Earth (5 page)

"Oh, thanks!" I pulled a ten out of my pocket
and handed it to her, the greasy roast beef sandwich and mashed
potatoes with brown gravy felt like they weighed fifteen
pounds.

"So," Steven's head appeared between us once
we were on the road, "is this totally new stuff tonight?" His hand
reached forward to eject my CD again but I was ready for him this
time and slapped his hand away. I held a firm rule about music
before we cast. I had a CD that I burned compiled mostly of new age
and Celtic music. It was the perfect balance to center one's
energy, calm the spirit, and excite the senses, a perfect recipe
for spell casting. Steven pressed his lips together and furrowed
his brow at me but didn’t complain, probably just testing my
resolve on the rule.

"No, not really. Just instead of calling on
The Watchtowers I wanted to call on our guardian angels." Steven
nodded and leaned closer to Jodi to read over her shoulder. She had
dug out my paperwork with tonight’s spell and instructions, trying
to commit the chants to memory, not wanting to have to consult her
notes and distract herself once we were into it. She passed a copy
to him and Steven settled back into his seat to study.

"Hmmm... interesting." Jodi said under her
breath.

"What?" I asked.

"I see you're really asking her guardian
angel for help."

"Yeah, but through a channel we can trust.
Can’t just go asking anything out there to identify itself as her
angel, we'd be asking for a world of trouble."

"No, I like it..." There was a hesitation in
her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I don’t know my guardian angel." Her
face fell slightly.

"Oh, babe, I know. They'll show themselves to
you, don’t worry."

"I don’t know what to picture in my head
though." Steven was watching me intently through the rearview,
clearly very interested in my explanation, as if as soon as Jodi
had voiced the concern he too felt nervous.

"You don’t have to. You'll know them when you
see them." I emanated confidence and reassurance to them
with my words, feeling them both relax marginally. I allowed
myself a smile and continued down the road, turning to park under
the over pass. We each carried a backpack full of supplies across
the road and onto the sand. We walked quickly and quietly, not
wanting to attract any attention. A short distance away I heard the
gentle humming of old lungs carried back to me on sea salted
air.

"Byron!" I called out into the darkness and
heard the humming stop and the rustle of stiff fabric as a shape
took form in the pale moonlight. As the shape took the form of a
man I heard the rough chuckle rumble from his throat.

"Hello my pretties." I returned Byron's smile
and handed him the take out box from dinner. He took as deep breath
and sighed with pleasure, "Ahhhhhh.... roast beef, my favorite.
Thank you."

"And I brought this for you." Steven handed
him a wool blanket he'd carried out that I hadn't noticed.

"Very kind." He smiled at all of us and
nodded, "Same as last?"

"Yes, but it may be a little longer than
last."

"That’s fine darling. The city installed a
lovely bench by the road. I shall have a sit down with my dinner
and cozy blanket and I'll read by the street lamp." Byron was the
self-proclaimed beach bum of our town. He'd become homeless by
choice, giving up society for good in the 80's when he caught his
wife cheating on him with his brother. He stumbled upon us one
night, nearly breaking our circle, but didn’t ask too many
questions and offered to strike a bargain with us to act as our
look-out on nights we needed to work, all in exchange for the
simple cost of a hot meal. Of course we offered money more than
once, and shelter, but he refused it every time, saying nature
provided all he needed. So instead we'd bring him food and
hand-me-down clothing our fathers were going to donate to
charity.

We set out for the spot on the shoreline we
customarily took. It was partially hidden by a curving of rocks and
the sand was smooth and free of pebbles but large enough to create
a fifteen-foot radius circle. We each set our bags down on the
rocks and quickly stripped our socks and shoes, shivering from the
cold, damp sand. I found the spot to mark as the middle and
extended one arm fully. Jodi grasped my hand, stepping back to
extend both arms and Steven reached for her hand, extending his arm
fully. Carefully I began to rotate on the spot, Jodi and Steven
walking slowly next to me, marking two large circles in the sand
with their feet so we could have clear lines to follow when they
magically drew
the protective circles.

Twenty minutes later and both Steven and Jodi
finished their circles, careful to have everyone inside the
inner-circle before Jodi sealed it around us. I had set up our
altar as they drew the protective lines around us, feeling energy
flow strongly around me as I worked. Steven lit the candles.
Closing his eyes and breathing deep he raised his hand to the wicks
and caused them to flame to life. My face glowed with pride. Fire
was one of the more volatile elements to attempt to control.
Because I had the aptitude for all four elements things came easier
to me than to the others, which had made me a makeshift teacher for
them in their elements. So when they were able to show command over
their powers I couldn’t help but feel proud.

We sat then, meditating for a time,
reaching out
to each other and interlacing our energies,
pushing it out to the circles around us, strengthening their
shields. We joined hands and I began the prayer, calling all good
energy and light to help us, dispelling any evil or mischievous
entities. I vaguely heard Steven and Jodi near me chanting beneath
my prayers, calling the names of the elements and the power of
three, their twined voices like velvet on my skin.

"We call to our guardian angels to come and
hear us. Aide us this night in search of healing and love for
another."

"Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water,
Fire. By the power of three times three, let it be, let it be.
Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water, Fire."

"We call to our guardian angels to come and
hear us. Aide us this night in search of healing and love for
another. We ask for help banishing an evil, controlling force that
threatens her innocent life."

"Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water,
Fire. By the power of three times three, let it be, let it be.
Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water, Fire." Their voices
were softer now. I held my eyes closed to keep out all distraction.
I heard the ocean pulse nearby, the waves lapping gently against
the packed sand and in the darkness I saw the shimmer of silver
light growing stronger by the moment. I felt Jodi's fingers tighten
around mine, knowing she was seeing a similar vision. It was only
thanks to years of practice that kept her from gasping aloud and
breaking the rhythm of the chant.

"Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water,
Fire. By the power of three times three, let it be, let it be.
Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Earth, Air, Water, Fire." I kept quiet,
summoning the energy I felt beneath me and
sending out
to
the lights that approached us. I became aware of two others, one on
either side of me and I knew they were drawing closer to Jodi and
Steven respectively. Our deep connection to each other, with the
channel open through our joined hands, allowed me to share this
moment with them as their guardian angels began to take form for
them. I would never truly know what their angels looked like, just
as they would never know what mine looked like, that being a very
private and intimate thing, but I reveled in the joy, knowing I had
helped bring them together.

The breeze that had swirled around us
suddenly stopped and I knew that Jodi was embracing her guardian
angel and had found the power within herself to fully command
the intangible element, shielding us completely, not wanting even a
breath to interrupt this most beloved of meetings. I
reached
out
and drew my familiar angel to me. He smiled softly, but
with that smile he could light a thousand suns and I felt my throat
tighten and tears spill from behind my eyelids.

He was more beautiful than a full-mooned sky
with a million stars reflected over the sea. He had tousled, golden
hair and rich evergreen eyes that seemed to have the depths of
heaven hidden there. His wings, shimmering black and silver,
wrapped around me, pulling us together into one. And in that moment
I gathered myself and silently sent my plea to him for Tracy's
sake, asking for help to find her guardian angel to keep her safe
from Nick and guide her where her heart belonged.

In an instant it was over. The crisp, moist
air whipped around us suddenly, biting into our cheeks and hands.
We sat in silence for a few more minutes, grasping each other’s
hands tightly and I knew, without looking, they cried with me.

"Thank you..." I almost didn’t hear Jodi's
whisper over the unexpectedly loud waves crashing closer and closer
to us. Steven, beyond words gripped my hand tightly, his silent
gratitude washed over me like heat of a roaring fire on a cold
winter's night. I smiled again.

After we said a prayer of thanks and
dispelled our circles and cleansed the area around us we made the
hike back up to the road, finding Byron still sitting on the bench,
reading a dog-eared copy of
A Tale of Two
Cities
.

"Ah, all finished then?" He asked brightly as
we approached.

"Yes, thank you Byron, as always, we couldn’t
have done it without you."

"Do you need anything Byron?" Jodi asked,
genuine concern in her eyes.

"No my dear, thank you." We bid him goodnight
and piled into the minivan and I turned us back onto the freeway
and drove quietly and contentedly into the night.

Chapter 3

When the three of us walked to my locker
after French on Monday and I pulled my locker door open, a light
purple envelope fell out at my feet. Steven stooped down and picked
it up, tearing it open as he stood up. He pulled out the card
inside with two silver hearts intertwined on the front. He flipped
it open and showed us that inside there was a simple “Thank you”
written in pink ink.

“That’s Tracy’s handwriting,” Jodi commented
almost dismissively as she shoved our French books inside the
locker and pulled out our math books, handing me mine.

“How do you know?” Steven asked.

“I recognize it from her birthday party
invitations.”

“What teenager still hands out birthday party
invitations?” Steven asked incredulously.

“Apparently someone who still sends thank you
cards,” I said as I snatched the card from him and waved it in his
face. “Someone who still has manners.” I tucked the card inside my
math book.

“Hey! Why didn’t I get an invitation?” Steven
pouted.

“Because it was a slumber party for girls.”
Jodi explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the
world.

“So?” He insisted.

“For real girls, Steven!” I said as I grabbed
Jodi’s arm and blew Steven a kiss rushing us to class.

When we walked into class, Jodi grabbed my
arm suddenly, making her thoughts burst into my mind as she
thought,
There he is!

What? Who?
I thought back. Looking up
I saw a guy at the teacher’s desk taking back a piece of paper and
turning to take an empty seat the teacher indicated with a wave of
his hand. As he turned, his eyes scanning over the room, he stopped
suddenly, as if hit by a wall, and locked eyes with me. He had
fathomless blue eyes. My stomach flipped and I felt my throat
tighten and I had to fight the urge to smile. This was a very
strange feeling, suddenly nervous and self-conscious just because
this boy was looking at me.

Oh no, that’s not him. Phew! But he does
look a lot like him. Maybe twins?
Jodi’s “voice” sounded more
like her own again, breaking me from my trance.

Who are you talking about?
I demanded,
letting my frustration color my words.

There’s this new guy in my Chem. class.
He’s gorgeous, not that this guy isn’t, but there’s a more chiseled
quality to the other guy’s face. Yeah, twins, must be.
I found
it funny how a new student always seemed to carry with them an air
of adventure and excitement.

Hmmm…Wait, what the hell Fae! You’re
dating Jay!
I colored my words as darkly as I could. Jodi had a
more wandering eye than most hard up guys. Her boyfriend was a good
friend of mine going back to elementary school.

There’s no harm in looking!
She shot
back defensively. Too defensively.

Mmmhmm. Just remember, Jay’s like a little
brother to me, and just because he’s at a different high school, it
wouldn’t make you any less of a slut.

Whoa! That’s too far!
Jodi glared at
me.

Not according to what I can see going
through your mind right now,
I shot back at her. We glared at
each other, Jodi’s hands forming fists and mine holding onto my
bag. After a few tense moments Jodi finally blinked and looked away
from me. I felt a wash of embarrassment from her; she hadn’t
realized I could see the underlying thoughts in her mind when we
were so closely connected. I couldn’t really blame her though; I
was afraid of being the same way and that more than anything kept
me from committing to a boyfriend. We set to work on today’s
problems in silence. We were just finishing the sixth problem when
I heard the tip of Jodi’s pencil snap.

“Damnit!” She whispered harshly. She turned
in her seat to reach in her bag for a fresh one and turned quickly
back around, touching my wrist lightly,
The new guy is staring
at you.
This exciting development magically erased all our
earlier tension. Girls learn at a young age not to physically
respond to this kind of information for fear of embarrassing
yourself. So with every ounce of self-control I had, I remained
staring at my paper.