Trīgintā ūnus

Poe's sister Marley has been going back and forth between New Orleans and Salem for quite some time. I'm not sure why, but it seems that she has something going on down there. The way that Poe explains it, she's somewhat of an extremist so I'm not sure how much I really want to know. Her sister has always made me slightly uneasy, and sitting across from her in a small diner setting isn't doing anything to set me at ease.

Poe and Marley met me at a diner in town the following Sunday morning. The smell of maple is fresh in the air and the tables are full of a mixture of hungover twenty-somethings and families with young children– their hollers intermixing with the clanking of silverware against plates as everyone consumes their subpar breakfasts. "So, have you ever heard of a witch coming into her power so late in her life and picking it up with such ease?"

Marley cocks her head as she considers me across the cheaply mass-assembled Formica table, three cups of coffee, and a whole lot of apprehension between us. I've known Marley all my life, but she's always just been Poe's bitchy older sister. She's six years our senior, so we've seen a lot less of her as we got older.

"Are you sure you've developed the set of powers you think you have? As far as I know, something like that isn't possible. I guess anything is possible, but I've never heard of anything like that, and I'm very well-read on the topic."

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. I didn't like her before but now that I'm sitting across from her while she insists on talking down to me as though I'm some child that doesn't know what they're talking about, I like her even less.

"I'm sure," Poe says, biting the words out in such a way that it makes it clear that she feels the same way about her sister's demeanor that I do. The slight flaring of her nostrils betrays her true feelings despite the way she tries to hold a neutral expression.

Marley chuffs a laugh. "Ok, well, I haven't really done a deep dive into your lineage. I know that your family goes back to the trials, same as ours. But, all I really know is what I've found out while researching our own lineage."

I watch as she pinches her lips together, considering something before ultimately shaking her head back and forth, obviously dismissing whatever idea she had.

"I'll see what I can find out. See if I can go back a little further, although genealogy isn't exactly my specialty. Other than that, just try to be careful with yourself. I know that having power can be heady. I can only imagine what the level of power you're coming into could do, assuming everything you two are telling me is correct."

My brows knit together as I try to figure out what she's trying to tell me. "What do you mean?"

She narrows her eyes as she seems to mull over what she's going to say before saying it, and I find myself immediately irritated that she won't just come out and say it. "When witches come into their power, it's supposed to be gradual. I've seen witches with the best lineage, family support, and gradual increase in strength get carried away. It's easy to justify the things that you use magic for when maybe you shouldn't. It can skew your sense of morality. Your sense of right and wrong. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and all that."

Her words echo back to something that Poe had said the other day, causing me to swallow against the dryness of my throat as I sit up straighter in the booth, forcing the worn vinyl seating to protest loudly as I readjust.

"Ok, so I'll be careful," I say, shrugging the tension off.

Marley nods. "Keep practicing and studying the spells. There are a lot of grimoires floating around a city like Salem, and I can probably get you a connection on more than a few. After you get comfortable with that, you can learn to make your own. Usually, that's how witches would learn - not this whole being thrown into abilities that are admittedly, very high tier. It will keep you grounded."

I nod, licking my lips. "What about….mind control?"

Marley's eyebrows jump up her head. "Is that something that you have the ability to do?"

I nod, bobbing my chin slightly. She considers me, letting her eyes trail over my face as though she's searching for something. "I've never heard of that being an ability that anyone has ever developed. Can you show me?"

I feel my eye twitch, uncertainty being the dominating feeling rushing forward. "Here?"

She shrugs. "Sure. Nothing major, just something small with the waitress when she comes back."

"Okay," I whisper out, suddenly shy of my abilities. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as I remember how cavalierly I used this specific power last time. The more time I've had to sit with it, the less comfortable I've felt with the whole thing.

About two minutes later, the waitress comes around with a pot of coffee, making the rounds and refilling the blue ceramic mugs that litter the tops of the tables as people consume their caffeine with their breakfast. It's almost like we weren't meant to be up this early or something.

"How's everything going for you ladies? You want refills?"

The waitress is middle-aged and plump around the middle. Her mousy brown hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and the tendrils escaping it makes her look more unkept than she really is. Her cheeks are ruddy and pink from running around trying to appease the diner full of people one by one. A fresh stab of guilt comes over me.

Looking into her eyes, I let out a short huff of air before focusing my energy in her direction. "Everything is great, thank you. We're just having coffee this morning, and we've already paid you, so make sure you clear it out in the system."

The waitress nods at me, an empty smile blossoming on her tight lips. "You already paid me. Of course. I'll get that updated."

I nod at her, motioning to our cups as she fills them before stalking off to the next table, pulling a pad of paper from the apron tied at her waist to take their orders. We watch her a moment, ensuring that she seems to go about her business as intended.

"Well, fuck," Marley says before turning her attention back to me, her eyes boring into mine with a sparkle of excitement behind them. "You charmed her. Like a Vampire would."

My mouth drops open slightly. "I what?"

"Charming. It's something that vampires are able to do. It's a kind of mind control that they have over their victims. What you just did was scary similar to that."

I stutter over my next words. "Vamp- no, I'm not a vampire."

Marley smiles at me warmly. "I know you're not, but I'm just making an assessment of your power, that's all. It's an incredibly strong skill. It's also morally gray, though. Affecting someone's free will isn't something you should do lightly. Just keep that in mind as you explore this new strength."

I nod slowly, feeling more guilty about the cops I sent away from my house the other night. Was that wrong of me? Well, obviously, but how wrong? Was it a violation of their free will? Is it something I would have been able to accomplish on my own without resorting to magic? I guess I'll never know, now.

"Thanks," I say, nodding to Marley as she excuses herself with the justification that she has a meeting with her coven. The use of the word coven still sounds strange. Mythical. Although, until recently, I suppose that this whole thing seemed mythical to me. I wonder how many more truths of the world I've yet to discover are out there.