19

Kayla awakened face down on the ground, not the carpet, but the dirt of a moist clearing. Sitting upright, she felt her stomach to see if everything was all right with the baby. To her astonishment, her stomach was completely flat, with no trace of the protruding belly she had been wearing for the last eight-and-a-half months.

Panic threatened to overtake her as she searched the ground for evidence of something horrible. The only thing she could see was dirt, for what seemed like miles. Deep breaths helped her regain some semblance of composure, and she told herself that whatever this was, it was not real.

Reiterating her assertions, Richard shimmered into view. Kayla was frightened at first, backing away as the mirage of her father approached. When he reached her, she looked into his eyes and relaxed. It was definitely him. She got up off the ground and threw her arms around his shoulders.

In the dreams where Richard was able to visit her, he always looked healthy and strong. All traces of the illness that had taken his life were gone.

"We don't have a lot of time, Munchkin."

"Dad, what the hell is going on?"

"They will come after you tomorrow night when the full moon rises. Use your gift and stand strong, Kayla. That will save you."

Richard doubled over in what appeared to be incredible pain. He fell to the ground and writhed in agony as a scream escaped his lips.

"Daddy?" Kayla tried to make her way to the place he had collapsed, but unseen force picked her up off the ground and threw her body across the dirt. She landed about ten feet away, right on her ass. Richard continued screaming in pain.

"Kayla! She's trying to kill me."

"She?" A realization washed over her and settled in the pit of her stomach.

One word issued forth from the ghost of her dying father right before he ceased to exist forever.

"Carolyn."

Then he was gone, and Kayla knew that this time, it was for good.

"Kayla! Wake up!" David was screaming in her face, trying to shake her awake.

"I'm awake," she replied groggily and tried to sit up.

"Whoa, take it easy." David gently urged her back down into a lying position.

"My dad... he's gone." Kayla covered her eyes as the tears began to flow.

"What are you saying?"

"Carolyn, she killed him—again." She could no longer control her sobs as her body heaved with each outcry. Reality came sharply in to focus that instant, and she reached down to feel her belly.

"The baby," Kayla exclaimed, remembering the flat stomach from her dream. She sighed with relief when she felt the familiar bulge of her growing infant.

Kayla slowly sat up on the couch and looked at David, who had a confounded expression.

"We need to work on figuring out how to get rid of this bitch forever," Kayla stated matter-of-factly.

"Let's get to work, then."

She rose from the sofa, steadying herself, and made her way to the kitchen. Still determined not to use her powers, she saw no harm in using potions. She scanned the contents of her magical pantry and began removing jars and containers, holding them in her arms until she was able to drop them onto the kitchen counter. She directed David to retrieve various pots, pans, and utensils from the other cupboards while she sorted the herbs into groups.

As Kayla placed the vervain next to the canister of sea salt in preparation for her protection potion, she realized how much she really wished Joy was here with her. The elder witch, along with Daisy and Violet, had acted as her mentors and guides into the world of magic. Even though it had only been a year or so since she had discovered her abilities, Joy had marveled at how quickly Kayla had been able to master her lessons.

After snapping on protective gloves, she mixed the vervain and sea salt with a powder of frankincense and myrrh into a cup of pure spring water.

She moved on to combining mandrake root with mustard seed and verbena in order to make a potion to banish spirits. The next potion was designed to kill werewolves. It had never been tested, but Joy had been working on it for the last year. Kayla hoped it would work, but even she had to admit that it wasn't a sure thing.

Lining the prepared potions up on the counter, Kayla explained the purpose of each one to David in detail. He nodded in acknowledgement after her explanation of each bottle.

After the tutorial, Kayla realized that she was starving. She began to gather ingredients for a Caesar salad from the refrigerator. As she and David prepared their dinner together and then sat down at the table to eat, she fell in love all over again with the normalcy that her new family had afforded. Kayla hoped this would not be the end of the family she had worked so hard to build.

The couple went up to bed hand in hand, putting the events of the day behind them and preparing for the difficult day that lay ahead.