candles and even the eagle statue lifted into the room. I motioned my hands and now, the various items swirled in a slow vortex. I motioned my hands faster and the pages flapped and vials tumbled in the air, faster and faster. Wax flung far and wide throughout the room. I was going to have to clean that later.
“ A nice trick, Allison.”
“ I know, I know,” I said, lowering my hands. The items all settled in place, mostly where they had begun. “Work on my weaknesses.”
“ Good, child.”
“ And what are your strengths?” I asked.
“ My gifts now are more spiritual in nature, Allison. But in the past, I was gifted at connecting with all of nature, from plants and animals, to even the rocks themselves. All of nature spoke to me. And still does.”
I thought about that. “And Samantha Moon was our potions expert back then?”
“She was,” said Millicent. “But not anymore.”
“ Because now she’s a vampire.”
“ Her life—this life—has taken a different path, it’s true. However, I have brought to you another.”
“ You mean Ivy?”
“ Yes, child.”
As she spoke those words, a past life was revealed to me...surely it was a scene approved by my spirit guide and higher self. In it, I saw myself in the woods with two other women...women who did not look like either Sam or Millicent...but who were still them, all the same. Indeed, I recognized their soul imprint . And in the shadows, in the background, watching all of this, was a young girl. She was, in fact, one of our sisters, an understudy, if you will. Waiting for her chance.
“ She is strong,” said Millicent when I opened my eyes again.
“ But not as strong as Samantha?”
“ Strong in a different way...but she is reckless.”
“ Aren’t we all?”
“ Some more than others, child. But...she is one of us. And she has been waiting for this chance.”
“ Do you miss her, Millie?” I asked.
“ Do I miss Sam, our witch sister?”
“ Yes.”
The spirit thought about it, then looked away. “More than you know.”
“She’s still here,” I said. “She’s still part of my life.”
“ But not part of mine,” said Millie. “Now, let’s get back to work.”
I thought about all of this as I continued working again on my spellcraft—in particular, money spells. Working, as Millicent put it, on building up my weaknesses.
So far, I hadn’t won the lottery, perhaps because magic wasn’t supposed to be for personal gain. Okay, so if I won, I would help a lot of people.
My weaknesses sometimes held me back.
But I’m trying.
Chapter Fourteen
Detective Smithy made it happen.
The next afternoon, after my morning shift at The Psychic Hotline, I found myself seated across from a young woman wearing orange prisoner clothing. Separating us was ultra-thick, bullet-proof glass. Samantha Moon had once told me about her encounter with such a bulletproof piece of glass. Advantage: vampire.
Although Smithy had pulled some strings, I still had to wait nearly an hour, along with the rest of the dregs of Los Angeles. I think I might have been murdered a half dozen times—at least in the minds of those sitting around me.
Anyway, I was finally ushered into booth two, where I waited only a few minutes before a young girl appeared, blinking at me rapidly and looking generally confused.
I knew Liz Turner’s face by now, thanks to the many pictures in Billy’s home. I nodded encouragingly as she continued to blink uncertainly, letting her know that, yes, she had arrived at the right booth. She looked at me some more, looked back from the doorway she’d just appeared from, glanced at the guard who was making his slow rounds behind the prisoners, and then looked back at me and shrugged.
As she shrugged, I saw it, of course. It was hard to miss, after all: the same dark energy that swirled through Billy Turner’s aura swirled through hers as well. Perhaps it was even darker, if that was possible.
This wasn’t good; in
“ A nice trick, Allison.”
“ I know, I know,” I said, lowering my hands. The items all settled in place, mostly where they had begun. “Work on my weaknesses.”
“ Good, child.”
“ And what are your strengths?” I asked.
“ My gifts now are more spiritual in nature, Allison. But in the past, I was gifted at connecting with all of nature, from plants and animals, to even the rocks themselves. All of nature spoke to me. And still does.”
I thought about that. “And Samantha Moon was our potions expert back then?”
“She was,” said Millicent. “But not anymore.”
“ Because now she’s a vampire.”
“ Her life—this life—has taken a different path, it’s true. However, I have brought to you another.”
“ You mean Ivy?”
“ Yes, child.”
As she spoke those words, a past life was revealed to me...surely it was a scene approved by my spirit guide and higher self. In it, I saw myself in the woods with two other women...women who did not look like either Sam or Millicent...but who were still them, all the same. Indeed, I recognized their soul imprint . And in the shadows, in the background, watching all of this, was a young girl. She was, in fact, one of our sisters, an understudy, if you will. Waiting for her chance.
“ She is strong,” said Millicent when I opened my eyes again.
“ But not as strong as Samantha?”
“ Strong in a different way...but she is reckless.”
“ Aren’t we all?”
“ Some more than others, child. But...she is one of us. And she has been waiting for this chance.”
“ Do you miss her, Millie?” I asked.
“ Do I miss Sam, our witch sister?”
“ Yes.”
The spirit thought about it, then looked away. “More than you know.”
“She’s still here,” I said. “She’s still part of my life.”
“ But not part of mine,” said Millie. “Now, let’s get back to work.”
I thought about all of this as I continued working again on my spellcraft—in particular, money spells. Working, as Millicent put it, on building up my weaknesses.
So far, I hadn’t won the lottery, perhaps because magic wasn’t supposed to be for personal gain. Okay, so if I won, I would help a lot of people.
My weaknesses sometimes held me back.
But I’m trying.
Chapter Fourteen
Detective Smithy made it happen.
The next afternoon, after my morning shift at The Psychic Hotline, I found myself seated across from a young woman wearing orange prisoner clothing. Separating us was ultra-thick, bullet-proof glass. Samantha Moon had once told me about her encounter with such a bulletproof piece of glass. Advantage: vampire.
Although Smithy had pulled some strings, I still had to wait nearly an hour, along with the rest of the dregs of Los Angeles. I think I might have been murdered a half dozen times—at least in the minds of those sitting around me.
Anyway, I was finally ushered into booth two, where I waited only a few minutes before a young girl appeared, blinking at me rapidly and looking generally confused.
I knew Liz Turner’s face by now, thanks to the many pictures in Billy’s home. I nodded encouragingly as she continued to blink uncertainly, letting her know that, yes, she had arrived at the right booth. She looked at me some more, looked back from the doorway she’d just appeared from, glanced at the guard who was making his slow rounds behind the prisoners, and then looked back at me and shrugged.
As she shrugged, I saw it, of course. It was hard to miss, after all: the same dark energy that swirled through Billy Turner’s aura swirled through hers as well. Perhaps it was even darker, if that was possible.
This wasn’t good; in
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