:=: Tanya :=:

"So, here it is. Sorry it's kinda messy." Tanya said, as she led Cindy into her room.

It had been just over a week since the whole new years thing had gone so badly. Tanya still didn't know the details of what had happened. She'd seen Jessica and Kara appear out of thin air. Jess was unconscious, and covered in cuts and bruises. Kara had a nasty injury on her arm. The gang had healed Jess then did what they could to heal and bandage Kara.

Then she and Cindy had retreated into Cindy's bedroom and spent the night there. No-one would say what had happened, but Tanya knew it had been something terrible. In the morning, Sam and Nikki were still really uptight. Nikki had made pancakes for Tanya and Cindy, and Cindy had given her a magic amulet that she said would keep her safe. Then Tanya had called her folks and come home.

The only thing she could tell her parents was that there'd been an accident, Jess and Kara were hurt, and their party was a bust.

And now to make up for the disappointment last week, Tanya and Cindy had decided to have their own little 'new years' celebration tonight, just for the two of them. Even though this was the eighth of January.

They were at her house this time, since Cindy's housemates were still uptight about the stuff from last week. Her parents said it was ok, and anyways they both wanted to meet Tanya's new best friend. They'd been listening to her talk about Cindy for just over a month now, so of course they wanted to meet her.

When Tanya got out of school in the afternoon, Cindy was there, with Nikki and the car. Nikki drove the two of them back to Tanya's place, and then Tanya had introduced Cindy to her parents.

Unfortunately that had quickly turned awkward. Tanya's mom asked about what happened last week, if Jess and Kara were ok now. Then she asked if Jess and Kara were Cindy's sisters. And then she asked about Cindy's parents.

Tanya could see her friend's mood was dropping quickly as she started to explain that she didn't have any parents, no family, and the people she lived with were just looking after her, her legal guardians.

So Tanya had quickly got them out of that conversation and brought Cindy upstairs. Now she watched as her friend was quietly checking out her bedroom.

It wasn't anything special, as far as Tanya was concerned. There was still a lot of pink, it hadn't been redecorated since she was ten or eleven. In terms of decor, it was less 'cool teen' and more 'little girl'. Her bed was big and comfy, even though it still had frilly pink pillows and a pink duvet. Two walls were covered in wallpaper with a pink and white flower pattern, the other two walls were painted a very pale pink. The carpet was off-white, and felt nice under bare feet.

She had some posters on the walls, favourite movies, pop singers, and team posters of Canada's Women's World Cup team, and Women's Olympic Hockey team. Her desk was covered in knick-knacks. There was also an older laptop on the desk, and she had her own tv, mounted on the wall where she could see it from both the desk and her bed.

Her book-case had two whole shelves dedicated to her collection of stuffed animals - mostly kitties and bunnies, and two more shelves were full of trophies and awards she'd won from seven or eight years of soccer tournaments and hockey seasons.

Her dresser had some jewelry ontop, necklaces and earrings and a few bracelets, and her make-up. The closet door was open, and Tanya blushed a little as she realized the pile of dirty laundry was visible on the closet floor.

Cindy finally gave her a little smile, "It's nice Tanya. It's not messy, it's lived-in."

Despite the smile, Tanya could tell Cindy was still troubled. She closed her door so they had some privacy, then motioned to the bed, "C'mon, let's sit down."

Once they were seated, she asked "What's bugging you, Cindy? Are you still upset about Jess and the others?"

Cindy shook her head. "Nah, they're ok. Even Jess is starting to get over last week. It's not that."

"What is it then?"

The small blonde sighed a little and admitted, "I'm still a little jealous. Of all this." She gestured at the room around them. "You have a whole life. A history, a family. You'll always belong here no matter what. I... The gang's stuck with me till my ID says I'm eighteen, but after that, they can just kick me out or whatever. Less than two years, and then I'm completely on my own again."

Tanya frowned, "They're not gonna kick you out, Cindy. You're one of them. They like you."

Her friend shrugged, "Maybe. But I don't really belong. I don't have a family, or a past. I'm just an annoying pest who fast-talked her way in then hung around long enough that they got used to me."

After a pause, Cindy continued "Even if they don't kick me out, I still don't have a past. Like, you have a life, memories." She gestured towards the book-case and the desk. "This isn't messy Tanya, it's you, your life. My room isn't tidy, it's empty."

Tanya sighed, then asked quietly "What about your goddess? Maybe you could pray to her, ask her to talk to the others for you? Or ask her to set you up with a family or something?"

Cindy sighed again, "I doubt it. I mean, everything about me is cos of what Scott did to Jessica. I know that, it's all punishment. That's how I know I'm always gonna be tiny and weak, and bad at math and all that stuff. That's what She did to me, to punish me. And She already said she wasn't gonna reverse Her decision about that."

Tanya sighed again, frowning a bit.

After another pause Cindy said, "Sorry I'm being such a downer, Tanya. If you want, I can just go back to the apartment..."

Tanya then took Cindy's hand in hers, and shook her head. "I don't want you to go. I'm sorry that you're upset Cindy... I'd like you to stay and maybe I can help cheer you up? But if I can't, I'd still rather you stay. If you gotta be sad, it's still better to be sad with a friend, right?"

"Ok. Thanks Tanya." Cindy smiled a little.

Tanya smiled as well. "Wanna order a pizza?"

• • • • •

Her parents let them eat in her bedroom, so Tanya cleared her desk enough that there was space to put the food there. They'd also ordered some cheesy garlic bread, and a six-pack of sodas. So they were set for the night.

Tanya grabbed a stack of napkins from the kitchen, and the two girls relaxed on her bed, munching on pizza and cheesy bread, drinking cola, and streaming movies on her tv.

As it got a bit later, her dad knocked at her door and asked if they wanted him to set up a spare mattress for Cindy.

Tanya looked at her friend and asked quietly, "It's up to you. My bed's big enough, we can share if you want?"

Cindy nodded and whispered back, "Ok. Thanks Tanya."

She then called at the door, "No thanks dad!"

Eventually the two of them got ready for bed. Cindy changed in the washroom across the hall, and returned wearing a cute yellow nightie. Tanya had her favourite purple nightshirt on, and they settled back on the bed again.

It seemed Cindy's mood had picked up through the evening, and Tanya was glad her friend was back to her usual happy self. She smiled and asked, "Hey Cindy, do you like horror movies?"

Cindy shrugged a little, "I dunno? I haven't actually seen any since..."

Tanya grinned, "I do. Let's put one on. If it bothers you, just say so ok?"

The small blonde nodded, and Tanya found a good one on the streaming site. She'd seen it before and she knew it wasn't too bad, so hopefully Cindy would be able to handle it.

By now, the rest of the pizza was cold and the last two colas were warm, but it didn't matter. They were still enjoying themselves, and they settled back together on the bed, eating a bit more as the movie started.

Soon enough, the last of the food has been forgotten as the two of them sat together in the dark, staring at the tv. Tanya had a small grin on her face, Cindy was looking a little anxious.

Cindy wasn't so nervous that they had to stop the movie, but when the first jump-scare happened, the tiny blonde had let out the most adorable little squeak. And after the second jump-scare, Cindy was huddled up close, with an arm around Tanya.

Since then, whenever the music started getting tense her friend would lean in even closer. Sometimes she'd even hide her face behind Tanya's shoulder.

Tanya slipped an arm around Cindy's waist and whispered, "It's not too scary is it?"

Cindy kept quiet, but she shook her head. Her wide eyes stayed glued to the screen for now.

Tanya smiled a little wider as the music got a touch louder, a bit more intense, and her friend cuddled up even closer.

:=: Caer Arianrhod :=:

She was in another of Her courts. Unlike Llis Dôn, it was always midnight here. The full moon seemed unusually large as it hung directly overhead, while the rest of the sky was filled with stars.

She settled into Her throne, and looked in on Her people.

It was morning in the land where they lived. The smallest, Cindy, was still at the home of her friend. The two were taking breakfast together. She could see both girls were wearing the amulets She had given them. Tanya had not yet made the decision to join the others in Her worship, but the girl appeared to be considering it.

Next, She turned Her attention to Her scribe and Her champion. They were still in their bed, Jessica was reluctant to get up. It had taken Her scribe three days before she'd been ready to see her sister or anyone else, and two more days before she'd left her bedroom. Kara had been tending to the girl, and had rarely left Jessica's side during this time.

Arianrhod understood that the mortal mind could be just as fragile as the body, and was often more difficult to heal. It would take time for Her people to recover their ordeal.

Finally, She focused on Her vessel and priestess. They were together in their home, taking their breakfast as well.

The Goddess knew that Nicole had returned last week to her former place of work to retrieve her belongings. Her mechanical carriage, purse and other possessions, had all been abandoned there on the day of the attack. When She had suddenly taken over to save Her priestess, there had been no time for any of those material things.

She also knew Her vessel's employment had been terminated for abandoning her duties. Although a few patrons had witnessed - and reported - that Nicole had simply vanished into thin air, those she had worked for interpreted that to mean the girl had simply walked off the job. At least, that's how they interpreted it after Arianrhod paid them a visit.

She had been fairly busy the day after the attack, cleaning up and covering tracks.

She'd ensured the shooting and subsequent display of magic on the walk outside Her people's home had been attributed to film students recording an action scene for a movie project.

Using Her vessel's body, she had visited the scene of Kara's victory. The place was crawling with uniformed officials, but Arianrhod walked unseen among them, and her bare feet left no tracks in the mud or snow. She removed or destroyed any evidence that might lead back to Her people, then returned her vessel to her home, before allowing Nicole to resume.

She knew Dôn had promised not to use the girl like that, but Arianrhod wasn't bound by Dôn's promises, and She felt there were things Her people were not yet ready to know.

For now, She continued observing Her vessel and priestess. The two were idle, they had no plans for this day, or the next.

Finally She came to a decision. All of Her people needed some focus, a new purpose.

Tomorrow was Sunday, and would be the tenth day since the attack. They would normally be working together, all five of them. Studying to learn more magic, or develop a new spell. The way they were behaving however, She doubted that would happen if She left them to their own devices.

There'd been more than enough of that. She'd left them on their own for too long, and it had almost cost Her everything.

She had thought, by keeping some distance and allowing them to work at their own pace, they would become more self-sufficient. Instead, it had left them weak and vulnerable.

She would visit them tomorrow. And She would begin their lessons in earnest.

It would still be up to them whether or not to act upon Her teachings, but She was confident they would make the right decisions.

:=: Samantha :=:

Sam suppressed a scream as she jolted awake. She glanced to her left then sighed. Nikki was still sleeping quietly, Sam hadn't woken her.

It was Monday, and not quite four in the morning, according to her clock. She'd woken up this way every morning since the attack. Her dreams had been plagued by visions of men with guns, chasing Jessica and herself.

Moving quietly, she slipped out of bed and into their ensuite, closing the door behind her. She turned on the light and stood infront of the sink, and splashed some cold water on her face.

Once she was fully awake, she focused on her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a grey nightgown, and her shoulder-length brown hair was messy from sleep. She looked tired of course. Her eyes drifted downwards, and focused on the amulet she now wore.

She missed her silver pentacle. She'd worn it pretty much non-stop since she was fifteen or sixteen. Now it was in the drawer of her bed-side table. It was mangled and twisted beyond recognition. Like she should be.

Still staring at her reflection, Sam pulled her nightgown off and let it fall to the floor. Her eyes remained focused on the amulet as it rested over her chest. Her skin was smooth, unblemished, flawless. There wasn't even a scar or any discolouration.

The only evidence left of what had happened to her was the pentacle. She'd thrown out the clothes she'd been wearing that day. The bra, the t-shirt, and the new hoodie her parents had given her only a week before the attack, they'd all been ruined. She knew from the way her clothes were torn up, and from how her necklace was twisted and broken, that the damage to her body must have been horrific.

The Goddess had healed her though. Not just healed, she'd been brought back to life. Resurrected. She didn't know how much time had passed while she was gone. She only knew that for a while, she had been dead.

And now every night, she was having nightmares about that, and of the man who'd killed her.

Eventually Sam pulled her eyes away from her reflection. She picked up her nightgown and slipped it back on. She turned out the light and quietly left the bathroom, then exited their bedroom.

The rest of their home was quiet. The door to Jessica and Kara's room was closed. Cindy's was ajar. Her cat Mo had taken to sleeping with the small teen, and tended to complain loudly if the door was closed all night.

Sam got the coffee maker going, and then sat at the dining table while she waited.

Her thoughts drifted back to yesterday. They hadn't made any plans, none of them had felt like working on magic or studies. After breakfast though, the Goddess had joined them, possessing Nikki. She announced that She'd come to give them some proper schooling on the subject of magic. She also told them another of Her names, one they hadn't heard before.

Arianrhod, Goddess of the Moon and the Stars. Where Dôn was a mother-figure and Ceridwen's specialty was transformations, Arianrhod's domain was magic itself. From Her words and tone, Samantha got the feeling that Arianrhod was stricter, perhaps a bit more militant. Even if you ignored the fact that She was a Goddess, She was the sort of teacher you didn't talk back to, and minded your manners around.

The lesson itself was an eye-opener too. She hadn't taught them spells or anything like that. She educated them more on the nature of magic.

She explained that Sam and Nikki should not need to tap into Her power for anything short of changing reality. That with practice, any of the five of them should be able to work powerful spells on their own and unassisted, like the transformation spell or the teleportation spell.

The fact that Cindy had managed to transform her friend with her very first use of magic was evidence enough of that.

Samantha glanced at the coffee maker and saw it was ready, so she got up and fixed herself a large mug. She then moved to the sofa and sat down, sipping her coffee. Her thoughts returned to yesterday's lesson.

Working magic was like using a muscle, the Goddess had told them. The more they exercised it, the stronger they'd get.

Except they hadn't been using it much at all.

Samantha recalled what Cindy had told her, the night after the attack. Everyone saw Sam as the leader of their group. That meant the others took their cues from her. She'd been reluctant and wary of magic, so the rest of them had held back as well. Sam had encouraged all of them to be cautious, to limit their use of magic. She'd been afraid of them using it too much, and afraid of being discovered.

And then on new years eve, all her worst fears had come true. Instead of keeping them hidden and safe, her caution and fear had almost cost the lives of her sister and Kara. Sam had been resurrected, but she knew Jess and Kara wouldn't have had the same benefit. The Goddess needed Her vessel and Her priestess, but Her scribe and champion were expendable.

Arianrhod hadn't said this of course, but Sam knew it was the truth.

With a deep sigh, she got up and poured herself another mug of coffee. It was nearly five in the morning now. Sam didn't know if she'd bother going back to university today. She wasn't sure if Jess or Kara would go either. All three of them had stayed home last week, still getting over their ordeal.

As she moved back to the sofa, Sam was a little surprised to see Cindy emerge from her room. She was barefoot, wearing her yellow nightie, and yawning as she padded towards the kitchen.

The small teen quietly mumbled "Good morning," as she passed by on her way to get some juice.

"Good morning Cindy." Sam replied quietly when the girl settled onto the sofa next to her. "What's got you up so early? I hope I didn't wake you."

"Nah." Cindy shook her head. "Couldn't sleep."

Sam nodded, "Me neither."

The two sat quietly together for a while, Sam sipping her coffee, Cindy her juice.

Finally Samantha asked softly, "If you don't mind me asking Cindy, what sort of things are keeping you up at night?"

The girl shrugged slightly, but she didn't look like she wanted to talk about it, so Sam didn't press.

Instead, Samantha asked quietly, "What did you think of the Goddess's lesson yesterday, Cindy?"

The small teen had a sip of her juice, then answered. "It was a lot, but it made sense? I'm gonna start training and practicing, like She said. I wanna get good at this stuff..." After a moment she quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll be careful and safe, and I'll stay out of trouble. I promise."

Sam smiled a little, "See that you do stay out of trouble." She then asked, "You seem enthusiastic about it. Why do you want to get good at magic?"

Cindy shrugged, "I'm small and weak. There's not much else I can do. If anything bad happens again someday, I wanna be able to help. Right now all I can do is bake desserts. So I wanna get good with magic, so I can help in other ways."

Samantha considered that for a few moments. She decided it made sense. As much as she hoped there wouldn't be any more trouble in the future, they couldn't rely on hope. And that's why the Goddess wanted them all to get better and stronger.

Her thoughts turned to the Goddess's offer, and she asked "We have the teleportation spell now, though we all still need to get strong enough to use it. If you had that, along with a drivers license and access to a car, would that convince you to take the Goddess's offer? About land and a home and everything?"

Cindy looked surprised at first, then frowned and asked, "You're gonna get me a drivers license and a car?"

Samantha replied quietly, "I'm asking if that would help you make the decision."

The young blonde looked thoughtful, then smiled. "I also want a bigger bedroom, with windows, and my own private bathroom. Like you and Nikki have, and Jess and Kara have."

Samantha suppressed a laugh, then nodded, "I think all of that could be arranged. If we accepted Her offer."

The girl grinned, but then her expression quickly fell. With a slight frown she asked, "What happens in two years? When my ID says I'm eighteen, and you're not stuck with me any more?"

Sam turned to face her. "Cindy is that what you've been worried about? That we're going to kick you out once you turn eighteen?"

Cindy shrugged a little. "It's just, we're not family or anything. I don't really belong here. Or anywhere..."

Samantha sat back and sighed. Back in November, when the small teen requested sanctuary and the Goddess had granted it, it had taken Sam a few days just to accept the Goddess's decision. She really hadn't wanted the kid around. At the time, she didn't like Cindy, and didn't trust her.

It had taken her a while, but she'd eventually gotten used to the small teen. She'd acted nicely towards the girl, helped her when she needed help. She'd done what was required of her, as one of Cindy's legal guardians. But Sam realized, she'd never really forgiven the girl for what Scott had done to Jessica. And although she had eventually gotten used to Cindy and accepted her as part of their group, she'd never really welcomed the girl.

Once again, as the priestess and the 'leader', Sam had set the tone for the others. They had all treated Cindy like a friend, but not quite like family. Jess had been closest with the girl, both in terms of age and because Jessica had originally found her on the street and felt sorry for her. But they had all known Sam was still a bit wary or distant towards the kid at times, so to some degree they followed her example. And of course Cindy had picked up on that.

Samantha finally reached over and tapped the glyph tattooed on Cindy's wrist. "You see this mark, Cindy?"

"Yeah?" she asked, "What about it?"

"That means we're family." Sam stated softly. "You, me, Nikki, Jess, Kara... The five of us are bound together by a power greater than any paperwork or court order. And wherever we are - whether we're here, or living on a vineyard, or anywhere else, you'll always have a place with us. You're my sister, Cindy, and I'm yours."

Cindy was quiet for a few moments. She reached out and set her glass on the coffee table, then she suddenly wrapped her arms around Sam and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Samantha!"

Sam put an arm around the girl, "You're welcome, Cindy." After a couple moments, she added "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say that. You are welcome."

They hugged for a minute or so, then Cindy sat back and picked up her juice again. She sniffed a little and wiped her eyes, then asked "Does this mean we're gonna accept the Goddess's offer? About the land and stuff?"

Sam smiled, "Yes, I think so. The last week or two have made me realize, we've been given some amazing gifts... And I've been letting us squander them. It's time to embrace what She's given us, and accept what She's offered us."

Cindy grinned, "That'll make Nikki happy! And Jess and Kara too."

"It will. We'll tell the others at breakfast. Ok?"

"Ok Sam." Cindy then added, "Thanks again." She then took her glass and headed back into her bedroom, while Sam got up to fix herself another cup of coffee.

She was feeling better now, but it was probably going to be another long day.

:=: Kara :=:

Kara pulled into the spot and stopped the car. They looked to their passenger and asked quietly, "You're sure you're up for this?"

Jessica was huddled up in a new winter coat. She looked anxious and vulnerable, but she nodded slightly. "Yeah. Thanks Kara." Her voice was still quiet, and wavered a little.

The two of them were both fully healed now, physically at least. Jess's injuries were healed back on new years eve. Kara's arm took a couple days, but it was fine now. There were some faint scars, they weren't sure if those would eventually fade, or if they'd keep them as reminders of their first victory as champion.

Jessica's hair had been growing in quicker than normal too. It was a couple inches long now. Still much shorter than it had been before new years eve, though.

Kara assumed they had the Goddess to thank, for how quickly their arm healed, and how fast Jess's hair was returning.

The two of them emerged from the black Rio and gathered their things from the back seat. Nikki had loaned them her car, knowing Jess wasn't feeling up to the forty-five minute bus ride. And none of them were able to cast the teleport spell yet. The lesson yesterday had made it clear they'd be able to eventually, once they were strong enough.

The car reminded Kara of Nikki. They were a bit surprised how well the goth was taking things. They knew Nikki loved her job at the winery, and thought the young woman would have been more upset about being fired. On the other hand, the discussion at breakfast this morning made it clear they'd be taking the Goddess's offer. Soon enough Nicole would have her own vineyard, and her former job at the tasting counter paled by comparison.

It also meant Kara didn't have to worry about dealing with their family ever again. They wouldn't need to rely on their parents for tuition, and wouldn't have to deal with their family's bullshit.

Kara put their arm around Jessica's shoulders. Jess leaned a little closer against Kara, and slipped her arm around their waist. Kara smiled slightly as the two of them walked to class together.

• • • • •

Kara and Jessica settled into their seats. It was just after noon, and they were back at the Lowenberger dining hall for some lunch.

Jess had been quiet all morning. Kara as well, but they'd never been overly talkative.

As they ate together, Kara reflected again on how much things had changed in the past week and a half.

Jessica was quiet and anxious now, a lot like Kara used to be. They hoped this was a temporary situation, until Jess was fully recovered from being taken by her father. She'd refused to tell anyone what had happened while she was in Henry's clutches. They could imagine it must have been terrifying, and hoped Jess would open up about it eventually so Kara and the others could help her get past it.

Kara was different as well now of course. The biggest change was their anxiety was simply gone. They didn't know if the Goddess had somehow 'cured' it, or if the other changes to their body and mind simply meant there was nothing left for them to be anxious about.

When they'd taken up the role of champion, the Goddess had granted Kara strength, stamina, and skill. They didn't actually know yet how strong they were now, but they knew they were an order of magnitude stronger than they'd been before. They had to be careful not to show it off, or they'd attract unwanted attention.

As champion, they'd also been given a weapon. Around their right wrist was a simple-looking leather bracelet, with a bone bead in between two dark wood beads. It appeared innocent and harmless, but with a little focus of their will and magic, they would have their sword in hand.

The Goddess had shown them that trick yesterday. It was certainly much more convenient than tucking the sword in their belt, and a lot less likely to get them arrested walking around town.

Along with the sword, had come the knowledge to use it. They knew how to fight now, both with the blade and without it. And finally, they'd learned while rescuing Jessica that they could ignore pain if they had to, and they had the endurance to get through that entire situation without even raising a sweat.

Then on new years day, Kara and Jessica had both been given those amulets. They didn't know exactly how much protection the enchanted copper disks provided, but between that and the other gifts the goddess had given them, there was very little left for Kara to be afraid of or worry about.

Even the thought of confronting their parents no longer filled them with dread.

Kara was thinking about going back to Essex during the March break to collect a few sentimental belongings. And to tell let their parents about the pronoun change, and give them exactly one opportunity to accept them. If not, they'd never be back to Essex, and never see their parents again. And Kara was just fine with that possibility.

That was the other big change of course. Apart from the lack of anxiety and the sudden confidence, Kara had decided to change their pronouns. That decision was made two days after the attack, and shared with Jessica first, then the rest of their group. This week, they'd be letting their various professors and other friends know.

Kara had decided to get their ID changed as well, to use non-binary gender markers. That might take some time, but Jessica had suggested asking the Goddess if She'd take care of it. Kara hadn't asked yet, but it was on their mind.

Soon enough, they'd finished lunch. Kara realized the two of them had eaten the whole meal in silence.

They asked quietly, "How are you doing, Jess?"

"I'm hanging in there." The redhead replied softly. She sighed, then added with a weak smile, "Thanks for looking out for me, Kara."

Kara nodded slightly. After a pause, they asked "After class, do you want to meet the others for coffee? Or just head home?"

Jess sighed again, looking a little uncertain. Finally she nodded, "Let's meet the others."

Kara smiled a little as they nodded. They were glad Jessica was making an effort. It felt like getting back to a normal routine would help.

:=: Jessica :=:

Jess settled back into her seat, a warm mug of coffee cupped in her hands. Kara was beside her, of course. She knew if it wasn't for her champion, she wouldn't have been able to come back to classes so soon. Or maybe not at all.

This was her second attempt at coming to the cafe. They'd come to queer coffee club on Monday, but Jess got too stressed by all the talking and questions. She knew Megan and Mike and Orin had meant well, but the three of them kept prying, asking about what happened.

Between Kara's newfound confidence and Jess's anxiety and shorter hair, and the fact that neither of them had come to school all last week, it was obvious something significant had happened to the two of them during winter break. Jessica couldn't handle it. She could barely think about new years eve without breaking down in tears again, much less talk about it. She'd never felt so scared and so alone in her life.

Between her friends' constant questions and the feeling that everyone else in the cafe was staring at her, Jess couldn't take it. Even the barista was giving her bad vibes that day, staring at her as she was trying to fight back tears.

So she and Kara had quickly left the cafe. They'd promised their friends that they'd be back next Monday, but at that moment Jess couldn't take any more and had to get back home

Now it was Wednesday afternoon, she'd survived another day of classes, and they were trying the cafe again, just the two of them.

This was better. There were still other people around, but they weren't focusing on Jessica. They were talking with their own friends, or reading, or staring at their phones. Like when she was having lunch with Kara in the dining hall, she could ignore the other people because the other people were ignoring her. The only one who was focused on Jessica was Kara, her knight and champion.

Jess smiled a little as she moved her chair closer, so her knee and shoulder were both touching Kara's.

Kara gave her a slight grin and asked, "You're feeling better today?"

"Yeah, a little. Thanks Kara. For everything."

Another thing that had been helping boost her mood was her hair, which was still growing back quicker than normal. She assumed it was the Goddess's work. Every morning when she saw her reflection in the mirror was a little closer to normal, she was a bit happier. At this rate it would be back to shoulder-length next week. By next weekend she'd need to get it styled again, and then hopefully it would stop its accelerated growth.

Jess had another sip of her coffee, and let herself relax a little, leaning more against Kara. She felt Kara slip an arm around her waist, and smiled a little more.

After a couple minutes, she asked quietly "Do you think She'll come again this weekend... Give us more lessons or something?"

Kara shrugged slightly. They kept their voice down as they replied, "Whether She does or not, we'll still be training, practicing. Now that we know, we can all work at getting stronger." They paused for a sip of coffee, then continued, "It will help all of us, keep us all safer, if we're able to work magic better."

Jess nodded, and smiled as she whispered, "I just want to be able to use the teleport spell. We can't keep borrowing Nikki's car forever."

"It would be convenient." Kara agreed with a grin. Then they said quietly, "I wouldn't mind if She keeps giving us lessons. I'm sure there's a lot we still don't know about all this stuff. It's to our benefit as well as Hers, for all of us to get better at this stuff."

"Maybe..." Jessica considered. "Arianrhod seems a little strict though..."

Kara shrugged again. "Maybe that's what we all need right now. A strict teacher, to get us all focused again. Anyways, I think if we're going to be learning more about magic, the Goddess of Magic is probably the best possible choice as teacher?"

Jess smiled slightly, "Yeah, good point."

She let her head rest gently against Kara's shoulder as she had another sip of coffee, and smiled again. She was definitely feeling better today. At this rate, she should be ok on Monday to meet the others again. She'd try, at least. Hopefully she wouldn't end up panicking again.

For now, she felt all right.

:=: Nicole :=:

Nikki smiled as she served up dinner. It was Friday night and since she wasn't working at the moment, she had lots of time to spend in the kitchen.

She'd made stuffed chicken breasts, scalloped potatoes, roasted broccolini and blue cheese, and everyone looked eager to dig in. She'd matched it up with a nice wine for all of them, except Cindy who had a glass of soda.

Of course, she'd had to share the kitchen again today. Cindy was in there for a few hours baking, so there'd be a nice dessert after the main course.

As they all started eating together, Nikki looked around the table at her little family. It was just over two weeks ago that they almost faced a terrible tragedy, and that had taken a toll on all of them.

Samantha was looking rested now, her nightmares were finally starting to fade. Jessica still looked a little anxious, but she'd improved a lot over the past few days. Kara was still quiet, but they usually were. They had a confidence though that they'd never had before. And even Cindy had seemed happier lately.

Nicole wasn't sure what had changed for the small blonde, but Monday morning at breakfast, she'd noticed the girl's mood seemed suddenly better. Of course, that was also the morning when Sam announced she wanted to accept the Goddess's offer, and that had brought everyone's spirits up quite a bit.

Nikki was feeling particularly good today too. The Goddess had shared some news with her, and she was eager to pass it on to the others.

As they were all eating, she said, "I have some news for everyone. Our Goddess wants us all to know, She's started putting things into place for our new home. She said we'll be able to go and see the land within the next two weeks, in fact. Then we can figure out where we want to put our home, along with the other buildings, and get construction started on that by spring, I think."

The others all looked happy, sharing some of her excitement.

"How long till we move?" Jess asked.

Nikki responded, "That will depend on how long it takes to build the house. But we're hoping for autumn."

Kara asked, "How will that work? I mean, money, deeds, ownership..."

"The Goddess is taking care of things for now." Nikki explained. "Some time in the next month or two, She'll start turning things over to me and Sam, but I have a feeling She'll stay involved. At least until things are fully under-way."

Sam nodded, "I kind of hope so. I don't know anything about how to go about having a house built... I know we'll need lots of contractors, and I guess an architect or something, to design the place?"

All of that will be taken care of, Nicole. Things will be turned over to you and Samantha once it has been set in motion.

Nikki smiled and relayed that to the others. "Our Goddess is taking care of it. We'll get involved after She's got things started."

Samantha then changed the subject, telling Nikki "Maria will be coming by next Wednesday. I asked her over, so we could address the last few concerns before we get Cindy into school."

The small teen frowned, "Is something wrong? It's only two weeks till the semester starts, I don't wanna miss it. It'll be hard enough fitting in as it is, without worrying about catching up on missed classes and stuff."

Sam shook her head, "I don't think there's a problem, Cindy. Nikki and I just had some more questions that we're hoping Maria can answer. The week after, on the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth, we'll all go visit the school and finish getting you registered." She added to Jess, "You'll have to be there too I imagine, Jessica. Since you're named as one of her legal guardians."

Jessica nodded, "I'll be there, don't worry." She smiled at Cindy, "I still can't believe you really want to go back to high-school."

Cindy shrugged, "Tanya's there, and it'll be more fun than sitting around here all day every day."

Sam then asked, "Cindy, has Tanya said anything further about joining us?"

"She's still thinking about it." Cindy replied. "I think she wants to, but she's not sure yet how she'll keep it all secret from her parents? Like cos she'll hafta spend so much time here, with sabbats and stuff all the time?"

Jess grinned, "I guess there's no 'good wholesome non-suspicious' way to explain why she'd be busy every full moon, plus solstices and equinoxes and other major sabbats."

Cindy shrugged, "I'm sure she'll say yes. She's just gotta talk herself into it."

Nicole said, "Well, not to pressure her or anything, but it's just under two weeks till the next full moon. If she makes a decision, she can join us for dinner that night, and we'll do her initiation during the sabbat ritual."

"Ok Nikki, I'll tell her." Cindy smiled.

After they'd all finished dinner, the five of them cleaned up, then Cindy got out her latest dessert for tonight. It was another cake, decorated with some new techniques she'd learned at her last baking class.

Nikki matched it with some ice-wine, and the five of them sat back down to enjoy desert together.