The Reversed Hermit

"The reversed Hermit?" Meifeng asked as she slipped into her purple panties.

"She is its embodiment, don't you think?" Solomon asked.

"Melissa Glaser. Known lover of Nick Armstrong, who died by drowning a few months back." said Meifeng, "What did Vanessa say about the stuff we sent her."

"She deduced that if demons were real, a group of witches that fight them might know of a way to trap them. A few months back, a woman who was catatonic for 16 years suddenly woke up and died. That's after Cassie Blake came to town. This woman was also a friend of Cassie's mother."

"So she thinks that woman had a demon in her?" Meifeng as she turned around, and Solomon moved to hook her bra.

"I think so too. Vanessa frowned that one way to kill a demon is to drown its host. I think Nick Armstrong also had a demon in him, and someone drowned him."

"The article says suicide," said Meifeng.

"That's like reading the Mystic Falls Daily about a person exsanguinating themselves," Solomon quipped as he gave her a light smack on the ass. "Here's my angle: I was drowned because I had a demon in me. But, someone told you that I drowned myself. How would you feel?"

Meifeng frowned at the thought. Then she relaxed, "But she's a witch. I'm sure she knows better."

"Probably not. Besides that article 17 years ago. There have been no incidences in Chance Harbor. That's probably why everyone believed that Nick Armstrong drowned himself. And have you sense anything supernatural besides witches since we've been here?"

Meifeng shook her head as she was starting to see how odd Chance Harbor really was.

"Reserved Hermit. Sad, lonely, reclusive even towards loved ones." said Meifeng, "You plan to transform that energy to create strife."

"Exactly. Once secrets get revealed, then we worm our way in."

------------------------------------------------

Solomon was a natural hermit himself. But he was Melissa's opposite. If the Hermit tarot card was pulled for him, it would be upright. Introspection, Meditation, Self-reflection, Solitude, Soul-searching, Withdrawn from society

Walking down the street reading a small grimoire on Elixirs and Poltuces, Solomon accidentally bumped into a down-to-earth young woman with beautiful long dark hair, a heart-shaped face, and almond-brown eyes. Solomon was over a foot taller than her as she was only 5'2".

The moment they collided, Melissa took a tumble backward, and Solomon dropped his book, trying to catch her. When he helped her to her feet, and she was steady, he apologized. He even went as far as helping her pick up her things, Intentionally ignore the open grimoire with occult symbols, strange writing, and drawings of herbs.

This neglect of the book caused Melissa to reach for the book as she noticed the nice man was keen on helping her. Though, when she picked it up, she was shocked by the contents.

After a few days of watching her, Solomon and Meifeng quickly deduced that Melissa was the coven Herbologist and Potion Master. It was then that Solomon knew exactly what class she would be teaching at his school. And if Qetsiyah recognized her, then her talent must be phenomenal. However, Solomon was shocked at the lack of Melissa's knowledge.

"This... This is Dragon's Blood?" Melissa was shocked as she had never seen it used with anything during potion-making.

"Yes. It's a common strengthener." Solomon replied.

"But it's properties. Half of these I didn't even know it could do. Moonlight tonic stays effective for the entire week after adding two teaspoons. Do you realize I have to drink moonlight tonic twice a day because it barely relieves my cramps?"

Melissa was fascinated as she flipped through the pages with great interest and slowly losing herself in the middle of the sidewalk.

Solomon audibly cleared his through and said, "I would like my Grimoire back."

"Grimoire? I've never heard a Book of Shadows being called a Grimoire before. Where are you from?" Melissa asked as she reluctantly gave the book back.

Solomon sigh then refused the book. "Keep it." he said, "I have more, and it seems that you lack the knowledge to be a proper...Witch."

Solomon whispered 'witch'.

Melissa giggled. "So you're one too. I mean, obviously, you are. I just didn't expect to meet another one in town. I heard there were more, but...I'm rambling. I'm Melissa Glaser."

"Rex Benedictus," Solomon replied with a smile, shaking the hand Melissa happily offered.

"King of the Blessed?" Melissa asked.

From a distance, Meifeng rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Well, I guess you earned my real name, but you have to keep it a secret. Or we can't be friends anymore." Solomon gave a light childish threat.

Melissa blushed as she laughed. Staying with the trend, Melissa held out her pinky. Solomon locked pinkies with her then whispered, "My name is Solomon."

"Nice to meet you, Solomon. I was just heading to the docks. There's a bar and grill down there that everyone hangs out in. I was going to meet some friends."

Solomon chuckled, "A woman with initiative. I have to introduce you to my sister."

Melissa giggled, "No one seems to ask me out anymore, and your obviously new here, so I have to snag you before the town poisons you against me."

"Alright. I'll be your date. But lucky for you, I'm a gentleman. So I'll cover the night."

"Oh! I'll be sure to order from the expensive side of the menu." Melissa joked.

The two then continued the walk down to the docks as they talked about herbs and potions, roots and substances. Solomon eventually told her that he was from a small town back east and that he was in town as a talent scout.

Though Solomon looked a bit older and his body nicely refined after building a castle for ten years. Melissa found his job hard to believe until he performed some magic and said, "I'm a talent scout for a school of magic."

He then gestured to a shop window, and Melissa gasped as she and Solomon were no longer visible.

"Invisibility spell. All you have to say is, Invisique. It falls under battle magic to the incantation is short and simple."

Melissa was tripping out. Like Solomon, she had a year left in high school and couldn't wait to be finished with school. But a school of magic, away from Chance Harbor, was like a blessing from the Gods.

"You must be genius," said Melissa. "Do you know how hard it's for us to control unbound magic?"

"Us? Unbound?" Solomon asked.

"My circle..."

"You mean coven?"

"No, I mean circle... We obviously have a lot more to talk about. You're a weird witch." she laughed.

"No... You're the weird one. This town is like the uncharted island of the supernatural world."

"What do you mean?" Melissa asked.

"Oh, is that the place?" Solomon pointed at the jam back Bar and Grill that looked lively.

"Y-yes. Come on, I see my friends, and if Faye asks, you asked me out...for the second time. The more she cares, the bigger a mean bitch she is. Serious daddy issues. Do me a solid?"

Solomon produced a genuine laugh and agreed to her request.

When Melissa and Solomon walked into the Bar, people stopped and stared with whispers.

"I think you're too cute for me," Solomon whispered.

Melissa gushed and hugged his arm before guiding him towards her friends.

"Melissa...' Diana Meade spoke with shock and approval.

Faye Chamberlian licked her lips as she saw something appetizing.

Faye is a moderately tall, voluptuous, and strikingly beautiful young girl with a mane of pitch-black hair worn in loose curls, perfect creamy sun-kissed skin, and bright golden eyes. She has fine cheekbones and full lips, which are pale pink. She's taller than Melissa, standing at 5'7.

Melissa saw this and said, "Easy, Faye. He's not community. This is all me."

Solomon was pleasantly surprised by the reclusive girl's spicy side.

"Hey." Faye threw her hands up, " I didn't say anything."

Faye got up and introduced herself to Solomon, rather provocatively. She reminded him a lot of Elena though Faye didn't bother to hide who she was and actually flaunted it as her best quality.

"Rex Benedictus," said Solomon.

"Names pretty old-timey," said Jake, the paranoid one of the bunch.

Jake Armstrong is an athletically built blue-eyed young man with sandy blonde hair.

"My family is very...Old-timey." Solomon replied.

Melissa leaned forward and whispered, "He's a witch, like us...but not like us."

The group quickly pulled Meliss into the booth as a whisper in a loud bar wasn't exactly a whisper. Solomon quickly found his seat next to her.

"That explains a lot," said Cassie. "Only a special guy could make Moaning Myrtle smile for the first time in months."

Cassie Blake has beautiful long blonde hair, a heart-shaped face, full lips, and ocean-blue eyes. She's petite and not very tall, standing at 5' 2½. Her clothes were rather dark, and Solomon could smell the corruption on her and surprisingly a faint scent from Diana as well, along with Faye.

Melissa did well to ignore Cassie's comment, and the group pounded Solomon with questions to which he answered. When the group was satisfied that he wasn't a dark witch looking to summon demons and take over the world, the tension subsided greatly.

Some time passed, and after chatting and eating. Solomon felt it was more than time for some drinks. He then looked around and found an empty beer pitcher, and grabbed it. When he brought it back to the table, the Chance Harbor witches looked at him with confused expressions.

" Anaplerosi," he whispered, and the table gasped as the pitcher refilled with cold beer.

Solomon's party trick reinvigorated the atmosphere and when drinks started flowing. Solomon learned everything that he needed to know while telling them fabricated stories, giving them the feeling of equal exchange.

It turns out that the group of friends hadn't even been practicing magic for a year. They also didn't even know they were witches until Diana found her family's Grimoire, which they call a Book of Shadows.

Instead of calling themselves a coven, they're called a circle and were so afraid of their magic. That they performed a linking spell that linked their magic together. Solomon thought it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard in his life. The link would make magic powerful when performed as a unit but rendered them powerless individually.

Anyways, Cassie's mother died, and she moved back to town and completed the circle. After which a bunch of bad shit started happening, most notably, Cassie's father returned and revealed that he was a big bad witch with serious dark magic that ran his bloodline after making a deal with a very powerful demon in ancient times.

Solomon liked that part of the story because it gave him new and interesting information. Anywho, Cassie released a demon and shit the fan after that as witch hunters came to town to kill them and Cassie was revealed to be Diana's half-sister as her father's evil plan was to knock up women and corrupt the Circles of future generations and take over the world.

But his plan didn't work because he's dead now. But, before he died, he gathers all of these crystals from six families, merged them to bring the Crystal Skull back to its former glory. Though, he did manage to summon demons, all of which used a witch hunter as their host, giving him incredible power.

And somehow, this group of rookie witches killed the demon-infested witch hunter and the big bad daddy witch, John Blackwell. While ending up with a Crystal Skull. Also, the circle is now unbound, and none of them have any idea how to control their powers.

Also, Big bad daddy witch managed to knock up four other women from two different circles, and his kids are on their way expecting to find their dead father, who they don't is dead yet.

Solomon now has the Crystal Skull as he's the one that stole it, but they all think the bastard Blackwell kids stole it. Solomon also knows exactly where the bastard Blackwell kids are.

Besides that, Solomon had also found out about a few more powerful artifacts all linked to this Blackwell family once known as Balcoin. Solomon made a mental note to ask Qetsiyah about them later.

But one thing that Solomon did find out that sort of shined a light on things is that the six families the make up this Chance Harbor Circle escaped the Salem Witch Trails along with his ancestors before they settled in Mystical Falls.

It turns out that in 1692, eighteen families of Witches escaped from the Salem witch trials and formed three separate Circles consisting of six families each. While two of these circles stayed East, the Blake, Conant, Glaser, Chamberlain, Meade, and Armstrong families went West to settle in Chance Harbor.

Solomon figured the Bennetts were left out as they didn't join any circle and just created a coven of their own along with a town of their own.

By the time the night ended, everyone was plastered, and Solomon had agreed to meet them the next day to teach them a bit about magic. He then walked Melissa home before calling it a night.