Why You Don't Cheat on a Witch (Part 2)

Hello all!

Last night we had a writer's group night.... that failed.... epically. So instead we played games!!!

You should all know by now that me, Erin and Alex are all avid players of Betrayal at House on the Hill. And ALEX had her evil spee-ai-der (Arachnis Deathicus) lay EGGS in me! EGGS!! I was trapped in a web and couldn't move at all and EGGS WERE GOING TO HATCH INSIDE OF ME!!! I could just imagine them worming around inside my stomach and then BURST out dramatically and eat me alive.

Yes....

But fortunately Erin saved me, unfortunately we all died so it didn't really make a difference but... If I had to choose how to die I would rather die from a simple decapitation then have to wait for eggs to hatch... Not fun.

Anyway, I shall continue with this loverly story. Do enjoy. Leave comments and more importantly ask questions so I can relay them.

Why You Don't Cheat on a Witch (Continued...)

Part 2 the Hexing Commences

The first hex was pure genius. It really was an ingenious hex. The workbook was part journal part description of how to carry out the hexes. She wrote,"Today I woke up again to the baby crying. I have decided to name her Medea. He would probably object but he left before she was even born so to hell with his opinions. What makes me angry is that several times a day when it comes again to me that he's gone, I think 'why?', 'this can't be happening to me' and 'I wonder why I should care about a man like him anymore?' I've decided he should share the pain. I want him to think to himself, 'This can't be happening to me!'"

I looked down at the spell and laughed. The next morning I got up early and made my mother and Thalia breakfast and left my mother a piece of paper with a heart on it. I sent an email to some old students of my mothers as I probably would need their help on this one. And over the next week or so I started assembling the ingredients. And for the first time in a long time I was impatient for the days to pass. It was finally to meet of with two of my mothers ex-students. I was preparing to go when I was snagged.

"Ms. Gavin?" my personal slave driver tapped me on the shoulder, Mr. Scott. He placed more work on me, loading my arms for the day. We were secretaries at a very busy law firm. It was fairly new law firm and he was a lawyer going through midlife crisis. He had up and left his prestigious firm and was having a go on his own. His practice had grown overnight it seemed and become competitive with his privies. He was a perfectionist and I suspect competitive to an extreme and didn't want to come in second to his old firm, which meant that he pecked at someone and they pecked on down the chain until we lowly slaves were whipped with in an inch of our lives.

"You need do finish this by tomorrow. Overtime, I'm sorry."

"But I can't today." I protested

He moved back in surprise. I never said no to overtime. I was the office machine.

"I have a previous engagement. It's really important."

This grabbed the ears of the other secretaries and passing paralegals and office gossips.

"Are you seeing someone?" one of the young ones squealed. "You ought to let her go. She hasn't gone out since she's been here."

Thanks for that one.

"Then you do it." My slave driver proposed.

My advocate shrank, and I was stuck. I sent a belated 'I can't come any more because of my heinous boss. I'll call you when I'm done' text and started to feverishly finish my work. I wasn't the only one doing overtime but my revenge depended on the two people I was supposed to meet that night and I was terribly frustrated to have it evenly remotely postponed. I was filing something away when I heard, "Excuse me Mr. Scott, I'm looking for a Ms. Medea Gavin. I believe she works with you. I have two gentlemen that are looking for her." I think I should have realized right then that things would just get worse. Because the man looking for Mr. Scott and the one that Mr. Scott was addressing as Mr. Palvos was a senior partner of the firm and the selfsame midlife crisis lawyer who happened to be the man who'd over heard everything at the bar.

I'd heard plenty, overheard plenty about him. Perfectionist exaction, unrelenting and no nonsense professional which made us even considering all that he'd heard about me.
I couldn't help wonder what he was thinking about the two 'gentlemen' he had escorted to Mr. Scott's office.

I have known them growing up as students of my mother. "Two peas in a pod" my mother would always say. It was Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Maybe it was my mothers gift at seeing things completely opposite to how they really are that made her say that because to me they were as opposites and they come. I could see the reaction on my colleagues faces that they dazed at the difference between them as much as they were with their differences with society. They were from California but had grown up living in all over the places but every summer their family rented a summer home near mine and as magic world isn't so big and it's smaller when your mother is my mother. To say the least, we were well acquainted.

Dee as I called him was dressed to the nine yards a well tailored suit even to my uneducated eyes with cuff links that I kept telling myself had to be fake because if they were real I'd steal one and go live a life of luxury down in South America. He spoiled the dashing outfit by carrying a cane with a crystal top and a fedora. Not many can pull them off. I am of the opinion that Dee was not one of them. I think Dum had added a couple more piercings than I had last seen him and I think had a tattoo of a dragon but I wasn't sure what it was as the rest was hidden by his muscle shirt, complete with chain looping out of his pants and his hair spiked and tipped in different colors.

Dum didn't wait for Mr. Scott to answer Mr Palvos' inquiry as to where I was. "Oy, Medea who raised ya filthy little," profanity swiftly followed.

Dee luckily cut him off before my face turned completely red. "Dum, that has an obvious answer: her mother. And before you insult her anymore you'd better remember what her mother did the last time you teased Medea."

Dum grinned his lopsided grin. "Yeah. But hell Medea, how could you keep us waiting?" I stepped out and walked toward them my face burning.

Dee while infinitely better dressed, he was more perverse in his torture. He turned to Mr. Pavols. "Please excuse the interruption. We are childhood friends of Madea's, we had an appointment with her and when she canceled uncharacteristically we were worried."

I was so thoroughly embarrassed I couldn't look Mr. Palvos in the eyes as I walked over. Dum unexpectedly picked me up and whirled me around setting me down and then trying to put me in a headlock as I tried to fend him off.

"This is Ms. Gavin?" Mr. Palvos asked, "And you were worried because she's working overtime?" Mr Palvos didn't sound like he could believe his ears. I wished I could melt into the floor.

"Dee, Dum, I'll see you tomorrow. Please, I can't right now. I'm at work right now." I hissed at them.

Dee gave me an aren't-you-cute-but-so-naive knowing full well that I was dying from embarrassment and he was dragging it out. He took a step next to me took my arm and then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek lingering slightly past the norm (if we are going by the standard of kissing as a greeting, Dee has had a European imitation streak for years), "Madea, your mother stressed the importance of seeing you again."

"Yeah," Dum chimed in, "And I don't want your mom to give the evil eye again." As you may guess he was not speaking figuratively.

Who cared about my mother? Mr. Scott was going to kill me. Mr Pavlos was not oblivious to the scene we were making and thankfully put in, "Ms. Gavin, if you and your friends would like, the conference room is open while you work this out." He turned to Mr. Scott but I wasn't listening to what he said instead she leaned over to Dee and Dum and muttered, "You both are so dead."
Mr Pavols himself showed my 'guests' to the room but before I went in. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Pavols. It won't happen again."

Jerk, he was supposed to wave away the apology but he just mundanely said, "You certainly have a wide variety of friends Ms. Gavin." He didn't sound amused, or pleased. Dee and Dum both had mischievous looks on their faces when I finally came in. After the expected I am going to kill you how could you do this and the just see if you can, and insults and hashing up our childhood ending with me saying I really would kill them but I needed their help.

"What do you need?"

"You heard about what happened with J.P." I knew they had. The witch world was rather small and our parents were quiet close.

For the first time since I'd seen them they both had a serious look on their faces for a second. They looked at each other and I wondered what my mother had told them behind my back. Dee replied, "That fact that we heard from you is all the evidence of your breakup."

"I've decided to do something about it and I need both your help."

They looked at each other and back at me smiles back on their faces. Dee took my hand and kissed it, "What ever you need."

Dum slugged me in the arm with a eloquent, "Yeah." So now you pretty much have the back story the history the whole she-bang. How I started to live up to my name and make that cheater rue the day he was born. He was going to feel the pain I felt he was going to learn why you don't cheat on a witch. It was a few days until we had all our preparations ready. I need Dum's help because he was a tech junky coupled with magic and that allowed you around a great deal of natal limitations. Dum's appearance could be deceiving, but not just anyone studied with my mother. He was a genius. They were both five years older than I. Dum was paving the field in the melding of magic and technology.

I was going to hex Jason and this hex was going to make him say "This can't be happening to me." and thanks to Dum I might be able to keep the memory for rainy days.

"Looks like Dee is right on schedule. You sure you made the hex powder right?"

"Did my mother teach pigs how to fly?"

"Yeah."

"You want me to record this?"

I looked at him with my eyes raised. Did he have to ask?

Our plan depended on Jason's stupidity and greed. I assured them that those were two guarantees. As fate turns out Dee's cuff links were real and he actually happened to be a successful business. When we were planning he kept pointing out that it had nothing to do with magic he did that all on his own. We watched on a screen Dee walk up to Jason's building. He paused in front of a window to preen setting his hat a what he must be thinking was a jaunty angle.

Dum rolled his eyes at me, "He's still so childish. Someday he'll grow up." I just looked at his scull rings and died hair.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically, "He really needs to act like a grown up."

He flapped his hand at me to be quiet, "Shh, the show's going to start."

It was the first time that I had seen Jason since we'd split. He looked the same actually better, confident and comfortable.

"He hasn't lost a bit of sleep" I muttered.

Dum just cackled in anticipation of the upcoming events, I laughed too. (Once after seeing a movie with a witch on it together, mother had assigned us all papers to analyze how witches were held in public opinion. We made that into an excuse to watch a lot of movies and had ended up all mastering what we claimed were our own personal witchy cackles). So I knew Dum's cackle well. Dee was wearing a camera and with a bit of modification that Dum had worked up. Dee would place the camera on Jason and it would be cued to film every time that I activated a hex.

Dum smiled, "He may be childish but don't you love him in moments like this." Watching Dee at this moment I really had to agree.

Dee had somehow without any previous appointment talked his way past information and the lower level managing staff until he had Jason. Dee was overly polite and mocking him in a somehow understated, sarcastic, condescending way. J.P was obviously confused, not sure why his smoking tactics weren't working and annoyed but willing to put up with it for the sake of money.

"You're looking to invest?"

"Yes, you see my gold mines in Africa are just producing more than I can handle." Jason's face was priceless it was a face of 'is this guy for real?' I laughed at Dee's being so over the top . Dum looked at me, "He's not joking, Madea."

"What?"

"Yeah, he says he found it on his own. But don't you remember him pestering your mother to teach him about divining rods." I must say this new information left me slightly dumbfounded.

"Gold mines." J.P said double checking his hearing, "In Africa."

"Yes, unless you are prejudice against African gold. I'm told Americans can be very prejudice against Africa. That's not true in your case is it?"

"No, not at all?"

"Your admitting your prejudice."

"What?" Jason asked, confused at Dee's Mad Hatter-ness.

"I said, 'that's not true' and you said 'no'. If it wasn't true you should have said 'yes, that's not true.' I hope you are more detail oriented in your work."

"I have nothing against Africa."

"But do you have anything for them? Do you? You know you never trust an American."

"Aren't you American?"

"Exactly!"

Jason was flummoxed. He tried a different line of discussion. "When did you become interested in mining for gold in Africa."

"It's a dream I've had since I was a small child." Dee stroked his ever present cane. Dum gave me significant look, "divining rod I'm telling you."

I greatly enjoyed seeing Jason try to use his wily ways on Dee. Jason was wily but no one could beat Dee for acting like a wily sophisticated intelligent snob who then acted like the Mad Hatter. After wasting an hour or so pulling Jason's leg and making fun of him with intelligent puns that went of Jason's head and I admit sometimes mine. I only knew they were there by Dum's chortling.

"Do we have a deal, Mr. Steins."

Dee motioned him to sit still and then walked until Dum's camera held Jason picture so we could see everything. "How's that?"

"Perfect" said Dum. And bam Jason had a floating invisible camera in front of him that was keyed to my hex. "You owe me a day on this beautiful face." Dum told me.

"How's that? Are the terms still unacceptable?" asked a puzzled Jason.

"Tea," Dee said, "How can I think without tea?"

Tea was brought. Dee intercepts and puts my hex powder in Jason's drink. And then Jason asked once more, "Do we have a deal sir?" Dee motions for him to drink it all up and doesn't speak until Jason has finished drinking.

"No, I don't think so."

"What? Why?"

"I don't like you. And you serve terrible tea. Good bye." While that was fun to watch we all enjoyed the next part more.

Part of the deal with Dee and Dum was that they could watch the first hex with me. Both were going to visit their parents in Italy during the Christmas season. As soon as Dee got back from the office Dum put Jason on the big screen Jason was just going into a meeting he was conducting. I activated the hex with a few words.

Diarrhea so simple and yet it was such an ingenious, delightful, moment. We replayed the seen of his crapping his pants several times. I laughed myself to tears. Maybe as a girl I enjoy potty humor way to much. I wish I could have got the other people in the room's faces. Even though I was dead tired the next day at work I couldn't help smile and snickering to myself. I laughed again when Dum sent me a highlight film of the events set to music on my i-phone that Dum had given me as a present. Dee had promised to take me shopping when he got back from Italy after I'd cornered him about the gold mines and found out he'd used a divination rod. They both gave me a kiss goodbye and told me that if I'd needed any more help to call them and after Italy they'd be more than happy.

I sat thinking of them both and how nice it was to have friends and laughing to myself while leaning against the vending machine sipping at my juice and watching my highlight film. Memo to self: get Dum to make a panoramic viewing option. I would have loved to their faces as much as his. "That must be terribly funny to make you laugh like that." I cursed loudly and nearly jumped out of my skin, my juice going down my shirt and my phone flying out of my hand landing face up with J.P look of horror on it. " I grabbed it fanatically off the floor, fumbling as I hid it in my skirt pocket. I looked up to the face of Mr. Palvos. He was holding out his handkerchief. I took it and stood up, patting at the juice. "That was your fourth time watching it." It seems that I am cursed to only meet this man in the least flattering situations.

"Sorry, sir. I was on my lunch break." and then I realized, "How did you know it was my fourth time?" He nodded slightly at the office with windows facing the vending machines.

"I had a meeting with Mr. Scott" Which meant he was watching me? Creeper.

"Oh," I most brilliantly replied. I nodded and started to make my escape. But goodness, the man kept talking!

"I received an interesting call this morning."

"Oh?" Like I would no anyone that would be calling the owner of a flouting law office.

"They called to thank me and apologize to me."

"Really?" So what?

"They thanked me for hiring you." Well that brought me around like bacon on Saturday
morning. I looked at him paying much more attention but not exactly sure that I wanted to know what was next. "And then they apologized if their sons had cause any disturbance but as they were her as a favor to you mother a dear friend of theirs they hoped I'd understand."

Dee's and Dum's parents called my boss. Dee's and Dum's parents called my boss. Dee's and Drum's parent's called my boss.

"I hope they didn't take up too much of your time?" Was he angry? He didn't seem angry more like he was looking at me as though he was trying very hard to divine my inner thoughts or maybe the look was more like does this woman have horns. One or the other, take your pick.

"I'd hardly find it trouble to take a call from the the entrepreneurs like Mr Steins and a renowned heart specialist like his wife Dr. Sojoon. Can I ask how your mother became such good friends with them?" I wanted to say 'you can ask but I'm not going to tell you' and then leave.

"My mother teaches art. She taught Dee and Dum and I were kids. I not sure when my mother met his parents."

He kept looking at me like I had a horn on the middle of my forehead it was definitely a look an extra horn and not the divining of inner thoughts. I rubbed my forehead.

"Your mother taught them art?"

"Yes, I'm sorry do I have something on my face or is it that I'm being cross examined because of my friends."

He held out his hand. I looked at it stupidly. "My handkerchief."

I gladly placed the damp thing that I'd been trying desperately not to wring in my hands like a cornered criminal. "My lunch breaks over, excuse me, Mr. Palvos."

"Yes, of course. Just one last question out of curiosity." (please don't ask me about the bar) "Why do you call them Dee and Dum, surely those aren't their names?"

"My mother used to say they were so alike they were like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Eventually we all started calling them that."

"By all you mean you and their parents?"

No I mean all our witch and warlock friends you intrusive little man "Yes."

"Ah. That's not what I expected."

Yeah, so what if we're not what your expecting.

It was Thalia's birthday and I celebrated it alone with Mother. Mother suggested inviting some of the other kids over from day care but I didn't really see the cause to make so much fuss. But having Thalia birthday with just us three seeing her laugh and make us laugh with her, made me seethe with anger inside. Why did this have to happen to us? Did I do something so wrong by loving someone who was wonderful to me and I to him? I knew that he had loved me at some point. So why did he have to screw it up by going and leaving us both? Who was to blame? Me? What had I done wrong, nothing but try to help even to the extent that he had no idea what magical mischief and conniving I had done. Those promotions were accomplished with my spells.

I'd been letting him off to easy.

I pulled out my book of Why You Don't Cheat on a Witch. I read my mothers words, "Did he really think he was going to get away with it? Leaving me? Do you really think that you can cheat on a witch? Why to me? He deserves this." I started on the next hex. This one I decided was for the woman at his side. I haven't always but that last few weeks I had come to appreciate potty humor. But I wasn't going to use the same hex.

At this point your probably wondering if the only thing we learned how to do was cast vindictive curses. That's not what happened there are all sort of branches of magic. Dum is pioneering the technology route, his mom had done some work with medical. I had coupled mine with what I'd study in college herbology which is why I had liked landscaping. Most people know that certain plants grow better together, with my mother I'd studied the effects of plants growing together on their magical qualities, placement, the effect of the moon cycle. Quite a bit has already been done in my area but due to globalization there are a lot of combinations of plants that have never been tried before.

I wasn't confident in some of the hexes. I wasn't as versatile as my mother so I had to stick to the ones that had to do with herbs. It meant that some of the spells were out of my depth, my mother was much better than I was even younger than I am right now. How embarrassing is that?

Thanks to Dum's illegal cyber stalking of her credit card I found out that she always went to an upscale coffee shop. I have never understood the purpose of making art that your just going to each and paying the price you would for a full meal. Medea from the Greek myths in my opinion could be ruthless. She tricked a daughter into killing her father, she let her brother die in some versions she even killed him, and to the woman that was to marry Jason she sent a gold robe that killed her. While I'm sure it was satisfying to some to degree but melting flesh isn't exactly my style. I get squeamish when there is a lot of blood or when someone's hurt. After the hex with Jason I realized that even though it was extremely childish it was fairly satisfying as well. I sat next to her at the bar facing the window with everyone else who stylishly sat drinking their coffee and reading their intelligent magazines and books.

I knocked it satisfyingly into her lap apologized with insincere profuseness and then bought her a new cup as an apology with my hex. I left her my card to send the dry cleaning bill. I didn't really care if Jason saw it. Would he confront me if he did and heard the story of me spilling her coffee? I rather hoped he did. Hexes and curses are so much easier to do with the subject in the same room. I borrowed a hair of J.P's from mom's hidden stash. I waited until they were having a romantic dinner that was going to lead kissing. I finished off the hex. It was a hex for uncontrollable flatulence. I laughed as they sat cuddling at a corner table in a half light. She farted so loudly the whole restaurant heard and looked at her. As the night continued every time he showed her affection she farted. I made the highlight video this time and sent it to Dum and Dee. Dum sent me back a picture of him posing with statues slightly vulgar in congratulations I suppose. Dee sent an uncharacteristically kind congratulatory note followed with a caustic "You can out hex her but she really does out dress you."

The holiday season passed quickly when ever I started getting down I started working on a new hex. Dee had after making them hold their breaths invested with them but had signed the deal with someone other than Jason. He sent tea as a thank you every month. But it was tea that I made. Jason while he resisted at first because he didn't like Dee, didn't resist for long. He had always loved my tea.

It was hard. It would take me all month to make sure the hex would only effect him. I don't know if I slipped up ever but I always got him. I gave him an hours worth of teretz, a day where everyone he passed looked at him funny and hid their children from him, and he was stressing of the fact that he was going prematurely bald. I was coping and while my revenge was in everyday childish to the revenge the era Medea inflicted her on her Jason. I was feeling well enough that when Saturday when we were suddenly called into work. I brought my version of Hangover Begone Brew (mother always held her breath and pressed her lips when I named my original brews). They all held their heads and went for the coffee. "What's this?"

"Drink it." I said, "I promise it will take care of any hangover, immediately." We may not have a great relationship but they were willing to give it a go.

"Wow it works." They stampeded over for it. "What is this?"

I smiled pleased at the praise. We worked for most of the morning and almost pleasant feeling between me.

It lasted until Dee strode in with Mr. Palvos in his wake. "Madea what ever are you doing her on a Saturday?" he walked up to me and gave me another one of his greetings with a kiss on the cheek that lingered for a second too long. He looked back at Mr. Palvos. "She can leave, right? She's not doing anything important, right?"

Honestly Dee, do you have to indirectly insult everyone? This isn't what I wanted. And I suddenly saw that Dee would keep doing idiotic things and make my work life a living hell if I let him. So I grabbed his ear I apologized to Mr. Palvos and Mr. Scott and dragged him out. "Dee, just what do you think you are doing?"

He pouted,"I'm hear to take you shopping. You're clothes are terrible."

"I'm working now. After."

"Why?"

It was then I remembered never try to argue logically with Dee. If logic is on his side he'll win every time. If it isn't he'll walk around it all day. "I may not have inherited all of my mothers talents," I said, "But I did inherit my mother's evil eye." Dee started to talk, I cut him off," If you are going to say anything except. 'Sorry Medea, I will immediately go apologize to your boss and your coworkers. I will then to demonstrate my remorse buy lunch for all of you and when you are done with your work I will take you shopping and spend exorbitant amount of money on you.' If it isn't that, don't even think about talking."

Dee raise his hands in surrender, "Lead the way back to your work place, Oh, Mighty Medea."

It was a delicious lunch. The clothes he bought me were almost worth the fact that everyone pestered me asking if he was my boyfriend. The first time someone asked I was floored and let out a burst of a laughter.

"Who? You mean Dee?" I snorted and shook my head no. "No, we're like brother and sister. We've been friends since I was twelve. He was my mother's student."

"But he's so handsome you never...?"She motioned her hands to signify 'nothing more?'

"They're five years older than me and that's forever to a twelve year old. They've always treated me as older brothers. Its been that way for seventeen years"

"They're both five years older? They're twins? But your boyfriend looks so much younger than his brother."

It's because he's vain and much more cautious about using magic. It wasn't long before Dee and Dum became well-known faces at the office. We were fairly busy and my boss probably would have gotten after me if Dee wouldn't have been such a sweet talker. Rules existed to be broken by him, that and he usually came around lunch to to just sit and bug me as I ate my lunches always snitching my food or he'd take me out. But these visits were always accompanied by the office being treated lunch at some ridiculously fancy place our having it catered in. So it was put up with. It took them some time to get a little more used to Dum as his image frightened them a little. But he became a instant hit when he got them into some underground club that was impossible to get into. I went a few times but I generally stayed home with Thalia. Due to my constant use of magic she was growing up quickly. But I would stop soon.

It was my birthday and Dee took me out to celebrate. I wore one of the dresses he had helped me pick and even splurged on getting my hair and nails done at a salon. My mom gave me an approving look as I waited. "You look very pretty." I felt very pretty. Dee greeted me as usual except in front of my mom he didn't dare linger with the kiss on the cheek. The dinner was some ridiculously priced and raved place that reservations are taken months in advanced. It was strange having someone else put a napkin on my lap. I had to steel myself for that so I didn't shy away. I don't like people in my personal space. Once I got past the trying to remember which for and knife and just enjoyed the food I could tell why people like the people but I'm afraid that my mother has made me entirely to pragmatic. I took what he was spending on my birthday dinner now I couldn't help myself but in my mind figure how many weeks of food or other expenses.

We had fun talking, though. I think Dee got a little sick of me harping about the prices. We were waiting for the valet. I thanked Dee for the remembering his promises and giving me such a nice surprise.

"Oh, dinner wasn't the surprise."

The valet opened the door for me. Dee started the car and looking at me and putting on one of his silly faces revved the car. I shook my head at his silliness. It's how we were when we were little. Tweddle Dee and Tweedle Dum played the pranks and I pretend to be indignant but was kind of jealous of how easily they were themselves.

We pulled up to a building. It wasn't a nice looking place a little rundown looking actually. "Where are we?" I asked.

He answered with another question. "Are you still good at poker?"

"What?"

"That was an expensive dinner, as you kept telling me so lets go win it back." If Dee was looking to win money he was disappointed. This poker group might not have been the elite in others world but I recognized most of the names. A large group of them were well known witches and warlocks.

Witches Poker is not so different from regular poker. Jason used to have a poker night with his friends over at our house. After watching them for a few times I asked Jason if I could play. We'd only been living together for a week or so. He turned a little surprised and pulled me into his arms. He held me in his arms as he laughed thinking I was joking. He pushed my hair from my face. "You wouldn't be able to tell a lie if your life. And your so sweet you probably wouldn't be able to take their money even if you did win a hand. Besides its a guy thing. Don't worry we'll do plenty of things together. You won't be jealous of me spending time with other people right?"

I hadn't played poker since. I hadn't played Witch Poker since Dee and Dum and I used to play. Believe it or not it was homework. My mother forbids gambling but some parent or other of some witch or other --I never can remember names-- had a lazy son who wouldn't fine tune his magic skills but who liked poker. So the parent merely made a version that had magic involved. Basically in Witches Poker everyone has identical decks that match with the dealers deck. You can cheat in anyway you want using what ever method you want but if your caught you're out. Last one in wins.

Problem for Dee was he was too well known and no one wanted to play Dee. They would play regular poker with him but Witches Poker, no takes. Dee pouted. But then he looked at me with a look that I had spelled trouble since I was twelve years old. "This is my friend. Do you mind if she plays for me?" You'd think if they knew him and had been out witted by him once, that they would have suspected him a little more. I think that the easiest lies for me to tell are those are lies by exclusion. Just reinforce the partial truths that people assume, like the ones Jason saw in me. He only saw my kindness, innocence and compassion. He hadn't realized that I was the kind that would play pranks, the one that wanted to ruin his like. But I am Medea. Dee most likely knew that they wouldn't let him play. But when he gave me that mischievous look I realized that Dee probably understood me better than Jason ever had or would.

I looked back at him the corners of my mouth lifted. He leaned over, his hand on the small of my back, and whispered in my ear in what to everyone else must have looked in a affectionate doting manner to his arm candy. "Happy Birthday."

I kept my smile but replied without moving my lips, "You have got to be kidding me." And somehow I found myself at a game of Witches Poker. I've never really played with anyone except Dee, and Dum and some other students of my mothers through the years. I wasn't nervous until I realized how much money we were playing. I waved Dee over trying not to show how nervous I was. "Dee, are you sure about this? I haven't played in a long time. And I've never played with people that actually know how to play."

Dee, "Let me put it this way, Medea. None of these people have ever beat me. But you have." I knew that by means of power there was no comparison, but Witches Poker was about subtly and the ability to fool other people. I already had my edge. Everyone at that table underrated me, fine. I recently discovered I liked to make people pay when they underestimated me. The game wore on and fortunes passed hands. I lost consistently. I was shamefully playing the role of the ignorant. Drinks were poured. I wasn't a threat so as it was my birthday and I was a girl, I was cut some slack.

After a few rounds my confidence was building. I may not be especially good at magically cheating but I realized then how good my mother was. She only took the best. I couldn't out cheat them but I could catch all of them. But I let them catch each other. And I had learned a few other tricks. I drank incessantly, drawing the looks of concern and amusement from those around me. We kept playing. I kept in the round by a simple tract on top of spell casters have natural ticks that you learn to pick up on. I could cast the spells but I was able to catch the sneaks that they tried and I had enough natural luck and Dee had enough money that I was able to stay in long enough. Of course the idiots still thought that it was luck. I flatter myself that I gave off the image of randomly picking them out.

We finally wheedled down to me and the best player. I had purposely sat next to him the entire time. Mid round I stood but staggered and bumped in to him. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"No, I'm sorry rules are no one leaves the table." Drunkenly I patted his chest breathing into his face. His face was wrinkled at the smell. "You shouldn't be so mean to a girl." Dee who was standing with the other looker onerous laughed at this. My opponent set me in my chair. He hissed at Dee who was still laughing. "I need to go to the bathroom." I kept it up. You may be a great spell caster but that doesn't make you immune to the wine of a drunk woman.

"Fine, why don't we have one last hand everything in." Dee protested but I shushed him. Drunkenly replying, "I know what I'm doing." I might have not been much of a threat but my opponent wasn't going to take any chances. His move was to insure me a bad hand. I looked at my hand. It was bad. I asked for four cards further signaling by bad hand. I couldn't magically switch my cards in or he would catch me. But I didn't blow the whistle on him. Playing had reminded me how much I loved it, and reminded me how much fun it was to fool someone when they thought that they had it. It was in between rounds that I cast a spell. I wanted this game in the bag and I wanted one last distraction. So I cast my spell but it wasn't on the game. It wasn't against the rules to do that. I'm sure that he thought I was merely a very drunk witch. I reached for another bottle.

And a hand reached out to stop me. I looked up expecting Dee. It was my boss. "I think you've had enough." It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over me. I felt frozen.

Dee intercepted him. "Mr. Palvos, you're interrupting their game." He tried to pull away. Except Mr. Palvos wasn't a man that ever let anyone push him in a direction he didn't want to go. Mr. Palvos reply wasn't loud, he was a man to quote a favorite writer "that would be exactly like a public display of affection. If there is anything that I hate, it's that." He seemed like someone who didn't like making public displays outside the courtroom.

His words were for Dee, but there wasn't a person in the room that didn't hear them. "I don't know what your game is but she's drunk and making a fool of herself. What kind of friend are you to permit that?" The room went quiet and Mr. Palvos faced a great many pairs of annoyed eyes.

Dee smiled a smile that was nice and welcoming. He leaned against the bar and shagged nonchalantly. "It's her birthday. She should have a good time at least once a year." Mr. Palvos must have not have thought that drinking yourself senseless and playing poker and having everyone laugh at you.

I stood up wobbling. My voice slurring I said, "That's right. Its my birthday." I walked over to my opponent stood behind his chair and placed my hand on his shoulder, "I choose to play. I'm going to talk all his money. Didn't you know it bad manners to interrupt a game." I stumbled as I moved back my chair. "Lets finish. I'm all in! I call that's what I say when I want it to be the last hand right."

"That will work for me. I'm all in as well. I must say you are most charming. Ms. Gavin. Maybe not the best poker player but most charming. I'll take you somewhere real nice in an apology for making you loose." I placed my cards. And stood steadily and in a voice that was no where near drunk or intoxicated said, "I'd be happy to go to dinner, but I won't be accepting that apology because I didn't loose."

When he saw what I played he hurriedly looked at his cards. So I'm sorry I'm a bit of a drama kid. When I was about fourteen I got really sick of Dee self important and bragging manner. So I spent a whole school year practicing slight of hand. That next summer was one of the greatest. He got so frustrated when I beat him over and over again. He just wouldn't give up he was so sure he could catch me, and when he couldn't he went and fed me a truth serum. Mother got really mad at him and gave him the evil eye. Remember when I waved Dee over, well that wasn't the only thing we talked about. I had him send, after the first few beer to send over bottles that had been refilled with water. I acted drunk so that my behavior wouldn't raise suspicion. I had merely switched his hand with mine. He had done all the work already. He had given me the worst hand and created the best for himself. I just had to switch his hand with mine. Of course the pre-show had been extensive. I had been a brunette putting on a stellar blond show, if all blonds will pardon my expression.

So he looked at my cards. "They look familiar, don't they?" I said. He looked at me confused as to why I was so undrunk. He wasn't the only one to notice my sudden return to soberness. His mouth opened and shut like a fish that had been pulled from the water. He knew what had happened he just couldn't figure out how it had happened.

Dee stepped in, intruding the dealer to cash in my chips. "Ah Devin, I should have introduced her better. This is Ms. Medean Petrovna Gavin."

The room went quiet for a second time. Devin went pale, "Helena Petrovna's daughter?" Dee knoded, "I should have probably mention that before and the only person to have ever beat me at poker. Happy Birthday. I hope you liked your gift I got you." He kissed me on the cheek. I think the room of occupants were still in shock when they echoed the happy and then scrambled to introduce themselves and tell me how much they admired my mother. Dee waved them back, "Now boys I have if you'll excuse us. The night is still young." He turned to Mr. Palvos. "Mr. Palvos. Smell it." he said holding up the bottle I hadn't finished. Dee picked it up and shoved it under his nose when he didn't move.

Mr. Palvos smelt it without much vigor but then smelled it again. "Its water." Laughter went around the room.

A second man came up with Mr. Palvos he seemed to together. "John, there you are. Medea!"

I looked at the man, trying to place him. He looked familiar but I was sure I'd never met him. "Do I know you?"

"Richard's brother, Michael. He wrote home and sent a picture. My parents couldn't be more pleased that your mother is teaching him. John, this is Medea and another friend of mine, Steven."

Mr. Palvos turned to to Dee, "So I that's your name, I was almost concerned that it was actually Dee."

Michael, "Ah, you all know each other, how about drinks?"

"Bathroom first." I plead.

Why You Don't Cheat on a Witch (Part 1)

Hello! It's been a long time. Alright, New post HURRAY!

So this story is NOT by me. It's actually by my sister, Leslie. She's a great with coming up with ideas but sometimes has a hard time spelling... So all I did here was edit. If you find mistakes let me know. BUT!
More importantly if something doesn't make sense or the wording was funny or something TELL ME! I've given her my feedback but she'd like as much as possible.

This story is based on the myth of Jason and Medea I suggest you look it up and read it. It will help you make sense of the story. Please read and enjoy and GIVE ME FEEDBACK!! THAT'S ALL I ASK!!!

Why You Don't Cheat on a Witch

I disobeyed my mother twice before I left home. The first time occurred when I was twelve and I stole my coming to age birthday gift.

We'd moved into the neighborhood three weeks earlier and because of the move I started school a month late. I've never had the personality to make friends instantly and the month delay helped me about as much as me being twelve but looking eight. I walked home stewing over the fact that the bus driver kept asking me at each stop, "Sweetie is this your stop? Are ya sure, sweetie?"

I came home exhausted, ready to crash and veg. My mother was still down the hall at the apartment that she had rented to do her teaching so I had the apartment to myself. The doorbell rang and I answered it wishing I didn't have to. The parents of my mother's students came in and I heated some water and gave them some tea.

"As expected, such a good little hostess," they both smiled a sickly sweet smile, "Looks as if Helena Petrovna's daughter has mastered the 'art' of making an excellent cup of tea." They both laughed at this lame joke. I smiled weakly. I was sick of jokes like that. My first grade teacher had asked what my father did for work.

"I don't have a father." There was an awkward pause that I didn't understand. I had never wondered about my father ever.

"Well what does your mother do?"

"She teaches the arts." I was ridiculously pleased at using the fancy name that the adults used.

At my next teacher conference my teacher asked what kind of art classes my mother taught. My mother started laughing and then told the teacher that she didn't teach art classes she taught magic classes.

"Oh, you're a magician?" My mother just smiled. Mother wasn't a magician, she's a witch. My mother thought the whole situation hilarious and told her friends, her students and their parents. I'd been hearing for years those same lines, that my mother teaches 'the arts', and that 'Helena Petrovona's daughter makes good tea'.

My mother finally walked into the room with her two students. The parents simpered in my mother's presence, thanking my mother for all her time teaching their children. "We are soooo looking forward to your graduation gifts." Mother personally prepared by hand the graduation gifts of all her students. It's custom that the parents give a coming of age present for when witches start their training and teachers a gift upon the graduation. One of the parents saw me standing to the side, "Isn't your daughter lucky to be able to receive two presents from the great Helena Petrovna."
My mother smiled at this as she was showing them out. "It's a long way off until she starts her training but I must admit I'm like any other proud parent. I can't wait. I've had her initiation gift prepared for years now." They left and my mother came back. Her face was tired and she sat down on a chair with an exasperated sigh.

"I can't wait until those two graduate. I promise you from here on out I'm only accepting geniuses. Smarter students graduate faster." Mother said that every time her students graduated. I think she was always sad to see them go and thought if they graduated faster that she wouldn't get attached.
She asked, "School went well?"

I shrugged slightly and poured the hot water.

"It can't be because they," referring to the two parents who just left, "didn't call you by your name again is it?" Mother asked. I just put the tea bag in the tea cup. Mother laughed and in the same moment stretched taking the form of her chair. "I thought you didn't like your name." In my opinion mothers shouldn't smirk at their daughters when they catch their inconsistency but mother loved to do it. I handed my mother her tea, she took it and in the other hand she reached out and squeezed my own.

"Medea, Medea you don't know how much I love you."

I knew my mother loved me I just wish she didn't name me after a woman who stole from her father, whose brother died, tricked a daughter into killing her own father, and then when the man that she did this all for deserted her, Jason, killed his fiance and father-in-law and to exact the ultimate revenge killed the children she and Jason had with one another. My present status as the eight year old kid at school was her fault as well.

First let me explain just a few things about witches: One, we have the same life span as ordinary humans. Two, we don't age unless we use the magic we generate daily. But before our maturing age, usually around sixteen, we age due to the magic our parents use. Mother would be horrified at that layman explanation because it is so much more complicated and there are so many other innuendos and such stuff, but I never really cared.

So at the age of twelve I had a couple of problems. First I looked eight because my mother hadn't used enough magic to make me grow and two, I hated the fact that to everyone in the magicking world I was Helena Petrovna's daughter and not Medea. Sorry, make that three, I was being bullied at school. So I stole a book of spells that my mother had been waiting to give me when I had matured.

Inside the cover my mother had written a note. "Medea, I have been waiting to give this to you. Use it well."

I had intended to but I wasn't going to wait until I was sixteen of seventeen. Mother kept everything except for the books she gave at graduation in the other apartment. While few people dare cross my mother there is always a smart aleck that will try to grab it early. It was a small book of hexes. I didn't understand most of it but the simpler ones. I kept my preparations secret from my mother because there was no way she was going to find out.

Except she did. "I talked to the school the other day."

I took a big bite of dinner. Mom had made it, though I had started volunteering lately. My mother may be worshiped enough in our community to have one in four female newborns named after her but she was a horrible cook.

"They said there have been some problems but that I shouldn't be concerned." I didn't say anything. "Seems like several students having been complaining of being bullied, childish pranks but their parents are concerned."

"Really?"

"Seems that they are being harassed by someone who is chronically tying their shoes, homework disappearing, and that only the lunches of these same students are being eaten by mice repeatedly." I stopped even trying to pretend to eat my dinner. "I told them I suspected you of being bullied." I sat paralyzed, my fork midway between my plate and mouth.

I was trying to think of what excuse I could come up with. Oh, I knew I was going to be in trouble. My mother stood and walked over to me she wrapped me in a big hug. "I am so proud of you. Do you know the last recorded witch to have magically matured at the age of twelve?! And to have figured out those spells by yourself. What a smart girl I have."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad? I'm sure you had a reason for it. The only thing that I am sad about is that my little girl is going to grow up."


So I started school the next summer with my mother. I remember the first day, it was the first time ever I walked into the apartment that my mother rented as her magical studio. The back wall was covered in small drawers from ceiling to floor and a big square, monstrously thick table in the middle of the room. I said 'hello' to them and they looked dubiously back at me. Mother had told me they were twins.

"So your Medea, Helena's daughter?" It was the thin faced one with what I supposed were stylish glasses, as cool as glasses could be anyway.

"Yeah. My names Medea."

His twin smiled a hello and then punched his brother in the shoulder. "Yeah, Richard, yeah." Every punch was accompanied with a 'yeah'. I was nervous about having classes with them. We would most likely be taking summer classes for the next five or six summers together if they could afford it. Mother charged a pretty penny for her classes. Mother nicknamed them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Their parents, honored that Helena Petrvona had nicknamed their sons did the same. The twin never complained but I thought they must dislike the nicknames. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are not the most astute charters and the two of them were by even the stiffest of mother's friends acknowledged as geniuses. But then look at my name, my mother may be a renowned witch but lets face it, name giving is not one of her talents.

I proved a disappointment to my mother I think on the level of my talents, though she never said anything like that. Dee and Dum were always leaps and bounds ahead of me. Still everything was a competition to those two, and I was continually drawn into it. Dee at first tried to compete with me. I was after all the daughter of Helena Petrovona and one of the first in nearly fifty years to have matured at the age of twelve. So when my mother gave a free time to explore our own interests, it always ended in me loosing though we tried enough things until Dee gave up trying to compete with me and returned to competing with his brother. We competed with divining rods, oil finding toads, the best sleeping drinks. Our relationship wasn't anything more than annoying teacher's daughter until I reached the age of fifteen and I was upgraded to kid sister. That happened when I beat Dee at poker. We were actually kind of sad when we said good by at their graduation when the both of them turned twenty-one and left.

Life was pretty standard after that but by that time but when I finally turned eighteen, I was ever so glad to be able to leave home and go to college. I was tired of studying year in and year out and was so ready to live life. In mothers last lesson that we had, I remember her saying, "The human heart, and ours for that matter, can only be influenced in one direction or the other. It can be coxed and we can try to trick it. But you can never force it. It will choose."

And that was the start of the second time I deliberately disobeyed my mother, except this time it wasn't just me imagining that I was disobeying her. It started with an art class. After my fiasco of having my teacher misunderstand that my teacher is an art teacher and having lied for years about it. I've avoided art and all art classes. This one was required.

I put it off until junior year at college studying landscaping and on my first day back I met J.P. We met in a required art history class, the college believed its students should have a "well-rounded education". So while it didn't have anything to do with either of our majors we ended up sitting next to each other. I don't know what he was thinking but I couldn't help but think uncharacteristically, "He's hot!". I was so aware of him sitting next to me. Instead of listening to the teacher my mind kept wandering on what I could say to him when class was over. But my tongue was all tangled in my mouth and when the class ended he got up and as I tried to shove my book and notebook in my bag he excused himself and brushed past me. My golden opportunity was passing. It was a large auditorium class and I could never seem to sit next to him again. Sometimes I would see him golden curls and bright blue eyes. Girls would often stop him and talk to him; I was right he had a wonderful laugh. I knew I was way out of my league and that he would never notice me. Well, that might have been it, but I'm a witch. So I cast a spell one where he and I would meet and at least talk.

It all came to fruition when that Friday I sat by him again. We had received our test study guides and the teacher was announcing the time that the TA would be having out of class reviews. The bell rang as I was writing them down.

And suddenly he started talking to me.

"I won't be able to go to any of those. Doesn't that just always happen to you?" It actually had never
happened to me but I agreed anyway.

I gathered myself, "If you want I could give you my notes."

He smiled but still looked concerned, "Oh, thanks." But for some reason I could tell that wasn't what he was going for.

"I take good notes." I said

He smiled and I saw that he had a dimple, " I know you do I glanced at your notes during class they make more sense than the teachers rambling."

"My mother teaches art."

"That's why you can actually spell all the artist names. Actually if we could go over the notes, if I just read them it doesn't stick I have to hear someone talk about it." I smiled then and we exchanged numbers and I went over to his apartment and taught him about art history and he taught me about kissing. He ended up getting a better score than I did on the test. Later he told me that he'd wanted to ask me out the first time he sat by me but he could never sit by me again. Sometimes he would see me on the other side of the auditorium but he could never quite catch me after class. After our first time studying together, we just clicked. There was hardly a day we didn't see each other. I loved walking together our hands linked, and the feeling when we cuddled watching a movie together of his arms surrounding me holding me tight, and the kissing--don't forget that. I had never been so glad in my life that I had cast a spell for myself, that I had risked something.

J.P was studying business and finance so he could take over his father's business. His business required his father to travel a great deal and J.P said that when he traveled I would go with him. He was my first in everything. The first man that pulled out a chair for me at a fancy restaurant, the first to say I was beautiful and funny (he loved my jokes), the first to give me flowers, the first to kiss me and the first to say he want to live with me for the rest of his life.

My mother I think was happy for me at first. I was radiant, he made me shine. I felt like I could do anything. But she was furious when I told her that I was going to move in with J.P. We had been dating for six months.

"We love each other, mom."

"If you love each other so much then why don't you get married?"

But J.P and I had talked about that. We could get married later if we wanted. Plenty of people got married and didn't last, in fact J.P knew people that had lived together for years and then finally gotten married to only break up shortly after.

"It's only a piece of paper, it has nothing to do with how we feel. We just want to see how it works out first."

My mother was livid. I guess that’s one thing that witches and really religious people have in common. Magic--a lot of it about rules and contracts and consequences and doing things in the proper order. My mother knew not accepting one piece of paper can mean a lot.

We lived together for a year and I got pregnant. We were both happy. I wasn't talking to my mother and his parents didn't really approve of me as I was below their standards. We hoped that our new beautiful baby girl would help them accept the present circumstances. While I only went to their house once or twice. J.P's father let him start working that his company, I suppose while his father didn't really want his money supporting me, his granddaughter was acceptable. I didn't work much magic before that time. Their was no need in my perfect world. I did a few times when J.P needed it at his new work. More than I should have, it aged me until I almost looked my natural age. I wanted him to succeed to be proud of himself.

But then my world fell apart. It was when Thalia was two that I truly lived the life of my name sake, Medea and J.P his, Jason.

I'd rather not dwell on how I became suspicious. Once I did it was rather easy for me to confirm. J.P said once when we were dating that since the first moment he'd seen me I'd bewitched him. I'd laughed loudly at this. "I am a witch you know." But I'd never told him or tried to convince him that I really was. To him I was merely gifted at getting rid of his hangovers and aches and pains when needed but nothing was really witchy about me I'm sure. Or he might of been a little more worried about getting caught.

I took a piece of his hair when he was late coming home and took a hand mirror and poured a thick layer of water on it and placed their hair down. I cast the spell and, to put it simply, caught him in the act. He came home, and I pretended I was asleep. I hated him and I didn't want to lose him. I didn't want our Thalia to know what tragedy was in her life. I wanted him to give her up and feel terrible for what he was doing to me and come back. I didn't want to confront him yet, all breakfast I felt the words pressing at my lips, clawing their way out.

He asked if I was feeling well. He sounded concerned, that hypocrite.

That same afternoon I went to his office building with Thalia. Somehow my feet and found their way there. I know some architecture, I had studied landscaping and I knew that the landscaping should compliment the architecture. It was a building with a lot of glass, transparency and honesty being the themes I supposed were something needed but often not found in business.

You remember that moment, the one with my mother telling me about how wonderful Medea was? It was another one of those moments. I walked in and stood the information desk in front of me, a hexagon so that it faced the halls that shoot off the main atrium. Above was a walkway with glass railings fenced in a pathway between two departments and their offices, There was JP, his father, another older business man and the woman I'd seen from my stalking JP with his hair.

I was close enough to the information desk to overhear them. "That's Mr. Glauce and his daughter. I bet it won't belong before we hear wedding bells."

The other woman with gaudy bright red lipstick replied, "Its too bad, oh, he's handsome."

"I know but they go well together. You just have to look at them and know their in love."

I've hated information desks. Someone should make information desks that give you information that you want not that you need. I turned not even caring that I nearly knocked a bystander over who was standing next to me talking on his cellphone.

I went home and worked more magic to convince a baby to go to bed even if she didn't want to. I sat and thought a long time. I knew Jason would come home late. And I knew that I would have to know by then what I wanted to say to him.

I called my mother for the first time since I had called her to tell her Thalia was born.
"Hi, mom." I loved my mom for acting as if we had never been angry at each other.

"Hi Medea. How are you?"

How was I? It was like when you're a kid and you've fallen down, you might cry a little but the real heart renting racking sobs can only come when you go find your mother. I still tried not to cry and with a wobbly voice replied, "Not so good." But it was no use they were out. I cried on the phone for a long time. My mother didn't hang up.

"I found a great new hexing book." She said. I laughed and probably would have cried more if I'd had the tears.

"I don't want to hex him, I want him to love me."

"You're my Medea." my mother said. "My Medea doesn't let anyone stand in her way of happiness."


Jason came home that night and was surprised to still see me up. I was smoking something, I had stopped when I found out I was pregnant. I had never been a heavy smoker and protecting my child was more than enough motivation for me to stop. But I did when I was really upset. That was how he knew I was upset and though not sure why, he tried to placate my anger by kissing me on the forehead. I didn't let him. I wondered briefly if I could be Medea, stand tall and call him out for who he was. If I could send a golden robe to that whore of his that would ensnare her and burn her flesh and that would kill that father of hers the one that tempted him away with money from my side. If I could kill Jason's child to cause him excruciating pain he was causing me.

"Why are you smoking? It's not good for Thalia and Em (he rarely called me Medea but shortened it to to Em) that's hardly fair as you always make me smoke outside."

"Are you really worried about Thalia?" I asked bitterly, "Are you really concerned about what's fair? So when were you going to tell us when you got married?!"

He stopped midway of taking off his coat. He didn't even bother to deny it.

My voice dropped, I didn't want to say it but it came out any way. I was glad I'd left the lights off, glad that I could only see some of him from the light he'd turned on. "Do you love her?" Why did I sound like every other pathetic woman who feels betrayed? Why wasn't I taking everything a way from him like my ruthless namesake?

"I didn't mean for it to happen Em, I loved you I really did. I still care for you and Thalia but I couldn't control my heart. I met her a couple of weeks after my promotion--you remember, the one you were more excited about than I was? Her father was at the same business trip and she was accompanying him and my parents were against us and I was just so tired of it all..." he didn't finish and knowing he had no defense left, his face automatically went to that half smile that meant 'I'm sorry'. And every time before that I had forgiven him but I couldn't forgive him this time. And he really didn't want me to, did he.

I hadn't lived up to my namesake. I gave way to the modern Medea, the one that didn't like confrontation. I should have screamed at him. But he took his and my heart away when he went to her and I had nothing left to fight with. I found out later that my mother had taken my hairbrush when she'd come to see me after the baby had been born and had stolen Jason's as well. She'd been watching over me the whole time. I moved home eventually but started burning the hair from that got stuck in my hair brushes. Thalia was unaware of the loss and remained happy. I didn't feel anything the next day after our pathetic fight. Real couples have heated discussions they fight sometimes. Jason hadn't even loved me enough to do that.

Living at home again was an adjustment. Especially as I was coming home in what felt like defeat. I remember a woman who was sharing the pain of divorce and how she felt like she was walking around with a scarlet D branded on her forehead, divorce may be common but that doesn't make it less painful. I was coming home. My room was the same, my mother was the same, and I was in all appearances the same as when I left, give or take a few years, still single and very ordinary. Except I came back with a child. The neighbors would love it, something new to gossip when paying the association fee or collecting that mail.

My life kind of hit a low point here. I was thankful, yet at times angry, throwing fits around my mother. I hated her patience and in those moments wondered if this time I would break that peaceful exterior, wondering when her eternal indifference for life would cease. In our small apartment could she not hear me cry at night? Did she not see me? I fell easily into a pattern Mother watched Thalia during the day and then dropped her off at daycare and I picked her up on the way back. I fell into the rhythm of things. Not really talking to anyone not even my mother.

Home wasn't the only place that where everything seemed to grate my nerves. I picked out my daughter's day care close to home and one fitting my mothers teaching schedule and then merely applied an architectural and landscaping firm. I cast a spell to insure to insure to get the job. But even that didn't go right. I had specifically wanted something steady and stable that wouldn't interfere with my care of Thalia, that would allow me to use my skills to the fullest. I had failed the interview but coming down the stairs had run into Mr. Scott, a lawyer in a new firm right below. He saw me carrying my resume and assumed that I was applying for the secretary post. I wonder how he became a lawyer if he was so influenced by the residue of one my pathetic spells. But I had to be even stupider because I went ahead and played along and took the job.

I found a job not as a landscaper but as a secretary.

Some weeks into the dreary job. My co-workers, whom I didn't really know. I responded when I was spoken to, pretty much 'hello' or 'goodbye'. Tonight was Friday and their monthly hit-the-town night. They would, I suppose, go get drunk and dance the night away. I was invited the first time out of pity or politeness. I refused. I have a child at home and didn't have time to go get irresponsibly drunk. I wasn't much liked after that but I really didn't care.

But two weeks later I was invited again. But my mother had something to do with that. One of the other paralegals came back in because the had forgotten something and saw me at my desk finishing up something before heading out. Suddenly he came over and asked me "Hey, Ms. Gavin" realizing that he didn't actually know my first name. "How about coming with us?"

"I can't. I have to go pick up my daughter." I put on my coat and picked up my bag. And then my cell phone went off and I realized that it was on the desk. The paralegal was closer and I don't know who does this sort of thing as it is rude and intrusive to answer someone else's phone. But he answered it and I could hear my mother's voice in response to the paralegal.

"This is Ms. Gavin's phone."

"Just tell Medea that I picked her daughter up already and that she should just go have fun tonight."

I snatched the phone out of his hand. "Mother, stop." My mother wouldn't know about tonight being a night to go out with my co-workers. I hadn't told her. Unless, unless my mother used magic to spy or even worse cast a spell trying to make me go out tonight.

"Mom, please will you not do this."

"You will go or you will find someone else to take care of your daughter during the day." And with that my mother hung up.

I looked at my co-worker who was coming to himself I could see regret at his spontaneity on his face.

"It looks like I'd love to come."

It proved to be an extremely uncomfortable evening. I hated my mother for forcing me into it and I hated for the way it made me miss J.P. He had liked to go out to places like these. I had never been before and the until I met him. I had come to love going with him. We'd dance and drink ourselves silly and just let life go. Now I looked at the sea of people pulsing with life and felt isolated. Like I was alone and was surrounded by complete strangers because I was. I've yet to meet anyone who likes to feel like a wall flower, but what was worse was sitting with a group of strangers that you're supposed to know and them feeling like they'd rather I'd not be there but too polite to shoo me away and yet not exactly making unnoticeable that they were uncomfortable with me there. I went to the bathroom. I didn't go back immediately, but stood by one of the pillars near the bar and took out a cigarette. I'd been smoking more frequently. I was enjoying myself until I realized that two of my colleagues were at the bar. They were slightly drunk and talking loudly.

"Why did you invite a stick in the mud like her." It didn't take much stretch of anyone's imagination to realize that they were talking about me.

"I don't know what came over me. I just felt like doing it so I did." He asked for another drink, "But man, I didn't think anyone could kill the mood like her. She even take he fun out of the music and the booze."

I looked at them around the pillar and snorted to myself. They could talk all they wanted. I was surprised at how little I cared. It was like they were talking about someone else that I knew was me. I took another drag on my cigarette and listened as they continued to nit pick at my clothes, how were those of an old spinster, or my oppressive nature. I chuckled at the irony of the situation, thinking that even my mother must be having a hard time if her spells ended with me overhearing how unattractive and what a pain I was. For some odd reason it just struck me as funny, my talented mother only failed miserably when it came to her daughter. What a cruel ironic fate and how much fun it was going to be to tease my mother about this. I finished my cigarette smiling. I turned to get a better look at the two that were talking about me before I went back to the table to collect my things and leave. A man was sitting alone a seat away from them he saw me looking and looked from them back to me. He'd obviously realized what was going on. My smile widened just a little, a joke is always better when it is shared. It must have been the alcohol but I uncharacteristically winked and held my finger to my lips signaling that he shouldn't say anything (really the next morning remembering that I realized that instead of looking mysterious and cool I probably looked like an idiot that was drunk and who was trying to to look stupid for being talked badly about) but I collected my things at left with a smile.

The next morning was a Saturday and I woke up late. On my bed stand was a glace of hangover remover (Ha to my colleges! Nothing they would be drinking today would take away their headaches like this) but my mother had also left something to take away my heart ache. It was a thin hand made book. I opened it. On the first page was scrawled in my mothers handwriting was "Why You Should Never Cheat on a Witch." A folded piece of paper fell out when I opened it to this. It was a card from my mother.

"Medea, my dear daughter. I love you. When your father left I wrote this book. You're a witch. Live like one." It was such a small book. I examined it more closely. The paper was obviously a cruder grade, ruff and thick. It looked hand bound and the cover hand made, maples leaves covering it. It was pretty I realized as I opened it.

"Well, it explains my mothers specialty and obsessions with curses and hexes." I murmured as I began reading.