The following night, Brianna and Valerie strolled down the wooded path behind the high school. In the dark of the midnight hour, the thin beam of Valerie's flashlight illuminated the night. The brightness of the full moon was hidden by the tall trees surrounding the dirt trail.
"There's a good spot," Valerie said, scanning a small clearing with two large, flat rocks. The full moon shone down from overhead, casting an eerie yellow glow on the open space. Valerie sat down on one of the rocks. "Let me see what you brought."
Brianna handed her the napkin, the clump of hair, and the silver ring. Valerie examined the materials. "What's this?" She held up the double-heart ring.
"Something Mandy loves," Brianna said firmly, trying to sound convincing.
"This?" Valerie's eyes narrowed as she ran her fingers over the piece. "I don't even ever remember seeing her wear this."
"That's because she loves it so much," Brianna fibbed. "She's scared of losing it."
"Bri, this is the most important part of the spell. According to the book, the more the person loves the object, the greater the chance that the spell will work. Are you sure she loves this?"
"Yes," Brianna said. "I'm sure." She didn't feel guilty about lying. Valerie was using her to try to obtain power. So if she used Valerie to go to a party and meet a cute boy, then they were even.
"Okay." Valerie shrugged. "It's all we have tonight, and it's a full moon, so it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work, then we can always try again."
Brianna took a seat on the flat rock across from Valerie. The night was eerily quiet as Valerie reached into her bag and removed five black candles. Her green eyes gleamed demonically in the moonlight.
"You are doing this spell alone. I will watch, but I'm not involved. I wrote down the words you have to say." Valerie unfolded a sheet of white paper.
"Why?" Brianna was puzzled. This was contradictory to Valerie's acquisitive nature.
"Well, because you're a witch, and I'm not. The power will go into you more easily. Then, once you have the power, you can transfer some to me."
Brianna nodded, still not convinced of Valerie's true motivations.
Valerie arranged the five black candles in a large circle. Once they were lit, the three items were placed in the center of the circle.
"Okay, Bri. It's all ready. Stand in the circle and say the words. But be careful. When you pull the power into you, don't overdo it, okay? It could be hard on your body to take too much at once."
Oh, now it made sense. Brianna realized why she was to be the one to take the power. There was some risk involved. Valerie had elected Brianna as the guinea pig. Whatever. Brianna was just humoring her, anyhow. This would never work. Mandy couldn't care less about that silly ring.
Then, why was she so nervous? An almost palpable sense of foreboding pervaded the night air. The white paper glowed in the moonlight and trembled between Brianna's shaky fingers. Relax, it couldn't possibly work.
She took a deep breath, stepped inside the circle, and read the scribbled black words aloud.
"Inside this circle,
Love, blood, and hair of a witch,
The power that harbors within her,
Is now mine to take and switch."
Brianna dropped to her knees as sensations took over her body. She felt as if her torso was being torn open. Something entered her so hot that it burned but simultaneously tingled with pleasure.
Too much, Brianna thought as the scalding energy flowed into her middle and through her veins. While the power traveled from her center and into her extremities, every cell in her body experienced the combination of euphoria and pain. Way too much. Brianna remembered Valerie's warning. But she didn't know how to stop it. It continued to flow in, so free, so quick.
Within moments, Brianna lay on the ground, her entire body rocking violently with convulsions. A small yellow light shone through her black sweatshirt. The light spread and brightened until her entire body glowed.
Brianna could no longer feel anything solid beneath her. She realized she was levitating three feet above the ground, encircled by a glowing ball of energy. Her body was still thrashing in space when everything went black.