I've found a reason for me
Who has had the most influence on your life?
My first instinct, naturally, was to say my parents. But that wouldn't be completely honest. My biggest influence in life has been my Aunt Keely. Maybe it's just because she's the other witch in the family, and that made us closer when I was growing up. She was the one who spent hours with me, talking about the Craft, showing me how to control my powers as they began to develop, teaching me simple spells and explaining her religion, Wicca, which later bacame my own as well. She was the one I called when I was upset about something, or confused, or afraid. She was my comfort, my best friend, my sister.
I still remember the day when I was in my 6th grade science class and we were supposed to be dissecting frogs. I've always been a big animal lover, so the idea of cutting into another living creature, even after it was dead, sickened me. I tried to refuse the assignment, but my teacher was a hard-ass, and threatened to fail me if I didn't do it. So I sat there at the lab table, a shiny new scalpel in my trembling hand, and just stared down at frog, silently willing it to disappear, or for something to happen so I wouldn't have to cut it.
My wish was answered when the frog caught fire and I was sent home from school for vandalizing school property. The teacher was convinced I'd smuggled in matches or something. Which I suppose was better than him figuring out the truth: that I'm pyrokinetic. A real-life firestarter. Only I didn't know it before the frog incident. Up until then, my only magical power had been a weak form of telekinesis, which mostly involved moving paper across a table or lifting a key a few inches off the ground. Nothing too dramatic, and certainly nothing destructive. It scared me, knowing I had this power within me. But Aunt Keely was great about it. Even though she doesn't have that specific ability herself, she explained the physics of it and taught me how to control it. And never once did she make me feel like she was afraid of me, or like I was a freak. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.
All my life, Aunt Keely was the one I turned to with my problems as well as my triumphs. She got me my job as an Enforcer and helped train me as a vampire hunter. We spoke nearly every day on the phone, even after she moved out of town to open an occult store in Orlando. Despite the hundreds of miles between us, we were as close as ever. There was never anything I couldn't talk to her about. Which was why, when I withheld the fact that I was a vampire from her for nearly a year, she was so hurt. Not that I lied, but that I felt like I couldn't confide it in her. To this day, I feel terrible for it, because she was as understanding and loving as ever once I told her the whole story. She accepted me without hesitation, and once again showed no fear or disgust towards me. She still loves me, no matter what. And when Gavin was nearly killed by one of my enemies, she didn't blame me. She could have lost her only child that night and it would have been my fault, but while he was fighting for his life in the hospital, she pushed aside her grief and worry to comfort me, to reassure me that he would pull through and that I wasn't to blame. She's an amazing woman.
I still want to be like Aunt Keely some day. To have her strength, her unfaltering belief in those she loves. Maybe if I had that, I could bring myself to tell my parents the truth. And to go on living if they turn away from me because of it.
There's this song on the radio right now that I love. It reminds of my aunt, despite the fact that it's technically a love song. In many ways, she really is the reason for me, because without her in my life, I know I wouldn't be who I am today.
I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
My first instinct, naturally, was to say my parents. But that wouldn't be completely honest. My biggest influence in life has been my Aunt Keely. Maybe it's just because she's the other witch in the family, and that made us closer when I was growing up. She was the one who spent hours with me, talking about the Craft, showing me how to control my powers as they began to develop, teaching me simple spells and explaining her religion, Wicca, which later bacame my own as well. She was the one I called when I was upset about something, or confused, or afraid. She was my comfort, my best friend, my sister.
I still remember the day when I was in my 6th grade science class and we were supposed to be dissecting frogs. I've always been a big animal lover, so the idea of cutting into another living creature, even after it was dead, sickened me. I tried to refuse the assignment, but my teacher was a hard-ass, and threatened to fail me if I didn't do it. So I sat there at the lab table, a shiny new scalpel in my trembling hand, and just stared down at frog, silently willing it to disappear, or for something to happen so I wouldn't have to cut it.
My wish was answered when the frog caught fire and I was sent home from school for vandalizing school property. The teacher was convinced I'd smuggled in matches or something. Which I suppose was better than him figuring out the truth: that I'm pyrokinetic. A real-life firestarter. Only I didn't know it before the frog incident. Up until then, my only magical power had been a weak form of telekinesis, which mostly involved moving paper across a table or lifting a key a few inches off the ground. Nothing too dramatic, and certainly nothing destructive. It scared me, knowing I had this power within me. But Aunt Keely was great about it. Even though she doesn't have that specific ability herself, she explained the physics of it and taught me how to control it. And never once did she make me feel like she was afraid of me, or like I was a freak. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.
All my life, Aunt Keely was the one I turned to with my problems as well as my triumphs. She got me my job as an Enforcer and helped train me as a vampire hunter. We spoke nearly every day on the phone, even after she moved out of town to open an occult store in Orlando. Despite the hundreds of miles between us, we were as close as ever. There was never anything I couldn't talk to her about. Which was why, when I withheld the fact that I was a vampire from her for nearly a year, she was so hurt. Not that I lied, but that I felt like I couldn't confide it in her. To this day, I feel terrible for it, because she was as understanding and loving as ever once I told her the whole story. She accepted me without hesitation, and once again showed no fear or disgust towards me. She still loves me, no matter what. And when Gavin was nearly killed by one of my enemies, she didn't blame me. She could have lost her only child that night and it would have been my fault, but while he was fighting for his life in the hospital, she pushed aside her grief and worry to comfort me, to reassure me that he would pull through and that I wasn't to blame. She's an amazing woman.
I still want to be like Aunt Keely some day. To have her strength, her unfaltering belief in those she loves. Maybe if I had that, I could bring myself to tell my parents the truth. And to go on living if they turn away from me because of it.
There's this song on the radio right now that I love. It reminds of my aunt, despite the fact that it's technically a love song. In many ways, she really is the reason for me, because without her in my life, I know I wouldn't be who I am today.
I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you