way of telling you to stop working and come to the meeting.”
“I think it’s Hecate’s way of telling you to slow down or else someone gets hurt,” Ria replied, eyeing her injured finger and the increasing swell of blood along the cut.
Her mom pouted up at her and Ria sighed.She never could say no to “the Pout.”
“Okay, fine.I’ll go.Let me just grab a bandage first.”
TheSeacliffCovenwasnot a large coven by most standards, and Ria was perfectly happy with that.Having eight pairs of eyes staring at her was bad enough; she couldn’t imagine belonging to one of those twenty witch covens.Not that she reallybelongedto this coven; there’d been no joining ritual or anything.It was more like she was doing a campus visit for a college she had no intention of applying to, but it made her mom happy, so she’d go through the motions for now.
“Ria, it’s so lovely to see you again,” chirped a bubbly young witch with a black pixie cut whose name Ria had forgotten since attending her last meeting over a month ago.
“Uh, hi,” she replied, waving a hand at the circle of women in the living room of the small cottage.There were a few different places their meetings were held, but this home was by far the coziest.Stepping through the door was like stepping into perpetual autumn, a challenge given the summer heat ramping up outside.
Ria glanced around the room, taking in the pumpkin-themed decor, a circle of chairs all featuring maple leaf cushions, a vast assortment of hanging ivy plants dangling from exposed wooden beams, and copious amounts of candles scattered throughout the room, each one lit and flickering.Ria half expected to see the floor littered with crunchy red, orange, and yellow leaves, but the oak hardwoods and acorn-shaped rugs were just as effective in relaying a very clear “we love fall” message.All in all, she actually found herself relaxing a bit in the welcoming atmosphere.It was hard to stay mad about being dragged away from one’s plants when there was an orange tabby cat winding between everyone’s legs and the smell of apple cinnamon permeating the air.
Her gaze dropped to the coffee table in the center of the circle and the plate piled high with scones.
The bubbly witch—Corinna was it?—took hold of Ria’s hand and pulled her over to the circle, gesturing at an empty chair.
“Please, sit,” Maybe-Corinna directed.“And help yourself to a scone.Trust me, they are to die for.Mixie’s, that incredible new coffee shop on Main Street, sells the dough so you can bake them at home and fill your house with the scents of autumn.”The witch took a deep inhale then let out a little coo of happiness.“We also have my famous apple cider if you want.”She gestured toward the pitcher beside the scones.
“Oh, don’t overwhelm the girl, Cordelia,” an older witch chimed in.
Cordelia!So close.
“Right, my bad,” Cordelia said, backing away.“Please make yourself at home in whatever way suits your aura.”
“Um, okay,” Ria replied, taking the only empty seat left in the circle.She scanned the room, trying to remember who all the various witches were.She was fairly confident the older stocky witch was the High Matron’s wife, but Ria had yet to meet the actual High Matron who hadn’t been at any of the few meetings Ria attended.
Continuing along the circle, she racked her brain for any tidbits she could recall about the women.
There was an early twenties Asian witch named Hailey who taught first grade.Or maybe it was second, something that involved small children and therefore was unappealing to Ria.
The twins, Jess and Jenna, sat beside Hailey, though Ria could never tell which witch was which.They both had stunningly smooth dark skin, tall athletic frames, and long, beaded braids.The only notable difference was one had purple beads in her hair and the other had blue.
A perfectly plump blonde around Ria’s age was the next in line, and Ria only remembered her name was Bootsy because it sounded like booby, and damn, did Bootsy have attention-stealing breasts.She had the kind of body shape doctors would call overweight, but everyone else would call sexy because she wore it so well.She also wore most of it on the chest, an aspect Bootsy was likely proud of, given her penchant for extremely low-cut peasant blouses and push-up bras.
