Welcome to Strangely

“When I came back from Meet and Greet, you were just sitting there staring at the wall, so I thought I’d leave you to do whatever it was you were doing and go have a shower. Then, when I got back here, you were still sitting in the same position. You had not moved an inch.” Emily says as she takes a seat next to her. “You had me worried.”

Shaking her head, a little, Zara says, “Probably just tired. What do you think about Jason and Jenny? I thought he really, really liked her.”

Emily pulls her face in a grimace. “Men,” she says.

“Men are no different from women. We all want what we can't have,” Zara says.

Emily glances at Zara. “What would be your perfect relationship?”

Zara laughs cheekily. “Lots of fun and steaming heat.”

Emily feels a warmth settle on her cheeks. “I want romance. Long, slow kisses, late-night talks and candlelight.”

“Do you think there is a spell on how to attract the perfect partner?”

“We're not casting any spells,” Emily says determinedly.

Zara smiles amused. “Come on. There must be more to our powers than just hiding away from demons and having to find a way to rescue Abby.”

“No,” Emily insists. “No personal gain, remember?”

“What about just having a good time.”

Emily laughs softly. “I won’t lie, I’m tempted.”

“So, let’s do it.” Zara moves to stand up.

Emily puts her hand on Zara’s forearm to stop her from standing up, and as she does, she can feel a warm sensation rush through every inch of her. “Don’t you think conjuring up a love interest would be considered desperate?”

“No. How is asking for what you want being desperate?”

“I suppose. It won’t feel right, though, would it?”

“I think it would be empowering. We could choose the perfect partner for each of us.”

“Emily? Zara? Are you home?” Jenny calls from the crooked front door.

“Here,” Emily says from the lounge area where they are seated. She is happy the conversation she and Zara were having has been interrupted. When Zara said she wanted to conjure a spell to find the perfect partner, Emily felt a small twinge of jealousy spindle its way around her heart.

Jenny walks across the room, past the crooked table to see Zara and Emily seated in the wing-backed chairs facing the empty fireplace.

“Hi,” Jenny greets them before slumping down onto an unoccupied wing-backed chair. “We need to find a spell in the Book of Eudemon to get us to The OtherWorld so we can go and find Abby.”

Zara glances sideways at Emily. “We were just talking about finding a spell ourselves.”

“And?” Jenny asks hopefully. “Did you find any?”

“Well... We were thinking more about personal gain.” Zara laughs, embarrassed.

A frown puckers her brow as Jenny looks from the one to the other. “What personal gain?”

“We were just being silly,” Emily says. “Have you had any more premonitions about how we can find Abby?” Emily asks Jenny, to steer the conversation away from spells and perfect partners.

“No. What about you? Have you stopped time today?”

“No, I’m trying really, really hard not to do it; it’s a little exhausting trying to do something that wants to happen naturally,” Emily replies with a shrug.

“I cannot believe I predicted your powers wrong. I told Jason I thought Abby would be able to stop time,” Jenny says. “I suppose my power of premonition is not all I thought it would be.”

“Maybe subconsciously you knew he was only trying to get information from you,” Zara says.

There is a look of hurt on Jenny’s face. “I can't always see the future; it just happens and it's kind of hard to explain how it happens.” She takes a deep breath, before she continues, “Any news on your powers, Zara? Can you move stuff around with your mind? Do anything?”

Zara sits up in her chair. “No... But... I think I can. No. It’s silly.”

Jenny and Emily both lean forward in their chairs.

“Tell us,” Jenny insists.

“It can never be silly,” Emily says.

“Maybe it’s just exhaustion that made me see what I saw.” Zara hesitates.

“You also have the power of premonition? I knew mine was too weak if I could not even predict your powers correctly,” Jenny broods.

“Stop it, Jenny. I bet you did know, and you just didn’t want Jason to know,” Emily says.

“I heard a voice speak to me in a dream,” Zara says quickly.

“A dream?” Jenny asks.

“Yes, but it felt more than just a dream. It was real.”