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“Do you give us permission to cross the threshold?” Trixie asked.
“Are you asking me?” I said.
“Yes,” Mod said. “If you knew anything, you’d know your family is the only one who has access to this spot. All others need you to?—”
“Mod!” Trixie began.
“No! She needs to learn. Stop coddling her.”
“Yes!” I cried, trying to stop their arguing. “Yes, I give permission.”
“You have to say our names,” Piya said quickly, no doubt before Mod could interject.
I nodded. “Yes, I give permission to Trixie, Mod, and Piya to enter.”
Mod entered the clearing first and started walking around. As soon as I left the trees and set foot in the clearing, I felt it. It started as a buzz tingling on my skin, then it was followed by a warmth that felt like a blanket enveloping me in a soft hug. I felt cocooned in love and acceptance.
As if reading my thoughts, Trixie said, “This is your family’s source of power. It’s where all the witches in your family can come and recharge. You feel it, right?”
“How come Charli hasn’t shown you this?” Mod asked, staring at me.
“She said I wasn’t ready.” The feeling of welcome was overwhelming, and I was hearing multiple voices in my head, all vying to talk to me.
“You wouldn’t be able to feel this magic if you weren’t a witch,” Piya said.
I nodded again, but I wasn’t sure how much my head was actually moving. The voices were getting louder, and they were insistent. Bruno’s face and flashes of something white filtered through my brain, causing a headache to start forming. I closed my eyes and began to focus on my breathing.
“This is too much for her,” Piya was saying. “She’s struggling under the voices. We need to get her back to the house.”
“No, Piya. This is good for her. Leave her!” Mod said. “Why don’t you two ever listen to me?”
I felt myself being lifted, though not by my arms but my whole body. It felt like I was floating. I couldn’t open my eyes; all I could do was concentrate on not succumbing to the barrage of voices.
Lira
The bickering was insistent. It sounded like Charli was yelling at a number of people, and all the noise hurt my head. I took hold of the blanket wrapped around my body and burrowed down into it. I then lifted my pillow and put it on top of my head. Make it stop. Please, just make it stop.
“You’re going to be okay, Lira. Can you open your eyes?”
This voice sounded different to the others. It was closer and a lot calmer. And for the first time, my mind was clear. I opened my eyes to see Trixie and Piya looking down at me.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Nothing unusual, just?—”
“That’s the longest we’ve ever seen anyone knocked out after visiting the grove for the first time,” Piya said. “Charli said?—”
Trixie shushed her, and I turned my attention back to her.
“What do you mean, Trixie? I heard voices.”
“What were they saying?” Piya said. Her eyes had gotten rounder, and her jaw had dropped.
“Piya, why don’t you wait outside,” Trixie said.
Piya, realizing she’d said too much, nodded and walked out of the room.
“She could have stayed,” I said quietly.
