Page 3 of With This Witch
Ordering Chinese food tonight. Want in?
Daisy
Yes!
Sesame chicken and fried rice, please
Be there in 20!
While Petra waits for Daisy and the food to arrive, she finds a pair of comfy shorts and puts them on, taking a moment to look in the full-length mirror as she passes. She squeezes her belly and turns to look over her shoulder at the cellulite on the back of her thighs. She turns away, sighing, frustrated, and heads to the couch, where Morris jumps and curls up on her legs.
Lounging on the couch, she lets her magic unspool and stretch. Pink-colored tendrils unfurl from her body, reaching for light and shadow. While she understands the power and privilege that comes from being a Rose, she’s never fully accepted it or wanted it. Instead, she limits how much she relies on it in her day-to-day life, preferring to feel the satisfaction of doing something through her own strength and ability. Where her power is most often used at work. Being a witch at a childcare that caters to all families, be they human or supernatural, means she’s not banned from using her magic at work. So, she prefers saving it for moments when children need a quick hand to stop themselves from getting hurt or to provide additional comfort. Her magic allows her to do cool tricks that make the children giggle, but one of her favorite abilities is to soothe heightened emotions. She spends a lot of her workday outdoors, allowing her ample opportunity to draw energy from the natural world while playing alongside the children.
A knock at the door draws her attention away from her thoughts. She stands and puts down Morris, who gives her a disappointed look. She opens the door and smiles in surprise. Standing before her is her favorite person in the whole world, her Gammy Gladys.
“Hello, my baby girl!” Gammy coos as she walks in the door, past Petra, and into the kitchen.
Petra follows Gammy and then jumps onto the kitchen counter to sit. Her feet dangle and sway below her as Morris saunters in. As Gammy turns to root in the cupboard for some tea bags, Morris reaches up and swats at Petra’s foot, making her jump.Jerk.Petra hops down from the counter and moves into the living room, sitting at the end of the couch.
“You really should have the tea bags on the counter or at least directly above the kettle for ease of access,” Gammy admonishes her, finally locating a box of Earl Grey. She turns and takes the kettle, filling it with water, then turns it on to start boiling before taking a mug from one of the other cupboards.
Petra watches Gammy and knows something is amiss. She’s twisting her wedding ring, which she still wears despite being widowed for decades, and tapping her foot lightly. Gammy gazes at Petra and tilts her head ever so slightly to the left, deep in thought.
Petra waits.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything, love?” Gammy finally asks.
Petra smiles and puts her arms out for a hug, which Gammy happily obliges, coming over to where Petra sits. “I am thrilled to see you, of course, but I can see you’re worked up about something, and I figured I should give you time to sort out your thoughts before you tell me what’s wrong,” she says.
“When did you get so smart and so patient? That certainly isn’t from me.” She laughs as Morris winds himself around her feet, head-butting her shin as he passes. She reaches into the cupboard to find a bag of cat treats and puts a few on the floor for him to eat.
The kettle starts to whistle just as Gammy takes a deep breath and says, “I’m sick.”
Petra starts. “What do you mean you’re sick?”
Gammy pours the water into a rainbow-printed mug and then places her tea bag in. “I’m dying, love,” she says quietly. “I have about a year, maybe less. The illness has progressed beyond the point of a potential cure.”
“Dying?” Petra whispers in disbelief. “How could you be dying? Have you gone to the healer? Surely there is something they can do.”
“Sometimes these things just happen, darling. Of course I’ve been to a healer. There’s nothing they can do.” Petra’s eyes well up, and Gammy wraps a comforting arm around her. “Unfortunately, that’s why I’m here.”
Petra sniffles and wipes away her tears. Her Gammy has always seemed indestructible. Petra catches herself. What is she doing? Gammy is the one dying, likely scared of facing her inevitable and fast-approaching end, yet here she is, comforting Petra.
“What can I do to help?” Petra asks.
“Not much for me at the moment, but I do need to get some things in order and wanted to tell you first.”
“Tell me what?”
“The council has requested your presence.”
“What! Why?”
“Consideration for the next Premier Witch needs to happen quickly, so they’ve called an emergency meeting to decide who the potential incumbent is,” Gammy says.
“What? I have to go before the council now? Why the rush?” Petra asks.
Gammy rubs soothing circles on Petra’s back. “I think they are trying to set up for a certain someone to take the role, but they need to make it appear as though they have followed protocol. But according to tradition, the Premier Witch would pass to you as the next member in the Rose family line. You must be considered and assessed as a candidate.”
