Okay, that was more than a little creepy.
But she was also right. Either I trusted her or I didn’t. If I didn’t, I’d have to try to find help somewhere else.
“Okay, I guess I'll have to trust you. Now what have you got that can help me get rid of this curse?”
She frowned. “Magic is a gift, not a curse. Surely your parents explained this to you.”
"My parents didn't tell me anything. I'm having to figure this all out on my own as I go.”
Her eyes flared wide for a second then narrowed. “That must make you an outcast then. I am not supposed to help you."
"I'm not an outcast. I'm not anything. I just have these...things that happen sometimes that I don't know how to control. Please. I don't want to become like those Phillips brothers." The words blurted out of me unplanned, but too true to take back. "I just need a way to fix whatever's wrong with me."
She stared at me. Finally she sighed. “There is nothing wrong with you, only different."
"I watched that Simon Phillips interview. Is it true that the magic's like a muscle that will atrophy if you don't use it?"
She nodded.
"Then why does mine seem to be getting stronger not weaker? I swear I try not to do anything, but..."
"Because right now you are still in the early years of gaining your abilities. And during those years the energy inside you is too strong still. You must first learn how to ground off all that excess energy. It is like asking a muscle in your leg to relax and get smaller while you hit it with electricity from a taser. Get rid of the energy first, then the muscle can relax enough to do as asked."
“Okay, fine. How do I do this...grounding stuff?”
She walked over to scan a row of books. "You are…in high school?"
"Yeah. A senior."
She selected one of the books and closed her eyes. Holding the book with both hands, she took a deep breath, and that electric sensation brushed over my arms and the back of my neck again. Then she sighed, opened her eyes, looked at the book's cover, and smiled.
"It is ready for you now."
"Ready for me?"
She turned it so I could see the cover. World History: An Open View. It looked like a regular, modern day history textbook. "A disguise spell."
A disguise. I looked around the room in sudden curiosity. "So everything in here—"
"Is disguised as well, yes."
I spotted a jar of pencils and pointed at them. "Even those?"
"Wands. In disguise."
I took a step in that direction.
"Oh no, not for you. They are strictly for twelve and thirteen-year-olds in need of help to direct their intentions. You're far too old. You would look like a grown man riding a bicycle with training wheels still attached."
An unexpected sense of disappointment shot through me. A wand would be pretty cool to wave around, especially one that was disguised.
Would I have gotten a wand as a kid if I'd grown up in a Clann family?
My gaze landed on a stack of printer paper on the shelf nearest the door. "And that? Is that like magical spell paper that you write out invisible spells on or something?"
She glanced at the paper then headed for the doorway. "No, that's printer paper."
I followed her out to the check out counter. "So how do I read this book?"
"Watch and see. But first, forty dollars please."
I gave her cash. No way was I dumb enough to use a credit card for this. As she accepted the money, I hesitated. If this was a setup, right about now was when the authorities would come busting in to arrest me.
But no one came into the store.
I let go of the two twenty dollar bills. As she put it in the cash register, her mouth twitched, as if she were trying not to laugh.
"The disguise spell only works once the book changes ownership," she explained as she reached for a plain white plastic bag from under the counter. Then she handed me the book. More static electricity arced up my arms. "The book only reveals its true self to its owner at first."
I glanced down at it and froze. "I…see what you mean." What had once been a brightly colored, modern looking school book was now covered in aged red leather with glowing gold lettering. Inside, the seemingly new pages had turned yellow with age as well and were now filled with hand written and drawn text and sketches.
"Even if you read it in public, no one else will see its true nature until you choose for them to by saying 'revelattio,'" she said. “Say it again and it hides itself once more.”
"That's a good idea."
At that, she flashed the brightest smile yet. "Thank you. I thought so too. Much better than the size changing spell others use."
At my confused look, she explained, "An old fashioned idea, so witches on the run could swallow all their books like pills before fleeing."
And then what, barf them back up later?
Disgusting.
I looked around again, wondering.
She laughed. "Don't worry, that's a new copy."
I smiled, but it was short lived. I'd lucked out big time today in finding this place. But what if I needed more help, more books and supplies eventually? Would this store even still be here? Would she?
"You know people are protesting outside your shop, right?”
“Yes. They are misguided souls, listening to the fear and negativity within them. They don’t know how to be positive and follow their bliss.”
I wasn’t so sure. Both sides looked pretty happy to be getting in each others’ faces out there. “You should be careful when you leave. Do you have a back exit you can use? Maybe some friends who can help protect you? You should call the cops too. They look like they’re about to start fighting.” I hesitated. “If you want to close up early, I could walk you to your car.”
Her smile grew. “They will not harm me. But thank you for your offer. You have a kind soul.”
Still I couldn’t leave. Didn’t she understand how dangerous the situation was? “Have you seen those people? They look crazy. Are you sure you’ll be alright here?”