#and sarah mclachlan singing 'i know i can love you much better than this'

[dawnssummers]

by the way becoming ii grave parallels make me want to climb walls

[artycomicfangirl]

Couple Songs Playlist Headcanons - Mareach and Luaisy Edition

When I was more active in the JoJo’s Bizarre adventure community on Instagram around 2019-2022, I was part of the art and ocs community.

Many people started doing stuff like making Spotify playlists of songs that describe their Oc and other oc relationship aspects. I remember finding this SUPER fun to do. And I miss it. So, I decided to try it out with Mario and Peach first! (Just a teeny break from my much-loved Luaisy fixation!)

So without further ado, here’s a list of songs based on what I can find in my (Many) Spotify playlists. A bit challenging to find good ones!

This will have labels indicating indicating who’s mostly singing about who. Either one person referring to the other, or a Duet that includes both at the same time.

❤️MarioxPeach🍑

- Mario to Peach -

On one side, Mario would have the thought that Peach is simply so amazing. Someone so elegant, pure and beautiful. Someone just way out of his league. These thoughts would often show through hints of resistance at first. He and the Princess are just friends…right?

But the moment he fully accepts his feelings, he becomes so outspoken of his love. So some songs I’ve decided to choose from my playlist, tend to be about wondering if Peach feels for him, like he feels for her. A bit of doubt. But other than that, he shows protectiveness, Being her shield to danger. Also A bit more impulsive, energetic and upbeat in some parts. But with no matter what, he will always give her words of reassurance to make sure everything is okay.

• Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

• Dance - Tim Halperin

• Aquaman - Walk The Moon

• I’ll Always Return - Bryan Adams (Rock Version)

• Nintendo - Todd Carrey (This is more of a comedic tone to it haha)

- Peach to Mario -

Very sweet, reflective and thoughtful. The type of love that whenever she thinks of her hero, she gets so fluttery and bashful on the inside. She is more reserved her feelings though, so some songs may reflect her denying a bit. But ultimately, they all lead to just wholeheartedly accepting her feelings.

• Fallin’ for you - Colbie Callait

• Tightrope - Michelle Williams

• Lover - Taylor Swift

• Next to You - Jordin Sparks

• I feel the Earth Move - Olivia Ong

- Duets -

• The Fighter - Kieth Urban Ft Carrie Underwood

• Waiting for a Star to Fall - Boy Meets Girl

• Am I Feeling Love? - Steve Lively and Bobbi Page ( The Thief and The Cobbler unfinished film, titled ‘Arabian Knight’ for the Miramax version where this song is made.

———————————————————

💚LuigyXDaisy🌼

- Luigi to Daisy -

Luigi is the more sentimental type. One who thinks about the deeper meaning of his feelings. The one who’s able to find sweet comparisons and words when describing love with Daisy. He knows how timid he is. How easily scared he could be. Which is why He holds such admiration of how much of a free-spirited character she is. So some of his songs will reflect almost awe in her character. How much her presence alone just brings his feelings to life.

• Crush - David Archuleta

• Nothing I’ve ever known - Bryan Adams

• So Close - John Mclaughlin

• All That you are - Goo Goo Dolls

• Into the Night - Santana Ft Chad Kroger

- Daisy to Luigi -

The theme I tried to go with Daisy is of a supportive figure, or one that drives Luigi to improve and be the best of himself. Her words may seem to be a bit more forward with some songs. But mostly, she’s the one who has more of her feelings on her sleeve, and will have no problem expressing them more. She reflects more of the intense passion.

• Better When i’m Dancing - Meghan Trainor

• I’m Feeling You - Michelle Branch

• Brave - Sarah Bareilles

• My Superstar - Jessie J

• Kiss me Crazy - Kaci Battaglia

- Duets -

• Wild - Troy Sivan Ft Alesia Cara (A bit more of an intimate song?)

• At the Beginning - Richard Marx and Donna Lewis

• Don’t Let Go - Bryan Adams and Sarah Mclachlan

[honeysucklepink]

A Very Darren Crissmas... my full review

So I have listened to the entire album four times now, and yes that includes the song I swore I'd skip. I recognized some songs, others I had to look up for the composers, and I think I am ready to make a full assessment, track-by-track. Note, I haven't received my CD yet and there may be liner notes that can give me further insight, but for now this is just me and the audio. Without further ado...

1. Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season I mean, I've already listened to this one plenty because this was the first single and the one we got with the pre-order. It's a great classic bop, a Michael Buble, big band jazz number, that would fit comfortably in the background of a luxury car ad featuring a sedan with a giant red bow in a snowy driveway. Great way to open the album, yet doesn't really prepare you for what's next. Which considering the self-professed genre-phile Darren is...it fits.

2. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas I don't quite know how to describe this one, just that I really, really dig it? It's got sort a groove to it, an alternative indie swag, that makes it sound way different than the traditional kids version.

3. (Everybody's Waiting for) The Man With the Bag The version I'm mainly familiar with is by Kay Starr, from a compilation of Christmas jazz songs I got from Pier One about 20-25 years ago (fun fact, that album gave me my first version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" from Dean Martin). I encourage you to give it a listen. I really enjoyed this cover from Darren and I do love to hear Adam Lambert's jazz voice, which he doesn't utilize often. I still don't like spoken word intros...they just always sound fake and cringey to me...and this is not one that surpasses the Kay Starr version, but I still really like it. Love it when Darren can riff off someone!

4. St. Patrick's Day When I saw this on the track listing, I blanked out... "huh?" Well, Darren is half-Irish after all. It totally slipped my mind that this was a John Mayer song, much less off his Room for Squares album, one of my favorites. But yeah, it's been a while since I've listened and I think the pandemic has done a number on all our memories. When I heard the opening chords it smacked me upside the head and I went "SHUT! UP!" And then the song went on and to quote Angelica Schuyler, I realized three fundamental truths at the exact same time: 1) in spite of the title this really is a Christmas song, in the same vein that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, 2) Nashville has the finest session musicians in all the land, and 3) I need Darren to cover all of John Mayer's songs.

5. River So, after the wonder and amazement of the previous track, I see that "River" is next, and we all know the original Joni Mitchell version, the Sarah McLachlan version (which was my introduction to the song, courtesy of an ER episode), and of course for us Gleeks, the Rachel Berry version. So when I say that my response to the opening horns and chimes out of a Ronnie Spector number was a combo of the memes of "blonde woman staring into space confusedly as mathematical equations float around her head" and "angry Karen ripping down her curtains," not to mention I was DRIVING at the time, I'm sure there were many concerned drivers wondering why this woman was screaming WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? and afraid I would skid off the road. "River" is full of heartache, and melancholy, and loss, and you turned it into a 60's mod bop? I sat there, trying to keep the car on the road, thinking it has to, HAS to get better. I was sitting through it like the 15 minutes you have to wait after a Covid shot, like driving past where a skunk was run over, like holding your breath after someone farts on the elevator. And it ended with a weird Warblers-does-the-Beach-Boys finish.

This makes it sound like the worst thing ever. Well, it's not. Not like Will Schuester leading a bunch of teenagers singing "Blurred Lines." But I've listened to it each time since, knowing what's coming, approaching it in a different light. But honestly? It still doesn't really work for me. I can ignore the lyrics, but even then, the melancholy I spoke of is right there in the melody and the key. I won't skip it, but I'll turn it down and engage in family conversation more when this track is on.

6. Welcome Home I did not recognize this song when I first heard it, and it took me a while to research it, but I see it has special significance to Darren! "Welcome Home" is from the 1954 Broadway musical Fanny, which in 1997 was produced by 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco and was his first professional role. The song has about as much to do with Christmas as "My Favorite Things," but since a recurring theme around the holidays is one of homecoming and reunion, the song actually fits. I was wondering why he was singing to the floor and the lamp and the chair, but I'm guessing it makes more sense in the musical.

7. All Those Christmas Cliches Another song that's new to me, maybe not to you, but I can relate. As he points out, he's spent Christmas in a lot of unconventional locations, but sometimes craves the conventional, Hallmark-card traditions. I've lived in the South all my life. I think I have literally had TWO white Christmases in all my life, and in both cases most of the snow had melted off by the afternoon.The last several years, thanks to climate change, has been short sleeve and flip flop weather, but even before that, we sang songs containing snow with more than a hint of irony. And to be honest it goes past that. Ever had a Christmas where your family decides "hey, let's do gumbo instead! Or spaghetti!" and all you want is turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and fruitcake? Okay, I've gone on a tangent... back to the song, which is swinging and fun and everything you want in a Christmas song AND season.

8. The Christmas Song This was the song I was really excited about. It's one of my two all time favorite Christmas songs, and the Nat King Cole version is a classic (adding this other video because the animation is cute and made me cry). I do have a warm spot in my heart for Kris Allen's cover and the Vince Guaraldi Trio version from A Charlie Brown Christmas. But after the debacle of "River," was Darren about to disappoint me again? Very happily and relievedly, he did not. This version is gorgeous, the guitar is warm, the strings as they come in feel like an embrace, the vocals are lovely. This is sitting by the fire with warm cider and snuggled with the person you love, and is now in my top three (sorry, Kris).

9. Somewhere In My Memory Okay, confession time. I don't think I've ever seen Home Alone all the way through. I know, it was the biggest movie that year but to be fair, I've still never seen Titanic and only just saw The Princess Bride two years ago. Yet as this song played I sat there thinking "this is totally from a movie, probably a 90s movie," and I was right. The incomparable King of Movie Scores, John Williams composed this, and I'm betting Darren and guest vocalist Evan Rachel Wood, as middle Millennials, were heavily influenced by Home Alone as a childhood movie the way us Gen Xers hold Rankin-Bass specials in our hearts. Their voices are sweet and lovely and blend nicely together. While I don't have the same emotional connection to the film or the song, you can hear the connection they have. Somewhere in their memories, I'm guessing *wink*.

10. Drunk On Christmas I know Darren can sing country because I've heard him cover Tim McGraw. And I will forever be sour that Glee didn't do more country in general (oh the Blam duets we could have had with a little twang to them). I absolutely LOVE this song! Darren wrote a great one that could easily have been on country radio (in my DJing days, before 9/11 ushered in the awful jingoist "bro country" era). Who knows, it could still be on the playlist when the radio stations switch over to holiday playlists after Thanksgiving. Now the one thing some may complain about is that he's not truly front and center on the song. That honor goes to Lainey Wilson (I'm a terrible country music fan because I'm not familiar with her work). But she's just awesome and she and Darren's chemistry is as sweet as hot cocoa spiked with schnapps. I will definitely be playing this alongside Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas," Willie Nelson's "Pretty Paper," and Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From the Family" this season.

11. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas This was the other one I was excited about, just not quite as much as "The Christmas Song" only because we've heard him do a little of this song, albeit as Blaine. This is my other favorite Christmas song. My favorite version is from Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders, with an honorable mention to John Denver and the Muppets. I'm adding Darren's version to the pantheon. This is simple, classic, just him and the guitar. It's all the song really needs. And thank you Darren for keeping "we'll have to muddle through somehow," from when Judy Garland sung it in Meet Me in St. Louis, because the whole point of the song is the hope that it will be merry, even through hard circumstances (see: my review of "New Year").

12. New Year Another song I was unfamiliar with, written by Regina Spektor, I'll cut to it... this made me cry. I don't think this was the reason he covered it, but I couldn't help but think of his mom, and how last year was the first without her husband, Darren and Chuck's dad. The second time I heard it I was in the car with my Mom, after visiting Dad at the skilled nursing unit, wondering if he'll be home for the holidays or ever again. I tried to keep the tears back for her. The third I was driving back to my house, and thinking of all the needless loss over the last two years, how many people's new years will be like that. Trying to think of the good things brought to us and not the things and people taken away. Even when you hear of the roar across the island from Times Square, you also think of the bells, pots and pans that would ring out as tributes to the medical personnel and essential workers at the start of the pandemic. "She sets her alarm" could easily be a doc or nurse, not wanting to miss the NYE countdown but also exhausted from another shift. Every year feels worse, and yet we go into every new one hoping it will be better. The eternal foolish optimist in all of us. I can't imagine a better way for Darren to close out a holiday album released in 2021.

Overall This is a solid holiday album, one that as Darren described is very him, and while yes I pray for the day we get a full album of all his own music not tied to a holiday, this at least has some tracks that span the year, and I look forward to having this in my regular rotation along with my Christmas music from John Denver and the Muppets, Charlie Brown, Emmitt Otter, Glee, A Very Special Christmas, and others.

[doctorhelena]

I was tagged by @katherinecooke, with whom I do have a lot in common, and some things not so much! :)

Dogs or cats? Dogs. I’m allergic to cats, but also I have to admit that I just like dogs better (although I would have nothing against cats if they didn’t make me so itchy and sneezy).

YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities? I don’t really follow either (I generally get my celebrity news by osmosis through people I follow on social media) but I am not sure I could actually name a YouTube celebrity, so I guess normal?

If you could choose to live anywhere, where would it be? Ideally, I’d like to live in a whole bunch of wildly different places around the world, for like, a year or two at a time. But, I do also really like where I live now (aside from the massive earthquake that’s supposed to arrive at some point, which I would prefer, in my ideal world, not to have looming).

Disney or Dreamworks? If I have to choose, Disney.

Favourite childhood TV show? I actually didn’t watch a lot of TV as a kid. There’s a big gap between Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and my teenage obsession with Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although, now that I think of it, my sister and I were pretty into Square One TV, particularly their “Mathnet” segment. We may possibly have written Mathnet proto-fanfic?

The movie you’re looking forward to in 2020? Wonder Woman 1984, and Black Widow. (And maybe the live action Mulan? I’m not sure about that one, but I do really like the animated version.)

Favourite book you read in 2019? I - don’t know? I think I have quarantine brain. I wish the library would keep a record of books I’ve checked out so I could jog my memory of what I read last year!

Marvel or DC? Marvel, although there are definitely DC things I like too.

If you chose Marvel, favourite member of the X-Men? I think I saw one of the X-Men movies, a long time ago? Okay, either Professor Xavier because I love Patrick Stewart, or Wolverine because he’s Canadian. 😛 

Night or day? I like both, but I’m definitely a night person.

Favorite Pokémon? Pikachu? (who is also the only one whose name I know...)

Top 5 bands/artists? Gah, I’m so bad at picking favourites. Off the top of my head, five bands/artists I feel like listening to right now: Leonard Cohen, The Be Good Tanyas, The Barenaked Ladies, Liz Phair, Sarah McLachlan.

Top 10 books? I'm taking the pressure off myself and, rather than trying to figure out my top 10, I’m just listing the first 10 books I really like that come to mind (and cheating with series :)

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis

The Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy Sayers

Caravan by Dorothy Gilman (and her Mrs. Pollifax series)

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Top 4 movies? Four I could watch over and over again are A League of Their Own, Galaxy Quest, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Love, Actually

US or Europe? I don’t live in either!

Tumblr or Twitter? Tumblr

Favourite vacation destination? I want to go everywhere! But I do really love the week every summer my kids and I usually spend unplugged at Mom and Kids camp.

Favourite YouTuber? Whoever it was that put up all those episodes of The Crocodile Hunter my kids have been devouring this month? ;) (yeah, I know that’s not the intent of the question)

Favourite author? I love so many for different reasons. I don’t know how on earth I would pick just one.

Tea or coffee?  Tea. I like the smell of coffee, but I’ve never learned to like the taste (although, I can usually manage to choke it down if it’s an Irish Coffee. ;)

OTP? Currently, Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers. But I have a List. :)

Do you play an instrument or sing? I can sort of play the piano - I took organ lessons as a kid, and have improved my piano skills since my own kids started taking lessons and I started piggybacking along. :) I played the clarinet for 7 years in school, and occasionally I dig it out (I can still play it, but I have next to no embouchure endurance). I also play the guitar, although I mostly just finger-pick chords to sing along to (but I can play a few other things like Blackbird by the Beatles). And finally, I sing alto in an early music chamber choir (although, not right now!)

Tagging @teaandatale, @thesokovianaccords, @invidiosa, @buckywiththegoodhair86, @fanfic-bookworm, and @rixdottir

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

LINDSAY SCHOOLCRAFT – An Interview with the Artist

Hi Lindsay, welcome to Femme Metal Webzine, how are you and how life is treating you right now?

I’m good, thank you. Life is going pretty well. Really really well, actually.

The last time I interviewed you was back with Mary and the Black Lamb, we can totally affirm that a lot of water is passed under the bridge, so, considering that this band is part of your musical background, how Mary and the Black Lamb show up in your debut full-length “Martyr”?

Oh my gosh! [Laughs] Wow, what? It has been 11 years since we released the album “The City Sleeps”. Unfortunately, Mary and the Black Lamb is no longer a band and that is ok. But it’s just crazy to look back and think about it. When I came to that project, I was one of the main songwriters and I was writing “Martyr” as a solo artist and I felt that the song “Stranger” from Mary and the Black Lamb would fit the sound of this album. So, that song was written between me and the keyboard player Matt Kelley  and I got his permission, of course I treated him really fair and I made sure that he received his royalties. We went ahead and we brought it to Rocky and my producer Tyler and we just worked on it. I’m so happy how it did come out and so, it’s Matt. I’ve been slowly pushing to my solo album and I think it will be the last album on which I’ll do recreation of old songs but I want to do songs like “Stay Away” because I really love it. However, I’ll try and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I’ll take maybe two more songs from Mary and the Black Lamb because I feel like those songs deserve an update and it might work very well and if they don’t work, it’s ok. At least, I can say to myself that I did try. My songs are like my babies and I always feel like they deserve a fair chance, you know? [laughs] And they have to grow up with me [laughs].

So, we have talked about Mary and the Black Lamb and I’m gonna focus on the production of your debut album “Martyr”: how was it? When did you start collecting the first ideas and planning for it?

Oh man, well, we actually started making it without a plan. Unfortunately, next time we will have it and everything started at the beginning of June 2016 when Rocky Gray contacted me with the serious intent to collaborate together. So, we worked on the first two songs: the first was The Cure‘s cover of b and it did turn out really good, we are really proud of it and then  “Warn Me” and “Remember” followed. Back than, both songs sounded quite differently from now. At the beginning, they were just simple ideas but I like that because Rocky sends it like that  and then, you have room to build the melody and the lyrics. I love working with him and he’s on board for the next album too, which is good. In the end, there was no plan and we kept on writing together and then I took my old phone into the night from my first DP. At one point, probably at the end of 2017, we had 17 songs and we took the decision to stop because it turned out to be too much and we had just to pick 13 songs which includes 2 bonus tracks and went ahead to finish this album. It was intense because there were other people involved like Spencer Creaghan who played the strings and also, he wrote the strings sections for songs that may or may not be on the album. We didn’t want to waste anyone’s time cuz’ we are all very busy people. So, at the end we strategically decided to adapt everything and finish with the guest vocals on which different singers have participated. That was it. It was concluded and mastered at the beginning of 2018 but due to my commitments with Cradle of Filth and not finding a record label, there are a lot of delays. It’s fine because I make it work anyway. However, it was a long process and I’m hoping that, for the next album it won’t be long as between the beginning (the production). I think this time we’ll have a clear plan and we’ll just focus on the 13 songs that we have and just that. For sure, we won’t waste any time and it was a big learning curve for me, for my producer Tyler and all my team. Now that we know how we work together, we also have a system and it should not go as long as before.

You have been recently nominated as a Juno Award artist. How does it feel to have reached such a milestone? And how this event will reflect on you and your music?

It’s a dream come true. I was not expecting it. I didn’t know that was going to happen but it did and when I found out, I just couldn’t stop crying. I was so happy, I’ve been through a lot in the past months. Not necessarily good things, that’s ok, they come and go and when this happened, it was such a huge honour because I had been dreaming of it since I was a teenager. I didn’t want to win but just get a nomination and the fact that happened is totally unreal to me.

Beside being an amazing vocalist, you are also an amazing harpist. Now, I would like to focus on your musical background: considering that you enrolled at the Royal Academy, how much did your academic upbringing impact your music?

I started singing when I was a little kid and a big influence on me was Disney, well a 90s child that is going to happen and I was also singing in a choir at school. The first time I learned about harmony was very interesting and I was such a young child. I didn’t start taking serious music until High School and at the time, I was in a punk band and I was taking bass lessons and singing too, even if not so very well. Then, I decided at the age of 21 to start taking music seriously and that when I found about the Royal Conservatory of Music where I went studying classical piano, classical voice and I was learning my theory and I did for about 3 – 4 years while in the meantime I reached a certain level. After, I was considering the option of going back to University at the age of 25, though I did my final application when I was 26. I got into University and I did my first semester and I was chosen for the minor “Classical composition and conducting for orchestra” and my major was “Opera Singing” but it got cut short because I was called by Cradle of Filth. Eventually, one day I may go back to my education. Nevertheless, for now, I’m taking the time to learn the harp from a few people and I would love to go back to study theory. On the other hand, the business and other things in my life have been very intense. I’m on the right path, so, once business is settled maybe I’ll come back to learn more about theory which I would love to do. It’s still a goal of mine in life.

“Martyr” was released via Cyber Proxy Independent. Does it have to be considered your own imprint or are you taking in consideration other external deals?

So, it’s my own little record label composed by me and my laptop in my corner of my room. [Laughs] it’s nothing crazier, still it feels nice that I have that. The reason that happened was because there were a lot of things I was going through like getting distribution, getting the CDs in the European and North American stores, filing the royalties and there’s even more that I do independently with my assistant. All these actions justified a label’s name, so we did come that. Actually, the origin of the name is due to the fact I’m a huge fan of cyberpunk and my favourite anime is Ergo Proxy. I know, the name was just last-minute and we didn’t put a lot of thought into it [laughs] and we just made up the name. Simply, that was it. We were kinda like “We’re Cyber Proxy Independent which is literally me and my assistant in my bedroom named after all my favourite anime” and we just kept going and that’s that. Anyway, it’s just a name in order that people have something to refer to my music, I guess.

You know, if we talk about distribution and licensing, will you consider some external deals?

Yes, what I have to do is that I have to wait until the end of Juno‘s because with a nomination there’s a lot of opportunities for me of which I’m very happy. For example, I have a better chance to have my music featured in movies and TV and it does represent one of my biggest dreams and I would love to do that. Whoever if I win, I don’t care if I win or not, if Kobra and the Lotus, if The Agonist or The Striker and the Single Mother, I’m happy for whoever wins. I’ve always kept the attitude that in the heavy metal world community we always support each other. If I win, owning the title completely changes everything and I’ll have increased opportunity to reach out to a wide audience. In the end, I’m just waiting to see what happens and I’m just being smart.

I think that being appointed just a nominee changes because the name is out, they know how you are and people start raising their heads…

Oh yeah, Canada is a big deal and because of that I gained a few fans. It’s crazy.

Yeah, I know because at the time back in the 80s artists like Alannah Myles, Rush, Autograph and Bryan Adams…

Oh, I love Alannah! Yeah, oh man, I don’t know if Bryan Adams‘s gonna be there and I hope, he’s and I would love to meet him. I hope that Billie Eilish and The Weeknd show up because I love them both. It’s crazy. it’s just crazy. So, this year at the Juno’s is the 49th edition and Jenn Arden, who has been an huge influence on me as a singer-songwriter, of course she’s one of those dark folky types of music really famous in Canada, she’s getting inducted in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and that’s simply huge. Also, the Canadian musical legend Ann Murray is getting inducted. I think my dad is more excited for that than I am [laughs]. Well, my dad has met Jenn Arden and I really hope to meet her too. There are a lot of women in the Canadian music industry like Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Chantal Kreviazuk. They all proved to be such an inspiration that they pushed me forward towards my artistic percorse as a singer-songwriter. Even if it was a bit stressful to get ready with the outfit for the red carpet, I’m just so honoured. We’ll make it there and we’ll make it work. [Laughs]

We know that we have recently split up with Cradle of Filth and the intent of this question isn’t delving into the situation, per se but what did you learn about this experience and how did you improve you as an artist?

What I’ve learned while I was in Cradle of Filth is that it totally pushed me on a more professional level when it comes to handling the touring and the business side of things. It was an amazing opportunity and I’m so grateful that it did happen. I still have so much love and respect the band and the boys. You know, we’re still friends and it’s good. On a final note, it taught me which are my strengths and my weaknesses, so in this case I know where I should improve. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy industry and in my case I’m very lucky because I have a group of good friends who are in the industry and we all understand what’s going on. Although, when it comes to mental health in this industry, I don’t think there’s enough support and respect towards people who suffer from it. Sadly, this industry has taught me too, whatever the situation a lot of good things happened and one of them for sure is to live honestly, to live the truth and to be truthful to what I believe in and to what I want to put into the world. I think I’m ok and I’m grateful for that experience, so to say.

Now all this mental health issue raises a question: in which way, we can start spreading awareness in this industry? Because you know I like writing, I like doing interviews and both you and me, we share a similar history. From an artistic point of view, what can we do?

What we can do is be kinder to each other and when a person in a band, in a community is suffering, it’s nice to reach out and support one another. I think it’s something that can save lives by acknowledging that we are only humans and we are not money music machines. We’re not robots and recognizing that comprehension when we reach a limit because you have been working too hard and you need a break is important. Nowadays, we live in a period and age where there are a lot of expectations towards the touring musicians and where it is required to hold from 3 to 5 different job titles. It’s not healthy and it’s not fair. Fine, it saves money and in the beginning, you have to do it for a few years after that, please consider the mental health and wellbeing of the other band members too because if you don’t start hiring people for these positions, there’s an enormous chance for a burn out. It’s a terrible experience and lately, it comes down to respect and kindness. Naturally, this industry is stressful but we are all in it together and we should all take care of each other. If we lose that idea, we just lose one another.

It sounds really good but tangibly speaking, what can we do for example starting spreading information? It’s something that is really interesting but how can we be much more proactive towards it?

There’s now a hotline for musicians in the United Kingdom where they call in if they’re having mental health problems. I think we need more support like that. Recently, I have read this article about this girl that is actively fighting for women’s equality at Download when it comes to the woman being on the stage and I don’t necessarily think that is needed because there are plenty of women working there. However, what is really needed for example is having a tent in the backstage where women can go when they don’t feel safe or what we should have access to is counselling. I think festivals should start offering a private tent with counselling and if someone needs to go talk about their problems, grieve, cry or have a safe space. Surely, that would make the biggest difference and save lives because touring is not so easy. You miss weddings, you miss funerals and there’s so much that happens to touring musicians and they are just expected to suck it up, carry on and deal with it. It’s wrong because it’s time to start providing more services to musicians to have a place to go. It’s time to put the business aside and acknowledge their feelings. It’s time to be heard and know that they are cared about, all this will make a huge difference.

Well, it’s something interesting, if you ask me, we can join forces together and see if that can work out because it’s something that no one has ever thought about and I find quite frustrating…

I agree. We have lost so many lives lately in the metal community. Some due to health and some other due to some related circumstances, but part of it is because of the drug and alcohol abuse to numb the pain while you have to work. I think if we just start to be kinder and respectful to one another while we set in motion to help everyone’s suffering, we can save a lot of lives so they don’t continue down the dark path and they don’t feel unseen and unheard. I bet what don’t have that this possible to achieve.

This was a complicated question and it does make it difficult to change topic. However, I had a question about your upcoming project Antiqva with Ne Obliscaris‘s Xenoyr. How did it come together and which are the latest updates?

Oh man, that was a drunk decision [laughs]. In 2015, we started to talk about the fact that I would like to do something musically different that wasn’t neither Ne Obliscaris nor Cradle of Filth. But, however something along the lines of traditional black metal that meets the classical sound with strings, choirs and Gregorian chantries. Oh my god, the whole massive idea and I was already composing some stuff which at the end it wouldn’t work out for Cradle of Filth at all. He is just Mr.Darkness like Dark Aestical all the time, always incredibly writing poetry into his lyrics, he’s such a creative source. Definitely, he’s one of my muses. We have just started working on things. Oh man, when I wrote these first demoes, I sent them straight away even though they were so bad. At the time, I was just working with what I had and now, it turned into such a massive project. I’m very grateful because the relationship that I have with the other two songwriters Justine Ethier  which she plays drums and we collaborate together on the orchestrations; and Fabian who’s known as Urzom from Negator which he plays the guitar and he collaborated on the writing and arrangements). Between the three of us, we have such a deep connection and friendship. It’s such a beautiful experience and I never really believed in the spiritual aspect of that gathering together and having the magic among other musicians when you write, however, we have definitely that. It’s really amazing and I feel really grateful to have that. Instead about the latest updates, It’s going good and we have to finish writing a few more songs to have a full album . Then, we are going into the studio in April to record the first single and all this, it’s just for getting the things started which is exciting. I’m really looking forward to it, I love the single, I love the songs we chose. The fans are already excited even though they have listened to anything and they have so much faith in us. I know what I want and I already have the ideas quite clear about the whole plan. It’s good that we’re starting with one song and surely, we will be included on the new album. By then I hope to have more funding to record a live string section and hire the required musicians. We’re just so excited and it has been challenging ‘cuz all the members all over the world and we have to keep up on communication and organisation. We do that very well and of course, they have me and Cyber Proxy. Now that I have established this label, I’ll take care of this band in the best way possible through the help of my team too. I think Antiqva has a good start and I’m happy for that opportunity. I love everyone in the band and I love working with them. They are so talented and they are such good people. So, I think that hopefully by 2022 all the engines will be set in motion for the album and playing festivals, everything depends on how quickly we get through the single [laughs]. But, I don’t wanna rush it, it’s a project of passion, it’s definitely a calling in life. I love doing my solo work, I’m so proud of it and whatever comes from “Murder” I enjoyed. It’s like my baby, my first child while with Antiqva is something that I wanted to do since I was a little kid because at the time I used to write classical music in my head but I didn’t have neither the knowledge nor the tools on how to translate out my mind in a tangible way. Now, I do and I have so much dark classical music in my head that I just want to give to the world. I think we are doing an OK job because I showed to some friends what we have written and they just burst into tears. So far so good but it’s a very slow process and I don’t like how slow it is. I feel like I’m waiting and waiting but I have definitely taken the initiative with the band to super plan our future and to do the best in keeping up with the tour deadlines and to take care of one another. You know, we have been all through a hard time in the industry and we’re not treated very well. This band also represents a brand new start because we’ll set our boundaries and we’ll get treated in the way we deserve. We’ll always try to take care of eachother and always do that, I love this because that can be a huge motivation for longevity with this project. You know, I’m approaching all this with a lot of optimism and positivity, even though I know that a black metal is about [laughs].

My last question is about your next plans: in order to promote your solo album, do you have any concert planned for 2020?

So, the problem is that touring these days is very expensive and it costs a lot of money. We’ve been trying to get some opportunities but how much it costs to go, it’s an insane amount of money and as a record label, I’m trying to be realistic about finances. However, it has been an opportunity for me to tour with just my harp and I love doing those harp tours and those acoustic tours because they are my favourite. I’ll announce some information on that later while right now, what I’m doing is celebrating my 10th as a solo artist by recording an ambient harp album and with that I’ll cover my entire catalog. I’m aiming to release this special full-length this summer. I’m looking forward to it, it will be a little different and it’s not gonna be like on “Murder” on which I dedicated a lot of promotion and I featured a lot of extras. It’ll be quite a soft launch and it’s something I want to do for my fans. Then, from there we’ll start working on the second album, there’s no schedule or deadline for that. But, I think once we dedicate the right amount of time, it’ll go very quickly because a lot of the music has already been composed. So, I have just to fix some lyrics and change some parts in the songs. It’s gonna be amazing because I’ll work with my team again, they are such talented and fun people. Also, I brought with me my guitarist Cody Johnston because it’s a really good songwriter and hopefully, he’ll have much more space on the album. Once again it will be a big project but we’ll start before Christmas. More than anything, the focus of this year is to make myself happy and take care of my health which so far, it’s going good. I just hope to continue.

This was my last question. Please be free to say hi your fans and our readers. Lindsay, I really thank you for this interview. It was a real pleasure. This is your space.

Thank you. That’s amazing that you gave me my first writing job in the industry. How long was that? Maybe 12 years ago and I thank you, because it all started with you, thank you I found my way to Eve’s Apple, because of Eve’s Apple I found my way in Cradle of Filth. You have been so supportive of my career from day 1. Thank you to you and Femme Metal Webzine. Also, I would like to send you a quick thank you to my team that helped you to launch my album. Last but not the least, I want to say thank you to my FANS who didn’t give up on me and they are still supporting my career despite my departure from Cradle of Filth. The fact that people want to stick around and see what I’ll do next that just means so much and I’ll promise that I’ll work very hard and I won’t let you down.

[shy-violet-soul]

Easy as Pie

Summary: Dean thinks that the road to dessert is quick, easy, and unchallenged. You are about to prove him all kinds of wrong. Characters: Dean, Sam, OFC Rae, Female Reader  Rating: E for everyone  Word count: 1470ish 

A/N: This is 100% fluffy garbage I churned out today. It popped in my head because I’m sure people assume my music taste based upon my professionalism/cuteness. But this girl can bust out “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Smoke On The Water” like it’s nobody’s business. Don’t judge a book by its cover - as Dean learns in this quick fic. 

I’m tired.

Strike that. I’m butt-numb-from-sitting-in-Baby-too-long, fed-up-with-crappy-hotel-beds, indigestion-from-too-much-road-food tired. 

We are miles from my memory foam, chasing down weirdo deaths by ‘animal attack’. Apparently, another mythical story has come to life, this time from the Souix, and Sam is telling me all about it in excruciatingly thorough detail.

“So, get this. According to the legend, the very first dog made a pact with the first man and woman to take care of her puppies after she died, and that humans and dogs would always be loyal companions to each other. Provide shelter, food, mutual protection, etc. However, if a human ever broke that pact…”

My ears are actually bleeding. “All bets are off.”

“Right. No more protection, and the wronged..dog, I guess...would retaliate against the...wrongdoer,” Sam stumbled out. “I’ve been reading the lore, and-”

“Sammy, hold up a second.” I held up a hand and stopped in front of the Victory Cafe. “I’m tired. Like, ready to let you drive tired. Can we just stop with the lore and the ME reports and the, the, the freakin’ killer Ol’ Yeller stuff for thirty minutes? I gotta get some real food and coffee that doesn’t come from a gas station. Please?” Eyebrows popped up that huge forehead almost to his hairline, but he just nodded as he closed his journal and tucked it under his arm.

“Yeah. Got it. Sorry.”

I sighed as I turned back towards the cafe. “Now. Rainbow unleashed her research magic and found us another winner. Let’s eat.”

Twenty minutes later, the double cheddar cheese layering my burger was blissfully floating in my veins. Better than B12. Rae caught me side-eyeing her thirteen remaining French fries - not that I counted - and smiled as she nudged her plate toward me.

“They’re all yours, tiger. However, I do feel compelled to tell you that this place is famous for their pie,” she chirped out, bobbing her chin towards something behind me.

Something in my neck popped I turned so quickly and made my tongue numb, but I didn’t care. All I could see was the glass-covered cake stand on the counter. Our waitress stood rolling flatware into napkins as I walked up.

“Hi, there! You folks still doing all right?”

“Even better ever since I learned you got pie!”

She beamed a hot pink, cigarette-wrinkled smile at me as she gestured towards the white glass dome. “Yes, sir! We’ve got exactly one slice left!”

Euphoria poured through me as I returned her smile. “I betchya it’s got my name on it.”

“Actually, I’m sure it has my name on it.”

Eyes. And legs. Holy crap. I mean, if I wasn’t so ready to throw down for this slice, I mean...wow. She was busy chatting up Polly Jean, every so often glancing at me with those eyes.

But - pie.

“Well, hun, my regular here says she called in an order for that pie.”

I will not be defeated.

I turned on the charm, leaning against the counter as I grinned lazily at Polly. “She might be a regular, but you said I was your favorite. Don’t favorites get a little sugar, sweetness?” I threw in a wink that may or may not have been caused by sugar deprivation. Or fear. Luckily, Polly giggled and batted her eyelashes at me.

“Well, now, I don’t know…” 

Sparkling-Eyes scoffed. “You’re not seriously buying this, Polly, are you?” 

I couldn’t stop the smirk. I should have, I know. But it’s an involuntary response for me, like blinking. “Now, don’t you talk that way to my girlfriend.” 

Perfectly eye-liner’d - is that a word? it’s a word - perfectly eye-liner’d eyes narrowed at me before they rolled fit to put Sammy to shame as she crossed her arms over her chest and stood straight on those legs. Holy crap.

“Listen up, Cool Hand Luke. I called fifteen minutes ago and ordered that slice of pie. It’s mine.”

“Did you pay for it?”

She blinked - hah! Hesitation!

“No.” I smiled and gestured as if to say, ‘well, there you have it’.

“Why don’t you fight for it?” Betrayal. I turned to look at Rae, the look on her face 100% mischief at the suggestion. Sammy, damn him, just sat here, out of words for the first time in ever. Smiling.

A snort from Sparkling-Eyes turned me back around. She eyed me up and down, the smirk on her face now.

“Good idea. How about a karaoke sing off?”

What? 

“What?”

Rae squealed and climbed over Sam to get out of the booth, bobbling her phone on the way. “I’m pulling up YouTube for karaoke music!”

“Now just wait a minute.” 

Sparkling-Eyes grinned confidently as she sauntered to Rae’s side. 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Scared?”

“Not a chance. But, we need to make it fair. I mean, I’m all classic rock, and you,” I gestured towards her and her fancy red-soled patent leather and her pearls. She stilled where she leaned over Rae’s shoulder, peering up at me through her lashes. 

Looking back at it, her smile at that moment should have been a warning.

“Me? I’m all Sarah McLachlan and Handel’s ‘Messiah’?”

I raised my hands in surrender. “I just want to give you a fighting chance.”

She rested a hand on one hip - good Lord, those hips - and smiled again. 

“What a gentleman.” She leaned to whisper into Rae’s ear, stepped out into a more open space, and winked at me.

Then, the music started.

She’s my cherry pie. Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise. Tastes so good, makes a grown man cry. Sweet cherry pie!

Then, her eyes. She started...looking at me. Singing right to me.

Well, swingin’ on the front porch, swingin’ on the lawn, swingin’ where we want cause there ain’t nobody home. Swingin’ to the left and swingin’ to the right, if I think about baseball, I’ll swing all night, yeah!

Then, her hips started. Every beat got a swing, each swing hit me harder. The lyrics spilling from her glossed up lips kept on coming.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for her. Don’t even try ‘cause you can’t ignore her. Each note true, she stepped up into me, walking two fingers up my chest, and booped me. She actually booped me on my nose.

She’s my cherry pie, cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise. Holy crap. Tastes so good, make a grown man cry, sweet cherry pie! What is happening right now? She’s my cherry pie, put a smile on your face, ten miles wide. I might cry. Looks so good, bring a tear to your eye. Sweet cherry pie! 

I think Sammy is laying face down on the table doing that high-pitched, wheezy laugh he does when he gets super tickled. Rae might be legit cackling as she taps away at her phone. It’s hard to know for sure because I can’t move. All I can do is stand there in shock.

My pie is gone.

Polly doesn’t wait for my turn - not that it’s even necessary - as she wobbled the slice of flaky, fruity goodness into a clear plastic container with aplomb and handed it over to her. The, Sparkling-Eyes sashayed over to me with her prize. With one finger, she lifted my jaw closed with a nudge under my chin, then cupped my face in her hand. 

“Better luck next time, sweetheart.” Then, she waltzed out the door.

Holy crap.

Wiping a hand at the hilarity misting his eyes, Sam dragged his bag over a shoulder and ambled over to Rae and me.

“I’m sending this to Charlie,” she crowed, bopping up and down on her toes in her glee.

“Just hang on, Benedict Arnette. Stop your potty dance and don’t send anything.”

Rae didn’t even complain about my label for her little jig as she trotted to grab her to-go ginger ale. Sam draped one of his orangutan arms on my shoulders, his mouth twitching as he tried to stop laughing.

“You got beat by a girl!” Fresh guffaws chortled against my arm as I elbowed him off me.

“Shut up.” Before I could stomp away, Polly snagged my attention, waggling a white paper bag at me.

“It’s not pie, but it’s on the house, sugar.” I shot her a wink before tossing another wounded frown over my shoulder as the two traitors tipsy-giggled their way after me. A peak at Polly’s gift showed a chocolate chip cookie as big as my face. I ain’t sharin’.

Out on the sidewalk, a glance to my right saw those legs taking those eyes on their way. As if she knew I was there, she turned around and gave a flirty little wave. Turning a corner, she was gone.

Taking my pie with her. Maybe a piece of my heart, too.

Tagging my 2 lovelies: @thesassywallflower and @pinknerdpanda. :0)

[thelazyenvironmentalist]

Why I’m Organizing for a Green New Deal in Canada

When I was little, I spent my summers at my grandma’s house. She lived with my grandpa in a ranch-style bungalow a few hundred meters up from the shores of Lake Huron. The house had an immaculately kept garden, mint shag carpet, and a blue porcelain bathtub. It was perfect. When the weather was good, my grandma would spend hours outside with me, collecting Queen Anne’s Lace in the meadow across the road, walking under the cool green canopy of the forest nearby, or splashing in the waves at the beach for so long that when she brought me inside she would immediately place me in the bathtub to wash the sand off. If I sit quietly I can still hear the sound of the grains of sand settling at the bottom of the blue porcelain as she washed the day out of my hair. It was during this time outside that I first learned what it felt like to feel at home in what we refer to as “nature”. I learned that I could eat apples right off the trees in the woods, scrub myself clean- and then get hopelessly dirty again- at the lake, or sit in our secret spot and nap in the shade of a pine tree with the person I loved the most. On days that were cold and rainy, my grandma and I would stay inside, flipping through a Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of North American Wildlife, or watching TVO. On those days spent inside, every Saturday or Sunday morning (I can’t remember which) I would park myself in front of the old tube TV to watch the same two mid-nineties infomercials each week. The first, a classic in Canadian Millennial cannon- was from the Humane Society- the one with Sarah McLachlan playing in the background, while sad kittens stared into the camera. The second, slightly more scarring, was produced by the World Wildlife Fund, and this one broke my heart. Every weekend I’d sit on that mint shag carpet and sob watching images of Amazon Rainforest being clear cut, or Bengal Tigers being poached and separated from their cubs. Silly as it might seem, it was these early morning infomercials that taught me the devastation and heartbreak of losing nature. They taught me empathy for creatures I will never see or touch in real life, a sadness and longing for places and times I will never live in. They taught me that if I wanted to see things change, I would have to take action myself. My grandma echoed these lessons in her care of me, and those around her. Her compassion for all creatures-humans and animals alike- sticks with me even now, years after her passing. Anyone in our family could tell you about the time that Grandma nursed an abandoned baby mouse back to health, or when we hand fed a litter of baby bunnies for weeks when the mother was scared away by my Aunt Pauline’s dog, or when she brought our Cat, Mr. Tibb’s back from the brink when he was sick and my parents’ had already booked us a trip to Mexico. What I’m trying to say is my grandmother taught me that even if you can’t immediately relate to someone, or something, even if you’re a different species, when help is needed, you offer it. She taught me that there was beauty in the world and that it was worth saving. I haven’t mentioned my Grandpa yet, but he was the love of my Grandma’s life. They met when she was 17 and living in Florida with her parents. He saw her singing in the church choir when he was on vacation with his family, and three months later she had moved up to Canada, they were married, and soon my Aunt Debbie was on the way. My Grandpa’s brother’s made their way owning car dealerships and racehorses, and lived well into their 80s and 90s- my Grandpa got into the oil industry. First in Sarnia, then Nova Scotia, the United States, Calgary, and, for a short period of time, Saudi Arabia, among numerous other towns and cities. My Grandpa managed oil refineries for decades- and was proud of his work and all it afforded his family. Both he and my Grandma had jackets and hats stitched with the Turbo Canada logo (a now defunct petroleum company) and somewhere in my closet at my parent’s house, I still have one of his old jackets tucked away, with a decades old cigarette hidden in the pocket. My Grandpa was in insanely good health, for his entire life. Due to his health, and love of his job, he didn’t retire until he was in his early 60s. When I was about 11 his health abruptly changed. He got very sick, very quickly, and for the first time in his life, he was admitted to a hospital overnight, and for the next 6 months or so, he didn’t really leave. My Grandpa died of Leukaemia in his early 70s, due to, what the family believed, was from a lifetime of benzene exposure from working in the oil and gas industry. Much of the generational wealth I still benefit from, is due to the Canadian oil industry; this makes me uncomfortable. But this same industry, the one that allowed my grandparents to raise 4 daughters comfortably, and retire on the shores of Lake Huron, in a house that they built, is the same industry that ultimately cost him his life- it’s the reason I no longer have a Grandpa. It’s also why when my grandma had a series of mini-strokes resulting in dementia, she spent the last few really difficult years of her life alone, without the comfort of her lifelong partner by her side. I’m not going to say that my Grandfather dying is the reason I work with other young people for climate justice- that fate was sealed over two decades ago, when I first started crying in front of the TV seeing the harm we have the capacity to inflict. But what my Grandpa’s leukaemia does compel me to do is work for a world where no one else has to leave this world too soon in order to provide for their family. The oil and gas industry in Canada has given so many of us so much, and it has also taken so much away. Not just from those like my family who lost a single loved one too soon, and too painfully, but from the communities like the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Chemical Valley, downstream from the refineries my Grandfather worked at in Sarnia, where miscarriages are frequent because of exposure to chemicals like cadmium and mercury. The weight of our affluence shouldn’t be borne by those who have had their land stolen from them, or by the workers who risk their health and livelihood working in mines and refineries because our government can’t be bothered to subsidize job training programs for low-carbon work, or support an energy economy that doesn’t make a few influential people exorbitant amounts of wealth. The greed of the Canadian petro-state is devastating. It is so easy to give into the heartbreak, the malaise, to wallow in the understanding that we are already losing, that we have lost so much, and so many to climate change, and the fossil fuel industry. What’s hard is hope. What’s hard is to continue to love, to continue to plough ahead despite the odds, to demand better of our leaders; of ourselves. The Green New Deal is the first thing that has offered me real hope in a very long time. The Green New Deal and it’s “no one left behind” attitude offer us a chance to build the world we want to live in- a world without catastrophic climate change, a world where workers are respected and valued to a higher degree than the resources they’re extracting. A world where having the energy to power our lives doesn’t mean sacrificing entire communities like the Aamjiwnaang, and their children. Where, in order to provide for your family, you don’t first have to sign away your red blood cell count. My heart was first broken in front of that TV when I was little. I’m so ready to put it back together. And I’m going to do that the only way I know how: by working with those I love to try to save my home. We can do that with a Green New Deal, but we need your help, we need your hope, and we need your hands. We need to get to work.

[sarahmcmenomy]

Tarot Reflections Playlist

I’ve been working on this for longer than I should probably admit, but I finally finished my complete Tarot Playlist! I’ve chosen one song for each card of the 78-card RWS Tarot deck. In the spirit of the little white book, I have excerpted a line or two from each song to justify its association with its chosen card. Each suit has its own musical themes, and some of the songs were chosen to invoke the elemental association of the suit. The Court Cards get their own playlist because it can double as an astrological playlist. There are also a few sillier songs picked primarily for humor value (though hopefully still in keeping with the theme of the song). What follows is a complete index, so you can easily listen to whichever parts of the playlist you want to or browse the whole thing.

Entire Playlist

Major Arcana

Wands

Cups

Swords

Pentacles

Court Cards

Major Arcana

0. The Fool: “The Wanderer” by U2, The Edge, and Johnny Cash

“I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch and to feel as much as a man can before he repents.”

1. The Magician: “I am the Mercury” by Jimmie Spheeris

“For I am the mercury, the light of the morning, looking for shelter in this thunder and this rain. And you, like some windmill, weave light where it's storming, and love, like a potion for the hunger and the pain. Let it rain...”

2. The High Priestess: “Witch” by The Bird and the Bee

“Yes, I am a carnival, a house of mirrors... and I will con you. And all my tricks and all my magic will keep you dizzy with desire...”

3. The Empress: “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

“Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world... You can see she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl... And everything around her is a silver pool of light; The people who surround her feel the benefit of it... It makes you calm.”

4. The Emperor: “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay

“I used to rule the world; seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning, I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own. I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy's eyes, listen as the crowd would sing... Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!“

5. The Hierophant: “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers

“He said, ‘Son, I've made a life out of readin’ people's faces, knowin’ what the cards were by the way they held their eyes. So if you don't mind me sayin’, I can see you’re out of aces. For a taste of your whiskey, I’ll give you some advice.’” 

6. The Lovers: “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen

“Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on; dance me very tenderly and dance me very long. We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above... dance me to the end of love.”

7. The Chariot: “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

“I'm a shooting star, leaping through the sky! Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity. I'm a racing car, passing by like Lady Godiva, I'm gonna go, go, go! There's no stopping me!”  

8. Strength: “Roar” by Katy Perry

“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar, louder, louder than a lion, 'cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!” 

9. The Hermit: “Building a Mystery” by Sarah McLachlan

“You live in a church where you sleep with voodoo dolls, and you won't give up the search for the ghosts in the halls... You wear sandals in the snow, and a smile that won't wash away. Can you look out the window without your shadow getting in the way?”

10. The Wheel of Fortune: “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by the Byrds

“To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn) and a time to every purpose, under heaven...”

11. Justice: “Botched Execution” by Shovels and Rope

“I gotta find a friend, someone to tell I didn't do it, but my picture's in the paper and there's no way that I can prove it... and the body's in the closet 'cause I never got to move it... Now the neighbor's kids are talking sayin' everybody knew it... All my little seeds have grown... Sooner, later, come back home...”

12. The Hanged Man: “Philosophy” by Ben Folds Five

“Won't you look up at the skyline, at the mortar, block, and glass, and check out the reflections in my eyes. See they always used to be there, even when this all was grass, and I sang and danced about a high-rise. And you were laughing at my helmet hat... Laughing at my torch...”

13. Death: “End of the Line” by The Traveling Wilburys

“Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove. Well it's all right, if you got someone to love. Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine. Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line.” 

14. Temperance: “Under Pressure” by Queen

“Turned away from it all like a blind man. Sat on a fence, but it don't work. Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn... Why, why, why? Love, love, love, love, love... Insanity laughs, under pressure we're breaking.”

15. The Devil: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones

“Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints, as heads is tails... Just call me Lucifer, 'cause I'm in need of some restraint.”

16. The Tower: “The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning” by the Smashing Pumpkins

“The sewers belch me up; the heavens spit me out. From Ether's tragic I am born again, and now I'm with you now, inside your world of wow, to move in desires made of deadly pretense, ‘til the end times begin.”  

17. The Star: “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree

“Listen as your day unfolds, challenge what the future holds. Try and keep your head up to the sky.”

18. The Moon: “Hope Eyrie” by Leslie Fish

“But we who feel the weight of the wheel, when winter falls over our world, can hope for tomorrow and raise our eyes to a silver moon in the open skies and a single flag unfurled. For the Eagle has landed; tell your children when. Time won't drive us down to dust again.”

19. The Sun: “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream

“I'm with you my love, the light's shining through on you. Yes, I'm with you my love, it's the morning and just we two. I'll stay with you darling now, I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up... I've been waiting so long, to be where I'm going, in the sunshine of your love.”

20. Judgement: “Ring the Bells” by James

“Ring, ring the bells! Wake the town! Everyone is sleeping. Shout at the crowd! Wake them up! This anger's deeper than sleep! Got to keep awake to what is happening, I can't see a thing through my ambition, I no longer feel my God is watching over me. Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming, this is not the end, a new beginning... I no longer feel my God is watching over me.”

21. The World: “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

“The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘how do you do.’ They're really saying, ‘I love you.’ I hear babies crying, I watch them grow... they'll learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

Wands

1. The Ace of Wands: “Spark” by the Bird and the Bee

“Tell me a tale, something with fire, to break from the sorrows. To break through the dirt, piles of earth, to see where the sun goes... What if I stopped just for a while to see if I'm closer? Still half the night, just for a while to see where the sun goes, oh, oh, oh...”

2. The Two of Wands: "First We Take Manhattan” by Leonard Cohen

“I'm guided by a signal in the heavens. I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin. I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons... First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.”

3. The Three of Wands: “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars

“Oh every time I close my eyes... I see my name in shining lights... Yeah, a different city every night, oh right, I swear, the world better prepare for when I'm a billionaire.” 

4. The Four of Wands: “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles

“Say my name, sun shines through the rain... A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain. I don't want to lose this feeling, oh... Close your eyes, give me your hand. Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame?“

5. The Five of Wands: “The Ultimate Showdown” by Lemon Demon

“This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny: good guys, bad guys, and explosions as far as the eye can see... and only one will survive: I wonder who it will be? This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny.”

6. The Six of Wands: “We are the Champions” by Queen

“We are the champions, my friends, and we'll keep on fighting 'til the end! We are the champions! We are the champions! No time for losers, 'cause we are the champions of the world!”

7. The Seven of Wands: “Uprising” by Muse

“Rise up and take the power back. It's time that the fat cats had a heart attack, you know that their time is coming to an end. We have to unify and watch our flag ascend.”

8. The Eight of Wands: “Fast as you Can” by Fiona Apple

“I let the beast in and then I even tried forgiving him, but it's too soon. So I'll fight again, again, again, again, again and for a little while more, I'll soar the uneven wind, complain and blame the sterile land.”

9. The Nine of Wands: “Conquest of Spaces” by Woodkid

“I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces expanding between you and me... Come with the night, the science of fighting, the forces of gravity...”

10. The Ten of Wands: “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush

“And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, and I'd get him to swap our places, be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running up that building...”

Cups

1. The Ace of Cups: “Quiet” by Milck

“But no one knows me, no one ever will, if I don't say something, if I just lie still. Would I be that monster, scare them all away, if I let them hear what I have to say? I can't keep quiet.”

2. The Two of Cups: “Bus Stop” by The Hollies

“Every morning I would see her waiting at the stop. Sometimes she'd shop, and she would show me what she'd bought. Other people stared as if we were both quite insane... Someday my name and hers are going to be the same.”

3. The Three of Cups: “The Cult of Dionysus” by The Orion Experience

“I'm feeling devious, you're looking glamorous... let's get mischievous... and polyamorous. Wine and women and wonderful vices... Welcome to the cult of Dionysus!”

4. The Four of Cups: “High by the Beach” by Lana del Rey

“I don't wanna do this anymore, it's so surreal. I can't survive if this is all that's real... All I wanna do is get high by the beach, get high by the beach, get high...”

5. The Five of Cups: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” by The Pet Shop Boys

“I bought you drinks, I brought you flowers. I read you books and talked for hours... Every day, so many drinks, such pretty flowers. So tell me, what have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this?”

6. The Six of Cups: “In My Life” by The Beatles

“There are places I'll remember, all my life, though some have changed... Some forever, not for better. Some have gone and some remain...”

7. The Seven of Cups: “Which Will” by Nick Drake

“Which do you dance for? Which makes you shine? Which will you choose now, if you won't choose mine?”

8. The Eight of Cups: “Go West” by The Pet Shop Boys

“(Go West) Life is peaceful there, (go West!) in the open air, (go West!) where the skies are blue... (go West!) This is what we're gonna do.”

9. The Nine of Cups: “No Surprises” by Radiohead

“Such a pretty house... and such a pretty garden... No alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, please...”

10. The Ten of Cups: “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog

“Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection... the lovers, the dreamers and me.”

Swords

1. The Ace of Swords: “One” by U2

“You say love is a temple, love is a higher law... Love is a temple, love is a higher law. You ask me of me to enter, but then you make me crawl, and I can't keep holding on to what you got, 'cause all you got is hurt.”

2. The Two of Swords: “I Can’t Decide” by The Scissor Sisters

“I can't decide whether you should live or die... Oh, you'll probably go to heaven; please don't hang your head and cry...”

3. The Three of Swords: “The Killing Type” by Amanda Palmer

"I would kill to make you feel. I don't mean kill someone for real. I couldn't do that, it is wrong... But I can say it in a song.”

4. The Four of Swords: “Take it Easy” by The Eagles

“Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand, just find a place make your stand. Take it easy.”

5. The Five of Swords: “Young Men Dead” by the Black Angels

“Run for the hills, pick up your feet and let's go. We did our jobs, pick up speed now, let’s move. The trees can't grow without the sun in their eyes, and we can't live if we're too afraid to die.”

6. The Six of Swords: “I Will Survive” by Cake

“At first I was afraid, I was petrified. I kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights just thinking how you'd done me wrong. I grew strong; I learned how to get along.”

7. The Seven of Swords: “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys

“I can't stand it, I know you planned it! I'mma set it straight, this Watergate. I can't stand rockin' when I'm in here, 'cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear. So while you sit back and wonder why I got this fuckin' thorn in my side, oh my god, it's a mirage! I'm tellin' y'all, it's sabotage.”

8. The Eight of Swords: “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers Band

“Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel, like I been tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post. Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'.”

9. The Nine of Swords: “Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” by A Perfect Circle

“Don't fret, precious, I'm here. Step away from the window, and go back to sleep... safe from pain, and truth, and choice... and other poison devils. See, they don't give a fuck about you, like I do. Count lies like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep...”

10. The Ten of Swords: “Hurt” by Johnny Cash

“I hurt myself today to see if I still feel. I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real. The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting. Try to kill it all away, but I remember everything. What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end.”

Pentacles

1. The Ace of Pentacles: “Dime” by Cake

“I'm a dime, I'm fine, and I shine. I'm freshly minted. I am determined not to be dented by a car or by a plane or anything not yet invented...”

2. The Two of Pentacles: “Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel

“Did you think that your feet had been bound by what gravity brings to the ground? Did you feel you were tricked by the future you picked? Well, come on down. All these rules don't apply when you're high in the sky, so come on down, come on down.”

3. The Three of Pentacles: “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker

“What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, I will try not to sing out of key.”

4. The Four of Pentacles: “This is the Life” by “Weird Al” Yankovic

“They say that money corrupts you, but I can't really tell... I got the whole world at my feet, and I think it's pretty swell.”

5. The Five of Pentacles: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

“No, you can't always get what you want... You can't always get what you want... You can't always get what you want... But if you try sometimes, you find, you get what you need.”

6. The Six of Pentacles: “Rent” by The Pet Shop Boys

“We never ever argue, we never calculate the currency we've spent... I love you, you pay my rent “

7. The Seven of Pentacles: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

“I took my love, I took it down, climbed a mountain and I turned around. And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills ‘til the landslide brought me down.” 

8. The Eight of Pentacles: “The Weaver” by Steeleye Span

“The loom goes click and the loom goes clack; the shuttle flies forward and then flies back. The weaver's so bent that he's like to crack... such a wearisome trade is the weaver.” 

9. The Nine of Pentacles: “My Way” by Frank Sinatra

“I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill, my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all, all so amusing... To think I did all that, and may I say, not in a shy way... oh no, no, not me. I did it my way.” 

10. The Ten of Pentacles: “Monument” by Röyskopp and Robyn

“This will be my monument. This will be a beacon when I'm gone, gone, gone... When I'm gone, gone, gone... When I'm gone... So that when that moment comes, I can say I did it all with love, love, love... All with love, love, love... All with love.”

Court Cards

Wands

1. The Page of Wands: “The Arsonist’s Lullaby” by Hozier

“All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash.”

2. The Knight of Wands (Sagittarius, the Archer): “Portrait of the Knight of Wands” by Suzanne Vega

“His mood was melancholy, his attitude severe. His inner burden weighed upon him mightily.” 

3. The Queen of Wands (Aries, the Ram): “The Queen of Hollywood” by the Corrs

“She's never gonna be like the one before. She read it in her stars that there's something more. No matter what it takes, no matter how she breaks...”

4. The King of Wands (Leo, the Lion): “King and Lionheart” by Of Monsters and Men

“And as the world comes to an end, I'll be here to hold your hand, 'cause you're my king and I'm your lion-heart.”

Cups

1. The Page of Cups: “The Salmon Dance” by The Chemical Brothers

“Hello, boys and girls, my name is Fat Lip, and this is my friend, Sammy the Salmon! Today we're gonna teach you some fun facts about salmon and a brand new dance.”

2. The Knight of Cups (Pisces, the Fishes): “Knight of Noir” by Susanne Sundfor

“I can't go back again and lock the door. In the dead of night I hear her call out for more. I want to be stung by the stars, I gave her my soul and my heart, and now I am a slave.”

3. The Queen of Cups (Cancer, the Crab): “The Queen and I” by Gym Class Heroes

“I love it how she breaths booze in the morning... and it’s so sexy how she can't remember last night... I made the fatal mistake of letting her drink again. But who the hell am I to tell her how to live her life?”

4. The King of Cups (Scorpio, the Scorpion): “Sea King” by Eisley 

“Sea King, Sea king, can't you see that you're so silly? Sea King, I know things, and without love you won't get far...”

[Honorable mention: Franz Schubert’s rendition of Goethe’s “Der Koenig in Thule” is probably the ultimate King of Cups song, but it felt too different in musical style -- and language -- to include in this playlist. Still, it’s gorgeous, and the lyrics are perfect.]

Swords

1. The Page of Swords: “The Sword and the Pen” by Regina Spektor

“What if the sword kills the pen? What if the god kills the man? And if he does it with love, well then, it's death from above, and death from above is still a death...”

2. The Knight of Swords (Gemini, the Twins): “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse

“No one's going to take me alive. Time has come to make things right. You and I must fight for our rights. You and I must fight to survive.”

3. The Queen of Swords (Libra, the Scales): “My Snow White Queen” by Evanescence

“You belong to me, my snow white queen... There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over.”

4. The King of Swords (Aquarius, the Water Bearer): “The Idiot Kings” by Soul Coughing

“Batting in the light, my reptile-lidded eyes. And all this strung end to end, is wider than the mind.”

Pentacles

1. The Page of Pentacles: “Sweet Child” by Pentangle

“You've been working so hard all day, won't you take your rest? You've been driving my blues away, now it is my turn. Come fly beneath my wings, sweet child it may not be for long.”

2. The Knight of Pentacles (Virgo, the Virgin): “Knights of Malta” by Smashing Pumpkins

“Where omens scar your door... Like a harvest we're bound and set for war... But no soldier comes...”

3. The Queen of Pentacles (Capricorn, the Goat): "Dreaming of the Queen” by The Pet Shop Boys

“Then carriages arrived... We stood and said goodbye. Diana dried her eyes and looked surprised, for I was in the nude. The old Queen disapproved, but people laughed and asked for autographs.”

4. The King of Pentacles (Taurus, the Bull): “A Farewell to Kings” by Rush

“Cities full of hatred, fear and lies, withered hearts, and cruel, tormented eyes... Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise, beating down the multitude, and scoffing at the wise. Whoa, can't we raise our eyes and make a start? Can't we find the minds to lead us closer to the heart?”

Giant shout-out to the Tarot Nerds Facebook Group for inspiring me. You are the best.

[hovercraft79]

World on Fire

5th in the Hecate’s Summer Playlist series

Chapters: 3

Word Count: 18,268

Fandom: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Some violence, injuries, discussion of bullying, Hecate’s ever-present self-esteem issues.

Summary: Just as Hecate begins to find her footing in her new life with an expanded family, a dangerous new enemy threatens to rip it all apart.

Notes:

This story continues Hecate’s adventures over one fateful summer. It is the 5th installment of my take on the Summer Trope Challenge. It will make much more sense if you’ve read the first ones. The title comes from the Sarah McLachlan song. I’ve also borrowed a few lyrics from Train’s Hey, Soul Sister for an impromptu dance party.

Again, thanks to Sparky, who is still editing my fics. I keep promising her that they will be shorter, but she knows I’m probably lying.

Chapter 1

Hecate studied her reflection in the mirror. Still too skinny, she thought. Wearing only a pair of black stretchy lounge pants and a bra, she could see her ribs and collarbones sticking through her pale skin. Skin that was looser now than it had been the last time anyone had seen so much of it. She brushed her hand over the rough skin of the scar stretching across her side just below her ribcage. The skin was still an angry pink, but healing now. After a little more than a week at Julie Hubble’s she finally starting to feel like herself. No, she corrected, thinking about the letter in the black envelope that had appeared on her nightstand yesterday morning, she was feeling better than herself.

Pippa loved her. She knew every dark moment, every failing, every regret from Hecate’s life and she loved her any way. Pippa wanted to live happily-ever-after with her.

As if that wasn’t magic enough, her powers had returned as strong as ever. Even though the Great Wizard had insisted that they refrain from using their magic, Hecate had been practicing little spells, like doing her hair or summoning objects. She’d transferred from Mildred’s bedroom into the kitchen three times. At breakfast they’d talked about when she might move back to Cackle’s. She’d been shocked to realize that she would miss being with Pippa and the Hubbles.

“You look as beautiful as I remember, Hiccup.” Pippa’s eyes met hers in the mirror as she leaned against the bathroom door.

“I look old, Pip.” Hecate held her arms at her sides, forcing herself not to cover up under Pippa’s gaze.

“Nonsense. That girl from Amulet’s was lovely, no doubt about it. But the woman she grew into? Magnificent.” Pippa smiled at the flush she could see beginning on Hecate’s chest. Not wanting to make Hecate uncomfortable, she turned her attention to her injury. “Your side looks better, lots better.” She knelt down and ghosted her fingers across it, smiling at the goosebumps that appeared on Hecate’s skin. “Did it start healing faster once your magic started coming back?”

“I think so. I think the spell that keeps you from using magic to heal it may be similar to a time spell. It’s still going to leave a scar, though.”

“Mm-hmm.” Pippa pressed a quick kiss to Hecate’s side before hoisting herself back to her feet. “Good thing I think scars are sexy, then.” She headed back to the hallway. “Julie should be home in a couple of hours. We thought we’d get started on dinner.”

An hour later Hecate was stirring the sauce for their pasta when a bouncy song started playing on the radio.

Your sweet moonbeam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream,

I knew when we collided, you’re the one I have decided, who’s one of my kind.

 Barefoot, Pippa began tapping her toes to the music, then swaying, then giving in and bumping her hip into Hecate, who looked at her, rolled her eyes and went back to stirring her sauce. Not to be deterred, Pippa grabbed Mildred by the hand and twirled her around the tiny kitchen, singing along at the top of her lungs.

Hey, soul sister, ain’t that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo? The way you move ain’t fair, you know?

Hey, soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight.

 After her third spin, Mildred caught Hecate’s hand and pulled her in. Pippa spun each of them around until Mildred ducked under Pippa’s arm, dragging Hecate behind her until she came face-to-face with Pippa, who pulled her in and kept on dancing.

Way you can cut a rug, watching you’s the only drug I need.

So gangster, I’m so thug, you’re the only one I’m dreaming of.

 Pippa pounded her own chest as she sang about being a thug, much to Hecate’s amusement.

You see I can be myself now finally, in fact there’s nothing I can’t be.

I want the world to see you’ll be with me.

 Julie paused in the doorway, watching Pippa work her magic on Hecate and Mildred. She’d never say it out loud, but she’d been more than a little apprehensive about having Hecate recover at her house. Wound tight under the best of circumstances, Hecate had managed to relax and open up, and Julie knew that was due in no small part to the blonde witch currently spinning her around the kitchen.

“What’s the matter, Millie-bear? You aren’t dancing?”

“Mum!” Mildred gave the sauce one last stir before hugging her mother. “I was, but I swapped HB in instead.”

“Good girl, sometimes she needs a little nudge.” The song wound down so Julie lowered the volume. “I should have known this is how it would be – I trudge off to work and you lot have a party. Life just isn’t fair!” She gave Mildred’s braid a flick. “Can you handle things in the kitchen while I have a word with Hecate and Pippa?” When Mildred nodded, Julie pulled them into her bedroom and closed the door. “I know we talked about you heading back to Cackle’s this morning, but…” She pulled a folded paper out of her pocket. “The hospital wants to send me to Frankfort for a symposium on health and safety procedures. The girl scheduled to go came down with strep so I’m a last-minute sub. I thought I’d see if you’d have a go as Millie’s full-time magic mum for a few days.”

“B-b-by myself? Take care of Mildred by myself?”

“She’s hardly an infant, Hiccup,” Pippa reminded her gently. “Even though I have to go to Pentangles during the day, I’ll still come back each evening.”

Hecate took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course, I will. It would be my privilege.”

Julie wrapped an arm around Hecate’s shoulders, ignoring how she stiffened. “You’ll be fine, love.” She squeezed a bit tighter before letting Hecate go.

“Are we going to tell her about…magic mum?”

Julie shook her head. “I still want to do it properly, have a real family dinner, and make a celebration out of it.”

“And that includes Ada,” Pippa added. Hecate’s grateful smile was all the confirmation Pippa needed that her choice to include Ada was the right one. Hecate deserved all the family she could get.

They went back to the kitchen just in time to see Mildred floating the pot of boiling pasta to the sink and magically tipping the contents into a colander. Julie and Hecate both opened their mouths to tell her to be careful, but Pippa clamped a hand over each mouth just in time.

Pippa waited until the pot had settled back on the counter before calling out “Well done, Mildred!” Mildred turned to look back at them, her proud grin lighting up her face. “Wasn’t that a textbook moving spell, Hiccup?”

Hecate started to say something about the unauthorized use of magic, but Mildred’s pleased, hopeful look sent the words right out of her mouth. “Very well, done, Mildred. Mr. Rowan-Webb would be quite pleased.”

Julie stepped behind Mildred and planted a loud kiss on top of her head. “Did you help with dinner?”

“Not much. It was mostly HB and Miss Pentangle. I just set the table.”

“Well, I could come home to this every night.”

Hecate took over the pasta, pouring the cavatappi into a pan, covering it with the sauce and adding a thick layer of cheese over all of it. Waving her hand over the pan, Hecate sent a stream of magic across the top, melting the cheese until it was brown and bubbly. Pippa tossed and dressed the salad. Once she was certain everything was ready, Pippa waved her fingers and filled four plates. In moments they’d all crowded around the tiny kitchen table.

“I never knew you could cook, HB,” Mildred said, after her first bite.

“It’s not so different from potions.” Hecate said, unable to hide a small, pleased smile.

“Maybe while we’re still here we can talk Hiccup into making her famous lemon bars.” Pippa added. “They’re quite delicious.”

Mildred poked at her food with her fork. “How much longer are you staying?”

Hecate looked for impatience or other signs Mildred had tired of her presence. She found none, just Mildred’s normal curiosity.

“I’m so glad you asked that, Millie-bear.” Julie retrieved the notice from the bedroom and handed it to her daughter. “Hospital’s asked me to go to a conference in Frankfurt day after tomorrow, and I thought I’d ask Hecate to stay here with you while I’m gone.”

Of all the reactions Hecate expected Mildred to have, bouncing eager brightness was not among them.

“Well, I guess that’s settled, then.” Julie winked at Hecate.

Pippa leaned over and whispered into Hecate’s ear. “Try not to look so shocked, darling. You are the only one who didn’t know she’d be thrilled.”

Hecate released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The rest of the meal passed in relaxed conversation – Mildred excitedly planning ways she and HB could pass the week.

“I thought,” Hecate interjected, before Mildred could plan another activity, “that Thursday might be a good day to visit Miss Mould.”

“Can I go, Mum? I want to see Miss Mould again!” Mildred looked back and forth between Hecate and her mother. “Please?”

Julie opened her mouth to answer, but Pippa cut her off. “That might be a good idea, actually.”

“What?” asked Hecate and Julie.

“It just occurred to me that Miss Mould was very fond of Mildred. She gave up her magic for her, after all. Perhaps she might be more inclined to help us if she were reminded who she was helping?”

“But…” Hecate tried to formulate an argument that would not remove that bright smile from Mildred’s face. She sighed. Her life had been much simpler before she worried about things like Mildred Hubble’s smile. She glanced at the girl’s hopeful expression. Simpler, perhaps, but not nearly as bright – and she was determined to be brighter. “It would be acceptable to me,” she heard herself say. “If that is agreeable to you, Ms. Hubble.”

Julie raised her eyebrows at Hecate. “Well I don’t know, Miss Hardbroom, do you expect anything,” she glanced at Mildred, “unsafe?”

Hecate considered the question. “I shouldn’t think so. We’re just asking for some names.”

“All right then, love, you can go. But,” she pointed a finger at her daughter. “You do as Hecate says. She’s…she’s doing me a big favor looking out for you…while I’m gone.”

“I will, Mum, I promise. Hanging out with you is going to be the bats, HB.” Mildred returned to eating with gusto. She didn’t notice the wistful look that flickered across her mother’s face, or the quick squeeze Julie gave Hecate’s hand.

Julie pretended not to notice the minor emotional breakdown Hecate seemed to be having. Instead, she cast about for any other topic of conversation. “Oh! I’ve just remembered!” Everyone turned to look at her expectantly. “Did any of you lot read the Telegraph today?” All three witches gazed at her with blank expressions. “I thought you were looking for information?” She shook her head. “No wonder newspapers can’t make a go of it anymore.”

“What was in the paper, Ms. Hubble?” Hecate drawled in her best ‘Miss Hardbroom’ voice.’

There’s our girl, Julie thought with a smile. “There was an article about some vandalism at one of the gardens – the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, I think. I don’t usually read the Daily Mail, but someone left it in the lounge so I read it on me lunch break.” She hopped up from the table and rummaged through her shoulder bag, returning a moment later with a rumpled newspaper. Smoothing it across her lap, Julie flipped through the pages until she found the article she was looking for. “Here we go. ‘Vandals Strike Kew Gardens.’” She pointed to the article. “You can read it yourself, but the short story is somebody broke in to the Herbarium and tossed it.” Pippa summoned her reading glasses with one hand and reached for the newspaper with the other.

“The Herbarium, you said?” Hecate looked thoughtful.

“Right. I didn’t think much of it until I read the quote by one of the botanists.”

Pippa’s finger skimmed the article. “Dr. Piety Pendragon. She says they caused such a mess they can’t even tell if anything is missing.” She handed the paper to Mildred and placed her readers on the table, much to Hecate’s disappointment.

“That’s the one. Piety Pendragon – if that’s not a witching name I’ll eat your hat, Pentangle.”

Pippa frowned, chewing at her lip. “Wasn’t there a Piety Pendragon at Amulet’s, Hiccup? A year or two above us, perhaps?”

Hecate thought a moment before her face darkened. “Yes, there was.” Hecate swallowed – hard – before continuing. “She was one of those…parasites trailing along behind Agnes Monkshood.”

Pippa saw the change immediately and pulled her chair even closer to Hecate’s at the tiny table. She draped an arm across Hecate’s shoulders and leaned in close, aware of Mildred’s wide eyes watching intently. “I remember them now, Hiccup. They were some of the worst, weren’t they?” Hecate nodded, eyes closed against painful memories. “I want you to listen to me, Hecate,” she reached out and placed her fingers under Hecate’s chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. “Look at me, darling,” Hecate opened her eyes, afraid to see the pity in Pippa’s when she looked at her. There wasn’t any. “Those girls don’t matter now, Hiccup. They never did. Even then you were the witchiest witch and everybody knew it, my love. They were cruel to you because it was the only time they could ever feel like more than the nothings that they were.”

Hecate took a deep breath, breathing in for a count of five and then slowly releasing it over a count of five. She did this three times before she tried to speak. “Thank you, Pipsqueak.” She avoided looking at Mildred entirely. “Was it only the Herbarium? Not the Fungarium or the Spirit Collections?”

Accepting Hecate’s need to change the topic, Pippa leaned back in her own chair, stabbing at her salad with her fork. “It didn’t mention those, no.”

Hecate pushed herself away from the table and started pacing the tiny living room. “Okay, that tells us something…Are Dimity and Algie still researching spells that could free Agatha from the picture?”

“As far as I know,” Pippa said.

“We need to tell them to look for potions, as well.” Hecate continued to pace.

Julie shook her head. “Slow down, Hecate, I’m not following.”

“You think somebody tried to steal a potions ingredient, don’t you HB?”

“Very good, Mildred,” Hecate couldn’t stop her flicker of a smile when the girl sat up straighter and beamed. She returned to her seat at the table. “The Royal Botanic gardens aren’t just used by ordinary people – they’re used by the witching world as well. No point in having two, after all. I don’t think this was vandalism at all, Pip. I think it was a theft. I think all the…” she waved her hands around, “all the disorder was simply to make it hard to find what was missing.  We need to find out what is missing. It would have to be something old and rare, something you wouldn’t be able to find in the wild anymore.”

Pippa nodded. “It would also be something used in its dried form, yes? That’s how the Herbarium samples are stored, isn’t it? Pressed and dried?” Hecate agreed. “I think we need to talk to Piety Pendragon.” Pippa winced as Hecate blanched at the idea. “I need to talk to Piety Pendragon. I wouldn’t subject you to that – even to save Cackle’s.” She winked at Hecate’s look of relief. “Besides, maybe if I turn on the charm, she’ll tell me everything we need to know.”

“Why wouldn’t she? She was your friend, Pip, I’m sure-”

“Hecate.” Pippa’s voice sounded frustrated and angry. “I have told you this before – many times. I had ‘hangers-on’ at Amulet’s, too many. I had a handful of friendly acquaintances. But I had exactly the same number of friends in school as you did: one.” Her voice softened. “I had one brilliant, beautiful, wonderful friend – and she was all I needed. She’s still all I need.” Giving Hecate a moment to process, Pippa turned to Julie and grinned. “No offense, Hubble.”

“None taken, Pentangle. I’m quite comfortable in my position of third wheel.”

Hecate could feel the heat radiating off her face. “Thank you, Pipsqueak,” she whispered. She chanced a look across the table at Mildred. The girl was smiling shyly back at her, looking pleased. “How about I clean up and then we can do something fun?”

“How about we clean up while you go mirror Ada? Tell her what you’ve figured out. Unless someone at Cackle’s knows Piety any better than we do, I’ll go visit her while you lot are at Miss Mould’s. We can kill two ravens with one spell.”

  “What if she only wants ice cream for dinner?” Hecate asked, fighting down a rising sense of panic the closer it came time for Julie to go.

“Then tell her ‘no,’ Hecate – unless that’s what you want to eat as well, then, have at it. You’ll be the one who has to deal with her bouncing off the walls all night.”

“What if she gets sick? Or, or wants to go on a date?”

“You’re a potions mistress, aren’t you? Make her a potion. And, honestly, Hecate, a date? Who’s going to ask a thirteen-year-old on a date in the next three days?”

“You know I’m right here, don’t you? I haven’t accidentally taken an invisibility potion?” Mildred looked back and forth between her mother and Hecate. She and HB were sitting on Julie’s bed, drinking hot chocolate while her mother finished packing for her conference. She was pretty sure HB was having a nervous breakdown.

“Sorry, Millie-bear. Hecate’s just a bit nervous. Running a school’s a bit different than just taking care of you, love.”

“Wouldn’t just me be easier?”

“Hardly,” Hecate said into her mug.

Julie reached over and smacked Hecate’s foot. “What Hecate means to say…is that it’s different and sometimes things that are different can be scary. Even for her.” Frankly, she’d been expecting this moment of panic to come, especially since Pippa had been forced to return to Pentangles to deal with an unexpected staffing issue. She would never characterize Hecate as codependent – not at all – but Pippa most definitely brought a soothing balance to the jangly, spiky, potions mistress. “It will get better once Pippa gets back tomorrow.” She traded one blouse for another – a swap she’d made four times already. “By the way, why don’t you move back to your room tomorrow night, Mil. Let HB have my room. That way, when Pippa gets here she won’t have to sleep on the couch.” Julie waggled her eyebrows at Hecate – grinning at the flush that traveled up her scowling face.

Finally satisfied, Julie zipped her suitcase closed and hauled it to the bedroom door. She flopped down on the bed where it had been. “You two will be fine, Hecate. Millie’s going to be on her best behavior, right?” She looked pointedly at Mildred, who nodded vigorously. “And…you can always text and we can mirror chat and if all else fails…you lot can go to Cackle’s where you can get some help. But you won’t need it. I have faith in you, Hecate.”

She said it in such a way that Hecate knew she was talking about more than just the next few days. If she were honest with herself, Hecate knew that she was nervous about more than the next few days as well. “We’ll be fine,” she said, then cleared her throat and said it again more confidently.

“You will. Okay, Millie, go get your shower. Just put your mug in the sink.”

“Yes, mum.” She slid off the bed and headed to the kitchen. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, really, but when she walked past her mum’s bedroom she couldn’t help but hear HB’s nervous voice. She stopped to listen, wondering what else HB was afraid she’d do.

“Julie…about Pippa…staying here…in here… I don’t, that is to say, I wouldn’t…”

“Hecate. Relax.” She shifted over until they were sitting side-by-side. “You two need to move at your own pace, love. You stay in here. If you need for her to stay on the sofa, she’ll stay on the sofa. And she’ll be happy to do it. But maybe, she could stay in here for a cuddle. Or maybe a little more. Whatever you both are comfortable with.” She bumped Hecate with her shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, you can always tell her I have a rule that nobody shags in my bed but me.”

“Mum!” Mildred shrieked before she could help herself.

“Merlin’s balls!” Hecate moaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Mildred Hubble! Get in here!” Julie hooked a finger at Mildred as soon as her face peeped around the doorway. “What have I told you – what have we told you – about eavesdropping on other people’s private conversations?”

Mildred looked at her feet and twisted the hem of her t-shirt. “That it’s not polite and can hurt people’s feelings.” She looked up at Hecate, still slumped forward, shoulders shaking. Mildred’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, HB, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” She sniffled and crept closer to the bed.

Hecate lifted her head, tears streaming down her face, but to Mildred’s shock, she wasn’t crying, she was laughing. “I wish I had a picture of that face! Oh, Goddess!”

“Are you okay, Hecate?” Julie stretched a hand out but didn’t know what to do with it, so she dropped it back into her lap.

Hecate tried to stop laughing, but she made the mistake of looking at a baffled Mildred Hubble and lost it all over again. “It’s just so…ridiculous!” she said, gasping for breath. “Seriously? I’m fifty years old and getting the sex talk from Mildred Hubble’s mother and Mildred’s the one who’s mortified?” She lost herself in another fit of giggles.

Julie blew a great gust of air out of her lungs. “There, Millie, do you see what you’ve done with your eavesdropping? Now she’s broken.” She tried to sound stern, but Hecate’s giggles were contagious.

Somewhere between hyperventilating and calming down, Hecate started to hiccup. “There we (hic)  go, right on sched- (hic) schedule.”

“So… you’re not mad?” Mildred’s eyes darted back and forth between her mother and HB. Frankly, this hysterical laughter coming from Miss Hardbroom was the most terrifying thing she’d seen in her entire life.

“What’s the (hic) point? I can’t put you (hic) in detention. We’ve been stuck in the (hic) flat all week. Send you to your room? (hic) You’re already going there.” Hecate sucked in a deep breath and held it, hoping that would stop the hiccups. It didn’t.

“Oh, we can still punish her, Hardbroom, don’t you worry.” Julie folded her arms across her chest. “If she wants to listen in on the big girl’s conversations, then so be it. I think it’s about time we had the full-on sex talk so she knows how her mum got her in the first place.”

“No…” Mildred said, shaking her head.

“How about we trade stories about each humiliating time something went horribly wrong with our periods? I’ll start with this one time, at Easter mass…white dress…” Julie interrupted herself with her own laughter.

“Why do you think I always wear black?” Hecate asked, before holding her breath again.

“That’s okay, mum. I really don’t-“ Maybe being a frog or bat hadn’t been so bad?

“What about all those weird little hairs that start showing up around forty? Right when your eyes start going bad so you can’t even fix it.”

“At least (hic) you’re a blonde…” Hecate held up the end of her own dark braid. “Shall I tell you what we dark-haired girls get to look forward to?”

Mildred shook her head so hard her plaits went flying. “No, Miss Hardbroom. I’m sorry I eavesdropped, Miss Hardbroom. I’m going to take a shower now, Miss Hardbroom, Mum.” With that Mildred fled the room, trying to block the sound of the grownups’ laughter.

“What’s the matter, Millie?” Julie called after her. “Don’t you want to know everything you’ve got to look forward to?” She burst out laughing and flopped onto her back. “That was bloody brilliant! Surely we’ve traumatized her enough she’ll think twice about listening in.”

Hecate blew out another gust of air she was holding; after a few seconds of nothing she hiccupped again. “Blast,” she summoned a glass of water and drank it in one go. “Don’t blame me when she needs therapy.”

“I guess that’s why Pippa calls you Hiccup?” Hecate nodded. “Feeling better, then?”

“I think so. I needed that.”

“It’s good to hear you laugh, Hecate. I don’t think you get to do it often enough.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had things I could laugh about – or people to laugh with, really.”

“I don’t think that second bit’s true. I think you just need to let the people who care about you in. Look what’s happened when you did that with Millie?” Julie glanced at the clock on the wall. “Would you look at the time? What time did Pippa say she would be here in the morning? I can’t believe the bloody hospital wouldn’t cough up the dosh to fly me to Frankfurt and I have to take the bloody train.”

“About eight-thirty, I think.” Hecate had been shocked to learn that, at some point during their estrangement, Pippa Pentangle had learned to drive a car. Hecate hadn’t seen the point in it, especially since she didn’t own one, but nonetheless Pippa had a license. She’d volunteered to drive Julie to London so she could catch the Eurostar to Frankfurt. From there she planned to make the trip to meet with Piety Pendragon. The thought of Pippa meeting with one of their old schoolmates started a cold, leaden feeling growing in her belly. Those old fears that someone would finally make Pippa realize that she could do so much better than Hecate flared again. In truth, they had never really gone away.

“Wherever you’re going in that head of yours, just stop.” Julie said. “Everything is going to be fine.” She sat up and scooted over until their shoulders were touching. To her surprise, Hecate didn’t lean away; in fact, Julie would swear that she leaned in, just a smidge. “You can handle a few days with Millie. And you can handle being with Pippa. The only one with any doubts about any of it is you.” She smiled encouragingly at Hecate. “Do you remember what I told you the very first day we met?”

“You told me I should conjure myself up some manners.”

“That I did – and you managed to do so. Sort of. Sometimes. Now I’m going to tell you something else: conjure yourself up some bravery. That’s the only thing you’re lacking.”

Hecate nodded and allowed herself to be hugged. She even managed to hug Julie back, just a little bit.

 Chapter 2

Pippa shifted Julie’s car into park. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No,” Julie said, unclenching the armrest. “That just took ten years off my life, that did.” She turned in the passenger seat so she could make eye contact. “You’re sure you have a driving license? A real one? You didn’t just magic up the card?” Pippa’s throaty laugh did not engender any confidence at all in Julie, but she decided to let it go. “You’re still staying at the flat tonight, right?”

“Yes. Everything at Pentangle’s is sorted for now. How’s Hiccup holding up?”

“Working herself into a right terror about the whole thing. She’ll appreciate the friendly face.”

“I hope so.” Pippa frowned. Everything was still so new between them. Sometimes she still felt like she was finding her way down an uneven path in the dark. “I hope me being there doesn’t stress her out even more.”

“I’m sure it will,” Julie said, chuckling. “You two have to learn to fit together again on an everyday basis. That’ll take some time, love. I know I didn’t read her letters; I’ve only got the bits and bobs you told me, but the fact that she wrote them – over the course of thirty years…You’ve always been her port in the storm, Pippa. Even when you weren’t there.”

Pippa brushed a tear off her cheek. Maybe Julie’s right, she thought. Maybe… Pippa summoned a small pink journal into her hand. “I wonder if I could ask your opinion on something?” Julie glanced at the journal and nodded. “I’ve been…arguing with myself over something…maybe it’s silly…but, you see, once I read Hiccup’s letters…well, I didn’t write letters, but…”

“You kept a diary?”

“I didn’t have anyone to talk to, I’d always talked to her. It’s the only time I’ve ever really written about my feelings. Once I filled the book up…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I put it away. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I didn’t remember it until I was reading Hiccup’s letters. They were so personal, and private, but she let me read them anyway. I know you know her well enough to know what a tremendous leap of faith that was for her. Now, I can’t get it out of my head that it’s only fair for her to get to read mine. That it’s not fair that she revealed so much of herself and I didn’t.”

“What’s the problem then? What’s in there that has you so worried?”

Pippa stared out the windshield at the street, flipping the pages of the journal with her thumb. With a jerk she thrust the book into Julie’s hands. “Pick a page. It doesn’t matter which one. Read it.”

Julie opened the book towards the front. “I hate her, I hate her, I hate her! Why didn’t I listen to all those girls who said she wasn’t worth my time!” Julie slammed the book closed and looked at Pippa. She was still staring out the window, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Julie could see the muscles in her jaw working furiously beneath her skin. She opened the book again, this time in the middle. “I wish we’d never met, Hecate Hardbroom. I would have been so much better off!” She closed the book again and handed it back to Pippa. “It’s like that all the way through?”

“Every page. I reread it last night while I was at Pentangle’s. I can’t even say it isn’t true, can I? Only that it was true at that particular time, but…”

“You can’t let her read this, Pippa. It would kill her. The things you said…” Another tear rolled down Pippa’s cheek. She didn’t bother to wipe it away this time. “Look, I understand, and there’s nothing wrong with what you wrote. It’s what you felt at the time.” Julie tapped the diary with her finger. “You were what, fifteen? Sixteen? You were hurt and you were angry. You needed to get those feelings off your chest. You both did the same thing, really. She poured her love for you into those letters because she had no one else to talk to. You talked to your mum about things though, didn’t you?” Pippa nodded. “But not the anger. You couldn’t bring yourself to say those things about her so instead you poured your anger into that journal.”

“I suppose you’re right, but in all fairness-“

“NO. You asked me my advice. This is it: never, ever let her see this. Do you think there’s anything in that journal that she doesn’t already believe about herself? And if there is, do you really think she needs to add it to what’s already there?” Her phone beeped an alarm. “Bloody hell, I have to go or I’ll miss the train. Pop the boot?” She opened her door and got out.

Pippa pulled the lever. She heard Julie pulling her suitcase out, and in a second or two the boot slammed shut. She jumped when Julie opened the driver’s door and squatted down so they were at eye level.

“You have to make your own choice about showing her. You already know what I think about it. I know you don’t think it’s fair for you to keep it from her after she’s bared her soul to you the way she did. I get it. But think about this: sometimes what is fair isn’t the same as what’s best.” She stood up, groaning slightly. “Give them both my love when you get there. Oh, and by the way, I told Millie to shift back to her room so Hecate could have mine. In case you’re tired of bunking on the sofa.” She winked lasciviously before closing the door and heading for the station.

She was just about to head inside when she heard Pippa’s voice calling to her. “You’re incorrigible, Julie Hubble, absolutely incorrigible!” She tossed a two-fingered salute Pippa’s way and headed for her train.

  They weren’t kidding, Pippa thought as she tried to find a parking space at the botanical gardens. There was no parking. She gave up looking for free parking and resigned herself to paying seven quid to use the car park on Ferry Lane.

Finally parked, with only one tiny scrape she’d had to magic off the car, Pippa took a moment to collect her thoughts.  Not for the first time since dropping Julie at the station, Pippa wished she’d taken the car back to the flat and gotten her broom. She turned the car off and sent the keys into the ether before turning her attention to the journal. She’d spent the whole drive to Kew thinking about what Julie had said. What’s fair isn’t always what’s best. Julie was right, and Pippa knew it. Her greatest challenge had always been Hecate’s unshakeable belief that she was somehow unworthy of Pippa. Too cold, too angry, too gangly, too awkward, too dark – Hecate had always seen their differences as flaws on her part. Pippa, though, Pippa had always thought their differences were what made Hiccup wonderful.

She turned the journal over in her hands. Was there anything written on these pages that would help her convince Hiccup that she was worthy? No, she knew that there was nothing but angry words that would only strengthen Hiccup’s feelings of worthlessness. Julie was right. Hiccup could never see this. Pippa stepped out of the car and looked around. The lot seemed deserted for the moment. She set the book down and waved her fingers. A thin wisp of smoke began rising from the binding and in a few seconds, Pippa watched as a line of sparks traveled from one corner of the book to the other, eating the pages and leaving a fine, dark ash on the ground in its place. In a moment the whole thing was gone. With another twitch of her fingers a tiny gust of wind swirled around her ankles, scattering the ashes.

She took a deep, cleansing breath and smiled. Happiness bubbled around in her chest - like getting rid of the book also got rid of the dark, angry feelings in its pages. It felt like a new start. Destroying the diary may not have been fair, but it most certainly was best.

She looked down, checking her appearance one last time: a pink, floral sundress with a white cotton jacket over the top, her half of the Twin Pin fastened in its regular place. She looked like anyone else visiting the gardens on a warm summer day. She started up the road to the entrance gate and, once inside, made her way to the Herbarium, where she expected to find Piety Pendragon.

  “I’m sorry, Miss…Pentangle? The Herbarium is available only by appointment, and since the incident we’ve cancelled everything until we sorted everything out.”

“Yes, I know, but if you could just let Dr. Pendragon know that I’m here?”

“Pippa? Pippa Pentangle, is that you? As I live and breathe!”

Pippa looked up to see a short, frumpy woman in horned-rimmed glasses waving down at her. “Piety!” She waved back, forcing enthusiasm. “Just the woman I was looking for! Do you have a moment?”

“For you, Pippa, I have ages! Come on up!” She gestured to a wrought-iron staircase.

“Is there somewhere private we can talk?” Pippa smiled saccharine-sweet at the young man who’d tried to prevent her entry.

“Hang on,” Piety pulled out her phone and sent a quick text before winding her way down the stairs. “Pippa!” She held her arms out for a hug; stiffly, Pippa complied. “Let’s go to my office.” She led them a winding trail through the building, stopping here and there to check on the clean-up progress. Finally, she opened a door and ushered Pippa in to a bright, cluttered space that smelled strongly of paper and plants. She waved her hand and a stack of folios floated out of the chair in front of her desk and onto the floor. She gestured for Pippa to sit down and then unceremoniously flopped into her own chair. “I tell you, Pip, I’m knackered.” She rolled her shoulders before leaning forward and sliding her glasses onto the top of her head. “I’ll hazard a guess that this is not a social call, after all these years.”

“I’m afraid not. I need to know what plants were stolen, Piety.”

Piety waved her hands again, and Pippa felt the weight of a silencing spell settle around them. “What makes you think anything was stolen?”

Pippa held back a sigh. “How well do you keep up with the goings-on in the witching world? I know you spend most of your time here. Do you recall hearing about the attack at Cackle’s Academy a bit over a week ago?”

“I did. Bad business that was, weren’t people hurt?”

“Several. What the papers didn’t mention is that something was stolen there, too.” Pippa thought for a moment about how to proceed. “I’m not at liberty to say what was taken, but based on that, when we heard that there had been a break-in here, where the Witches’ Repository of plants is located…Well, we fear that someone is trying to undertake a very…particular type of potion. If we knew what plants they were looking for, then perhaps…”

“Perhaps you can stop that potion from ever getting brewed,” Piety finished for her. She scrubbed her hand across her face before summoning a folded slip of paper. “Here’s what I’ve discovered so far. If I figure out anything else is gone, I’ll let you know. Whatever they’re brewing, it’s pretty dark stuff judging from those ingredients.” She handed the paper over. It took everything Pippa had not to read the list at once. “So, what’s your stake in this? You’ve got your own school, don’t you? You’ve got no affiliation with Cackle’s?”

Pippa sat up a little straighter. “Hecate is at Cackle’s. She’s the Deputy Head. She’s also one of the people hurt in the attack.”

“Hecate Hardbroom? I haven’t thought about that old lamppost in years,” she said, chuckling. She didn’t notice the coldness that settled on Pippa’s features, or the increase in static electricity in the air. Or the slight smell of ozone. “I thought you were well and done with that nightmare when she left you high and dry at the broomstick display. How’d she manage to claw her way back into your good graces?” She finally noticed that several items on her desk were vibrating. Too late, she realized her mistake.

“I begged and pleaded and fought and clawed my way back to her until she let me back in to her life.”

“Look, Pippa, I didn’t mean anything by it. I know you’ve always had a soft spot for that…for Hecate, ever since we were all friends back at Amulet’s.”

“You were never her friend, Piety. That means you weren’t ever mine, either. I’m only here because we needed this information and there was no way in hell I was ever going to subject her to the likes of you again.” Without another word, she raised her hand and transferred herself back to Julie’s car.

  An hour later, Pippa had parked the car back in Julie’s assigned spot and magicked away a slight dent, because, really, who puts support beams that close to the parking spaces?  She transferred unnoticed into the Hubble’s flat, just outside the living room. She paused a moment, taking in the scene in front of her: Hecate and Mildred sat at the kitchen table, putting together a jigsaw puzzle. She was just about to say hello when Mildred spoke.

“Can I ask you a question, HB? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. It’s just…I’ve been thinking about it since last night.”

“If I said ‘no,’ would you ask it anyway?” Hecate kept her focus on the puzzle.

“No, Miss. Not if you didn’t want me to.”

Hecate raised her head at this. The girl’s face was serious. “Very well, then. Ask your question.”

“We’re you bullied when you were in school?”

Very slowly and very deliberately, Hecate placed her puzzle piece on the table. “Mildred. Hubble. I don’t-“

“You don’t have to answer, Miss Hardbroom, really you don’t. It’s just…I kept thinking about what Miss Pentangle said, about that Pendragon lady and her friends being the worst and I…”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, Mildred, I was. I was taller than everyone else, too skinny, with old-fashioned clothes. I was always too serious, too severe, and when I did speak, I inevitably said the wrong thing. It all made me a very easy target for the other girls. It’s not a subject I care to think about. Why do you ask?”

Now Mildred squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, studying the table intently. “It’s just that…If it happened to you when you were my age, then you know what it feels like.” She lifted her eyes to meet Hecate’s. “And, if you know how it feels, I wonder why you don’t do anything when Ethel does it to me.” She lowered her eyes again. “It’s okay if you don’t have an answer.”

From her vantage point in the hallway, Pippa could see Hecate sitting, still as stone, her eyes lowered and her hands balled into fists. Pippa knew that if she opened Hecate’s hands she would find eight bloody crescents cut into her palms. Tempted as she was to sweep in and save Hecate from this difficult conversation, she knew she needed to stay where she was.

“It’s not okay, Mildred. Nothing about your situation with Ethel Hallow is okay.” She flicked her wrist and laid her freshly healed hand across the table in front of Mildred, palm up. After a moment’s confusion, Mildred placed her own hand in it, gripping Hecate’s fingers tightly. “As to your question, there are several reasons I don’t interfere. First, from my own experience, when a teacher attempted to intervene, it just made matters worse – and people just waited to catch me alone.”

Mildred nodded. “Ethel’s usually meaner after she gets in trouble, sneakier as well.”

“That’s what I always found. I’ve also found that you are better able to respond to Ethel’s behavior than I was. I’ve always thought that, if I had been able to…learn to defend myself better, then perhaps I would have been…better…in other areas as well.”

“It wasn’t exactly fair, though, was it HB? I’ve only got Ethel to deal with, and I’ve got Maud and Enid on my side. You had all those girls and only Miss Pentangle.”

Hecate blinked and blinked to try and keep the tears filling her eyes from falling. She wasn’t entirely successful. Mildred Hubble. The girl who always chose to be kind. Even to those who didn’t deserve it. She looked at their linked hands. Especially to those who didn’t deserve it. “You are an amazing girl, Mildred Hubble. Please don’t let people like Ethel, or me, take that away from you.”

“How would you take that away?”

“Because the last reason I don’t interfere is that, after all this time, there is still a part of me that is afraid of thirteen-year-old bullies.”

Mildred frowned, thinking about what HB had said. “That’s okay, HB. You’re still the bravest witch I know.” She stood up and flung her arms around Hecate’s neck.

Hecate hardly stiffened at all before she was able to wrap her arms around Mildred, squeezing tight before she pulled away, holding Mildred by her shoulders. “If there is ever, ever a time that Ethel gets too much for you or you want me to intervene, all you have to do is tell me. I won’t hesitate. And Mildred?”

“Yes, Miss Hardbroom?”

“I know it doesn’t often look or feel like it, but, in these disputes with Ethel? I am always on your side.” She gave Mildred’s shoulder one last squeeze. “Now, why don’t you go strip your bed and we’ll make sure you have nice, clean sheets for tonight.” Mildred nodded and bounced into her room, waving at Pippa as she passed in the hallway. Hecate twisted in her chair until she was facing Pippa. “How long were you eavesdropping, Miss Pentangle? Perhaps you should ask Mildred what we do to eavesdroppers around here?”

“Just long enough to know that you handled that beautifully, darling.” She crossed the tiny space and pulled Hecate against her, until her head was resting on Pippa’s heart. “I don’t know why you worry.”

“I don’t want her to end up like me.”

“Nonsense, Hiccup, that’s all I’ve ever wanted – to be like the witchiest witch I knew.” She let go of Hecate, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before settling into the chair next to her. Sensing Hecate needed to move into less emotionally fraught territory, she summoned the paper that Piety gave her at the Herbarium. “Piety sends her regards.”

“I’m sure she does.” Hecate unfolded the paper and studied the ingredients. “Ghost orchid, that’s rare, exceedingly so. It’s used in spells that want to counteract the effects of time, I believe.  It can go thirty years or more between flowerings.”

“Like us then,” Pippa smiled.

“Behave. Spiked rampion… purple cow-wheat…I can see why they broke in to the Herbarium. You’d never find these growing in the wild somewhere, and even if you did, it’s illegal to collect them. Though I suppose someone looking to free Agatha probably isn’t worried about a little plant poaching.  I assume the ‘s’ next to it means they also took what was preserved in spirit?” Pippa nodded. “I need to get this list to Ada so she can pass it on to Dimity and Algie.”

“I’ve already done, darling. As soon as I got back to the car.”

“I still can’t believe you can drive a car.”

“I have many skills, darling,” she dropped her voice till it was low and husky, “I hope to learn a few more soon.”

Hecate glared at her, but the effect was muted by the blush spreading up her throat and cheeks. “I told you to behave. Besides, Julie has a rule that no one gets to shag in her bed but her.”

Just then Mildred walked by carrying the bundle of bedlinens. “Arghhh…I’m not eavesdropping! Why are you talking about that again?”

Pippa looked back and forth between them, baffled, while Hecate burst into laughter.

  “Did you get her in bed, at least?” Pippa asked as she made room on the sofa for Hecate.

“The very least. I told her she could stay awake until her mother called and that we’d mirror her back. She wants to know if Maud can come spend the night.”

“Hmm…” Pippa tucked her knees under her, facing Hecate. “What did you tell her?”

“That she had to ask her mother. And that I had to ask you.”

“Clever girl,” she summoned two glasses of wine. “Here we go, to celebrate your first night as magic mum.”

Hecate took the glass nervously. “Do you think it’s okay to drink while I’m supposed to be watching Mildred?”

“Since we’re drinking Julie’s wine, I reckon so.” She held her glass out.

“Oh, well, then…cheers!” Hecate clinked their glasses together and sank down into the sofa, pulling her knees up and leaning against Pippa. “Mmm…” She took a sip. “That’s nice.” She looked at Pippa. “This is nice.”

“More than nice.” Pippa leaned in for a kiss, but stopped when she heard the chime of a mirror.

“Pippa?” Piety Pendragon tapped on her side of the mirror. “Pippa, can you hear me?”

Pippa slid off the sofa and moved into view of the mirror, pulling Hecate with her. “Piety? What are you doing?”

“You…left without leaving me a number. I contacted Cackle’s, and the Headmistress patched me through to here.” She looked beyond Pippa now and realized that she wasn’t alone – that the tall, pale woman behind her could only be one person. “Hecate? Is that you, Hecate Hardbroom? Well met.” She quickly brought her hand to her forehead and bowed. “You’re looking…well. Very well.”

Hecate stepped forward, stiffly bending and returning the greeting. “Well met, Piety. Thank you for your help today.”

Piety took in the two witches on the other side of the mirror, both in their night clothes, both holding a glass of wine. Oh. “I’m sorry to disturb your evening, but…I discovered another missing specimen: Helichrysum biafranum. I didn’t realize it was gone because it was from the Cameroon collection.”

Hecate frowned. “I’m not familiar with that species. Can you tell me about it?” After a halting start, the two witches were soon lost in a deep discussion of the possible uses the missing specimens could have in potions.

Pippa’s phone buzzed. “Julie! How was the trip? Are you exhausted?” She brushed her fingers along the back of Hecate’s elbow. “It’s Julie,” she whispered. “I’ll set up her mirror call in Mildred’s bedroom. Join us when you’re done.” Louder she said, “Good night, Piety.” She turned back to Julie and swished off to Mildred.

Hecate turned back to the mirror to find Piety staring at her. Her old wariness returned with a vengeance. “What?” She barked.

Piety said nothing for several seconds. “You. Me.” She shoved her glasses up on top of her head. “I’m realizing what a horrible little girl I used to be and that, in refusing to get to know you, I’m the one that missed out. I’m glad you and Pippa worked things out.”

“So am I,” Hecate said, still waiting for the punchline or the prank.

“I’d like a chance to get to know you now, if you can look past how awful I was back then.”

“That…that would be acceptable.” Hecate visibly relaxed as Pippa sidled up beside her.

“I’m glad. Let me know if there is anything else you need. I’ll let you know if anything more turns up missing.” She disappeared from the mirror.

Hecate let out a relieved breath. “That was odd. Why do I feel like you talked about more than plants today?”

“All I did was make my priorities clear, darling.” She picked up her wine glass and handed Hecate hers. “Julie made it fine. She’s checked in with Mildred – and okayed Maud sleeping over if it’s okay with you.”

“In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose.” Hecate gulped half her wine down. “So…I don’t know what to do now, Pipsqueak.” She could feel the heat start to rise up her chest again. Would she never stop this infernal blushing? “I don’t want you to sleep on the sofa…but…”

“There’s no pressure here, Hiccup.” She rubbed a hand up and down Hecate’s arm. “Do you remember when we were girls? We’d have sleepovers all the time. We’d sneak something from the kitchens. I’d braid your hair. Then we’d spell the stars on the ceiling and talk all night. Why don’t we do that?”

“That – that would be okay?”

“Oh, darling, that would be more than okay.” She threaded an arm through Hecate’s and lead her down the hallway. “Besides, I’m not about to end thirty-odd years of sexual frustration with Mildred Hubble right down the hall.”

  “Mildred Hubble! Are you ready? We’re meant to be at Miss Mould’s by nine o’clock!” Hecate checked her pocket watch for the fourth time in as many minutes. She heard Mildred clattering down the hallway and stepped out of the doorway just in time to avoid being trampled. The warm serenity she’d felt that morning, waking up next to next to Pippa – well, slightly under Pippa, truth be told – was gone. The blonde witch had managed to drape herself across Hecate at some point during the night. Now, any peacefulness had been scorched away by the stress of having to get Mildred Hubble and herself somewhere on time.

“I’m ready Miss…Hardbroom?” She looked at her teacher, not sure what to say. Hecate was wearing her normal witching clothes, specifically her long black, tight-fitting dress. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Hecate looked down at her favorite dress. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing. It’s perfectly appropriate.”

“Maybe if you’re going to the Magic Council, not so much if we’re traveling on the Underground.” She gestured to her own jeans and t-shirt. “Remember? We’ve got to be incognito if we’re traveling among the hoi polloi.”

Hecate looked at her dress again. She’d had this same conversation with Pippa not half an hour ago. Pippa, however, had wisely yielded the field of battle before heading to Pentangle’s to have her staff start researching potions in their library. “Well I don’t know what you expect me to do about it now, Mildred. I don’t have anything but this or the sweat pants I’ve been wearing. You and I are not to use magic if we don’t want a guard from the Great Wizard, so I can’t just summon up some new clothes.”

Mildred thought a minute. HB really couldn’t ride the Underground in that. “Come on,” she said, dragging Hecate by the hand into her mother’s bedroom. She opened the cupboard and flipped through her mum’s clothes. “Try this,” she pulled out a flowy black skirt, “and this.” She added a jewel-toned tunic. “Just use your usual belt.”

Hecate looked at the outfit Mildred had put together. She had to admit that it wasn’t half bad. “Very well, Mildred, thank you.” She looked at the girl, who stood there looking back at her, pleased grin on her face. “Mildred. I may have lost all privacy where you’re concerned, but I’m not stripping down in front of you.” She pointed to the door. “Shoo!”

Ten minutes later they were barreling down the street, Mildred scrambling to keep up with Hecate’s long strides. To say that Hecate was unfamiliar with public transportation was an understatement. Patiently, Mildred read the map and walked Hecate through the pay cards and turnstiles. In fact, Hecate realized, with no small amount of shame, Mildred Hubble did a much better job explaining the workings of the ordinary world to Hecate than she had ever done explaining the witching world to Mildred. One more part of her life she would have to improve, she thought.

At exactly five minutes after nine, Hecate knocked on Marigold Mould’s door. It opened immediately.

“Well met, Miss Hardbroom, well met, indeed.” Miss Mould bowed deeply.

“Well met, Miss Mould,” Hecate returned, bowing just as deeply. She pulled Mildred in front of her. “I’ve brought someone else who wants to say hello.”

“Mildred!” Miss Mould pulled her into a tight hug, shaking her back and forth. “Look at you! You’re well, yes?” She looked at Hecate. “Both of you?”

“Indeed, Miss Mould. We are well – for the time being. May we come in?”

“Oh, of course, where are my manners? Come in, come in! And please, call me Marigold.” She opened the door wider and ushered them into her flat. “Have a seat,” she waved them towards a tiny sofa in front of a window. “Let me get you a spot of tea.”

Hecate gazed at the apartment. It made the Hubble’s flat look spacious by comparison. The walls and furnishings were violently cheerful. Watercolors of everyday ordinary items covered the walls: a spatula, a taxicab, an umbrella. Marigold had gone to a great deal of effort to transform the dreary little flat into something happy. Not too different from what Pippa and Julie were trying to do with her, she thought.

“I like your watercolors, Miss Mould.” Mildred spotted one of a girl with long, dark plaits. “That one looks like me!” She pointed. Hecate turned to look at it.

“It’s meant to.” At last, the former art teacher’s smile faltered. “When all this gets…too much…it reminds me of why I gave up my powers.”

Hecate thought back to that day. She remembered what it was like to feel the magic draining from her body – painful, cold, dark. There was a different kind of blackness as well. She remembered despairing almost every choice she’d made in her life, knowing she’d never have the chance to rectify any of them. If she hadn’t frozen, would she have been brave enough to give up her magic to the founding stone? She believed that she would. Would she have been brave enough to do as Marigold is now doing? To live in the ordinary world completely devoid of magic? She is certain that she would not. That’s the fate that still gives her nightmares, even half a year later.

“You were very brave to do that,” Hecate said softly. “I can’t express how thankful we all are for your sacrifice.” She looked around the tiny flat once again. The bright colors almost, but not quite, camouflaged the shabbiness of the furnishings. It was time, she thought, that they started expressing their gratitude in more tangible ways.

“And I’m thankful you spoke so forcefully for leniency, Hecate. This is much better than the fate I could have had.” She set the mismatched tea service on the side table.

Suddenly, three figures materialized in the already crowded space. Smoke and sparks filled the air, and a swirl of magic sent all the watercolors flying. The smell of burnt matches was overwhelming. Hecate tried to get off a protective spell, but a blast of hot magic sent her sprawling backwards, her spell bouncing uselessly to the side.

“Look out!” A man’s voice shouted. “That one’s got magic!”

Chest aching so much that each breath burned, Hecate frantically looked for Mildred. She panicked when she didn’t see her, fear driving her to her feet before she spotted her, wrapped protectively in Marigold’s arms while the powerless witch did everything she could to shield Mildred with her body.

If she could just reach them, she could transfer them all somewhere – anywhere. She lunged for Marigold’s leg – she just needed to touch her…Just as Hecate’s fingers closed around Marigold’s ankle, a thick layer of magic crashed over them, trapping them under its weight. Hecate pitched forward, slamming her face painfully into…something? She felt the blood pouring from her nose as she tried to right herself. The lights dimmed and sound became muffled as the layer of magic curved around them, Marigold and Mildred falling on top of Hecate in a heap as the floor tilted and they were trapped in a bubble made of magic.

“Is it holding?” A woman’s voice asked.

“’Course It’s holding you, daft cow,” another man answered.

Mildred scrambled out from under Marigold and pressed her face to the bubble, cupping her hands around her eyes in the hope that she could get a decent look at their captors. It didn’t do much good; everyone just looked wavy and odd, like Mildred was looking at them through funhouse glass. Behind her, Marigold tried to staunch Hecate’s bleeding nose with a paint-stained cloth pulled from her pocket.

“Did we get that artsy hack?” The woman asked.

Mildred scuttled backwards into Hecate as the man stepped closer to the bubble. “Yeah – and you won’t believe what other fish we’ve caught – Hardbroom and the girl!”

“No!” She moved closer to the bubble, pushing the man aside so she could get a better look. “Mum’s going to be well-pleased with this, Benjy.”

“Bloody well should be! It was right jammy getting all three at a go!” The man called Benjy replied.

“She won’t be if they get out of that thing.” The third figure moved to join the others. “That spell wasn’t built to hold three people – and it sure wasn’t designed for a witch like Hardbroom. We need to get them into the Keep. Now.” He held out his hands and muttered something until the bubble holding them rose into the air and floated towards him, shrinking in size until he could slip it into a pocket of his robe. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 3

“Pick up, pick up…” Julie listened to Mildred’s voicemail message for the third time. She’d already given up on Hecate answering. “Where are you?” Julie chanced a glance back at the hotel clerk. He still looked like he would carry through on his threat to call the police at any minute. Stepping closer to the door, Julie scrolled through her contacts until she found Pippa’s number. If any witch was likely to answer a cell phone, that witch was Pippa Pentangle.

“Well met, Julie!” Her voice sounded muffled, like she was chewing. “How’s the conference?”

“There is no conference! I arrived at the hotel where it was meant to be, but they’re just looking at me like I’m a nutter! I called the hospital and they said I put in for three days of sick leave, but I didn’t. And, and, I can’t reach Mildred or Hecate. No one is answering anything.”

“They were going to see Miss Mould today; maybe they’ve just silenced their phones, or perhaps they left them at the flat. Hang on and let me mirror the flat; we’ll see if they’re still there.” Pippa spun around and faced the mirror behind her desk, tapping it smartly and waiting for the Hubble’s living room to swirl into view. As soon as it did, Pippa gasped. The living room was in shambles: furniture overturned, drawers emptied.

“What’s wrong? Say something, Pippa!” Julie looked over her shoulder; the clerk was rounding the desk, headed her way. She fled to the street outside. “PIPPA!”

“Don’t panic.” Pippa forced her voice to be as steady as she could make it. “Someone’s been through the flat, but I don’t see any sign of Hiccup or Mildred.” She tapped her mirror, switching views from one room to the next. Each one looked the same. She struggled to fight down the panic rising in her chest. What were they caught in the middle of? “Book a ticket home – can you pay cash?”

“I – I think so…but it’ll take me almost two days to get back. Can’t you magic me back faster?”

“It’s too far or I would. Go buy the earliest ticket you can.  Don’t check out of your hotel; just get your stuff and go. Don’t act like anything is wrong.”

“Something is wrong, though, isn’t it? Find Mildred. You have to find Mildred for me, do you hear me?” She sucked in a lungful of air, trying not to be sick. “Find them both.”

“We will, just get the ticket. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to get you back faster. Call me when you know which train you’ll be on. And Julie? Wherever they are, Mildred is with Hecate. As long as she has a single drop of magic in her body, she will keep Mildred safe.”

Pippa reached to her chest, fingers wrapping tightly around her half of the Twin Pin. She closed her eyes and concentrated, imagining the two halves of the brooch coming together. Nothing happened. Not a twitch, not a hum, nothing. Her heart hammered even faster. Even if Hecate wasn’t wearing her half of the pin, Pippa still should have transferred to wherever it was.

Pippa tapped the mirror again, this time summoning Ada Cackle’s office. She wasted no time as the older witch faded into view. “Something’s happened. I’m transferring to the Hubble’s flat. Meet me there now.”

“Miss Pentangle?” Ada stood up from her desk. “Wait! Can you even transfer that far?”

Pippa closed the connection. She didn’t have an answer to Ada’s question anyway. From Pentangle’s to Cackle’s stretched her abilities to their limits, even if Hecate could do it with ease. She pictured Julie’s flat in her mind and, channeling all her love and worry into the magic, waved her hands in the air and vanished.

   Hecate tried not to move, certain that if she did so she’d be sick – and inside this crowded bubble with two other people was no place to be sick.

“Now I know what the little people inside a snow globe feel like,” Mildred groaned.

Marigold moaned and Hecate realized that the squishy thing she was currently laying across must be her. How unfortunate, Hecate thought, because she still wasn’t about to move. Hecate tried to piece together what had happened in the last few minutes. They’d been trapped in the bubble; some wizard had shrunk the bubble and placed them in his pocket and then had transferred them here, wherever here was. Hecate tried to swallow the queasy feeling into submission. She hated being transferred by others. Hated it.

Transference spells were tricky. Dematerializing oneself came with an inherent amount of risk. A witch had to have faith in her own abilities as well as absolute control over them. Pippa had been the only witch she’d ever felt comfortable transferring her for many years. Ada was the only other one at all. She certainly wouldn’t have allowed some random wizard to transfer her if she’d had the choice.

Once they’d arrived…here… the wizard had taken them out of his pocket and rolled - rolled! – them across the floor like a bocce ball until they’d bounced against something and suddenly sprang back to their original size, still in the bubble.

“Is everybody okay?” Marigold asked from underneath Hecate.

Reasonably certain that everything in her stomach would stay in her stomach, Hecate grunted an affirmative and sat up, sliding off Marigold as much as possible. Her tidy bun had come partly undone and lanks of hair hung in her face. She wriggled her fingers and returned the escaped strands back to the bun.

“My head hurts,” Mildred sat up, clutching at her forehead.

“Let me see.” Hecate pulled the girl’s hand away, wincing when she saw the large, purpling lump above her right eyebrow. A tiny cut was oozing blood out of the middle of it. “You’ve definitely hit your head. Sit still.” Hecate tried to stand up, but a layer of condensation was building up on the inside of the bubble, and the curved surface was too slippery for her boots. She wondered if they were also using up their oxygen on top of everything else. The very idea made it harder for her to breathe.

“Have you ever seen anything like this before, Hecate?”

“No.” She pressed her fingertips against the glass-like surface of the bubble. She released a tiny stream of magic through her fingers. It traveled through the bubble like lightning, only to dissipate with no damage done. A stronger stream produced the same results. “It’s either very old or very new. It appears to be absorbing my magic.”

Outside the bubble, they could just make out the sound of voices coming nearer.

“I’m telling you, that’s who we have, that Hardbroom bitch and the girl.”

Hecate raised an eyebrow. Benjy, she remembered, that sod of a wizard’s name was Benjy. A door banged open and suddenly the bubble popped, leaving the three of them sprawled on the floor of what looked to be a giant cage. Hecate rose to her knees and checked on Mildred; once again Marigold had placed herself between the girl and their abductors. Marigold rose in Hecate’s esteem with each passing minute.

“There, see? What did I tell you?” Benjy looked scathingly at a skinny, sullen wizard behind him. “Don’t blame me when you couldn’t deliver, Samuel.”

Samuel, the wizard boy was called Samuel, Hecate noted. They would regret the day Hecate Hardbroom learned their names.

Benjy sauntered up to the cage, all shark-like grin and dead eyes. “Welcome to our home, ladies. I hope you have a comfortable stay – short though it may be. You know, I’ve heard all about you, Hardbroom.  Once your work is done,” he let his eyes roam up and down her body, loosing just enough magic so she could feel everywhere his eyes landed. “We can see what other sort of fun we could have.” The other wizard snickered from the doorway. “Come on, Sam. We need to make sure everything’s ready when mother arrives.” He spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, Samuel slinking along behind him, slamming the door as they left.

Screeching, Hecate threw a white-hot ball of lightning at the door. It hit the wall of the cage and bounced off, ricocheting off the walls, miraculously missing everyone, until it finally hit the floor and sputtered out.

Hecate let out a long breath, counting out for five and in for five, trying to bring her anger and her magic under control.  “Who were those wizards?”

Marigold eased away from Mildred. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before?”

“What do you mean you don’t know? That’s why we came. You said you would tell us who is in Agatha’s coven!”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know, Hecate. Those two weren’t in the coven, as far as I know.”

“As far as you know?” Hecate slammed her fist against the wall of the cage, rattling the whole thing. “This is just like before, Marigold! Half-truths and misdirections! Are you working with the coven again! Once Agatha’s, always Agatha’s?” Blistering pain pulled her attention to her hand. She could see the cross-hatched pattern of the cage burned into her hand.

Marigold stepped around Mildred, moving into Hecate’s personal space, forcing her back until she was pressed against the cage. Hecate tried to keep her skin away from the metal. “Don’t you dare! I gave up everything! Everything – to keep Agatha in that picture. You came to me for help this time and I said yes!” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper and shoved it into Hecate’s chest. “I’ve written every name of every witch or wizard remotely connected with the coven to help you stop Agatha. I’ve paid every day for my actions – the good and the bad. What have you paid, Hecate Hardbroom?”

“Stop it! Stop fighting!” Both witches turned to see Mildred rocking on the floor holding her head. “Stop it.”

Hecate and Marigold looked at each other, all the fight gone from them.

“I’m sorry, Marigold. I shouldn’t have said what I did.” Hecate smoothed her hands over her skirt, a comforting motion she’d had since childhood.

“Me, too. I understand why you wouldn’t trust me. But, I swear, Hecate, I don’t know who those wizards are. It’s possible Agatha has friends outside the coven.”

“Why does it have to be Agatha at all?” Mildred asked. “She’s not the only one in the picture.”

Hecate stared at the girl, speechless, before her lips twisted into a fond smile. “Once again, Mildred Hubble, you manage to be the cleverest witch in the room.” Hecate sorted through her memories of Miss Gullett. For two people who had lived and worked in the same castle for over twenty years, there were surprisingly few. “She may have said something about a brother named Benjamin once, but I can’t be sure.”

“It fits. They’re both gingers, both have nasty personalities.” Marigold placed a tentative hand on Hecate’s elbow. “He wasn’t just looking you up and down, then, was he? He-“

“Yes,” Hecate cut her off and glanced meaningfully at Mildred. “Yes.”

Marigold nodded, squeezing Hecate’s elbow before turning away. “We’ve got to get out of this cage.” She turned back, voice low and angry. “We’ve got to get her out of this cage.”

“For once, Miss Mould, we are in whole-hearted agreement.

“Can’t you just transfer us out, HB?” Mildred asked.

“I’m afraid not, Mildred. We seem to be in a Wizard’s Keep.”

“What’s a Wizard’s Keep?”

“It’s a cage, of sorts. They were created by the Great Wizard Faraday in the 1800s. They needed a way to contain witches and wizards who had been accused of crimes. It blocks your magic but doesn’t take it away.” She shifted around so she could see Mildred better. “You may have heard of him. In the ordinary world he was a famous scientist. Microwave ovens use something similar to contain the microwaves.” Hecate motioned for Mildred to join her at the cage. “See how there are three layers of metal mesh? One is silver, one is copper and one is lead. When you stack them together, off-set such as these are, they act like a filter. No magic can pass from the inside to the outside of the cage.”

Mildred started to nod, but the movement pushed her off balance and she dropped to the floor – hard. Her hand grabbed at the wall of the cage, sending a cascade of sparks down on her.

“Mildred!” Hecate pulled the girl away from the wall, checking her hand for any injuries. She used her magic to heal the reddening burn on Mildred’s palm. “What happened?”

“I just got dizzy,” Mildred slumped against Hecate. “I don’t feel very good.”

Hecate waved Marigold over, shifting Mildred until she was leaning against her.  “Mildred, I’m going to check something, okay? I promise it won’t hurt,” she said in her most soothing voice. “I want you to close your eyes for me and leave them closed until I tell you to open them, okay?”

“Okay,” Mildred said, staring up at her with a glazed expression before she closed her eyes.

Hecate knelt in front of her and opened a tiny ball of light in her palm. “Open your eyes.”

Mildred opened her eyes and Hecate watched her left pupil dilate in the light. The right one did nothing. Hecate’s stony expression melted into worry before she could catch herself. She met Marigold’s eyes over Mildred’s shoulder. “That’s fine, Mildred.”

“There’s something wrong, isn’t there?” Mildred asked, gingerly touching the knot on her forehead. “Do I have a concussion?”

Hecate opened her mouth to lie before she remembered that Mildred was a nurse’s daughter. “I think so.” She stood up and looked around the sparse cage. At least there was a blanket folded up on the floor. “Let’s get you a little more comfortable, okay? You need to be still, but try not to fall asleep. Can you do that for me, Mildred?”

“I’ll try. Am I going to be all right?”

Hecate ran her hand across Mildred’s head and down one plait. “Of course you are. Miss Mould and I won’t let anything happen to you.” Marigold helped Mildred shuffle to the blanket while Hecate tucked her in. “Rest now, you’re going to be just fine.”

“I hope you never play poker for money, Hecate. Lying doesn’t suit you,” Marigold whispered once they were on the other side of the cage.

“It’s not a lie. Mildred will be fine. It’s simply a fact that I don’t know how to make happen yet.” With that, Hecate turned her attention to the cage. She tried to remember everything she’d ever heard about a Wizard’s Keep, but, frankly, she’d never paid that much attention to them in the first place. Surely, she should be able to find a way out.

  Pippa crashed into the Hubble’s living room, dropping to her hands and knees and immediately emptying the contents of her stomach onto the carpet.

“Oh, dear,” Ada said, waving away the sick and summoning a moist cloth and some water. “I knew that was too far to transfer.” She helped Pippa to the couch. “Are you all right, dear?”

“No,” Pippa gasped, trying to tame her writhing stomach. “They’ve taken her, they’ve taken all three of them.”

Ada handed Pippa a lemon drop. “Suck on this and tell me everything that’s happened.”

So Pippa did, pouring out everything they’d discovered in the last few days. Ada listened intently, asking questions and adding her own theories and additions.

“I don’t understand why they took her, Ada!”

“Isn’t that obvious, dear? They’ve stolen the picture, they’ve stolen rare ingredients and… I contacted an old friend of mine from the Rare Text Repository….and they’ve had a theft as well – an old book of ancient spells. They kept it hush-hush so there wouldn’t be an inquiry. Add those up, and the only thing you’re missing is a potions mistress.”

“But if they’ve got the book, anyone could brew the potion, couldn’t they?”

“As difficult as it was to get the supplies the first time, I’d gather they wanted the best chance of success and that’s Hecate.”

Pippa knew that was true. Even during their estrangement, Pippa knew that Hecate was the one the Great Wizard turned to when his own potions makers couldn’t brew a necessary potion. She also knew that it was no small bone of contention between Hecate and the Great Wizard that she had refused his appointment to become his lead potioneer. “And Mildred’s what, leverage?”

“I assume so, at this point. Even if they didn’t mean to abduct her, they’ve certainly figured out that Hecate would do as they asked in order to keep her safe.”

“But what happens once this potion is brewed? They won’t need Hecate or Mildred anymore. What then?”

“I think, Miss Pentangle, it would be in all of our best interests to find them before that happens.”

“I agree.” Pippa stood up and tapped on the mirror. In a few seconds Miss Drill swam into view. “Dimity! Well met.”

“Well met, Miss Pentangle. Has there been any news?”

“Not yet. I’m afraid I need a favor. Can you fly?”

“I can fly. My leg’s recovered well.”

“How fast can you get to Frankfurt?”

“Four hours, three and a half with a tailwind.”

“Then I need a favor, Miss Drill.”

  An hour later, Hecate’s hands were burned and bleeding with bruised knuckles and raw fingers. Every time she touched the metal of the cage there would be a different reaction: sometimes heat, sometimes electric shocks. Twice it even felt as though her hand was being crushed.

At first, she’d healed the injuries as she went, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that her magic wasn’t regenerating the way it should. After that, she did her best to ignore the pain in her hands and kept testing the cage for weak spots. Sitting with Mildred, Marigold offered her steady encouragements, but every now and again Hecate would catch a glimpse of Marigold’s face watching her. It seemed that Hecate wasn’t the only one who shouldn’t play poker for money.

“Miss Mould! I think I’m going to be sick…” Mildred was struggling to sit up.

Hecate abandoned her attempts on the cage and grabbed a bucket from the far corner; no doubt it was meant to be used as their toilet, but so far it was empty. She managed to deposit it in front of Mildred just before the girl chucked up the contents of her stomach. Once she’d finished, Marigold wiped Mildred’s face with the hem of her skirt and laid her back down on the blanket.

Eyes bright with unshed tears, Hecate smoothed the hair out of Mildred’s face, taking care not to touch the lump over her eye. “I’m so sorry, Mildred. I haven’t done a very good job of taking care of you.”

“We have to get her out of here, Hecate.” Marigold whispered. “She’s getting worse.”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do, Miss Mould? Having a lark? My magic isn’t working.” She looked away. “And it isn’t replenishing. Too much more and I won’t have any magic, either. Then we’ll be in real trouble.”

“Well, Merlin forbid the great Hecate Hardbroom not have magic. We sure wouldn’t want her walking in poor old Mari’s shoes, now would we?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Both women’s voices were rising, frustration and fear getting the better of them.

Finally, Mildred couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop it! Please don’t fight again!” She started to sit up, but thought better of it. “So what if we can’t use magic – get over it and just be clever, then! Ordinary people are clever every day.” She scowled up at Hecate. “Mum’s clever.”

Hecate scrubbed a hand across her face, hissing in pain from both her hand and her nose. “You’re mum’s not clever, Mildred. She’s bloody brilliant. No doubt she would have already figured out how to free us.” She played with the end of Mildred’s plait. “We’ll do our best to follow her example, won’t we, Miss Mould?”

Marigold squared her shoulders and nodded. “We will. And we’ll try not to fight.” She raised an eyebrow at Hecate, who responded with rolled eyes and a heavy sigh. “You’ve got the most experience with the ordinary world, Mildred. What do you think we should do?”

“Did you try your phones?” She fumbled in her pockets to find hers. The screen had cracked, but it still fired up when she pressed the button. “There’s no signal. I guess the cage stops that as well.”

Hecate summoned her phone from its usual place and handed it to Mildred, having no idea how to check for a signal herself. Mildred shook her head and handed it back. Marigold’s was the same.

“All right then, no help from the modern technology, no help from magic.” Marigold climbed to her feet and started walking the perimeter of the cage. After two trips around just looking, she reached out and tapped the cage wall with one finger, expecting the same sort of magical backlash that Hecate had been getting. Nothing happened. Glancing back, she saw Hecate watching with renewed interest. She tapped the cage again, this time with her whole hand. Again, nothing happened. Grinning triumphantly, Marigold started pushing, pulling and rattling the cage at every joint and seam. One panel on the back side seemed to have more give than the rest of them. She pushed with both hands. She pushed with her shoulder. She sat on the floor and pushed the bottom with her feet, nearly crying out when there was a sudden snap and the corner bent out a couple of inches.

In an instant both Marigold and Hecate were on their hands and knees, inspecting the gap. Hecate tried to shoot a tiny stream of magic through the opening, but it didn’t work. There may have been a gap in the cage itself, but it wasn’t big enough to interrupt the field of magic.

“Can we make this bigger?” Hecate asked. “Look, you’ve exposed one of the screws that connects it to the floor. Maybe if we get rid of that…” Hecate placed the tip of her finger on the screwhead, gritting her teeth and releasing a stream of magic to try and vanish it.

Marigold pulled Hecate’s hand away the instant she started to smell burning flesh. “Stop it!” She held Hecate’s hand up and examined her finger. The skin was white and peeling away. “Heal that.”

“I don’t want to waste my magic.” She looked at Marigold’s scowling expression. “I don’t want to burn it all up, we might need it.” She stared at her battered hands. “It’s not about not wanting to be like you. It’s just that…without my magic I’m not really bringing anything to the table here.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Hecate.” Marigold turned her attention back to the screw. After a moment’s concentration she popped up onto her knees, pulling everything out of the pockets of her flowing jacket: a paint brush, a pen, two pieces of gum and some tissue that may or may not be used already. Grabbing the paintbrush out of the pile, Marigold ripped out all the bristles and held the paintbrush up to inspect. “This might work. Hecate, stand up and give the metal bit on the end of this a good stomp. Flatten it out as much as you can.” Hecate did as she was asked, and a moment later, Marigold was holding a fair approximation of a flat-head screwdriver. “Let’s see if we can get that screw out. What do you think, Mildred? Are we being clever enough now?”

Mildred didn’t say anything.

“Mildred!” Hecate crawled across the floor, ignoring the searing pain in her hands. “Mildred!” She tapped on Mildred’s cheeks, leaving smears of blood from her hands. After an agonizingly long moment, Mildred began to stir. “Come on, Millie, I know you can hear me. Wake up! Do you hear me, Mildred Hubble? I absolutely forbid you to fall asleep. Wake up this instant!”

Mildred’s eyes fluttered open. “Did you call me Millie? Things must be bad.”

Marigold placed a soothing hand on both Mildred’s forehead and Hecate’s knee. “She’s clammy, Hecate. And her color…it’s not good. We’ve got to get her out of here now.”

“Get that gap open.  I have an idea.”

Marigold redoubled her efforts on the screw, making a little progress before the crushed ferrule of the paintbrush started to twist and bend. She was blinking back tears of frustration when a metal hairpin appeared in front of her face.

“Try this. Even if it only works a little bit, I’ve got plenty more.” Hecate wriggled the hairpin hopefully. “It looks the right size.”

“It does.” Marigold shoved the bent end into the slot on the screw and twisted. The hairpin was stiffer than the thin metal of the paintbrush, but she couldn’t get a good angle on it. Another pin appeared in her field of vision.

“Sideways, maybe? Like a cross-piece?”

Marigold slipped the second hairpin in and it did the trick; the screw finally began to twist. In a few minutes she was able to use her fingers to remove it the rest of the way. “Give me some room,” she said, twisting around so she could use her feet to shove the screen further out. It moved just enough for Marigold to slide her hand through.

“That should be enough.” Hecate compared the size of the hole with Mildred’s hand, nodding her approval. “I think that will work. Help me get Mildred over here. We’ll need to get her hand through the hole. As long as some part of her is outside the Keep…”

“You can’t be serious! That girl’s not old enough to transfer! Even if she was, she’s not in any shape to do it.”

“She may not be, but this is.” Hecate pulled the crescent moon pin from her blouse. “Do you know what a Twin Pin is?”

“I – uh – yes. How do you know what a Twin Pin is? Isn’t that magic too modern for you?”

Hecate’s cheeks colored, making her burgeoning black eyes all the more prominent. “I find that I’m learning to appreciate what modern magic has to offer.”

They roused Mildred enough to get her to crawl over to the opening. Hecate wrapped the pin in Mildred’s fingers and carefully slipped her hand outside the cage. “Mildred Hubble.”

Mildred’s brow wrinkled in concentration. “Yes, Miss Hardbroom?”

“Do you remember the star pin that Pippa wears? The one that goes with my pin?” Mildred nodded. “Good.”

“Wait!” Marigold pulled Hecate to the other side of the cage, whispering furiously. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Do you even know if it will work? If it does, is it going to take all of her, or just the part that’s outside the cage?”

“I don’t know, but what choice do we have? She’s getting worse. I don’t know how to fix what’s happening in her head. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Don’t you think Pentangle will try to use that pin to get to you? Once we send her away with that pin, there’s no using it to find us.”

“I know that.” Hecate stared at the girl on the floor. “I know that, but I’ve made a promise, Marigold, to keep her safe. To be her champion in the magical world. I’m sorry that promise puts you in danger.”

“No. It’s the right thing to do.”

Hecate dropped down beside Mildred again. “Okay, are you ready?” She waited – too long – for   Mildred to nod. “Good girl. Now squeeze the pin in your hand and think of Pippa’s star pin. Imagine putting the two pins together and-“ Mildred was gone. She could only pray that the Twin Pins worked as promised.

“Sooo…Pippa Pentangle?” Marigold asked.

“Shut up.” Hecate concentrated and summoned her phone again. It was getting harder to pull up magic at all. Her reserves were critically low. She tapped a few screens and handed the phone to Marigold. Hold this out of the hole and see if you can get a signal through.”

Marigold did as she was told. She was just about to dial Pippa Pentangle when the door burst open and Benjy strode into the room, causing Marigold to jump and sending the phone skittering across the floor, well out of reach.

“Where’s the girl!” He roared, using his magic to slam Hecate against the cage wall. She just managed to get her hands up between the wall and her face. She screamed as the current scorched through her body. He flung Marigold into the corner, content to get her out of his way. “Answer me!” Benjy sent a white ball of lightning into Hecate, hammering her to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. Face down, struggling to breathe, she could feel the tendrils of his magic groping her body.

“Stop!” Marigold threw herself between the wizard and Hecate, interrupting the oily flow of his magic. She shuddered.

“That’s enough!” An elderly witch had transferred into the middle of the room. “Forget the girl – we still have leverage enough with the hack.” She stepped closer to the cage, staring balefully as Marigold helped Hecate to sit up. “Welcome to Gullet Manor, Miss Hardbroom. We’ve got a potion for you to brew.”

  “This really isn’t a good idea, Ms. Hubble.” Dimity had to shout to be heard over the storm. “Flying in a little rain is one thing,” lightning flashed, striking a tree nearby, “but flying in something like this is suicide!”

“But they have Millie! I’ve got to get back!”

Dimity could hear the fear in her voice. They were halfway back when they ran into the storm. At first Dimity had hoped it would be small, something they could swing around or wait out. But when Mildred’s mother opened a weather app on her phone, they could both see that wouldn’t be the case.

Dimity’s nerves jangled, more from excitement than fear. She hadn’t flown full out in a good many years. Too many. “All right, but you’re shifting to the front and we’re riding racer-style, no more of this side-saddle. And I can’t keep us dry, not and concentrate. You’re gonna be cold and wet.”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay, then, Ms. Hubble, climb aboard.”

“I think you should call me Julie.”

The rain hit them like an icy blast, chilling them both instantly. Julie was glad to have Dimity leaning over her back; at least that part of her would stay warm. At first, they only had to contend with the rain, but soon they’d traveled into the heart of the storm. Thunder crashed, leaving their ears ringing; a bolt of lightning zagged past them, turning the air thick with the smell of burning ozone.

Still, Dimity flew, casting out with her powers, trying to find a path between the building arcs of electricity. Julie sat like a natural, Dimity thought; if she’d had her powers, she would have been an excellent broomstick rider. That moment of distraction cost them; a bolt of lightning she didn’t feel coming slashed the air in front of them.

Dimity veered hard, the unexpected shift knocking her and Julie off balance. She could feel them both sliding, but the broom was too slippery from the rain to stop it. She teetered off the edge, barely managing to keep one hand on the broom. She looked down to see Julie staring up at her, hands scrabbling at the air as she fell toward the ground.

“NOOO!” She allowed herself to fall as well, willing the broomstick in her hand to swing around beneath her until she could hike a leg across the bristles and pull herself back on board. Immediately, she plunged into a dive, chasing Julie Hubble down, acutely aware of how fast the ground was coming up to meet them.

A broomstick length from the ground, Dimity slammed into Julie, sending their momentum sideways, both of them tumbling over the soggy meadow, rolling headlong across the grass.

When they finally flopped to a stop in the mud, Julie raised her head just enough to get a look at Dimity. “You were right…that was a bad idea.”

“I wasn’t gonna say I told you so…” Dimity groaned. “But I think a piece of me broomstick is stabbing me in the arse.”

Suddenly, the rain stopped and the air got warmer. The women looked up to see a hooded figure standing over them, one hand raised to cast the protective spell around them.

“You two must be Dimity and Julie. Only a desperate mother and a Star of the Sky would be crazy enough to fly through weather like this.” He knelt down between them and pulled the hood from his face.

Julie studied him; his blonde hair and tanned skin gave him a youthful appearance, but she could tell he was probably a few years older than her own forty-seven years. “Who are you?”

“Oh, sorry. My name’s Peter Pentangle, and my sister’s sent me to fetch you.” He held a hand out and Julie recognized the crescent moon pin in his hand. “This should get us back in a jiffy.” He pinned the moon back to his cloak and grabbed their hands.

Julie felt an unfamiliar twist in her stomach and found herself sitting on the floor of Ada Cackle’s office. Only it didn’t look like her office, it looked like the command center of a war zone.

“Peter!” Pippa pushed past Ada and wrapped her brother in a fierce hug. “I knew you would find them, I just knew it!” She turned her attention to the soaked women in front of her. “You must be frozen!”

A warm gust of air washed over her as the drying spell removed every bit of water from her hair and clothes. “Are they back, then?” Julie asked, shivering in spite of the warmth.

The joyous look that had covered Pippa’s face only seconds before slipped away, replaced by fear and worry. “Only Mildred. She’s got a nasty bump on the head, but she’s all right. She’s resting in the infirmary.”

“But…the pin…” Julie pointed at the crescent moon on Peter’s chest. He gave a start and handed the pin back to his sister.

“That’s how Hecate sent her back. All we could get from Mildred is that they’re in a magic cage somewhere. We think they’re being held in a Wizard’s Keep because we can’t find any trace of their magic.”

“But they have to have their magic, she sent Mildred out.” The color drained from Julie’s face. “She sent her out with the only thing we could use to find them, didn’t she?” Pippa nodded, eyes brimming with tears. “Have you tried the phone?”

“That was one of the first things we tried. A Keep may block cell phone signals as well as magic.”

“But have you tried since they got Millie out?” Julie could tell by their shocked expressions that it hadn’t occurred to them to try again. “If somebody’s got ‘em we can’t tip our hand,” she said as her fingers flew over her phone. She opened the ‘find my phone’ app and typed in Hecate’s information. She stumbled only a minute on the passcode. “What’s her cat’s name again?”

“Morgana”

Julie typed in the name. It worked. Well, she thought, it was either going to be that or ‘Pippa’ and ‘Pippa’ didn’t have enough letters. “We need to talk to her about her bloody obvious passwords, but for now, I’m not complaining.” She watched the little compass spin around until it stopped, a map zooming in to a location labeled ‘Hecate’s Phone.’ “There,” Julie held the phone out to Pippa. “She’s there.”

  “It’s three leaves of calendula, two of calla lily.” Marigold hissed. “You’ve got them backwards.” Hecate shook her head. They’d been working on the potion for five hours. Her head and her hands had been aching for six. Her magic was running dangerously low, and she hadn’t had anything to eat since last night. “They’ll kill you if they think you made it wrong.”

“They’ll kill us both, Miss Mould.”

“Probably. So, let’s try to avoid that?”

“What do you think is going to happen once this potion is finished? They aren’t just going to send us back to Cackle’s with a hearty ‘thank you for breaking the Code.’ We know who they are. They’re going to kill us anyway.”

“You’re a regular Pollyanna, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea who that is.” Hecate added the corrected ingredients and stirred thirteen times clockwise, then three widdershins. “I think that’s it.” The potion was inky black until it was stirred. Then, a rainbow of iridescent colors swam through it, like oil in the ocean.

“Step away from the cauldron,” Benjy ordered. “Go get it, Sam.”

Sam edged his way towards the door of the cage. As soon as Benjy had conjured up a roiling black mass of energy and aimed it at the witches inside, he opened the door and levitated the potion out of the cage, cauldron and all. “Got it. Let’s get it to mother, right away.”

“I don’t know, it might be time for a little fun with that potions mistress. You know, my sister always said that what you needed was to get stuffed – proper-like – by a wizard.

“Oh I don’t think you’re the man for the job,” Pippa Pentangle said as she slammed into the middle of the room, staff in hand, stopping short from her high-speed transference. In seconds, she was joined by Ada, Dimity, Algernon and even Miss Bat.

Ada fired off the first of her power balls before she’d even fully appeared.

Algie sent a surge of power through the Wizard’s Keep, enough to blow the panels apart. As soon as the walls fell, Hecate could feel her magic surging back into her system. She coiled up a spike of magic, ready to hurl it at the potion she’d just finished, but Samuel was too fast. Ignoring everything else, he grabbed the edge of the cauldron and transferred himself away.

Turning to help Marigold, Hecate just caught a glimpse of Miss Bat transferring the art teacher to safety.

“OY!” Miss Drill shouted. “Are you the bloody sod that threw dark magic at me?”

Benjy seemed to have forgotten he was holding a pumpkin-sized orb of dark magic. Belatedly, he tried to hurl it at Pippa, but she was more than ready, focusing a beam of power through her staff and sending it back to him as half a dozen oily shards. He screamed as at least two made contact before he could transfer away.

In the quiet following his departure, the only noise was the sound of everyone’s breathing.

“Hiccup!” Pippa tossed her staff aside as Hecate scrambled over the fallen panels, flinging herself into Pippa’s arms.

Hecate ignored the pain in her hands as she clung desperately to Pippa, needing to feel anchored to something real. “Mildred?”

“She’s fine, darling. You were brilliant sending her with the Twin Pin. She’s in the infirmary at Cackle’s right now.  We’ve got broomsticks ready to get us back to transfer distance.”

Hecate nodded and pulled away, smiling gratefully at Ada and Algernon. She looked at Dimity, smiling her crooked half-smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see you, Miss Drill.”

“I didn’t think you’d ever been glad to see me period, Miss Hardbroom,” she answered with a cheesy grin and a wink. “Not like I had much choice. Mr. Monkey would never let me hear the end of it if I let something happen to you.” She summoned a trio of brooms. “Can you ride or do you need to ride double.”

“She’s going to ride double for this trip.” Pippa banished the third broom. “Thank you though.”

The flight passed quickly and once they landed on the front grounds of Cackle’s, Pippa and Hecate transferred straight to the infirmary. Hecate needed to see for herself that Mildred was all right. Julie Hubble was already there, sitting next to Mildred’s sleeping form, smoothing her hair in soft, soothing strokes. Red-rimmed eyes met her own and it was more than Hecate could bear. “I’m so sorry, Julie. I’m so, so sorry.” She waved a hand and vanished, Pippa groping at empty air, not fast enough to catch her arm to keep her from transferring away.

“She feels…responsible…” Pippa supplied.

“She is responsible.” Julie kissed Mildred’s forehead before striding over to where Pippa was standing. “She’s responsible for Mildred making it back in one piece, with nothing more than a bump on the head and a minor concussion out of the whole thing.”

“She won’t see it like that,” Pippa said, sadly. “Let me go find her.”

“She will when I’m done with her.” She placed a restraining hand on Pippa’s arm. “Why don’t you let me go find her. I think we need to talk.”

  Julie crawled out onto the roof, huffing more from the climb than she cared to admit. At least Ada was right. She spotted Hecate, huddled on a bench, folded tightly against herself – almost like she was willing herself to disappear.

Julie eased up to the woman, trying not to startle her. “Don’t transfer away, Hecate. I want to talk to you.” When Hecate didn’t move she closed the gap between them. She’d never seen Hecate look so small, so lost as she did now. “I mean it. Stay.”

As much as Hecate wanted to vanish, she knew she deserved whatever Julie was about to unleash. “I’m so sorry, Julie. I didn’t keep her safe. I didn’t-“ A sob broke through her defenses, then another and another. Without a word, Julie stepped close enough to pull Hecate in, wrapping her arms around Hecate’s skinny frame and resting her chin on her head while Hecate sobbed into her chest. She didn’t try to soothe her or shush her, she just let Hecate cry it out.

Eventually, the sobs slowed down and Hecate pulled away. Or tried to. Julie tightened her grip and spoke into Hecate’s hair. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Mildred is safe. She’s here and she’s awake and she wants to know where her HB is.” She released Hecate and moved to sit beside her on the bench. She reached out to take one of Hecate’s hands, snatching her hand away when she heard Hecate’s sharp gasp of pain.

“What’s…Hecate! Your hands!” Julie carefully lifted Hecate’s right hand, trying to get a better look. “Poof me a light.” Hecate cast a tiny spell and a white ball of light blossomed over their heads. Julie gasped when she saw the damage. “Hecate. Is this more of the dark magic, the kind you can’t heal with your magic?”

Hecate turned away before mumbling “No.”

“Then why haven’t you – No.” She reached out with her other hand and jerked Hecate’s head around so she would have to look her in the eyes. “Heal these. Now.” Hecate didn’t move. “Hecate,” Julie said, softening her tone. “Don’t punish yourself like this. You don’t deserve it. You kept her safe, love. You got her out of there even though it cost you your only way to escape. You sent her. Heal them.” She gestured at Hecate’s hands. “I don’t want her to think that this is okay to do to herself. I know you don’t want that either.”

Choking back a fresh sob, Hecate flooded her hands with healing magic. The burns and bruises disappeared, leaving only a residual ache behind. That would be gone by morning. “She got hurt, Julie. I was supposed to protect her.”

“You did protect her.” She clasped Hecate’s freshly healed hands between her own. “Did you know that Mildred broke her arm when she was three?” Hecate shook her head. “We’d just moved into our flat and I was busy unpacking boxes. I just took my eyes off of her for a minute, but she was out onto that balcony in a heartbeat, climbing up on the railing trying to see over the edge. I ran out there shouting ‘Millie get down’ or something like that. I suppose I startled her, because she tipped right over the edge. I’ve never moved so fast in my whole life – it doesn’t seem possible that I made it, but the next thing I knew I was bent over the railing with my hand around her wrist. I dragged her back on to the balcony, snapping her radius in the process. She wore a cast for six weeks. Did I save her? Did I hurt her? Do I get good marks for rescuing her if it was my fault she was in danger in the first place? I don’t know. I’ll never know. What I do know is that balcony door got a baby-proof lock that stayed on there until she was eight years old.” She stood up, dragging Hecate up with her. “Besides, I’m not finding another magic mum at this point. I like the one I’ve got.”

“Even if she thinks you could do better?”

Julie blew a gust of air out of her lungs. “You haven’t heard about our trip back from Frankfurt, I guess? I nearly died tonight. I convinced Dimity to keep flying through a storm and we nearly got hit by lightning. I fell off the broom when we were hundreds of feet in the air. I was falling for a really, really long time – long enough to be glad that Millie would have you and that she’d be ok.”

“How did you survive the fall?”

“Dimity Drill is a heck of a flyer. She managed to get under me and sort of…scoop me up right before I hit the ground. Shifted all that momentum sideways. We still plowed out in some field, absolutely trashed her broom, but…we didn’t die so it was a good day.”

“Star of the Sky, indeed,” Hecate muttered, already girding herself for the bragging that was sure to come the next time she saw Dimity. Oh, well…Dimity earned some bragging rights tonight.

Julie dragged Hecate back towards the window she’d crawled out of. “So…how come you guys never mentioned that Pippa has a brother?”

  Hecate transferred into the middle of her sitting room, exhausted. She’d sat with Mildred and Julie in the infirmary for over an hour, until both Hubbles were drooping with sleep. She wasn’t doing much better herself. Where was Pippa? Being back at Cackle’s left her feeling off-balance and unsettled. She didn’t know what the new rules were. All she knew was that she very much needed Pippa right now. She just didn’t know what the expectations would be, only that she was too tired to try and find her tonight.

She magicked herself into her pajamas as she walked into her bedroom…and froze. There, propped up in the middle of her bed, sat Pippa Pentangle, looking for all the world like she belonged there. Maybe, Hecate thought, that’s because she does.

“Hello, darling, was Mildred glad to see you?” She snapped the book in her hand closed and peered at Hecate over the top of her reading glasses. Those reading glasses! “She kept asking for you the whole time. We probably shouldn’t mention that to Miss Mould.” Flipping the covers back, Pippa patted the mattress next to her. “I don’t know about you, Hiccup, but I could use some sleep.”

Hecate didn’t remember the last few steps to the bed, just that she was crawling in beside Pippa like it was the most normal thing in the world. She curled into her side, laying her head on Pippa’s chest and wrapping one arm around her waist. “Is this okay, Pipsqueak? I think it’s all I can manage tonight.”

“It’s perfect, Hiccup, absolutely perfect.”

[atc74]

Fast Cars and Freedom - Part 3

Word Count: 4250

Warnings: Language, maybe, nudity, loss of virginity teen sex (both Dean and Reader are virgins)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader (Y/N Singer)

Catch up here - Fast Cars and Freedom

Italics indicate flashbacks

It was Y/N’s birthday weekend and as a surprise, I planned a special getaway. I knew she had no clue and I was pretty proud of myself that I could still pull something like this off after twenty years together. I had already packed a bag and dropped the kids off with Sam and his wife Jess this morning.

“You ready yet kid?” I yelled up the stairs.

“Keep your pants on Winchester!” she retorted as she came strolling into view looking as beautiful as she was that weekend nineteen years ago.

“No kids and a weekend away? Not a chance. I hereby declare this ‘no pants weekend!’” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air in victory.

She laughed and threw her arms around my neck. “I love you dork, now let’s get a move on!”

About an hour into our drive, a familiar tune came on the radio and she cranked up the volume and started singing along.

This ain't no country club

And it ain't no disco

This is New York City

1, 2, 1, 2

"All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die, "

Says the man next to me out of nowhere

It's apropos of nothin'

He says, "His name is William"

But I'm sure he's Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy

And he's plain ugly to me

And I wonder if he's ever had a day of fun in his whole life

“Twenty years and two kids and that is still the best weekend of my life, kid.” I squeezed her hand gently as I looked over at her sitting in the passenger seat of our little red Nova.

“Really? Not the weekend we got married? Or when we made those two kids? That weekend, huh?” She looked offended and confused.

“Yes, that weekend. I knew I loved you before then, but that was the weekend I knew without a doubt that there would never be anyone else for me but you,” I proclaimed. “Let me take you back.”

~*~

“Bobby, can I talk to you?” I nervously asked my guardian as he strolled into the garage, a travel mug of coffee in one hand and a chocolate covered bear claw in the other. It was a Saturday morning and we had just opened, but our first appointment wasn’t for another thirty minutes.

“What’s on your mind, Dean?” Bobby grumbled through the pastry filling his mouth, chocolate stuck to his upper lip.

“Y/N has been going on and on about this show she wants to see this summer and they are going to be real close. I was wondering if we could go,” I told him, sticking my head back under the hood of her Nova.

“Where’s it at?” Bobby walked over to the side of her car.

“Near Minneapolis. It’s called Lilith Fair and it’s an all day, all girl, outdoor concert and she really wants to go.” I glanced up from the spark plug I was replacing.

“You wanna go to all chick rock concert in a different state with my little girl? Did I hear that right?” Bobby yelled so loud that I stood up straight, hitting the back of my head on the hood.

“I will book two rooms, Bobby. I wanted to do something nice for her on her birthday and the show is the week before school starts. I will even bring Sam if it makes you feel better about it,” I explained to him, still rubbing the back of my head.

“Let me think about it, Dean. When do you need to get the tickets by?” Bobby asked.

“They go on sale on ten o’clock today; that is in two hours. I was going to take my break and buy them. Bobby, I have been saving all winter for these, please? It would mean so much to her; to both of us.” I ducked back under the hood while he went off to stew in his juices.

I knew he didn’t want to say yes, but I was hoping his little girl’s happiness would win out over the two of us being gone an entire weekend, in a different state, alone.

I spent the next hour changing the oil and all the fluids on some foreign import when I heard Bobby yell for me from the office.

“Yeah, Bobby?” I stepped inside, wiping my hands on the rag I kept in my back pocket.

“Two beds and you better have her home for dinner on Sunday and no funny business! Now just make the call and buy the tickets before I change my mind!” he yelled.

“Bobby, you’re the best! Thank you! She is going to love it!” I hugged the old man and turned to run up to the house but stopped. “She’s home and it’s not time yet. Can I make the call from your office in an hour?”

“Get back to work ya idjit and you can take your break at ten,” he told me and went back to his paperwork.

One hour and thirty minutes later I had two tickets to the show and a two night reservation at the Sandalwood Suites right next to the outdoor venue. I couldn’t wait to surprise her, but her birthday was still three months away. I wanted to do something for her since our Prom night fiasco, but it had to be special. She really wanted to go to this show; it is all she had talked about lately. I didn’t care if I had to sit through a bunch of crappy, angry chick music; for her it would be worth it.

I spent the next several weeks getting my plan in place. I checked maps, made an itinerary to give to Bobby with the name, address and telephone number of the hotel. I bought her a card, since I wasn’t as creative as she was. I waited until the weekend before her birthday to give her her gift and hoped that all the time I put into this would payoff when I saw her face.

I still took those walks a few times a week, but more often than not, she was by my side. “Hey, Y/N? Wanna take a walk with me?” I asked as we cleared away the dinner dishes.

“Dean, do I ever say no?” she giggled and it was one of the best sounds on this earth.

“No, you don’t. But that doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna ask or that some day you might.” I wrapped my arm around her as we walked down the stairs from the porch and started on the path that wound us back to the river.

“You know, your birthday is coming up and I wanted to do something for you, since well, your birthday surprise for me didn’t go exactly as planned,” I chuckled. We still laughed about that night and were thankful that the storm didn’t cause much damage and everyone we loved was safe.

“Yeah, that is a night I will never forget! At least we didn’t get caught!” she exclaimed. “But my birthday is still a week away,” Y/N looked up at me with those beautiful eyes, sparkling in the fading light.  

“I know, but I wanted to give you part of your gift early. Happy birthday, kid,” I handed her the envelope and a box, wrapped in the Sunday comics.

Dear Y/N, 

This past year has been the greatest of my life. You have done so much for me and I can never thank you enough. I hope I can make you as happy as you have made me. 

I love you now and forever, Happy Birthday. 

Love,

Dean

“A mixed tape? This is so sweet of you Dean! Thank you! I love it!” She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.

“You haven’t even listened to it yet. How can you say you love it?” I questioned her.

“Because you made it for me, so I know I will love it, because I love you,” she replied simply, but grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward her car. “But I wanna listen to it now!!”

She ran up to the house to grab her keys and was back in her car before I could even get in. She cranked over the engine and popped the tape in. She rested her head back against the seat as the first song started to play.

Listen as the wind blows from across the great divide

voices trapped in yearning, memories trapped in time

the night is my companion, and solitude my guide

would I spend forever here and not be satisfied?

and I would be the one

to hold you down

kiss you so hard

I'll take your breath away

and after, I'd wipe away the tears

just close your eyes dear

Through this world I've stumbled

so many times betrayed

trying to find an honest word to find

the truth enslaved

oh you speak to me in riddles

and you speak to me in rhymes

my body aches to breathe your breath

your words keep me alive

“Dean, this is beautiful. Thank you so much,” she leaned over and kissed me sweetly,

“There’s more, kid. Just listen,” I told her and she skipped ahead a bit to the next song.

Who will save your soul when it comes to the flowers now

Huh huh who will save your soul after all the lies that you told, boy

And who will save your souls if you won't save your own?

“Okay, Sarah McLachlan and Jewel? What else you got on here, Babe?” she eyed me suspiciously.

“I got to thinking about all this music you listen to when I am not around and how we always listen to what I want when we are together, which is a lot. So I am willing to make sacrifices for you just like you do for me. Happy Birthday, Babe,” I professed and handed her another envelope.

“Dean…” she started as she opened the second envelope. “AHHHHHHHH are you kidding me? Are these real? Are we really?!!”

“Whoa, my ears! And yes, we really are. I already cleared it with Mr. Grumpy Pants and we are leaving Friday after lunch. He even gave me the weekend off,” I informed her.

She was out of the car and jumping and dancing around before I knew she was gone. I just leaned up against the Nova and watched her dancing in the dirt. She was beautiful and I knew right then and there that I would do anything for this girl.

~*~

I had everything planned. If we took off after lunch, we would make it to the hotel just before four in the afternoon. I made reservations for dinner at a nice place and asked her to pack a dress while I had packed the only suit I owned. I ordered a bouquet of bright purple dahlias, her favorite, and a bottle of sparkling water and they were waiting in our room when we arrived.

“Dean! This is beautiful! Thank you so much for the most amazing birthday ever!” she squealed, jumping into my arms.

“Kid, the weekend just started; don’t thank me yet,” I reminded her. “Our reservation is in two hours; wanna take a quick nap with me?”

“That sounds amazing. I didn’t sleep much last night I was so excited!” She threw herself dramatically onto the bed and pulled the covers back for me. “You coming or what?”

“Nothing I want more,” I sighed as I slid in beside her, pulling her as close as I could, breathing her in and closing my eyes.

“I am setting the alarm for one hour, Mister,” she told me and soon we were both asleep, snuggled into one another on the most comfortable bed I have laid on.

“Y/N? Y/N. Kid! Time to get up, buttercup!” I whispered louder than necessary, but she was a deep sleeper.

“Fine. The bed was all cold without you anyway,” she grumbled as she sat up and walked to the bathroom with her things.

The minutes ticked by as I waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. I pulled on my socks and suit pants, then shrugged into the crisp blue shirt I had bought just for this weekend. I absentmindedly buttoned the shirt, then slid the tie under the collar just as the bathroom door opened.

“You look amazing, kid,” I breathed out, taking her in.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Winchester,” she giggled as she walked over and tied my tie for me before turning her back as she pulled her hair to the side. “Would you zip me please?”

“I’d rather not, but I am also starving and don’t want to be late for dinner,” I chuckled as I zipped her beautiful blue dress.

~*~

“Dinner was wonderful, Dean. Thank you so much,” Y/N leaned in to kiss me once we arrived back in our room for the night.

“You’re welcome, kid. Happy birthday,” I returned her kiss, trying not to let things get too heated just yet. “Do you want to relax and watch something on T.V. or do you want to hit the pool or hot tub for a bit first?” I toed off my dress shoes and socks, tossing them in the closet.

“Both!” she shouted as she grabbed her swimsuit from her bag. “Dean, would you unzip me, please?”

“Yahtzee!” I said under my breath, but clearly not quiet enough.

“Relax, big boy,” she laughed and turned her back to me and I pulled her hair to one side and slowly lowered the zipper on her dress. I pressed my lips to her shoulder, then her back as I made my way to her neck. She shivered in my arms and I could feel the goosebumps form under my hands as they spread across her smooth skin.

“Dean….” her voice but a whisper as I continued to trail kisses across the back of her neck and down her other shoulder. She turned quickly and soon her small body was pressed to mine.

I gently pushed her dress off her shoulders, the bright blue fabric hanging loosely between us as it fell from her arms. She pulled away slightly, letting it float to the floor as she reached up and loosened my tie.

I noticed for the first time that she was only wearing a pair of lacy underwear the same cerulean blue as her dress.  I growled low in the back of my throat and pulled her small frame to me, cradling the back of her head with one hand, my fingers in her soft waves, the other hand pressed into the small of her back. My lips met hers in a needy kiss, deep and wet, almost desperate. I felt her fingers run up my chest, pulling at the buttons one by one until our upper bodies were skin to skin.

I had felt her bare skin on mine before, but this felt different. We were always afraid of getting caught but now we were alone, in a different city, hundreds of miles from home and the prying eyes of her father or my little brother. I released her lower lip and looked into her eyes.

“We have nothing but time, kid. I want us to do this right, because I don’t ever plan on doing this with anyone else. Let me love you, Y/N,” I whispered in the silence of the foreign hotel room.

“Take me to bed, Dean. I’m all yours, always and forever,” she responded, pulling me with her towards one of the beds and crawling onto it. She kneeled in front of me, her small hands trailing up my chest to my shoulders, urging the shirt off and down my arms as I stared into her eyes.

Y/N let the shirt drop to the floor behind me as she reached for my belt. “Let me see you, Dean,” her voice quiet and I only nodded. She unbuckled my belt, then the button of my dress pants, easing the zipper down. Her soft, small hands tucked inside the waistband of my pants and over my ass, pushing my garments down around my ankles where I stepped out of them.

I leaned over her body and kissed her, taking my time, wanting every taste and touch, like I could memorize her with my tongue and I intended to. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss as I pressed her into the mattress with my larger frame. She tasted so sweet and I wondered if she tasted that good everywhere. I moaned as I moved from her mouth, leaving a trail of wet kisses along her jaw until I reached her ear. We knew better than to leave marks on each other, but that didn’t stop me from nibbling her ear and suckling at her pulse point, making her moan under my touch.

Y/N ran her hands over my back and down to my ass, her fingers dipping inside the back of my boxers, trying to push them off. I lifted my hips off of her slightly as she used her feet to push them the rest of the way down my legs. I was so hard it hurt and now my erection was firmly planted between our bodies, rubbing against the blue lace of her panties. I could feel her wetness as it spread through the flimsy material onto my length. I groaned at the sensation as my hips involuntarily ground against her.

Y/N reciprocated my actions and sounds and it spurred me on. I tried to control myself as I didn’t want it to be over before it really even began. I reluctantly moved off of her, rolling us both to our sides as I resumed kissing her, her mouth opening for me like my lips were the key.

“I love you, Dean. Make love to me,” she pleaded, pulling away from me. She rose from the bed, returning with the condoms we brought along. I sat up to admire her as she walked towards me, the wet spot on her panties prominent against the blue lace. She stopped in front of me and I pulled her to stand between my legs, my hands on her hips, as I slowly pulled her panties down.

“You’re beautiful, Y/N. Inside and out. I love you so much,” I whispered, my lips roaming across her stomach, up to the underside of her breast where I licked a wide stripe across her pert nipple. She carded her hands through my hair, holding me to her as I lavished her breasts with attention. I pulled her into my lap and flipped her over to her back.

My hand roamed down her body to her center and I could feel her; all heat and soaked with her arousal. I gently ran my fingers through her folds to coat my fingers before inserting a single digit in her hot core, pumping it in out before adding another.

“Dean,” her wanton moans filled my ears as I continued to mouth at her breasts and prepare her.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Y/N,” I whispered into her skin.

“I don’t care. I wanna feel you,” she looked down at me. “Please, Dean.”

“I wanna feel you too,” I murmured, sitting up to rip open the foil packet and roll it on without breaking it or ruining the moment. Finally, I was covered and moved back over her, easing her legs apart with my hips. “Are you ready, Y/N?” I looked her in the eye, lining myself up with her entrance.

“I have never been more ready,” she replied.

I eased my hips forward slowly. God she was so tight, I was afraid I was going to hurt her. I braced myself on my forearms on either side of her head, kissing her gently and keeping eye contact as I inched in little by little, looking for any sign of distress. Once I felt myself bottom out, I waited until we both relaxed fully and I slowly pulled my hips back and eased back into her just as slowly.

We had only just began and it was probably the best I had ever felt in my life. She was soft and warm and felt like home. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I felt her tighten her grip on my back, her nails biting into my skin. I picked up the pace slightly but couldn’t slow down the feeling that was about to overcome me.

“Dean!” Y/N cried as our movements increased, her hips meeting mine. I knew I wasn’t going to make it much longer and I wanted her to feel as good as I did. I reached between us clumsily and started rubbing her clit, but the angle was wrong.

“Let me,” she groaned and replaced my hand with hers. I leaned up a little so I could watch her touch herself. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, my name on her lips. I started losing my rhythm the louder she got and I knew this was the end.

She screamed my name and her body went rigid beneath me as I felt like my insides were melting. My body froze, my hips planted firmly against hers as I came, exploding inside the rubber. My vision was spotty and I dropped my head to her shoulder, murmuring her name over and over like a prayer.

“I love you, Y/N,” I professed, our bodies pressed together, slick with sweat.

“I love you, too, Dean, but you’re heavy,” she laughed a little, giving me a gently shove and I rolled my exhausted body off of her on onto my back. My arm wound around her, pulling her into my side and she just fit so perfectly.

“You still want to hit the pool?” I mumbled, my arm over my eyes, trying to control my breathing.

“No, I just want to stay here with you forever,” she confessed. “But I need to pee.”

We spent the rest of the night, snuggled up in bed, deciding against clothing and just watching television, when we weren’t trying to work our way through the entire box of condoms. I knew sex would feel good - I had jacked off more than once thinking about Y/N - but I didn’t expect it to feel this amazing and I wasn’t going to lose the advantage of a weekend away from home.

I woke early the next morning to Y/N with her hand wrapped around my morning wood. “Well, good morning to you too, beautiful.”

“Good morning, handsome,” she giggled but didn’t stop moving her hand up and down my shaft.

“If you don’t stop that, we won’t make breakfast before the show,” I told her, glancing at the clock.

“We can miss the opening act. Let’s shower first!” she called, leaping from the bed and into the bathroom.

~*~

I had never been so entranced in my life as I was with this woman. Watching her sing and dance all day; the sun kissing her exposed shoulders and legs was enough of a show in itself for me. I was so far gone, there was no coming back for me.

“Dean, thank you so much for the most amazing birthday ever! The show was so good and I had such an incredible time,” Y/N looked over at me from the passenger seat of her red Nova. She had a grin planted on her pretty face and was so happy.

“It wasn’t so bad; some of those acts can really rock,” I admitted. “But if you tell anyone I said that, you’ll be in trouble!”

“Oh yeah, big bad, Dean Winchester. Don’t worry, I won’t tell. You’re secret is safe with me,” she giggled.

~*~

We lay in bed, holding each other tight and dreading getting out, facing the reality that we had to pack up and go home. “I don’t want to go home, Dean.”

“I know kid, me neither. But at least we get to be together. And I am sure your dad will only kill me once or twice,” I groaned at the thought of Bobby knowing what we had done all weekend.

“Nobody will know but us, Dean. This was the best weekend of our lives and we will always have these memories, just you and me,” she made it sound so simple.

~*~

“I told you no funny business! You’re both grounded!” Bobby yelled at the us the minute we got out of the car.

“What? Daddy why?” Y/N demanded of her father.

“Because you two just couldn’t keep your hands off each other, could ya? You idjits better have used something, too; I ain’t ready to be nobody’s Papa!” Bobby yelled, throwing his hands up in the air and stormed back into the house.

~*~

“Well, at least that box of condoms didn’t go to waste!” I told her as the song ended and we pulled up to our destination.  

“Definitely not! And we don’t need them anymore,” she smiled at me as she reached for the door.

“What, no more sex?” I tried to be shocked.

“No, but I can’t get pregnant twice!” She winked as she got out of the car.

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FCAR: @ericaprice2008

[the-awkward-writer]

My Angel

Pairing: Jared x daughter!Reader, the entire Supernatural Family

Word Count: 1.8k of pure angst

Warnings: ANGST. ALL THE FREAKING ANGST. swearing, childhood cancer, death of a major character

A/N: Holy shit am I sorry about this one. I actually cried multiple times whilst writing this. This is the fifth, and last fic for Angst Appreciation Day. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. Also HUGE shoutout to @iputthesininbuisness. They beta’d ALL of my fics for AAD and they probably hate me.

Based off of: Angel by Sarah McLachlan

x

You were surrounded by people.

Your Uncle Jensen and Aunt Danneel and their kids. Your Uncle Misha and Aunt Vicki with their kids. Your dad. Uncle Mark and Aunt Sarah with their children.

You were surrounded by people you love.

Right now, Jensen and his friend Jason Manns were singing your favorite song from their album, Simple Man.

Tears were in everyone’s eyes including your own as you smiled softly to their melody.

Everyone knew this night wouldn’t last forever, you especially. The tumor that had originated in your brain had metastasized to virtually your entire body. It was in your lungs, and bones deeming it as irreparable.

The tumor was killing you, and you were going to die.

From the day you and your father found out that the tumor had spread, the doctors had given you three months to live.

Now, exactly three months later, you were on your last night. Everyone could feel it in the air, even the children who are usually rowdy in the presence of each other were dead silent.

The entire Supernatural family was crammed into the small hospital room. They all wanted to be with you when the time finally came, lord knows you were all there for them.

“Take your time,” Jensen breathed out. He knew this line was the worst possible thing to sing in this situation, “Don’t live too fast.”

The tears forming in Jensen‘s eyes were becoming harder and harder to conceal as the lump in his throat made it hard to sing.

He swallowed as Jason continued strumming, “Troubles will come, and they will pass.”

Misha looked from Jared, to Jensen, to you. Jared watched you intently, the love and worry clear in his eyes. He loved you more than life itself. Misha knew it would kill his best friend when your time came. Jensen sang while Jason played the guitar. It was obvious it was hard for the both of them to not break down and cry. You were laid on your back in the small hospital bed. Jared was at your right side, holding your hand. Your head was turned to the left, your eyes focused on Jensen and Jason. A small smile was playing on your lips.

It took almost all of your strength to turn your head to the side. Jared gave you a soft smile and wiped his eyes of tears.

“I love you, Daddy,” you voice cracked from your dry throat.

The tears that Jared tried to hide came flowing back tenfold, “I love you too, baby. I always will.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” you whispered as tears of your own came flowing down your face.

Jared scooted closer to you, a large hand falling on your bald head, “There is nothing you need to be sorry for, Y/N,” Jared said fiercely, “Nothing at all. You are everything I could’ve asked for in a daughter, you understand? I love you more than anything else,” he said.

A tear fell from the corner of your eye, and you nodded. You gave him a weak smile, “Don’t be forever alone, okay?”

Jared raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know what you mean.”

You rolled your eyes, “Find someone, dad,” you said, “You’re not getting any younger,” your voice was raspy, the strain on your vocal chords obvious. “Find yourself a hot lady friend.”

Jared huffed a laugh, “You’re insane.”

“I wonder who I got that from.”

Jared’s tears fell against your hospital gown as he leaned over and kissed your forehead.

“I don’t want to see you for years, you understand?”

The dam broke behind Jared’s eyes, “I don’t think I can wait that long.”

Your eyelids became heavy. You knew the end was drawing near. “Daddy, I‘m scared.”

“I know, honey. I know.”

“Does it hurt?”

Jared shook his head, “Quicker and easier than falling asleep.”

“You’re not Sirius Black; how do you know?”

“Because all the pain that you’re feeling now will be gone. You’ll be in your happy place. You’ll be happy.”

“But I’m happy here. I want to stay here with you guys.”

“I know, baby. But sometimes you need to let go,“ The words Jared was saying almost killed him, but his baby girl was in pain, and she needed relief.

“I love you, Daddy,” you could feel your heart rate slowing, “I love all of you guys,” you tried to say slightly louder so everyone could hear you.

Almost everyone nodded or hummed, they heard you. They know you love them, and you know they love you.

That was all you ever wanted, so you did as your father said.

You let go.

Your body shuddered as you drew in your last breath and released it.

Jared watched as your chest fell. He was waiting for it to rise again, but it never did; it never would. The long drawn out beep from your heart monitor only confirmed his worst fears.

His baby girl was dead.

He took your small, pale hand in his much larger ones, and pressed his forehead to his knuckles as sobs wracked his body.

Danneel pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to contain her own tears. She looked over to her husband to see tears flowing down his face.

Misha’s crestfallen face soon had his own tears sliding down to his chin, not stopping until they got to the collar of his shirt.

The entire room was in tears.

But no one more than Jared.

His entire body shook with the force of his cries.

The only thought running through his head was enough to send him through a downward spiral lasting for years:

My daughter is dead.

Jared sat at the first pew, just staring.

The service had been done with for over an hour, and everyone had left him alone.

He looked at the small casket, the memories flying around in his brain, burning him with nostalgia.

The first time Jared saw you, you were in a baby carrier on his front steps.

There was a piece of paper pinned to your shirt with a name and date scrawled across it.

‘Y/N Padalecki’ it said. ‘07/23/02′

Next to your carrier was a diaper bag filled with clothes, diapers, bottles, formula, and large manila envelope.

Jared took you inside his house and set the carrier down on the kitchen island.

He opened the manila envelope, pulling out its contents.

Inside there were six things.

One, your birth certificate. Two, a paternity test proving that the child in the car seat was his. Three, a picture of the baby next to a woman that Jared vaguely remembered. Four, a letter addressed to Jared. Five, a letter addressed to Y/N Padalecki. Six, signed custody papers from a courthouse in Texas.

Jared opened the letter first. The letter described the night two people met. The two people being Jared and this mystery woman. The letter told Jared that this mystery woman stole a toothpick from Jared’s trailer trashcan and used it later to prove Jared’s paternity. The letter then described the predicament the baby’s mother was in. She is a drug addict and can’t take care of a baby. She grew up in an orphanage, and didn’t want to put her child through the same things, so she dropped the baby off on Jared’s front step. The letter said that there was another letter with Y/N’s name on it, and she wanted Y/N to open it when she turned 18. It was signed by a person named Becca Wilson.

Jared looked from the white college ruled paper filled with black ink, to the sleeping baby in the car seat.

Jared could see the resemblances. You had his nose and hair. Your eyes were not yet open so he couldn’t see the color of your eyes.

Seconds later, your eyes fluttered open, and in an instant, Jared knew that he couldn’t let you go. You had his eyes.

Jared ran a hand down his face. He never regretted his decision to take you in. You were his daughter. No matter what.

Even when you were ten, and the doctor spoke those horrible words, Jared never wanted to let you go.

The doctor knocked on the door. Jared voiced a quiet “Come in.”

Your migraines were getting worse as the days wore on, so Jared finally took you to your pediatrician.

The doctor took off his glasses and rubbed his aged face with his right hand.

“Mr. Padalecki,” he said as he replaced his glasses. “Y/N has a tumor in her brain.”

Jared felt the air being punched out of his gut at those words.

His baby girl had cancer.

He held you close to his chest that night as you slept. After the doctor’s appointment, and scheduling a consultation with a pediatric oncologist, you and Jared went home to watch a marathon of cheesy movies and pig out on ice cream.

That night, as he held your small frame, he cried.

He cried and prayed to a God he’s not sure he believes in to spare your life.

You were the greatest kid Jared knew, and he wasn’t just saying that because you were his daughter.

You were kind and caring and compassionate. You were understanding of Jared’s depression and helped him get through it.

He wanted to walk you down the aisle, and threaten the boys that you brought home. He wanted to protect you for the rest of his life.

Jared buried his face in his hands. “God, Y/N,” he choked out. “I’m so sorry sweetheart. I wish I could have done more to protect you.” His voice broke and he was yet again reduced to tears.

He jumped as he felt a hand land on his back. Through tear filled eyes, he could see his best friend.

Jensen sat down next to Jared. Jared’s body shook as a sob was ripped from his body. Without a second thought, Jensen wrapped his arms around his best friend’s neck, bringing his head to his chest, “It's going to get better,” Jensen found it hard to speak around the lump in his throat. “I promise.”

Years after your death, Jared listened to your words, and found himself a hot lady friend.

Her name is Genevieve Cortese.

Well, Padalecki now.

Jared had three kids with her. Two boys and a little girl.

All throughout their childhood, Jared’s kids knew about their big sister, watching them from Heaven

And when the famous actor and generous man died of old age, you jumped happily into your father’s arms.

“I see you took my advice,” you said with a smile.

please don't kill me

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[blahblahblippyblah]

Solangelo: Arms of an angle

Song mention: Angle by Sarah McLachlan Will was on his way to the back to his cabin before curfew the fire had just been turned down and everyone was headed to bed. He knew Nico wouldn’t be up still (that kid went to bed way to early), but still Will wanted to slip Nico’s hoodie he had left by the campfire in the door of his cabin. Usually he wouldn’t give the hoodie back, he would instead ‘borrow’ it permanently, but he knew this was Nico’s favourite sweater. He walked up the steps and across the porch as he went to knock he heard a loud scream and then some shuffling. Hs eyes widened. He knocked urgently “Nico are you ok?” Silence “Go away Will” he heard muffled through the door. Nico sounded angry. Will pursed his lips. Nico never told him to go away. He was pretty much stuck to his side except for at night, and during certain training. Will knew something was up. He reached for the door and slowly cracked it open to slip his head inside. The Hades cabin was pith black, no surprise there. In the darkness he could just make out the figure of Nico on the floor tangled in blanket as if he had fallen out of bed. “Nico?” he asked softly. “I said go away Will” Nico said not so angry this time. Will caught the raspy chough in his voice. It sounded as if Nico was having trouble breathing. Will let himself in anyway. He walked across the room and turned the beside light on. An orange glow filled the cabin. He looked over at Nico who had shoved his face in his blankets on the floor. Will went and sat down beside him. He heard Nico do an intake in breath. Nico was trying to hide it but Will was too observant for that. He had spent too many hours in the infirmary with crying demigods. Nico looked up. His face was beet red, but he had no tears. Just a a wide eye stare. He was on the verge of crying. Will knew that feeling. Anything can set it off, even just simple question. But he knew better than anyone to let it out. “What’s wrong Nico?” he asked softly, full of concern. Nico gave a sharp intake and tears began falling from his face. His nose stated to run. He buried his head in his knees. “Don’t look at me. Not like this” he demanded. Trying to tell Will what to do never worked, but this time Nico sounded like he was pleading not telling. Will just put both his arms around Nico. After a few minutes of heavy tears and muffled wails Nico got some control of himself. “Nightmares” he chocked Will squeezed him. Demigods knew all about nightmares. “And….Tartarus” he barely breathed out. Will rested his chin on Nico’s head. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Nico had gone through surviving a solo trip to Tartarus. Nico began sobbing again. Will didn’t let go of him. He just gently kissed the top of his head. Nico smelled like roses, the ones they put out at funerals. A sent Will had discovered he loved. “Come on let get you back into bed” He helped Nico untangle from the blankets and get back in bed. He slipped in beside him. “You’ll get in trouble” Nico warned. Yet he still rested his head against Will outstretched arms. He put one hand on Will’s chest, Will ignored this comment. He bent his elbow careful not to move Nico head from his arm. He reached and began stroking his curly raven hair. Nico had stopped sobbing and was now only letting small tears fall down his cheeks. Will wished he could help. Then he thought to when he had first taken over at the infirmary. Apollo had stopped by and gave him some advice. “I wish I could heal emotions like I can battle wounds” will confessed. “But you know what my dad said to me once? He said music was the medicine of the heart” He reached into his pocket with his free arm and pulled out his iPod. He picked the song and placed the iPod on the night table. “In the arms of an angle. Fly away from here.” He began to sing. He was never a good singer, but Nico warmed up to him and his breathing steadied. “You’re in the arms of an angle. May you find some comfort here” he finished. Nico was now quietly sleeping. Will reached over and turned off the table light, and closed his eyes. Will always called Nico his angle but little did he know that tonight Nico saw Will as his angle. When the song finished Nico whispered to Will. "Isn't that the song about the dying puppies?" "I guess it is now isn't it" Will whispered back. Nico smiled slightly in his sleep. "Dead puppies huh" he sighed.

[dorothydelgadillo]

The Psychology Behind Brand Loyalty [Infographic]

How great would it be if every single one of your first-time customers kept coming back for more?

Wouldn't it be even better if they loved your company so much that they told all of their friends about you?

If a consumer elicits this type of behavior, regardless of convenience or price, you can assume they're brand-loyal.

They've made a connection with who you are as a company and they'll most likely be a customer for life.

But how you do generate a strong customer base that chooses to be faithful to your brand?

If you can get those customers to view you as the trusted or preferred brand of choice, you won't have to worry so much about the competition, the price of your product, or other criteria that comes into play during the decision-making process.

The answer is to build a brand that your prospects and customers love.

By understanding the psychology that goes into branding specifically, you'll be able to attract consumers who will relate to and make a mental connection with your brand's identity.

In the University of Southern California's infographic, you'll learn about how different strategies can enhance image perception of companies, and how popular brands are showing how it can be done.

The Psychology of Branding

Essentially, there are five core dimensions that play a role in a brand's personality or identity.

To build a strong brand, a company must understand each of them individually and how they want to use them within their marketing or brand image. These include:

Sincerity

Excitement

Competence

Sophistication

Ruggedness

It's important for a company to identify the conscious -- and subconscious -- feelings they want a consumer to associate with their brand, and then leverage the core dimension(s) that make the most sense for them to achieve that association.

Along with the core dimensions, there are more intricate ways to apply the power of psychology to your brand's identity.

Use of Color

Look around you. Every successful brand has a color palette they leverage within their branding. For example, Taco Bell uses purple, Target focuses on red, and McDonald's is purely yellow.

But why?

Colors are used for more than just making things look pretty; they actually elicit emotion, whether you notice it or not. Orange is seen to make people feel friendly, cheerful, and confident. Blue brings out feelings of trust, dependability, and strength. And green is often seen as peaceful or healthy.

Depending on what feelings you want your consumers to feel when associating with your brand, you may want to choose a specific color scheme that matches what you're trying to achieve.

Words & Messaging

Similar to using colors in marketing, the words and messaging you use on your website, your digital content, your print assets, and other platforms can also bring out specific emotions in your consumers.

Some popular messaging types include happiness, comedy, persuasion, fear, and sadness.

Think about the ASPCA commercials we're all familiar with. Every single time I hear Sarah McLachlan singing, and I see the faces of those sad animals asking for help, I can't help but want to donate and adopt about 10 animals from the nearby shelter.

In addition to emotional messaging, word choice, in general, can have a huge effect on how people perceive your brand. It's been proven that consumers tend to go for names that sound more expensive than the competition, and also make judgments based on their perception of sophistication.

By understanding who you're trying to target, knowing the emotions you want them to feel, and understanding how messaging can influence perception of your company, you can properly influence your potential buyers in a way that will resonate with them more than if you were to simply focus on marketing your product's features or benefits.

Take a look at USC's infographic below to learn more facts and tips on how to use psychology in your marketing to build a brand that your consumer-base will love.

from Web Developers World https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/psychology-of-brand-loyalty

[megaeaglehorseblr-blog]

Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence (Tiesto's In Search charles johnson1 second agocharles johnson 1 second ago O' RI~Morpheus-Love~~~~ Psy~Chill[ed] All~Time-All-Space--- just 4U2; Armin~<*>A STATE OF TRANCE<*>~ Nowwwww... Sleeeeep ! Sleep !! Sleeeeeep !!!.... And, then soon-- real soon WE shall awaken once again: Definitely In The MOOD~~~~ Feel The Rhythm 2019-18/20-20 VISION HeavensGate Deep----  DJ Grau in the House Vocal(S)essions: Welcome; LA FIRES Radio[active], Open-Invitation.... RSVP !!! A Winter~Time Special---- Gentleman... And, WOMAN-Geminiison~Blue Christmas 4U2; in the Light, the Life.w/LoLove.... All-Ways Smile~Song Dance~Sing[ingly ] the Sacred Star~Seal Heart(s) Together: HU ~Man Being(S) of Only ONE KIND--- Royal Straight Flush Triple Crown Down... Ace~of~Heart's in-the-hole = Ain-ti-Up~Link  n' Load(S) ... Spa Massage Music--- ( Cyber-Space Surreality[ies]), World Supersand, & Pi~Epsilon- Thorn~Wynn: Y/Our Solar~System[ic] Crown[ed] Order(S)... Universal Sovereignty L.A.W.. Light of the Almighty S/WORD---- EL AMEN~Sela'| H | !!!!!!! 1 charles johnson charles johnson 1 second ago ~<*>QUADVERSALITY<*>~ 1 charles johnson charles johnson 2 seconds ago /|Infinitely*Perpetual\| Fruita' Loop~DA= Looped Plus +++ 1 Francisco PTM Francisco PTM 1 day ago (edited) Make Old Tiesto great again.... Armin if you are reading this bring Tiesto back to trance.... why dont u invite him to your studio as an huge motivation to get him back in style to his trance form again and forever?? Great episode btw <3 39 The Spirit of Orchestral Music The Spirit of Orchestral Music 1 day ago (edited) 47:15 Paul van Dyk bringing the classic sounds back <3 11 Future Life Sounds Future Life Sounds 1 day ago Silence (Tiesto’s In Search of Sunrise Remix) may be the greatest trance song ever made. 7 Oledm Oledm 1 day ago its a shame how shit Tiesto is now though :( 2 Francisco PTM Francisco PTM 1 day ago @Oledm Only Armin/Ferry and Paul Van Dyk can bring him to where he always belonged to! how shit his music turned nowadays :( 1 Het Thakkar Het Thakkar 1 day ago Don't be a prisoner of your own style - Armin van Buuren 1 charles johnson Het Thakkar   Daiktar Daiktar 1 day ago Silence (DJ Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise Remix) - Klasyka 💖 20 Алексей Алексей 2 days ago So many memories.... 5 Artur Przespolewski Artur Przespolewski 1 day ago Fajna nuta... Miłe wspomnienia. Dziękuję Armin! 2 Andreas Christakopoulos Andreas Christakopoulos 1 day ago Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan -  Silence (DJ Tiesto’s In Search of Sunrise Remix) the tune that got me into trance 18 years ago when i was a child.... Still listening to it EVERY SINGLE DAY!! This is how heaven should sound like..... 25 Artur Przespolewski Artur Przespolewski 1 day ago Yes! Thanks! 3 Tranceking Tranceking 1 day ago (edited) Best Trance song  ever in my Opinion been a Trance Dj myself since 1997!!! Here is my top 6 Trance tracks alltime..Please guys send us your top 6 Trance tracks all time!!  Here we go. 1. Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence (Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycAC_6Bbto 2.Watergate - Heart Of Asia (Rising Sun Remix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6FP0RCN9Ys 3.DJ Sakin & Friends - Protect Your Mind |For The Love Of A Princess| (Ayla Remix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMo460ue-p8 4.Lost Tribe - Gamemaster (Original Mix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_2TKQV7CjU 5.Ayla - Angel Falls - (Elemental Force Mix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH_hG384LF8 6.Miss Jane - It's A Fine Day (ATB Club Remix)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbUnEe16P6g 1 Candra Haryanto Candra Haryanto 1 day ago (edited) Bring back Tiesto :'( 2 Future Life Sounds Future Life Sounds 1 day ago When Tiesto was actually good. 1 John Ticknor John Ticknor 1 day ago ASOT has been really good lately - even better than usual 25 Umer Mahmood Umer Mahmood 1 day ago That Tiesto track brings back memories. 26 Virginie ChamallOow Virginie ChamallOow 1 day ago Airborn, Bogdan Vix & keyplayer feat. Alexandra Badoi >> Run Away ❤️🙌🏽 6 PeTrIrTeP PeTrIrTeP 2 days ago 00:36:24 Airborn, Bogdan Vix & KeyPlayer feat. Alexandra Badoi  - Run Away UNTOLD  2018 MEMORIES 13 umbros4546 umbros4546 2 days ago 15:57   Andy Moor & Somna feat. Monika Santucci  - Free Fall   ❤ 19:22    Cosmic Gate feat. Emma Hewitt  - Be Your Sound           ❤ 37:26   Airborn, Bogdan Vix & KeyPlayer feat. Alexandra Badoi  - Run Away  ❤ 54:42     Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan -  Silence  ❤ 11 Furry Scythe Furry Scythe 1 day ago Top 3: Orjan Nilsen  - The Last Goodbye (feat. Matluck) (Matt Fax Remix) (00:01:17) Ultra Shock  - The Sound Of E (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) (00:49:58) Paul van Dyk & Delta One  -  Lost Angels  (00:46:43) 6 Retroplayer Retroplayer 2 days ago Great episode! Some nice techy tracks! 5 Candra Haryanto Candra Haryanto 1 day ago BRING BACK TIESTO TO TRANCE AGAIN PLEASEEEEE!!!! :'( 4 gabrielbatz gabrielbatz 1 day ago * tune alert * Photographer  - Infinity (Steve Allen Remix) 4 schwabenpirat schwabenpirat 2 days ago Oh my God!!! Thank you so much Armin for playing our "Das Boot 2018" Cyre & Christian K. Remix in your current #ASOT892 show!!! This is sooooo amazing! ❤️😍😘 6 koolguy4ya koolguy4ya 1 day ago That New version of "Be In The Moment" by Stoneface & Terminal. . . .The Next Theme for 2019😀😀😀 4 Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski 2 days ago No po prostu Mega 💪🏅🔊🎧 !!@ 4 Pankaj Sharma Pankaj Sharma 1 day ago 1:00:15 Armin took Tiesto name 4 Justyna Buczek Justyna Buczek 1 day ago Poland greets you 5 Artur Przespolewski Artur Przespolewski 1 day ago Service for dreamers oraz U96 melodie dawnych lat.... Aż ciarka na skórze... Dzięki Armin! Pozdrawiam wszystkich ASOTowiczów! 3 Toufik Alien Toufik Alien 1 day ago God Of Trance ♥ 3 maximo lopez maximo lopez 2 days ago 43:11 Ciaran McAuley  - Never Fade Away (In Loving Memory of Benthe) 01:01:13 Temple One  - Odyssey 01:28:05 Alan Morris & Martin Drake  - Elysium 5 Planet Dance Planet Dance 1 day ago Ciaran McAuley  - Never Fade Away (In Loving Memory of Benthe) 00:43:11 2 Mandy Lane Mandy Lane 1 day ago armin can i get a hay from you? 3 Justyna Buczek Justyna Buczek 2 days ago Sztos :) Pozdro 4 Artur Przespolewski Artur Przespolewski 1 day ago Pozdrowienia z Tarnowskich Gór dla wszystkich słuchaczy A State Of Trance! 2 Het Thakkar Het Thakkar 1 day ago Damn I voted for tune of the year way too early. So much great music coming out! 2 Manoiu Adriana Manoiu Adriana 2 days ago Thank you, Armin and Ruben for another fantastic, sublime episode #ASOT892! Was two hours of dream with uplifting, amazing music. The your Service For Dreamers is brilliant, amazing, bring us much happiness! We love you both, Armin & Ruben! I'm so happy and proud as, in 1th December is our the National Day Romania 🇷🇴, You are a Great Ambasador for my country, Armin!! Romanians love you and Respect you so much! Romania is and your home. You are 💯 our King Untold & Neversea! You will be welcome always at we! I sending you a lot of love and best wishes, Armin, Ruben & Trance family! 😘💞👑🅰💞💞💞🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏 4 genes2311 genes2311 2 days ago incredible setlist ! Armin .... world is a better coz of you man .. 2 Joe Reporter Joe Reporter 2 days ago Das Boot is timeless 2 Ishani Das Ishani Das 2 days ago Amazing episode ❤❤ 2 Myra Sabardan Myra Sabardan 2 days ago Hoi 4 daywalker -m daywalker -m 1 day ago Ruben de Ronde как будто  с похмелья...мятый весь. 1 Alexis Kolbin Alexis Kolbin 2 days ago First! 2 Roni Abramov Roni Abramov 2 days ago 1:30👍🇮🇱🇮🇱 3 daywalker -m daywalker -m 1 day ago Paul van Dyk & Delta One  -  Lost Angels лучшее, что слышал от него после 4 an angel ! 1 Pankaj Sharma Pankaj Sharma 2 days ago Did anyone notice armin played Tiesto remix of Silence 55:20 2Read more1REPLYknowwe2 years agoYou know, with all the crap happening in the world today, listening to this just makes feel so grateful that im still alive & able to enjoy intros as amazing as this.157REPLYView all 7 replieskaz97812 years agoWhen tiesto was legendary.657REPLYView all 27 replies of Sunrise ...

[freshmusicfreak]

Having never been to Dreamstate SoCal, I didn’t really know what to expect other than all trance everything.  So when I found out my long-time Seattle buddies were going to Trancegiving, and it’s their yearly tradition, I was ecstatic! Although we’ve been going to shows for 13 years, this would be the first massive event I’ve traveled to and attended with them.  There is truly nothing better than rolling into a show with all your friends. And every time you feel a huge moment of joy, looking around and seeing the faces of a dozen people you love.

And my GOD, the lineup!!!  There were so many conflicting artists playing at the same time, picking who to see was difficult at best.  But since I’ve been going to shows since 2000, my choices tend to be different from most. I happily give up seeing big names I’ve seen before for lesser known artists I’ve never seen.  So here’s my highlight reel…

Estiva can always be counted on for a well thought out set that goes from smooth to bumping in minutes without ever feeling jarring.  One of my favorite things about great trance artists is their ability to use music to elicit so many emotions in a single hour. Estiva brought all the highs and lows, and rather than concentrating on individual tracks, I just let the music and lights wash over me and simply absorbed the atmosphere in its entirety.  Insomniac’s visuals were absolutely stunning. They moved with the tunes from starry nights to consoles, then purple skies streaming up towards the ceiling. Amazingly, there was still room to dance up front center stage so I let myself move and groove to the music with no concern of bumping into anyone.

Early In the Night | Photo Credit Danielle Renee

Amazing Visuals | Photo Credit Danielle Renee

Still Room to Dance | Photo Credit Henry Brian Morton

One of my girlfriends absolutely LOVES Giuseppe Ottaviani and I’ve been dying to see him, so I stuck to the Dream stage.  He immediately had me jumping up and down cheering for Eat Sleep Rave Repeat and then just kept it going with Your Mind. I looked around at that moment, and sure enough, everyone was losing it.  Knowing we had hours yet to go, Giuseppe calmed it down just a wee bit and brought in more melody and vocals with a nod to two artists making appearances later in the show, Markus Schulz and Emma Hewitt.  But he only gave us a small break cause he brought it back up right away. The second I heard the first Oooooohhhhh vocals I shrieked like the Anjuna fan that I am cause I instantly recognized Northern Soul.  And of course, I was joined singing by every other Anjunafam of which there were A LOT. One of my FAVORITE things about electronic music is hearing an original track and then every other artist’s twist on it. Giuseppe, thank you for this hard-hitting version of an already phenomenal song!  Unlike most, I almost never cry at shows cause I’m in my happy place. But Giuseppe recorded a message at the end of his set that made me tear up and was the perfect ending to a perfect set. “The reason why I’m here is actually the same reason why you are here. I finally found what I’ve been searching for.  Something that can make me feel good. Something to be proud of. Something that’s able to put a smile on my face even when things go wrong. If you hear this message it’s because you’ve finally made it. If you’re here now it’s cause we walk the same way. My name is Giuseppe Ottaviani and I’m a music lover.”

It was finally time to journey to the Vision stage for Solarstone, another trance legend I’ve never gotten to see.  By the time I found my perfect spot, he’d already started and was dropping from some heavy beats down to lingering chords, just in time for the lights to go dark.  An instant later, the lights exploded on from behind, like the iris of an eye. I wasn’t kidding when I said Insomniac’s visuals were stunning! Solarstone was absolute perfection in his Purified shirt as I always tell my friends I’m not a trance snob, I’m a purist.  And then, bless his heart, he played Solarcoaster, although I didn’t hear my favorite part with Patricia Arquette saying “You’re so cool, you’re so cool, you’re so cool.” The Seattle Trance Fam flag began waving as the words Vive La Trance rang out. His set was far more progressive than the others I’d seen so far and much smoother, which lent to a calmer crowd taken over by the beauty of his set.  Finally. Finally! I got to see Solarstone, and he did NOT disappoint.

Blasts of Light | Photo Credit Zach Hightower

Vision Stage | Photo Credit Letitia Luu

All the Totems | Photo Credit Michael Nguyen

Having recently gotten into psytrance (I know, I know, I’ve always been a late bloomer), I felt like a kid on Christmas day and Vini Vici did NOT disappoint.  I lost it from the moment they dropped Armin van Buuren’s Great Spirit, a track that always makes me feel like I’m dancing around a fire like the wilderness girl I am.  And it didn’t stop cause they went straight into Free Tibet and Chakra, tracks I’ve been doing my morning runs to cause it’s hard not to keep moving when there’s psytrance on.  Somewhere in there, they threw in a crazy psy mix of Ferry Corsten’s Rock Your Body Rock and then moved right into Chakra. There’s a guitar-like sample in it that reminds me of the dramatic duels in old cowboy movies.  In front of me, I was seeing people’s totems and light up balloons dancing up and down with the beats. They just kept bringing the fire and hit us with even more of my favorite tracks. Astrix’s Adhana followed by a remix of Insomnia, a track that reminds me of high school when I first fell in love with Faithless.  And they kept that train of thought going with a Zombie mashup, in tribute to the passing of Dolores O’Riordan in January. Now, I fucking HATE when DJs talk on the mic, but they asked “Are you ready to join The Tribe?” right before the vocals hit and I cheered along with the crowd. Then they blew my mind with a remix of Dash Berlin, Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren’s Man On the Run, which is one of my favorite tracks of 2017.  I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Mitiska drop it in Seattle earlier in the year. Tying everything back into the beginning of their set, I sang along to Great Spirit and didn’t think I could possibly smile any bigger. But HOT DAMN!!! I couldn’t believe I was hearing the ephemeral violin strings of Bittersweet Symphony laid over the chanting. Vini Vici kept me solidly in the present while reminding me of some of my best high school memories.  

Knowing all of my friends would be back at the mainstage for Markus Schulz, I skedaddled back.  And was met with what I always associate with his sets; big drop after big drop with very little mixing and lots of yelling on the mic.  But his track selections are always crowd pleasers. An Anjuna mashup, followed by the beautiful voice of Sarah McLachlan singing Silence, and the ever-popular Pryda Stay With Me.  Markus was up behind the decks waving his arms around like a conductor at the crowd and they were loving it. Me, not so much. Like I said earlier, I’m a purist. I started in the scene when everything was vinyl, DJs didn’t talk on mics, and the music never stopped because the next DJ had to mix into the last record of the previous DJ’s set.  I’ve been told that my tagline is “You do you” cause I’ve been caught saying it so often, and they’re words I live by. So to each their own! Every time I see Markus, I keep my fingers crossed he’ll play Destiny, cause it’s my favorite track of his. I believe in reincarnation and having lost many people in my life, I know I’ll see them in another life, so this song speaks to an integral part of me.  So it was a beautiful end to my inaugural day at Dreamstate SoCal!

Rolling back in on the second day we were all a bit tired due to an after-party that included an impromptu sunrise hot tub session, but we rallied and were ready to rock it!  We got situated at the mainstage and as I was about to leave, Verhuzka came back with a handful of the light up balloons I saw the day before and hands one to each of the girls. My not so inner child jumped up and down with joy and I instantly attached it to my belt so I could have my hands free.  From there I decided to go where the wind blew me and eventually found myself at the Vision stage with Chris Schweizer vs Heatbeat. Since I don’t know them very well I just let their music come at me without concentrating on the nuances. I didn’t recognize many of the tracks, but damn they brought the fire, and the audience was amped!  They kept everyone going with some hard hitters that had everyone jumping. And I can get down to some metal rock, so when they hit us with some electric guitar riffs, it was like they were uniting genres that just don’t seem to belong together. I LOVED IT!

System F | Photo Credit Vivi Hernandez

My Spirit Animal! | Photo Credit Letitia Luu

More Lasers | Photo Credit Zach Hightower

From there I checked back in with the peeps at mainstage where System F was starting up, and DAMN that was a hard act to leave.  Though I’ve never seen System F, I’ve seen Ferry Corsten at least 5 times and I wasn’t about to miss Ace Ventura. I’d never seen him before and every video I’ve seen of his sets, he gets just as into it as the crowd, and that’s something I’ll always adore about DJs.  Though I have no problem flying solo at shows and have done it plenty, it’s always preferable to have your peeps with you. So I was overjoyed Sacha and Liz decided to come along. The Sequence stage was packed! Everyone seemed to have the same plan we did, and understandably so.  From the moment I got there I was jumping and dancing and that’s when the beautiful fucking balloon went from a boon to a curse. It was bopping me in the face, and whenever I’d spin, it’d wrap around me so I moved it from my back to my sides and nothing helped. Ugh! And then I heard it… That drawn-out Blaaze the Fiiiiire.  Not only the first track I recognized in his set, but one of my hands down psytrance favorites. I’m sure it has something to do with the 21 years I lived in Hawaii and was unwillingly force fed reggae on an almost daily basis. But the thing was, Ace Ventura started mixing it in about two minutes before he fully faded it in, so there I was shrieking “I love this track!!!” as people looked at me a bit weird.  Liz took one for the team and held my balloon while I danced up a storm. And to be there with my girls, all of us getting down to the psytrance, it was definitely one of my favorite moments of the Dreamstate weekend!

We headed back to the mainstage right before Ace Ventura ended cause we knew it’d be packed for Laserface.  When we found our group again, we had about 12 minutes remaining before the lasers were all set up. Verhuzka found me and said she was dying laughing watching me walk through the crowd when I’d first left the group.  I walk quickly and apparently people were ducking and dodging and getting hit in the face by my balloon, completely unbeknownst to me. I cracked up with her just thinking about the image, especially considering I’d just experienced getting bopped in the face by my own balloon while dancing.  OOPSIES!

Finally, the countdown ended and we heard “Prepare yourself for Laserface.”  Well, I was READY! After all the videos I’d watched of the Laserface shows, I was prepared to have my mind blown.  But I was apprehensive cause it was Gareth Emery who panders to the masses, and I was right to be so. He threw down a lot of hard-hitting beats and kept the excitement up, but as I already knew, no visual spectacle will ever make up for a shitty set.  In my opinion, mashups can be really fun if done well and mixed appropriately, but Gareth Emery just dropped them in one after the other with no apparent flow. Daft Punk vs Rage Against The Machine to a Killers mashup to an Arctic Monkeys mashup. Where the rest of the night had just flowed smoothly, the Laserface set made me feel like a marionette being jerked around by a psychotic puppeteer.  Did the majority of the crowd love it? YES. And Emma Hewitt performing live was pretty incredible. Her vocals were on point! However, I’ll never attend another Laserface show. It’s just not for me. But if you love it, YOU DO YOU!

Photo Credit Zach Hightower

Photo Credit Zach Hightower

Photo Credit Zach Hightower

Photo Credit Zach Hightower

What I loved most about Dreamstate SoCal was that despite it being an all trance event, I felt like I got amazing variety skipping between the different stages.  And Insomniac really wasn’t kidding when they said the most important headliner of all is YOU. All of the staff were fun and courteous. I even caught a bunch of them dancing!  So it looks like I’ll be making it an annual tradition, along with my oh so fabulous Seattle friends. Until next year Dreamstate SoCal! Thanks for an unforgettable first Trancegiving!

@DreamstateSoCal #trancegiving @insomniacevents #insomniac Having never been to Dreamstate SoCal, I didn’t really know what to expect other than all trance everything.  

[butterccupp]

1-92 :-)

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?it’s you hannah yes hello 
2. You talked to an ex today, correct?incorrect 
3. Have you taken someones virginity?no 
4. Is trust a big issue for you?i don’t think it’s an issue at all 
5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently?we were together on my birthday last week !! 
6. What are you excited for?not having to wake up for school tomorrow 
7. What happened tonight?um last night i talked to you and then fell asleep 
8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?i think girls can drink as little or as much as they want and it’s not my position to police them for it 
9. Is confidence cute?yeah! 
10. What is the last beverage you had?english breakfast tea this morning 
11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?like,,, 4? maybe ??? 
12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans?i wear exclusively skinny jeans who do you think i am 
13. What are you gonna do Saturday night?idk i’ll probably be with you 
14. What are you going to spend money on next?julien baker tickets whenever they GO ON SALE 
15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed?yes 
16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?idk?? in three months i’ll be almost graduating so probably ? 
17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?you hello hannah 
18. The last time you felt broken?idk man i’ve been in a constant state of wtf since like sixth grade so 
19. Have you had sex today?no 
20. Are you starting to realize anything?people are generally not on my side but that’s ok 
21. Are you in a good mood?relatively, yes 
22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks?YES i would love to 
23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?yes 
24. What do you want right this second?more tea 
25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?i mean i would probably be pretty upset about it 
26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color?yes 
27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?not at all 
28. What was the last thing that made you laugh?a twitter post 
29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now?you 
30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?not everybody, no 
31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?i don’t even know who that was???? i was talking to my brother last night so i mean 
32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?i sure hope so hello hannah 
33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?lol i drink way too much help 
34. Listening to?say yes to the dress is on tv 
35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore?i used to write exclusively in pencil but now i write in pen almost always 
36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is?i assume you’re at home in bed 
37. Do you believe in love at first sight?????? i don’t actually know 
38. Who did you last call?you 
39. Who was the last person you danced with?also you 
40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?i was leaving and you’re my girlfriend so ?? 
41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?at mu alpha theta inductions like three months ago i typically don’t like cupcakes that much 
42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?no my mom is still asleep yikes 
43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?idk i’m sure i’ve embarrassed myself in front of you sometime 
44. Do you tan in the nude?i only burn so i try to avoid sun exposure as much as possible 
45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss?no 
46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?you !!! 
47. Who was the last person to call you?see above 
48. Do you sing in the shower?yes 
49. Do you dance in the car?yes 
50. Ever used a bow and arrow?i used to hunt with them until i was like 12 and then in freshman gym class 
51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?i have no clue probably my senior pictures back in october 
52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?no i love them 
53. Is Christmas stressful?yes 
54. Ever eat a pierogi?yes my aunt’s polish grandma makes the BEST 
55. Favorite type of fruit pie?pumpkin, apple, blackberry 
56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?a fashion designer when i was really little, then an astrophysicist from like ages 10 to 16 
57. Do you believe in ghosts?yes 
58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?yes and i hate it more than anything 
59. Take a vitamin daily?no 
60. Wear slippers?no 
61. Wear a bath robe?no 
62. What do you wear to bed?normally a t-shirt and either sweatpants or just underwear 
63. First concert?sarah mclachlan when i was 4 !!! i sat front row right next to her piano and i had a sign that said “my name is adia”
64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?target 
65. Nike or Adidas?adidas but only because you like it and i can wear your clothes 
66. Cheetos Or Fritos?crunchy cheetos or honey bbq fritos 
67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?sunflower seeds 
68. Favorite Taylor Swift song?i have no idea ??? 
69. Ever take dance lessons?i did gymnastics for approximately 3 weeks when i was like 4 years old 
70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?whatever you want to do !!!! i want u to be happy 
71. Can you curl your tongue?yes 
72. Ever won a spelling bee?in the seventh grade i won the county and then got fourth at regionals 
73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?yes 
74. What is your favorite book?it’s kind of a funny story by ned vizzinni 
75. Do you study better with or without music?with, as long as it’s something that i don’t feel inclined to sing along to 
76. Regularly burn incense?no 
77. Ever been in love?yes !! 
78. Who would you like to see in concert?julien baker!! also pvris with you :)) 
79. What was the last concert you saw?i think one direction 
80. Hot tea or cold tea?hot 
81. Tea or coffee?tea 
82. Favorite type of cookie?snickerdoodles 
83. Can you swim well?well enough ??? idk i kind of hate it but if it came down to it i could save myself 
84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?yes??? 
85. Are you patient?i’d like to think so, yes 
86. DJ or band, at a wedding?band 
87. Ever won a contest?idk i mean define contest i’ve won lots of school related things 
88. Ever have plastic surgery?no 
89. Which are better black or green olives?neither 
90. Opinions on sex before marriage?i think that people should do what they want to do and what they’re comfortable with, personally i don’t care (obviously oops) 
91. Best room for a fireplace?bedroom 
92. Do you want to get marriedyes