From my son.
I only had to read the first one to know everything would be all right. But the second one soothed every piece of my soul.
Hey, mom, I got your letter. Let me know when you have a minute. I thought maybe I’d come visit this new house of yours before school starts again.
I love you.
I didn’t bother to hold back the whoop of joy that erupted from my entire being. It wasn’t everything. But damn it was a good start. I would fix things with Gabe. I’d continue to grow in my powers. I’d embrace all that it meant to be a word witch.
And I’d use everything I learned to help others feel as complete, empowered, and whole as I did in that moment.
For the first time, I noticed not all the chairs floated. A single chair remained on the floor, dozens of feet below us.
Agatha’s chair.
Everyone at the table waited, their eyes on me.
I was ready.
“Simone Bardot, Division Head for Magnolia Mental Health and Supreme of Magnolia Therapy and Wellness.”
Sure, my voice stalled a bit when I called myself Supreme, but I could handle that. After what I’d been through the past five weeks, I figured I could handle anything.
I crossed my arms and laid them on the paper. A title floated to the surface.
Magnolia Therapy and Wellness
Monthly Board Meeting
I turned to the first page. The words that appeared bolstered my confidence even further.
“Okay,” I said to the room. “First order of business is the official transfer of power from Agatha Dupree, who has earned the right to rest in peace, to me.”
The empty chair rose from the floor and rested on the center of the table. I could just make out her form. My heart swelled from her pride.
The air around me swirled like a hurricane, the noise a roar in my ears. A million tiny specks of light floated in the air, tossed like a buoy in the ocean, they danced around me. Bees swarmed in the light, which flashed green and blue.
Electricity lifted my hair to stand on end. I pulsed with it, like lightning incarnate. The sound of my own laughter echoed through space and time.
We landed on the floor with a thud. Agatha’s chair trembled and jerked. Then it disappeared.
“Thank you, Agatha.” I met each face at the table with a confident smile. I smile I felt from the inside out.
“Let’s get started.”
