Witchy Days 11: Chance Meetings

Sometime in late spring…

Frankie was fully enjoying spending time with his parents and showing them around the city. It’s been a long time since the three of them got the chance to really get quality time together in such a way. 

What did he not enjoy? Jesse and Denise were both major early birds and their idea of a good time was getting out and about at the crack of dawn.

That’s how they ended up at the park before 9 in the morning, after already spending a good amount of time at the old market. He needed a break!

“Mom, Dad, are you going back to that museum now?” he asked them and his mother nodded.

“Yes. I know it’s probably majorly overpriced, but that brooch was really pretty.”

“You should get it. But do you guys need me there with you?” Frankie asked.

“I think we can manage,” Jesse reassured him. “And you look like you need a good cup of joe.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Frankie agreed. “See you later?”

Now that he was awake anyways, he decided to take the time to catch up on a book he got a short while ago. He found it really helpful with his spellcasting and already made several notes of useful techniques. 

He was deeply engrossed in the book when a pleasant voice distracted him.

“I’m sorry, do you know the neighborhood well? I’m trying to find the cathedral.”

“Oh, hi! Yes,” he put the book away. “It’s only a few blocks away.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” the young woman said. “I think I took a wrong turn and got here somehow. Not that the park isn’t nice, but…”

“I hear you, it’s a big city,” he understood. “I could walk there with you, I was just about done here.”

“Really? That would be lovely,” she smiled. “My name is Rayen. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Frankie, and the pleasure is all mine,” he shook her hand. 

“So that’s it,” Rayen looked at the big building with awe. “It’s impressive. Do you think it’ll cost a lot to light a candle here?”

“No, these things are usually free, but donations are welcome,” he assured her.

“Good, because I don’t have much change yet,” she headed off to the candle stand, lighting a candle with a sad and nostalgic expression. After spending some time looking at the flames, she turned around and left what he thought to be a decent donation in the charity box. “Thank you. Sorry I dragged you here, but it was just something I had to do.”

“Sure thing. Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, it was a message to my grandma, of sorts,” she explained. “She’s not with us anymore, but she told me whenever I light a candle thinking of her, she’ll know it. And whenever I’m lighting it at new places I visit, she knows I’m out there, experiencing the world.”

“That’s really sweet,” he smiled. “Has it been a long time?”

“Yes and no. For everyone, it’s been decades, but for me, only a few months,” she explained. “I’m from this island called Northeney and we had a bit of a situation.”

“Wait, you’re from Northeney?!” he exclaimed. “How are you doing?!”

“You know about it? I’m alright, I guess,” she became slightly reticent. “Five decades behind the rest of the world, but otherwise fine.”

“So, you really don’t remember anything from the time you were, you know…”

“Ghosts?” she finished his sentence. “Not really. I do get some flashes every once in a while, but there probably isn’t much to remember.”

“I suppose not,” he thought about it. From what everyone understood, the Northeney ghosts weren’t proper ghosts, but rather a result of a spell gone wrong. “Man, I’m glad Terra jumped in there.”

“Terra?”

“She’s… a good friend of mine,” he told her. “Her brother, and apparently one of the headmasters of our school, got whisked into your island, and she, her boyfriend, and our headmaster jumped into a portal to get to you guys. That’s how the spell ended up undone.”

“I’d love to meet her and thank her. And everyone else involved in that process. It’s nice to be able to move on with my life. So, this Terra…” she noticed. “You like her.”

“Not much gets past you, I see,” he smiled. “I was into her. But things didn’t really work out.”

“That’s too bad,” she understood. “But you’ll meet someone, I promise.”

Strange, he thought. Terra said the exact same thing to him this winter. Looking at Rayen’s warm eyes and adorable smile, he got the feeling that, perhaps the correct word was “met.”

“I think you’re right. Well, Rayen, tell me more about yourself.”

“Well, my family wasn’t really from Northeney,” she explained. “We’ve sort of been all over the world, at this point. My great-great-grandparents were Native American and then my great-grandma ended up falling for a Swedish sailor and moving with him all the way here. I think they’re the only ones really from the island, since they and Grandma really spent their whole lives there. But my parents had that wanderlust, they ended up working in all sorts of places. I was with them some of the time, and with Grandma at other times. She really taught me a lot. She was a Seer, you know. Apparently, she predicted the whole Northeney thing, but people didn’t understand what she meant. Not her fault. These predictions can be confusing.”

“Do you think the bad guys did something to her?” Frankie asked carefully.

“Oh, no! I don’t know how that rumor started. It was just old age, really. She was over a hundred,” Rayen smiled fondly. “This is why I was on the island. I came to get her affairs in order. I think she’s who I get these magic abilities from. Strange, isn’t it? I never realized it was something different, until that fairy told me I was a witch.”

She paused. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t really fit in anywhere. I tried visiting my great-grandma’s people when my family was over there. But it didn’t really feel special. I thought I would get to learn this whole culture, but I just felt like a tourist.”

“I think I understand. My parents aren’t witches, but I am. So I’ve always felt a bit out of place. And as witches go, I’m not very good at magic, so I end up feeling out of place at the school, sometimes. But the school generally tries to welcome people. I know the majority of the teachers are really good and go out of their way to make the students feel at home. I think you’ll like it there.”

“You’re one of my new classmates, then?” she smiled. “That’s great! Now I won’t be surrounded by complete strangers.”

“No, and when the school year starts, I’ll introduce you to all the rest of us. And if she decides to come back, you’ll get to talk to Terra and Mrs. Crimson, two of the people who undid that spell. Not the third one, Terra’s brother – his girlfriend, well, wife now, is pregnant and I doubt he’s into coming to an academy at this time.”

“Sounds like a lot of drama,” she laughed.

“Oh, you’ve no idea! We’ve had plenty of that this year,” he agreed. “Let me tell you all about it. But how about we do it over a nice cup of coffee and a big plate of waffles? My treat.”

“I can’t really impose like that,” she hesitated.

“I insist! Besides, I really enjoyed talking to you, and according to my friends and parents, I make a good tour guide. So, if you’re open to exploring the city with me, I’d love to show you around.”

“When you put it like this, lead on, Mr. Tour Guide.”

RQQOTD from Dandylion240 What is your OC’s most expensive possession and their most prized possession? How do they differ? Or are they the same?

Rayen’s most expensive possession is her grandmother’s house in Northeney. She was always very close to the old woman and now that her grandmother is dead, she is the legal owner of the house. It’s the same house Bristol, Lakeisha, and Olga stayed in while they were on the island. As real estate goes, it’s probably not that expensive, but it’s still a place to call home if she ever needs one. And it is a very prized possession for her. She initially went to Northeney with tentative plans to sell it, upon her parents suggestion, but couldn’t – it would’ve been like selling part of the family.

As for her most prized possession, it’s probably her great-grandmother’s engagement ring. It represents the woman’s choice to uproot her whole life and move to another continent to be with the man she fell in love with. And it was a very solid union, too. To Rayen, this is both incredibly romantic and a token of their love for one another.

Of course, there’s another thing that’s both prized and expensive – her chance to live her life now that the spell is lifted.

---

Somewhere, on the other side of town, in a townhouse shared by three roommates.

“Hey man, what’s up? Was your manager on your case again?” Atherton asked his friend, who came home looking downcast.

“No, it’s not that,” Toby told him. “Remember that lizard I told you about? The one that was improving? Well, he didn’t improve. The opposite, actually.”

“Oh, that sucks.” His friend always seemed to take it extra hard when animals were suffering, even if there wasn’t anything he could do to help. “If it makes you feel better, I fed Joliet-Jake and Elwood this morning.”

“Oh, thank you! I had to rush out so early today, I didn’t get the chance to do it and it was their feeding day.”

“It’s no big deal. Is Joliet-Jake ok, though? He keeps drumming with his legs. It almost looks like he’s twerking,” Atherton asked. “And the web looks different.”

“Oh, yeah…” Toby became even gloomier. “He’s just about ready to mate. I’m just not ready to find him a female.”

“You’re afraid the female will kill him?” Atherton asked.

“Yeah, it happened to me before,” Toby told him. “I know it’s just nature for these guys, but I’m way too attached to them.”

“Sucks to be a male tarantula,” Atherton appraised the situation. “Can’t even have a f… mate in peace.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to stop cursing because of me,” Toby reassured him, sitting down. “I know I give off the sheltered good kid impression, but you don’t get through years of academia without language that would make a pirate blush.”

“Fair enough. So, what are your plans for the evening?”

“I don’t know, probably finish that magazine about crossbreeding.”

“You could do that. Or you could come out clubbing with me,” Atherton invited. “Seriously, man, you need to get out more. You’re only what, two years older than me? And you’re living your life like a grandpa.”

“I do not!” Toby laughed. “I’m just not good with all these clubs, and strobe lights, and scantily-clad people. Out of my comfort zone.”

“I’ll be there with you. Come on, a couple of beers will do you good. And then you can come home and read your magazines. I insist. Most of my friends are on vacation and I have no one to go out with.”

Toby with his beloved Joliet-Jake (on arm) and Elwood (in terrarium).

Toby: Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll take care of you. But I will look into getting you a girlfriend.

“Told you it’s chill here,” Atherton smiled as he and Toby enjoyed a bottle of beer.

“I won’t argue with that,” Toby agreed. “And the music isn’t even half-bad.”

“Didn’t know you were into punk-rock!”

“It’s good to get pumped up to,” Toby told him. “I wonder if it’s what they always play or only because of all the bikers here?”

“I’m willing to bet it’s the later,” Atherton told him. Usually, Caution had a more modern choice of music, but with the amount of motorbikes they had to pass on the way inside, he supposed someone requested the music they were currently hearing. “Don’t worry about the bikers though. They tend to have a rough rep, but they’re usually really chill. At least the ones I’ve known have been.”

“Oh, I don’t mind them in the slightest!” Toby waved away his friend’s concerns. “In fact, I’m all for their presence here – lots of eye candy in here.”

“You’re into biker chicks?”

“I don’t know much about bikers, but I do know the girls in here today are drop dead gorgeous. Especially that one with the blue hair.”

Atherton followed the direction of his friend’s gaze and realized the person he was talking about looked very familiar. 

Wait. He knew this girl. Polina????

“Wait here, man!”

“Thanks for dragging me out here today,” Polina told Trix. “Usually my cousin makes me go clubbing and I’m against it, but she’s been busy with work lately. Would you believe I’ve actually been missing this?”

“You deserve it, hon,” Trix laughed. “Your quick thinking helped us nail that perp.”

It’s been two months since she had met the siblings, and despite her initial scoffing at the idea, today she was a full member of Engines for Justice. 

Splinter, or as she came to know him, Wolfman, selling off the wrong vehicle came to be one of the best things that happened to her, because it set of a whole chain of events. She met the Moore siblings, their friends, that wonderful organization, and most of all, she found something that gave her a purpose waking up each morning.

She may not have been the scariest or most imposing of bikers, but she knew that when she rode up to the homes of the people her organization helped, those people did feel a bit safer and more comfortable. 

And just this week, she figured out how an evil asshole was still stalking his ex wife, even though she had both blocked him everywhere possible and had a restraining order against the man. Turned out, he had a tracker on her car, and after they alerted the authorities and showed them the evidence, he was arrested.

“I’m just happy that poor woman can sleep peacefully at night again. The gall some people have!”

“It’s ok, we got him,” Trix reassured her. Polina knew her friend had her own issues with abusive jerks. “Hey, someone’s calling your name.”

“Atherton! Hey! Long time no see! How have you been?” she turned around, happy to see her friend. They texted a lot a few months ago, but life, with its busy schedules, got in the way.

“I’m good. I can’t believe you’re here! You look great, by the way!”

“So do you. Are things good with everything?” she inquired, remembering the mess he ended up in due to her family’s hubris.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m just out here with my roommate. I thought I’d say hi. How do you know all these bikers, by the way?”

“I’m part of their club,” she told him. “I know, who would’ve thought?”

Indeed, he mentally agreed. If anyone had told him just three months ago that Polina was going to join a biker club, he would’ve told them to stop doing drugs and get real. But life sure had a way of switching things up!

“Well, don’t be a stranger – if you want to join us at some point, we’re over there,” he told her. “We should catch up sometime.”

“Oh yeah, definitely!” She turned around when a burly-looking guy with a scull tattoo tried to ask her something. “Sorry, gotta go.”

Returning to their table, he found Toby looking in Polina’s direction, completely enamored.

“Man, I would let her absolutely fucking step on me…” If he was cursing, you knew he had it bad.

“What’s stopping you?” Atherton asked.

“Are you serious? Girls like that don’t go for guys like me,” Toby shook his head.

“Well, not with that attitude they won’t. Have you tried talking to anyone?”

“Yes. And I get weird and tongue-tied. They end up thinking I’m being creepy. It’s nerves, I know, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.”

“Hmm…” Toby was a good guy, that much Atherton knew. Maybe he could help? He didn’t know if Polina was still single, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Look, I make no promises, but how about I play wingman for you? Trust me, this is Polina, she’s a very understanding person. Maybe I can set something up.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, we’re good friends, she knows I wouldn’t try to set her up with someone bad.”

“I’m telling you, man, it’ll be a disaster, no matter how nice you say she is.”

“Just relax and let me see this through.”

“Hey,” Trix was looking over at the boys’ table very intensely when Polina approached her and Stag. “Who’s that absolute hottie? I never knew you had friends like this one.”

“That’s my friend Atherton. Why?”

“Are you kidding? Is he single? Because I certainly am.”

Yes, Trix was. While there were plenty of great guys in Engines for Justice, her friend preferred not to date within the club, after a bad breakup in her and Stag’s old motorcycle club made things very awkward for everyone.

“I don’t know, but I could find out.” She wasn’t going to offer her his number – while she knew Trix was a good person, giving out someone’s number to a stranger without permission was not how she rolled.

“Will you? Thanks. Because I’d love to ask him out.”

Trix and Stag had an early shift the next morning, so after deliberation, Polina decided to text Atherton about this when she got home and she did. This way, they wouldn’t have to yell over the music.

“Hey, are you still up?”

“Yes,” came his reply.

“Cool. So, this may sound weird, but my friend thought you were really cool. She said she’d like to take you out on a date.”

“Really? Nice!” he noticed her friend, who definitely gave him a couple of interesting looks from across the room. “Funny you should mention this, but my friend really liked you.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yeah, I mean, he really liked you. But the thing is, he’s terrible at talking to girls.”

“Oh no!” Polina felt bad for the poor guy. She could relate to having trouble talking to people.

“But he’s a great guy otherwise. Smart, adores animals, caring.”

“He sounds really nice.”

“How about a double date?” he asked. “If you’re cool with that?”

She saw the message and it gave her pause. Deciding to deliberate on it in the shower, she took a break from responding for a few minutes.

Returning, comfortable and without makeup, she decided to really think about it.

Yes it was a date and the idea of one freaked her out after how things went with Papaya in Sunlit Tides. At the same time, she would have two friends present there, and this would create a buffer for any weird freak out she might experience. 

Besides, like Atherton said, this guy was shy himself. This put them in a similar position. 

And like her therapist said, she had nothing to be afraid of. She was doing well, really well.

“Ok,” she texted back. “Let’s do this.”

“Cool! How about tomorrow evening? There’s this nice seafood place close to where we live and the food there is delicious.”

“I’ll text Trix about her schedule, but I’m certain the time works for her.”

“Great! It’s a double date!” came his reply.

Ending the conversation, she took a deep breath. Yeah, logically there was no need to worry. But she still did.

She vaguely remembered his friend from the club. He seemed cute, sure. And she totally felt for his problem with talking to women. At the same time, if she wasn’t trying to set up Trix and Atherton, she would’ve said no to the date.

Over at the townhouse, Atherton studied her message with a strange feeling. He meant everything he said about Toby and wanted all the best for him. At the same time, he expected Polina to turn this down, somehow.

Or maybe hoped she would, for some reason. But why? Those two were such a good fit. They were both smart, caring people who were single. It made sense to set them up. And yet…