Witchy Women Nexus, page 5
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you tell me you’re having an ‘open flame’ in a 1600s heritage building.”
“Right.”
“And you’re going to need salt.”
“Salt?”
“For protection.”
“What?”
“There’s some in my bag. I’ll grab it for you before I leave.”
This is strange. “Oh. Thanks.”
“Put a circle of it around you and your friends before summoning anything.”
What is he talking about? “Okay…”
“Actually, I think it’s best if you do the séance in the attic.”
“The attic?”
“Yes. If you piss off any ghosts, I don’t want them throwing delicate exhibit pieces around.”
I laugh. “Okay.”
“And I don’t want any sign of a séance left behind in that attic.” He puts his hand to chin pondering. “Actually, scratch that, I’m not leaving. I’ll just hang out down here, okay? In case things go sideways.”
“What are you going to do if things go sideways?”
“I don’t want you putting yourself at risk without…” He pauses. “Without me here to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
He hesitates. “I don’t usually go around telling people this, but,” he stops. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone. This stays between us.”
I frown. “Of course.”
“I’m a descendant of Bridget Bishop.”
“What?”
“Yes. I am the great-great-great-great…” he takes a breath, “great-great-great-great-grandson of Bridget Bishop.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. And I’ve chatted with her quite a few times over the years. She’s taught me a lot.”
No wonder he’s been able to offer me so much insight from that time. He’s been connecting with someone who was actually there. Possibly. Or…I don’t know. My chest tightens. “Was she actually a witch?”
Dave smirks. “She didn’t consider herself one at the time. She was a midwife and a healer. Beautiful, smart, and had the audacity to own a sizeable piece of land in Puritan New England while being a woman.”
“Right. I knew that.”
“But I am.”
“You’re a witch?”
“Yes.”
“Okay…” I guess I should’ve figured that out after noticing his place smelled like patchouli and was filled with crystals, plants, and bundles of dried herbs when I went over there.
“And what you’re attempting is serious stuff. My spirit guides tell me not to stop you, that this is all part of your path, but…” ours eyes meet. “I’m going to be here to support you. If that’s okay.”
It hadn’t really occurred to me that working with magic could be dangerous. That’s probably naive. Of course magic can be dangerous.
“All right. Yes. I appreciate any insight you can give us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, three friends are coming for the séance.”
“Ah.”
“Is that okay?”
He pauses, like he’s channeling a message, then smiles. “Of course.”
* * *
I climb up the steep stairs carrying a box of candles I keep in my fireplace. When I open the attic door, a wall of hot, muggy air hits me. I step into the space and pull the string for the overhead light. It clicks loudly and buzzes faintly as I scan the room for a place to set up. Boxes and bins are scattered about, along with the odd piece of antique furniture. It smells like old books and stale air. I set the box down on a nearby side table.
“It’s like swimming through soup,” Arya comments.
“I don’t think my workshop even gets this hot,” Gina adds.
“It’s awfully stuffy in here. Can we get a fan or something?” Maria suggests.
“Good idea,” I reply, heading back toward the steep, narrow stairs. They’re practically a ladder. I don’t know how all this stuff got up here, if I’m being honest. Must have been a tight squeeze. Just as I open the door, I gasp, placing a hand over my mouth.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Dave chuckles. “I have the salt.” He holds it up like a game show model on The Price Is Right.
“Salt. Right. Thank you. Um, do you know if there’s a fan around?” I ask.
“But the salt will blow all over…” he starts, then sighs. “Never mind. I’ll grab it for you. And an extension cord.”
“Thanks, Dave!”
Arya calls over her shoulder, “I think that’s a good spot over there. Maybe if we move that table?”
“Good idea,” Gina replies, lifting one end. Maria silently grabs the other side, and they shift the table in front of one of the windows. The last rays of sunlight sparkle through the decorative glass.
“So now what? Do we get a Ouija board or…?” Arya asks.
Dave appears with a compact black desk fan, placing it just inside the room before switching it on. “I’m not sure how much it’ll help, but at least it’ll circulate the air.” He claps his hands together, then takes a moment to observe each of us.
Arya wears dark-wash jeans and a black blouse, her hair pin-straight. Maria’s in yoga pants and a fitted workout shirt, her pixie cut unstyled and soft around her face. Gina’s dressed in a black romper, her dreads tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, a green canvas army bag slung across her chest. I’m in black jean shorts and a tank top, my wavy hair clipped into a half-ponytail.
“I’ll leave you ladies to it. I’ll be right downstairs if anything weird happens.”
“Jane mentioned you’re a witch,” Arya says.
Shit. I’m supposed to keep that a secret. Luckily, Dave seems unfazed. “I am,” he says with a nod.
“How do we do this?” Arya asks.
“I did a bit of research,” I jump in. “We just need to light some candles, create a calm space, and sit in a circle. Then we invite the spirits to contact us.”
“We don’t need a Ouija board?” Arya asks.
“Well, you could use one. There’s an old one somewhere in here,” Dave says, rummaging through boxes beside Maria, who stands with her arms crossed. “Jane’s right, if your energy is linked and focused, you can connect. I mean, I connect with Bridget all the time. No candles or props, she just shows up when she feels like it.”
He continues pulling things out of a box. “Aha! I knew it was in here.” Dave pulls out an old wooden box with a carved board on top and hands it to Maria. She runs her fingers over the surface. A crescent moon with the word No sits in the top right corner; a smiling sun and Yes in the top left. The alphabet curves across two lines with the numbers 0–9 below and Goodbye at the bottom.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Maria murmurs.
“Be gentle with her. She’s vintage,” Dave says with a smile. “And I insist we draw a circle of protection with the salt first.” He gestures to me, and I realize I’m still holding the box of salt.
“I brought sage for cleansing,” Gina adds, reaching into her bag.
“Good call,” Dave nods.
“Gina, why don’t you cleanse the room while Jane sets up the candles. Maria and I can figure out the board?” Arya suggests.
“Okay, sounds good,” I say, arranging candles in the space we cleared. Gina lights the sage bundle, letting it burn for a few seconds before blowing it out. A cloud of white smoke drifts into the room as she walks around, spreading the earthy scent.
The sun slips below the horizon, and stars begin to appear. A few moments later, we sit cross-legged in a circle. Four candles are placed at the cardinal points: north, south, east, and west. Dave assigned our seats based on our elements: Earth to the north, Fire to the south, Water to the west, and Air, me, at the east. A fifth candle sits in the center beside the Ouija board, now in front of me. Dave pours a circle of salt around us, murmuring an incantation under his breath.
“I’ll be right downstairs in case you summon a demon or something.”
“What?!” Gina exclaims.
“I’m just kidding.” Dave waves his hand. “You can’t summon a demon. I made sure of that when I sealed the circle of protection.”
“Great,” Arya says flatly.
Dave pulls the string to switch off the light with a loud click. We hear the door close behind him, then the creak of the stairs as he descends. The house goes still. The only sound is the fan humming softly. We exchange nervous glances.
“Jane, do you want to get started?” Arya asks.
I gulp. “Sure,” I squeak, then clear my throat. “Sure.” I place two fingers from each hand on the planchette. “Bridget Bishop, are you here with us?”
Nothing. We look around at each other.
“Wait…should we ask our magic keepers or something?” Gina suggests.
“Bridget Bishop, are you here with us?” I repeat.
The room turns cold. We can see our breath. The planchette suddenly moves out from under my fingers to the word No.
Maria gasps. Arya’s mouth drops open. Gina smiles, revealing her deep dimples.
I steady myself. “Who are you?”
The planchette moves: M.
Then O.
Then M.
“Mom!” Gina cries. “Maybe it’s my mom! Let’s hold hands. Combine our energy.”
We clasp hands. Our birthmarks glow.
A bright light flashes above the Ouija board, and then, my mom appears, floating above us. She’s in a long, white flowing dress, her dark hair drifting around her head like she’s underwater. Her golden eyes lock with mine. Tears stream down my cheeks. My heart pounds. Butterflies dance in my stomach.
“Mommy?” I whisper.
“Yes, my love. I need you to know. I have a twin sister.”
“What?” I breathe.
“I didn’t know when I was earthside. We were separated at birth for protection.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her name is Maria Aguas.”
Maria gasps and covers her mouth, breaking our energetic connection.
My mom begins to fade. “I love you, Jane. I’m always with you. Your path won’t be easy but you were born to walk it.”
She disappears.
A dam inside me breaks. Tears pour down my face as I sob into my hands. Someone’s arms wrap around me.
The fan hums louder. Wind begins to whip around the room. Candles blow out. Boxes and furniture shift with the breeze. In the dark, a small tornado spins before us, then a large Pegasus appears, black with glowing constellations and golden eyes.
“Jane Camden of Sparta. It is wonderful to finally meet you,” she says, bowing. Her voice is a soft melody. “I am your guide and magic keeper, Astra.”
I sniffle. “Nice to meet you, Astra.”
A thunderous crash echoes as Dave bursts into the room. “Is everyone okay? It sounded like a herd of elephants up here!”
Astra leaps into my wrist. A glowing constellation of a Pegasus appears inside my crescent moon birthmark.
The light clicks on. We all stand up. The room is a mess—papers and boxes everywhere.
Dave stares at me. “Jane. Your eyes.”
Everyone turns to look.
“They’ve turned grey.”
I squeeze them shut, then open them again.
“Never mind,” Dave mutters, surveying the chaos.
“What happened up here?”
“My mom,” I say.
“No way.”
I nod. Dave pulls me into a hug.
“That’s incredible. You talked to your mom?”
“Jane?” Maria speaks softly. We all turn. She’s pale.
“Did I ever mention I’m named after my mother?”
“Really?” Gina asks.
“Yeah. It’s a family tradition. All the firstborn girls are named Maria.”
“Okay…” Arya steps forward. “And?”
“Her maiden name is Aguas.”
“What?!” Gina yells.
“What’s going on?” Dave asks.
“So wait,” I say, turning to Maria. “Does that mean…”
“You’re cousins,” Arya finishes.
6
EARTH ~ ARYA
Thursday, October 30, 2025
I check my email. Come on, come on, come on. Don’t let me down, Daniela. I overnighted our samples to the Boston-based partner lab last night and marked it extreme rush. It was pure luck I still had a few leftover testing kits from the conference.
Damn it. Nothing yet.
We all agreed to meet at Jane’s house for 2 p.m., after her morning class where she’s working as a teaching assistant, and before Gina has to set up her booth at 3. Hopefully I’ll have some answers to bring them.
My phone rings, and I smile at the familiar name.
“Hey, weirdo.”
Elsie scoffs, then smirks, her ocean eyes wide. “Hey, weirdo.”
My jaw drops in mock outrage. “Is that my sweater?”
She looks down, shrugs, and flops back on her bed. “No.”
“That’s totally my sweater,” I tease, lying back on mine. “That’s cashmere, Els. You better not ruin it.” I point at the screen.
She rolls her eyes. “How’s Salem?”
“It’s fine.” I didn’t mean for my voice to go that high. “How’s work?”
“Work is totally mid.” Our black short-haired cat, Leo, jumps onto her chest, purring loud enough to come through the speaker. She absentmindedly scratches between his ears. “I don’t know why we have to go into the office three times a week just to sit on Teams meetings all day.” She pauses. “And half of them are meetings to prep for other meetings. It’s giving, inefficient.”
“Welcome to the corporate jungle.” I smile and raise an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work right now? That’s why you couldn’t come on this trip.”
“I’m working from home. Obviously.”
“Working hard,” I tease.
“No cap. I’m between meetings. What are you, my manager?” She sits up, and Leo hops off her chest. “What are you doing today? How’s the Halloween festival?”
“Yeah, the festival’s fun. People really get into it with costumes and decorations. But there are lineups for everything: stores, food, bathrooms. It’s super busy.”
“You chillin’ with your new birthday friends?”
I told Elsie about our birthday brunch, but I don’t know how to bring up the… you know, magical stuff. She’ll probably think I’ve lost it.
“Yeah, we’re meeting up this afternoon.”
“Great. See any witches yet?”
I smirk. You have no idea. “Tons. They’re everywhere.”
“Any other big plans for today? Entertain me, peasant. I’m bored.”
“I’m going for a nature walk with Maria. Get away from the crowds. It gets to be a bit much after a while.”
“You? Nature? Are you for real? Do you have a fever?”
“What?” I act defensive. “I like trees. And flowers. And stuff.”
“You do love a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers.”
“See? Nature.” I wave my hand in the air.
“Whoa, what is that? Did you get a tattoo?” Elsie exclaims.
“Oh, right. Yeah.” I clear my throat. “It’s kinda weird… my new friends who, you know, have the same birthday as me? Turns out we all have a similar birthmark on our wrists. We thought it might be fun to commemorate the weird coincidence with a tattoo.”
I feel awful lying.
“You? You got a tattoo?” She raises an eyebrow, the same way I always do.
“Yeah, it’s got major drip.” I respond sarcastically.
“You think a tattoo is suddenly stylish? Who are you and what have you done with my sister? You live in the Distillery District, work a high-profile corporate job, and refuse to stay anywhere with fewer than five stars. Now you’re out here talking about nature walks and tattoos?”
“People can change, you know.” I fold my arms. “And for the record, the Salem Inn is a three-star hotel, so I’m not that snooty.”
She rolls her eyes. The familiar Teams ringtone blares in the background, and she pouts.
“I can’t. I better get that. Stupid work interrupting the tea.”
“Yeah, hate it when that happens.” I say dryly.
“Chat later. Love you, sister friend.”
I smile. “Love you too. And put my sweater back in my closet.”
“Sorry, sis, you’re breaking up.” Then she’s gone.
I hate lying to Elsie but I’m still trying to process everything. I’ll tell her eventually. When I’m ready. I think back to how it fel when I landed my first corporate job after graduation. I’m so freaking proud of her. She got a scholarship, though she didn’t exactly need it. Our mom may have been an absentee alcoholic, but she always made sure we had the best: private schools, designer clothes, top-tier everything. Elsie lived with me rent-free, got hired straight out of her internship, and just… never moved out. I finally put my foot down though. Now that she’s got a salary, she at least pays for groceries and the internet.
I glance at the time. I’m supposed to meet Maria at ten. It’s nine now. I didn’t make it to the gym, but I’ll probably get some cardio on the trail. I look at my reflection in the mirror. I’m in a matching grey sweats and crop top. My hair pulled back in low ponytail under a black baseball cap with the GeneNova logo on it. I should pack up and get moving. The next bus leaves in eighteen minutes, and it’s about a twenty-minute ride to Salem Woods Park.
* * *
I walk slowly down the boardwalk, taking in the vibrant fall colours. The sun’s rays peek through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the trail. The air is brisk and fresh. I feel grounded. At peace. I think I can hear a faint whisper. It must be the wind.
It’s warmer than I expected, but I’m starting to understand why people like hikes. The rustling of leaves draws my attention, and suddenly, Blossom appears. I wasn’t expecting that. I guess I must have accidentally summoned her. I look around, panicked. We’re alone on the trail, for now.
“Hi Blossom,” I say with a smile.
Blossom stretches, her petal-fur standing on edge before she gives it a shake. “Hello, Arya. It’s a beautiful day.”
