Excerpt:
The blood moon
set high in the sky was the Earth’s guardian angel tonight. It stood watch
while all the Earth’s blessed and damned creatures roamed freely. It guided
them to their redemption or eternal damnation.
The enchantress
took a deep, channeling breath while she absorbed the magic and the energy this
night brought forth. It was the perfect time to seek the answers she’d long
sought.
If the omnipotent
transcendental powers would not reveal them to her tonight, then all hope was
lost.
She perched the
silver chalice engraved with defined runes on the altar in the garden. She
poured the spellbinding liquid into it and began to chant the spell she’d
memorized.
At first,
nothing happened, but like everything else in life, she needed to be patient
and persistent. She continued on with the ritual until the potion started to
twirl, then churn. It soon glowed a celestial blue.
Peering into the
aquatic abyss, she asked, “Reveal to me the means to restore the harmony. The
balance must be brought back to the line.”
An image
gradually morphed in the chalice. It appeared to be a tall, thin girl with
unruly shoulder length red hair who knelt on the floor. She seemed to have
fallen and had scraped her knees because blood trickled onto the uneven
concrete.
The enchantress
cocked a brow while she curiously observed the scene. Why was the Voyeur
Chalice showing her this teenager? The girl was no older than seventeen. How
did she fit into the whole scheme?
Knowing that she
wouldn’t get more answers until she performed the next part of the ritual, the
enchantress raised the chalice and languidly sipped the elixir. The bitterness
made her shudder until a transcendent voice spoke to her in her mind.
The
enchantress’s eyes glazed over and she remained perfectly still paying acute
attention to what was said.
Once the answer
and all its details were divulged to her, she lit the candle ending the
liturgy.
With leaden
legs, she walked back into the building. The ritual had taken its toll on her.
She’d need to rest to fully recover. But before she could, she had to send a
message.
The kindle
needed to be laid down so that the catalyst could catch fire and set off the
next chain of events.
Unprecedented
things would soon begin to happen.
* * * *
Brianna Meadows
thought that this would be her lucky day. She’d felt it the moment she’d awoken
this morning. The uplifting energy surrounded her and urged her on. She could
move mountains if the feat were physically possible.
So when her
mother had asked her to pick up her facial cream at the department store,
Brianna had jumped at the chance to go.
She’d been
planning to apply for the stock clerk’s job she’d seen posted on the store’s door
earlier this week.
She made sure to
hold her head high and strut with confidence as she walked up to the customer
service counter. A cashier standing there, wearing a white and red striped
uniform, greeted her with a smile.
“Good morning.
How can I help you?”
Brianna cleared
her voice. “Umm, yeah. I’m here to apply for the stock clerk’s job you have
posted on the door.”
The cashier
frowned. “Hmm, they didn’t get rid of that yet?” Her expression switched into
an apologetic one. “I’m so sorry, but the job has already been filled.”
“Oh.” Brianna
spun on the heel of her ballerina shoes, ready to head toward the cosmetics
aisle when the cashier asked, “Did you bring your CV with you?”
“Yes, I did.”
Brianna held up the manilla envelope she carried it in.
“Why don’t you
give it to me. I’ll give it to the manager. Maybe he’ll keep you in mind when
another job opening comes up.” She smiled brightly.
“That’s very
kind of you. Thanks.” Brianna slid it to her on the sloping counter.
As she walked
away, she felt her heart stir. The cashier didn’t have to go out of her way to
accommodate Brianna like she did. Brianna was touched by her kind gesture even
though she had a strong hunch the store manager would most probably chuck her
CV into the recycling bin.
Casting her
discouraging thoughts out of her mind, she moseyed over to get her mom’s cream.
Her mother had given her a fifty-dollar bill and told her to buy herself
something with the change.
The cream cost
only twenty-three dollars and thirty-nine cents, which left her with
twenty-five dollars and sixty-one cents to splurge on herself. She pressed the
tips of her wild curls between her index finger and thumb. She wished she could
tame them somewhat so it didn’t look like she’d just been electrocuted.
She glided her
hand along the edge of the shelf, perusing the selection of hair conditioners
that would straighten her hair when she accidentally tipped a plastic bottle
that rested close to the edge. Multiple bottles toppled to the floor.
Laughter burst
out behind her. She spun around to find Cynthia Doyle and Seraphina Peck, two
of the popular girls in her school, covering their mouths, trying to muffle
their chuckles.
Cynthia leaned
in to whisper something into Seraphina’s ear, which made her bend over in
hysterics.
They obviously
were making fun of Brianna. What else was new? Brianna had been the object of
their ridicule all of the school year. Why would they stop now even though the
school year had ended and summer had begun? Ignoring their cruel behavior, she
crouched to gather the fallen bottles. One by one, she placed them back where
they belonged.
The sound of
stiletto heels clicking on the tiled floor reverberated in Brianna’s ears. She
cursed under her breath. She knew who approached. It was Seraphina. She had a
unique rhythm to her gait. What did she want? Hadn’t she tormented her enough
in school?
“Is there
something you’re looking for?” Seraphina asked as she came to stand next to
her.
“I was just
looking?” she mumbled.
“It was hard not
to notice you after you made everything fall. If you’re looking for a special
conditioner, maybe I can help you search, so you won’t make anything else
fall.”
Brianna wished
the jab had just slid off of her, instead of cutting deep.
Glancing at the
shelf, she replied, “I was looking for something that could straighten my
curls.”
Seraphina
snorted. “Well, you’re looking in the wrong place for that. There isn’t any
over the counter product to tame your wild hair. You need super concentrated
industrial products. You should go to a professional hairdresser who uses
strong chemicals to straighten it. She would be your only hope.”
“Yeah, right,”
Brianna grumbled as she walked away.
She huffed,
trying to rein in her frustrations and anger. Sometimes bad news was good news.
The fact the job had already been filled was a blessing in disguise. She
wouldn’t have been able to work in the same store those two bullies worked. She
wouldn’t have survived more than a day in that toxic environment.
She made a
mental note to avoid this department store from now on. Her mother would have
to come herself to get her facial cream.
As she reached
the exit, she rested her left foot awkwardly on the cracked concrete and she
fell hard forward. Her knees adsorbed the full brunt of the forceful hit as
they made contact with the concrete.
Pain shot
through her legs and she gasped, trying to resist the discomfort.
She’d been
completely wrong about this day. It hadn’t been her lucky day. It was the
unluckiest one she’d had in a while. It couldn’t possibly get worse, she
thought.
But she was so
very wrong, because from twenty feet away, she heard giggling. Cynthia and
Seraphina were at it again.
