“It will be ok, Mara. I'm here.”
“She's gone, Gram. She took, Meg.” I pulled myself out of her arms and
handed her the note. “It's my fault. If I hadn’t –”
Gram interrupted me. “We are not doing this now. You need to calm down
and collect yourself. This isn't the time for self-pity.”
As she read the note, Gram's eyes blazed with anger. When she finished
reading, she shoved the letter into the pocket of her sweater.
“Mara, you need to focus your energy. We need to help Cole.”
"No," I screamed. "My little sister has been kidnapped by a monster!"
Gram gripped me by my shoulders and spoke in a slow, tranquil voice. "We
must go to Cole. Eliza will not hurt Meg. You know how charming your mother
can be. Your sister will think that she is on a grand adventure."
"Ok, Gram. Let's help Cole," I relented. I was not convinced Meg was safe,
but the rush of Air that she was wrapping around me allowed me to control my
hysteria.
On our fast-paced walk to Cole's house, I thought about Eliza's letter. “Gram,
what did she mean about Cole? He doesn't have the gift of magic, right?"
My grandmother pursed her lips.
She isn’t going to silence me now, I thought. "Gram, you promised no more secrets. Why do they keep surfacing? I need to know everything if I want to keep
my promise. Don't I?”
“Mara, there hasn't been enough time to tell you everything. I'll tell you the
short version on the way. One day, you’ll know more than you want to know.
Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss, Mara."
Gram took my hand and squeezed it gently as she told me the story of how
her mother received her gift. “The time my mother grew up in was much
different than the one we live in now. People had forgotten about the Goddess and nature. They worried about their day-to-day lives. The old ways were
considered fantasy and were stories for movies and books.
"One day, four friends were studying in the library when they met a group of
strangers. Breeze, Blaze, Bay, and Daisy had come to town in search of help for
the Goddess. They had a book about the magic of nature that they shared with the girls. Inspiring interest, they began to practice the craft as it was described in the guide."
“Your mother was one of the girls, right?” I asked.
“Yes, my mother, Genevieve, was one of them,” she answered. “She took her
oath seriously. All four girls were committed to the magic, together, and their power grew strong. As they grew older and began their lives of being wives and
mothers, they still came together to honor the Goddess. At first, Genevieve Silver, Lucy Andrews, Michelle Elliott, and Camille Black were always careful
not to flaunt the gift."
Her voice saddened as she continued her story. “But such a gift is tempting
to misuse. My mother said Camille changed soon after she married Brandon
Drygen. She started using her newly learned skills to increase her husband's influence in the community. She would stop at nothing to make sure anyone in
their way was made to realize how powerful she had become. She destroyed
many lives in the name of greed and money.”
