8)

Once the big party was out of the way, it was time for my little sister Ami to start her Magic training.

Which for some reason I had to sit in on.

My Grandmother, Brianna Caine, explained to me, "You are strong enough to do the basics and a familiarity with what a Witch can do may come in handy if you do decide to do the same kind of work as your parents."

Then she reached out to brush her hand along my hair. “I can’t teach you how to fight, at least let me do this.”

Darn it Grandma, that isn’t fighting fair.

Then she grinned. “And besides, it will be a good thing to spend some time with your sister before you end up going to two different schools.” She rolled her eyes. “And Rosaria will teach you how to fight other Witches. That’s more her thing.”

Ami, of course, go upset since this was supposed to be her thing. But I think that she was secretly relieved to have someone else suffering with her.

My sister definitely wanted to get her Magic under control, if she didn't she would be homeschooled for at least a year, and even without that hanging over her head, Magic was something she wanted to learn.

But I think everything else that went with Magic, the expectations and responsibilities to our families, was a little overwhelming for an eleven year old.

My Grandmother decided to teach us outside in the gazebo that sat off in a small flower garden. I knew from the original plans for the estate it was supposed to be a fountain at the center of a huge elaborate garden with a hedge maze surrounding it on three sides, but all my Grandpa was willing to pay for was some flower beds around the a nice, but much cheaper wooden structure with a nice coat of white paint.

“All right you two, the first thing you need to learn is how to piece the veil. Outside the bounds of this world is the Everything. In the Everything, anything is possible.”

“That’s what Magic is, taking what is possible in the Everything, and making it happen here. The more Magical power you have, the more you can make happen. The more training you have, the more you can choose what will happen.”

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Grandma looked at Ami, “You have so much Magic in you, that you are making things happen without choosing what happens. And you are so strong you can’t focus your Magic down to something you can contain within yourself.”

Then she looked at me. "Your Magic is right at the limit of not being able to contain it within yourself. Your grandfather may have been the same way. Or at least that’s why I think he’s so strong as a Werewolf.”

She looked off towards my Grandpa's house. "If John had been trained, he could have resisted the curse like any other spell trying to sink into him. Who knows how strong your father...”

Then her eyes went wide and she began talking about the dangers of the Everything and the things that lived in it. How it was important not to let your mind wander when you reached out to touch it, “Lest something follow you back.”

Over the next two weeks, me and my sister had lessons for roughly two hours before and after lunch. I didn't learn all that much about how to do Magic, but I did learn a lot about Magic.

My Aunt, who technically was my Grand Aunt Rosaria took a different approach during her two weeks as our tutor.

Out on the driveway in front of the house, she pointed over to where she had spent the last few minutes sticking dozens of sticks into the ground.

“Alright girls. Let’s set stuff on fire.”

It turns out that for the absolute simplest of the spells you didn’t have to use a ritual to reach out across the brane between reality and the flux of all possibilities. Just picture what you wanted to happen, and push your Magic at it.

It was only a step above what Ami had been doing by accident, but for this, it was by choice.

“My sister is trying to teach you two to run before you can walk. The best way to take control of your Magic is to use it, to wreak things. Now burn something.”

I did in fact, learn how to light a piece of wood on fire with a few moments to concentrate. But by the end of Rosaria's two weeks of tutoring, Ami was creating little balls of fire in the palm of her hands and shooting them at the logs.

Which she was insufferably smug about.

However, the first lesson came to an end with Aunt Rosaria and my Father in a screaming argument over what he described as her trying to burn down another house and what she described as him being a wimp.

From her glance at me and Ami, I don't think that was the word she was originally planning to use.

This was nothing new. My Aunt was only a month older than my Dad and they were more like siblings than aunt and nephew. Siblings that didn't get along.

While they were arguing, Grandpa dragged out a hose with a spray nozzle on the end. “Morning Rosaria. You should have come in, we had bacon.”

My aunt gave him a distracted nod. He then pointed over to where some skid marks were on his driveway. “No one ever called me or came looking for that car you left here. Had to get it taken care of myself.”

She began making excuses as he held up his hand. "I understand, getting punched that hard must have shaken you up pretty bad. But I would appreciate it if you could clean up your messes before you made anymore."

My aunt glared at him for a moment before Ami slipped up next to her and clung to her arm. Looking up sadly at her Aunt. "Aunt Rosy please be nice. We just got him.”

I couldn’t have pulled that off. But then the skid marks were from when I had punched Aunt Rosaria into her rental car hard enough to scoot it sideways with enough force to leave the two black marks on the cement.

She hadn’t been mad about it, in fact at the time she had looked a little thrilled that I could do it, but I didn't want to bring it up.

Aunt Rosy rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I’m going to use it as a lesson and make these two do the work.”

Grandpa smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, by all means. That's what young people are for." then he patted my dad on the shoulder. "Now why don't you come with me and help me convince your gal that she doesn't have to clean up after breakfast all the time? Even if the work staff has lessons to get to."