Not My Mother's Coven

“Success will come with motivation, planning, and determination. Setting forth with heart and soul, I know I will achieve my goal." A young woman sat in a circle of people in a wooded area and places a folded piece of paper beneath a stone and repeated these words until she felt she could stop, hoping that her goals could be reached.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Ariadne’s perspective

Two weeks earlier…

I watched from across the street as my younger sister sat away from the other kids in the group home. I’d been standing here for the last couple of weeks, watching from afar as my sister crumbles in on herself. It’s been three years since we were separated by CPS when our living conditions were discovered. It took me until recently to finally find Medea in this foster home, her third one in as many years. God, she’s both changed so much and hasn’t changed at all.

She was so bright and sweet, but life with our mother had made her meek and withdrawn. Being away from our mother hasn’t changed her meekness or her withdrawal from others, but being away from me has taken her brightness and sweetness from her. I reached out to the gate separating us from one another and whispers softly, “Soon, baby sister, soon.”

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Two weeks later…

I look toward my friend surrounding me in a circle as I prepare the spell that Jackie found for me. My hands were sweaty as I held the piece of paper I wrote for the spell. Jackie, who was directly in front of me, leaned forward and whispered, “You got this!” with her thumbs held up. She’s such a dork. Manny to the left of her snorted in amusement as Zenobia beside him shushed him with a small smile of her own.

Ashlee sighed, smiling as well, and then spoke up, “Let us cast our magic circle, guys. Don’t want anything nasty affecting the spell.” There were murmurs of agreement and then they began. “Oh, spirits of earth may you ground us, spirits of air may you carry our words, spirits of fire may you protect us during our works, and spirits of water may you cleanse us and our surroundings. So, mote it be.” This had been my first big spell since joining the coven. Not that I hadn’t done any spell work, just small things, like lighting candles untouched and stuff. But it was definitely the biggest and most important spell I’d ever cast.

As I cast the spell I held my wish close and clear in my mind. The image of my sister in my arms, of the judge granting me custody, is nearly too precious to bare. Suddenly, I felt a rush of warmth and energy that left just as quickly as it came, then I knew that the spell worked. I would soon have Medea with me by my side.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Medea’s perspective

Present day…

It’s been a week since I started to live with my sister and I’m waiting at the entrance of the trail that led into the woods behind my sister’s house. She had wanted to show me something and introduce me to her friends and she seemed so excited that I wasn’t going to say no. Ariadne is about four years older than me and I’ve looked up to her for as long as I can remember, she was my lifeline and my safe space during the worst times of our lives. I look up at the sound of footsteps crunching towards me.

She’s finally here, walking over with a group of people, I guess they are the ones she wants to introduce me to. As soon as she sees me, she stops talking to the tall tan man next to her and breaks into a run. “MEDEA!” Her skirt and hair fluttering in the wind as she rushes towards me with a giant smile on her face, it is as bright as the moon overhead. We nearly fall over from her momentum but we manage to catch ourselves. She hugs me so tight that it feels like my spine is going to pop and I felt tears spring to my eyes.

God, I missed her. My time in the foster system had worn me thin and the negativity from the kids around me was starting to make me think that maybe she would forget about me, but I see that I was wrong. She missed me just as much as I missed her, if not more. I clear my throat and try to blink away the tears. I quickly pull away before I get overwhelmed and look over at the group of people that stood to the side.

“So, who’re they?”, I quickly try to distance myself, but Ari refuses to let go. She turns to face them while still holding onto my hand, “These are some of my friends who’ve been helping me out not long after I aged out. This is Jackie, Manny, Zenobia, and Donna. Ashlee will be meeting us at our spot. Let’s go!" Ari made a quick introduction to them before dragging me off into the woods with her. I look back at the others, but they just seem amused at her antics. It isn’t long before we arrive at a natural stone clearing in the woods.

There’s a short, curvy, black woman standing to the side seemingly lighting the last candle of a circle. I guess this is Ashlee. She looks up at our arrival and gives us a soft smile. “Good, you finally made it. Come, make yourselves comfortable.” She gestures to the many pillows, blankets, and beanbags. Ari was quick to pull me over to the extra large beanbag and plop us down on it.

A few seconds later, the others join us in the clearing and pick their own seats. Once Ashlee herself settles in, she claps and gives us a big grin, “Lets begin the opening incantation!” What? Incantation? “What are you talking about?” Ari gently squeezes my hand and gives me a comforting smile, “Just watch and you’ll see.”

I watch as everyone chants these words, my sister included, and just as I am about to get up and leave in frustration, I feel it. A surge of warmth and energy that seems to wrap around me. I watch in awe as the wind swirls flowers and water droplets around me and Ari. I feel loved. I didn’t realize that I was crying until Ari wipes away tears from my face.

“Don’t worry. This is yours, too.” I stare at my sister’s face and begin to smile. Finally, I’m home.