Page 9 of How Not to Hex a Gentleman (Witches of Edinburgh)

Chapter Nine

KENNEDY

T he three of us sit in shock as Olivia calmly walks over to the door, flipping the sign to 'closed' and locking it. Every terrible scenario my aunt has ever painted for me when it comes to magic runs through my mind and I try to keep my breathing even. Lily grips my hand tighter as if she can feel the fear coursing through me, and I nod a little. I won't say that I'm scared for our lives or anything, I think the three of us could take her if it came to that, but I do sit up a little straighter.

"What do you mean?" I ask, deciding on the direct approach.

Olivia doesn't comment but takes a chair and pulls it up at the head of the table. "May I see?" she asks, placing her hand palm up on the table.

I have no idea what she's asking for, but Lily doesn't hesitate. She places her wrist in the palm of Olivia's hand, the thistle tattoo fully on display.

"Oh, it's beautiful. It has been generations since magic manifested in such a visible way."

"You know about magic?" Parker asks. Out of all of us, I would assume she would be the most likely to assume that, but for some reason, she looks almost nervous.

"I know all about magic, Parker, and when I met Kennedy here, I could feel it on her. Just like I can feel it on the two of you."

"I don't understand," I say, and have no idea how to continue where I'm going with this because just like what happened in the apartment, I don't have any idea what's going on. The usual parameters don't exist here.

"Let me start at the beginning then, my darlings. I assume you've known about magic, but this is—the three of you, your own coven—is all new to you."

"I've heard stories of covens, but I've never been part of one," Parker says and Olivia nods.

"I could tell by your immediate questions regarding my card collection that you love magic." Olivia reaches over and takes Parker's hand. "You have a lot of intuition in you already. You'll develop those gifts as time goes on. But back to the beginning." Olivia winks at me. "This land is rich in stories of witches who walked amongst us, of wonder and fear of faeries, and relics that were wielded by kings and peasants alike who hold special affinities.

"Edinburgh specifically is a well of power, built on ancient leylines, running throughout the city. Many come here searching for something of which they are not sure of and end up finding more than they bargained for."

"We weren't searching," Lily says.

"Weren't you? Can you honestly tell me that Scotland didn't call to you?" None of us answer and Olivia nods. "That's what I thought. There is powerful magic in your blood and it seems that it's been awakened, not only by the magic of the land, but by the bond you are creating."

"A bond?"

"Magic is more powerful when it is nurtured in love. This is why in the ancient days, sisters were often found to be the most powerful of witches. Covens were created to nurture that sense of family when there were no sisters to share the magic with. This right here," Olivia traces Lily's thistle tattoo, "is a visual manifestation of the magical connection you share."

"Are we like…the chosen ones?" Lily asks.

"In a way, yes, but then we are all chosen for greatness in our own lives. Just like in every aspect of life, there will be ups and downs, battles and victories. Now, you have this incredible magical sisterhood to help you through it all."

"But why us?" I ask the one question that's been bugging me the most since the beginning. "We're nothing special."

"Oh, my darling. You don't need to have magic to be special and you don't need to be extraordinary to be special. You are, already, just as you are, as special as they come. You are an individual, a beautiful soul, and that in itself qualifies you."

My eyes sting at her words and I blink a few times to clear them. I don't think I've ever truly been told I'm special. I don't remember my parents so I can't say for sure, but my aunt has made it her life's work to make sure I never felt special. That I minimized everything about myself—my magic especially—to never stand out and never make noise.

So I worked at being special in my own way, staying on top of my studies and working hard. To be the best at something meant you could earn the title of being special. It's why doing well in school has always been so important to me, why planning every day made me seem like I'm a step ahead of everyone else. Even back when I thought my aunt loved me, she would never encourage me in this way. The older I got, the more I realized she feared me more than she loved me so I stopped trying to earn her favor and shut down. Now, I'm learning a whole new way of thinking and it's hard to accept.

"I see that there are some truths you will have to come to terms with on your own." Olivia's voice breaks through my thoughts and I glance up to find her eyes on me. "But know that this is the beginning of a wonderful journey. And I will help you the best way I know how."

"No offense, but how are you qualified to help us?" I'm glad to see Parker is getting some of her spunk back. She's been quiet longer than I anticipated.

"Because I am just like you. Olivia Bates—of the magical variety."

"You are?"

Instead of answering, Olivia grins, and then she waves her hand. In the next moment, the plant hanging near the window grows three sizes, blossoming in a second. I jerk back, waking Petunia up, but she barely reacts to the vines that are now spread out across the table.

"Plants are my specialty, my affinity," Olivia says, "but I can do much of the standard elemental magic. You will too as you discover what this bond means for each of you."

"An affinity?" Lily asks, her eyes glued to the vines.

"You will discover that in time as well. Each witch usually carries at least one."

"Where are your sisters? Or a coven?" Parker asks and I turn to her sharply.

"Parker, what if it's a sensitive subject?" I whisper and Olivia chuckles.

"It's okay, Kennedy. It's a valid question. I am part of a coven; there are quite a few across Scotland, and my coven has been awaiting your arrival."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that one of my sister witches foresaw a great power coming to Edinburgh, one that needed to be nurtured. We've been preparing, without knowing which one of us will have the privilege of meeting you. And I suppose that's where I come in. I am here to provide you with a safe place, whenever you need it."

"But how do we know we can trust you?" I ask before I can stop myself.

Olivia doesn't seem to be offended. She meets my gaze head-on before replying. "I don't expect you to trust me nor do I expect you to accept everything I say at face value. You will have your own journey, but I wanted to offer you a safe haven within these walls, a place that you can come to if needed. This café is warded against negative forces and will always have a warm cuppa ready for you. And hopefully, with time, I will earn your trust."

She seems completely genuine in everything she says and I can't find fault in any of it, but it still feels incredibly overwhelming.

Moving to a different country, even if only for a year, was a huge step for me. My aunt hated the idea, but I'm old enough to make these decisions myself now, so she couldn't stop me. Everything about that decision was overwhelming.

Now I find out that my magic, which has been suppressed for as long as I remember, is something that's looked upon as a gift and not a curse. Nothing about the world makes sense anymore and I don't know how to find my footing in any of it.

Suddenly, Parker surprises me by reaching across the table and taking Olivia's hand. She stares at her deeply and no one says a word for a good minute as I glance between the two of them.

"Okay," Parker says, leaning back.

"Okay?" Lily and I ask.

"Yes, she's legit."

"What?" I stare at Parker completely baffled all over again.

"I don't know how I can tell, but I can tell. She's not like an evil witch or anything."

"Parker, and I say again, what ?"

"Intuition," Olivia supplies. "Yours the power of the mind. Could you read mine?"

"No, but I could feel it? Wait, I can read minds? Seriously? I've always been sensitive, but since the tattoo appeared I feel like I'm more so than ever before."

"You might be able to one day. Only the strongest of witches carry that gift."

"But what about evil witches?" I ask, filing the reading of minds things for later. My aunt has always believed any power that controlled the mind was evil and to be feared even more than others. Olivia seems to understand my question, even the parts I don't ask.

"Of course, just like there are regular people who use their power for evil, there are witches who do so as well. We're not all that different. Magic itself isn't evil, Kennedy. It's something I think you will come to learn over time."

I freeze at her words because she saw right down to the core of the problem. Suddenly, Olivia stands.

"I see that I have overwhelmed you. This is normal, but I will tell you this; I have been a witch my whole life and I will always do my best to be a help to you in any way I can. Your powers are tied to your emotions and it will take time to master them. I am here any time, day or night, so please, don't hesitate to come to me."

She walks back over to the door then, unlocks it, and turns the sign to open before she gives us a kind smile and a customer comes in. She walks back around the counter as if she didn't just shake us to our core, and all I can do is sit here stunned.

"What just happened?" Parker whispers.

That's what I'd like to know.

By the time we get back to the apartment, we're exhausted. We stopped long enough to grab takeaway and now we've all changed into our comfortable clothes and are sitting on the sofa and chairs in the common room, eating.

Even if everything feels overwhelming, our living accommodations are nice. Honestly, the apartment is gorgeous. This particular room has three tall bay windows, with an area for sitting right under the middle one. There is a bigger sofa in the middle of the room across from the windows, a table right in front of it, and two plush chairs across the table from each other. There is plenty of light from the windows and the overhead fixtures, but there are also lamps all over the place, which I find quite cozy. My room is directly behind the chair on the left, with Lily's room to the left of it, and Parker's room behind the other chair, with the kitchen opening to the right of it. We're in the middle of a flower, with the other rooms spreading out like petals. Directly across from the bay windows, behind the couch is the little hallway that leads to the bathroom and then to the front door.

If I were to choose an apartment for myself, this would be it. Although, I wouldn't originally have chosen to live with anyone else. Now, as I look at the girls around me, I don't think I would change this for anything, which is incredibly strange all in itself. Maybe even more strange than the whole magic thing, and that's saying something.

"Do you think we may have collectively lost our minds?" Lily asks, breaking the silence and jerking my attention away from my food. It's such a me question, that it takes me a moment to realize I wasn't the one who asked it.

"Or you know, got into some kind of an airplane accident where we've entered an alternate universe?"

"Lily, I think that might be even less believable than magic." Parker's voice is soft and I glance at her just in time for her to round her eyes a little bigger in my direction before looking back to Lily. I get it. Lily has been the most chill about the whole situation, but maybe it's finally hitting her in the way it hit me immediately.

"Does it scare you?" I ask gently, and Lily's attention turns to me.

At first, I don't think she's going to reply, but then she nods. "It does. My magic—" she takes a deep breath, "it has always been very minor. I've never been accepted by the coven back home because I just didn't bring enough to the table. I always wanted it to be more, and now my magic has the space to be more. It scares me how much I'm afraid I'll mess things up or worse, lose it."

The last part is added almost reluctantly, and there's definitely more below the surface there, but I don't want to push. Instead, Parker and I wait her out. My heart squeezes at the sadness in her eyes, and I realize that maybe she's been just as alone in all of this as I have.

Lily takes a deep breath as if steadying herself before she speaks again. "My family—they never really understood my interests or goals. I thought that coming to Scotland was a way for me to not only further my studies, but to find my own people. My own family—people who would understand. Only after a few days of knowing you, it feels like maybe that's what we're becoming, and I'm scared it's all in my head and that it's not real because it seems too fast, and also cloaked in this magic, and I don't understand—how can I trust it? Everything seems out of control and confusing, but also exhilarating and I'm not sure how to feel about any of it."

All of this is said in nearly one breath and when Lily is finished, Parker and I stand immediately, moving to her. We plop down on either side of her before we wrap our arms around her. She squeals at our tight embrace, but neither Parker nor I let go. The three of us hold onto each other as if we've always done so and no matter how logical or trained to hate magic I have been, I can't protest at how much everything Lily has said resonates with my own feelings on the matter.

"It's okay to be scared. We're all scared," Parker says, and Lily and I glance at her immediately. "What? Don't give me that look."

"I thought Parker wasn't scared of anything," Lily mock whispers, still staring at her.

"I know, right? Our world has tilted once again," I reply and Parker rolls her eyes.

"I'm trying to have a moment here and you're being idiots." She goes to pull back, to perch on the arm of the chair, but Lily and I hold tight.

"Do you really think we can trust Olivia?" I ask, because no matter how much I'd like to trust my judgment on this, there are three of us in it together. It can't just be a me decision. Maybe for the first time in my life, it doesn't have to be an only me decision.

"I think so," Lily is the one to reply first.

"I do too. I can't explain it, guys," Parker says, "but I could feel it."

"What do you feel about us?" I ask.

Parker takes a long moment to reply and Lily and I watch as she mulls it over. It's funny to see just how much we're picking up about each other. Our friendship—the beginning of one—feels like it would feel to put on a favorite cozy sweater; everything seems to fit just right.

"I feel—" Parker begins, "that we'll be having a lot of these moments together and that we'll figure it all out, the way we're meant to."

For some reason, that's the most perfect thing Parker could say and when I go to bed that night, I'm actually able to sleep again.