Reborn: Chapter Nine

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Chapter Nine

All four girls flopped on their double beds at the Regency hotel in London with an audible sigh. The past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of events as they’d traveled from Paris to Venice to Dublin where they’d spent the majority of their time on tours and in museums.

Their days had been so filled with activity Anna had had little time to dwell on anything disturbing. The shadow men she'd seen were just a blur as she blinked them away and went on to the next place--with the tiny exception of one time in France.

They were walking through Montmarte and she’d found herself trailing behind a bit, lost in her thoughts and taking in the sights. She’d noticed an aged yet still attractive woman seated on a stone bench writing a letter, and as she’d approached she could tell the woman had been amused with whatever it was she’d been writing down. And then she’d glanced across the street and her expression had turned dark.

Following her gaze Anna had been startled to see a shadow man. She’d looked back at the woman who had already returned to her letter, her eyes filled with amusement once more.

As she’d walked past her she’d met eyes the exact same violet shade as Jenna's and been greeted by a wide smile and a little wave that she’d returned. For a moment she had been tempted to stop and talk to her, but then the girls had called for her to catch up and she’d decided to let it go.

They had spoken to Holly several times in the past couple of weeks and although her father had come through the surgery without complications she’d decided to stay with her mom and help with the recovery process. Anna had assured her that she would have no qualms about returning to Europe the following summer. Jess on the other hand had been nearly impossible to get a hold of. They knew from Holly that she had no intentions of changing her mind so it appeared it would remain the four of them for the rest of the vacation.

Anna picked up their travel guide and lay back on the bed reading out loud. “According to many sources the capital is seething with after-hours drinking and dancing dens of all shapes and sizes. From the pulsating dance floors of major nightclubs to the chilled intimacy of smaller DJ bars, London has something to offer both the hardcore party animals and those looking for a quiet drink and some good conversation.” She put the brochure down and grinned. “I'm pretty damn sure we will fall into both of those categories before this trip is over, whatcha think?"

"Hell yeah, but right now I'm leaning towards the hardcore," Marina stated.

"You know it," Macey gave her a high five.

"I love culture and all, but sheesh my brain is exhausted. I couldn't look at another artifact without going into mental overload," Jenna sat up and crossed her eyes and Anna laughed as she nodded.

Marina turned on the hotel supplied radio and Werewolves of London blared from the speakers. "Oh yeah, good song!" They all howled in unison than dissolved in gales of laughter.

Anna's phone beeped announcing a new text message and she pulled it from her purse.

"Austin?" Jenna guessed.

"Uh huh. He says if we're going out- Yah, If-"Anna rolled her eyes, "be sure to stay in main clubs and not go to any raves. Oh and he sent an attachment. It's an article, apparently some girls went to an underground rave and had some drugs slipped in their drink....and ended up being raped. Nice. Smart. Okay, so if we do go to any raves we follow a few simple rules--watch each other's backs, stick to bottled beer and be sure to watch them being opened. Accept no drinks from strangers and keep drink in hand at all times."

"What's a rave?" Marina asked.

Macey giggled and Jenna explained. "It's like an underground party. You have to be invited and then you have to stay until morning. Lots of drugs and in some cases people having sex right out in the open."

"Oh, no thanks, I think we'll pass on the orgy," Marina made a face.

None of them were into that kind of scene, but…

"Oh I don't know," Jenna said, "If we follow what Anna said it might be interesting to check one out, they're not always that hardcore."

Anna was nodding. "Well, we'll see. Let's get ready and head downtown."

Since it was a Wednesday night the clubs weren't very crowded and they passed by several as they walked down the strip. It was fun just to be walking the streets of London commenting on the different people they saw. There were a large number of weirdoes covered in tattoos and piercings, but there were also kids dressed mostly like they were, as well as…well suffice to say the people were varied and eclectic.

There was one thing they all had in common, something Anna had noticed in other parts of Europe as well-almost everybody smoked. Rudolph and Julien both had and all but Macey had ended up trying a few cigarettes, especially when they were drinking.

Anna felt like having one now and said so. They located a small convenience store and bought a pack.

"I don't want to get addicted to these things," Anna commented, "but I think it's fun to have one once in a while. Austin only smokes if he's drinking so I'm guessing it's possible to be part-time."

"Definitely, you just have to make up your mind about it," Jenna looked by far the sexiest when she drew it in, as if a cigarette was meant to be between her fingers.

They rounded a corner and saw a group of girls headed around the back of a building. They were all holding something and there was an air of electric excitement about them.

"Let's check it out," Anna suggested.

They hurried up to the last few people disappearing around the bricks. "Hey, what's going on?" Marina asked a freckle faced girl.

"We're going to invoke our inner powers under the light of the full moon," the girl replied in hushed tones. She was holding a bag that appeared to have different colored candles.

The foursome raised their brows at that. "You're witches?" Marina asked.

"No, we're Goddesses of Power."

"Can we come?"

"I don't know, you'll have to ask the Mistress." She pointed to the front where a fortyish woman with long blonde hair was facing the gathering.

“I’ll go ask,” Anna stated and made her way up to the front where she waited for the attractive older woman to notice her.

"May I help you?" She asked in a melodic baritone.

"My girlfriends and I were wondering if we might join you."

"Certainly, all women are welcome." She reached inside of her oversized purse and pulled out bags containing candles. "How many of you?"

"Four."

She handed Anna the bags. "Just follow us, I'll instruct everyone in what they are to do."

Anna walked back to her friends and handed them each a bag, a small smile on her face. Personally she thought these things were ridiculous. Not that there wasn't magic in the world, but groups like these were generally made up of wannabe's. Wanna be what? Wanna be a part of something.

"Okay guys, no matter what no outbursts of laughter, seriously, that would be very rude when we were so graciously invited." She tried to look stern but ended up giggling, and knew that with Macey and Marina it was a hopeless request.

The group started moving again and they found themselves in the middle of a large abandoned parking lot.

The “Mistress” addressed the gathering, her smoky voice carrying easily across the empty lot. "You may all sit down, be sure and leave some space between you and the person beside you."

After the group was seated she spoke again. "If you look inside your bags you'll find a small piece of chalk. I would like you to draw a circle around yourselves. Not too small, you will need room to place your candles."

"Oo-kay," Jenna grinned, "We have officially entered wierdsville." But they followed the instructions and waited for more.

The Mistress was wearing a blousy white dress and when she lifted her arms Anna thought she must have intended to appear as an Angel since her sleeves hung down in wings. She began to speak and her voice grew louder, but the words were foreign.

She brought her arms back down and addressed them in English. "I have called upon the Goddesses of old and asked them to be with us this night! All of you sit here today surrounded by a circle which represents the universe. We are all our own unique stars in the vast expanse of space!"

Marina started to titter and Jenna shushed her with a look.

"Some of you may be unaware of the powers that lie within you. You must open up your hearts and minds and embrace the uniqueness of your true selves!"

Anna looked around as the Mistress continued in the same vein and noted there were definitely other skeptics but there were also girls who seemed almost reverent.

"Now, I want you to remove the book of matches from your bag along with your white candle!"

As she pulled out the items Anna made the error of looking at Macey whose face was red from restrained laughter. She felt a giggle building and had to bite down hard on her lip to keep it from erupting.

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slow, holding matches and candle in hand. It was a tea candle with a little aluminum casing. How convenient, she thought, no mess. That almost did her in, she had to squeeze her eyes shut and force the hilarity back down with an intense concentration of will.

"This white candle represents the powers of healing and long life! We all have these abilities lying dormant within our minds, the ability to heal mental, emotional, and physical ailments, in others and in ourselves. If we can just tap into this power we might live many years beyond what is expected! Light this candle and place it in front of you, meditating on the truth of your own inner power."

The desire to laugh faded as Anna lit her candle and stared at the flame considering. The woman might be a flake, but was she wrong? She'd always wondered about things like that. They had been created with such complexity was it impossible to imagine that they’d also been given the ability to heal themselves and others? Her father firmly believed the human body was far stronger than people gave it credit for and that the mind was a powerful tool when it came to things like sickness and pain.

"Now I want you to remove the red candle! This one represents the ability to see events that have not yet come to pass, even if is just in the form of an intuition. Though some truly have the ability to foretell, all have the ability to discern if they just listen to their inner voices! Light this candle and place it to the left of the white."

Anna looked at Jenna and winked. The voluptuous beauty definitely had that intuition. Macey and Marina were also looking at her, their faces split by shit eating grins. Jenna wrinkled her nose at them and lifted the candle high in the air, then swept it down dramatically, lighting it in the process. They all giggled and followed suit.

"Now the black candle! As all of you know, black is associated with Evil, and Goddesses I can assure you that there is evil in this world! The power we invoke with this candle is the power to truly see it, to discern its presence, that we might fight it in a world that is darkening every day! Light this candle and place it to the right of the white."

Anna shivered, all remnants of humor dissipating, as she lit the candle and considered the shadow men.

"The very last candle in our bag is gold and silver. This represents all other supernatural things in our world that dwell just beyond our limited senses. Some are good and some are evil, some are both, but they are there! We invoke the power to see, to have our eyes truly opened to all that is within our realm! Light this candle and place it beside the red."

Anna chewed her lip for a minute. She didn't really buy this. She could already see evil. Even if there were other things out there the odds that this silly ceremony would “open her eyes” to them were pretty slim. Still she hesitated. She felt someone's gaze on her and turned to see Jenna looking at her questioningly. She smiled and lit the candle. "I was daydreaming," she whispered and Jenna laughed quietly.

"Now that all the candles are lit we are going to call forth the spirits of the ancient Goddesses to invoke the powers within us. Please repeat after me...."

She began speaking in another language again, but slowly, and when it came time to echo her Anna swallowed tightly. Words don’t actually hold power, not in this way, she thought uneasily. She briefly considered staying quiet but for some reason felt compelled to follow suit. Magic is illusion, her mind insisted as she spoke.

Later she would recall thinking that and mock her own naivety.

When they finished the chant, the mistress instructed them to blow out the candles and close their eyes. She continued speaking in foreign words and Anna felt distinctly strange. She had a tingling feeling in her feet and it traveled the length of her body centering somewhere in her skull. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact it felt like she was in a full body massage chair. Then abruptly a white light exploded behind her eyes and she doubled over.

The pain lasted less than a second but it was intense, and when she opened her eyes again her girlfriends were staring at her. She smiled weakly and managed to wink pretending she had done it on purpose. She noticed Jenna looked a little pale and wondered if she had felt something too.

"Now my beautiful Goddesses, we will reconvene at the KilKant and talk about our experience." She waved one blousy arm for them to follow.

"No way, we're not going with them, that was sooo retarded!" Macey stated as they gathered up the candles and dropped them back in their baggies.

"Definitely, let's go hit some bars," Jenna suggested.

Anna was shaken but didn’t want it to show. She piped in with, "So we haven’t been recruited by the G.O.P.'s then?"

"G.O.P.'s?" Marina laughed loudly. "We're down with G.O.P's yeah you know me!"

They all dissolved into laughter but Anna’s was a touch forced. The strangeness she’d felt was still lingering. Shake it off, she told herself, it’s just your imagination getting the best of you.

They stopped for a drink at the first bar they came to but after ten minutes in the place they decided the music was too mellow and headed out to find a more upbeat club.

As they walked Marina entertained them with an exaggerated impression of the Mistress. They were all giggling and Anna had just begun to feel normal again when she saw something that could not be real. She froze completely. The girls kept walking but she couldn't move. It took them a couple of steps to realize she wasn't with them and they looked back at her questioningly.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Not real, she told her pounding heart. What she thought she just saw… She opened her eyes and looked fearfully at the group of approaching guys. Normal teeth, normal eyes. Oh God, get a grip Anna, you are seriously freaking yourself out. She took a deep breath and let it out on a laugh.

"Anna?" Jenna looked concerned.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened, I just...yeah I let those freakazoids mess with my overactive imagination, don't worry," she laughed airily, "it's nothing."

The guys slowed as they neared. "Hey girls, where are you headed?"
Anna’s heart picked up again and her throat closed. The good looking blonde who posed the question was one of the ones that had appeared to be....nope, not going there, totally ridiculous, she chewed her lip.

"Not sure yet, just wandering around," Marina told him.

"Really? You should come with us then."

Anna saw it again and was seriously glad her instinct was to freeze in place, because if she had screamed or in any way brought attention to herself at that moment, and he really was what he couldn't possibly be, then he would know that she saw him......shit, shit, shit, she thought. He had fangs. He had fangs and his eyes were…were not right. They seemed to have some kind of illumination in their depths that was throwing off shimmery beams of light.

She heard the girls agreeing and her freeze frame unlocked.

"No!" She said loudly, startling everyone. She coughed, "err...I'm sorry, I just meant that I want to go up that way," she pointed in the direction they had been heading, "and you know maybe you can tell us where you'll be and we'll meet up with you." She forced herself to look at them and once again they appeared normal.

"Why?" Marina asked, "What's up that way?"

Jenna's eyes were narrowed on her a little as she spoke, "Actually, that's a good idea, why don't we do that?"

The guys gave the name of their destination and expressed their desire to see them then to Anna’s immense relief they walked away.

When they’d put a little distance between them and the group, Jenna stopped, forcing all of them to do the same. "Okay Anna, what gives?"

Her hands were shaking and if it weren’t for her desperate need not to appear crazy she would be running like mad. Shadow men, now this? No, no, no, she had imagined it. She looked at Jenna with a forced smile while she hurriedly thought of some logical excuse. It came to her.

"I think maybe the candles had something in them, you know like incense that affected me," she couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.

Jenna noticed and was instantly concerned. "Affected you how?"

She paused. No way was she telling them about fangs, No. Freaking. Way. She ducked her head and gave her best sheepish expression. "I felt like evil was coming off of them."

"What??" Macey exclaimed.

"Seriously, whoa Anna I didn't think you were that easily duped!" Marina laughed.

Jenna studied her for a moment saying nothing. She glanced across the street and Anna watched her face abruptly drain of color and followed her gaze. Her own eyes widened in disbelief as they landed on the object of Jenna’s sudden fear. A shadow man.

“Jenna?” She whispered.

“I uh, shit, I think you’re right, there was something in the candles,” she stammered.

“Whoa, what’s going on here you two?” Marina stopped smiling.

The fear in Jenna’s expression intensified as her eyes landed on another one.

“Oh my God,” Anna whispered, “you see them.”

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