CHAPTER 5

2 YEARS AGO

"Iris, can you come down to the basement? We got some practising to do" Melinda shouted as she positioned herself at the bottom of the stairs case.

"Yeah Coming, Melinda" I shouted in a sighed voice as I zoomed up from bed after lounging around in bed for hours. Reading the latest teen love book- love in winter. A very romantic and tear-jerking story. The typical stuff that most young people read. I grabbed a light blue cardigan from my bedpost placing it over me as I gently ran off downstairs.

"What about Ben?" I asked as I gradually walk to the top of the basement door. I slowly and carefully walked down toward the darkness moving my hands gently across the wall.

Melinda stops and turns to me from the middle of the stairs holding on to a fairly light candle

"Ben with Nathan. I thought we could have some girl time while we practiced. What do you think? Plus you will learn more fun stuff with me" Melinda winked.

" yeah sure. You're the boss"

"You got that right and don't you forget it" she replied as she tapped onto my nose. We carry on wandering down more toward the forsaken musty basement.

"Now I want you to turn the light on with your magic," she asked.

" would it be better just to turn the switch on"

"Iris, that wouldn't be practising now would it? Look one day, hopefully, when I'm old and partly grey I'll be gone. I just want to make sure you are strong enough to carry on our family legacy, our coven legacy. Plus you will learn some pretty amazing spells along the way" Melinda smiled. "Come on iris" Her smile could sink a thousand ships but her smile always made me feel secure and protected. She knew how to brighten up the day even when she's telling you bad things.

"Okay fine. What do I do and say exactly?"

" I want you to first clear your mind and focus on the word 'lux'. If it helps close your eyes and visualize the light getting brighter″ "won't I look stupid?" I replied.

"Iris?"

"Okay alright fine" I close my eyes and slowly try to obtain a picture of a dark room with a dim light bulb, slowly flashing on and off." I feel so stupid right now. I breathe out a great big huff and reopen my eyes.

"Next say the word loud and clear. the light should come on."

"Should?" I replied in a confused voice.

"Yes now come on iris. Stop wasting time and just do it" she strongly shouted.

"Fine, fine…" I gently breathe in and out, I consistently placed my hands above my head and spoke the word 'lux' as clear as the bright blue skies after a terrible rocky storm. immediately, The light turned on. The candles that I now see on the table have lit themselves up in a flash. I give off a quick giggle holding my hand over my mouth "I did it" I chuckled. "I can't believe how easy that was"

"See I told you it was easy. From here, it can only get easier for you" Melinda said happily. I strode over toward the table where Melinda laid down an old dusty smooth leather grimoire.

" Melinda" I softly said her name.

" Yes, iris" she replied as she watched me leaning over the table, staring at the book.

" This may sound stupid but why do every spell even the little ones in some type of strange language?" I nervously asked.

" Truthfully, you don't have to say it; like it shows. Once you know the translation of it, you surely can just say it in English but it sounds more clever and very professional. The proper way" Melinda shrugs her shoulders. Melinda slides beside me. "This here…" Melinda slowly but carefully picks up the old grimoire. "Is a very old unique spellbook, it's been in our family for generations. Apparently, since the beginning of magic itself…" Melinda pauses for a moment, placing the book into my bare hands. She turns me round in front of her. " and... I want you to have this, mum gave this to me and I'm giving it to you but only when I'm gone and you are at least old enough. To understand things so the thing is, Iris... I fear something is coming to town," Melinda's voice suddenly drops.

"What do you mean something?"

"I don't know, iris but it doesn't feel right this town has some very dark secrets even the oldest residents here don't completely understand it. I just want you and your brothers to be safe. Promise me you take care of them when I'm gone" Melinda holds out her small pinky finger.

"Promise me that we look out for our own"

"Of course, I promise" I grab her pinky with my pinky finger and shake on it continuously.

NOW

I gingerly run my fingertips softly over the edge of the smooth leather and on top of the book cover, where three deep cuts lift off in the middle leaving the slash marks into the actual book. Slowly and gently I open the book to be blind without a single word not even a line across the plain white pages. Briefly, I place my hand above the page and quietly spoke the words

"VENTI COROM ME" suddenly a rush of words run across the page and line out into paragraphs and sentences like an Olympic runner.

" there we go″ I half-smiled. Flipping through the pages, one by one looking for the last words I heard from Nathan 'colloportus' hopefully not the only last words. The words that have now burned into my brain

" Come on, got to be in here somewhere" I whispered. A few minutes pass by, as I carefully hide behind my locker door. finally finding it.

"Got it" my eyes start to skim down the page. Looking for a real answer for the spell " a protection spell...protection from what? Hold on, one second…" there's a symbol on top of the page, I move my hand gently onto it bit by bit. I feel a slight rough bump in the outline of the symbol. I slowly tilt my head to one side. I saw this symbol before, "Jason tattoo?" I whispered.

"Oh, Ms Iris" shouted Mr Matthews as he jogged down a long corridor towards like a slow-mo scene from Baywatch. His lushes black hair bouncing across his face. I quickly close my book and shove it into my bag, I slam my locker shut and turn in the direction of Mr Matthews.

" yes, Mr Matthews. Everything okay?" I nervously asked.

"All good, yes. I'm glad I found you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay from this morning. You looked quite distraught in the exam I hope you didn't feel too much pressure." he said as he crossed his arms."

"Of course, sir. Just stress of all Other exams and that. You know what it's like. School can be quite stressful." I smiled.

"You should try and take it easy. I believe you did pretty well in the technique you went for. You put so much detail in it. how did you think of it?" he asked while touching his plumed bottom lip.

" you know it… erm kind of just came to me and let my hands do the talking" what the hell am I on about. I don't even know or remember doing the scary lifelike painting. Maybe it has something to do with the nightmare I had, but I have been having this dream for the past three weeks. I wonder why and oddly today of all days.

" Well don't put yourself down, Ms Iris you did an excellent job today? Mr Matthews smiled as he patted me on my back. Walking away down the long corridor and into the rowdy staffroom of teachers moaning and laughing about the school day.

" That was close," I thought as I carefully ripped the grimoire back out of my shoulder bag. As I swiftly draw my head up to catch Ben and Jason running over toward me.

" Iris! Jason told me about Nathan. You think he's in trouble?" I pull Ben around to me away from Jason's ears

" It sounded like he was. His last words were Colloportus… and then the phone cut out. I tried to recall a few more times but it just kept saying it was unavailable even the voicemail wasn't going through" I whispered to Ben.

"Colloportus? A protection spe…?" Ben asked. I quickly nodded trying to keep it all under wraps from Jason's ears.

"Hey, what with the creepy leather book you got there?" Jason asked, coming around us in full front view.

" Oh it's just my journal, you know?" I quickly rush my hands over it. "See?" I moved the book closer to Jason's view and flipped the pages. The once filled book with thousands of words is now gone like before. Only showing big bold writing of dates, activities, and appointments, I smiled at Jason. Then suddenly I capture the words in his eyes. It didn't work; how the hell can I see the words in his eyes but not once on the list of useless things bold on to the page.

" you know there is something I want to ask you, Jason? You said you used to live here before, right?" I glanced at Ben.

"Yeah, that's right. Why? What is going on iris?" Jason worriedly said " you're worrying me there with all the twenty-one questions.

"Iris?" Ben said as he looked at me with a worried face. I let out a soft chuckle.

"How the hell is your tattoo on my Gilmore?" I turn the book on and tap on the symbol of the corner page toward Ben and Jason. " I think you got some explaining to do, don't you?"