Chapter 1

Leah awoke frightened and disorientated, her nightmares seemed more frequent now and became more detailed. They always left her light-headed, breathless, and confused. Almost nauseous when she stood up. She had no idea what was going on with her. She had never suffered from nightmares before, so what could have changed?

Leah Stardust was a senior at Birchwood High, who turned eighteen in the next few days. Her mother, Amber, was the owner of Silver Stardust, the esoteric shop in Birchwood that specialized in crystal, Tarot, and Wiccan workshops.

Leah’s routine hadn’t changed since 6th Grade, every morning was the same.  Wake up, get dressed, have breakfast, walk with her mother to her store and then and then the short way to school.  The forest behind their home had always felt magical to her.  That might be because it was her mother’s special place where she cleansed her crystals in either the river between their house and the forest or in the clearing in the forest itself.  Her special spot was a rock near the edge of the clearing in the forest.

They’d lived in their current home since Leah was born.  Her mother grew up in that house and so did her gran.  It was a beautiful big double-story house with cobblestone finishes and a stunning garden.  Their street consisted of only a few houses. The one next to theirs had been empty for a while, but a new family had eventually moved in a short while ago.

Leah had only seen the daughter once. She was about Leah’s age, so she would probably see her around at school as Birchwood only had one school due to the town being so small.

Leah was very knowledgeable about the products being sold at her mom’s store and would often give advice on what items could be used for what. Their biggest seller was sage of course… you could never have enough sage.

School holidays began in the next few days and Leah planned on spending most of her holiday chilling at the river helping her mom cleanse her crystals and helping out at her mom’s store. Leah loved working there. She loved to see the different kinds of people who would frequent the store. She loved hearing their stories and seeing which items they purchased and often asked them what they intended to use them for. 

The bell of the store tinkled as a regular client entered. The store was cozy and warm. There was something inviting and mysterious about it. Almost magical. There were a variety of items that filled the shelves. Mostly books, crystals, and Wiccan paraphernalia. Amber was proud of the fact that she owned the only esoteric store in Birchwood. A small town situated near Salem.

Amber was a distant relative of Sarah Good, part of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Amber knew all of the historical details and often shared them with clients who queried about them. She had framed pictures all around the store of all of the witches who perished during the trials. A sad and tragic time in history. A time that still saddened Amber. A time she would never forget even though she wasn’t a part of it. Just the thought of it brought tears to her eyes and caused her terrible heartache.

“Hi, Mom!” Called Leah as she entered the store and heard the tinkle of the bell. She loved the sound of the bell for some reason. It always made her feel as if she was coming home. Well, to her second home in a way.

“Hello, Love,” answered Amber as she appeared through the beaded curtain which separated the front of the shore from the workshop areas and back office. Kamali waved at Leah as she helped a client find their desired items. The store was buzzing.

Amber’s eyes shone like that of a wolf’s, her auburn hair hung down her back in waves of lush curls, the complete opposite of Leah’s jet black straight long hair and bright green slightly slanted eyes. Leah often marveled at just how beautiful her mom was. She never seemed to age. At forty-seven she still looked not a day older than thirty-two. Leah hoped that that would be the same case for her. She shuddered at the thought of getting old and looking her actual age. She wanted to be young forever.

Amber wore a white boho chic dress that looked like a traveling gypsy. The dress showed off her perfect figure. Leah could only pray that she had inherited her mother’s genes.

“It’s so nice to see you here today,” commented Kamili Duke, Amber’s oldest and dearest friend who helped run the various workshops offered at Silver Stardust. “You must be happy that it’s almost summer break… and your birthday.”

“You have no idea how excited I am about summer break. My birthday not so much,” said Leah, who didn’t like to make a fuss about her birthdays. She followed her mom toward the back office. “I’ve just about had enough of school and all of the drama. Kids can be so petty sometimes. The girls always babble on about boys and the boys act like mucho jocks. They’re all idiots!” Leah was quite red in the face after her outburst, her passion showing through.

Kamili laughed at Leah, sounding much older than seventeen. Leah didn’t look like most seventeen-year-old girls. She had a maturity to her that often surprised her mom. Amber always commented that Leah had an ‘old soul’, something which no one could deny. Leah just seemed more mature and still had an innocence about her. Something Amber was really proud of.

Kamali helped the last client in the store and then followed Leah and Amber as they entered the back office. The store was empty and the bell would announce a client’s presence should someone enter.

The back rooms smelt of sage and Jasmine, Leah’s favorite smells. Leah loved spending time at Silver Stardust. She felt at home there, as if she belonged among the various items on the shelves. The store brought her a sense of calm. It should, seeing as she went straight there after school each day.

There were no workshops planned for most of the week, but Saturday and Sunday were fully booked. Leah often helped out with setting up the rooms for the various workshops. The Tarot ones were her favorite. Leah herself dabbled in some Tarot readings but did it mostly for herself and some friends at school. Everyone knew about her mom and loved the fact that Leah was following in her mom’s footsteps. Leah hoped to someday take over the store and was learning as much as she possibly could about how the business ran. Planning ahead she readied herself for that day.

Leah sat in on as many workshops as possible and learned about crystals, Tarot, and Wiccan lore.

Leah had started her own grimoire, but it was nothing compared to the one that her mom owned. 

Amber’s book was a beautiful representation of Wicca and Leah could feel its power whenever she was allowed to touch it or page through it. Leah would often spend hours with her mom going through new information to add to her grimoire. She learned more about her heritage as she went along. But Leah wasn’t a practicing witch like her mom, her powers hadn’t manifested yet.

Leah’s most fascinating thing in the backroom was the glass cabinet where Amber kept her rare Wiccan items. Items that held such power that they could change the world. It contained one of the oldest grimoires and Leah felt its pull every time she passed the cabinet. Her mom had however made her promise to never go near it for its power was far too great for Leah to handle.