Chapter 27: Sensitive to Magic

"Okay." Edie nodded. That was something she remembered from her readings. "Maybe we'll ask them about the list of goddesses tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Corrie shook her head. "It was a really weird assortment. I don't remember all the names, but there were a bunch of different pantheons, and different things that the goddesses were related to, or ruled over. And they didn't even go in any special order."

"Maybe these people are just weird."

Corrie laughed. "Probably. Where was Payton hiding that athame?"

"I was wondering the same thing. Maybe in the couch." Edie pursed her lips. "There's another thing I was wondering about... I feel like I'm just asking you a million questions, but I think this is sort of a personal thing, not just a question about paganism."

"You don't need to be afraid to ask me personal questions!"

"I know," Edie said with a laugh. "You're not afraid to share anything. This is just a little weird. At a couple of points in the meeting, I felt... tingling. It was right after they did the prayer at the beginning, and then while we were passing energy during the spell, I felt it again. Did you feel that too?"

Corrie raised her eyebrows and shook her head slowly. "No. I guess you're sensitive to magic."

"Do you think that's what it is? I didn't feel anything when they did that humming energy-raising thing."

"Maybe that just didn't work." Corrie leaned back, thinking. "Did you feel anything like that with Marlin or Professor Lal, or in the woods with the faeries there?"

"No. But I checked and there were no faeries at the meeting."

"Yeah, I checked too. So maybe you're sensitive to one kind of magic, just not to faerie magic."

"Maybe. Or..." Corrie's mention of professor Lal had given her an idea. "Maybe Professor Lal using magic on me made me sensitive. I did feel a tingle in my arm, even though we were pretty sure that was just pins and needles from having the blood flowing again in my arm."

"I guess that's possible." Corrie sighed. "Another thing I'd like to ask Professor Lal, but probably won't, and probably won't get a straight answer if I do."

"You really think she doesn't want to tell you anything?"

"Well, she told us a little bit, but she refused to tell us where she goes when she's not teaching or working. I guess we might as well try asking her whatever questions we have and let her answer what she's willing to answer. It's so frustrating, though!" Corrie smiled ironically. "She's our magic teacher, but when it comes to faerie magic she just shuts up."

"I guess I can't blame her," Edie said, shrugging. "The faeries have obviously kept themselves pretty secret for a while. That would be a hard habit to break."

"True." Corrie wrinkled her nose. "Well, I guess I better get some homework done."

"Yeah, me too." Edie took another look at her pile of books on paganism borrowed from Corrie's mom. Would any of them explain the Circle of the Goddess club? Probably not, if they were right that the club was Wiccan and the books weren't. And not if the club was totally unique, either. She frowned and got out her planner to see if they had any homework for Academic Writing. There was one thing to cheer her up, at least: tomorrow she could take her clover and see if Jasmine was a faerie.

There was a short story to read, so she found the book it was in and started reading. It was a fairly interesting story by Faulkner, with an unusual narration style, though not as strange and difficult to read as she remembered The Sound and the Fury being. She wondered what they were going to do with it. Probably write a paper about it or something.

"Hey," said Corrie suddenly, breaking Edie's concentration.

Edie looked up from her reading. "What?"

"I just realized something," she said, holding the book she'd been reading in her lap. Edie just looked at her patiently, waiting for the explanation. "We told you about Roe's uninformative vision."

"Right."

"It just occurred to me that it could refer to the Circle of the Goddess. If they have meetings every night, there's going to be a meeting on Wednesday--the night of the full moon."

Edie's eyes widened. She thought she saw what Corrie was getting at. "That's true."

"And since it was the full moon that she saw, they might very well be doing something to do with it--special spells or prayers or something."

"Do you think her vision might refer to that?"

"That, or maybe even something else at the meeting."

Edie nodded slowly. "It could be. We'll just have to be alert, I guess."