Chapter 132
Heather
He started chatting about the spells he wanted to try today, but I held a hand up.
"Dude. Four days of trying something and getting the same results...don’t you think we’ve had enough? I mean, a hole in the roof? Really?"
He crossed his arms. "You’re giving up?"
I shrugged.
"Didn’t you break the curse on Serena?"
"Yeah. But I majorly fucked up when I tried to use magic to do it. She almost died. I used my normal powers plus some Were stuff to actually break it." I rubbed my eyes, trying to make sense of everything. "Maybe I’m messing everything up so badly because I didn’t grow up around spells and magic, but some of this stuff...it’s just not working for me."
"Well you have to learn it."
"Says who?"
He looked away from me with a sigh. "Says my mother."
I snorted. "Yeah, okay." I hoped the sarcasm was thick enough for him to pick up on it. "You’ve been really nice to me and I’ve had fun, but I’m not sure that we’re getting anywhere with these lessons. I keep getting it wrong. I follow the all the steps, and I get the complete inverse reaction. Do you think it’s because of the Were in me?"
He uncrossed his arms as he thought. "You might be on to something."
"I thought so. The thing is, I got more control over my natural abilities when I became a Were. That could’ve come with a cost."
"That’s a really smart theory. How did you come up with it?"
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. As much as people’ve called me crazy, I don’t think I actually am." I smiled. "If something’s not working, it’s time to try something else. Plus, Tia Rosa came by earlier. She said I needed to work on strengthening my natural abilities." I started walking to the spell room. "Any chance there’s a book on that in here?"
"Claudia?" Daniel yelled through the house.
"Yeah," she answered as she came down the stairs. "What’s up?"
"Do you have anything on sight here? I think I have a few books at my house, but my mom’ll be pissed if she sees that we’re working on something that’s not on the prescribed list." His cheeks got a little pink.
"Prescribed list?"
He got redder. "She’s a little controlling."
I gave him a bland stare. "I’ve noticed."
We followed Claudia into the craft room. "Should see something here," she said as she got down on her hands and knees and started searching through the piles of books under the worktable.
I shook my head. This was no way to store books. Someone needed to do some reorganization. I knelt down on the floor beside her and started digging through the piles.
After what felt like forever searching and coming up with nothing, Claudia dusted off her hands.
"There’s another place I can check. Hang on."
I stood up from where I was digging through the books, and Claudia came back with a box.
"Maybe in here?"
Daniel and her started inspecting the books, but something else caught my eye. I hadn’t noticed before that there was a hidden door built into one of the walls.
"What’s back there?" I asked.
"Back where?" Claudia said without looking up.
"Behind this," I said as I walked to the wall.
"Nothing. What you see is what you get."
"No. There’s something here." I ran my fingers along the crease, looking for some sort of a latch. A small, thin piece of metal stuck up about two-thirds of the way up the door from the ground.
I pushed on it and the door swung open.
"Way to hold back, Claudia," Daniel said.
Claudia stared open mouthed at the closet. "I wasn’t holding back. I had no idea."
The three of us crowded around to look inside.
"Wow. Look at this." Daniel held up a little jar of something that looked like nail clippings.
"Oh my God," Claudia said. "Those are so hard to find."
Okay. They had my attention. "What is it?"
Claudia winced. "It’s gross. Trust me. You don’t want to know."
Her saying that made me really want to know. I leaned forward, and knocked a book down. "I’m such a klutz." I bent down to pick it up and paused.
It was brown with a teal colored seal—the one that I remembered my vision. I’d searched my whole bedroom to no avail and then forgotten about it. Then just like that, the book was here.
It was almost too perfect. Like I was meant to find it after I talked to Rosa.
But that couldn’t be right. Could it?
"What’d you find?" Claudia said.
"I’m not sure."
I ran my hand over the book and hesitated for a second before grabbing it. Its cover was made of soft, flexible leather. I opened it and the first page was signed with Grams’ name.
For Heather. Don’t forget to use what you have to find the answers.
I shut the book and held it against my chest.
Holy shit. That was my abuela in the vision. I’d never even seen a photo of her that young, but now I knew why she’d seemed so familiar. Sometimes I was a little too dense for my own good.
Grams had been a really strong precog. She could see what was going to come, which was why she’d made a good coven leader. Luciana had some precognition, but all she could see were really vague things that might come to pass.
Rosa was right. Grams must’ve known what was going to happen to me. So, why would she ever name me as the leader? She had to have a back-up plan. I leaned against the countertop with the book. This was too good of a find.
I turned the page delicately. I know you’re in a tough place now, but there isn’t anything to lessen the burden you must bear. I followed the roads of time and saw that if I told you what to do or gave you any hints in your life, it wouldn’t end well. You needed to be raised away from the coven. It’s why I had your mother keep you in California.
I paused. Whatever she’d seen, my life would’ve been a lot easier if Grams could’ve at least taught me about the coven. I wanted to shake her.
I wish I could tell you what’s going to pass, but if I do, everything will be destroyed. So, I’ll tell you that even at your darkest hour, when you’re stripped bare, I will be with you. Don’t ever lose faith.
The thing that will set you free is just above your head. Don’t be afraid to break through.
When the time comes, and you’ll know when it’s here, listen to your mate, trust in the one you doubt, and push the one who denies it.
I wish I could say more, but I can’t. My hands are tied. What I’m placing on you is a tremendous burden, and it breaks my heart to know that I can do nothing to stop what will soon happen.
Do your best to learn the coven’s ways and accept the ability you’ve always feared. Follow your gut. It won’t lie to you.
Know that there are hard times ahead, but stay strong. The worst days only make the best ones that much sweeter. This too shall pass. And happy days will be ahead.
I flipped the pages but the rest of it was blank. That was it. Something horrible was going to happen to me and all I got to help were a few extremely vague words of wisdom? Was that it?
How was this supposed to help me?
"What does it say?" Claudia said.
I shook my head. "It’s from Grams. She left me a note."