“I got expelled.”
“I know that! It was all over school. Gods, Lena, what did you do?”
My happiness at hearing his voice was quickly turning to irritation at his tone. “What do you mean, what did I do?”
He pressed on. “Rochelle left school with you. Is she kicked out, too? Were you dabbling with something dangerous?”
“Why would you assume that Rochelle had anything to do with what happened?”
Justin paused. “She’s not as … focused as you are. And she’s dangerous.”
I laughed humorlessly, fighting back tears. “Not as dangerous as I am now. She had nothing to do with me getting kicked out. She just cut class to try to make me feel better. Unlike some people,” I spoke quickly, not giving him the opportunity to interrupt, “who seem to think now is the perfect time to make me feel like shit.”
I hung up the phone and threw it across my room. It didn’t ring again, and I didn’t care.
It sounds cliché, but when I woke up, I felt better about everything. I hadn’t had any nightmares, and as the sunlight streamed into my room, I felt a new sense of purpose. I needed to figure out what Red magic was, and fast, if I wanted to know what I’d become.
When I emerged from my bedroom, the only member of my family who was there to greet me was Xerxes. He rubbed his whiskers against my legs as I stood in the kitchen, searching the cupboards for food. Desperate, I grabbed a banana and some toast and headed back to my room with the cat trailing after me.
I shut my bedroom door and cast a quick circle to seal my room from intrusion. Mom and Dad were at work, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I added a protective ward for good measure. Xerxes looked at me, bored, and rolled around in a sunbeam on the floor.
“Why don’t you help me for once, cat?” I was annoyed that he insisted on hanging out with me, but it was hard to stay mad at Xerxes for long. He’d been in the household before I was born, and even though he was close to nineteen years old, he acted like he had as much energy as a kitten. I loved Xerxes, and I had considered him my cat, not my parents’, since I was in first grade.
Ignoring the blissful purrs coming from the side of the room, I grabbed my Encyclopedia of Witchcraft off the shelf above my desk. If there was any common knowledge about Red magic, I would be able to find it there.
Xerxes pressed his head against my side and mewed pitifully. Dazed, I looked up from the book and glanced out my window. It was dusk outside. I had been in my room reading for most of the day. Stretching my arms, I cracked my knuckles and dropped my head in a slow circle, focusing on my breathing. I glanced back at the open page in my lap. This book was full of knowledge, but it didn’t mention Red magic anywhere. Rubbing my temples, I leaned back and closed my eyes.
I needed to think about this logically. First, I thought, running through what I’d just read and what I’d already known, I should start with the other magics. White is pure goodness, and White Witches are usually a bit above the nitty gritty details of the real world. Those on the White path are more concerned with grace and old wisdom than with daily living, they are sworn enemies of Black magic, and, I ticked off on my fingers, White magic governs all intellectual and spiritual endeavors. I smiled grudgingly. Justin had certainly chosen his path well! He was always lost in thought, and even his behavior on prom night indicated that he was above the actions of the real world.
I moved on to the Black path. Black Witches value power, influence, and vice, I recited to myself, and they also work with spirit. They are the opposite of Whites, focusing on the darker aspects of spirituality. They aren’t evil, but they’re usually misunderstood. My parents have a deep prejudice against Black Witches, and they hated that Rochelle and I were friends.
Green Witches, like my parents, govern the realm of earth and are much more grounded in day-to-day reality than Whites and Blacks. Greens have the easiest time living among Nons, and Greens are also very globally minded. My parents are two perfect examples of Green Witches using their power for the good of all. They don’t worry as much about spirit as Whites or Blacks; they are more concerned with the here and now.
Somehow the three paths balance each other, but, I wondered, where did Red fit in?
Unfolding myself from the floor, I crossed the room to my dresser and pulled out a slim red candle and a matchbook. Mom relied on her herbs, and Rochelle had her old deck of Tarot cards, but I had always preferred to use candles for divination. I guess fire suits me.
Sinking down onto the floor, I crossed my legs into full lotus and closed my eyes. After whispering a quick prayer for clarity of sight, I lit the candle and placed it on the floor in front of me. I stared at the flame, shutting my mind down to all other sensations. As my vision focused and my breathing slowed, I began to feel words in my mind. I let them come, knowing I could analyze what I learned later. I breathed in and out and watched the red candle until it was nothing but a puddle of wax on my bedroom floor. Just as I started to shake myself out of my trance, my cell phone buzzed beside me, and I grabbed it, hoping that Justin was calling to apologize.
My heart fell when I saw the message. It was a text from Rochelle, wanting me to meet her for a movie. I was tempted to say no, remembering our conversation yesterday, but I needed to think about something other than magic. I was getting burnt out. There would be time later to think about what I’d seen in the candle flame. Just in case I forgot, I jotted down some notes to look over when I got home.
I texted her to say I’d meet her at the end of my street in fifteen minutes. Straightening my stiff legs, I got off the floor and started getting ready. I probably could have told my parents, but I was still mad at Dad over his reaction the night before. Besides, they hadn’t come up to my room to bother me when they got home from work, so maybe they didn’t want to deal with me right then, either.
Instead of going downstairs, I opened my window and climbed down the massive ash tree right outside my window. I had done it many times. There was something thrilling about sneaking out, even though my parents were usually easygoing. I never had to sneak out, but I liked the rush.
I reached the last branch and dropped silently to the ground. My heart was pounding, and I felt dizzy with adrenaline. For the first time since I’d met Hecate, I felt like myself again. I ran to the corner of the street, fighting back the urge to laugh, and hopped into Rochelle’s waiting car.
The movie was some stupid zombie flick, but that didn’t surprise me. Rochelle always picked the worst movies! Still, it was good to hang out with her like nothing had changed. I was on edge, but she didn’t bring up Red magic or Hecate, and I was grateful. After the movie, Rochelle wanted to stop at an all-night diner, but I just wanted to go home and sleep; I kept clinging to the idea that everything with Hecate might still be an awful dream. Rochelle seemed annoyed, but she took me home anyway.
The house was dark when she dropped me off, and although I was relieved, I felt a twinge of loneliness. I hadn’t seen either of my parents since the blowup last night. Were they avoiding me because they were afraid of what I had become? Or did they think I was angry and they were trying to give me my space? Either way, it was weird not to have spoken to them at all in over twenty-four hours. I used the front door, noisily letting myself in with my key. I sort of hoped I’d wake them up and they would come ask where I had been, but the house remained silent. As I climbed the stairs to my room, I promised myself that I would at least come downstairs for dinner the next night.