Awakening

Chapter 13

“It’s okay, sweetheart. We are going to find your dad’s journals,” Nana said as she consoled Maddy.

Maddy was distraught because the only thing she had that tied her to her father had been stripped right out of her arms.

“No one knew about those journals except for us and Luke, Nana, and I know he wouldn’t do anything like that to me,” Maddy said in tears.

Nana wiped Maddy’s tears away and continued to reassure her that the journals would be found.

“Lester, call Luke and see if he can get in touch with Christia,” Nana said.

Grandpa nodded and left Maddy and Nana alone.

“Why do we need Christia,” Maddy asked?

“She’s a witch, and she can help us find your father’s journals by doing a locator spell.”

Maddy laid her head back onto Nana’s shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Grandpa rushed back into the room and handed Nana his phone. Nana put the phone on speaker so that everyone could hear what was about to happen.

“Well it sure has been a while since I saw I heard your voice, chile,” said the voice on the phone.

“It has been a few years. How have you been Christia,” Nana asked?

“Oh, I can’t complain. I see Maddy is coming into herself now? Am I right?”

“Yes she is, and that’s honestly why I wanted Lester to call you.”

“Oh, dear God, what’s going on?”

“Nolan gave Maddy her father’s journals on her birthday and a few days later, she came up to her room to find them missing.”

“That Nolan is always up to something,” Christia said as she laughed. “God knows I miss my baby brother.”

Maddy jumped from Nana’s shoulder in shock.

“What did she just say?”

“Maddy, we’ll discuss that later,” Nana said.

Christia was still cackling on the other end of the phone.

“I suppose you want me to perform a locator spell to help you find Johann’s journals,” Christia asked?

“Yes dear, if you would be so kind?”

“I’ve been looking for a reason to leave New Orleans. I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon,” Christia said, and then she hung up the phone.

“That Christia is something else,” Nana said laughing.

As soon as the phone hung up, Grandpa tried to rush out of the room so that he didn’t have to be a part of the conversation that was about to take place.

“Nope! Get back in here,” Maddy said.

Grandpa slowly turned back around.

“Did I hear Christia call Uncle Nolan her brother,” Maddy asked in confusion?

“Yes, yes you did,” Nana said.

“Care to explain?”

Nana let out a deep sigh and held Maddy’s hands.

“Maddy, your Uncle Nolan is Christia’s brother. He was adopted into our family when he was a young boy. In their culture, there was a prophecy that three witch sisters would join together and be the most powerful witches of their coven. Christia was born first, and then came her sister Charlotte. Their family tried to fulfill the prophecy by having another child, but instead of having a girl, they got Nolan. Their father was furious and wanted to kill him when he was born, but Christia’s mother traveled all the way here to Memphis and put him up for adoption. We were the lucky family that got to take him in.”

“My life just keeps getting stranger and stranger, Maddy said.”

Nana and Grandpa laughed.

“Wait, so Uncle Nolan is a witch,” Maddy asked?

Nana slightly nodded her head.

“Your Grandpa, Aunt June, and I are the only people in the family that know,” Nana responded. “We found out while we were trying to find a way to cloak you and your parents. Nolan is the one who told us that Christia could make your pendant.”

“This is crazy,” Maddy said. “That explains why he so much younger than all the rest of you.”

“Yep.”

“This is definitely not how I had planned on spending my Friday night, but I’ve got to get some sleep after this one,” Maddy said.

Nana kissed her on the forehead and left her room.

“Butch, can you believe this?”

Butch let out a slight whimper. It was past his bedtime.

Maddy laughed and got into bed herself.

The next day, as she said, Christia arrived right at noon.

“Chile, I got on that road early this morning,” Christia said as she entered the house. “I couldn’t have y’all out here fending for yourselves!”

Christia was tall and heavyset. She was older than Nana, but her skin looked like she hadn’t aged a day in her life. Her hair was jet black, and she had a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Whenever she smiled, you could see the gold tooth on the side of her mouth.

“This is not what I was expecting,” Maddy said under her breath.

“I heard that girl,” Christia said. “Don’t let the age fool you.”

Maddy laughed.

“I haven’t seen you since you were a little baby,” Christia said as she gave Maddy a tight hug.

“Christia come into the kitchen. I made coffee,” Nana said.

“Oh, girl you know I don’t drink coffee on Saturday mornings! This is the day I’m usually sleeping in,” Christia laughed.

“Did you bring the stuff,” Nana asked?

“Oh of course,” Christia responded. “What sense would it make for me to leave it in New Orleans?”

Everyone laughed.

Christia then dumped everything out of her bag and began to rummage through it all.

“I’ve got to find my map, my bag of sand, and my locator potion,” She said. “I whipped up a fresh batch just for you Maddy.”

Once she found everything that she needed, she went into the dining room and laid everything out on the dining room table.

“I’ve read about this in the books,” Maddy said. “Don’t you need something of mine or my dad’s?”

Christia turned her neck so quickly that she could’ve taken her head off.

“Sweetheart I have been doing this for 157 years. What you’re talking about is for amateurs,” She said. “See Nolan.”

Maddy laughed.

“157 years,” Maddy asked?

“I look good don’t I,” asked Christia.

“You do.”

“Mmhm, that’s thanks to my vitality potion,” she said. “It was passed down through generations. As long as I take a sip before midnight on my birthday, I will continue to look the way I do now. If I ever choose to stop taking it, I’ll just pick up aging where I left off.”

“And what age was that,” asked Maddy?

“Oh, darling you should ask a lady her age,” Christia said.

Christia had a very dramatic and over the top personality.

Everyone laughed.

“I stopped aging at 50,” she said. “I wanted to menopause over and done with. Can’t be living with that for the rest of my life. You know what I’m saying?”

“Okay, so how old is Uncle Nolan,” Maddy asked.

“Oh, he’s his real age darling,” Christia said. “Nolan doesn’t believe in using magic to alter reality, and neither do I but beauty is a girl’s best friend right?”

Maddy just stood in awe.

“Okay, so now let’s get down the bottom of things,” said Christia as she spread her map across the dining room table. “I’m going to sprinkle some sand onto this map, and after that, I’m going to put a drop of my potion onto the pile of sand.”

“That’s it,” Maddy asked?

“I knew you were gonna be a Chatty Cathy when you were a baby,” Christia responded. “Yes, and then I have to say a few words and we’ll have found your father’s journals.”

Christia proceeded with what she had to do, and then she began to chant to herself softly.

Maddy stood back and watched as the sand on the map began to shift around. It eventually landed in one spot.

“Okay, so great,” Christia said. “It’s still in Memphis.”

Maddy looked at her waiting for her to say more.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Who is Leslie,” Christia asked?

“She’s this girl at my school who hates me. Her family has also been known to hunt divine beings. Nephilim especially,” said Maddy.

“Oh, well she’s the one that’s got your father’s journals,” Christia said. “Alright, glad I could help! I’ve got a date with a plate of ribs and a martini!”

Christia rushed out of the house.

“Wow, so she knows about me now,” Maddy said. “What am I gonna do now?”