Every inch of my body was electric with nerves. I stood just outside the temple. My ballet pumps had been taken off me and I stood there barefoot before a long carpet of white rose petals, leading all the way up to the altar. Just in front of the altar, a white claw footed, porcelain bath had been placed, ready for my cleansing. I took a deep breath and started slowly down the length of the temple. I imagine my wedding to be similar, only sunflower petals instead of roses. Every step I took increased the butterflies in my stomach. The ceremony is supposed to allow me to come into my full power. During the cleansing, I release myself of childlike restrictions and accept all my gifts. I'm terrified I no longer have any gifts left to discover. I'm terrified if I have new gifts of what they'll be and how I'll control them. When we first develop our powers, we are like little whirlwinds of Chaos. But once we know how to gain control, we're fully responsible for anything we do. What if I break something? What if I hurt someone?
I take a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm my rising nerves as I prepare to climb the stairs at the altar. As usual the Coven is seated on pillows and my mother, dressed in all her finery is stood by the basin, my father by her side. I glance up at her, the flickering witch lights bouncing off the crystals in her diadem. She beams down at me reassuringly. I undo the ribbon that secured my cloak and pass it to the witch to my left, my hands trembling ever so slightly and I ascend the four tiny steps on to the platform.
Just like every cleansing ritual, the bath was full with herbs and essential oils for purification; sage; chamomile; cinnamon; lemon balm; sandalwood; lavender; rosemary; hyssop; sweet grass; peppermint. I guarantee they're all included.
I walked around the bath and stood in between my parents, taking a hand from each.
"We call upon our ancestors, to aid this daughter of the Coven, to protect her. We call upon fire to purify and empower her. We call upon water to cleanse and unblock her mind. We call upon the Earth to protect and ground her. We call upon air for clarity and to help release her from the past. Lastly we call upon spirit to guide her to her higher self, to release her gifts and embrace her magic." My mother's voice echoed around the room.
"Let us begin," she said, signalling everyone to begin chanting 'ohm'. This sound opens the seventh chakra, something to aid me in reaching my higher self. My parents steadied me as I stepped fully clothed into the bath, my head just above the water. This part was all down to me.
I took a deep breath and silenced my nerves, imagining every muscle in my body was relaxing more and more on each exhale. I allowed the scents of the herbs to fill my nose and take me into a deep state of meditation. I visualized all the negative energy in my body, like black fog, being pushed out of my fingertips by the bright, white light of positive energy. I let the white light sweep through me, making me warm, the negative energy being diluted by the water. I thought about the bath being rejuvenating and my soul and body being cleansed. I then focused on my head. That place in the middle of the forehead where your metaphorical third eye is. Of course you don't have an actual third eye, you just have a chakra that links to prophecy, future and power.
I stopped visualising, surrounding my imagination in darkness. 'I accept power, I accept who I am', I thought to myself. I waited. Nothing. 'I accept my power, I embrace every part of me and I accept who I'm supposed to become.' I would be yelling this by now if I wasn't thinking it.
My vision burst into bright white light. I was in a field. No. I was in that field. I was laid on the grass staring at the sun.
"Maivy!" I heard a girl shriek. A Slender girl with fierce auburn hair danced up to me and grabbed my hands. She giggled and pulled me so we were spinning. We fell to the floor in fits of giggles.
"Oh Maive." She said." If only we could stay like this, young. But tonight we celebrate our 21st birthday." She sighed.
"Melvina, nothing much will change, we'll just have more magic, more power! We'll be even more a twin force to be reckoned with!" The words came from my mouth but it wasn't me who was saying it. I was in the past, this was a vision. I looked down for the first time at a body I didn't recognise. I was slimmer; my own raven locks were replaced with the same auburn hair as the girl next to me. I was taller too, how had I not noticed this before? The girl I called Melvina let out a deep groan.
"Come on!" she complained." It's going to take an hour to tame my hair!" The vision faded and I was back to darkness, but not for long.
A yellow light flickered, then as if it had been switched on; I was suddenly in a huge hall. Ginormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The room was decorated with lilies, in abundance. At the end of the hall, on a raised platform were four empty, gold thrones with red velvet cushioning. Waiters passed by with silver platters passing round tiny, bite-sized foods. Beautiful women in huge dresses danced with handsome men in suits. I'd never been amongst such grandeur and eloquence. Those who weren't dancing were dotted around the room in small groups, talking loudly, laughing, drinking alcohol and being merry. To the left of the hall were three huge glass doors. Red satin curtains, draped around the top of the frames, tied back with yellow rope. The doors were open and they led on to gorgeous balconies above the most wonderful garden. What I wouldn't give to be out in the world like this, to see the moon and the stars, to dance barefoot on the grass, to laugh and be merry without a care.
I headed towards the balcony where I could see Melvina standing alone. Her face was panic-stricken and she jumped when she saw me. Her face cracked, her composure practically shattering before my eyes as she burst into tears.
"Maive, what I saw! What will we do? We're done for!" She sobbed into my shoulder. Once again the vision faded to black.
This time when my eyes opened I was on horseback in the midst of a thunderstorm. The rain was coming down hard and fast and I was drenched. In the distance was the ruin of a tower on a hill. Lightening danced around it and thunder echoed through it.
Once there, I stepped through the stone archway and over to the middle of the room where a stone table stood. The room had no ceiling, so there was no chance of getting dry any time soon.
Around the table, three figures waited for me. One was Melvina, but the other two were boys I didn't recognise.
"Did you bring it?" one of the boys asked in a harsh, gruff voice. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a medium sized item wrapped in cloth. I opened the cloth to see an oval mirror. I looked into it and for a second I saw my reflection, the reflection of the real me, not Maive and surprise flickered across my face. I turned it over and took it out of its black frame. The frame was made out of some sort of wood and was inscribed with a language I couldn't read. I gently placed the now frameless mirror on the stone slab, and returned its frame to my pocket. Melvina produced an Athame that I recognised immediately as my mothers.
"Remember Mel, we all have to do it." The second boy instructed. Melvina nodded and held the dagger over the mirror.
"Earth, I call on thee!" she yelled.
The boy, who first spoke, wrapped his hand around Mel's. He called on an element, this time Fire.
The second boy did this same, calling on the element of Air.
I placed my hand around all of their hands and also shouted. "Water I call on thee" my skin tingled with the usual feeling of an incantation.
"Spirit we call on thee, to break this mirror and to protect our people!" We shouted simultaneously. A bolt of lightning hit our hands, making the Athame glow, and coursing energy through our veins. Together we stabbed the mirror and it broke into four pieces. My vision went black once more.
I heard the boy's cry, the one from my first vision. I pierced my ears and shot through me like a surge of energy, forcing me into some sort of semi consciousness. It was then I realised I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was suffocating. Drowning. I was drowning; my lungs were on fire, I could feel the water around my body, cold and unforgivable. I pushed with all my might to open my eyes. I was surrounded by murky water. I could feel my parents trying to pull me out the water but they couldn't. They couldn't prevent me from seeing what the universe needed me to see. I pushed myself into a sitting position, gasping for air before coughing up water and my lungs. My body ached for oxygen and I wondered how long I'd been deprived of it.
"Aoibheann! What did you see?" my mother desperately begged me before I blacked out.