A Wiccaning - 4. Chapter 4

Ow! What the hell’s going on? Jason thought as he began to regain consciousness, his head was spinning, and it hurt to open his eyes, yet he felt warm, safe. He held his head, opening his eyes and trying to focus, he noticed one of the most beautiful yet scary looking women he’d ever seen, a pretty face, surrounded with a cascade of brilliant auburn hair, white glowing eyes, and surrounded by an aura of brilliant blue light. He felt drawn to this unknown figure, or perhaps to the young man standing behind her.

I need to know what’s goin on! Jason thought as he tried to sit up.

“Wh-wha” He tried to ask as he sat up, in the process knocking a chair to the floor.

Shit! He thought. He didn’t even know who these people were, so it was best he didn’t start to trash the house.

“It’s okay, we’re here to help, what’s your name?” The beautiful redheaded girl asked her hair and eyes slowly changing to blonde and blue, respectively.

Whoa! Ok something’s! What? Oh my head! Jason thought, holding his head in his hands, he blinked his eyes twice and tried to ignore the queasy feeling creeping through his body.

“Jay-“ He began to answer, but was cut off as out of nowhere a creature stepped through the air, appearing within the blink of an eye. It was stood in the garden, unnoticed by an older woman, who was stood in the doorway, regarding him curiously.

Jason’s eye widened; his voice caught in his throat as he felt it constrict with fear.

The dark haired boy, who had been watching him most avidly, turned his attention to the door; he, too, noticed the creature.

“Mum! Demon! Behind you!” the boy shouted at the woman who stood in the doorway, her back to the demon.

“Jackie! Look out!” the girl sat in front of Jason shouted out as she, too, turned.

The warning had come too late. Jackie spun around in time to see her attacker; as she faced it, it swung its arm. The demon’s forearm came within an inch of connecting with her face before the crystal she was holding exploded to repel the danger. The demon and Jackie flew backwards through the air; Jackie slammed against a wall and fell to the floor, dazed. The demon was blown out of the door and into the garden, crumpled on the patio, it leapt from the ground almost instantly and charged towards the door.

“Mum! Are you ok? Elle catch!” the young man shouted as he threw a glass vial across to the girl on the table and moving toward his mother.

She held up the crystal she had been holding as reassurance that she would be ok and the young man remembering his training prepared himself for the demon.

I have to get out! Jason panicked looking around the room. In front of him, the demon stood in the back door, blocking that escape; there was a door on the wall to his left, but it was too near the back door, through which the demon was approaching.

The demon passed Jackie, turning its attention to Elle and James, and to the potion flying through the air. The demon let out a shriek as it threw a ball of fire across the room at James. James ducked but swung his own arm through the air at the demon. As he did so, the demon was forced backwards. Before it could regain its footing, Elle threw the vial which exploded on the demon’s chest and sent it falling further backwards towards the back door, doubled up, the demon fell to the floor.

“Crap!” Elle said in panic, jumping from the table. “That wasn’t strong enough James! Get him out of here!” The demon lifted its head, its eyes darted around the room and settled on Jason, it gave a deep angry roar, filled with ferocity and hunger.

Jason was scared and didn’t know what to do. Did she mean get me out of here? He wondered, as he, too, jumped from the table. He was remembering the alleyway and this Demon? This creature was scaring him just as much as the first one. I hope she meant me.

“Come with me” James said grabbing Jason’s hand, the reassuring look in his eyes was meant to calm Jason, but he was having none of it. Jason was pushed through a door that had been behind him, further into the house. As he was pushed through the doorway he ran into a young woman who was running into the kitchen, his body mashing against hers and forcing him backwards into James, who continued to wave his arm around sending objects crashing into the demon whilst at the same time kept trying to push Jason out of the room.

“Ant, Matt, there’s a demon in the kitchen!” this new girl shouted, except… her mouth didn’t move. She squeezed passed Jason, grabbing his shoulders to steady the both of them after their collision. James made no attempt to follow Jason, but just pushed him further into the house, so Jason turned back into the kitchen.

The kitchen looked like a war zone, broken furniture, shards of glass and china were strewn across the floor; James and Elle were throwing everything they could get their hands on; more objects were flying at the demon as they tried to keep him at bay. Scorch marks lined the walls and ceiling, they had appeared in a matter of seconds, and the windows had been blown, this all confused Jason, and added to his growing fear.

The demon charged towards them all, Elle stood on one side of the door, next to the kitchen table, Jason was backed up against the doorframe and James stood in front of him, as if he were guarding Jason’s body with his own. Across the room, Jackie sat, she looked as if she were in pain as she hoisted herself onto her feet, using the frame of the third door. She looked shaky on her feet and was helped by the girl who had bumped into Jason only moments before, as she came from beyond the third door. She was followed by a rugged man, wearing only a pair of jeans and carrying a sword.

What the hell are these demon things? How’d she get over there? Oh God we’re all gonna die, run! I’ve got to get out of here…As if sensing Jason’s growing panic, James squeezed his hand, while still sending objects through the air; a vase, a chair, the kitchen table.

The table? How the hell is that flying around? Oh God. Jason fainted.

James telekinetically lifted the table from the ground, swinging his hand sideways from where the table was, towards the demon; he concentrated all the energy he had to force the table crashing into the demon as it neared Jason and himself.

“...floor. Ice-cold fear trickled down his spine, prickling the hairs on the back of his neck. He felt..

As the demon went crashing backwards to floor, pinned by the table, James felt Jason’s hand slip from his own. Ignoring all the witch training he’d ever undergone he looked back at Jason slumped on the floor. Ice-cold fear trickled down his spine, prickling the hairs on the back of his neck. He felt his whole body seize up with the adrenaline rush brought on by his sheer panic. He didn’t hear the shriek of the demon as Matt plunged his sword through its chest, or the sickeningly distinct squelch of the sword being withdrawn from flesh. All that James cared about was Jason.

He hadn’t know this man very long, in fact he didn’t even know his name, yet he knew he had to protect him, maybe to love him. Whatever the case, James was sure he was the one. He dropped to his knees and felt for a pulse, Thank God! He found one. Turning to assess the situation in the kitchen, he saw Matt and Ant moving the table back into position, and noticed the pile of ash on the floor, the remains of the demon.

“What should we do now?” He questioned in a voice shakier than usual.

“Cast some cloaking spells, hope that this demon’s sect didn’t sense his death or the energy released by it, and clean this…” Celia said waving her arms around the kitchen “…mess” She sighed.

“I’m sure he meant about the boy he’s holding in his arms,” Elle stated pointedly.

Both women shared a look for a moment, challenging one another, and then they both smiled fake smiles at one another. Celia turned and began to cast a spell, holding her hands out toward the back door.

“Ant, come on, we’ll go reinforce the cloaking charms on the front of the house,” Matt grunted.

Ant just raised a brow knowing full well that Matt just didn’t want to be near the two women if they were going to snipe at one another.

“But I was going to start on a protection spell for-“

“We don’t know anything about him yet,” Celia drawled in a condescending tone, not opening her eyes let alone turning to look at Ant as she spoke.

Ant turned back towards Matt, rolling his eyes when Celia inhaled making an almost content patronising sound. Matt just shrugged and jerked his head toward the kitchen door.

Elle leant down besides James and rolled her own eyes smirking, as she checked Jason.

“Is he ok?” James asked, smoothing dark brown hair from the young man’s forehead. James took that moment just to look at the man’s features: his cute button nose, soft rosy cheeks, and full lips; he was a male British rose. Allowing his thumb a moment to brush across Jason’s cheek, he looked up at Elle and added “and he isn’t a boy! We’re men at sixteen, remember?”

“Who wants a cup of tea?” Jackie cut in as she came bustling back into the kitchen. “I’ll make a strong one for when your friend wakes up shall I?” she asked James.

“Why is a cuppa your answer to everything?” James asked rather abruptly.

Jackie turned towards the counter away from her coven, hating how her son always seemed to cut her down. Swallowing her pride to maintain peace she turned to ask if she should make a valerian root infusion for the unconscious man instead. However James was back to being fixated on the young man in his arms. “Why don’t you take him to the lounge son?”

Elle offered a reassuring smile to Jackie, Elle was like Jackie’s second in command, skilled in the art of diplomacy and much more qualified magically to be head of the coven. Well until it came to dealing with Celia, which reminded Jackie, she needed to talk to both women.

“Oh, I’ve just about had enough of all this! We need to get new windows installed again. I just… I can’t cope with much more” Celia sighed dramatically, turning puppy dog eyes towards Jackie.

“I know dear, I’ll make you a nice cu-“ She stopped herself short, glancing at her son, and then back at Celia. “It’ll be ok dear, have you finished the enchantments?”

James felt a pang of guilt when he heard his mum stop herself short. He hated being so snappy with her; he just couldn’t help it sometimes.

“Come on, let’s take him to the lounge.” Elle stood and levitated Jason into the air.

“Ok” James replied standing. He turned to Jackie and asked, “Mum, erm… are you ok? I mean after the demon”

“Yes, dear, I’m fine! Tough old bird, I am!” she said smiling.

James smiled back. “Erm… could I have a cup of tea, please”

“Of course dear, now take him to the lounge and get him lay down, I’ll make a valerian root tea, it’ll calm him down, should numb the pain as well.”

Everyone made to leave the kitchen, except Jackie.

“Elle, Celia, will you two stay here, I need help with the tea” Jackie said.

James smiled reassuringly at Elle, they both knew that what Jackie really wanted was a word.

James took over the levitation of Jason and began to leave the room, wondering if Ant had already told Jackie about the girls’ behaviour. It mightn’t seem bad, but they were usually at one another’s throats, and it wasn’t good for a coven to have hostility from within.

As he passed through the door he heard his mother chastise Celia. “And don’t read my mind like that again Celia! Just because I don’t have active powers doesn’t mean I can’t feel you prodding around in there!”