After dinner, I decide to watch the sunset from my balcony. I can see across the road through Janie’s window that she and Xander are dancing around, having fun. I can see books and objects hovering around the room with streams of different coloured lines zapping around. ‘What, are they having a disco in there or something?’ I say out loud.
Suddenly a puff sounds, and a dark cloud appears above my lap. As it vanishes in another puff, Mister Kal appears, sitting on my lap. I shriek and then freeze, trying to figure out his intentions. His face slowly moves closer to mine. I can feel beads of sweat forming across my forehead. Just as his nose presses against mine, his eyes stare into my soul.
‘Nice kitty,’ I say nervously.
Mister Kal growls deep and loudly, his eyes narrowing into slits as he leans even closer. I can feel his breath on my face, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. For a moment, I think he might attack me, but then he suddenly blinks and sits back, licking his paw nonchalantly.
I let out a shaky breath and reach out to pet him, my heart still racing. But as soon as my hand touches his fur, he disappears in another puff of dark smoke and appears on Janie’s balcony in a blink.
As the sun descends below the horizon, the shadows of trees and houses stretch across my yard and balcony. The sky darkens, and the colours intensify, creating a surreal atmosphere that is both beautiful and eerie. Janie walks onto her balcony, holding Xander's hand with a big fat smirk.
I watch intently as Xander puts his arms around her and pulls her close, and just like Mister Kal, they disappear in a blink. I jump out of my chair and look at Janie's house, trying to figure out where they've gone. Only to jolt in fright as I'm tapped on the shoulder. I turn and almost fall back over my railing as I see it's Janie and Xander. Janie grabs my arm before I can fall.
'What’s wrong, Rose? Did we scare the hex out of you?' Xander laughs.
'It's not funny, Xander. I could have broken a bone or died if I fell off the balcony!' I state angrily at him.
'Sorry, Rose. We didn't mean to scare you,’ Janie says. ‘I asked Xander how he’s always able to vanish so quickly, and he told me it’s something all warlocks can do. It's called shadow stepping. He can hide and teleport from one shadow to another. He offered to show me, and I wanted to see what it was like. It was pretty amazing stepping into the shadow on my balcony and stepping out from a shadow onto yours,' she smiles.
‘It’s fine, just don’t do it again,’ I reply.
‘Okay, I’ll give you a heads-up next time. Xander is ready to hide our auras, but first, he wants to put a protective barrier around our houses,’ she says.
‘All right, let's get this over with then,’ I tell them.
Janie and I lay under the stars in my front yard as Xander circles my house, chanting strange words and tipping salt everywhere. As Xander continues to chant, the air around us grows thicker and more tangible. I can feel the protective energy of his spell wrapping itself tightly around my home, warding off any potential harm or danger. The salt glitters in the moonlight, forming a shimmering barrier that seems almost otherworldly. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Xander then blinks through the shadows appearing in Janie’s yard, throwing salt around, repeating the same chant. We can see the salt sparkling from where we sit as his chant creates a shimmering barrier that wraps around Janie’s home. Xander winks at Janie, and she smiles brightly at his gesture.
‘So, it really is serious between you and Xander?’ I ask Janie.
‘Yes, it is. It feels so right, you know. It made sense when Xander said he and I are soul mates because it feels like we are meant for each other. I hope you experience what I feel for Xander one day with the man you fall in love with. It could be Brad,’ she smiles.
I nod, ‘Maybe, there’s definitely an attraction between us, and the more I’m around him, the more my feelings grow,’ I smile.
Xander suddenly blinks, appearing in our shadows. ‘It’s done. Now, to hide your auras,’ he says.
Xander takes Janie’s hand and steps into the tree’s shadow, and they disappear and reappear on my balcony. ‘Well, come on, we don’t have all night,’ he scolds.
I frown at him, pounce onto my balcony, and we enter my room.
‘Stand back-to-back and hold hands,’ Xander tells us.
As Xander stands before us. He opens his book in one hand and hovers his other over the open pages, and says,
‘By the power of magic and the essence of light,
I cast this spell to conceal their auras from sight.
Shield them from those who seek to see,
With this spell, they become invisible and free,
Keep their auras hidden, undetected, and unseen.
May their true nature remain concealed,
As they move through this world, unseen and healed.
May all who pass by thee be unaware,
Of any supernatural presence lurking there.’
As Xander finishes the incantation, I am enveloped in a strange sensation, as if a cloak of invisibility is settling around my body. A swirl of sparkling blue light emits from the book, forming a shield symbol that shimmers above the pages. With a sudden burst of energy, the shield shoots towards us, growing in size as it approaches. It drops over us like a glittering dome, exploding into a myriad of sparkles that dance around us. Janie and I hold our hands out in awe to touch the sparkles. We watch them disappear as they gently touch our skin, leaving no trace of our supernatural auras behind.