Page 54 of Charmed, I'm Sure
The door opens with ease and the smell of her shop wraps me in comfort. My tension eases with one large inhale. Whatever that smell is, can I have six bottles of it? The walls are lined with shelves full of every color crystal I can even imagine, and then some.
Stopping dead in my tracks I watch as a glowing spindle pulls this glittering material into a perfect spool. But what stopped me is that nobody is working the spindle. It’s moving as if there is, but no matter how many times I turn, there isn’t anyone there. Shaking my head, I realize I might never get used to magic or maybe one day it will be so normal that I won’t be shocked by it.
I haven’t even walked three steps into her shop before I hear the faintest voice from somewhere in the back.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Miles. Come on back.”
Following where I heard the voice come from, I find Elora surrounded by burning incense, pillows, and one of those crystal balls I’ve seen in all the witch movies. She smirks when she sees me staring at it with wide eyes. I don’t hesitate to sit down in front of her, cross-legged, and terrified of what she will say.
“I’ve waited my whole life to say that.” Elora softly chuckles.
“I bet,” I say as my smile widens. “So it’s true that you have to use a crystal ball? I always thought the movies…” I squeal, very unmanly, as she chucks the ball at me. I grasp it quickly and hold it as if it’s the most precious thing in the world to me.
She bursts out laughing. “Your face. I’m dying. I knew I would love having you around. I swear you don’t have to hold it like it’s the golden egg. I only pulled it out to pull one over on you. I have to say it worked out better than the vision did.”
My mouth hangs open as she practically rolls around on her pillows, laughing hysterically. She’s such a stark contrast to Bellamy’s brooding, snarky, and sometimes cold aloofness.
After a while she finally sits up, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. “Okay. Okay. I’ll behave now. Put the crystal ball down before you drop it, wolf boy.”
I place the crystal ball back on the stand, praying to the Moon Goddess that it doesn’t move when I let go. “That’s not comforting at all,” I say as I hold my breath when my hands release the ball.
She leans forward, suddenly serious, the smile dropping from her face. “Now, let’s talk about why The Weaver has her threads so entangled around you and my sister.”
Even though it’s exactly what I want to know, I can’t help my heart rate from increasing or the sweat building along my skin. It’s more than just the last few weeks of final preparations before I came her, this has been years in the making, and yet it feels too real. I still can’t believe this weekhas been real, that I’m really here in the town I’ve been searching for.
“Okay,” I say hesitantly.
“That is why you came here, isn’t it?”
My fingers plunge through my hair, the hair that still glitters in its soft pink color. “Yeah, but this hasn’t been only a week for me. This has been years of being drawn here. And now…it feels like the plunge of a roller coaster.”
She nods her head. “I understand. I, of all people, know what you mean. Not only have I seen it,” she winks, “but I’ve spoken with The Weaver many times.”
“I’m not going to lie and say that I purely came here for a reading. I am hoping for some insight on your sister. You know,” I scratch the back of my neck, “I’m scrambling here and I’m pretty sure I’m one more bad decision away from being turned into a rainbow unicorn that farts glitter.”
She snorts as she covers her mouth. “That is honestly pretty accurate. I don’t know if she has the magic to pull that off, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
I watch in fascination as she picks up a stack of thick, beautifully designed cards. They’ve clearly been used many times over the years. She taps them on the table while she smirks at me.
She spreads the cards in a fan across the red, sheer scarf laying on her table. They are all different handpainted designs. Wait? Does that guy have a sword sticking out of him! I hope I don’t get that guy, it seems like a bad omen.
With a snap of her fingers, the candles surrounding her come to life and the air surrounding us feels charged.
“Alright, so the way this works…”
There’s a shimmer of light next to her left hand. Is that part of the process? With a loud pop, a fluffy white bunny plops onto the table. Its ears are tipped in silver, the fur twinkling like stardust, with eyes far too sharp for something as cute as it.
“Good morning Astraea,” Elora says without looking up from her cards.
The bunny twitches its nose, its eyes squinting at me.
“The Weaver said this one runs towards trouble like it’s an all you can eat buffet,” Astraea says as she scratches her ear.
“Did…did the rabbit just…” I lean forward, examining the rabbit as if it might talk again if I poke it.
Elora snorts. “Miles, meet Astraea, my familiar. She isn’t usually the type to talk in front of strangers. Apparently, you aren’t one to her.”
Astraea, who is still squinting at me as if I committed bunny crimes, says, “If The Weaver is paying attention to you, wolf, this is bigger than the ties that bind you.”