Witches, magic and the whole thing

Rhona

x

Bastian kept his eyes locked on the dead bird in his hands, ignoring the cat that was rubbing her head against his leg. Leonie always decided she wanted attention at the most inconvenient times. 

Of course, just as the blood started pouring into the cup he was holding, she jumped on his lap, her nails scratching the skin of his legs. Bastian let out a loud curse as the cup dropped on the floor. "Why do you always do this?" He complained, pushing the animal from his lap. The carpet was already dark brown, absorbing all of the spilled blood. Great. Now he could start all over again. 
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch a bird when you don't have any claws?" He asked the cat, who looked up to him with startling yellow eyes. "Of course you don't," he muttered, wiping the blood from his hands onto a dirty cloth. 
Bastian had spent the last two weeks trying to catch a bird, and when last evening one had finally flown into one of his traps, he had started with the preparations. Of course he had meant to go to sleep early, but eventually he didn't want to stop anymore. He looked out of the window.
Oh.
The sun already hung in the sky, covering the garden in orange light. Had he really been up all night? 
He cursed, again, and dropped the cloth onto the floor, after which he ran out of the small shack. His mother was standing in the garden, picking out some herbs of which he had no idea what their names were - his mother didn't need to know that. "Couldn't you have warn me?" He asked her, checking his clothes for blood. Fortunately, they were clean. Ish.
As long as they didn't hide brown spots of dried up blood or plucked feathers, he figured they were good enough for going to college. Everyone there already knew he wasn't the most normal guy anyway. "Hmm?" His mother asked, as she put a strand of white-blonde hair behind her ear. "Warn me," Bastian repeated. "I have to go to college right now, and I haven't slept, so I'll probably end up snoring on my notes." His mother obviously didn't understand what he was talking about, so he just left it. 
He rushed into the house, searching for his bag. He found it in the kitchen, next to a bowl of rosemary. "Penelope!" He yelled, staring at the burnt spot on his bag with horror in his eyes. "What in lord's name have you done to my bag?!" Instead of Penelope, Tabitha walked into the room. She threw a quick look at his bag and sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I did warn her though," she said. Bastian rolled his eyes. As if that would help him right now. "I'll find you something else you can borrow," she promised, before disappearing and leaving him in a haze of perfume. He sighed. Great, now he would end up smelling of roses as well. He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the kitchen, deciding to look for a replacement of his bag himself. He liked Tabitha, but he didn't need a pink bag embroidered with flowers, thank you very much. He might have grown up in a house that had never been anything else but filled with women - witches, to be precise - but he still had some sense of his own manliness left in him. 
He found an old leather messenger bag in the hall closet and stuffed his papers in. "I'm out!" He yelled, to no one in particular. Just before he rushed out the front door, a pale hand stopped him. Luna was standing in the shadows under the stairs, in front of the door that led to her working place. She was a psychic, and her clients were probably the only thing that made them able to pay the bills, to be honest. Her eyes were brimmed red, an obvious sign that she hadn't slept last night. "What is it?" Bastian asked, forgetting his hurry. Luna was mostly silent, and it was well-known that if she decided to say something, it was almost always something of importance. 
She threw him a small smile and rubbed his arm. "Be careful today, will you, Sebastian?" She asked him. "I believe there's something coming your way, but I'm not sure yet if it will mean you harm or not." Bastian stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers, hiding his worry. "I will, promise," he told her. "But I really need to go now, or I'll miss the lecture," he added. Luna nodded and released her grip on his shoulder. "Off you go then," she said, waving her hand. "Don't worry, the teacher is stuck in traffic this morning," she added with a smile. Bastian threw her a wide grin. "Luna, you are the best woman I know, thanks," he said, before rushing out the door, hopping onto his bike.

Rhona

x

Half an hour later he walked the campus, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. He was suddenly glad for the fact he had been too hurried to think about getting a coat, because the sun was already blazing hot. Besides, the ride on his bike hadn't helped either. Bastian rolled his shoulders, trying to keep himself awake.
Just as he wanted to take a sip of the coffee, someone bumped into him full-force. Of course - because that was just Bastian's luck - all the coffee spilled over his front. He hissed as the hot liquid burnt his skin, and looked up with a frown. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" A girl yelled his way. He raised his eyebrows, holding the now empty cup in front of her face. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry," he said dryly. She was already kneeling down to gather her books from the floor. Normally, Bastian would offer to help, but he didn't like how he was accused of this when it was his precious coffee that had gotten spilled. He opened his mouth as she rose again, ready to give her a long speech about responsibility and the wonders of caffeine, but she already turned around. Someone yelled at her, something about a test and failing, and the girl disappeared again. Bastian let out a loud huff of breath. "Oh no, don't mind me," he muttered. He looked at his coffee cup with a look of defeat in his eyes. So far for his plan to stay awake during his lecture. He glanced at his grey shirt, soaked with coffee, and let out a dry laugh as he remembered himself worrying about the state of his clothes. 

With a sigh he continued his way towards the lecture room. Lucky for him, it only lasted two hours and after that he had a break of one and a half hour, which would give him just enough time to fetch a clean shirt at home. 

The sound of someone clearing his throat reached his ears, and Bastian let out a soft grunt. Why did people never just let him sleep? "I'm sorry. Bastian, was it?" Bastian grunted again, louder this time, and rolled his head the other way. Something sharp stuck in his cheek, and he fluttered his eyelids open. What had Leonie dumped on his pillow this time?
"Bastian?"
He frowned. That voice didn't sound like his mother, nor did it sound like any of the other women living in his house. In fact, it was a man's voice. "Bastian, I understand that the analysis of Beethoven's music isn't as interesting for everyone as it is for me, personally, but I'd still like you to stay awake during my lectures."
What?
Who was Beetho- oh. Bastian's eyes flew open and he jerked his head up so quickly that he had to grab the table in front of him for support. "Wha- oh bugger," he said, as he realised that he was not, in fact, in his bedroom. Instead he still was in the lecture room, and his teacher looked at him with a frown. "I- I mean, oh golly?" He said, throwing him a hopeful smile. His teacher shook his head, though Bastian could see a slight smile hiding in the corner of his mouth. "I'm really sorry Mr. Dewitt. I didn't mean to fall asleep, in fact, I looked forward to this lecture. I Just- I stayed up a little too late I'm afraid," he said. Mr. Dewitt let out a sigh. "Well, go on then, make sure you're not as tired tomorrow. The second time I find you sleeping here, I will not be so pleasant about it," he warned him. Bastian nodded quickly and gathered his stuff, cramming it in his bag. "I promise, sir. I'll stay awake next time, really." His teacher laughed at his apology and motioned for him to leave the room.
Great. He should've gotten a new cup of coffee after all, he thought as he walked outside.

Rhona

x

He had barely turned the corner when someone smacked into him, causing him to fall on his back. He let out a muffled "oomph" and closed his eyes. This day couldn't get any worse. 
As he opened his eyes, he found he had some trouble breathing. "Ow I am sorry... for this and this morning," a voice said, and he blinked. Oh. The same girl that had spilled all of his coffee this morning, was now lying on top of him. He couldn't help but notice that she had very blue eyes. "What is- why are you-," he stammered, and rubbed his face. She got up, and Bastian took the opportunity to take in a deep breath. His mind still was a little foggy with sleep, so it took him another few minutes to start wondering where the hell she had come from. He had been quite sure the hallway had been empty not a few moments ago.
He scrambled up, after gathering the stuff that had fallen out of his bag. He frowned a little when he saw there had been a dead butterfly in there as well. Strange.
"You spilled my coffee," he muttered, though he didn't sound very angry about it anymore. Like he said before; still foggy.
He looked at the girl a second time, and now paid a little more attention to who he was speaking to.
"Wait," he said, slowly. He frowned a little, opened his mouth, hesitated, but then spoke after all. "I know you."
He slung his bag over his shoulder and wiped a strand of brown hair out of his eyes. He badly needed a haircut, he realised, and for a moment his thoughts wandered off, thinking about if he would let one of the witches take care of it or not. The last time he had let Tabitha cut his hair, he had almost lost his ear. 
Maybe he should call a hairdresser after all.
"I mean, I know your face," he added to his earlier words, realising they might've sounded a bit strange. Bastian squinted his eyes a little, staring at her as he tried to remember where he had seen her before. Now he looked at her, he was sure he had definitely seen her before.
His eyes lit up when he suddenly remembered where. "Oh!" he said. "You're Oriana's cousin," he said. "You've been to my house once, I believe." He threw her a crooked grin, but then realised that - again - that might've sounded a bit creepy. "I mean, sorry, you probably don't recognise me, I barely left my shack," he added hastily. "I live with Luna and the others. They had one of their parties about a month ago, I believe you were there," he told her. 

Rhona

x

"Let's not talk about the bumping in thing and the spilling of your coffee for the second time thing," the girl said. "Today is just not my day, and I was searching you to try and tell you that I was sorry of accusing you bumping into me while it was absolutely my fault..," she rambled. Bastian gave her a friendly smile. "All forgiven and forgotten," he promised her. 
When he suddenly realised he had seen her on one of the parties, she seemed a little sceptical. "Oww, yes, that I remember. I think there was something going on with drinking and playing some sort of game," she replied. Bastian gave her a funny look. "No there wasn't," he said, frowning. "My mother never drinks during rit- oh," he said, stopping himself midsentence as he realised she wasn't sure if he knew. "Oh, don't worry about that," he said, rolling his eyes. "I live with eight witches, do you really think they'd be able to keep it a secret for twenty one years?" He asked her, grinning. 
"In fact, I was the one who had to do all the cleaning up afterwards," he told her, pulling a face. "Really, you're lucky you weren't there."
"I should buy you coffee shouldn't I?" The girl asked him. "I mean, I ruined your shirt and I was slammed... I mean I bumped into you two times today," she added. Bastian's grin grew a little wider. "Well, if you put it that way, I believe you should," he said, happy it seemed he would get his daily shot of caffeine after all. He started walking, assuming she would follow him. "Don't worry about the shirt, by the way. It's nothing more but a rag, I would've changed this morning if I had had the time," he said. "Actually-," he started, and looked down at his shirt, "- I'm not even sure it's mine." He frowned, than gave her a quick look. "Don't tell my friends I borrow Luna's clothes," he said. "I wouldn't hear the end of it. I mean, they already know my clothing style is a little odd, they don't need to know I sometimes wear women's clothing," he added in a hushed tone, though it was obvious he didn't really care that much. If a piece of clothing fitted and suited his liking, he didn't understand why it would matter if it was men's clothing or not.

Since Bastian often increased his pace when he was talking to someone - blame it on the enthusiasm - it didn't take long for them to reach the cantine on the campus. "You don't have to pay for my coffee, by the way," he told her. "I mean, I'm already grateful you even bothered coming back to apologise. Most people wouldn't," he said.

Rhona

x

She seemed a little perplexed by his words, since her mouth hung a little open. Bastian did his best to surpress the giggles he felt rising in his throat. "Oh.. OOH.. Never mind, sorry, I wasn't thinking. I could have known but... well.. never mind," she stammered, but Bastian wove her words way. "Don't worry about it, I get it. Can't be careful enough and stuff."
When he started rambling about his shirt, she grinned at him. "It's fine, my lips are sealed. I promise," she told him, and he grinned back. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

When they entered the cantine and he told her she didn't have to buy his coffee if she didn't want to, she shook her head firmly. "No way, I owe you and so I will at least pay for your coffee," she said, and it was obvious she wouldn't change her mind. Bastian shrugged. "Well, if you insist," he said, his smile making obvious he didn't mind at all. He told her how he liked his coffee (as black as possible), and a few minutes later she handed him a steaming cup. "I am sorry, but I never really introduced myself," she said, and Bastian looked up, a little surprised. Now she mentioned it, he didn't have any idea about what her name was. He hadn't even thought about it until she had pointed it out. "I am Rhona, Rhona Novik that is," she said. Bastian struggled a little, holding his back under his arm and handing the cup of coffee over to his other hand, so he could get his other one free to shake her hand. "Bastian Burroughs," he said. Just as he took a sip of his coffee, Rhona looked around with a slightly odd look on her face. He lowered his cup as she looked at him. "Did you feel that?" She asked. Bastian pulled a face. "Oh, no, I'm not- I never sense anything. I'm afraid I'm just as ordinary as it gets," he told her. He looked down at himself, eyeing the small chicken bone that hung around his neck. "Or- well, you get what I mean. No gifts or anything," he said. He looked back at her face, twisting the hot cup of coffee between his fingers. "Why?" he asked, now with a concerned frown. "What did you feel?" he said, thinking of Luna's warning this morning. Be careful, will you, Sebastian? 
Bastian bit his lip, when suddenly his phone rang. "Oh, sorry, let me get that," he muttered, placing his bag on one of the free tables around them and pulling his phone out of his pocket. As soon as he pressed the green button and held the phone by his ear, he could hear Luna's slightly panicked voice. "Bastian? Are you there?" She asked him. He could hear her walking through the house, searching for something. "Luna? What is it?" Bastian asked a little surprised, since she normally didn't call. She always said she didn't like phones. "Bastian, you need to come home. Take Rhona with you," she said. Bastian's frown deepend and he grabbed his bag. "Why? What's wrong?" "I'm not sure yet. Just hurry and get here." Luna hung up, and Bastian lowered his phone, still frowning. "Okay, that was a little weird," he said. He looked at Rhona. "You know Luna, right? She told me to take you back to our place, though I'm not sure why."

Rhona

x

"Oh, no I knew that but I was just... you know, sometimes humans feel things too and maybe it was just me.. never mind," she muttered. Bastian shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm not really human either, am I?" He pointed out. "Believe me, everyone has lost hope that I will develop some kind of powers a long time ago," he told her. After those words he pointed a finger at her chest. "Though I still know the first lesson of being a witch. Never assume something you feel isn't important. It almost always is," he told her. He had heard the lesson so often himself that he could even have said it in his mother's voice if he had wanted to.
"Except for not feeling the tip of my tongue, it's just a... strange cold feeling," she answered to his question. 

"Fine with me," she said, when he told her Luna had asked him to bring her with him. "Come on. This place is giving me the creeps and I don't like it one bit," she said, and grabbed his arm. He was just in time to restore his balance and prevent his coffee from spilling on the floor, again. Meanwhile Rhona called someone - her niece, he guessed. When she hung up, she turned to him again. "You've not taken a car or anything this morning, right?" She said, and Bastian shook his head. "Cause I have a faster way of getting to your place before anything happens. Besides, cars are the most unreliable things you can possibly possess," she said. Bastian pulled a face, already having a hunch of what she was talking about. She grabbed his other hand, and just as he had expected, muttered a chant under her breath. 
When they appeared in the hallway of Bastian's house, he pulled himself loose and doubled over. He really, really  hated the whole transport thing that all witches seemed to like so much.
"Hi Luna," he heard Rhona say. "Grandfather already warned me this morning. I got this very nasty and uncomfortable feeling in the catina. Any idea what it could be?"

He could feel Luna's hand patting him on the back as he tried to fight the urge to heave. "Hi Bastian, Rhona," she said. "I felt it too," she replied to Rhona. Bastian stood up straight again, straightening his shirt. "But I still don't know what it was. It felt a bit like the presence of some angry spirit, but that doesn't make sense. I don't see how such a spirit could've entered our world all of a sudden." 
Bastian gave Luna a quick, shocked look, and although he focused his eyes on his shoes immediately after, it was enough for Luna to have noticed. "Bastian, wh- is that my shirt? Why is there a coffee stain on it?" Luna frowned. "I liked that shirt."
Bastian scraped his throat. "Really, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, I bought this shirt myself las- okay, yeah, it's yours," he said, immediately crumpling as he saw Luna's stern look. "Also, I think I know how this spirit could've entered," he added, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding direct eye contact with either Luna or Rhona. 
Luna squinted her eyes at him. "Bastian," she said in a low, warning voice. "What did you do?"
"I- sort of left the blood of a dead crow to dry on the carpet in my shack," he admitted. "But really, how was I to know that there would be a spirit lurking nearby?" He added in his own defense. Luna looked at him with a concerned look on her face. "For a witch's son, you awfully often manage to accidentally summon a spirit," she sighed. Bastian threw Rhona a quick smile. "Really, she's making it sound worse than it is. It only happened twi- okay, no, three times." "Four," Luna corrected him. 

Rhona

arg sorry mijn laptop deed heel raar negeer dit

x

It soon became clear to him that Rhona didn't see the funny side of the story. Instead, she almost looked furious. "You did what?!" she bursted, and Bastian looked to Luna for help. She shrugged her shoulders, as if to say this is your own mess, Bastian. She was probably right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Oh, this is not good... this is actually fucking horrible. What were you doing with raven's blood anyway?" She asked him. Bastian immediately pointed his finger, because he couldn't hold it in; it had become to much of a reflex. "Crow," he corrected her. "There's actually a huge difference between the two. It would be hellish to try and find a raven here in the city, they prefer areas with less humans," he said. Luna threw him a look that said now is not the time, so he shut up. 
"Isn't it obvious what I wanted to do with crow's blood?" He asked her, honestly confused. Rhona had took a small step to the side, away from him, and she seemed to be a little too lost in her thoughts to reply. "Maybe my grandparents know who it is you summoned? They have been.. on the other side for quite some time now, but I am sure they will be able to help us with this," she said after a short pause. Luna nodded, but Bastian looked at them both a little questionably. "You- on the other side?" He asked. "She means they're ghosts, Bastian," Luna pointed out. "Oh."

Bastian looked at the house with a curious look in his eyes. He had always known his own house was a little out of the ordinary, but this was something else entirely. Rhona appeared next to him when they reached the front door. "Don't you fret," she told him, and Bastian looked at her, a little surprised. "What? About the house? No, it looks terrific," he said, honestly.
"My grandparents are lovely. They are kind of dead and sometimes they are very annoying but they have their contacts so if someone can find out who is folowing us and who's ghost you summoned it is them," she said. Bastian stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers and bit his lip. "Erm- yeah, about your grandparents," he said, scraping his throat. "I don't- I can't see ghosts. Ever." He didn't look at her, feeling a little ashamed of the fact. He always had been. He had accepted that he would never be able to do any spells of any sort long ago, but he still felt stupid that he was the son of a witch and couldn't even see ghosts, something which even some humans were able to do.

The front door opened, and just as he had predicted, he only saw an empty doorway. Everyone was silent for a few moments, so he assumed that whoever had opened the door was talking to them. 
"Sure," Luna said, appearing next to him. She patted his shoulder before disappearing into the hallway.

Rhona

x

The four little animals - were they animals? Could he call them animals? - flew towards him and he had to take a small step back to keep his balance. He held his hands in front of his face to keep them from accidentally poking his eyes out, but he was laughing. "All of you, give the poor man some space will you? You don't even know him nd you're already killing him with your cuteness," he could hear Rhona say, and he grinned. "They are," he agreed, carefully pushing one of the creatures away from his face to give himself some room to breathe. "They all carry Norse names. My grandfather loves them really," she told him, and he looked at her. "What are they even?" He asked her, curious.

"Could you grab the plates and get the food out of the oven?" Louisa asked Luna. "Oh," she said, surprised. Luna wasn't often surprised, but she liked the feeling. "You don't have to cook for me and Bastian, you know. I don't want to bother you," she said, though, in fact, she would like to stay for dinner. Luna liked Rhona's grandparents, and not only because they were ghosts, though that helped as well. Normally Luna would always see possible scenario's flashing through her mind when she looked at someone, but ghosts were.. well, they were dead. And dead people didn't really have a future, technically speaking.
"So you're brother is some kind of mortal but not mortal?" Louisa asked her, and Luna stayed silent for a few seconds, confused. She blinked a few times before she realised she meant Bastian. "Oh!" She said, with a little smile. "Bastian and I aren't siblings. In fact, we're not even family," she told the woman. "We're quite close, though, so I can see why a lot of people mistake us for brother and sister," she said with a smile. She went to the cupboard to grab some plates. "But, to answer your question, Bastian isn't more or less mortal than we are. He certainly isn't human. He just hasn't inherited any powers, I believe," she said, now walking towards the oven. "Maybe we should show him what he has been missing. Do you agree, dear?" Louisa said, looking at her husband. "I very much agree, but the choice is up to Luna. Luna, the boy needs to know what we say, it isimportant for me as well and we will have company soon enough, as you may know," Louisa's husband replied. "Oh, you don't need my permission. Like I said, technically we're not even family." She smiled. "Though I'm not sure- he seems unable to see any ghosts, so I wouldn't know how you could make him."

"But it is strange? Shouldn't you be able to see ghosts? I know men don't really have powers like the women do but still, I thought you should be able to see ghosts. Maybe only when you want to? Or when they want you to see them?" Rhona said. Bastian had sat down on the couch, and he shrugged, not really looking at her. "I don't know. Believe me, I've wanted to see ghosts often enough, so it isn't that. But yeah, maybe the ghosts just don't want me to see them." One of the creatures landed next to him on the couch, and he smiled, carefully petting the animal. "I am, like my Aunt Demi so nicely described, quite the anomaly," he said dryly. His aunt Demi had never really liked him, and neither had she tried hiding it. "I'm not completely useless, though, I can make the best potions sometimes," he grinned. "Though, as you now have noticed, sometimes I'm a little clumsy with the ingredients," he added. 
"Could you take Gunter? I think he really fancies you," Rhona said, just as the animal started nibbling on his- or, well, Luna's - shirt. Bastian laughed and carefully pulled his shirt out of Gunter's mouth. "I guess he likes coffee, then," he joked. Just as he looked up, a quite transparent figure appeared in the doorway. He had to blink twice before he realised what it was he saw. Or, sorry, who.
"Okay, hello! We have not been properly introduced," what he now recognised as an old woman said. Bastian blinked again. "Bastian, I am Louise and this is Lucas. We are Rhona's grandparents and we are going to find out who it is you have summoned so stupidly." The woman seemed a little shocked by her husband's bluntness, since she slapped him. Bastian wasn't sure if he had to laugh or keep blinking. Luna appeared behind the two ghosts, giving him a small smile. "It- Y- you're ghosts," he managed to say, which was quite stupid, since it was very obvious they were ghosts. "I- I'm sorry," he added, realising he had been staring at them for almost a minute now. "Luna, dear, if you would be so kind to start."