Wheel of the Year: Part Two

Solitary Witch Staff Writer: Agate

Family

INBOX:

To: Artemesia

From: Lovrrgrrl

Where are you, Jilly? I’ll find you. You can’t hide forever.

Devoted Always,

Alia

I had a dream last night I was in a secluded wooded area, like many I have stopped in along the way. I think I was praying, maybe meditating, when Alia caught up with me. Frozen in fear, the next thing I knew my arms and legs stretched out to stakes in the ground. Alia stood over me with an axe in her hand. From somewhere firelight flickered grotesque shadow masks over her face.

“You’re never gonna run away again, my love,” and then she swung the ax.

First, she chopped at my feet, then up to my knees, then my thighs. I screamed and screamed while Alia, tears running down her bright ecstatic face cried, “You made me do this darling, you made me do this!”

I woke up in my car, sitting upright, hitting the steering wheel, my own cries echoing in my ears. Stumbling out, I ran to the river I parked near and splashed icy water on my face. My hands trembled and my empty stomach rolled.

This was the third nightmare this week. Sometimes I felt I would never be free of her.

INBOX:

To: Artemesia

From: Rosemary65

Where are you? Are you okay? My readings say yes, but until I hear from you, I won’t be at ease. Please email me ASAP. I need to hear from you.

Rosemary

Money was on my mind. I wasn’t broke yet, but my meandering journey would soon eat up the rest. Just after Samhain the pendulum began guiding back in a southerly direction, not straight down on the map, but not much forward either. I drove about eight hours a day, sleeping in the car at night, usually just off a side road. I bought only food and gas most of the time, but there were unexpected expenses too, like snow chains when I got caught in a storm, a couple extra blankets and an increase in coffee consumption. Unplanned for since my original plan was that the trip would take only two weeks at most; I was entering month three now. It seemed strange to me that it should take so long, but the advantage was not coming across Alia in all that time. If I could make it to Rosemary’s without meeting up with my ex, then the trip could take all year.

That being said, I was going to need more cash eventually and it would be better to get it before my savings ran out.

The town I stopped in was medium size. Lots of traffic and people, but no buildings over four stories high. It had an old fashioned feel to it, but the modern stucco storefronts and box-like office buildings would soon kill the nostalgia. When I stopped to get gas, I checked the phone book hanging at a payphone; it listed one metaphysical store called Hecate’s Realm. I checked the little local map at the front of the book and was relieved to find out the street was actually big enough to make it onto the map.

I decided to look for work at the metaphysical stores first, see if they had any odd jobs; it was a long shot, but I’d give it a try. If that didn’t work, I’d look in the want ads. You could find short jobs like sign holding, but frankly, I’d rather clean a store, than stand on a corner all day being a portable billboard.

Hecate’s Realm occupied the bottom floor of a large slate blue Victorian house with burgundy and gold accents. The front porch that lead to the store had potted plants around the railings and a little table and chairs. The inside of the store was a soft butter yellow with white moldings, wood floors accented with thick throw rugs, and lots of display space. The building layout remained true to its original intentions and still had separate rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. The store was well stocked with all the little things to make a witch’s wallet catch fire. Good thing I left mine in the car.

There were two women in the store, both wearing long, flowing skirts, though one wore a tailored jacket and her dark hair in a bun. The other looked at me and smiled a look-a-new-customer smile. I guessed she was the owner.

She glided over all rippling material and red hair and greeted me. “Is there anything I can help you find?”

Right, here was the hard part, dashing her potential sales hope and trying to convince her a perfect stranger wanted work and wouldn’t rip her off.

“Actually, I am looking for an odd job for the day.”

Her smile fell. “I don’t really—“

“I know, you don’t know me and probably even if you did you wouldn’t be in the market for a temp, but I’m trying to get cross country in my car and need to earn a little cash along the way. My name is Jillian Connors and I can do whatever menial task you might need done and I’ll even fill out paperwork if you want a record of it.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Connors—“

“Jillian?” The other woman joined us and she sounded like she knew me.

“Um, yeah,” I said put off by her familiarity.

Her smile widened. “I’m Thalia, from the online group.”

Thalia, yeah I remembered the name and returned her smile.

“We’ve been so worried about you.”

“You have?”

“Yes, ever since you started out we’ve all waited for reports from Rosemary, but she hasn’t heard from you in weeks and is nearly frantic.”

“I haven’t found a library with Internet access lately and I don’t want to use my money at a cyber café.”

“You know her?” asked the storeowner.

“As well as you can know someone online. I told you about her.”

“That was months ago, aren’t’ you a little off course?”

“My ex found out and came after me. I’m taking the scenic route in the hope we won’t cross paths.” I really wasn’t eager to talk about it, but I wanted a job if she had one for me. She didn’t look impressed.

“You must come to my house tonight,” said Thalia happily. “You can contact Rosemary, get a good dinner and a place to sleep tonight.”

“I really can’t afford-“

“Nonsense. You are a member of the group. You can tell me all about your journey so far.”

“Um-okay,” I was a little unsure about it, but the idea of sleeping flat rather than in my car’s bucket seat was too good to pass up.

Thalia scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. “I don’t live far away, here’s a map and my address. I have to head back to work, but I’ll be home by five.”

“Thanks.”

She turned to the storeowner. “Come on, Cinda, you must have something she can do for a few hours. I’ll vouch for her, and if I’m wrong, I’ll make up for it. Didn’t you say that the back area needed some work done?”

Lucinda looked me over again, not entirely convinced I was worth the risk, but she must like Thalia because she agreed. Thrilled, Thalia practically bounced out the front door.

While Wanda, the owner of the Magic Wand was open and warm to everyone; Lucinda Higgins had a coolness about her that bordered on disapproval. Maybe she’d been burned by an ex employee or maybe she was one of those people who preferred to do everything themselves, maybe it was just me, but I wasn’t feeling the love. Lucinda led me out through a kitchen filled with dried herbs, bottles filled with oils and packaging supplies, and out into a large backyard of damp greenery and statuary.

“This is yours too.”

“The whole building is mine. I live upstairs.”

“Cool.”

She smiled a little. The backyard was overgrown and in desperate need of some hard work and it was going to take a lot of it to get it done by the time the sun went down.

“I hurt my back a couple of months ago and haven’t been able to do any yard work,” she said. “I used to hold esbats and sabbats back here. Do a good job and I’ll pay you $100.

“That’s an awful lot.”

“I’d pay gardeners that or even more for the same amount of work.”

I glanced at the tall grass. “Do you have a lawn mower?”

She pulled a key off her key ring and pointed to a small shed tucked in at the side of the house. “All the tools you need are in there. The garbage cans are outside the gate.”

I nodded, walking over to the shed. There was a large rosemary bush by the edge of the porch. I ran my fingers through the branches, inhaled the rich scent and it reminded me of its namesake. Rosemary in California was worried about me. I was surprised by how nice it was to she was.

I put every ounce of energy I had into cleaning up that yard and was grateful for Thalia’s invite. I was going to need a real shower tonight.

The yard wasn’t big, but the grass was thick and damp from a recent rain, and the mower, not self-propelled, had a bit of trouble going over it, but I finally got it done. Six tall statues of Gods and Goddesses around the fence edge that were in danger of disappearing among overgrown bushes, herbs and weeds. I pulled out what I knew to be weeds and waited to ask Lucinda about anything else; clipped the bushes back and saved whatever herbs I trimmed. When she came out at about 3 pm with iced tea, I handed her the pile of cuttings.

“Good job,” she said as she glanced over the yard.”

“There are a few things I didn’t pull because I’m not sure if they are keepers or not. If you check, I’ll get whatever is left.”

“In a few minutes. Take a break.” She pointed to a bench beside the porch and handed me a glass. It tasted good; peppermint and something floral, I took a long swallow.

“Thanks, I didn’t realize I was so thirsty.”

“I am impressed,” she said, still looking out across the yard. “You got quite a bit done already.

“Just making sure you get your money’s worth.”

“Most people your age wouldn’t try so hard.”

I only shrugged.

“Why would you pick up and move across the country to stay with a stranger?”

“Habit, I guess,” I took a bite of gingersnap cookie.

“What do you mean?”

“Used to be a foster kid.”

“Oh. What happened to your parents?”

“Don’t know,” I avoided her gaze, brushing the cookie crumbs from my muddy jeans. “Don’t care anymore.”

She pondered that answer, but decided not to push it. “Does it worry you, going so far to meet a stranger?”

“It probably should,” I said. “But not really. I’ve decided to go where Goddess leads. I guess its called faith.”

“I’ve lived in this town my entire life, changing houses felt traumatic. I don’t think I could ever do what you are.”

”You could if there wasn’t anything else for you where you were.” I gulped the rest of my tea. “I’d better get back to work.”

She watched me from the porch for a minute before coming down to point out the weeds, and then she returned to her store. I didn’t like talking about my absent parents. Her asking was natural, but that didn’t make it an easy topic to speak about, besides it always felt as though I was feeling sorry for myself.

I threw myself back into the work. When I was growing up, there were always chores to do, no matter what home I lived in. I didn’t mind most of the time, but I preferred the yard work to doing the dishes. The fresh scent of cut grass or newly turned soil, dark and cool in my fingers; flowers, heads heavy with petals, their scents wafting around me; the crackle of fall leaves beneath my feet; birds, bugs, even little critters checking me out as I worked around their homes all made me feel at ease and relaxed. Being a girl though, most people seemed to think I belonged in the kitchen; it was a rare and much cherished time to be sent out to mow and hoe.

It was something I really missed in apartment living. I didn’t seem as capable keeping my indoor plants alive and they lacked all those sensations I found so comforting,

For a few more hours, I lost myself in more weeding, washing of statues, raking and watering. Washing the statues became an almost ritualistic task as I scrubbed mud and moss, bird crap and tree sap from each stone Goddess and God that resided in the yard.

When I was done, I looked at my handiwork with a feeling of satisfaction. The yard was ready for the next full moon.

Lucinda came out, looked about and smiled a real and genuine smile of delight. “It looks wonderful. I didn’t imagine you’d get so much done in so few hours.”

“Thanks.”

“Go ahead, put the tools away. You can wash up in the kitchen, then I’ll pay you.”

So I did just that, locked the shed back up, washed up and laid the key on the counter next to the register she stood behind. She handed me an envelope. I counted six $20 bills.

“You gave me too much.”

“No. You did more than just a job for me; I’ve been longing to have a ritual since I fell. Now I can and much sooner than I thought. I’m glad I listened to Thalia.”

“Me, too.”

“I don’t know when you’re getting back on the road, but stop by on your way out. Good luck, Jillian.”

“Thanks.”

It was five thirty and almost dark when I got back in my car. I opened the envelope to put my earnings with the rest of my cash and saw the business card finally. Lucinda’s email address was underlined and “Keep in touch” was written on the back. Maybe Lucinda wasn’t like Wanda on the outside, but she had the same heart. Tucking the card into my wallet, I followed Thalia’s map to her home.

Thalia lived in a middle class neighborhood of older houses painted white, tan or golden yellow. All had neatly manicured lawns, 2 cars in the driveway and probably had the requisite 2.5 kids running around the interiors; the sort of places I moved in and out of 50 times or so. My enthusiasm began to wane.

Then I saw Thalia’s house, which in this neighborhood of blending in, stood out like a shaved cat.

Her house was a cottage, painted a dark grayish purple with white shutters. Cut glass crystals sparkled in the windows. The path to the porch meandered in long curves across the lawn of tiny plants still speckled with purple and orange wildflowers. A small birdbath brightly mosaic with a sun sat in one curve. Herbs and flowers surrounded the house and hanging on the porch wall was a rust colored metal witch on a broom. No, Thalia’s home was not going to remind me of any past experiences.

As I got out of my car, a head with black braids popped up from behind some tall yellowing flower stalks. The girl was about nine years old; she stared at me a moment then leapt to her feet and into the house calling “Mom”.

I hadn’t considered a family when Thalia asked me to come. I wondered what they would think of an unanticipated guest. I decided if things felt tense, I’d move on after the shower.

For a minute, I wondered if I should bring a bag in now or wait a while until she brought it up. What was the etiquette? I was still deciding when Thalia came bouncing out of the house. She smiled broadly and ran out to me, her feet bare, dark hair hanging free of his previous confines, and a shawl draped over her camisole. She hugged me noticing neither my surprise nor lack of return.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again all day.”

“Um, Thanks.”

“I’ve been so excited. I want to hear all about you and your travels and oh my, you are dirty, Lucinda worked you hard, well, I hope she paid you well. Go ahead, grab what you need, is this your dirty laundry, good we’ll get that cleaned up too. I told Ana and Gabe, that’s my daughter and husband, all about you and they are eager to meet you. Now don’t you worry about being a bother, our home is yours for however long you decide to stay…”

She talked all the way into the house, one arm draped around me, the other carrying the laundry.

I got the impression she really was glad to see me.

Ana and Gabe, while they lacked Thalia’s exuberance, were genuinely nice to me. A little shy at first, Ana kept her distance, but like any proud mother, Thalia embarrassed the hell out of her, gloating about Ana’s artistic abilities. Reluctantly, the girl showed me some of her drawings, which were very good, and she warmed up to me after I said so.

Gabe, who was stay at home dad, did woodworking in the garage, carving statues and turned bowls, most of which were sold online and at nearby festivals. He only shook my hand, but his smile was warm and welcoming

Apparently, art was a family trait because Thalia also made jewelry, metal pendants that she created and sold.

The house had a well-loved cluttered feel, not dirty or messy, just full of art, books, and other treasures. It was also small and didn’t have spare bedroom, so I would be sleeping on the couch. After two months of sleeping in the car, the couch was the lap of luxury. In fact, the whole evening was turning out luxurious. A real shower that wasn’t run by quarters, soft towels and a home cooked dinner almost ready when I dried off, spreading delicious aromas through the house.

In the dining room, Ana did homework and I could hear machines in the garage, so I guessed Gabe was working. I followed the smells to the kitchen where Thalia was tossing fresh herbs into a pot of soup.

She flashed me a smile. “I’ll bet you feel better now.”

“Yes, thank you. It’s been a long time since I had a real shower.”

“You’ve been very quiet since you got here,” she laughed. “But I suppose that’s my fault. I do tend to prattle on, its one of my greatest faults and—I’ll have to work on it, not talk about it.”

“It’s all right. I’m not really much of a talker anyway. It would be much worse if we were sitting in silence.”

“How has the journey been?”

“Longer than expected.”

“How did you end up here?”

“I let the pendulum decide the direction. With Alia out there somewhere I’ve been too afraid to take a straight line, but sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing.”

“It sounds like a wonderful adventure. You should enjoy it.”

“It’s taking so long, I’m worried about running out of money.”

“Why don’t you stay here a little while? Saturday, there’s a winter festival, you could help us with our booth, and we’ll pay you. And maybe I could find you a temp job. You might earn enough not to have to worry for awhile.”

“I don’t know.”

“Just think about it. Yule is in about two weeks; you shouldn’t be out alone on the road. We’re having a party, you should be here.”

“That’s an long time to impose.” Two and a half weeks seemed like a long time to stay in one place. What if I overstayed my welcome or even worse, Alia decided to come this way?

“What imposition? I invited you. Well, at least stay the week and do the festival. We usually do well before Yule, people buying gifts and ritual stuff, we could pay you a decent amount.”

“Okay,” I agreed. Yule with Thalia and her family might be nice, but I would keep an eye out in case they got tired of me.

INBOX:

To Artemesia

From Rosemary65

Oh, I’ve been so worried about you. What a relief to know that you are okay and still headed my way.

I know you are letting the pendulum decide the way, but it’s taking so long. I worry that the longer you are out there alone, the more likely some harm may come to you.

Please be careful

Rosemary.

I didn’t do much working the next two days. Mostly, I helped with chores and Ana’s homework, caught up with my emails, reassuring Rosemary and Wanda I was okay. Gabe taught me what I would need to know for Saturdays’ festival like pricing and bartering. Then there was the problem of the costume. They liked to dress up for festivals and preferred I did so as well. It had to have a ‘magickal’ feel to it. I had no clue. I don’t dress up in costumes, never had much reason, and I didn’t want to spend any money on anything I wouldn’t use again.

My ritual robe was about to do double duty until Friday evening, when a beaming Ana brought out a large box and set it on the coffee table in front of me. My three friends had broad smiles and I was almost afraid a joke was being played on me.

“Open it,” said Ana, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as though trying not to do it herself.

I glanced at Thalia and Gabe. “Go on,” they urged.

Slowly, I opened the box and lifted a piece of crumpled tissue paper. A bundle of red embossed fabric expanded above the confines of the box. I reached out, my fingers sliding across the soft surface.

“What’s this?” I asked, confused.

“You’re costume, or at least part of it. “I’ve got an old black dress, pre-childbirth days, you can wear, maybe a red sash at your waist and this—“ Thalia lifted the gift, shaking it out with flourish.” “Can go over it.”

Air blew over me as the heavy fabric billowed out, becoming a cloak. The red was burgundy at the hem, lightening into an orange-red at the collar. On the back a huge embossed bird rose out of flames.”

“A phoenix.”

“Yes. Lucinda didn’t have a lot left to choose from, but this one just struck me as being perfect for you.”

“You’re giving this to me?” I hadn’t expected it be a gift.

“Yes.”

“It must have been expensive. You—“

“Don’t you dare say I shouldn’t have, Jillian. I wanted to, and that is reason enough. Just think of it as an early Yule gift.”

Ana grabbed my hand and pulled until I stood. “Just say thank you, and try it on already.”

I smiled and did as instructed. The robe felt heavy and warm, not at all like the light robe I used in ritual.

“It’s perfect,” said Thalia, hugging me. “You’ll look wonderful tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“Oh and I’ve got one more bit of wonderful news. My boss needs a temp for a week of data entry. Boring work, but if you want it, he’ll pay $10 an hour, 40 hours for the week. You won’t have to worry about money for a little while.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Good. We’ll have the same hours, you can go with me Monday morning.”

Then it was dinnertime.

We arrived at the Winter Festival early in order to set up. Gabe and Thalia moved with practice speed, setting up the awning, tables and shelves as Ana and I unwrapped the merchandise. I was the only one not selling anything today, although, even if I had time to make things I simply didn’t have the talent.

I was beginning to envy Ana her supportive family who encouraged her artistic endeavors with such enthusiasm. I had a feeling she could draw a squiggly line in green Crayon and Thalia would proudly display it as framed art; even my greatest efforts as a child barely rated a ‘that’s nice’ or a spot on the fridge.

I tried not to be jealous.

But I was.

So, I threw myself into the work, greeting customers and selling the artistic works of the three people who treated me so kindly. Halfway through the day Thalia chased me out, ordering me to take a break, so I wandered through the indoor/outdoor festival looking at booths and watched a belly-dancing troupe. Every once in a while I caught sight of the Goth teens with their dark eyeliner, multi-hued hair and wild ‘darkside’ costumes, their moods alternating between cool indifference and childlike glee as they wandered the festival in packs. The crowd was a motley crew of fairies, hairy-legged gods and gypsy women in flowing skirts and caftans that filled the festival. I could imagine what might go through an outsider’s mind, why they might find us weird, but for the first time, dressed like Merlin’s daughter, I fit into the crowd; I belonged, even if I was a total stranger.

I bought a few things too. I wouldn’t have usually, well maybe some incense or something equally inexpensive, but these weren’t for me. I bought a small double edged blade for Gabe to use as a Athame, a burned out velvet shawl for Thalia, and a brightly colored bag with many pockets where I tucked a leather bound blank book for Ana and her art.

I’d surprised myself. I wanted to stay for Yule. They treated me like family, a cousin maybe, a welcome guest they loved; it would be nice to spend Yule like that. Christmases growing up hadn’t been terrible, I always got some sort of a gift, but something was always missing.

So I would stay for a little longer, work at Thalia’s job for the week and maybe have a real holiday this year. And a real holiday meant giving gifts, they had already given me more than I ever expected.

The festival was successful. With most of the stock gone, we lowered what was left to half price for the last hour and sold the rest. All we had to carry back to the car at the end of the day was the “store”. We laughed and talked with others from the festival late into the evening before grabbing some fast food at the drive through and finally heading back to the house. We agreed unanimously to unpack the car in the morning and we walked wearily into the house. Thalia put an arm around my shoulders.

“So have you thought about Yule, Hon?”

“I’d like to stay if you still want me.”

“Yeah,” the family cheered and Thalia hugged me tight.

Thalia was right, the data entry work was mind numbingly boring and I fantasized about mowing a lawn in the rain, but I persevered, after all it was only for the week. The paycheck was well worth it. Between that and my percentage of the festival take, I felt more at ease about money. I spent the last days before Yule at the house, helping with chores, and tending the yard. Gabe taught me a little carving, but my block of wood only resembled a misshapen block of wood when I was finished. I had a little better luck stringing beads with Thalia. I won’t claim my string of multi-colored seed beads was artistic brilliance, but it looked nice with one of Thalia’s small Goddess pendants hanging from it.

It felt like home, that little cottage and I found myself wondering if I should leave. Maybe this was the family I had always wanted; I could find my own place nearby. Sometimes Thalia and Ana spoke as if I was not going to leave.

Then there was Rosemary waiting in California. Part of me was afraid that she would change her mind by the time I did get there. Another part of me was afraid I was doing everything wrong: was that what you call a crisis of faith?

Torn, I did what had often done during my trip; I pulled out my pendulum and asked. Should I stay? It swung a wide and definite no. That settled it; I’d stay until the holiday travelers went home. I’d miss this little family a lot, but families stayed family right? I hope that included extended family because really that was all I’d ever have.

Yule began as a frantic day as we all spent the day getting the house and ourselves ready for the party/ritual. All of my stuff was packed into Ana’s room, decorations put out, a ritual table placed in the center of the room, there was even a new Yule log in the fireplace waiting to be lit.

When hundreds of colored lights sparkled and the house smelled of cinnamon and peppermint, Ana jumped up, shouting, “Present time!”

I handed out my gifts not expecting anything in return. After all, they had let me live with them, fed me, bought me an expensive cape, so I was surprised to discover three packages being handed my way.

Thalia gave me a brooch shaped as a phoenix with a red garnet in its chest, a new design she created just for me “To wear with your new cape.”

Gabe had been busy as well. “I know you might be running out of room in that ritual box of yours, but I thought you might like it.”

Like it? Was he kidding? It was a plaque about 12 inches in diameter with Artemis carved in bas-relief on the face of the moon. Her bow was drawn and pulled forming a crescent moon along the disc’s edge. The pale wood grain showed through a light color wash: a green tunic, gold hair, and the pearlescent white in the background.

“It’s beautiful Gabe, I’ll make room for it. Thank you.”

Ana’s gift was last. I unwrapped a black 8x10 frame with a family portrait drawn with incredible detail by Ana with charcoal pencils. But I was in the portrait, sitting in front of Thalia and Gabe, Ana on one knee, as though I was part of the family: like I was her sister.

“I don’t want you to forget us when you leave,” she said, a sadness in her voice.

I wiped tears from my eyes and smiled at her. “I won’t, thank you. I’ve never been in a family portrait before. I’m honored.”

Ana hugged me. Once more, the thought of staying flashed through my head, but there was little time for that as the doorbell rang and the first Yule guest arrived.

“Do you have to go?” asked Ana, tears shimmering in her eyes.

The day had come to move on. The longer I stayed, the harder it was to leave and the more comfortable I felt. The pendulum said to go and I either had faith or not, that was all there was to it.

“Yes, I do, honey, but I’ll miss you so you send me lots of emails and pictures of your drawings, okay?”

She nodded, not meeting my eyes.

I hugged her. “Bye Ana.”

I stood up and Thalia hugged me tightly. “I won’t ask again, I know Rosemary is waiting for you, but if you don’t find California to be your kind of place, you come back here.”

“Okay.”

Gabe kissed my cheek. “Good luck, Jillian, you’re part of this family now, you keep in touch.”

“I will. I am going to miss you. Maybe I’ll be able to come back and visit again.”

“We’ve been thinking,” said Thalia. “There’s a big festival every year in California, we thought we might attend it, sell some of our stuff. We don’t know when you’ll get to Rosemary’s but we could do the first one you are there for, get together again.”

I opened the car door, though I didn’t want to get in. “I’m going now. Bye.”

We all hugged one more time, and then I left. My last glance back was of them waving goodbye. I waved out the window just before turning the corner.

I was back on the road again.

INBOX:

To Artemesia

From Wanda

How goes the journey, sweetie? I miss you a lot and can’t wait for an update.

I haven’t seen Alia for a long time, but Jason, a friend of hers, says she’s on the road. He tried to talk her out of it, but no luck. Alia is determined to find you.

Be careful, Jillian, the cards still warn of danger. I can’t help but feel you’re going to meet up with her before this is over.

Wanda.

To be continued…

Posted on 12/29/2006 at 3:42 am by Mistress Ravenfyre

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