Witching Lessons
For all of you readers who haven't had a chance to read my "Witching Lessons" story, I am going to post the first 7 chapters again so that you can get caught up on them. I hope you all enjoy it!
CHAPTER 1
"Careful with those, they're ancient!" shouted Sofia, coming through the door into the kitchen. But it was a kitchen unlike any other. It was a mix of modern and old-world. And it was enormous!
An old-fashioned wood-burning oven was built into the wall beside the fireplace that also held a warming hold for hot water. An enormous cauldron hung over the fireplace where the fire hissed and popped comfortingly. A brand-new gas-electric stove stood against one the wall, along with an enormous professional-style refrigerator. The whole place was entirely strange, yet strangely comforting. Ziva sat down on a bench at one end of the long table.
The smell of bread baking came from the oven and Ziva's stomach growled loudly. Sofia laughed, "Lessons first, then food" she called down the length of the table. Ziva looked down the table and saw Sofia kneading a ball of dough, shaping it into a round loaf. She did this to four more balls of dough and left them to rise once more. She turned and washed her hands, dried them on her apron and came to sit beside Ziva.
Sofia was a lovely older woman, with silvery-white hair cut and styled close to her head, clear blue eyes, and was as round as her loaves of bread. She took one of the books from Ziva and opened it to the contents page. With one long-nailed finger, she trailed down the list until she came to one she liked and opened the book to that page. "Fire has been use for centuries for warmth, light, cooking and purification. Nothing is immune to fire; even water turns to steam when in the presence of fire, and thus it takes much water to extinguish flame." Sofia read in a strong, clear voice. She looked at the rest of the page. "Simple enough. Concentrate as you read it, memorize it." She said, looking at Ziva.
Ziva rolled her eyes and sighed. She looked over what Sofia had read and re-read it and then continued with the rest of the page. But her concentration was interrupted when the door banged open and Sofia's grandson Justin and several of his friends came inside, talking and laughing loudly and tossing a ball back and forth.
"Hello boys!" Sofia said, rising to gather Justin into a hug. It was rather funny to see the tiny Sofia hugging her six foot two inch tall grandson. Almost like a bowling ball trying to hug a pin. Justin had his grandmother's blue eyes and happy disposition. He had dark hair like his father and a whip-like sense of humor.
"Grandma Sofia!" they all yelled, coming in for a quick kiss on the cheek that they knew would get them a full basket of Sofia's fresh cookies and sweet rolls. Sofia laughed and pointed at the kitchen door. "They're in the living room, along with your sodas and video games! Now out! I've got tutoring to do!" She shooed them out of the kitchen and then turned her attention back to Ziva. Justin was the only one who waved at Ziva as he left.
She felt her cheeks reddening and lowered her head to try and hide her blush. But she knew that Sofia had seen. "If you focused your attention on your lessons as much as boys, you'd have this learned in no time at all." Sofia said, handing her a candle and a candlestick.
"Yes, but boys are so much more fun to look at than old books!" Retorted Ziva.
"Too true, too true." Sofia said, grinning. She turned back to her now-risen loaves and used a long wooden paddle to place them into the old-fashioned fire-heated oven. She'd told Ziva time and again that there was such a better taste when you used the old ways of cooking.
Once more, Ziva concentrated on the words on the page. She placed the candle in the candlestick and mentally repeated the words, putting an emphasis of the feel of fire: heat, light and imagery. Suddenly the wick began to smoke, tiny wisps of grey, then *Poof * the wick lit with red-gold flame.
"Very good, Ziva!" Sofia crowed. She handed her a plate of cookies and a glass of iced tea. "I knew you could do it!" She said, looking smug. "It was just a matter of concentrating!"
"It's always a matter of concentrating, Sofia." Ziva sighed and bit into a cookie. It was laced with plenty of chocolate chips and caramel, Ziva's favorite. She sighed again. "Why does life have to be so hard when you're a teenager? High school cliques, mood swings, hormones and crushes? And why does life have to be so much harder when you're a witch?"
CHAPTER 2
Ziva opened the door to her house and dropped her keys into the basket on the table there. "Mom! I'm home!" She shouted. When there was no answer, she walked into the kitchen and saw the note on the fridge.
"Dear Ziva, Sorry Hunny, have to work late tonight. Dinner's in the freezer. Or there's pizza money in the cookie jar. Love you! ~Mom" Ziva said to herself, then rolled her eyes when those exact words were on the note.
She pulled a tv dinner out of the freezer, looked at it in disgust and shoved it back. She pulled the chinese-print cookie jar..that had never in it's existence held cookies... and pulled out money for pizza. She called the local pizza parlor and ordered a sausage and mushroom pizza. She got lucky, it was on special and included a free drink and cinnamon sticks.
She waited in the living room for the delivery guy, plopping down on the couch and flipping through channels. She finally settled on a rerun of an old vampire movie and snuggled into the comfortable couch to watch. Twenty minutes later, and into the movie, Ziva jumped when there was a knock on the door.
"Coming!" She shouted and grabbed the money she'd tossed on the coffee table in front of the couch. She walked to the door and opened it, then nearly shut it again when she saw who stood there.
"Hey, that'll be $12.95! Oh! Hi, Ziva!" Said the tall dark
haired boy, handing over the boxes.
"Hi Justin! Oh, here ya go! And your tip!" She said, handing him an extra five dollars.
"Wow! Thanks!" He said. He looked like he wanted to talk for a few minutes. "So...nice place ya got here." He said, looking around.
"Yeah, it's home. How's your Grandma Sofia?" She asked, then nearly beat herself for asking such a stupid question when she'd just been there earlier that day.
Justin grinned. "She's good. She's ...yeah. You know how Gramma Sofia is. How's the tutoring going? Ya know, I never knew her to tutor anyone before?"
"Um. Good, it's going...good, yeah. Yeah, I think it's cause my mom asked her. Mom used to love going over to Sofia's house when she was my age. I think she tutored my mom in mag-math too."
"Oh. Well, I've gotta go. See ya later, Ziva!" He said and ran down the stairs and to his car, waving.
"Bye!" She called to his retreating form. "Bye, Justin." She said quietly as she closed the front door. She carried the pizza to the coffee table and grabbed a glass of ice from the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of Sprite and cuddled back into the cushions with a thick slice of sausage and mushroom pizza.
Chapter 3
The blaring of an alarm-clock radio and bright sunshine woke Ziva the next morning and she snuggled deeper under the covers and turned over. But no such luck. "Ziva, get going! You're going to be late!" Her mother yelled up the stairs.
She grumbled and she groaned, but eventually Ziva kicked off the blankets, threw herself out of the bed and at her dresser. She pulled a random assortment of clothes out of the drawer and crawled into the shower.
The instant the water hit her, it was as if a transformation took place and she was instantly awake. Awake, not perky. She still grumbled as she stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen where she sat down before a plate of eggs, bacon and toast and a glass of orange juice.
She began to eat and nearly drowned herself in the orange juice when her mother's raven, Rico, popped out of nowhere and onto her shoulder just as she was taking a drink. The juice flowed over her face, hair, shirt and the table. "Dammit, Rico! MOM!" She bellowed.
Arabella Devlin strode into the room in a sensible business suit. She took one look at Ziva and shook her head. "For heaven's sake, Ziva, you can't even eat properly without getting messy."
"Me? ME? It was your damned bird-brained familiar popping out of nowhere that did it. Mom! I'm gonna be late if I have to shower and change all over again!" She whined and gave her mother the "puppydog eyes."
Arabella sighed, and knowing Ziva was right, raised a finger towards her daughter. "Raiment refresca!" Ziva's clothes were instantly spotless. "Thanks mom." Arabella smiled and walked away.
She wiped the juice from her chin with a wet cloth, but then noticed her hair was still wet. "Mom! The hair!" She cried. She heard her mother's spell as Arabella walked out of the room. "Coiffure Vibranto!" Her hair was once again shiny, clean and dry.
She grabbed her messenger bag and walked out the door, locking it after her. She walked in the brisk morning air, enjoying the early fall morning. The leaves were turning and falling, crunching underfoot. She sent a small wind ahead of her, skittering golden leaves and acorns across the sidewalk. More quickly than she wished, she arrived at the steps of the high school and sighed.
"Well, here goes." She said, and gripped her bag's shoulder strap. Suddenly she heard a commotion and turned in time to see an off-course football and a player in shoulder pads hurtling towards her, but not in time to get out of the way.
She was bowled over and into the bushes with a hefty football player on top of her. She heard hoots and yells resounding through schoolyard as the player raised the football in the air. The player had caught the ball even when tripping over her.
"You ok?" Came a voice speaking down to her. Ziva opened her eyes and was horrified to see that the player was no other than Justin. He reached down to help her up. Her emotions were still so frazzled that she didn't check herself and as she put her hand in his, sent a zap of power up his arm. "Yeah. Fine. Thanks." She said and stormed into the school, leaving him slightly bedazzled.
He shook his head to clear it and then looked after her. "Weird girl." He said, then turned and threw the ball back to his friends and then ran to join them.
Chapter 4
"Last class of the day, thank you, God!" Ziva muttered to herself, taking her seat. Then groaned when she saw the algebra problem on the board. Why did the last class of the day have to be math? "Ugh!" She let her neck go loose and her head slammed on the desk in front of her with a thump.
Several boys in the class went "Ooh!." And she heard one "Damn!" She picked her head up, oblivous to the enormous red spot on the dead center of her forehead. The bell rang and the teacher walked in. He gave Ziva a strange look, but then continued with the lesson.
A half-hour later, the bell rang and the entire class cheered. Even the teacher grinned, knowing they had worked hard. They turned in their papers as they walked out the door. Ziva was the last to leave, having taken a few seconds to finish the problem. She dropped her paper on top of the stack and walked out of the room. She made her way through the throngs of people and to her locker. She dropped her school books into the bottom, gathered what she needed for homework and stuffed everything into her bag. She snapped the locker shut securely and twirled the dial. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and began the short walk to Sofia's.
The air had a distinct chill to it this afternoon, and the sky was cloudy with the occassional appearance of a strangely orange-yellow sun. A cold breeze sent leaves blowing off the trees in the hundreds, dropping them onto the unsusupecting heads of passers-by. The cold had Ziva shivering and she wrapped her arms around herself and quickened her pace. A sudden bolt of lightning followed by an instantaneous deluge of ice-cold rain had her screeching and running the last block into Sofia's warm kitchen.
Sofia herself stood by the door, holding a towel out to her. Ziva immediately began to dry her hair and stood by the open door of the fire-heated baking oven. "Strange weather." Sofia said, staring at the sky before shaking her head and closing the door. The kitchen was warm, cozy and dry but Ziva was still shivering from the icy drenching she'd received. Sofia sent her upstairs to change into some spare clothes her other grandchild, Justin's cousin Rosita, had left here at Christmas.
The clothes were a tad bit tighter than what Ziva normally wore.The shirt outlined rather than hid her breasts and the pants were tight across the bottom as well. Sofia was a little shocked herself at how filled out Ziva looked in the clothes, she usually wore loose khakis and jeans and sweatshirts or giant loose tshirts. The shirt was a deep green color that set off Ziva's cool blonde hair and sea-green eyes.
The door opened and in rushed a groupful of boys, most of them stopping dead in their tracks at the sight of Ziva. "Close the door, monsters, before my floor becomes a lake!" Shouted Sofia with a great laugh. She handed each of the boys a towel and sent them into the more informal den where they wouldn't hurt the furniture or floors with the mud and dirt they trampled in. Ziva kept her head down and played with her notebook, but noticed the stares as they wandered by and blushed like a mad fiend.
Finally they'd all left but Justin, who couldn't seem to stop staring. Finally Ziva couldn't take it anymore. She threw her pencil down onto her notebook. "What!?" She shouted at him. He jumped a little and then just smiled at her. "You look..."
"What? I look what?"
"Different." He said, shrugging and taking the giant plate of cookies and sodas Sofia handed him, walked off to join his friends. "Ugh. Boys. I'll never understand them."
Sofia laughed, then sat down next to Ziva with a handful of cloth and a needle and thread. She was sewing a christening gown for her newest granddaughter, Amelia. Ziva began reading aloud to her and they soon fell into their afternoon rhythm. Before long the rain was just a comforting presence, tapping on the metal roof while they were safe and warm and snug inside.
Sofia finished her lesson by testing Ziva's comprehension of the text. She handed her a cupful of hot tea, nearby was a sugar bowl and a milk creamer. Ziva concentrated hard, pushing her mind to control the tiny gold tongs to pick up a cube of sugar. "One lump or two?" She asked politely.
"Two please, dear." Sofia answered, watching carefully, remembering her own problems with this lesson as a young woman. The tongs slowly lifted, digging into the bowl and carefully lifting a single cube of sugar and carrying it to the bowl. She repeated the tongs-and-sugar once more. Now was the hard part. The gold pitcher holding the cream was filled almost to the brim and to pass this test, Ziva couldn't spill a single drop.
She blew out a breath and then sucked one in, holding her breath as the creamer liften, then wiggled for a moment. She finally caught it carefully using her mental "hands" and placed the creamer over the teacup. "Say when."
Sofia watched carefully as the creamer tipped itself forward and drizzled in about a spoonful of cream. "When. Thank you dear." The creamer righted itself and with only a final little wobble, set itself back on the tray.
Sofia jumped up and hugged Ziva. "I Knew you could do it! Well done, my dear!" Then they both jumped when they heard the sound something breaking. To their horror, Justin stood in the doorway, white faced, the cookie plate shattered on the floor.
Chapter 5
"Oh dear god." Ziva shrieked.
"Justin! Oh, my dear." Sofia said softly.
"Gramma?" He stuttered, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the floor. Ziva quickly gathered him into her arms and checked his pulse and eye movements. "Oh dear god. Sofia! I think he's in shock."
"Oh for the love of heaven! Men! One little flying saucer and they think the world's about to end." She sighed, looking heavenward. With a twitch of her hand, the glass plate was on the table, unbroken, and Justin was in a chair.
Ziva never faltered, within moments, the was waving a bottle of Sofia's smelling salts under Justin's nose and Sofia was lightly smacking Justin's hand. "Justin? Justin, honey, wake up." Sofia said. He opened his eyes for a moment and then they went wide in fear. "You're a...a...WITCH!" he screeched.
"Dear child, what are you going on about?" Sofia asked, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. Ziva just stayed quiet, waiting to see how Sofia would handle this disaster.
Within minutes, Sofia had Justin convinced that all he'd slipped on the floor and had bumped his head, causing him to think he'd seen a flying cream-pot and Sofia congratulating Ziva on her "witching" abilities. She sent him into the den with his friends to play video games. "Boys, I'm driving Ziva home. I'll be back soon. Now who's staying for dinner? I'm making my famous Beef Stew!"
A chorus of "Me"s followed them out the door and into the rainy night. A great chill filled the air and Sofia grumbled. "A few more degrees and it'd be a blizzard!"
They climbed into Sofia's old Volvo station wagon and pulled out of the driveway. Ziva was suprised when Sofia decided to come inside for a moment to talk to her Mother.
Sofia and Arabella closed themselves into Arabella's office and the rain was coming down so hard that Ziva couldn't hear over it...and she didn't dare use magic to try to listen either, certain that either her mother or Sofia would have cast a spell so that no one could "accidentally" overhear.
Finally the door opened and Ziva noticed that her mother looked strangely tired and worn. She made a special note not to bug her mom for a while until she felt better. "Goodnight, Ziva, rest well." Sofia said, as she closed the door behind her and walked out into the cold night.
The open door had left a chill in the room and Ziva smiled. "Watch, Mom." She said, and checking to make sure Arabella was looking, quickly chanted a spell that had a fire burning brightly and warmly in the fireplace. Arabella smiled, she remembered all too well how much fun it was to show off to her parents her acquired skills.
"Very good, sweetheart. Now for some dinner." And with a quick chant under her breath, a table set for two appeared in front of the fireplace. Two bowls of what appeared to be Sofia's Beef Stew, a plate of fresh-baked bread still dripping with the melted butter that had been spread overtop of it, and two tall glasses of iced tea were spread out on the small dining table.
Ziva grinned and sat down to eat. She noticed that Arabella didn't seem to eat much, but gulped down her tea. She sent Ziva to bed with an extra quilt,one that her grandmother had sewn, making a comment about the cold and how if it turned colder, it would be snow instead of rain. Snuggled under the blankets and the extra quilt, Ziva slipped into the darkness of dreams.
Chapter 6
When Ziva awoke the next morning, she was shocked to see at least a foot of snow on the ground! She clambered out of bed, hissing when her feet hit the icy floor. She quickly pulled on a pair of socks and slippers, threw her robe over her shoulders and hurried downstairs.
Arabella stood at the back door, watching the thickly falling snow, a mug of coffee in her hands. Rico sat perched on her shoulder, watching the falling snow as well. She was dressed for work, but her face seemed drawn.
"School's closed for today." Arabella said, turning to her daughter and kissing her on the forehead. Usually this news would have had Ziva jumping for joy, but not this time. Something was wrong, she could feel it. And both her mother and Sofia knew it.
"Mom? What's going on? I know something's wrong, you and Sofia have both been acting weird ever since the storm started yesterday."
Arabella looked shocked. Then her face softened as she looked at her daughter, the little girl she'd raised. "The storm is a warning. A very powerful wizard is coming. And he is not happy. He isn't happy, honey, because you exist. He's not happy because I was a coward and didn't tell him I was expecting you. His child. A child of two very powerful witches. And he is coming for you."
Ziva sat down on the couch in shock. Of course, she'd wondered about her father, all children who are raised without one do. But to find out that he was a powerful wizard, and that she was finally going to meet him...well, it was all quite a shock to her system. She pulled her pajama-covered knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Arabella sat down next to her and pulled Ziva into her embrace.
"Your father and I met when I was very young. I was still under Sofia's tutelage, my powers arrived later than anyone else's in my family, but when they did, they were out of control. So I was sent to Sofia to help learn to harness that power. I met your father at school. He was heir to some great fortune, both financially and mystically. At 18 he was already married, already a man of the world. His family had traveled all over the world and it was all very exotic to me.
He was very kind to me, and told me all about his travels. I was enthralled. Enchanted, you might say," She said with a small smile. "And then I saw the dark side of him. His first wife died giving birth to their second son. He didn't care, didn't even grieve for her. She was older than he was by several years, already in her twenties. He said he wanted to marry me. To raise powerful children, an army, he said, of witches and wizards to...well I'm not entirely sure what, but I knew that it was something I wanted no part in. Soon after, I found out I was pregnant with you. So I went to Sofia, afraid, alone and outcast by my family.
Sofia took me in and treated me like her own daughter. She hid me from your father, told him I'd gone away to "find" myself. Furious, he left and hasn't returned until now. Somehow, he found out about you. I'm not sure how, but this storm is his warning, Ziva. He will tell you lies to make himself seem wonderful, but beneath all of that, there is a dark heart. Sofia and I will do our best to protect you. But you are the one who has the decision to make, Ziva. Choose wisely."
Chapter 7
Even though she was reluctant, Arabella finally left for work. Ziva, meanwhile was silently stewing in her own thoughts about what her mother had revealed. Finally she made a decision. She went upstairs and pulled on some warm clothes, grabbed her Hello Kitty wallet, house keys and her cell phone in case her mom called. She bundled herself into a heavy coat, scarf and boots she found stuffed into the back of a closet and left the house, careful to lock the door.
She slogged her way through the heavy snow, her trip taking her almost three times longer than what it normally would. She slipped twice and nearly went down face-first into the snow. She grumbled and grunted but finally stood in front of the door of the one person she knew would never lie to her.
She knocked on the door for the first time in her life and nearly burst into tears when the door opened. She flung herself into the welcoming arms.
"Ziva? Darling, what's wrong?" Sofia wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl and felt the fear, anger and doubt pouring from her. She drew Ziva over to her rocking chair and pulled her into her lap and let her cry her fears out.
Much later, after Ziva was able to finally speak again, Sofia sat down with her at the kithen table with cups of hot, honey-sweetened tea and chocolate chip cookies. Her eyes red from crying, Ziva slowly told Sofia what Arabella had revealed to her. "And I just don't know what to think, Sofia. I decided to come to you because I knew you would tell me what you know and wouldn't lie to me, even by omission like Mama would."
"Well I'm afraid, my dear, that I truly don't know much about your father except what I have heard from others. I only met him twice, both times when he came here trying to find your mother. I must admit, I didn't like him, he had an aura about him that was dark. He had blonde hair and green eyes, like you, but his held a hint of a dark promise to them. Yours are bright and clear."
"But why is he back, Sofia? How did he find out about me?"
"He probably had guessed why your mother had hidden herself away for so long from him, they'd been almost inseperable for many months. So I'm sure he's been scrying for you for a long while, and then when you began your training, your power would have been easy to trace. Your own aura has a very similar feel to it, he might have been able to sense you without even trying."
Both women nearly jumped when the door slammed open to allow a snow-covered mob of young men to flood inside. Sofia laughed at their antics and sent them into the den with hot cocoa and sandwiches. Justin saw how red Ziva's eyes were and sat down next to her for a moment. "Is everything ok, Ziva?" He asked, passing her another cookie from the platter on the table.
She lowered her head and nodded. "Yeah, just...having a bad morning." He patted her on the arm and nodded. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, give me a call." He said, and handed her a small piece of paper with his phone number on it. She took it and smiled at him a bit. Inside she was now REALLY confused.
CHAPTER 1
"Careful with those, they're ancient!" shouted Sofia, coming through the door into the kitchen. But it was a kitchen unlike any other. It was a mix of modern and old-world. And it was enormous!
An old-fashioned wood-burning oven was built into the wall beside the fireplace that also held a warming hold for hot water. An enormous cauldron hung over the fireplace where the fire hissed and popped comfortingly. A brand-new gas-electric stove stood against one the wall, along with an enormous professional-style refrigerator. The whole place was entirely strange, yet strangely comforting. Ziva sat down on a bench at one end of the long table.
The smell of bread baking came from the oven and Ziva's stomach growled loudly. Sofia laughed, "Lessons first, then food" she called down the length of the table. Ziva looked down the table and saw Sofia kneading a ball of dough, shaping it into a round loaf. She did this to four more balls of dough and left them to rise once more. She turned and washed her hands, dried them on her apron and came to sit beside Ziva.
Sofia was a lovely older woman, with silvery-white hair cut and styled close to her head, clear blue eyes, and was as round as her loaves of bread. She took one of the books from Ziva and opened it to the contents page. With one long-nailed finger, she trailed down the list until she came to one she liked and opened the book to that page. "Fire has been use for centuries for warmth, light, cooking and purification. Nothing is immune to fire; even water turns to steam when in the presence of fire, and thus it takes much water to extinguish flame." Sofia read in a strong, clear voice. She looked at the rest of the page. "Simple enough. Concentrate as you read it, memorize it." She said, looking at Ziva.
Ziva rolled her eyes and sighed. She looked over what Sofia had read and re-read it and then continued with the rest of the page. But her concentration was interrupted when the door banged open and Sofia's grandson Justin and several of his friends came inside, talking and laughing loudly and tossing a ball back and forth.
"Hello boys!" Sofia said, rising to gather Justin into a hug. It was rather funny to see the tiny Sofia hugging her six foot two inch tall grandson. Almost like a bowling ball trying to hug a pin. Justin had his grandmother's blue eyes and happy disposition. He had dark hair like his father and a whip-like sense of humor.
"Grandma Sofia!" they all yelled, coming in for a quick kiss on the cheek that they knew would get them a full basket of Sofia's fresh cookies and sweet rolls. Sofia laughed and pointed at the kitchen door. "They're in the living room, along with your sodas and video games! Now out! I've got tutoring to do!" She shooed them out of the kitchen and then turned her attention back to Ziva. Justin was the only one who waved at Ziva as he left.
She felt her cheeks reddening and lowered her head to try and hide her blush. But she knew that Sofia had seen. "If you focused your attention on your lessons as much as boys, you'd have this learned in no time at all." Sofia said, handing her a candle and a candlestick.
"Yes, but boys are so much more fun to look at than old books!" Retorted Ziva.
"Too true, too true." Sofia said, grinning. She turned back to her now-risen loaves and used a long wooden paddle to place them into the old-fashioned fire-heated oven. She'd told Ziva time and again that there was such a better taste when you used the old ways of cooking.
Once more, Ziva concentrated on the words on the page. She placed the candle in the candlestick and mentally repeated the words, putting an emphasis of the feel of fire: heat, light and imagery. Suddenly the wick began to smoke, tiny wisps of grey, then *Poof * the wick lit with red-gold flame.
"Very good, Ziva!" Sofia crowed. She handed her a plate of cookies and a glass of iced tea. "I knew you could do it!" She said, looking smug. "It was just a matter of concentrating!"
"It's always a matter of concentrating, Sofia." Ziva sighed and bit into a cookie. It was laced with plenty of chocolate chips and caramel, Ziva's favorite. She sighed again. "Why does life have to be so hard when you're a teenager? High school cliques, mood swings, hormones and crushes? And why does life have to be so much harder when you're a witch?"
CHAPTER 2
Ziva opened the door to her house and dropped her keys into the basket on the table there. "Mom! I'm home!" She shouted. When there was no answer, she walked into the kitchen and saw the note on the fridge.
"Dear Ziva, Sorry Hunny, have to work late tonight. Dinner's in the freezer. Or there's pizza money in the cookie jar. Love you! ~Mom" Ziva said to herself, then rolled her eyes when those exact words were on the note.
She pulled a tv dinner out of the freezer, looked at it in disgust and shoved it back. She pulled the chinese-print cookie jar..that had never in it's existence held cookies... and pulled out money for pizza. She called the local pizza parlor and ordered a sausage and mushroom pizza. She got lucky, it was on special and included a free drink and cinnamon sticks.
She waited in the living room for the delivery guy, plopping down on the couch and flipping through channels. She finally settled on a rerun of an old vampire movie and snuggled into the comfortable couch to watch. Twenty minutes later, and into the movie, Ziva jumped when there was a knock on the door.
"Coming!" She shouted and grabbed the money she'd tossed on the coffee table in front of the couch. She walked to the door and opened it, then nearly shut it again when she saw who stood there.
"Hey, that'll be $12.95! Oh! Hi, Ziva!" Said the tall dark
haired boy, handing over the boxes.
"Hi Justin! Oh, here ya go! And your tip!" She said, handing him an extra five dollars.
"Wow! Thanks!" He said. He looked like he wanted to talk for a few minutes. "So...nice place ya got here." He said, looking around.
"Yeah, it's home. How's your Grandma Sofia?" She asked, then nearly beat herself for asking such a stupid question when she'd just been there earlier that day.
Justin grinned. "She's good. She's ...yeah. You know how Gramma Sofia is. How's the tutoring going? Ya know, I never knew her to tutor anyone before?"
"Um. Good, it's going...good, yeah. Yeah, I think it's cause my mom asked her. Mom used to love going over to Sofia's house when she was my age. I think she tutored my mom in mag-math too."
"Oh. Well, I've gotta go. See ya later, Ziva!" He said and ran down the stairs and to his car, waving.
"Bye!" She called to his retreating form. "Bye, Justin." She said quietly as she closed the front door. She carried the pizza to the coffee table and grabbed a glass of ice from the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of Sprite and cuddled back into the cushions with a thick slice of sausage and mushroom pizza.
Chapter 3
The blaring of an alarm-clock radio and bright sunshine woke Ziva the next morning and she snuggled deeper under the covers and turned over. But no such luck. "Ziva, get going! You're going to be late!" Her mother yelled up the stairs.
She grumbled and she groaned, but eventually Ziva kicked off the blankets, threw herself out of the bed and at her dresser. She pulled a random assortment of clothes out of the drawer and crawled into the shower.
The instant the water hit her, it was as if a transformation took place and she was instantly awake. Awake, not perky. She still grumbled as she stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen where she sat down before a plate of eggs, bacon and toast and a glass of orange juice.
She began to eat and nearly drowned herself in the orange juice when her mother's raven, Rico, popped out of nowhere and onto her shoulder just as she was taking a drink. The juice flowed over her face, hair, shirt and the table. "Dammit, Rico! MOM!" She bellowed.
Arabella Devlin strode into the room in a sensible business suit. She took one look at Ziva and shook her head. "For heaven's sake, Ziva, you can't even eat properly without getting messy."
"Me? ME? It was your damned bird-brained familiar popping out of nowhere that did it. Mom! I'm gonna be late if I have to shower and change all over again!" She whined and gave her mother the "puppydog eyes."
Arabella sighed, and knowing Ziva was right, raised a finger towards her daughter. "Raiment refresca!" Ziva's clothes were instantly spotless. "Thanks mom." Arabella smiled and walked away.
She wiped the juice from her chin with a wet cloth, but then noticed her hair was still wet. "Mom! The hair!" She cried. She heard her mother's spell as Arabella walked out of the room. "Coiffure Vibranto!" Her hair was once again shiny, clean and dry.
She grabbed her messenger bag and walked out the door, locking it after her. She walked in the brisk morning air, enjoying the early fall morning. The leaves were turning and falling, crunching underfoot. She sent a small wind ahead of her, skittering golden leaves and acorns across the sidewalk. More quickly than she wished, she arrived at the steps of the high school and sighed.
"Well, here goes." She said, and gripped her bag's shoulder strap. Suddenly she heard a commotion and turned in time to see an off-course football and a player in shoulder pads hurtling towards her, but not in time to get out of the way.
She was bowled over and into the bushes with a hefty football player on top of her. She heard hoots and yells resounding through schoolyard as the player raised the football in the air. The player had caught the ball even when tripping over her.
"You ok?" Came a voice speaking down to her. Ziva opened her eyes and was horrified to see that the player was no other than Justin. He reached down to help her up. Her emotions were still so frazzled that she didn't check herself and as she put her hand in his, sent a zap of power up his arm. "Yeah. Fine. Thanks." She said and stormed into the school, leaving him slightly bedazzled.
He shook his head to clear it and then looked after her. "Weird girl." He said, then turned and threw the ball back to his friends and then ran to join them.
Chapter 4
"Last class of the day, thank you, God!" Ziva muttered to herself, taking her seat. Then groaned when she saw the algebra problem on the board. Why did the last class of the day have to be math? "Ugh!" She let her neck go loose and her head slammed on the desk in front of her with a thump.
Several boys in the class went "Ooh!." And she heard one "Damn!" She picked her head up, oblivous to the enormous red spot on the dead center of her forehead. The bell rang and the teacher walked in. He gave Ziva a strange look, but then continued with the lesson.
A half-hour later, the bell rang and the entire class cheered. Even the teacher grinned, knowing they had worked hard. They turned in their papers as they walked out the door. Ziva was the last to leave, having taken a few seconds to finish the problem. She dropped her paper on top of the stack and walked out of the room. She made her way through the throngs of people and to her locker. She dropped her school books into the bottom, gathered what she needed for homework and stuffed everything into her bag. She snapped the locker shut securely and twirled the dial. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and began the short walk to Sofia's.
The air had a distinct chill to it this afternoon, and the sky was cloudy with the occassional appearance of a strangely orange-yellow sun. A cold breeze sent leaves blowing off the trees in the hundreds, dropping them onto the unsusupecting heads of passers-by. The cold had Ziva shivering and she wrapped her arms around herself and quickened her pace. A sudden bolt of lightning followed by an instantaneous deluge of ice-cold rain had her screeching and running the last block into Sofia's warm kitchen.
Sofia herself stood by the door, holding a towel out to her. Ziva immediately began to dry her hair and stood by the open door of the fire-heated baking oven. "Strange weather." Sofia said, staring at the sky before shaking her head and closing the door. The kitchen was warm, cozy and dry but Ziva was still shivering from the icy drenching she'd received. Sofia sent her upstairs to change into some spare clothes her other grandchild, Justin's cousin Rosita, had left here at Christmas.
The clothes were a tad bit tighter than what Ziva normally wore.The shirt outlined rather than hid her breasts and the pants were tight across the bottom as well. Sofia was a little shocked herself at how filled out Ziva looked in the clothes, she usually wore loose khakis and jeans and sweatshirts or giant loose tshirts. The shirt was a deep green color that set off Ziva's cool blonde hair and sea-green eyes.
The door opened and in rushed a groupful of boys, most of them stopping dead in their tracks at the sight of Ziva. "Close the door, monsters, before my floor becomes a lake!" Shouted Sofia with a great laugh. She handed each of the boys a towel and sent them into the more informal den where they wouldn't hurt the furniture or floors with the mud and dirt they trampled in. Ziva kept her head down and played with her notebook, but noticed the stares as they wandered by and blushed like a mad fiend.
Finally they'd all left but Justin, who couldn't seem to stop staring. Finally Ziva couldn't take it anymore. She threw her pencil down onto her notebook. "What!?" She shouted at him. He jumped a little and then just smiled at her. "You look..."
"What? I look what?"
"Different." He said, shrugging and taking the giant plate of cookies and sodas Sofia handed him, walked off to join his friends. "Ugh. Boys. I'll never understand them."
Sofia laughed, then sat down next to Ziva with a handful of cloth and a needle and thread. She was sewing a christening gown for her newest granddaughter, Amelia. Ziva began reading aloud to her and they soon fell into their afternoon rhythm. Before long the rain was just a comforting presence, tapping on the metal roof while they were safe and warm and snug inside.
Sofia finished her lesson by testing Ziva's comprehension of the text. She handed her a cupful of hot tea, nearby was a sugar bowl and a milk creamer. Ziva concentrated hard, pushing her mind to control the tiny gold tongs to pick up a cube of sugar. "One lump or two?" She asked politely.
"Two please, dear." Sofia answered, watching carefully, remembering her own problems with this lesson as a young woman. The tongs slowly lifted, digging into the bowl and carefully lifting a single cube of sugar and carrying it to the bowl. She repeated the tongs-and-sugar once more. Now was the hard part. The gold pitcher holding the cream was filled almost to the brim and to pass this test, Ziva couldn't spill a single drop.
She blew out a breath and then sucked one in, holding her breath as the creamer liften, then wiggled for a moment. She finally caught it carefully using her mental "hands" and placed the creamer over the teacup. "Say when."
Sofia watched carefully as the creamer tipped itself forward and drizzled in about a spoonful of cream. "When. Thank you dear." The creamer righted itself and with only a final little wobble, set itself back on the tray.
Sofia jumped up and hugged Ziva. "I Knew you could do it! Well done, my dear!" Then they both jumped when they heard the sound something breaking. To their horror, Justin stood in the doorway, white faced, the cookie plate shattered on the floor.
Chapter 5
"Oh dear god." Ziva shrieked.
"Justin! Oh, my dear." Sofia said softly.
"Gramma?" He stuttered, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the floor. Ziva quickly gathered him into her arms and checked his pulse and eye movements. "Oh dear god. Sofia! I think he's in shock."
"Oh for the love of heaven! Men! One little flying saucer and they think the world's about to end." She sighed, looking heavenward. With a twitch of her hand, the glass plate was on the table, unbroken, and Justin was in a chair.
Ziva never faltered, within moments, the was waving a bottle of Sofia's smelling salts under Justin's nose and Sofia was lightly smacking Justin's hand. "Justin? Justin, honey, wake up." Sofia said. He opened his eyes for a moment and then they went wide in fear. "You're a...a...WITCH!" he screeched.
"Dear child, what are you going on about?" Sofia asked, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. Ziva just stayed quiet, waiting to see how Sofia would handle this disaster.
Within minutes, Sofia had Justin convinced that all he'd slipped on the floor and had bumped his head, causing him to think he'd seen a flying cream-pot and Sofia congratulating Ziva on her "witching" abilities. She sent him into the den with his friends to play video games. "Boys, I'm driving Ziva home. I'll be back soon. Now who's staying for dinner? I'm making my famous Beef Stew!"
A chorus of "Me"s followed them out the door and into the rainy night. A great chill filled the air and Sofia grumbled. "A few more degrees and it'd be a blizzard!"
They climbed into Sofia's old Volvo station wagon and pulled out of the driveway. Ziva was suprised when Sofia decided to come inside for a moment to talk to her Mother.
Sofia and Arabella closed themselves into Arabella's office and the rain was coming down so hard that Ziva couldn't hear over it...and she didn't dare use magic to try to listen either, certain that either her mother or Sofia would have cast a spell so that no one could "accidentally" overhear.
Finally the door opened and Ziva noticed that her mother looked strangely tired and worn. She made a special note not to bug her mom for a while until she felt better. "Goodnight, Ziva, rest well." Sofia said, as she closed the door behind her and walked out into the cold night.
The open door had left a chill in the room and Ziva smiled. "Watch, Mom." She said, and checking to make sure Arabella was looking, quickly chanted a spell that had a fire burning brightly and warmly in the fireplace. Arabella smiled, she remembered all too well how much fun it was to show off to her parents her acquired skills.
"Very good, sweetheart. Now for some dinner." And with a quick chant under her breath, a table set for two appeared in front of the fireplace. Two bowls of what appeared to be Sofia's Beef Stew, a plate of fresh-baked bread still dripping with the melted butter that had been spread overtop of it, and two tall glasses of iced tea were spread out on the small dining table.
Ziva grinned and sat down to eat. She noticed that Arabella didn't seem to eat much, but gulped down her tea. She sent Ziva to bed with an extra quilt,one that her grandmother had sewn, making a comment about the cold and how if it turned colder, it would be snow instead of rain. Snuggled under the blankets and the extra quilt, Ziva slipped into the darkness of dreams.
Chapter 6
When Ziva awoke the next morning, she was shocked to see at least a foot of snow on the ground! She clambered out of bed, hissing when her feet hit the icy floor. She quickly pulled on a pair of socks and slippers, threw her robe over her shoulders and hurried downstairs.
Arabella stood at the back door, watching the thickly falling snow, a mug of coffee in her hands. Rico sat perched on her shoulder, watching the falling snow as well. She was dressed for work, but her face seemed drawn.
"School's closed for today." Arabella said, turning to her daughter and kissing her on the forehead. Usually this news would have had Ziva jumping for joy, but not this time. Something was wrong, she could feel it. And both her mother and Sofia knew it.
"Mom? What's going on? I know something's wrong, you and Sofia have both been acting weird ever since the storm started yesterday."
Arabella looked shocked. Then her face softened as she looked at her daughter, the little girl she'd raised. "The storm is a warning. A very powerful wizard is coming. And he is not happy. He isn't happy, honey, because you exist. He's not happy because I was a coward and didn't tell him I was expecting you. His child. A child of two very powerful witches. And he is coming for you."
Ziva sat down on the couch in shock. Of course, she'd wondered about her father, all children who are raised without one do. But to find out that he was a powerful wizard, and that she was finally going to meet him...well, it was all quite a shock to her system. She pulled her pajama-covered knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Arabella sat down next to her and pulled Ziva into her embrace.
"Your father and I met when I was very young. I was still under Sofia's tutelage, my powers arrived later than anyone else's in my family, but when they did, they were out of control. So I was sent to Sofia to help learn to harness that power. I met your father at school. He was heir to some great fortune, both financially and mystically. At 18 he was already married, already a man of the world. His family had traveled all over the world and it was all very exotic to me.
He was very kind to me, and told me all about his travels. I was enthralled. Enchanted, you might say," She said with a small smile. "And then I saw the dark side of him. His first wife died giving birth to their second son. He didn't care, didn't even grieve for her. She was older than he was by several years, already in her twenties. He said he wanted to marry me. To raise powerful children, an army, he said, of witches and wizards to...well I'm not entirely sure what, but I knew that it was something I wanted no part in. Soon after, I found out I was pregnant with you. So I went to Sofia, afraid, alone and outcast by my family.
Sofia took me in and treated me like her own daughter. She hid me from your father, told him I'd gone away to "find" myself. Furious, he left and hasn't returned until now. Somehow, he found out about you. I'm not sure how, but this storm is his warning, Ziva. He will tell you lies to make himself seem wonderful, but beneath all of that, there is a dark heart. Sofia and I will do our best to protect you. But you are the one who has the decision to make, Ziva. Choose wisely."
Chapter 7
Even though she was reluctant, Arabella finally left for work. Ziva, meanwhile was silently stewing in her own thoughts about what her mother had revealed. Finally she made a decision. She went upstairs and pulled on some warm clothes, grabbed her Hello Kitty wallet, house keys and her cell phone in case her mom called. She bundled herself into a heavy coat, scarf and boots she found stuffed into the back of a closet and left the house, careful to lock the door.
She slogged her way through the heavy snow, her trip taking her almost three times longer than what it normally would. She slipped twice and nearly went down face-first into the snow. She grumbled and grunted but finally stood in front of the door of the one person she knew would never lie to her.
She knocked on the door for the first time in her life and nearly burst into tears when the door opened. She flung herself into the welcoming arms.
"Ziva? Darling, what's wrong?" Sofia wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl and felt the fear, anger and doubt pouring from her. She drew Ziva over to her rocking chair and pulled her into her lap and let her cry her fears out.
Much later, after Ziva was able to finally speak again, Sofia sat down with her at the kithen table with cups of hot, honey-sweetened tea and chocolate chip cookies. Her eyes red from crying, Ziva slowly told Sofia what Arabella had revealed to her. "And I just don't know what to think, Sofia. I decided to come to you because I knew you would tell me what you know and wouldn't lie to me, even by omission like Mama would."
"Well I'm afraid, my dear, that I truly don't know much about your father except what I have heard from others. I only met him twice, both times when he came here trying to find your mother. I must admit, I didn't like him, he had an aura about him that was dark. He had blonde hair and green eyes, like you, but his held a hint of a dark promise to them. Yours are bright and clear."
"But why is he back, Sofia? How did he find out about me?"
"He probably had guessed why your mother had hidden herself away for so long from him, they'd been almost inseperable for many months. So I'm sure he's been scrying for you for a long while, and then when you began your training, your power would have been easy to trace. Your own aura has a very similar feel to it, he might have been able to sense you without even trying."
Both women nearly jumped when the door slammed open to allow a snow-covered mob of young men to flood inside. Sofia laughed at their antics and sent them into the den with hot cocoa and sandwiches. Justin saw how red Ziva's eyes were and sat down next to her for a moment. "Is everything ok, Ziva?" He asked, passing her another cookie from the platter on the table.
She lowered her head and nodded. "Yeah, just...having a bad morning." He patted her on the arm and nodded. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, give me a call." He said, and handed her a small piece of paper with his phone number on it. She took it and smiled at him a bit. Inside she was now REALLY confused.