Page 34 of Banishing Regrets

“I did. I did lots of walking. My legs hurt so much, but I found this…” Jane pulled the stone from her bag and showed it to her teacher.

“Wow, that’s fantastic. Well done, you. It’s so pretty. We’ll have to look it up and see if we can find out what sort of fossil it is.”

“I’d like that.” Jane followed behind Miss Hope into the classroom.

“You know, I once found a stone like this when I was younger. It was in the Glacial National Park as well. It’s special.” Miss Hope sat at her desk and pulled a book from her drawer. On the front cover, Jane saw the picture of a stone just like the one she’d found.

“What book is that?” she questioned with excitement.

The thought of a whole book devoted to her stone was exciting. Even though she was only five years old, she loved books and had started reading early.

“It’s a special book,” Miss Hope explained. “One day, you’ll have one of your own. When the time comes.”

“It’s a book for adults.” Jane felt deflated. She was used to being told everything was for adults. It seemed to her that adults had this fabulous power over children that was only relinquished when a child turned eighteen. Jane was definitely advanced for her age.

“It is, but it’s so much more than that. It will tell you who you really are. You see, Jane, finding this stone means you are destined for great things in the future. When the time comes, you will evolve and become a charmed one. The most powerful of all witches.”

Jane screwed her face up and looked at her teacher in disbelief. Witches weren’t real—they belonged in fairy tales. She wondered if Miss Hope was being silly.

“One day, something will happen to you that will change the course of your life forever. Your book will come to you. It will tell you everything you need to know to survive the future. Charmed witches are very special. We have a part to play in all major world events, including wars in Europe and here in America. Charmed ones are the ones who end them, but we’ve never been mentioned, because we keep our powers hidden until needed,” Miss Hope continued to explain.

Jane was beginning to get scared. She didn’t like the sound of war. Her father had once watched a program on television about World War Two. It had scared Jane, and she’d had nightmares about it for the next few nights. She didn’t like to think she’d be involved in anything like that.

“I don’t think I want to be a charmed one. It sounds scary…” Jane paused and looked at Miss Hope. “You have a book, does that mean you’re a charmed one?”

Miss Hope nodded.

“I know everything I’m telling you is scary, Jane, but it’s important I do. This knowledge needs to be planted in your subconscious, so when the time comes, you’ll be ready. There are so many things in this world you will discover during your life. You’ll learn secrets no other charmed one has. Your future is already written for you. It’s dictated. Heartbreak will change you, and it will allow you to save the family you love. It will be your family, not through blood, but because of the people in it. So many prophecies will come together. Your destiny will remain hidden until the end, but your son’s will not. When the time does come, trust in what you’ve been told and go with the power you wield inside you. One day you will be the greatest of them all, Jane. You will save the supernaturals.”

Jane started shaking. She didn’t want heartbreak. She didn’t want power. She was five years old. She wanted to play with her dolls. How could her future be decided already?

She took a few steps away from Miss Hope.

She wondered if something was wrong with her teacher. She’d also watched a program with her father about a lady who had gone crazy. She behaved just like Miss Hope.

The rest of her class started to appear at the door.

“Trust in fate, Jane. You can’t run from your destiny.” Miss Hope spoke the final words, and Jane turned around and walked to her desk.

Jane’s head hurt for a moment, but then she felt calm. She looked down at the stone in front of her. Miss Hope had just told her it was an ammonite. She would try to read about them later. She liked to read. She rubbed her head as the rest of the class filed into their seats. She felt like she’d forgotten something. Something important.

Was the fossil really an ammonite?

Something told her it wasn’t. But that is what her teacher had said.

Miss Hope clapped her hands together at the head of the classroom.

“Good morning, children. I’m afraid I have some sad news. Today will be my last day as your teacher. I’ve taken a job elsewhere.” Miss Hope looked at Jane and winked. “Why don’t we spend the day having fun?”

Jane rubbed her head in the same place as she’d done that day as a child. She hadn’t realized at the time, but Miss Hope had taken away her memory as she’d walked to her desk. The seed was planted, though, and when Heath died, it began to grow. Her book arrived shortly afterward, but she’d never opened it. She didn’t need a book to tell her what she already knew. She was a charmed witch. One of the most powerful beings on Earth. The most powerful of witches. Eighth in the hierarchy of magic in the world. Those above her included Death, goddesses, and the Angel of Destiny herself.

Jane didn’t want to face what she’d been told all those years before. However, fate had other ideas, and she knew it was time for her to embrace her destiny. She got up from her seat and made her way over to the small bag she’d packed.

Molly, Heath, Isobel, Lily, and Kingsley watched her.

“Jane, is everything all right?” Kingsley questioned.

She nodded at him.

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