Chapter Four - For Whom The Bell Tolls
The only thing on Mara's mind as she walks home from the trail is that she really does not want
someone to find her walking alone in the dark with a deer skull. Mostly because she does not want
to deal with many questions that come from someone seeing her in the dark with a deer skull and
some green current orbiting around her left hand.
"Hey!" Someone with a femmine voice calls out to Mara from behind her. Mara freezes as she hears
footsteps come toward her. Quickly she stuffs her left hand into her pocket and turns around to
face the onslaught of annoying questions. Immediately upon turning around Mara feels her stress
and worry melting away. Walking toward her was a woman, mid-twenties, wearing a black turtleneck
sweater, khaki pants, and hair a light shade of ginger almost like her hair is made of fire. She
has a leather satchel draped against her side. It is like someone took a librarian and made them
forty years younger. Mara thinks she certainly dresses better than herself but also thinks she is
not in a suitable outfit for the Florida heat. While walking she trips over herself and falls onto
the ground causing Mara to gasp and run over to her.
"OH my god, are you ok!?" Mara exclaims as she offers her left hand to help her off the ground
which she takes. Mara pulls her up and she is bleeding from her nose a bit, which she wipes away
with her sleeve.
"Yeah, I am fine, I fall enough to be immune to them, mostly." The woman responds with a preppy
tone. The woman very quickly notices the green current and the coldness of Mara's hand.
"I knew you were a witch!" The woman exclaims excitedly causing Mara to pull her hand away. "Wait
I did not mean it in a bad way I know I bit of magic myself!" The woman continues as she begins to
search through her satchel. She quickly produces a notebook, quickly flips it open and reads from
a page. From the book a small sphere of light emerges and floats just a few inches from the page
before collapsing in on itself.
"How did you do that?" Mara asked fear falling away replaced with curiosity.
"Well, it's actually a different type of magic than what makes the current around your hand. I can
summon objects if I describe them or draw them in a notebook, then I simply believe that they are
real and then they appear."
"Uh huh." Mara says not quite grasping what the woman was telling her.
"Though, I can only do this ball of light my master was killed before she can teach me more." The
woman continues with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Killed?" Mara asks.
"Yeah, there is a reason you do not see very many supernatural entities anymore. We are hunted for
sport by various groups; the local group down here is the 'Providence Shoreline Covenant Church'.
Though they are mostly called the Shore Men from the people who I heard talk about them." The woman
explains but stops when she sees visible confusion on Mara's face. "You look like you have no idea
what I am talking about."
"This is the first time I am hearing about this." Mara started, "I just found a book in the forest
yesterday and now I have been subjected to strange thing after strange thing. Like I do not even
know why I am carrying a deer skull back to my apartment in the dark. But here I am doing so
thinking about how I can use it to summon a companion." Mara stops to catch her breath feeling good
that she is finally getting all of this off her chest.
The woman stops for a moment before extending her hand, "Rowan Bell, that is my name and I should
have told you earlier, but I think we can help each other." Mara, with not many choices left, takes
Rowan's hand and shakes it.
"Do you want to come to my apartment and see the book?" Mara asks surprising herself.
"Yes!" Rowan responds quickly, practically jumping at the opportunity. "I would like to see why you
feel so powerful despite you claiming you are just a day into this whole new world." She says as she
joins Mara's side walking with her down the sidewalk.
"I feel powerful?"
"Yeah, like every supernatural entity can kinda feel each other, but you, you are screaming out
towards every other supernatural entity." Rowan explains as if it was something Mara should have
known already.
"Well how do I turn it down?" Mara asks.
Rowan chuckles, "You can't turn it down, but don't worry about being placed in danger because of
it, your aura screams stay away if you value your life."
"But you still approached me?"
"Well, I do not have a master, and the world is a dangerous place. I was hoping for someone who
has as powerful of an aura would know a thing or two, at the very least be able to protect me."
"Rude" Mara says as they reach the parking lot of her apartment building.
