The Coven by Cate Tiernan Page A

I missed you.” He squeezed my knee under the table. “You okay?” he asked softly.
    “Yeah, your mom was really nice. She showed me some rune magick,” I said, dropping my voice.
    “Cool,” Jenna said, leaning over the table. “Like what?”
    “A few different runes for different things,” I said. “Like runes for happiness, starting over, peace and calm.”
    “Did they work?” asked Ethan.
    “Yes!” I said, laughing. As if a spell by Selene Belltower wouldn’t work. “It would be great if we could start learning about runes, everything about them.”
    Cal nodded. “Runes are really powerful,” he said. “They’ve been used for thousands of years. I have some books on them if you want to borrow them.”
    “I’d like to read them, too,” said Sharon, stirring her straw around in her milk carton.
    “Here’s a rune for you guys,” said Cal. He cleared a space in the center of the table and traced an image with his finger. It looked like two parallel lines with two other lines crossed between them, joining them. He drew it several times until we could all picture it.
    “What does that mean?” asked Matt.
    “Basically it means interdependence,” Cal explained. “Community. Feeling goodwill toward your kinsmen and kinswomen. It’s how we all feel about each other, our circle. Cirrus.”
    We all looked at each other for a minute, letting this sink in.
    “God, there’s so much to learn,” said Sharon. “I feel like I’ll never be able to put it all together—herbs, spells, runes, potions.”
    “Can I talk to you?” Beth Nielson had walked up and now stood in front of Cal, a multicolored crocheted cap covering her short hair.
    “Sure,” said Cal. He looked more closely at her. She was frowning. “Do you want to go somewhere private?”
    “No.” Beth shook her head, not looking at him. “It doesn’t matter.They can hear it.”
    “What’s wrong, Beth?” Cal asked quietly. Somehow we all heard him, even over the din of the lunchroom.
    Beth shrugged and looked away. Glittery aqua eye shadow glowed above her eyes and contrasted sharply with her coffee-colored skin. She sniffed, as if she had a cold.
    Across the table I looked at Jenna. She raised her eyebrows at me.
    “It’s just—the whole thing doesn’t feel right to me,” Beth said. “I thought it would be cool, you know? But it’s all too weird. Doing circles. Morgan making flowers bloom,” she said, gesturing to me. “It’s too strange.” She raised her shoulders beneath her brown leather jacket and let them fall. “I don’t want anything more to do with it. I don’t like it. It feels wrong.” Her nose ring twinkled under the fluorescent lights.
    “That’s too bad,” said Cal. “Wicca isn’t intended to make anyone uncomfortable. It’s meant to make you celebrate the beauty and power of the earth.”
    Beth gave him a blank look, as if to say, Come on.
    “So you want to quit the coven. Are you sure about this?” Cal asked. “Maybe you just need more time to get used to it.”
    Beth shook her head. “No. I don’t want to do it anymore.”
    “Well, if Wicca isn’t for you, then that’s your choice. Thanks for being honest,” Cal said.
    “Uh-huh,” said Beth, shifting her weight from one Doc Marten to the other.
    “Beth, one thing,” Cal said. “Please respect our privacy.” There was a serious note in his voice that made Beth look up.
    “You’ve come to our circles; you’ve felt magick’s power,” Cal went on. “Keep those experiences to yourself, okay? They’re no one’s business but ours.”
    “Yeah, okay,” Beth said, looking at Cal.
    “Well,” Cal said. “It’s your decision to go. But just remember that the circle won’t be open to you again if you change your mind. Sorry, but that’s how it works.”
    “I’m not changing my mind,” said Beth. She moved off without looking back.
    For a few moments we all looked around at each other.
    “What was that about?” I asked.
    Jenna