The Chosen Path

Chapter Four

"This is what I've told the others to do. You take that thought and then you build a visual brick wall around it. It forms a mental wall that I can't seem to penetrate," she explained, "Kind of like a spell that can't be broken without the right counter-spell."

"I was looking at some of those books you gave me. Do you really practice witchcraft?" he asked in concern.

"Yes. But not all magic is bad, Jake. You have to set aside what you've seen on TV and in the movies. That stuff they're trying to imitate is black magic, and that's not what we do. It's like... the blocking of your thoughts and putting a mental brick wall in your mind. You're casting a spell -but all it is creating is a...hold in your mind about something. It's not wrong or evil to use what you have in good ways. It's not even magic really, it's just a part of you. It's a tool just like any other. "

"What do you mean? A tool?"

"Are you right handed or left handed?" she asked.

"Right," he answered.

"Are you good at math or art?"

"Art, of course," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, your powers for a lack of a better word, is like that. You were born favoring your right hand just as you were born good at art," she explained.

"I got good by practicing," he protested, "I draw everyday. If I didn't, I'd still be drawing like a kindergartner," he explained.

"Exactly! " she beamed as if he'd understood.

"Huh?"

"You were born with the gift of the potential of being good at art. But you needed to practice it to harness that skill and make it grow. It's the same with your powers. You were born with the gift of it. But it's up to you whether you use it. Whether you practice at it to be skilled at that gift. And it's up to you to use it for good or for evil."

"And you use it for good," he said with a smile.

"But of course," she answered with a big grin.

"Does Tony..."

She laughed and turned to face him. "I knew that question would come up."

He looked at her seriously. It was something he was concerned about. After all the guy was a vampire. And he hadn't yet shown Jake his softer side. If he had one. He suspected he did because of the way he was with Emily. But there was usually some tiny bit of good even in someone evil.

"Tony's... he doesn't practice black magic," she swallowed and looked at him. "Not anymore."

"Jesus," Jake said, raking a hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "He dabbled a bit. That's all," she said and put up her hand to forestall his protest, "Not all black magic is evil. The stuff that's not evil it's... it's just...it's risky. You're trusting a dark force that can't always be trusted, and there's usually a sacrifice involved because the dark always expects some kind of payment unlike the light which does things just to be good," she glanced at his horrified expression.

"Not that kind of sacrifice. A personal sacrifice. Something in your life. Something like...you lose a year of your life. Or you get zits for a year. You don't necessarily have to kill chickens...or humans..." she shook her head and chuckled at his expression. "You watch too much TV."

She smiled at him reassuringly. "What I mean to say, Jake, is, that Tony..he's just had a hard life. And ...it shows. And he isn't that easy to live with or even to like sometimes, but I swear to you, he is good. He is a really good guy. You have no idea just how wonderful a person he is because he hasn't trusted you enough yet to show you that side of himself. But will you trust me on it?" she implored with her big green beautiful eyes.