Just focus Lana, I can do this. I am my own witch, I have two elements, some person sometimes talks in my head but I can do this.

I get out of the car, taking in the city, I have never left the small town of Fairhope, never in a million years. Well maybe just eighteen years but whatever, I inhale deeply taking in the city smell.

I cough up a lung, spluttering like an idiot as I hold onto the car, it smells like garbage. I look just in time to see a garbage truck pass, yeah, that makes sense.

"Come on the shop is just around the corner." Vincent gets out of the car, slamming the door shut.

We didn't tell anyone where we were going, my mom would have a fit and Savanna would have our heads. We never left the town only if really necessary, well I deemed this necessary.

It's been several days since Vincent agreed to help me, since Penny's ceremony and the undying notion that I needed to find the killer who did this to Penny. No other incident has happened where the voice was present so I must be doing something right. Savanna hasn't let me train with the others, she said I wasn't allowed to use my elements until she figured out how to control them. Well she used the word suppress.

The reason we came out here was because Vincent knew someone who could channel my elements and see what was going on inside my body. This person was supposedly a cast witch, so he decided to study every ounce of magick. Meaning he could do everything, I had my doubts but Vincent said he was cool.

"Alright this is it." He said.

I gaze up at the building, "The Mystics Hand", seriously, "You've got to be joking."

Vincent chuckles, "Don't be discouraged, he uses his gifts for some extra cash, you know palm reading that sort of stuff but he's a really good guy."

"I'm sure," I grumble. It's not like it wasn't heard of, other witches using their gifts to play with a human's mind and get some easy money. The circle shuns such behavior; the High Sisters think it unjust to their goddess.

"Lana if you don't feel like doing this then we can go home, I don't want to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with."

I clear my head, it's not like the rule is really enforced anyway, "No it's okay, let's go inside."

I pull my scarf from around my neck, the air was hot inside unlike the chilly air that now is very much present outside.

Several candles were lit around the small shop lighting a small path to several rocks and stones and crystals displayed in glass cases. Different colored candles with small sayings on them were lined up on shelves and incense lined one whole wall in different smells and colors. Everything was heavily decorated just like in the movies, he even had a beaded curtain that acted like a door to another side of the room.

"Vincent my man!"

I was interrupted by the loud voice; it was manly of course but softer more soothing in a way. I turned facing them as they exchanged a friendly embrace like guys do with a weird handshake and half hug. I felt oddly out of place, not knowing what to do as they talk to one another.

Vincent faces me first, a smile on his face one that reaches his eyes, "This is Lana, Lana this is Malcolm."

His friend Malcolm walks to me, his blonde dreads and blue eyes are nothing compared to the guys back home. He is rugged but boyish, he most likely belongs on a beach, not in some town here in Alabama.

He extends a hand, I take it or to be kind, "Nice to meet you, Lana it's nice to place a face to a name especially one as beautiful as yours."

I blush knowing I must be as red as my hair, "Um, it's nice to meet you too Malcolm."

He smiles a toothy grin, "Please call me Mal, I loathe the name."

I return his smile sliding my hand out of his, "Mal it is."

Someone clears their throat rather loudly, I direct my eyes to a glowering Vincent, "Come on Mal, where are we doing this?"

He turns back to his friend, directing us to the beaded curtain, "This way." He said with a laugh, they exchanged some sort of look before disappearing leaving me to question what the heck they were talking about.

I move aside the sparkling beads and enter the room, it's darkly lit but brightens as soon as Mal lights several pillars filled with colored glass. Vincent is off to the side leaning against the wall, which is a dark blue. The floor is covered in a multicolored rug that are in circles kind of like our ritual circles. On one side several mirrors are on the wall in all different sizes but they still seem to fit together. A table is shoved in another corner where I'm sure he does his palm readings.

"What is that?" I was curious about the small pieces of glass that seemed to hold a flame without melting.

Malcolm smiled, lifting a handful of the small pieces and walked over to me, he gestured for me to hold out my hand, so I did. "It's called fire glass; they are literally pieces of glass laced with other materials to make a long lasting heat source. They can burn for days without going out, they give off no smoke and they don't smell, perfect for anything really."

I held up a small piece they were all different colors and smooth. "There beautiful." Something as simple as glass.

"Thanks." I place them back into his hands, he saunters away placing them back inside the small pillar before lighting them.

"What are we doing, well how are we doing this?" My voice sounded small in this place, I wondered if they even heard me.

Mal grins, "It's simple really, all you have to do is lay just there." He points to the center of the rug where the ripples of circles begin.

I look to Vincent, his dark brown eyes catch the candlelight making him seem much more beautiful as he stares at me, "It's okay Lana."

I have to admit I was scared not because of Malcolm but of myself. What if I did something to harm them? I would never forgive myself.

Malcolm sits on the ground gesturing for me to sit, "How about we talk first, how long have you known my friend here?"

I relax a little, appreciating his patience, "Not long, I met him at the initiation, which was only a few weeks ago." I sit in the center of the circles, just a few feet away from Mal.

"I'm sure he was a boatload of fun." He laughs, throwing his friend a grin.

"He was something alright," I glance back at Vincent, he just watches us. "I thought he was a jerk." I catch a small smile before turning back around.

"Enough of that party pooper, now you are something, two elements and one of them is fire." He whistles as he leans back. "You're the talk of many circles around here."

I fiddle with my hands, "Really." Why would anyone care, it's not like I can use them?

"Oh yeah, come on in a boring ass town like this one you're a breath a fresh air, I mean Vincent too but no one likes Vincent but you you're actually likable."

I laugh shyly, "Right until they find out I could accidentally kill them with just thinking up a storm."

"Lana." Vincent whispers.

I keep my head down not wanting to show this person how stupid I am, nice first impression Lana. "Hey." Malcolm raises my head with his finger under my chin. "I'm here to help," He glances at Vincent. "We both are."

"Thank you."

He let's go of my chin, smiling, he seemed to like to smile. "I mean who doesn't like a damsel in distress." He winks making me blush again.

"How about you start whatever it is you need to do, I'm ready." Butterflies seep into my stomach but I know I have to do this.

He clasps his hands rubbing them together a little, "Alright then, go ahead and lay back just don't move and try not to think about your elements no matter what you see or hear."

I bite my lip, laying back slowly, "Hey I'll be here the whole time." My eyes meet Vincent; I nod my head as he casually walks to the side of me so I can better see him.

I focus back on Mal, instead of lighting candles and burning incense he pulls out a crystal.

"One more thing I'm going to need you to take that off." He points to my pendant.

"What for?" I was just curious, my mom said it protects whoever wears it but I thought it was just a reassuring thing, she gave it to me after the girls locked me in the basement and scared me.

"It's a protection stone, whoever gave it to you must mean a lot."

"It's a family heirloom." I touch the smooth black stone.

"Makes sense, my family has something similar, you can put it back on once I'm done but I can't reach you unless you take it off. It blurs you I guess."

I peer down at the pendant, raising it above my head to set it aside. My mother wasn't lying when she said it protected me but why didn't it protect me from the voice. She wasn't harming me in anyway but if it blurs me so to speak why was she able to go through me like that.

"Alright now, like I said before don't think about your elements just think about a childhood memory anything that will keep your mind off them."

I saw the importance of this, he was channeling my elements if I thought of one and conjured it I could send a bomb off.

"I understand but are you sure you want to do this. I wouldn't want to put any one of you in danger." I regarded Vincent as well, he wasn't physically doing it but he was here.

"I have experience with this sort of stuff, done it for a while now I think I can handle even you but if anything does go wrong I have things in place that will protect us. Don't worry." He smiles reassuring me with a pat on my arm.

"Mal might be an overconfident caster but he knows what he's doing, I promise you, Lana." Even Vincent was sure of him, so I trusted them.

"Okay." I closed off my elements, they seemed abandoned but I ignored their wanting, elements bind themselves to you, they're not alive but they are in some form, if that makes sense. I haven't used them since the ceremony they feel useless not being used for what they are meant to but if this works and he can figure out what's going on with them then I will know what to do to control them. All in due time, I guess.

The crystal he has in his hand is blood red, it shines as the flickering candles cast off of it. He swirls the crystal; I watch as it picks up speed swirling in elegant circles.

Mal leans forward blowing lightly, the crystal engulfs into flames as it continues to circle.

"The movement represents air, the crystal represents fire, your elements, now Lana don't close your eyes look away if you have to."

Hypnotized by the crystal I turn away finding Vincent, I won't be able to look back, I will think of them if I do.

Vincent watches me, he slides down the wall never taking his eyes off of me. I want to close my eyes, I feel embarrassed and shy as he travels with his brown eyes across my green eyes and my freckles.

I gasp, inhaling a sharp breath as my back arches off the ground, my head falls back, my red hair sways down to the floor in soft tumbles as I lift higher but no matter what I don't look, I watch him. Even he doesn't look, he nods with a grin his small gesture a sign that I'm doing just fine.

I hear Malcolm stand trying to be level with my rising body, I glance at him for a second, he's so deeply focused.

A small tingling feeling spreads across my limbs, as if he's searching across the plains of my skin. I hold in a small squeal as Malcolm places a hand on my stomach, I didn't realize that the crystal was floating on its own as well just above his hand. I begin to breath heavy as his hand moves up my waist and stopping just on my rib cage.

"Hey." I whip head around looking to Vincent. "It's okay." He reassures.

Then I did what I wasn't supposed to do, I closed my eyes, I heard Vincent shout my name but I was lost in my head and I saw them, my elements.

They moved around me as I stood in a white room but it wasn't defined just white, the yellow color of air pushed into me like an abandoned dog, my fire element was somewhat harder to look upon. It moved away from me like an angry child, I could only smile encouraging it forward as the light red swirls moved around me I laughed. They accepted me, they really did but why wouldn't they listen, why wouldn't they stay controlled.

"Lana!"

I awoke seeing the flames before I heard the sound of a tornado blazing inside this small space. I glanced around me as if everything was in slow motion my hair spread out like spider webs as Vincent stood behind a wall of dark shadows. Malcolm too was behind a wall but it looks more like glass.

"Stop!"

The air rushed out, the flames died down but they all were coming for me, air rushed me just as fire did, the two elements slammed into me. I hit the floor, kicking up concrete dust as I ripped through rug and foundation. I couldn't feel anything as I lay there, the only thing that felt good were my elements, they seemed rather content.

Too bad I would die before using them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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-Ash
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