Hidden Magic

Stranger

Rosie closed the door of the bathroom behind her, and flipped the lock. What is Amber doing? She thought pacing back and forth across the green coloured tiles. Is she really going to work with James? I thought he was evil... Will she really kill him if he doesn’t do what she says?


Rosie shook her head frantically. She was feeling more and more like Amber is not the person she thought she was. Amber is sweet and kind – not evil and ruthless. Rosie looked up into the big mirror above the sink. She didn’t recognise the stranger staring back at her through the glass. The person in the mirror looked tired, stressed, broken. She teared her eyes away from her reflection, turning the tap on and splashing her grimy face. Wiping her face, she pulled her phone out from her jeans pocket. Five missed calls from Mum, and three voice mails. Rosie felt a sharp twang of guilt. She’d left her Mum all by herself in the big house. She’d left her with no daughters. For the first time Rosie realised she might not have survived tonight, and that would have surely been the end of her Mum. She owed Shane a huge thank you, and her Mum a thousand apologies.


She placed the phone back in her pocket, and with a deep, steadying breath, unlocked the door. She stepped out, and then came to a sudden stop as her head collided with a cold man’s chest. Rosie stared at the blood-red colour of his vest, and felt her heartbeat thud in fear as she looked up into his smirking face.


“Hello Rosie,” James said brightly.


Rosie gulped and nodded, mumbling a quiet reply.


“Speak up, child, I cannot hear you. And that’s saying something for a vampire. We have advanced hearing, you know?” James studied her for a second. Rosie refused to look into his eyes, so instead she kept them firmly on his chest. “I suppose there is a lot you would love to know about vampires, right? Maybe I could teach you sometime, if you would acknowledge my presence a little more.”


She finally looked up. James’s eyes were a vibrant green, shining in the hall’s light. They flashed as he smiled. “Wonderful,” he said, and clapped his hands sarcastically. “Now you have learned some basic manners, is there anything you would like to know?”


She had a billion questions for him, but she couldn’t speak. No matter how much she tried, no words would escape from her lips. James frowned. “I guess not then,” he said, stepping around her and into the bathroom.


Rosie felt embarrassed, and she just knew her cheeks must be burning violently. But all she could seem to think about was another question. Do vampire’s pee? Rosie rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Great, now I have a billion and one questions for him.





Amber was sat in her bedroom when Rosie walked in. Amber smiled her a welcome and carried on leafing through the old spell book on her bed. Rosie walked over to the feature wall. It was of the breathtaking waterfall she’d seen on her last visit to Amber’s home. She lifted her hand to it, all of a sudden the waterfall making sense. “This represents your thing then?”


Amber looked up as she turned around to look back at her. “Yes, it does,” Amber said with a smile at the dazzling wall. “It comforts me to be near water. Animals of the sea, anything water based. It has a calming effect on me. My gift, I guess.”


Rosie nodded, putting her arms by her side. “And Shane’s is fire?” She asked warily.


“Uh-huh,” Amber said, giving her a suspicious look before going back to her book.


Rosie sat on the end of Amber’s bed. “Can you tell me more about it? Like what does it mean?”


“Some other time,” she mumbled, lost in the bizarre language wrote all over the crisping paper.


“Tell me now.” Rosie was surprised at how stern her voice sounded, but she was glad because it worked. Amber looked up at her and stared at her like she’d never seen her before. Eventually she gave her a strange smile and closed the book.


“Where should I start?” She asked.


“What does it represent?”


“Good question,” Amber said proudly. “Well it basically is the representation of the elements. I was specially gifted with Water, and Shane with Fire. But that’s not all the power we have, and not all witches are even gifted with an element.”


“What do you mean?” Rosie asked.


“I mean that the people who are gifted with the power of a special element can still do minor spells from other elements. Like I could light a candle with my mind, for example, but nowhere near to the power of Shane. And Shane could do simple water spells.” Amber shrugged. “I guess it’s just the way it works.”


“Okay. But what did you mean when you said not all witches are gifted with an element?”


“Not all witches are gifted. Most witches aren’t gifted with an element and can only do simple spells from each element, minus Spirit. And then they have basic witchcraft to use, like rituals and spells that don’t involve an elements strong power.”


“Why are some gifted and some not though?” She asked, confused.


“I really don’t know why some aren’t gifted. Some, like me and Shane come from lineages of witches that date back right to the beginning of witchcraft. We come from a very strong line of witches and warlocks. As you have probably seen so far.” Amber smiled warmly, seeing the anxious look on Rosie’s face. It was almost hard to believe that it was the same girl who earlier had been threatening a persons...well vampire’s life. “Though I don’t mean to alarm you when I say we are capable of much, much more than what you have witnessed so far.” I bet you are, Rosie couldn’t help but thinking grimly.


She put that thought out of her head. “So who gifts you with these special elemental powers?”


“The goddess, of course.”


Rosie blinked. “Goddess? You have a goddess?”


“Yes, the goddess of witches. But we are not getting into that topic today.” Amber rolled her eyes again at the look of disappointment on her face. “Some other time, okay? I promise.” But what does that really mean? Who are you?! Rosie’s mind yelled at her. Who are you, Amber?! Who are you really?


Rosie nodded, disturbed by the thoughts passing through her head. “Of course. Just can you tell me one more thing? Please.”


Amber sighed. “Yes. What?”


“What are the elements?”


“The elements are Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit. They control the Earth in a big way. Most people think there are only four, but Spirit is one. Though no other witch in history has the power of it except from the goddess.” Amber seemed lost in thought for a second. “It’d be cool to have it though. It’s the most powerful element by far.” She shrugged. “Oh well. Anyway I best be getting back to work, so can you give me a little while?”


“Yeah, okay.” Rosie left without bothering to ask her what evil master plan she was making up next.





Rosie walked into the living room, and found Shane sat on the couch, staring at the blank, black screen of the TV. He was holding an X-box remote. She sat down on the couch beside him, but he still didn’t notice her. The only thing that reminded her he was still alive was his light breathing, and the fact he was sitting up with no back rest.


She decided not to bother him. She already felt like too much of a burden today without pestering him for small talk...or more information Amber hadn’t provided her with. Like who is this goddess? Who knew witches even had a goddess? Or even supported any type of faith?


She sat back further on the couch and looked around the room. It was quite big and was decorated with a lot of dark wood. Definitely seemed like a touch of Lorraine’s style. Dark and murky, all right. Rosie shuddered at the thought of the creepy woman, and silently hoped that Shane had been telling the truth when he said she would be out all night.


The weird thing about the room is that there were no memoirs. No childhood photos of Amber. Nothing. All that was there in the form of a picture was a big canvas of a dark forest. The room just oozed darkness. There wasn’t anything remotely homey about it. She shivered again.


Even though Shane was mere inches away from her, she’d never felt more alone. Amy was gone. Mum might as well have been just as far away. And Amber...she really didn’t know who Amber even was anymore. Shane was now the closest thing to a friend she had around here, even though he had killed that vampire tonight. But that had been to protect her. But isn’t that what Amber’s doing too? She thought, but she knew from the weird feeling of unease it gave her, that wasn’t true. Not at all. Maybe Amber’s more like her Mum than I thought. But that didn’t feel right either...


“Hey,” Shane said, pulling her from her thoughts as he stretched his arms and gave an exhausted yawn. Rosie’s breath caught at how sexy he looked when he stretched his muscles, and she had an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch them. But that would probably look a little weird.


“Hey,” she replied, her voice unsteady.


“What’s up?” He asked worriedly.


Rosie shrugged. “Everything, really.”


Shane smiled in understanding. “I understand, it’s overwhelming. All this.” He gestured to all around him, at himself. “I’m sorry you were ever brought into this crazy side of the world. You were never meant to know.” He leaned back on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. He fiddled with the remote in his hands. “Can I help you with that everything?”


Rosie smiled at his kindness, and felt some of the loneliness she’d been feeling before fade away. “Not really.”


“Well you let me know anytime you need someone to talk to.”


“I will,” she promised.


Shane looked across at her and gave her a wink. His dark brown eyes sparkled in what light there was in the living room.


Rosie looked away, refusing to go there. She couldn’t be responsible for what might happen if she kept looking at those gorgeous eyes. “Where’s James?” She asked, even though the mention of his name gave her a jolt of terror.


“God knows,” Shane said, the hatred still remained in his voice from the earlier confrontation. “Last time I saw his dead ass was in the study. I seriously wish that thing would get out of this house before I set him a light.”


Rosie giggled slightly, though it really wasn’t that funny. But Shane seemed to always be able to lighten the mood with his humour. Even if that humour was not completely harmless.


“I don’t think you should hurt him though. I think he could maybe help us,” Rosie admitted.


“Maybe,” Shane said stubbornly. “I still hate him.”


“Me too.”


“Why?”


“He creeps me out!” Rosie laughed. “I mean his dress sense. Like gruesome couture, right?!”


“Yes, I totally get it!” Shane laughed with her. “It’s like he’s always dressed for a funeral or something. And that cape he sometimes wears, my god! He looks like an evil, tacky vampire villain!”


They both dissolved in laughter for a long time. Rosie finally stopped when her stomach was starting to hurt badly from the constant pressure. “We shouldn’t be laughing about him. He might come and snap our necks or something.”


“Eh,” Shane said. “I like to live dangerously. And you can’t not make fun.”


“Maybe not, but it would be nice,” James said, standing at the door, looking not at all amused.


“Um, how much of that did you hear?” Rosie asked, cheeks flaming hot.


“Evil vampire villain was my personal favourite, though I don’t agree with the tacky part. That cape cost a lot of money, thank you,” James said, a genuine smile spreading across his own lips.


They couldn’t help it, Shane and Rosie exploded in laughter again. And Rosie thought she even heard James join in.