Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
“Not knowing you’re a witch and finding out because you levitated in your sleep is kind of poetic, don’t you think?
Waking from a dream into a world of magic and all that.
” Charlie sweeps his arm out in front of him like he’s revealing a stunning vista and not the familiar streets we’ve grown up on.
I give his shoulder a pat. “I think that book is driving you more insane than you realize.
“I prefer whimsical but most likely.”
Charlie and I are walking towards the town hall meeting. It’s sunset, the colors play across the leaves overhead and the sky above us is a riot of colors. This is my favorite time of day. Just before twilight when the sun lights everything up with so much more color than I could have imagined.
“I don’t know how to tell Buffy I’m a witch,” I tell him. I thought all day and no matter how I tried to word it, it didn't sound any better. “I think she’ll be happy? She’ll be happy, right?”
“She has to be happy. I conjugated your powers to specifically help her. Why wouldn’t she be happy?”
“Lots of reasons. She’ll be upset if she thinks I’m in danger, and seeing as I don’t know how to use my magic other than to float when I’m unconscious then I’m not really backup. I’m a liability. That’s big danger.”
Charlie frowns. “Yeah, I guess but…you’ve always been a quick learner. You’ll get this.”
The this being the magic I couldn’t so much as wake up no matter how much I tried today.
Charlie put me through what he called “a training montage” to try and help me get a handle on my powers.
I went along with it because I wanted to be able to show Buffy that I wasn’t going to be a risk, that whatever got thrown at us, I’d be able to be the backup Charlie conjured, but it was a flop.
“I hope so.” I give him a weak smile because I don’t want to think about the books he threw at me trying to get me to freeze time, or the way he blindfolded me to try and heighten my senses.
He had me blowing on a candle to try and turn it on and I didn’t understand why but I tried all the same.
It ended up with me out of breath and the candle unlit.
We aren’t the only ones on the move to the town hall meeting and I wave hello to some familiar faces that join us on our walk downtown.
The town hall meeting is happening in the Hall of Worship of course.
It’s the only place that was built big enough to have a meeting like this on account of the cult activities and human sacrifice that went on here.
My throat goes tight and it's hard to swallow the closer we get. I want to run the opposite direction, anywhere but where we're headed. I don’t normally feel this way about going to the old Hall of Worship, but tonight is different. The scent of smoke from someone’s fire blows in on the wind and I shiver.
That simple smell of woodsmoke changes everything.
It’s like a switch flipped and I can almost see the firelight of the torches that burned in the Founders Circle when I stepped forward to take my vow to Wrath.
My body hums and I raise my hand to look down at my fingers.
I make a fist and squeeze it tight to remind myself that I’m here. I’m alive and everything is fine.
There are no demons after me. Yes, they are after the town and now Charlie but as a whole?
I’m demon free. There’s no misguided cultists coming to take my soul or sacrifice me to their god.
I squeeze my hand tighter but the smell of smoke doesn’t go away.
It surrounds me, sinks into my clothes and into my hair.
I turn my head and inhale deeply. I’m always going to smell this smoke, aren’t I?
My footsteps slow and I stop. Charlie looks back at me.
He says something but I don’t hear him. I see his mouth move, and when he waves a hand in front of my face, everything comes back in a rush.
There’s laughter from kids running by with their families, their footsteps are quick and fast, I hear bells ringing, and someone calling out to a friend.
“Meadow?”
I blink and look at him. “Sorry, what?”
“Are you okay?”
I nod and give him a smile like I’ve been trained to do. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” Then I start walking on towards the Hall of Worship. “We better hurry, we don’t want to be late.”
Charlie is silent but he falls in step beside me. He watches me out of the corner of his eye the entire way to the Hall of Worship, and I watch him out of the corner of my eye too.
When we get to the hall it’s all lit up and for a second I almost can’t walk up the stairs.
It looks so much like it did on my wedding night.
Every single light had been blazing then, the hall a flurry of activity with people running here and there.
The excitement I’d felt that night floods back to me in a rush.
My knees buckle but I force myself to keep walking.
Charlie silently offers me his arm for support and I take it.
We make it up the stairs and are halfway across the great hall when Sunday flags us down.
“I’m so glad you’re here. These humans are trying. I knew I would be at my limit, but I truly did not think I’d be this exhausted by humans. How do you stand them?”
I flick a finger from me to Charlie. “Uh, because we’re human.”
Sunday sniffs. “Yes, but I like you. There are different kinds of humans and these humans reek of panic and confusion. They’re giving me a migraine,” she mutters, rubbing her temples.
Sunday isn’t wrong. There’s an electric feel to the air, like it’s a tinderbox about to go up in flames at the slightest spark.
I can’t put my finger on what’s causing it, but I guess I’m not the only one that’s feeling off.
I look over at Charlie and give him a raised eyebrow.
He gives me a slight nod that he feels it too and looks around at everyone.
Sunday joins us as we push open the double wooden doors that lead into the meeting room. “They’ve been like this for the past hour,” Sunday tells us and ushers us towards the front and away from most of the townsfolk.
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like they’re ants and someone just kicked their ant hill over.
” She looks behind us and frowns. “Even Elijah is as jumpy as a cat. As perfect as he is, sometimes his human nature is too strong,” she says as we sit down in the front row on the left side of the room.
In front of us there’s a table and chairs on a raised dais.
The Founders used to sit here when they made their announcements.
Buffy and Wrath will take their place tonight and not for the first time I have to pinch myself to remember this is reality and I haven’t lost it.
I close my eyes shut and then open them just to remind myself that the Founders aren’t here.
What if it isn’t Charlie that’s losing his mind? What if it’s me?
I grab onto the armrests, my nails digging into the wood.
What if none of this is real and I’m still chained in Aguirre’s basement?
I pinch myself as hard as I can and take in a shaky breath.
I force myself to breathe. It’s more of a gasp than a normal breath but it calms me some.
This is real. I’m real. Everything is real.
I wouldn’t have the brain power to pull this kind of hallucination off.
At least, I don’t think so…
There’s a shout and I’m pulled out of my spiral to see Elijah waving two green flags over his head directing people to their seats. He has a whistle between his lips and gives it a quick tweet to go with his flag waving.
“Places, everyone! Take your seats in an orderly manner. Tonight we honor our Holy Terror!”
“Just so human,” Sunday says and I don’t explain that Elijah is also all human. Instead, I hum like I understand and that I wasn’t quietly having a mental breakdown.
“I heard tonight is about Halloween,” I say to try and switch the topic from humans.
I don’t exactly feel human right now. Am I still human?
Sunday isn’t but that’s on account of her being sacrificed as the first bride, at least I think so.
Witches are human, aren’t they? I want to tell her about the whole witch thing I have going on now.
Sunday is the only witch I know, she’d know exactly what to do but now is not the time.
Sunday is a loose cannon. If I told her Charlie made me a witch, there’s no telling what she’d do with that.
No, I have to tell Buffy I’m a witch first.
She’ll know what to do.
Sunday snorts. “That’s what they want you to believe, Meadow. I need you to see through the lies and promise me that when they come for my magic you’ll stand with me.”
My mouth drops open. “When they what?”
“She’s being dramatic. Knock it off, Sunday.” Charlie wags a finger at Sunday. “You stop the fear mongering. The meeting hasn’t even started. No one is coming after your magic.”
Sunday rolls her eyes at him. “It’s not fear mongering if it’s real, mortal. You think I’ve been around for as long as I have been and not seen this before? Just because some of these people get scared of magic they expect me to live like a caveman. It’s disgusting.”
I blink. “Caveman?” I ask, not even bothering to try and put together what Sunday is talking about.
“She means they don’t want her doing magic willy nilly out in the open because it’s freaking some people out,” Nina says, dropping into the seat beside me. “I think it’s just jealousy if we’re being honest. You know how people get around here. A real case of the haves and have nots. Class warfare.”
I rub my temples. My lips pull up into a smile and I want to scream. I do not want to smile right now. I have no idea what the hells is going on and I wish I could frown. Just once.
“Class warfare seems a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”