Chapter 4

Raven had already left when Maddie woke up.

After she showered, she cast a spell. The amulet showed that Raven was safe wherever he might be.

He hadn't said anything about his destination. Maddie decided to assume that Raven could take good care of himself.

Everyone sat at the breakfast table including Floyd.

‘Are you and your boyfriend okay?’ he asked with an amused smile.

Even Esmee frowned at the sound in his voice.

‘Yes, fine,’ Maddie replied curtly.

‘Okay, have you taken your elixir?’ Floyd's voice was sarcastic.

Esmee opened her mouth to blurt something out, but Rodolf's gaze kept her from doing so.

However, Floyd's attention was already on Moon.

‘This beautiful lady and I are going away for a while,’ he said loudly. Floyd kissed Moon's hand, ‘We need a little bit of excitement and romance.’

Moon smiled with flushes on her cheeks.

‘We won't be there all day, probably back around dinner time,’ she said

‘Maybe not,’ said Floyd, ‘you can take care of yourself too, can't you?’

‘Of course,’ Maddie replied, ‘we'll just have a pizza appear.’

Suddenly Floyd was completely focused on her. He frowned.

‘Magic?’ He asked suspiciously.

Maddie laughed. ‘We order with the phone, ofcourse. We can't sommon pizza, can we? We're not that good yet. ‘

Floyd laughed too, almost relieved. He did not see the look of understanding that Maddie exchanged with Esmee and Rodolf.

‘Raven was right,’ said Rodolf a little later, ‘that man cannot be trusted. It even makes me suspicious. He must have messed with your elixir, as Raven said. ‘

‘I thought he was very nice,’ said Esmee, ‘but I think he's a great actor, Oscar stuff.’

‘Who, his material?’ asked Rodolf, not understanding.

That earned him a very indignant look from Esmee. She sighed deeply about so much silliness.

Maddie laughed at the humor of the two. She got ready to go to school and  would meet with them after school to brainstorm more about Floyd.

At school, the atmosphere was as she had left it for the weekend.

When Maddie passed the large, popular group of girls, ghost noises were made. She knew who was responsible for it but decided to ignore it for the time being.

There was a new boy in class who drew a lot of attention because he was dressed differently from the rest. Besides, his attitude was a bit distant, rebellious.

He had long, dark blond, Rasta hair that he wore in a bun, some sort of harem pants, with worn-out sneakers. He was wearing a long, loose-fitting shirt. An old long leather coat, a coarse scarf. He immediately joined Maddie at the table when he escaped from the popular group.

‘Hi, I'm Mike,’ he said, holding out his hand.

‘Maddie.’ She shook his hand.

He held her hand for a moment longer than necessary.

She looked at him quizzically. He smiled apologetically.

‘Sorry, I think you are stunning.’

Maddie laughed at his honesty.

'Thank you.'

His face came closer.

‘Nice freckles,’ he said.

‘Down,’ she said, slightly amused, ‘taken.’

He shrugged, grinning.

‘I know when to back off.’

He spent the rest of the day with Buddy, Dean, and Leo. Maddie was often alone or was avoiding the brave duo.

Although she had decided that the bullying was not going to affect her, it did. It surprised her a bit. Usually, she was way above it, she could close herself off very well. But somehow it didn't work out that day.

She felt abandoned, alone, something she had never felt that way. The ugly duckling, the black sheep.

Maddie had no idea whether it was because she missed Raven so much or that Floyd was indirectly involved in making her feel that way.

When she finally got home, Rodolf and Esmee did not show up for their appointment. And a feeling of deep loneliness that she had never experienced before moved through her.

She, therefore, had little appetite for food, which also caused her body energy to drop quickly. Some sort of dark blanket came over her. A blanket that made her curl up in her bed, came to nothing. The dark blanket grew thicker and thicker, almost suffocating her.

The following days did not get much better, but less quickly. Esmee and Rodolf only had time for each other, as they didn't even show up for breakfast or magic school.

Buddy got sick. She only saw Dean and Leo now and then in passing, but they also had no time for her.

She tried to avoid the group of bullies that had grown. But that did not always work. Maddie did not have the energy to really resist that.

As a result, they touched her even deeper with the hateful words, than was simply the case.

The only stable factor became Mike. He was around her a lot. And he cheered her up with his statements, his attitude. That reminded her a bit of Raven. According to Mike, she didn't need anyone else?

After school Maddie walked through the park, she sat down on the old bench for a while, she was tired. She left her bicycle at school, someone had punctured her bicycle tires. And she didn't even have the energy to secretly, magically fix it.

She tried to find something of energy in the clean energy of nature.

She tried to lighten the heavy blanket a little, to get her head out of the fog.

She smelled the cold, the clammy earth, the rotting leaves on the ground. She felt the approaching frost in the wind. She recovered something.

‘Is this the hang out for the outcast?’ suddenly asked a voice. It was Mike. She looked into his friendly gray-blue eyes.

She smiled. ‘Yes, I believe so.’

‘Good, then I've found my place,’ he said and sat down next to her.

‘You're popular at school,’ he said with a smile, ‘I keep hearing your name mentioned.’

She looked at him.

‘You have no idea how popular I am,’ she said sarcastically

‘So bad, is it?’ His blue-gray eyes looked at her gently.

Then she smiled. ‘It'll pass, it's just my turn to be the piss.’

‘Tough,’ said Mike.

‘Well, they are a bunch of stupid girls, I better put my energy into something else,’ she said, looking at him, ‘in the relationship with my boyfriend, for example.’

‘Hey, I'm innocent,’ Mike defended, ‘friend or not, I really like you, can't I?’

She grinned at the startled look in his eyes. ‘That is allowed.’

She got up and blew into her hands, which were red with cold.

‘Would you like a cup of coffee or something?’ suggested Mike. ‘It is warm down the road in the old tea house.’

‘No, I think I'll just go home,’ she said with an uncomfortable smile.

When summoned, Amy and Jacqueline suddenly cycled along with the group of followers.

‘New friend?’ shouted Amy. ‘Do Buddy and your other friend already know that?’ They continued cycling and laughed.

Mike looked at Maddie from the side.

‘Come on,’ he jumped off the couch. Drew her along, ‘now you definitely need something to wash away the poison.’

He drew her into the warmth of the old tea house, where Maddie could warm her hands on a mug of hot tea.

She couldn't deny that it felt nice and comfortable.

Mike looked satisfied.

A little later he took her to the garden gate on Stationsstreet, on the back of his bicycle. Then put on his earphones and cycled towards the city, listening to the music.

Maddie had eaten little, but also was not hungry. She went into the kitchen just to get a large mug of tea.

She heard Omem laugh and wanted to approach her enthusiastically, but stopped in the doorway.

Omem was sitting at the kitchen table. Floyd sat opposite her. It was an intimate picture that she did not want to disturb.

On the way to her room, she saw Esmee and Rodolf walking into the library. They didn't even see her, they were so focused on each other.

Maddie felt very lonely, her stomach tightened, it hurt her heart. The heavy blanket of loneliness even made it difficult to breathe at times.

She lit the fireplace in her darkroom and curled up in the large armchair in front of it. She pulled a thick blanket over herself.

In a habit, she checked the amulet to know where Raven was. She saw no change. He was safe where he needed to be.

‘Oh Raven,’ she sighed. It hurt physically to miss him like that. He was also her support and anchor in all the hectic. She hoped with all her heart that he would return soon. Then everything would be fine. Maybe she should cast a spell to see where he was. But she felt too tired to move, she couldn't come up with a spell so quickly.

It was the middle of the night when Maddie woke up, still sitting in the chair in an uncomfortable position. It was a crescent moon, she saw through the window. The fire was almost out.

With a movement of her hand, the fire flared up again.

She yawned and stretched once, her strange sleeping position made her stiff.

Her energy was still very low. Yet she was still not hungry. She thought it was because of Raven's absence and all that stuff at school.

Suddenly, she felt a warm glow circling around her. Since that time down the hall, she had encountered this energy several more times.

It felt great, but she didn't have enough energy to focus or figure out exactly what it was. When Raven came home, she would. Raven had been gone for almost two weeks, she suddenly discovered. She had the weird feeling that it was much shorter. How could she not know exactly?

She had kept it on a calendar, there it was very clear.

She checked the amulet, but that still indicated Raven was okay.

Still, some anxiety was brewing in her. She was happy that it was soon to be autumn vacation, so that she could recover, recharge her energy. It was strange to be so weak.

She dropped onto the bed and stopped taking off her clothes, too much work.

A knock on the door awakened her. It were Esmee and Rodolf.

She wanted to make a sneer that they could suddenly find her, but she held back.

‘Cold here,’ Esmee grumbled.

Maddie lit the fire.

‘And you look super bad,’ Esmee concluded, shocked.

‘When was the last time you had dinner?’ asked Rodolf.

She shrugged her shoulders.

‘Strange I have no memory of that,’ she confessed.

‘Okay.’ Esmee sat on the edge of the bed.

‘We think we're under a spell or something,’ said Rodolf.

‘Coincidentally, we didn't eat the food yesterday, or drink tea here,’ Esmee said, ‘and we suddenly realized it had been very foggy in our heads lately.

‘We found out that we spent whole days alone in each other's company,’ explained Rodolf.

He looked closely at Maddie. ‘Do you know where we hung out?’

Maddie shook her head. ‘Not at school, in the magic square, I don't know.’

Suddenly Maddie realized that she was also foggy and vague in her head.

She confessed that she couldn't remember how long Raven had been gone. That she always had to look it up

Rodolf thought of a magical mess with food and drink, but if Maddie barely ate, how did she get under the influence of the magic? Through the tea alone?

‘Why are we actually in those nebulae?’ Asked Esmee.

Rodolf shrugged. ‘It certainly has to do with Floyd and his plans. Maybe it's a good idea to make sure Esmee and I at least eat and drink somewhere other than here at home. ‘

He was going to investigate how it could be that Maddie was so blurry, how a spell might be linked to not being hungry.

Maddie promised she would force herself to eat.

But soon she found out that it just wasn't going to work. She became terrified when she ate anything more than a few snacks.

Everything was also getting worse at school. She was constantly bullied, it seemed like an Olympic sport to the girls in her class. Even classmates who had never done that helped out. Because of her lack of energy, she was unable to stand up for herself. It made her very sad, quiet, alone. Fortunately, Mike showed up everywhere. He became her support and help. He shared his bread with her so that she ate a few snacks, also arranged for a mug of tea in the canteen. He kept the brave duo and their supporters at bay and tried to cheer her up.

Buddy was still sick. But Maddie no longer had the energy to worry about that.

Mike walked home with her every day. He was waiting at the entrance of the school in the morning.

She was surprised that at some point he was already waiting at the garden gate in Stationsstreet. She came to trust he was there. That felt good.

She hadn't been to Magic Square for a while. She had no energy for it.

She had to admit she'd rather be around Mike.

She still felt a touch of warmth in him, which she could no longer find in the world around her. Not even at home.

They went to school together. Mike stood close to her in the schoolyard. ‘Listen here,’ he pushed one of the ears into her ear, then his face was very close. He had probably forgotten that he was wearing the other earpiece.

She laughed for a moment when he realized that too late. He grinned.

‘You miss your guy,’ he said suddenly. Mike saw how she tried to bring back the tears in her eyes.

He wiped away her tears.

‘Well, he'll be home soon,’ said Mike. You don't let such a beautiful girl down for longer than necessary.

Maddie smiled. 'I hope so.'

Mike wanted to know why he had left.

Maddie made up something about family.

‘Yes, that comes first,’ he said with his mouth full and looked at his sandwich with a dirty face.

‘Damn,’ he sighed, ‘this tastes so strange, tastes like earth, there must be mold on it!’

With a well-aimed toss, the bun landed in the trash can.

‘Come on.’ He took her hand and pulled her along. Despite her protests, he smiled enthusiastically. He thought that you should skip school now and then, to boost your energy level again. Maddie thought it was fine, she could not keep her head on anything.

She let herself be taken back to town on his old bicycle.

He stopped at the old orphanage that served as a hotel-restaurant.

It had an antique look, combined with the industrial. Thick beams in the ceiling, raw walls, coarse lamps.

But also soft chairs, a very large fireplace, and warm plaids.

Maddie her favorite place to relax in the city. Mike ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream and double toasted cheese.

Maddie felt warm inside and out.

Nice by the fireplace, sipping chocolate milk, warm plaid over her cold legs.

She ate a small piece of Mike's sandwich. Surely it tasted delicious. Mike was a good storyteller, yet she didn't really listen.

His hands touched hers a number of times.

She wanted to react defensively, but it was probably accidental.

She said nothing. Well, she didn't have the energy for it either.

She found it difficult to follow his story, felt drowsy. When she got up, she fell into terrible dizziness.

Mike caught her. She felt him lift her. Then it turned black around her.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying in a bed in a strange room.

Mike sat on the edge of the bed. He looked very concerned.

He told her she was in one of the hotel rooms so she could relax. Maddie still felt bad. She sat on the edge of the bed, then another dizziness came over her. She almost lost consciousness again and would have fallen had Mike not grabbed her.

‘Ho, ho,’ he shouted concerned.

Suddenly she felt his mouth forcefully on hers. She responded to him with a strange self-evidence, until she realized what was actually happening.

She pushed him away with all the strength she could find.

‘Sorry, sorry,’ Mike said quickly. ‘I certainly don't want to take advantage of the situation. But you are so beautiful! ‘

Maddie suddenly felt a shift in his energy. It made her alert.

He came closer again.

She suddenly felt a compulsion and threat in his radiance.

She had never noticed that before. Like he was trying to force her to kiss him.

She muttered something about nausea, got up, and walked to the bathroom as best she could. There she locked the door.

She looked into the mirror panting and was terribly shocked.

Her long hair was dull, tousled as if it hadn't been brushed for weeks.

Her blue eyes were pale and she had black circles under her eyes in a pale dry skin. Her cheeks were sunken.

She realized that something bad was wrong with her. Although she couldn't clear her mind, she was suddenly sure it had something to do with Mike.

That was not good. No energy, but also little memories. How long had it been since Esmee and Rodolf had been in her room?

She also realized she had no idea of ​​time.

There was magic at play, but certainly not the loving kind. She had to resist, get clear again! The thought of Raven gave her strength.

‘Maddie?’ Mike knocked on the door, ‘are you all right?’

‘Yes,’ she shouted. ‘I'll take a bath.’

‘Okay,’ it sounded hesitant, ‘do you need help?’

She replied in the negative.

He promised to wait on the other side of the door so she could call him if she needed him. She turned on the tap and rested on the bath rim for a moment. It took her so much strength to walk alone. What had happened to her?

She was really running out of energy. She had to do something, whatever. She couldn't be a victim, could she? It had also been a long time since she had felt like herself. Even thinking made her tired.

Still, she became more alert. Whether it was because she thought about Raven or because she was in danger, didn't matter.

Maddie stepped into the warmth of the bath, which felt wonderful.

Suddenly there was that warm energy again, accompanying her now and then. That time she felt like she had to do her best to find out what it was. Even if it took all her strength. She closed her eyes, focused on the feeling it gave her. The energy was warm, loving, protective. She allowed herself to be carried by it. She felt it circling around her, there was no fear, almost a sense of homecoming. Maddie opened up. She breathed in the energy deeply, very deeply.

It took possession of her and she felt it tingling from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.

Suddenly she knew what it was. It was the power of the moon goddess, it was her own energy! It had been inside her all along, trying to make contact with her, especially as danger approached her.

But she hadn't known, placed it outside of herself. She kept concentrating. She could even look at Earth with the eyes of the moon goddess, from space, as if she were an astronaut. Her magic was released. It finally flowed through her veins again, her body. She felt herself getting stronger with each breath.

Despite her body's lack of earth energy, the air energy was strong enough to carry her for a while.

She got up from the bath, dried herself with a rough towel.

This also gave her more aware of her body and she also broke through the fog that hung there.

She looked in the mirror as she was surrounded by a protective red glow. She was able to withdraw it into her body. There she felt the energy increase.

In the mirror, she saw her eyes come back to life.

‘Maddie?’ She heard Mike's voice. It didn't sound very friendly anymore.

She realized that through the released lunar energy, she could see the truth. Lunar energy saw right through spells. She quickly dressed and opened the door.

She struggled not to say anything about what she saw.

Mike still had the same features with the blue-gray eyes, but the rest had been a spell.

He had long, black straight hair. He was wearing a smart suit. Nothing rebellious about it. Mike was by no means a free-spirited boy.

The look in his eyes was no longer friendly, understanding orwarm, but it was distant, cool, compelling, and controlling.

‘Beautiful Maddie,’ he said, leaning forward to kiss her again.

She managed to avoid him by pretending to be exhausted and going to sleep.

‘Can I rest here for a bit, Mike?’ she asked in a soft, tired voice. She got back under the covers.

He grinned with satisfaction.

‘Sure girl,’ he said gently, but the look in his eyes didn't match the tone of his voice.

She turned and slept, or so Mike thought.

He took his cell phone, dialed a number and she heard a male voice answer. She understood that Mike was keeping her under the influence of black magic in command. That he was also responsible for the stuff in her food, her drink. Even the ears he always wore had carried the poison for her.

‘Yes, her energy level is zero, there's not a shred of magic left in her,’ she heard Mike say proudly, followed by a sarcastic laugh. ‘She’s running out of life. Yes, is good father, I will take care of it.’

He got up, glanced at Maddie, and left the room.

She heard the door lock.

When she got up, she felt the magic that lock the door.

For a moment she was upset, but that was Maddie.

She needed to stay in touch with Lexan within her, the Lexan that controlled the lunar energy. The Lexan, which was part of her, part of her forefathers. The Wiccan name that came to her when she was inaugurated.

She closed her eyes in concentration. Slowly the strength built up in her. This also brought to the fore the age-old knowledge about magic.

She projected a sleeping Maddie into the large hotelbed.

In the mirror, she saw the big red aura around her. That of her primal mother. She smiled. She had regained control, not to mention her strength. She disappeared through the door, without affecting the magic that was inside. Nobody knew what she had done. Or who.