《The Blanchard Witches of Daihmler County》 Chapter 1: Guess Whos Coming to Dinner It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, her four thousand four hundred and thirty-second Saturday afternoon. Olympia Blanchard was eighty-five, but her mind hadn¡¯t slowed down for a second. She was the eldest of her kind in her family, so that made her the wisest. She was sitting on the front porch which wrapped around their large twenty-three room country house. At three stories tall, not including the tower room, the Blanchard house was one of the largest homes in Daihmler County, Alabama. It was on this land where courageous farmers, armed with only their tools and very few rifles, did their best to ambush Yankee soldiers marching their fiery path through Alabama during the Civil War. The ambush did not stop the soldiers whose orders were to burn every landmark and building of prestige, but it is remembered as a courageous endeavor, nonetheless. Although if truth be told, the Confederate Blanchard¡¯s of the time were running a secret stop on the underground railroad. Jebediah Blanchard and his wife Nancy helped 17 slaves get to the north. And it happened on Blanchard land. Olympia was proud of her home and heritage¡ªmost of her heritage. The soft cushions of the white wicker rocker helped her to relax, as the scents of flowers whiffed by in the quiet breeze. The morning glories climbed high and proud, wrapping around the columns of the porch, displaying a regal shade of blue. Another vine twisted alongside the morning glories, a vine of moonflowers which would open a cascade of white brilliance at nightfall. Around the porch grew her roses, gardenias, and hydrangeas. A few feet away stood her six tall magnolias, emitting perfume all the way to the pool area beside the house. She grinned whenever she thought of the pool. The grandchildren had insisted upon that monstrosity. It wasn¡¯t natural to dig a hole in the ground and pour concrete and chlorine water in it. Olympia tried to tell them to walk down to the stream if they wanted to swim, but they just had to have a swimming pool. Sinclair had put that dreadful thing in against her wishes. But he¡¯d never been able to say no to the grandchildren, she remembered smiling. He¡¯d loved them as if they¡¯d been his very own. And they¡¯d all adored him. I should go inside. It¡¯s hot and I have been out here too long. Olympia rolled her eyes. Will they never learn? ¡°Demitra,¡± she whispered into the breeze. ¡°Come here.¡± Moments later a woman of around forty appeared in the doorway, her raven hair curling gently off her shoulders. ¡°Yes, Mother?¡± ¡°Dear, will you and your sister ever figure out that though I am old, I am still not weak enough for your mind games to work on me.¡± ¡°Sorry, Mother.¡± Demitra smiled. ¡°But it is too hot out here for you. You should come in where it¡¯s cool.¡± ¡°I know this old body better than you do my Love,¡± Olympia replied. ¡°I want a few more minutes out here in the sunshine with my flowers.¡± Demitra took a seat in the empty rocker beside her mother and enjoyed a little of the summer¡¯s gifts herself. She paused between rocks and asked, ¡°Tell me, mother to mother, how do you differentiate between your own thoughts and implanted ones? I never learned to, and the girls were always doing it to me as teenagers.¡± ¡°No, they weren¡¯t my Love,¡± Olympia chuckled, much too pleased with herself, remembering those long-gone days when her daughter¡¯s daughters were younger. ¡°That was me. You were much too strict with them. They needed some freedom.¡± ¡°So, it was you who would plant those thoughts in my head about dropping curfews and letting them date early!¡± Demitra gasped, but in truth she wasn¡¯t a bit surprised by this revelation. ¡°You are unscrupulous Olympia Blanchard!¡± Olympia patted her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°It was strenuous on you, Baby. Raising children alone is never easy.¡± ¡°You managed fine.¡± ¡°Honey, if I¡¯d managed fine then Artemis might be married with children of her own, and Nacaria might not have ruined her life the way she did.¡± Demitra smiled consolingly, ¡°You did the best job raising us that anyone ever could do. One single mother with three adolescent witches to raise had to be its own kind of torture. At least I had you and Artemis for help.¡± The old woman laughed out loud. ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t easy to remain one step ahead of you three girls. This white hair of mine used to be the loveliest blonde.¡± ¡°You amaze me every day, Mother. Always did. Like the mind whisper thing. I could be at a friend¡¯s house, and I could hear you speak to me. And you always knew when we were lying to you. I know you¡¯re going say it¡¯s because you¡¯re a full witch and we weren¡¯t, but I don¡¯t buy that. Salem and Seth are full witches, but they can¡¯t do all the things you can do.¡± ¡°Demitra, Demitra, so full of questions. Your mother is old and wise in the ways of the earth and despite your lack of assuredness, so are you.¡± The tranquility of the moment came to an abrupt end as Seth Blanchard came tearing up the driveway in his white truck. He¡¯d barely stopped the vehicle before he bounded out, bolting up the porch steps to his grandmother and aunt. The sunlight streaming onto the porch accentuated his sandy blonde hair. ¡°Guess what? Guess what?¡± ¡°Slow down Seth,¡± Demitra replied. ¡°What on earth is so important? If this about how much you bench pressed at the gym again, we¡¯re not that interested.¡± ¡°They finally agreed to come to dinner!¡± Seth exclaimed, lifting the end of his red tank top to wipe a little sweat from his brow. ¡°After all my invitations they finally agreed.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Demitra asked. ¡°His young girl and her father, I am presuming,¡± Olympia answered. ¡°Yes!¡± Seth beamed. ¡°Vanessa and her father.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Demitra frowned, cutting her eyes to her mother. ¡°The reverend that hates us.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate us!¡± Seth cried. ¡°He¡¯s just nervous about us. But he¡¯s agreed to come for dinner to meet the family. If all goes well and we win him over, he¡¯ll stop giving Vanessa a hard time about dating me.¡± The screen door opened as two women, different in ages, stepped outside to the porch. The first looked very much the same as Demitra, only her raven black hair reached her hips rather than stopping at the shoulders. This was Olympia¡¯s eldest daughter, Artemis. The younger woman accompanying Artemis looked like a fresher copy of the sisters with short, wispy hair. This was Demitra¡¯s daughter Fable. The sunlight streaming onto the porch cast shadows on the white plank board wall of the house. Artemis and Fable¡¯s shadows were not alone. Between them hovered a third shadow but there was no figure on the porch to cast it. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Seth, are you on fire or something!¡± Artemis Blanchard scolded, sweeping a bit of flour out of her hair. ¡°I have a cake in the oven.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Beryl and Yazzy?¡± Seth asked. ¡°Beryl is still making her rounds at the hospital,¡± Fable Blanchard answered. ¡°And Yaz is assisting Howard with some depositions.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot she took that job at his office,¡± Seth replied. ¡°Well, call them and tell them to be on time for dinner tonight. And everyone is to be on their best behavior. No one is casting, using their powers, or in any way even referencing witchcraft tonight.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get to order us around Seth Blanchard!¡± Fable shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t care who is coming to dinner, we don¡¯t have to change ourselves for anybody.¡± Olympia waved a hand to shush her granddaughter. ¡°Fable, your cousin is just excited because he wants to make a good impression on his girlfriend¡¯s father. You have to admit we Blanchards are a lot to take in. Reverend Collins has certainly heard about us in town since they moved here last winter. I don¡¯t think Seth is asking a lot. Simply that we not be too in their face about our way of life tonight.¡± ¡°Thank you, Hecate,¡± Seth grinned. ¡°Now if we can just get her to stay upstairs tonight.¡± As he spoke, the third shadow on the wall of the house darted to the open doorway and disappeared into the house. ¡°Don¡¯t speak to her like that!¡± Demitra snapped. ¡°Everyone, calm down,¡± Artemis said. ¡°Seth- you come with me to the kitchen, and let¡¯s figure out what I should feed your sweet Vanessa and her father. If I remember correctly, preachers always used to like fried chicken.¡± They left the porch together as Fable took a seat atop the wooden porch railing. ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± she said. ¡°Vanessa Collins is not even right for Seth. Why we have to go through the motions with her and her father is beyond me.¡± ¡°We love Seth,¡± Demitra told her daughter. ¡°He had a very hard time when he lost Susan. It wrecked him. He¡¯s done nothing with his life but work out like a fiend and fail college classes. The fact that he appears to care for this Vanessa so much is important. It might put him on the right track. We will do as he asks.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we all liked Susan,¡± Fable said, remembering her again after so long. ¡°We all went to high school together. Susan was the best.¡± ¡°And if she hadn¡¯t died in that jet skiing accident the summer after graduation, Seth probably would have married her,¡± Demitra pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s taken him a while to get over that, and he¡¯s dated some doozy mistakes since. This thing with this Vanessa seems different.¡± ¡°He¡¯s too young to get too serious. I sure hope he doesn¡¯t plan to marry this girl,¡± Fable scoffed. ¡°Marriages don¡¯t work out too well in this family.¡± ¡°Your father and I had a perfect marriage,¡± Demitra exclaimed. ¡°And Mother and Sinclair were very happy.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll restate my comments.¡± Fable sneered. ¡°Spouses don¡¯t live a really long time in this family.¡± ¡°Well, that is certainly the truth,¡± Olympia laughed. ¡°But I¡¯ve always felt that love, no matter how short-lived, is always worth experiencing.¡± As she shut off the computer, Yasmine Sinclair swept back the same unruly brown curl from her eyes that never seemed to grow out long enough to tuck behind her ear. She glanced around at the tiny little office. It needed a woman¡¯s touch. Now that she was working here, she¡¯d make some changes. Plants, pillow cushions on the waiting room sofa. Maybe she¡¯d even give the walls a coat of paint. Howard Caldwell may be a great personal estate manager, but he wasn¡¯t the best decorator in the world. Gathering some papers from the printer tray she gave a quick rap on the door to the connecting office before walking inside. Howard was at his desk, busy with the latest mutual fund reports. ¡°I finished the Carson file. Now I¡¯m hungry and ready for a swim. Wanna come back to the house with me?¡± Howard looked up from his work and smiled at his lovely assistant. ¡°Actually, I do. Your grandmother called and invited me to dinner a few minutes ago. My car hasn¡¯t come back from being serviced yet, so I¡¯ll ride home with you and Uber back later. Now, go down and start the car and I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± ¡°Oh goody,¡± she laughed. ¡°I get to sit in the hot sticky car until it cools off enough for you to come down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I pay you the big bucks for,¡± Howard winked. Howard watched her go and then slipped on the blazer which had been hanging on the back of his chair. Yasmine was the best assistant he¡¯d ever had. His office was in shambles after his last assistant quit to marry the FedEx delivery man who knocked her up. Ironic, since he had suspected all along, she¡¯d only taken the job in his office to try and meet rich clients whose wealth he managed. It all worked out for the best. He now had Yasmine. She was organized, friendly, smart, and best of all she did not mind working weekends when necessary. Her work ethic was a nice surprise. When she had asked him for a job, he¡¯d only hired her as a favor to her grandmother¡ªor step-grandmother as it were. It was the best favor he¡¯d ever done. If he was not twenty years her senior, he might even allow himself to fall in love with her. Yasmine drove to Blanchard House while Howard replied to a few urgent emails from his phone. She was a good driver. He¡¯d actually taught her himself just a few years ago when she turned 16. He¡¯d taught her cousin Fable too, a couple of years before that. After Demitra¡¯s husband Larry Mariner died, Howard did his best to step in to be the surrogate father figure for all the Blanchard grandchildren. ¡°I need to speak to your grandmother tonight about her accounts,¡± Howard said once he had sent the final email. ¡°Some of her investments need revisiting.¡± ¡°Please do not try to talk her into that oil company again,¡± Yasmine laughed. ¡°Oh, I learned my lesson the last time. It is not easy making sure none of her investments cause any harm to the earth. That is one of the things I need to discuss with her. One of her holdings has just cleared a section of rainforest.¡± ¡°Uh-oh.¡± ¡°Uh-Oh¡¯s right,¡± Howard grimaced. ¡°So of course, now she¡¯ll insist on selling. But the worst part is her refusal to do anything with your grandfather¡¯s money. It just sits there.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never get her to spend that money.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want her to spend it,¡± Howard replied. ¡°I want her to invest it.¡± ¡°You know Grandmother¡¯s reasons,¡± Yasmine answered. ¡°Yeah, but they are preposterous reasons.¡± ¡°Maybe so,¡± Yasmine sighed, ¡°But they are her reasons and it¡¯s her money. I¡¯ve lived with her for fifteen years and I¡¯ve learned a lot. She¡¯s a pretty smart cookie. I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to scoff at her principals.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d never be fool enough to scoff at Olympia Blanchard. I admire her. She is a woman of wisdom and substance. But as her financial advisor, it burns me up that she is sitting on a fortune she¡¯ll do nothing with. Not to mention the millions she¡¯s wasted over the years.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it wasted,¡± Yasmine declared. ¡°She¡¯s just using it to right the wrongs she feels Granddaddy¡¯s company committed to the planet while he was alive.¡± ¡°That woman has spent years making restitution where none is needed. Your grandfather was a brilliant businessman. But it is her money. At least she set aside a sizable amount for you.¡± ¡°Not to change the subject,¡± Yasmine said, making the turnoff towards the Blanchard property, ¡°But why did you get invited tonight? Friday night is your typical dinner night at the house.¡± ¡°Is it so unbearable to have to dine with me two nights in a row?¡± Howard laughed. ¡°No, of course not. It just seemed last minute.¡± ¡°Well, my little sidekick,¡± Howard chuckled, ¡°It seems Seth¡¯s girlfriend¡¯s father finally agreed to come to dinner to meet the family. I guess I am going to be the conservative normal man to the mix. Imagine a preacher at the table of the Blanchard coven. Should be an interesting night.¡± ¡°Should be.¡± Yasmine replied softly. She stared down the road as she drove. Her silence was telling. ¡°How is this sitting with you, Yasmine?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know very well what I mean. You have a thing for Seth. You aren¡¯t very good at hiding it.¡± ¡°I do not have a thing for Seth. I¡¯m very happy with the man I¡¯m seeing.¡± Howard sneered. ¡°Yes, the man you¡¯re seeing. Do you realize you never describe him any other way?¡± ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± ¡°Yasmine, you never once have referred to Jake as your boyfriend. Just the man you¡¯re seeing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because we haven¡¯t reached that serious a level yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been dating for two months!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just not quite sure yet how I feel.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s because you are in love with Seth. Always have been, always will be. He¡¯s just too dumb to realize he loves you too.¡± ¡°We are cousins. That¡¯s the only way he sees us,¡± Yasmine replied. ¡°Not blood cousins.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she explained. ¡°When Granddaddy married Olympia, we were all small. They loved him like he was their real grandfather, and they love me like a real cousin. Seth has never thought of me any other way. I figured that out when he fell in love with Susan in high school. Then after she died, he wasn¡¯t ready for any kind of relationship. I guess now he is, and its Vanessa.¡± ¡°But if Seth were with you, he could be himself. He can hardly be a Blanchard around that preacher¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°We will see,¡± Yasmine grinned. ¡°But I¡¯ll be honest with you, Howard. If I had any Blanchard blood in me, I¡¯d zap that girl to Timbuktu faster than you could say ¡®Abracadabra!¡¯¡± CHAPTER 2: Kitchen Talk Artemis was busying herself in the kitchen preparing dinner. She loved those rare occasions when company came. It gave her a good opportunity to use the many recipes she learned while in culinary school. It had always been her dream to be a chef, and she might have achieved that dream had her powers not gotten in the way back then. Artemis had the ability to will things to happen just by thinking them. It was a strong power which had taken half her life to learn to control. Once, long ago, when she¡¯d been training with a renowned chef in Birmingham, she¡¯d been undergoing a test¡ªa test which would determine whether or not she¡¯d be awarded a permanent position at the restaurant. She labored hours at home concocting the perfect meal to prepare on test day. When test day came, she was doing pretty well until she overheard two nearby restaurant employees discussing their recent trip to the coast. Their conversation caused Artemis to think about sandy beaches and the taste of salty ocean water. That brief mental flight of fancy ruined her meal. When the chef tasted her food, it was drenched with salt and gritty sand particles. Whatever her mind thought manifested itself in those days. If she thought of rain, a sprinkler system might activate. If she felt hot, a fire might break out. In her family, Artemis¡¯ power was one of the strongest abilities, but it was also the most difficult to master. It caused her much grief over the years. She¡¯d never married. At fifty-one years old she wondered what life might have been like had she not been born a witch. She might have found the right man and settled down. Of course, there was still time. Her face looked like it was in its early thirties. She might still find the right guy one day. As for having children, that wasn¡¯t very important. She¡¯d raised her fair share already despite never being a mother. After her brother-in-law Larry died, she helped Demitra bring up Beryl and Fable. And after what happened to her other sister Nacaria, Artemis raised Salem and Seth as if they were her own. Artemis¡¯ life was far from empty, even if some of her dreams may not have come true. Footsteps clambered on the wooden kitchen stairs as Fable bolted down. ¡°What smells so good?¡± She lifted the lid on one of the pots atop the stove and breathed in the aroma. ¡°Get out of that before I smack your behind,¡± Artemis warned. ¡°Smells great, whatever it is,¡± Fable replied. Hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter, she looked at her aunt with a serious face and asked, ¡°How do you think it¡¯ll go tonight?¡± ¡°Badly.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Fable confided with a smirk. The kitchen was well-lit from recessed lighting mixing with the afternoon sun shining through the bank of windows over the large farm sink and counter. But the light infiltrating the room only made the shadow passing over the far wall that much more noticeable. ¡°How do we explain that?¡± Fable said with an eye roll.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Maybe they won¡¯t notice,¡± Artemis answered. ¡°Oh, she¡¯ll make sure they notice.¡± Artemis lifted the lid to stir its contents and said, ¡°We¡¯ll just have to deal with it. After all, if that girl ends up marrying Seth and comes here to live, she¡¯ll have to be told eventually.¡± The kitchen door swung open as Yasmine and Howard walked inside. ¡°My, my,¡± Howard chuckled. ¡°A witch and her cauldron. I love a woman who cooks. Say, Artemis, why don¡¯t you marry me? I¡¯m tired of ordering take-out every night.¡± Artemis gave him a knowing smile and said, ¡°As I recall, we tried that once and it didn¡¯t turn out so well.¡± ¡°True, true,¡± Howard recalled. ¡°Your mother wasn¡¯t on board.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that¡¯s why you two broke up back in the day!¡± Fable exclaimed. ¡°Hecate was against it? That¡¯s crazy. Howard, she adores you.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but she wasn¡¯t a fan of your aunt and me getting hitched. But I always felt like it was more as a protection to me. Your aunt was a pretty dangerous witch to be around in her younger days. If I said I thought I had a cold, her wacky power turned it into hypothermia.¡± ¡°See what agonies you were spared not marrying me!¡± Artemis laughed, nudging him out of her way so that she could grab a wooden spoon from a drawer. ¡°Maybe so,¡± Howard smiled, giving his friend a kiss on the forehead as she reached past him for the spoon. ¡°But you still look the same as you did back then, and I am old and bald. Or did you do that to me?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Artemis grinned returning to her saucepan, ¡°I may have once thought to myself that your hair was beginning to thin¡ªbut I can¡¯t be sure.¡± The laughter from the kitchen brought Seth bounding down the stairs to join them. ¡°Hey Howie! Here to meet my girl tonight?¡± Yasmine grimaced. Only Howard noticed. ¡°Yep, maybe I can keep things on an even keel for you.¡± The shadow passed across the floor again. ¡°Damn it!¡± Seth shouted. ¡°That thing is going to ruin everything tonight.¡± ¡°That thing has a name, Seth,¡± Artemis scolded. For a moment Seth recoiled in shame, then he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but everything has to go just right tonight. How¡¯s it going to look when a phantom shadow hovers along the dining room wall?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her,¡± Artemis promised. ¡°You need to relax. But you also should probably face that your girlfriend will need to be told sooner than later if the idea is to see whether or not she is able to join this family.¡± ¡°Seth,¡± Yasmine said softly, touching his arm, ¡°Granddaddy and I weren¡¯t afraid. I¡¯m sure Vanessa won¡¯t be either.¡± Howard watched silently as Yasmine¡¯s index finger lightly stroked the bicep of Seth¡¯s muscled arm. The way she looked at him made Howard¡¯s heart ache for her. She loved Seth and it was obvious to Howard but didn¡¯t seem to be to anyone else. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure, Yazzy,¡± Fable laughed. ¡°We¡¯re an awful lot to take on.¡± Demitra suddenly rushed into the room. ¡°I just had a vision of them! They¡¯re almost here. I saw their car coming through town. They¡¯ll be here in around ten minutes.¡± ¡°Damn! They¡¯re early,¡± Seth cried. ¡°Where are they now?¡± Demitra closed her eyes and let her inner eye run through the streets to find them. ¡°Elm and Madison.¡± ¡°I have to change,¡± Seth said looking down at his musty tank top and gym shorts. ¡°Can you stall them Aunt Artemis?¡± Artemis gave him a quick nod as she poured a jar of broth into a pot of simmering beans. ¡°I¡¯ll hold up the traffic light at Elm and Brady. That¡¯ll buy you a few minutes. Maybe I¡¯ll even roll a stray garbage can into the street. That¡¯s always fun.¡± Seth leapt up the stairs, skipping two at a time. Fable hopped off the kitchen counter to look at the bread baking in the oven. ¡°This is going to be quite an evening.¡± CHAPTER 3: Never the Twain Shall Meet The Reverend Collins and his daughter Vanessa arrived roughly an hour early after overestimating the amount of time it would take them from their home in Northport to find the Blanchard house. The Blanchards accepted their explanation at face value, all except Olympia, who recognized they had purposefully arrived early in order to see what Seth¡¯s family was like when caught off guard. Reverend Collins and Vanessa made concealed inspections of their surroundings as everyone made hurried introductions. From the top of the long straight staircase with its maple railings, across the shiny clean hardwood floors, into the living room just off the entrance way, the Collins¡¯ eyes tracked every inch they could see. Artemis rushed dinner to the table, knowing that Seth didn¡¯t want his girlfriend or her father around the family any longer than they had to be. They all took seats around the large dining room table with Olympia taking her place at the head quite ceremoniously with Howard pulling her chair out for her. There was idle conversation, of course. Vanessa complimented the intricacies of the lace tablecloth. Demitra told her she had sewn it herself. Vanessa mentioned that her mother had been an accomplished knitter and tried to pass that skill along to her, but Vanessa had never been very gifted in that regard. Artemis asked the reverend about the traffic conditions on the drive from Northport to Daihmler, and he informed her about new road work being done on McFarland Boulevard. Seth sat nervously fiddling with his fork, nudging the food around his plate without taking many bites. Fable sat and watched with bemused fascination at how anxious everyone seemed to be. Occasionally, she made side glances to Yasmine, but Yasmine appeared to be just as uncomfortable as everyone else. Howard observed his young assistant¡¯s discomfort as well and attempted to drive the table talk to less chit-chatty matters. ¡°Reverend Collins, I suppose you came to Daihmler thinking this would be a nice, quiet little hamlet to take up residence, but I assume you¡¯ve heard about the two murders in the news.¡± Vanessa bristled noticeably and sat her forkful of mashed potatoes back down on her plate, ¡°It¡¯s scary. The girl they found last week lived not too far from us.¡± ¡°Did you know her?¡± Fable asked. ¡°No,¡± Vanessa replied. ¡°But it still makes me nervous.¡± Reverend Collins frowned and shook his head in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s disturbing to think about what some human beings are capable of doing to each other. Our church is actually paying for the funeral, once the body is released.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very kind,¡± Olympia said warmly. ¡°What a generous thing to do.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Reverend Collins sighed. ¡°The girl¡¯s family used to be members of the congregation some years ago I¡¯m told. Of course, this was well before we moved to Daihmler, so I have never met the family personally. I¡¯ve heard they are a very nice family.¡± ¡°Daihmler is usually a very quiet place,¡± Olympia said almost apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it isn¡¯t showing you that aspect of its character at present. Typically, we are a very safe town.¡± ¡°Demitra? Has Charlie called you in on the investigation?¡± Howard asked as he snatched two more fried wings from the large platter in the center of the table. Before the wings had come to a rest on his plate, Yasmine reached over Fable and pulled one back to the platter. ¡°Your cholesterol is high.¡± Howard reached back to the platter and took the wing back. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get Beryl to heal¡ª¡± Seth coughed into his fist and gave Howard a side eye. ¡°I¡¯ll get Beryl to up my medication,¡± Howard corrected. The Reverend seemed puzzled but turned his attention towards Demitra, who had just begun to answer the question. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from Charlie. But the second murder only just happened. I doubt the police had any idea until then that this was going to be an ongoing situation. The first murder was brutal, but no one would have anticipated there would be another one exactly like the first.¡± ¡°We may have a serial killer in our midst,¡± Howard said crunching into the crispy skin of the chicken wing. Vanessa looked pale. ¡°Can we change the subject, please?¡± Fable gave off a forced laugh which didn¡¯t sound like much of a laugh at all, ¡°Seth, you didn¡¯t tell us your girlfriend was so squeamish.¡± The conversation dwindled back to boring niceties which no one was interested in. But when only the crunch of fried chicken could be heard around the table, the pretenses were dropped, and Reverend Collins got to the heart of the matter. ¡°All pleasantries aside,¡± he began, ¡°I wanted to come here tonight to meet all of you. It seems things are moving quickly with Vanessa and Seth, and I was eager to learn more about his family and upbringing.¡± ¡°A reasonable request,¡± Olympia smiled. ¡°Please feel free to ask us anything.¡± ¡°So, you are Seth¡¯s grandmother?¡± Reverend Collins began. ¡°Yes,¡± Olympia replied. ¡°It was my understanding that you are his grandmother from his mother¡¯s side of the family. But how is it that your last names are the same?¡± Olympia knew what he was intimating. ¡°We Blanchards hold on to our family name regardless of marriage. My married name is Sinclair, but I go by Blanchard.¡± ¡°Oh, will we be meeting your husband tonight as well?¡± Collins asked. ¡°He passed away eleven years ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry,¡± Collins blushed. ¡°But you can forgive my nosiness, I hope. I have only the one daughter, and I am afraid I¡¯m very protective of her. It¡¯s just that I was trying to make sure that Seth wasn¡¯t illegitimate.¡± Vanessa bristled and elbowed her father in the side. He turned to give her a stern look which made her return her focus to the plate of food and seemingly ignore whatever was being said around her. ¡°What would that matter?¡± Yasmine defended, dropping her fork to the table. Reverend Collins smiled politely, ¡°Well, I suppose in these current times, it doesn¡¯t matter very much. Still, I am of an older generation, and I am a minister after all. Are you Seth¡¯s sister?¡± ¡°No. I am Yasmine Sinclair.¡± ¡°So, you are not a Blanchard?¡± ¡°Yasmine is my granddaughter,¡± Olympia explained. ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of my late husband¡¯s son, who is also deceased.¡± The shadow passed over the wall. Seth dropped his fork onto his plate nervously. The loud clank startled the table. The shadow lingered a moment, then floated up to the ceiling where it passed over the light fixture and disappeared through the doorway to the kitchen. ¡°Uh, good meal Aunt Artemis,¡± Seth stammered. ¡°Does everyone have rolls? The rolls are really good.¡± Howard lifted one and began to butter it. ¡°So fluffy and golden. Butter just melts over it.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Vanessa asked, looking around the room for the weird shadow. ¡°What was what?¡± Seth asked without looking up from his plate. ¡°Something moved across the wall.¡± ¡°Old houses cast odd shadows,¡± Demitra smiled as she lifted the basket of rolls from the table and offered to their guests. ¡°These are really good rolls.¡± . The sound of the front door opening and a rattle of keys being tossed onto a table announced an arrival. A woman with shoulder length curly honey blonde hair wearing hospital scrubs appeared in the doorway, drawing attention to herself. ¡°Since when do we eat at 6:30?¡± she asked, scanning the table and its inhabitants with a puzzled expression. ¡°And this isn¡¯t your usual night, Howard.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We have company dear,¡± Demitra told her. ¡°This is the girl Seth¡¯s been seeing lately, Vanessa. And her father, Reverend Collins. Didn¡¯t you get my message at the hospital?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t go back to my office after I made my rounds.¡± ¡°I texted you, too,¡± Demitra added. The woman smiled placatingly and replied, ¡°Well, I guess I didn¡¯t look at my texts either, then.¡± She nodded to the guests, ¡°Hello, I am Beryl Blanchard.¡± ¡°Are you a nurse?¡± Reverend Collins asked. ¡°Doctor, actually,¡± Beryl replied. She took her usual seat on the other side of Seth. Giving him a nudge, she whispered, ¡°You look like we all just landed back in Old Salem.¡± Suddenly Demitra had a strange look on her face. ¡°Salem! Has anyone spoken with Salem today?¡± ¡°I talked to her last week. Why?¡± Fable asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Demitra murmured. She had a bad feeling, but it was not a premonition¡ªthose she knew how to handle. This was something else, something she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on. Vanessa leaned toward Seth and softly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Salem?¡± ¡°My sister,¡± Seth replied. ¡°I told you about her, didn¡¯t I? She lives in Atlanta with her husband.¡± ¡°Would you believe Reverend Collins, that I am a great grandmother?¡± Olympia smiled proudly. ¡°Salem gave birth to a beautiful little boy last year. Michael is my first great-grandchild.¡± Seth remembered the first time Salem¡¯s husband David came to dinner at Blanchard House. Somehow things hadn¡¯t felt so awkward that night. But maybe that was because it was all happening to Salem, and this time it was Seth feeling the anxiety. He looked over at his cousin Fable, and for just a second thought maybe he¡¯d enjoyed the tension that night with David just as much as Fable appeared to be enjoying tonight. Artemis couldn¡¯t pull her eyes away from the disturbed look on her sister¡¯s face. She elbowed Demitra. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Something is wrong. I can feel it.¡± By now Olympia too felt something was off in the energy fields around her, although she tried not to show it. There was no point to upsetting their current guests, especially since there was absolutely nothing which could be done right now. She knew all too well from experience that psychic senses cannot be rushed. Visions, premonitions, and the like must come in their own time. Helping himself to another portion of fried chicken, Reverend Collins continued with his veiled interrogation. ¡°Would it be rude of me to ask what denomination the Blanchard family belongs to?¡± ¡°Denomination of what?¡± Fable asked sarcastically. Seth took a swipe at her leg under the table. ¡°Church, Miss Blanchard,¡± Reverend Collins replied. ¡°What church is your family affiliated with?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t go to church,¡± Fable sneered. ¡°Isn¡¯t the world just one big church really?¡± Seth said. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought so,¡± Howard chimed in giving Seth a little help. Olympia gave Seth and Howard the eye as she returned a polite smile to their guests. ¡°I believe what my grandson is saying, Reverend, is that one only needs to go out into the world at large to find spiritual bonds with the higher powers.¡± ¡°I, myself, believe in the traditional foundational principles of God¡¯s consecrated structures,¡± the minister said mostly to himself. ¡°Not everyone goes to church, Dad,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything awful.¡± ¡°Well, Vanessa, I am a representative of the church. I should hope that whomever my daughter chooses to walk through life with would also be of the same religious faith as we.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just cut to the chase here,¡± Vanessa said to the rest of the table. ¡°I care a lot about Seth, and instead of just being happy about that, my father is concerned because he has heard some talk in Tuscaloosa and Daihmler that the Blanchard family are witches.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seth gasped, feigning surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Vanessa replied, swatting Seth¡¯s foot under the table with her own. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Seth about it a time or two, but he dances around the subject.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad my daughter cut to the meat of this visit,¡± Collins said. ¡°I have indeed asked around about your family. Of course, here in the south, with families as old as yours seems to be, one can hear any number of things. Please understand that I have heard only positive things about the Blanchard family. I haven¡¯t heard a single word spoken negatively about any of you¡­¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve been told that we are witches,¡± Olympia smiled. ¡°I do not mean to insult you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not insulted,¡± Olympia replied. ¡°Reverend Collins, we are witches.¡± ¡°Hecate!¡± Seth cried. ¡°Settle down Seth,¡± Artemis cautioned. ¡°It was bound to come out sooner or later. You didn¡¯t really believe you could keep seeing Vanessa without telling her the truth, did you?¡± ¡°You admit to this slanderous allegation?¡± Reverend Collins asked Olympia with a look of bewilderment. ¡°I don¡¯t consider facts to be slanderous, if they are indeed facts,¡± Olympia nodded. ¡°I am a witch. My father was a witch. My mother was a witch. My grandfather, great-grandmother¡­and all of my children and grandchildren are witches.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Yasmine blushed. ¡°Yes,¡± Olympia grinned, patting her youngest granddaughter¡¯s hand. ¡°Almost all of my grandchildren. Basically, if you have Blanchard blood coursing through your veins, you are a witch.¡± ¡°I cannot believe how readily you admit this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a crime Reverend Collins,¡± Olympia explained. ¡°It¡¯s also not a secret. Everyone around here knows about the Blanchard witches. People of Daihmler and as far as Tuscaloosa, frequently come to us for help on certain matters in their lives. Our own Demitra here often works with the police department on some of their most puzzling cases. Our Beryl is a prominent doctor. Fable is one of Alabama¡¯s leading veterinarians. Our being witches is simply one part of our identity, just as your being a Reverend is only a part of yours.¡± ¡°My Christianity is the totality of me. I give myself wholly to the Lord. I am afraid there is no way my daughter can be associated with practitioners of witchcraft. It would be the equivalent of allowing her to worship the devil.¡± Fable leaned into the table. Everyone knew that when Fable Blanchard leans forward and makes direct eye contact, she¡¯s about to school someone. ¡°Reverend Collins,¡± she began, ¡°you might be surprised to know that being a witch has nothing to do with the devil. In fact, I don¡¯t even believe in the devil, because I don¡¯t believe in God.¡± Seth smacked his hands into his forehead. Why did Reverend Collins have to rile Fable? Getting Fable agitated was always a recipe for disaster. All you had to do was ask the mailman who tore her copy of Vogue last month, or the poor Starbucks guy who gave her foam last week when she didn¡¯t want foam, or anyone at the gym who tries to superset exercises by taking up more than one piece of equipment. Fable¡¯s greatest gift was going off on people. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised to hear you don¡¯t believe in God, young lady,¡± the Reverend huffed. ¡°Well, listen to my next one and perhaps you will be. It is true, I don¡¯t believe in God. I find the entire concept to be a childish holdover from the Dark Ages because unfortunately mankind is still too frightened to admit that the things that happen to us in life are all by chance. Most need some ethereal finger to guide their life because they do not have courage enough to guide their own. You need God. I, personally, do not. ¡°But it may interest you to know that many witches do believe in God. Many witches believe they are God¡¯s chosen ones--set a rung up on the ladder above other humans in order to protect and enrich them in this life. Earthly angels so to speak. How else would a man of faith be able to rationalize the powers a witch might possess. Wouldn¡¯t it seem more likely that your God gave them their abilities, much the way you would believe in the power he gave to angels.¡± ¡°But angels weren¡¯t burned at the stake a few hundred years ago by Christian people. Witches were,¡± Collins countered. ¡°And from that statement alone, who sounds like the bigger monster?¡± Fable said with a searing look. ¡°Another fun fact for you,¡± she went on, ¡°none of the men and women ever killed during those times was truly a witch. Because quite frankly, a real witch would easily have gotten away if they had wanted to. Just like if I wanted to right now, I could bring down a swarm of blue birds to shit on your head¡ªor peck your eyes out.¡± ¡°Fable!¡± Beryl shouted at her sister. ¡°I don¡¯t like this man!¡± Fable shouted back. Seth barked across the table at his cousin, ¡°Stop being a bitch, Fable!¡± ¡°Children, stop this now,¡± Olympia warned. ¡°We are getting off point.¡± Artemis interrupted, turning her attention back to the reverend. ¡°Reverend Collins, I fully understand that you have a faith which makes it difficult for you to understand our ways. My niece was¡ªrather rudely¡ªtrying to make a point. Like with everyone else in the world, some people subscribe to certain religious faiths and others do not. My niece is an atheist. Militantly so. I am more agnostic. It matters very little to me if there is a God or not. My mother, however, is a Christian and a follower of Christ¡¯s teachings, as is Seth¡¯s sister Salem. Also, my niece Beryl here. Even within our own family we differ. But regardless of religious affiliations, we are in fact witches. The two things have nothing to do with one another.¡± ¡°I disagree emphatically,¡± the Reverend stated. ¡°In my faith it is abhorrent for one to assign themselves to witchcraft.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we so much chose it, as it chose us,¡± Beryl quipped. ¡°You have no idea what devilry you are playing with!¡± Rev. Collins warned. ¡°Meaning no disrespect, Sir.¡± Olympia smiled. ¡°You have no idea the things I have seen and the evils I have battled to protect this great earth God has given us. You sit in the very solemnity in which my kind have fought to protect for you. So, let us simply end the frictions of this conversation. You are welcomed guests in our home, and we are glad you are here sharing our meal with us. We will naturally disagree on this fact because we have both been raised with a different set of teachings. But in no way should this affect Seth and Vanessa¡¯s courtship.¡± Seth looked to his Aunt Artemis as if to say ¡°Help¡±. He could always count on Artemis to run to his rescue. She¡¯d been doing it all his life. Every mess he¡¯d ever gotten himself into she had gotten him out of¡ªIf anyone could reel this thing back on course, it would be she. ¡°The bottom line,¡± Artemis said calmly after giving her nephew a reassuring wink, ¡°Seth cares for Vanessa. I can see that Vanessa also cares for Seth. At the end of the day, if they want to be together none of us can stop them. Our jobs as their families is to love and support them, whatever they decide.¡± ¡°Normally I¡¯d agree with you, Miss Blanchard,¡± Reverend Collins said. ¡°But your family¡¯s unique situation gives me great pause.¡± Artemis nodded her head in understanding. Holding direct eye contact with their guest she did her best to calm his worries. ¡°If you are concerned about our way of life, you needn¡¯t be. The Blanchards are good people. Loving people. And as you have already done, you may ask anyone in our community. We are kind people. I get the sense you and your daughter are probably kind as well. I hope so. If Vanessa ever joins our family, she will join it with love and welcoming hearts, but that is really up to her and Seth to decide- not you, not me, not any of us.¡± Vanessa grabbed Seth¡¯s hand in her own and squeezed it. He smiled at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. Howard was watching Yasmine, and his heart felt a little like it did all those years ago when Artemis let him go. CHAPTER 4: Somewhere in Time The sweet scent of the gardenias encasing the porch drowsed Olympia like a lullaby. She rocked back and forth in her rocking chair, listening to the summery sounds of nature¡¯s tenants chirping in the trees and buzzing in the grass. On her porch stood several potted hibiscus plants, each sporting blooms of yellow, orange, and pink. Along the balustrades of the porch the sun shone over several overflowing planters of zinnias, brightly colored like the day itself. The potted dahlias in red, yellow, and tangerine sprinkled down the wide front steps. Olympia glanced down from the porch to a patch of lawn where butterfly bushes in high bloom seemed to be attracting far more bumblebees than butterflies. She leaned back and thought of the night before when Reverend Collins and his daughter made their hasty retreat from the house shortly after dinner. She thought of the poor girl. Vanessa seemed nice. She appeared to genuinely care for Seth. Olympia understood the child would have quite a battle with her father if she pursued the relationship. Olympia hoped she would. In her own youth, she¡¯d had quite a few rounds with her sister when Olympia chose to marry John Windham. But in the end her sister accepted John. Or pretended to at least. Looking back now, Olympia had to admit that her sister Pastoria was probably right about that union. It had been fraught with conflict. But she acquired three beautiful children from those days which made it all worthwhile. In the oak tree by the driveway, a squirrel was being chased away from a nest by a protective mother bird. Olympia smiled as she continued to rock. She thought of her own brood. Her children, her grandchildren, and little Michael. Her first great grandson. She stopped rocking. The feeling which had begun last night was growing now. Salem. Something was terribly off regarding Salem. ¡°Artemis! Demitra!¡± ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Demitra cried rushing outside. ¡°Salem!¡± Olympia shouted. ¡°Demitra, do you feel Salem?¡± Demitra closed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t either,¡± Olympia said. Artemis came outside now, dish towel in hand from the morning wash. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°We need to do a thread,¡± Olympia said. ¡°Right now.¡± It only took a few minutes to rouse Seth out of bed and get him downstairs to the kitchen table. The other Blanchard¡¯s were at work, but they didn¡¯t need to be physically present for a thread. It would reach them wherever they were. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Seth asked as his aunts clasped his hands in their own and then took Olympia¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not certain,¡± his grandmother replied. ¡°Something is off. The balance is off.¡± ¡°I felt it, too, last night,¡± Demitra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a premonition, but it hasn¡¯t come.¡± Olympia closed her eyes. She forced her concentration into the task. As head of the Blanchard coven and the matriarch of her family line, she was the only one who could begin the thread. It was not something she enjoyed doing, for it always left her feeling temporarily drained. Old age made that even more tiring. But there was no other means of discovering what she needed to discover. It must be done. Focusing on herself first, reaching deep into her mind¡¯s eye and finding her own spirit within her body, she visualized herself as the first link in the chain. Next, she pictured Artemis as she squeezed her daughter¡¯s hand, allowing her spirit to flow directly into her eldest daughter¡¯s. Olympia could feel Artemis within her, almost as if their two souls had merged for a moment into one being. Artemis felt the connection in the same way as she and her mother became one single entity. The moment their two souls touched it felt as if a radiant light swelled within them. Their bloodline was turning on. Olympia moved to Demitra next, mentally envisioning her second daughter¡¯s spirit linking to Artemis and her own. Within seconds all three of their souls were aligned. There was a break in the flow now--a missing component, like a gap in a road. Nacaria. But Olympia understood that break in the chain. That was not a mystery. She moved on to Seth next. Though he was not the next chronologically in the bloodline¡ªthat would be Beryl¡ªhe was the closest in proximity, and Olympia needed the strength of the chain to power its ability to travel the distances to everyone else. It only took a moment to connect with Seth¡¯s soul and attach it to her own and his aunts¡¯. Olympia focused on Beryl now. This link would take longer. Beryl was miles away at Daihmler County Hospital, forcing the thread to travel to reach her. ¡°I need Mr. Blake¡¯s test results from the lab before I meet with his wife,¡± Dr. Beryl Blanchard told the nurse as she shuffled the charts clutched to her chest. It had already been a busy morning, but she was nearing the end of her rounds and preparing for her in-office consultations. ¡°Here it is Dr. Blanchard,¡± the nurse said, handing over the file. ¡°Dr. Blanchard. Dr. Blanchard?¡± Dr. Blanchard wasn¡¯t listening. She had her eyes closed. All focus now turned inside herself as she felt the tendrils of her family¡¯s conjoined energy flowing into and through her. Beryl felt the wave hit and invade her body. Her family was connecting to her soul and that was the only thing she could feel at the moment. Why are they performing a thread? Olympia found Beryl and passed through her; she was now on her way to Fable. This would take a little longer. Fable¡¯s practice was nearly on the other side of town, but the combined force of her spirit, mixed with Artemis, Demitra, Seth, and now Beryl made the thread move faster now. ¡°All right Spritzie,¡± Fable smiled at the white schnauzer standing on her examination table. ¡°Tell me what hurts.¡± Mrs. Renlap, Spritzie¡¯s owner, always thought it was cute the way Dr. Blanchard would speak to her patients as if they were human. It showed clients a sign of respect for the pets they loved. Mrs. Renlap appreciated that small nicety from her vet. ¡°This started after your granddaughter visited yesterday, correct?¡± Fable said. ¡°How did you know my granddaughter came over yesterday afternoon?¡± Mrs. Renlap gasped. Fable was listening to Mrs. Renlap now, and she was no longer speaking mentally with the dog on her table. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she fed Spritzie some fruit that isn¡¯t agreeing with her stomach,¡± Fable told Mrs. Renlap. ¡°That¡¯s why she won¡¯t eat anything today and why she keeps yelping. Spritzie¡¯s stomach is very upset.¡± ¡°How do you¡ª¡± Now Fable¡¯s attentions were turned inward. She did not hear the rest of Mrs. Renlap¡¯s question. She could only feel her sister Beryl¡¯s spirit touch her own. Behind Beryl was her cousin Seth, then her mother and her aunt, Artemis. And at the end of the chain, her grandmother Olympia. Olympia continued to move through her family, using their souls like conduit, or perhaps like a vehicle¡ªdriving their bloodline as if it were a highway. The next stop would be Salem Blanchard. Olympia pictured her granddaughter in her mind. Salem¡¯s large green eyes and beautiful flowing auburn hair. This connection would take the longest, but not too long. Threading from Alabama to Georgia would normally require a few minutes, but the addition of Fable was speeding things up. She continued to grip her daughter¡¯s hands at the kitchen table, as they held Seth¡¯s. Each of them in full concentration, just as elsewhere Beryl and Fable were doing the same. They were one entity now. One chain flowing through one another, trying to reach the next link. But there was nothing. Nothing. No Salem. Olympia concentrated harder but the thread simply broke where Salem should have been. Just then something small came through. Weaker, tinier, not fully formed yet. Michael. Baby Michael. But something wasn¡¯t right with that connection. It was far too weak, even considering he was merely a baby. His force should have been clearer. Olympia unclasped hands with her daughters. The chain was ended. The surge they¡¯d all been feeling disintegrated, leaving everyone with a feeling of exhaustion. Across town both Beryl and Fable grabbed at a nearby piece of furniture to stabilize themselves as the link broke and rendered them a little wobbly. Olympia opened her eyes at the kitchen table. ¡°Salem¡¯s gone,¡± she said. ¡°It skipped her and found the baby, but Salem is missing.¡± ¡°No!¡± Seth screamed. ¡°Salem isn¡¯t dead. She can¡¯t be dead!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not dead,¡± Demitra reassured. ¡°David would have called us.¡± ¡°We should call David,¡± Seth suggested. A few minutes later there was no answer when Seth tried calling his brother-in-law. ¡°Hecate?¡± Seth whispered after hanging up the phone. ¡°Could something have happened to all three of them?¡± ¡°I would have felt it if Salem were dead,¡± Olympia answered. ¡°I can¡¯t explain why I can¡¯t sense her, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°But Michael,¡± Artemis noted. ¡°Didn¡¯t that feel off? I know he¡¯s a baby, but still it was..¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Muted,¡± Demitra interjected. ¡°Static,¡± Artemis corrected. ¡°Frozen!¡± Olympia stood up from the table. ¡°Frozen.¡± ¡°Oh my God,¡± Artemis cried. ¡°But why? What¡¯s going on?¡± Olympia turned to stare at the kitchen stairs. ¡°Artemis go down to the vault and get me the book labeled Time. Demitra jumped up from her chair, fully understanding what her mother¡¯s intentions were by retrieving that specific book. ¡°No, Mother. You are too old. I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°No Dear, I¡¯m going,¡± Olympia insisted. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve done this before. I know the way.¡± ¡°You were a lot younger back then,¡± Artemis pointed out. ¡°Back then when you were active in the Witches Association affairs you were a young woman. And you had Zelda and Aunt Pastoria with you. I¡¯m the next in line as head of this family. I¡¯ll go figure out what¡¯s happened to Salem.¡± Olympia placed her hand on Artemis¡¯ shoulder. ¡°I know you raised her. I know you love her as your own. But you are not her mother. And since her mother isn¡¯t here, it¡¯s going to have to be me.¡± None of them had thought of that. A grandmother was the next best thing to a mother in the bloodline. An aunt wasn¡¯t a direct enough tether. ¡°I can go,¡± Seth offered. ¡°We share the same mother and father. I¡¯ll go find my sister.¡± ¡°Again,¡± Olympia smiled, ¡°I have done this kind of thing before. Seth, I¡¯m afraid you aren¡¯t skilled enough yet to see this out.¡± ¡°I still say no, Mother,¡± Artemis replied. ¡°You are far too old to jump through time anymore.¡± ¡°When it comes to legal matters my dear, for instance if and when I should go to a nursing home, you and your sister are in charge of me,¡± her mother countered. ¡°But in matters of witch business, I am still the leader of this Coven and my word is law. I will go find Salem. Artemis, get the book.¡± Artemis left the table and walked to the kitchen staircase. This was the only way to enter the secret room in Blanchard House known by the family as the vault. The vault was accessed by a secret door hidden under the kitchen stairs. From the kitchen floor there were three stair treads rising up to a small landing whereupon another set of stairs stretched upward behind the kitchen wall leading to the floor above. Standing on the landing and reaching down to grasp the first step of the staircase to the second floor, Artemis lifted the entire tread of stairs¡ªhinged by a rod and piston system. As the staircase rose pivoted into the air, another staircase¡ªleading down¡ªwas revealed. She descended the secret staircase down into a basement no one knew Blanchard House had. The room under the kitchen was where the Blanchard family kept generations of materials. Books, spells, histories, herbs, talismans¡ª everything needed for their magic. Artemis and Demitra¡¯s father installed this room and its secret entrance when he added the kitchen onto the house right before he married their mother and moved in. It was his bargain with Olympia. If she could keep her supernatural world separate from their marriage, he could manage being married to such a powerful being. The vault was not a very large room. Not really any larger than the kitchen itself. It was sparsely furnished with only a wooden table and a couple of matching chairs. All along the walls were shelves housing various volumes of books, diaries, and potion making ingredients. Artemis scanned the shelves for the book labeled Time. She found it on one of the shelves whose contents Olympia forbid the family to touch. The things on those shelves were much too powerful, and the misuse of such items could prove too consequential. The family had learned that lesson the hard way many years ago. Artemis returned to the kitchen with the book in hand. It was the first time in her life she had ever touched it. Though the book itself was only a bound collection of notes and spells scrawled by the hand by long-dead ancestors, Artemis could almost feel the power contained within its yellowed, fragile pages. It took a little while to get things started. Beryl and Fable had to be called home, as was Yasmine. Such a spell required the whole of the coven. Demitra assembled Seth, Fable, Yasmine, and Beryl on either side of the kitchen table while Artemis withdrew a large pot from the pantry. From the sounds of the clanging, she was busy removing several smaller pots she¡¯d been storing inside it. ¡°Seth, you and Fable go out to the garden. Bring me back sprigs of oleander, bloodroot, rosemary, nightshade¡ªhere just take the book and grab everything it needs. Beryl, go down to the vault and bring back the jar of bone dust.¡± ¡°Whose?¡± ¡°Grandfather Blanchard¡¯s is probably best. He¡¯s the closest tie to Salem.¡± While Fable and Seth took a large basket outdoors to collect the living ingredients, Beryl went downstairs to a set of shelves near the back of the room. These shelves contained jars of the crushed, ashy remains of cremated Blanchard ancestors. The jars were almost never used in spells. Most spells did not require such potency. Only the most powerful magic required the remnants of a long dead blood-related witch. Beryl could not remember a single time from her life when she¡¯d been aware of anyone using any of these. Perhaps when Aunt Nacaria got into all that trouble years ago with the infamous spell she¡¯d cast, but Beryl wasn¡¯t certain. She¡¯d been a little girl when Nacaria went away. But for Olympia to be using the ashes of her own father in this spell to find Salem, Beryl knew this was serious business. ¡°There is still tomato sauce stuck to the sides of this thing!¡± Demitra yelled when Artemis presented her with the family cauldron. ¡°We used it last week when we had spaghetti,¡± Artemis noted. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Who washed this pot last time?¡± Demitra shouted to her relatives. ¡°Give it rest Demitra!¡± Artemis said rolling her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Yes, I doubt a little spaghetti sauce will hurt the spell,¡± Olympia reassured. As everyone regrouped around the table, placing their various collections around the pot, a shadowy specter ran rampant back and forth across the walls and ceiling. There was a franticness to its movement. It seemed to be as concerned as everyone else in the kitchen. ¡°You are not helping matters!¡± Seth shouted to the air. ¡°Seth!¡± Artemis scolded. ¡°Be kind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a distraction,¡± he huffed. ¡°Stay to the far wall,¡± Demitra commanded the entity. ¡°You may watch from there.¡± The ghostly thing moved to the wall adjacent to the living room and hovered against it, an opaque shadow obscuring the wallpaper. ¡°Maybe I should leave too,¡± Yasmine offered. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything to help.¡± ¡°You are family, and this is a family problem,¡± Fable said grasping her cousin¡¯s hand. ¡°Besides, we need someone to hold the book open.¡± ¡°Can we please hurry up and find out what has happened to my sister?¡± Seth groaned. Olympia placed the book on the table and began perusing the pages, pausing every so often in thought. Once or twice, she smiled to herself, as if recalling some memory from her glory days when she, her sister, and their best friend would have used this book on one of their adventures. Olympia continued to scan the frail pages, one after the other, searching for something. The rest of the family watched quietly, although none of them quite understood what she was looking for. ¡°Hecate, what is it exactly that you are trying to find in that book?¡± Beryl asked. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what has happened to Salem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid we do,¡± Artemis said. ¡°Salem isn¡¯t dead. Mother would have felt that when she performed the thread.¡± ¡°How can we be sure she would?¡± pressed Beryl. Olympia looked pensive for a moment, lost in an ancient memory. ¡°I know what it feels like to thread into someone who has died. It¡¯s how my sister and I learned of our father¡¯s passing. It is a cold blackness that seeps into your soul and doesn¡¯t let go.¡± She looked as if she might cry, but she steeled herself from it and shook the painful memory away. ¡°I did not feel that with Salem.¡± ¡°But Salem doesn¡¯t appear to be in this world either,¡± Demitra noted. ¡°And if little Michael has actually been frozen¡­¡± ¡°Salem has the power to freeze time,¡± Fable noted. ¡°So, are we assuming that Salem froze Michael and then disappeared?¡± Seth asked. ¡°I think she¡¯s left this plane of existence.¡± Olympia explained. ¡°The spell she must have used is this Withdrawal spell. It removes a person from this plane and places them on another.¡± ¡°But there are a zillion planes, Grandmother!¡± Yasmine cried. ¡°How are you to know which one she went to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Olympia admitted. ¡°She could be anywhere. The past, the future, another dimension? I will only be able to find her with the Tether spell. And let us hope my blood tie to her is strong enough to pull me to wherever she is.¡± ¡°It works best if it¡¯s a parent, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Beryl asked. ¡°You are a generation removed. If we had Salem¡¯s mother here¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that would have been preferable,¡± Olympia sighed. ¡°Just one more thing my mother fucked up!¡± Seth snapped. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that now,¡± Artemis said, smacking the back of his head lightly with the palm of her hand. . ¡°My tie is enough,¡± Olympia assured. ¡°My connection to Salem will work.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Demitra announced, lifting the large pot to the kitchen fireplace. Artemis closed her eyes, envisioning a fire which immediately ignited within the logs under the pot. Fable poured a pitcher of water into the pot as Yasmine lifted the book and held it open-faced towards her family. Olympia read from the book¡­ ¡°Gone from this world, gone from this life Here is the mother, where is the child? Across the oceans and winds of time Carry this mother to the arms of her child.¡± Demitra dropped several ingredients from the basket into the pot as Olympia continued her recitation¡­ ¡°Bloodroot is my tie, my blood and my child. Rosemary is my love, my blood and my child. Oleander is my escape, my blood and my child. These blossoms are my awakening, These bones are my kindred. Cast to the ages where time is unlimited. Take my blood to the place of my child.¡± ¡°Earth is my element. Communication is my power,¡± Fable said as she sliced her finger with a dagger and dropped her blood into the pot. ¡°Fire is my element. Action is my power,¡± Artemis said as she sliced her finger as well, dropping the blood into the pot. ¡°Air is my element. Prophecy is my power,¡± Demitra said following suit. ¡°Water is my element. Healing is my power,¡± Beryl said, doing the same. ¡°Air is my element. The elements are my power,¡± Seth said, placing his own blood into the pot. ¡°Earth is my element. Time is my power,¡± Olympia said inserting her own. Seth and his grandmother clasped hands. Everyone knew why this final part of the spell required only the two of them. It wasn¡¯t because they were Salem¡¯s nearest blood relations¡ªthat part was a coincidence. For Olympia and Seth Blanchard were the only Blanchard witches, besides Salem, who were full witches¡ªundiluted by regular blood. Olympia took the large wooden spoon from the table. Still holding her grandson¡¯s hand, she stepped closer to the cauldron and recited¡­ ¡°Hecate, Demeter, Artemis, the three. Take Hecate to Artemis, over time and sea. Blood to blood, time to time, Mother and Child Take me to mine!¡± ¡°Drink quickly,¡± Artemis said as her mother dipped the spoon into the pot and drank down the contents. Olympia felt the scalding burn to her lips as the liquid touched them. The broth scorched her throat as it ran down. She wanted to scream from the pain, but then it was gone. Everything was gone. She was gone. Olympia was no longer in her body. Seth caught his grandmother¡¯s empty shell before it hit the floor. ¡°Is she?¡± Yasmine couldn¡¯t bring herself to say the words. She knew they all knew what they were doing even if she didn¡¯t quite understand herself what it was like to be a witch. Despite the number of years she¡¯d been with them, she still didn¡¯t understand everything. ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± Demitra said. ¡°In a manner of sorts, and just for the time being.¡± ¡°Dead?¡± Yasmine sobbed. ¡°Not exactly dead,¡± Artemis explained as she comforted her niece with a side hug. ¡°Her soul has just left her body and gone to find Salem¡¯s. She will come back to her body once the potion wears off. In the meantime, Beryl will keep her body alive.¡± Seth carried his grandmother upstairs to her bedroom where Beryl had already set up everything she¡¯d need to keep Olympia Blanchard¡¯s lungs breathing and heart pumping. It was handy to have a doctor in the house, especially one who was a witch. CHAPTER 5: Where Its Easier Salem couldn¡¯t figure out where that horrible screech was coming from. It sounded like a scream. It sounded like her scream. She opened her eyes and realized it was no scream at all, only the horribly irritating shriek of their alarm clock. She rolled over and slammed her hand down on the snooze button to silence the beeps until her sleepy hands fumbled for the off switch. ¡°I hate that sound,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you have that archaic machine,¡± David growled beside her. ¡°A clock?¡± ¡°Why do you not just use the alarm on your phone?¡± ¡°Because I always forget to charge it,¡± she replied. ¡°Plug it in on your nightstand every night before you fall asleep.¡± ¡°No room. The alarm clock and lamp are plugged into that outlet.¡± ¡°You are so ridiculous,¡± David grinned rolling over and stroking her hair. ¡°You getting up first or me?¡± ¡°You are,¡± Salem yawned. ¡°And throw the clothes in the dryer please.¡± ¡°If you feed Michael,¡± David whispered into her ear. She rolled over to look her husband in the eyes. ¡°Why do I always get the big jobs?¡± He laughed and kissed her nose. ¡°Well, if you weren¡¯t so bossy throwing laundry duty in with my shower you might not get saddled with the large jobs.¡± ¡°Next time I¡¯ll remember to volunteer for the small jobs and let you tackle the big ones.¡± He pulled her on top of him and gave her a real kiss. ¡°You, my love, are not quick enough to think of that this early in the morning.¡± He rolled over on top of her now and kissed her again, longer this time. Then he hopped off the bed and went into the bathroom to turn the shower on. ¡°Hey!¡± Salem called from the bed. ¡°What about the clothes in the washer?¡± David poked his head out of the bathroom and grinned, ¡°Oh I forgot. Since you¡¯re gonna be up anyway feeding the baby, you won¡¯t mind.¡± Salem threw a pillow at his head, which he quickly dodged. She crawled out of bed, swatting her unruly auburn hair out of her face. Walking into the bathroom she reached into the shower and slapped his bare bottom before she flushed the toilet needlessly and walked out. ¡°Hey!¡± he called out, cringing from the change in water temperature. ¡°You had it coming.¡± Salem was in her fluffy white bathrobe sitting at the small kitchen table looking out of the window onto Piedmont Park while she drank her coffee. Michael was in his highchair playing with his cereal more than he was eating it. David came into the kitchen wrapped in a towel, dripping water all over the floor. She didn¡¯t say anything. What was the price of a few puddles when she could see her amazingly handsome husband wrapped in a towel? He still had a great body, despite their recent laziness. There¡¯d once been a time when they¡¯d already be out with the other morning joggers on the park paths or playing afternoon tennis on the park courts. All that changed with Michael. After working all day and chasing a one-year-old around all night, neither of them had the energy to exercise anymore. Salem glanced down at her own stomach. ¡°I need to lose weight.¡± ¡°Here we go again,¡± David sighed, pouring himself some coffee. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Every couple of days you look at yourself and say you need to lose weight,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I do. I¡¯m fat.¡± ¡°Yes, honey you are.¡± ¡°What!¡± Salem shrieked. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, David Lane, that I only went up two sizes when I was pregnant with Michael, and I am almost back down to my original size. I think I look pretty damn good for a 28-year-old mother.¡± ¡°Then stop bitching about it,¡± David said kissing her forehead and starting back down the hall, pausing only to yell behind him, ¡°And you¡¯re 30!¡± Damn, she thought. I walked right into that one. Salem carried Michael into the nursery to dress him for the day. He was such a happy baby, most of the time. As she laid him down on the ottoman to remove his pajamas he laughed and shook his arms playfully at her. David came in already suited up for his day at the office. ¡°I¡¯ll get the baby ready,¡± he said. "You get ready for work.¡± ¡°Are you taking him to daycare today, or am I?¡± Salem asked her husband. ¡°I can take him,¡± David said, holding his son. ¡°You have that big meeting this morning. I¡¯m gonna go on and leave as soon as I get him dressed. Kiss me.¡± She did. It lasted seconds longer than most couples probably kiss goodbye because their kisses always lasted longer than most. In the years they¡¯d been together, their passion for one another had not diminished¡ªnot even after the baby. Whatever fueled their love showed no signs of ever burning out, and Salem was very grateful for that gift. Most of her friends already found their husbands to be a nuisance or talked about them as if they were the dumbest creatures God ever placed on earth. Salem still adored David, and he her. They felt profoundly lucky to be as much in love as the day they married. ¡°Don¡¯t forget you have those notes you made last night on the nightstand,¡± David shouted as Salem disappeared into the bathroom. ¡°Love you!¡± ¡°Love you too!¡± she yelled from behind the door. After battling the ever-congested roadways of Atlanta and only swearing at three people along the drive in to work, Salem rushed into the office, almost knocking over her assistant as she came in the door. ¡°You¡¯re late. They¡¯ve already started,¡± Cindy whispered. ¡°I know,¡± Salem whispered. ¡°David took Michael for me this morning but somehow that always makes me later. I guess I keep thinking I have more time, and then somehow, I end up without any at all.¡± She rushed down the hall to the conference room. She could hear the voices from the other side. The meeting was already in progress. She wasn¡¯t too worried about it; they couldn¡¯t get very far without her in on things. She whisked open the door and found her seat. ¡°So sorry guys. Working motherhood and all.¡± ¡°Quite all right Salem,¡± her boss Travis Dandridge nodded, pouring her a cup of coffee from the pot in the center of the table.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°We were just discussing the layouts for the Mitchell job. I¡¯m meeting with him at lunch,¡± said Ray Conners, the head of the concept department. ¡°So, Salem,¡± Travis began, ¡°As our art department head, do you have any ideas for the Mitchell campaign? ¡°Several,¡± Salem nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what direction he wants to take his ads, so I ventured out into different directions. I have them all for you to present to him on this thumb drive and there are materials and mockups at Cindy¡¯s desk. Once we get input from him as to which he prefers, I can flesh his picks out more.¡± ¡°Fine. Fine. What about the Louden layouts?¡± Salem reached into her satchel and withdrew her sketches. ¡°Right here. Exactly as he wanted them. But I also made another set with changes which I think are even better than what he asked for. I thought Neil might want to present them as well when they meet.¡± Neil Thompson, the rep for the Louden account, flipped through Salem¡¯s sketches. ¡°Salem these are really fantastic. Way better than what he asked for. I love these. Thank you. I¡¯ll make sure he considers them as well.¡± ¡°You know we really need to promote Salem and give her her own client accounts. She¡¯s wasted in the art department,¡± Ray smiled. ¡°No thanks,¡± Salem laughed. ¡°I¡¯m good where I am. If I had to meet with the clients personally, I¡¯d never see my husband and son. And with that, I need to go. I have an art department meeting at 10 o¡¯clock, and I need to get my notes ready for the staff. Things were so much easier when I was the art department.¡± ¡°Progress my dear, progress. This company has grown a lot over the last few years,¡± Travis said, walking her to the door. ¡°By the way, Molly has a blanket she crocheted for Michael. It is in a bag in my office by my desk. Grab that before you leave today. And speaking of Michael, how is my great nephew? Haven¡¯t seen that boy in a while.¡± ¡°He¡¯s growing and growing,¡± Salem said proudly. ¡°If you¡¯d leave the office some time you and Molly could come over for dinner the way you used to. And you could go fishing with David again. You need to remember you have family that misses you. I¡¯m the only one that ever sees you anymore.¡± ¡°Well, tell that nephew of mine that I promise we will get out on the lake before summer is over. Maybe next weekend.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t next weekend. I¡¯m hoping we can sneak home to Daihmler and see the family.¡± ¡°Well if you do, please let your aunt know that cream she made for me worked. My arthritis is completely gone now!¡± Salem went to her meeting and handed off the necessary assignments to her staff. The remainder of her day was spent sketching layouts and approving sketches made by her underlings. She was so immersed in her work that she didn¡¯t hear the knock at the door. Looking up she saw Travis holding baby Michael. ¡°Say hello to Mommy,¡± Travis said in baby talk to his great nephew. ¡°What¡¯s my big boy doing here?¡± Salem beamed. ¡°Hey, Red,¡± David said, stepping inside her office himself. ¡°I called David after we chatted this morning and asked him to drop by after work. You were right, it has been way too long since our little family was together. I called Molly and she made a reservation at the Laurence. I¡¯ll pick her up in a few minutes and we can all have a family dinner.¡± ¡°Just leave your car here,¡± David suggested. ¡°Ride with us and I¡¯ll bring you to work in the morning.¡± ¡°Actually, I still have about a half hour left on this,¡± Salem said. ¡°David why don¡¯t you take Michael to go pick up Molly, and I¡¯ll ride to the restaurant with Travis.¡± David walked over to her desk and kissed his wife on the cheek before leaving, and whispered in her ear, ¡°Michael has been moving toys around again with his thoughts. The daycare lady thinks she¡¯s going crazy.¡± Travis hadn¡¯t overheard their exchange. As close as Salem and David were to David¡¯s aunt and uncle, they¡¯d never confided in them that Salem and Michael were witches. It wouldn¡¯t have made any difference to them, but Salem preferred to keep some things private. Back home in Daihmler there was no escaping the label in a town where everyone knew everything about her family. Everyone knew Salem Blanchard was a witch. But in Atlanta, she enjoyed the obscurity and anonymity of simply being Salem Lane. Travis was a great man. She respected him immensely. She¡¯d been working for him about a year when he introduced her to his only nephew¡ªhis only living relative¡ªat his annual Christmas party. Salem and David were married by the following Christmas. It was a good marriage. More ups than downs and always laughter and love. David was never afraid of her powers. He wasn¡¯t frightened by a family of witches. In fact, he rather enjoyed having a wife who could stop time itself when necessary. Or a wife who could levitate furniture so that he never had to lift anything heavy around the house. He didn¡¯t even mind very much when she froze him during sex. Although he preferred to think that she didn¡¯t have to resort to that very often. He learned over the years to save his pride and not look at the clock. Travis and Molly practically raised David after his parents died. The situation was very similar to how Artemis had raised Salem and Seth. It was just one of the many areas Salem had in common with her husband. She felt lucky to belong to two very close, even if very different, families. Salem finished her sketches and set everything aside for tomorrow. Travis was waiting in his office for her. She found the crocheted blanket Aunt Molly had made for Michael. It was truly beautiful. She couldn¡¯t wait to cover her son with it that night at bedtime. They locked up the office and soon Salem and Travis were driving down the streets of Midtown Atlanta towards The Laurence. She was just beginning to realize the screech she heard sounded an awful lot like a scream when she awoke to discover the sound was actually the alarm clock. She had only been dreaming. Salem rolled over and slammed her hand down on the snooze button to silence the beeps until her sleepy hands fumbled for the off switch. ¡°I hate that sound,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you have that archaic machine,¡± David growled beside her. ¡°A clock?¡± ¡°Why do you not just use the alarm on your phone?¡± ¡°Because I always forget to charge it,¡± Salem replied. Wow. I¡¯m having Deja veux. David rolled over and gently patted her head. ¡°Because this is how things go every morning. So, are you getting up first, or me?¡± ¡°You are,¡± Salem yawned. ¡°And throw the clothes in the dryer please.¡± ¡°If you feed Michael,¡± David whispered into her ear. She rolled over to look her husband in the eyes. This had all happened before. As he got out of bed, she already knew he was going straight into the shower. ¡°Hey!¡± Salem called from the bed. ¡°What about the clothes in the washer?¡± David poked his head out of the bathroom and grinned, ¡°Oh I forgot. Since you¡¯re gonna be up anyway feeding the baby, you won¡¯t mind.¡± This has happened before. I think it¡¯s happened two or three times already. This is when I throw the pillow at him. She threw the pillow at his head, and he dodged it. She walked into the bathroom. She slapped his rear end as he stood in the shower, then she flushed the toilet on him. Just like last time. Salem fed Michael in the kitchen and then had a pointless conversation about her weight where she was actually fishing for a compliment, but David turned the tables and didn¡¯t give her one. He offered to drive Michael to daycare. Salem knew he would. She also somehow knew that Michael was going to move toys around the room with his powers while at daycare that day. But how could she know that? He hadn¡¯t even gone to daycare yet. What is going on? Salem went to the shower to get ready for work. She heard David caution her to not forget the notes she¡¯d made for work and set on her nightstand. Then he called out ¡°I love you.¡± She was just about to say, ¡°I love you too¡±, but instead she bolted from the bathroom and ran stark naked down the hall towards her exiting husband. ¡°Wait!¡± she shouted. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± David smirked. ¡°I love you, that¡¯s all,¡± she said. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think you need to put some clothes on in front of our son?¡± ¡°Please,¡± she sneered. ¡°He¡¯s dined on these.¡± He kissed her lips. ¡°I love you too, you know.¡± ¡°David? When was the last time we made love?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± David said. ¡°A few days ago. Yeah. In the kitchen, remember?¡± ¡°A few days is too long ago,¡± Salem wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Come to the bedroom with me.¡± ¡°Salem,¡± David gasped. ¡°We have to go to work.¡± ¡°Work can wait,¡± Salem replied, kissing him passionately. ¡°Daycare can wait. The world can wait.¡± ¡°What about our son?¡± David asked. He stared into his wife¡¯s eyes. Slowly they were changing from dutiful mother to the lover he so enjoyed spending time with. He sat his son down on the floor. ¡°Do it,¡± he said with a coy grin. Salem waved her hand over their son. Michael froze in place, completely still. His eyes didn¡¯t move, his breath didn¡¯t inhale or exhale. He was paused in time and space. David heard the clock in the hall stop ticking. All time everywhere had halted in place. ¡°A witch should do little things like this sometimes for her husband,¡± she smiled. David pressed her against the wall, kissing down her neck to her chin. He continued moving downward inch by inch. Salem peeled off his jacket, shirt and tie, then his pants. Soon they were entwined in each other¡¯s arms on the living room floor. The passion between them was just as intense as the first time they¡¯d ever made love. Salem showered after David and Michael left the house. She was definitely going to be late to her meeting, but she didn¡¯t care. She only knew that for some inexplicable reason, she and her husband had needed that moment together this morning. She stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel. She grabbed it from her grandmother¡¯s outstretched hand. It startled her. She jumped backwards, nearly falling into the shower. ¡°Hecate!¡± she cried. ¡°What in the world are you doing here?¡± Olympia stood solemnly before her granddaughter and placed her hands on Salem¡¯s wet shoulders. ¡°Child, the real question is, what are you doing here?¡± CHAPTER 6: Face the Destiny Olympia waited in the living room while Salem dressed. She glanced over the little house her granddaughter and husband occupied, delighted in its homey feel. She didn¡¯t often leave Blanchard House and had only been to Salem¡¯s home twice before. It had been painted since her last visit, which was right around the time Michael had been born. The walls had been light blue then. Now they were beige. Salem really oughtn¡¯t have painted the house with a baby in it. Paint fumes are not good for little ones to inhale. Olympia dismissed the thought and continued looking around. She smiled warmly at all the photos of her little great-grandson, some of which she¡¯d not yet seen. Toys lay on the sofa and coffee table. An empty jar of Gerber baby food laid on its side on an end table with a tiny spoon still inside. Olympia noticed an empty mini bag of Cheez-Its discarded clumsily under the ottoman of David¡¯s favorite chair. Anyone else might have assumed that bag would have belonged to baby Michael, but Olympia knew her grandson-in-law¡¯s favorite snack quite well. She always stocked up on Cheez-Its whenever David and Salem came to Daihmler. And that old chair¡ªDavid¡¯s chair. A holdover from his college apartment which Salem had been unsuccessful in convincing him to shed. Olympia smiled as she looked around. This was a home. Salem¡¯s home. A place where no doubt the happiest years of her granddaughter¡¯s life were being spent. Salem, now dressed, joined her grandmother in the living room. ¡°Hecate,¡± she began. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you, but why are you here? You should have called me. I could have come out to the airport to get you.¡± Olympia stood silent a moment, grasping the reality before her. Salem had no idea what was going on. She was just as lost as everyone else. ¡°Or did you drive in? Who drove you? Is Seth here too?¡± Salem asked peering through the living room curtain. Olympia was even more concerned now than she was before, ¡°Salem, dear¡­¡± Salem continued talking as she looked out to the street for her brother or her cousin¡¯s car, ¡°You don¡¯t drive. Somebody had to drive you. Is Seth outside? Or did Fable bring you?¡± ¡°Salem!¡± Olympia commanded silence. ¡°I did not fly here. I did not drive here. I could not have possibly done either because there is no here to fly or drive to.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Hecate, what are you talking about?¡± Salem was now beginning to feel apprehension of her own. It was not like her grandmother to just show up in Atlanta unannounced. And to see that she had come alone, especially considering Salem had never known her grandmother to drive. Something was terribly wrong, and Salem felt almost too afraid to give Olympia time to tell her. ¡°Salem, I came here by casting. The entire family cast a spell and sent me here. Here to the past.¡± The answer flabbergasted Salem. ¡°The past? What are you talking about? This isn¡¯t the past.¡± Olympia took a seat on the plump sofa nearby. ¡°Salem, this is the past. Judging from the newspaper on your coffee table, this is the past of about three days ago.¡± Salem walked to the coffee table and lifted yesterday¡¯s paper. It looked just as it had last night. She then grabbed her phone from her purse. ¡°Hecate, I think something is wrong with you. I don¡¯t know how you got here, but I¡¯m calling the family.¡± Salem knew this wasn¡¯t the case. Olympia Blanchard was not the type to suffer from dementia. No one had a more level head on their shoulders. But Salem had to make herself believe Olympia was the one wrong here because to admit otherwise was much too frightening a possibility. ¡°I think Beryl needs to heal you,¡± Salem continued. ¡°Maybe your mind is starting to drift. I¡¯ll call the landline. Someone will be home. They¡¯re probably worried sick about you.¡± Olympia didn¡¯t try to stop her. She waited as her granddaughter made the call. She could hear the phone ring twice before it was answered. Salem said nothing to the person who answered. Her face was pale, confused. She hung her cell phone up and dropped it back into her purse. ¡°You answered.¡± ¡°I am in your past Salem. Not my own. In my past, three days ago, I was home in Alabama.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand this,¡± Salem said sitting down beside her grandmother on the sofa. ¡°Neither do I,¡± admitted Olympia. ¡°All I can tell you is that for some reason we don¡¯t yet know, you sent yourself backwards in time three days. I am here to take you back. Of course, the only way to get back is to get you to understand why you did this in the first place. And since you do not yet know why you are in the past, we are stuck here until you figure it out.¡± ¡°Well, what do we do?¡± ¡°Go on about your day and I¡¯ll pop in and out to check on you.¡± ¡°How are you going to pop in and out?¡± Salem asked. ¡°My body is physically at home. Only my astral body is here in Atlanta right now. I can move around here to anyplace I need to with a mere thought.¡± Salem didn¡¯t understand. She was not as versed in these things as her grandmother. Olympia Blanchard had lived a life filled with things such as this which her children and grandchildren had been largely shielded from. Salem could not wrap her head around any of this, but she did as she was told and went to work just as she would have any normal day. CHAPTER 7: A Little Comfort Yasmine stepped off the front porch of Blanchard House and started walking across the lawn towards the back of the house. She passed by her grandmother¡¯s rose garden. The sweet air wafted over her as she made her way along the footworn path past the chicken houses and through the apple orchard. Moving through the trees she came to the row of fencing with the grapevines twinning around the pickets and stretching up overhead onto the arched arbor. Just beyond that came the slight downhill path to the stream. The clear water was running slowly, probably from lack of rain, but she sat down on the bank and slipped off her shoes to dip her toes into the crisp, cool water. Things out here seemed so peaceful, despite the events currently happening within the family. A brown dove winged by for a moment as if contemplating whether Yasmine was safe to perch beside. Deciding not to risk it, the dove flew away. ¡°That ugly mug of yours will scare anything off,¡± Seth remarked coming across the meadow. ¡°Maybe we should stand you in the garden instead of the scarecrow.¡± She feigned a laugh mostly out of politeness, understanding Seth¡¯s need to make jokes so that he never had to face anything too serious for too long. Yasmine knew he was scared. Seth had always been close to his older sister Salem. Despite having Yasmine, Fable, and Beryl to grow up with, Seth and Salem often felt like they only had each other. Both basically orphaned early due to the selfish choices of their parents. The uncertainty right now regarding Salem¡¯s whereabouts and safety was scaring Seth more than he wanted to let on. ¡°Grandmother will find her, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied breathing in the warm air. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Yasmine said searching her mind for something¡ªanything¡ªto talk about. ¡°Can¡¯t think of a thing, can you?¡± he smirked. ¡°Yes, I can,¡± she began. ¡°Ever wonder why products become suddenly new and improved? Are they finally admitting to us that their old formula was always inferior? Doesn¡¯t exactly instill shopper confidence that the company was perfectly happy to give us a product they didn¡¯t originally believe in.¡± ¡°You are so lame.¡± ¡°At least I don¡¯t date cranky preacher¡¯s daughters,¡± Yasmine scoffed. ¡°That might actually be kind of fun to observe,¡± Seth said devilishly. ¡°I¡¯d watch that show.¡± She rammed her shoulder into his as punishment for his lewd brain. She scooted a little closer to him. Her hands wrapped around her knees as she wiggled her toes in the water. He was leaning back, braced by his thick arms stretched behind him with his feet propped up on a rock by the water. ¡°I¡¯m worried, you know?¡± he admitted. Yasmine noticed his leg was shaking a little--fidgeting--as if the stress inside him was trying to release itself whichever way it could.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Salem¡¯s all I have left,¡± Seth confided. ¡°I mean, I know I have family. Grandmother, the aunts, Beryl and Fable¡­even irritating little you. But Salem¡¯s different. My sister, you know?¡± Yasmine sighed and slid herself under his arm. ¡°I do. I love this family with all my heart, but I still miss my own sometimes.¡± ¡°We are your own,¡± Seth corrected. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean that the way it sounded. But in the way you mean with Salem. I feel part of the Blanchard family, but I miss my parents a lot. And I miss my brother Ollie. And especially Grandad.¡± ¡°We all miss Granddad,¡± Seth smiled. ¡°He was the best. The only grandfather I ever knew. But I know what you mean about your parents. I miss mine sometimes too¡ªat least the idea of them. Whatever the case may be.¡± ¡°But you do remember your mother a little, don¡¯t you?¡± Yasmine asked. ¡°Not really,¡± Seth admitted. ¡°I know she looked something like Aunt Demitra and Aunt Artemis¡ªor at least what someone would look like if they both looked more like each other. Make sense?¡± Yasmine nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve seen pictures of Nacaria. She does look like a cross between them, just with blonde hair. The aunts share similarities, but when you see pictures of them with your mother, you know right away they were all sisters.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Seth¡¯s tone turned bitter, ¡°But she had to be selfish. Thoughtless. And now we will never see her again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that Seth,¡± Yasmine replied. ¡°You don¡¯t really know that. She might come back one day.¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead Yazzy. Good as well as, at least.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking about her, either,¡± Seth grumbled. Yasmine leaned forward to toss a daisy from the water¡¯s edge into the stream. It floated downstream a few feet until a rock caught it in place. She leaned her head back onto her cousin¡¯s shoulder again. He¡¯d been to the gym again. She could smell it. She thought about saying something but figured it probably was not an appropriate time to tell him he was ripe. She really didn¡¯t mind it though. She liked the way he smelled when he¡¯d been sweaty. ¡°The other day I went to the movies with Jake. I was uncomfortable in my seat, so I bent my leg up under me and sat on it. After a while I shifted some and my leg popped through the back of the seat. So, there I am straddling the movie theater chair, one leg in front and one wedged in back. I was stuck. When the movie went off and everyone got up to leave, there was no hiding the fact that I was caught in the chair. Jake looked at me like I was crazy. It took him quite a while to get my leg out. I was so embarrassed.¡± Seth started laughing. ¡°You know those things only happen to you. No one else ever gets in the predicaments you do.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Jake got to be your hero, I guess.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Seth looked at Yasmine and tilted his head slightly to the side. ¡°So, do you, like¡­love him or something?¡± ¡°Jake?!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°No. I don¡¯t love him. I think he¡¯s nice¡­ I like him.¡± ¡°Are you two¡­¡± ¡°Are we two what?¡± she repeated. ¡°You know.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. What are you asking me Seth?¡± ¡°Are you two collecting antique pottery! Yazzy you know very well what I am asking you. Are you two having sex?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not any of your business!¡± she cried. ¡°Okay,¡± Seth huffed. ¡°Nevermind then. It¡¯s not my business.¡± His demeanor changed. He pulled away and sat singularly by the water, staring out at the stream. Yasmine scooted closer to him. She looked up at him and tried to force a smile on his face. ¡°It may be a little your business, I guess. If it¡¯s something you need to know.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know.¡± ¡°We are not having sex. I¡¯ve only been dating him a month.¡± ¡°People have sex within a month, Yaz.¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Seth seemed friendlier again. He nudged her back with his shoulder. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What about you and Vanessa?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± he answered. CHAPTER 8: The Reason Salem had her meeting with Travis and the department heads. When she had wrapped up the meeting with her own department, she retreated to her office. Everything felt redundant. Every word, every step, everything she witnessed felt like it had all happened before. Hecate must be right. ¡°Of course, I am,¡± Olympia announced standing by Salem¡¯s office door, closing it for privacy. ¡°Any clues about why we¡¯re in the past yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. But go on about your day. I¡¯ll be around,¡± Olympia said before disappearing from sight again. Salem¡¯s day proceeded. She was finishing her work when David bounded into her office with Travis and baby Michael. The men went through a speech about meeting Molly for dinner. Salem already knew they¡¯d say at The Laurence before they¡¯d even said it. David left with Michael to pick up Aunt Molly, while Salem wrapped up her work before driving with Travis to the restaurant. It was at the restaurant, before David arrived, when suddenly Salem observed everything around her freeze completely still. The waiter walking past stopped in mid-step¡ªhis leg suspended in air as if just about to complete his next step. Travis¡¯s hand was as if a piece of stone gripping his cocktail to his lips, mid sip. Salem herself had the power to stop time in motion, but she hadn¡¯t done this. Only Olympia also possessed that power. Salem turned to glance around her, trying to spot her grandmother. ¡°I¡¯m here, my dear,¡± Olympia said over the still quiet as she glided around the figures stopped from their motion around the room. ¡°This is it, Salem. This is the precise moment when you go back to the beginning of the day. Obviously, you are not trying to change something, but to avoid it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand Hecate.¡± ¡°Neither do I, Baby,¡± the old woman said clasping her granddaughter¡¯s hand. ¡°But this time you are going to face it. Remember, even though you won¡¯t see me when I unfreeze everyone, I¡¯ll still be here watching. You¡¯ll be alright. Hecate is here. I will not leave you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Hecate,¡± Salem admitted. Even saying the words felt like an admittance of weakness to someone as strong as her grandmother. ¡°I know, Baby. Fear is normal, do not run from it. Stay and face it. You are a Blanchard. There is nothing a Blanchard cannot survive.¡± Olympia faded like a mist into the air as the hustle and bustle of The Laurence resumed.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Travis sipped his drink and pulled out his phone. ¡°They should be here by now. I¡¯ll call Molly and see what¡¯s the holdup.¡± He phoned his wife as Salem sat and listened to his end of the conversation. ¡°Are you guys almost here yet? What? He hasn¡¯t? But he left an hour ago. Yeah, traffic is rough, but he still should have been there. We only live a few miles from the office. Yeah, wait there and we¡¯ll come home.¡± ¡°David hasn¡¯t shown up yet,¡± Travis told Salem as he hung up the phone. ¡°Molly has been waiting this whole time.¡± What could have happened? Salem¡¯s mind immediately rushed to the worst of possibilities, but she quickly dismissed those. That would never happen. David¡¯s a great driver. He just stopped off for gas or ran into an old friend somewhere and got distracted talking. But Salem knew deep down this was it. This was the reason she¡¯d hurled herself backward in time, and it had nothing to do with her husband running into an old friend. Whatever happened was exactly why she was stuck in the past. Travis broke every traffic law on his way to his house, but they never made it there. The flashing blue and red lights on the side of the road, along with the dozens of cars stopped in place between the lights and Travis¡¯ car, told Salem all she needed to know. David had been in a crash. ¡°Salem wait!¡± Travis shouted as his niece bolted from his car and began darting around stopped vehicles in the chaotic maze of the traffic jam. She ran as fast as she could towards the flashing lights. Five cars away. Four cars away. Three. Two. Then she saw the pileup. Two sedans and one transfer truck lay mangled across all four lanes of traffic. There was also a fourth car. David¡¯s car. She knew the moment she approached that her husband was dead. She could see his body being loaded onto a stretcher by two medics. His face was covered in blood and unrecognizable. One of his arms was missing but she recognized his suit. The suit was all that was recognizable about him. ¡°Ma¡¯am, get back,¡± a policeman told her, pushing her backward away from the scene. ¡°That¡¯s my husband!¡± she screamed. ¡°Leave me alone!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, you have to step back. You cannot go up there.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my baby?! That¡¯s my husband! Get away from me!!!¡± Salem waved her arm across the officer¡¯s head. Suddenly the officer, as well as the two others now running forward to block her way, were sent hurdling backwards over the hood of the closest vehicle involved in the wreckage. Her path was cleared as she sprinted forward toward her husband. David was dead. Undeniably dead. She stood staring at the carnage which had once been the man she loved. Somewhere beneath the torn flesh and bloodied face was her husband. The missing arm, his left arm, was where he wore their wedding ring. Salem suddenly found herself wondering where the arm¡ªwhere the ring¡ªcould be. But another thought flashed into her mind making the visage of David¡¯s decimated body fade away. Where is my baby? ¡°Out of the way!¡± shouted another medical professional rushing forward with a gurney. Strapped to it was the tiny form of baby Michael. ¡°We¡¯re losing the baby!¡± Salem stood stunned, almost out of body as she witnessed her infant child being rushed towards the back of the ambulance. Instinctively she shoved her hand forward into his direction and froze the scene. Everything stopped. CHAPTER 9: Healing Hands Beryl Blanchard was one of the finest doctors Daihmler County Hospital ever had the privilege of employing, and they all knew it there. Despite her young age, she already carried quite a reputation. Staff called her The Miracle Worker. No one knew exactly what she did or how she did it, but Dr. Blanchard¡¯s patients rarely ever died. More than that, her patients seemed to share a common habit of somehow miraculously healing from their ailments. Of course, rumors being as common as houseflies, gossip flew to all reaches of the hospital. Everyone in Daihmler knew about the Blanchards. People knew Beryl was a witch¡ªa fact that kept some citizens reluctant to become her patient, while others begged for the honor. But there was no denying, Dr. Blanchard was a very sought-after physician. She made her rounds quickly that morning. Her grandmother had been in a coma for two solid days back at home, and she wanted to hurry home to check on her. As she made her way to Room 251, she was glad to know this was the last patient she needed to see today. She gave a short knock at the door before entering. Her patient was asleep, but his wife was sitting uncomfortably in the chair beside the bed. ¡°Dr. Blanchard!¡± the woman exclaimed hopping up from her seat. ¡°How is our patient today?¡± Beryl smiled. ¡°Not much better,¡± his wife replied. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the operation wasn¡¯t a total success. They could only clear two arteries.¡± Beryl smiled kindly at the man¡¯s wife. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s try another approach.¡± ¡°Please,¡± the lady pleaded. ¡°Dr. Matthews is a wonderful doctor. He did all he could for my husband. But it wasn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ve heard about you, Dr. Blanchard. Will you please help us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here,¡± Beryl nodded. ¡°Dr. Matthews asked me to consult.¡± ¡°He did?¡± the woman said in disbelief. ¡°Dr. Matthews and I are good friends. I¡¯m happy to take a look at your husband.¡± ¡°When I was your age,¡± the woman began. ¡°I was told I was barren. My doctor said I was never gonna have any kids. Then I heard about your mother. She helped a friend of mine with a rash none of her doctors could rid of. Your momma made a salve for her and it went away.¡± Beryl smiled. This wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d heard similar stories from patients. ¡°And did she help you?¡± ¡°She did. I went to see her, and she told me I wasn¡¯t barren. She told me exactly what my husband and I needed to do to get pregnant. I got me three children now, teenagers. All because of your momma. So, you have my full faith, Dr. Blanchard.¡± Beryl smiled again. ¡°Thank you. Now let¡¯s see what we can do for your husband, however I need to be alone to examine him. I can¡¯t promise you anything, but I will see if I can help him.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I understand. I thank you for even trying.¡± The patient¡¯s wife left the room, giving Beryl privacy with her spouse. Beryl placed her hands on the patient¡¯s chest. Almost the exact moment her hands connected to his body, Beryl felt the familiar warm sensation begin to swell within her. As if some radiant light hidden away deep in her soul turned on and grew brighter and brighter beneath her flesh. Closing her eyes, she allowed her now fully charged senses to scan his body. Her physical contact allowed her to evaluate his body¡¯s frailties as if her hands possessed the power of a CAT scan. All the while her hands inspected his physicality, her inner eye looked more deeply into the totality of this man¡¯s life and worth. She could see him walking through a field, possibly a farm on the outskirts of town. She saw him at work; he was a hard worker. Long hours, little income. She saw him at the dinner table at night, laughing with his family. She saw him helping his children with their math homework. She saw him giving his wife a coy wink when she passed by¡ªhis little way of telling her he loved her. This was a good man, a good father, a provider. Beryl liked him. This man deserved more years of life. He was younger than he looked, but country life ages a body fast. His body was overweight, his heart was worn out, but he deserved to live. Beryl felt the familiar tremor in her soul, that reliable power she had come to master over the years. The tremor began to course through her arms and into her fingertips. It was as if some inner Light, borrowed from something bigger than her--filled her hands and entered the patient. Beryl never quite understood where this power came from. Was it inside her all the time or was she merely a conduit able to channel some outside force through her extremities? But it never failed her. And it never taxed her¡ªwhich made her sometimes wonder if she were just the director of the force rather than the generator of it. Either way, she visualized the man healthy, growing older with his family. The tingle in her fingers felt almost like sparks ready to ignite. She moved over his heart and down his legs where the blockage was worsening. She could feel his passageways clearing as she touched him. ¡°You are going to recover, Mr. Reed,¡± she whispered into his ear. ¡°You¡¯ve worked too hard to be robbed of your golden years now.¡± Later in her office, gathering her belongings before heading home, a knock came at her office door. Dr. Matthews entered. In his hand were new scans of Mr. Reed¡¯s heart. He presented them to Dr. Blanchard. ¡°You¡¯ve done it again. He¡¯s clear.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really great,¡± Beryl said. ¡°You did that in surgery you know?¡± ¡°You¡¯re generous to say that, but we both know it wasn¡¯t all me,¡± Dr. Matthews said. ¡°Mr. Reed would have died hours before I walked into his room had you not saved his life in emergency surgery. You gave him life. I just added a few more years.¡± ¡°Well, whatever you did, I thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°Can I thank you more properly? Say, perhaps dinner tonight? Nothing fancy, just a couple steaks at Nicks in the Sticks?¡± ¡°Raincheck?¡± Beryl asked. ¡°I¡¯m needed at home. Family emergency.¡± ¡°Have anything to do with that medical equipment Dr. Herring helped you sneak out?¡± Beryl raised a brow, ¡°You know about that?¡± Dr. Matthews gave a little chuckle and winked to his colleague, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Beryl, too many doctors around here owe you so many favors¡­I don¡¯t think anyone is going to turn you in for borrowing a few pieces of equipment. If you need my help for whatever it is you have going on at home, I¡¯m on call for you.¡± Beryl smirked at her friend. ¡°I have it under control. But I will take that steak dinner down the road.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± CHAPTER 10: Madam Zelda Zelda came up the driveway like a race car driver. Dust and dirt spewing out from under her car as she went. Jumping out of her old Ford Taurus, she stomped up the porch steps and flung open the door to Blanchard House. ¡°Where is Lympy!¡± Demitra had been upstairs with her mother when she saw Zelda¡¯s car coming down the road from the window. She rushed down the stairs to meet the old woman. Zelda. Leave it to her mother¡¯s best friend to pick the most inopportune time to visit. ¡°I just had a vibration!¡± Zelda announced as she slammed the front door behind her. ¡°Good for you,¡± Demitra remarked. ¡°I hope you turned it off before you left home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be flippant, girl!¡± Zelda snapped as she pranced into the living room and nestled her rather large bottom onto the sofa. Her loud purple and yellow blouse stood out against the sage green sofa like grape juice on a white carpet. Zelda spread her pink skirt out over her legs. With her slightly maroon hair, she looked like a clown had dressed her. ¡°Come on in, will you?¡± Demitra said sarcastically, joining her in the living room. ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡± Zelda demanded. ¡°I¡¯m worried. I was doin¡¯ a reading for Mrs. Winthrope when I had this horrible feeling sum¡¯thing is wrong with Lympy.¡± ¡°I assure you mother is fine, but we are quite busy around here today. I¡¯ll be sure to tell Mother you dropped by.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, Demmy,¡± Zelda asserted. ¡°Not till I see Lympy.¡± They heard the front door open and close as Artemis came in holding a basket of vegetables. ¡°Hello Zelda,¡± Artemis called. ¡°I thought that was your car tearing up the road while I was in the garden.¡± Artemis paused in the doorway to the living room and stared at the old woman. ¡°Zelda, your hair.¡± ¡°You like it? It¡¯s called Grandly Garnet. I dyed it myself yesterday.¡± ¡°Well, it certainly is fascinating.¡± ¡°Those tomatoes look marvelous Arty,¡± Zelda said spying the basket. ¡°I believe I¡¯ll grab me some from the garden before I leave.¡± ¡°Help yourself,¡± Artemis smiled. ¡°Got any Purple Hulls out there?¡± ¡°A few,¡± Artemis answered. ¡°Help yourself to anything you want.¡± ¡°Zelda just popped in to see Mother,¡± Demitra said with a wink to her sister. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you tell her?¡± Artemis replied. ¡°Tell me what?¡± ¡°I thought it was best to keep it in the family,¡± Demitra snapped. ¡°Zelda is family,¡± Artemis countered. ¡°Demmy seems to forget that I¡¯m your mother¡¯s closest friend in the world,¡± said Zelda. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you two start bickering,¡± Artemis scolded. ¡°Zelda, we¡¯ve had a bit of trouble around here. For some unknown reason, Salem sent herself into another time. We don¡¯t know why or when. Mother has gone after her.¡± Zelda pondered the thought a moment before replying, ¡°When did all this happen?¡± ¡°A few days ago,¡± answered Demitra. ¡°It¡¯s all going to be fine though,¡± Artemis added. ¡°Beryl has Mother hooked to machines to keep her body going while she¡¯s gone after Salem. Although we did expect her to be back by now.¡± ¡°Naw,¡± Zelda scoffed. ¡°Takes longer than you¡¯d think¡ªsomething like that. Back when we was girls, your Aunt Pastoria went off in time for about six days before she came back. I forget why she went though. But your mama and me was plenty scared till she got back. Ya¡¯ll got any idea why Salem went?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°None at all.¡± ¡°Well, I hope Lympy gets back before the Consort Meeting.¡± Artemis replied, ¡°Is it time for that again already?¡± ¡°Sure is. Every three months. Can set your watch by it. You know there¡¯s talk of a new Queen in the works.¡± ¡°Has something happened to Ursula?¡± Demitra asked, a little embarrassed to even be interested. For the most part the Blanchards didn¡¯t participate in the Witches Consort business, except of course when election time came. ¡°Ursula just wants out,¡± Zelda explained. ¡°Too many obligations involved. You know she only ran for it cause her Daddy was so well liked as King, and she felt like she owed it to his memory. But she¡¯s been Queen of the Consort for years, and she¡¯s just tuckered out.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Demitra scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t like Ursula much do you, Demmy?¡± ¡°Zelda, I hate when you call me Demmy. You know I hate that. And yes, I do like Ursula. Or at least I used to.¡± Artemis clasped her sister¡¯s hand in solidarity. ¡°Demitra and Ursula were very good friends before Nacaria got in trouble.¡± Zelda huffed and slapped her hand on her leg. ¡°You certainly can¡¯t blame Ursula for any of that! She wasn¡¯t even Queen back then.¡± ¡°But she didn¡¯t have to side with the ones opposing our sister!¡± Demitra blasted. ¡°She only did it because she had ambitions to be Queen one day.¡± ¡°Now don¡¯t get all snippy with me Demmy,¡± Zelda warned. ¡°I was on your family¡¯s side as you recall. Just like I always am.¡± Relaxing her bristled demeanor, Demitra smiled weakly at the old woman and said, ¡°Yes, you did. You always have our back.¡± ¡°Well, it just wasn¡¯t fair,¡± Zelda said, half to herself. ¡°He was as much to blame as Nacaria. And the Council never even gave Niki a chance to defend herself. Anyway, it is in the past. But back to Salem and Lympy¡­do ya¡¯ll think we should ask the Consort for help bringing them back?¡± ¡°No,¡± Artemis said sternly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious a matter to involve the Council. Besides, we don¡¯t even associate with them that much. Mother goes to the Consort meetings and that is the extent of it. The rest of us pretty much keep to ourselves. This is a family matter. We will handle it.¡± Zelda moved the conversation along to other topics. Zelda was the pipeline to all the gossip in town, and the Blanchards usually got the lowdown on the various people they knew from Zelda. Zelda also usually caught them up on the goings on of her own two daughters, Melinda and Sarah. Sarah, always dieting, was also always being reminded by Zelda that she was fat. Sarah lived in the shadow of the prettier Melinda, but unfortunately, Zelda did not seem to care much more for Melinda than she did Sarah. This visit Zelda told them all about the recent car accident Sarah was involved in when she¡¯d been ordering dinner on Postmates while driving. No one had been hurt in the accident, but Sarah¡¯s car was pretty smashed up. ¡°Those two girls are gonna be the death a¡¯ me some day. I swear I shoulda bopped them both in the head with a frying pan when they was little,¡± Zelda confided. ¡°Well, I better go. I gotta do a reading on Laura Hartley that owns the flower shop in a little bit. She don¡¯t know that I already know she¡¯s having an affair with that new pharmacist at Grady Drugs. She never was more than a slut anyway. Didn¡¯t Seth used to run around with her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell Mother to call you for all the gossip when she wakes up,¡± Artemis said escorting Zelda to the door. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to remind her about the Consort meeting next week. And, Arty, if sum¡¯thing bad has happened with Salem, let me know¡ªall right?¡± ¡°You know I will.¡± ¡°Oh, and ya¡¯ll be careful ¡®round here. Did you see the paper this morning?¡± Zelda warned. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t had a chance to look at it,¡± Artemis said. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been another killing has there?¡± ¡°Yep, last night,¡± Zelda replied. ¡°That makes three in the last couple months. Terrible. Terrible. You heard anything from your detective friend, Demmy?¡± Demitra shook her head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t been called in on it. I assume the two deaths before were considered coincidence. Did the paper say this third death resembled the other two?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± said Zelda. ¡°Throat cut. Body torn up. Looks like Daihmler¡¯s got a serial killer runnin¡¯ loose. So ya¡¯ll be on the lookout way out here. You gotta lot a land, real secluded.¡± ¡°Well, I think we are pretty well fixed for taking care of ourselves around here,¡± Demitra smirked. ¡°And we will let Mother know you stopped by.¡± Zelda took the cue that it was time to leave. Zelda left out as fast as she had come in, forgetting to stop by the garden for the peas and tomatoes she¡¯d wanted. But Artemis knew she¡¯d be back again in a few days. Demitra gave a sigh of relief once the house was empty of Zelda¡¯s presence. ¡°It¡¯s always like a big wind blows out after she leaves.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been a good friend of this family since before we were born. Don¡¯t forget that, Demitra.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like the way she sells her gifts. Running a business selling psychic readings and fortune-telling to customers. It¡¯s not right, using your gifts for profit,¡± Demitra noted. ¡°Oh, get real Demitra Blanchard,¡± Artemis laughed out loud. ¡°Beryl became a doctor because she has the power to heal. Fable became a vet because she can communicate with animals. You work for the police department sometimes because you have psychic abilities. Zelda isn¡¯t doing anything wrong.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drop it,¡± Demitra huffed. ¡°But she does bring up a good point about the murders. We do need to be cautious--especially the girls. Beryl and Fable do not have the most active powers. If faced with danger they aren¡¯t well equipped to fight. And then there¡¯s Yasmine, she has no power at all.¡± Demitra was interrupted by the ringing on the landline phone in the entranceway. She reached to grab the receiver and noticed the caller I.D. ¡°It¡¯s Travis Dandridge, David¡¯s uncle.¡±