Palindrome

Animals

I stood in front of the door, confusion clouding my brain. His smirk, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel. The smell of him and the car mixed. Part of being raised a witch is learning to listen to your body, and we don't believe in sin as the Christians do. Want to have sex? Go ahead, as long as it's safe and consensual. There is no need to worry about what someone might say; the shame is all in your head. When two people come together, it's one of the most beautiful things on earth. It just bugged me that HE brought forward that feeling in me. My mind told me to stay away, not trust or talk to him, but my body wanted something entirely different. The sheer force of the feeling scared me. I was a sensible girl; I should know how to keep myself in check. I slapped my hand on the door to wake me up. "Fuck."

If you think we're like the sisters in Charmed, you are wrong. We do have a book of spells, that's true, but it isn't kept up in the dark attic. We try to keep out of people's lives and believe heavily in free will, but if I can help, I will try to. It can be something small like saying a blessing over someone's garden or more severe things like ailing an illness. There's a spell for almost anything, but I can't always go around casting spells. The world can pretty much handle itself. The townspeople didn't show up at my door and ask for a love potion or a spell, but they did talk to me. People spoke to me daily at work about their lives and problems. And if I can help, I try. Like the other day when seven-year-old Peter cried because he'd lost his bike. A small location spell in the backroom, and I could guide him in the right direction. Aside from things like that, I think I lived a pretty everyday life. Not thinking about my parents being killed or my brother going missing, that is. The fact that William and his siblings were disturbing the peace troubled me.

I fell asleep on the couch that night, and nothing woke me. The sun shining on my face finally got me up, and I had to take a minute to remember where I was. It was very early, but I stood to greet the sun, letting it bless my soul. My mother's voice sounded, "Don't believe the darkness when the light goes away; there's always a sunrise blessing the day."

I had two days off, and my only plan was household chores. I had some gardening, and it was time to wash the curtains; Evans would be by to trim the hedges. As I opened the fridge, I noted it was due for a trip to the supermarket. I needed to make some more tea; I'd promised Mrs Jensen the one that helped her psoriasis. As I brushed my teeth, I marveled at the difference from yesterday, what a good night's sleep can do. My eyes sparkled back at me in the mirror, almost frantic. What was the cause of this flow of energy? An image of William sliding his shades back on jumped into my brain, and my stomach flipped at the memory. I waved it aside, refusing to believe he was a reason for my good mood; he and his family were nothing but bad news.

I tore down the curtains with exaggerated force and sang loudly to keep my mind occupied as I put them in the washer. There was a knock on the door, and I checked before opening it. Evans was outside in work clothes and some equipment. I smiled and greeted him, "Evans, up early?" His wrinkled face cracked as he smiled back, "Not one to sleep in, me."  He turned to look at the hedge and shook his head, "You should have asked me last fall, but I can manage. Do you have something to put the leaves and twigs in?"

I helped Evans find everything he needed and thanked him profusely before he started. Evans just shook his head, pulled on some ear covers, and got right down to business. When I was sure he didn't need my help, I went into the kitchen to make a list of things I needed at the supermarket. I'd done some shopping the other day, but I was running low on supplies for tea and potions. I had the radio on, and the kitchen was warm and cozy; I sang along to the song playing, and the distant hum of the washing machine was soothing. I reminded myself that I had to find my bike and wondered if we had a thief in town since two bikes had gone missing. I said the spell inside me and got an image of a place with trees and a path. It looked like an area near Lady's Dwell, just outside town. I breathed heavily; it was too long to walk there, but I could get Evans to drive me.