Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

Lola was completely preoccupied as she walked up the deserted street. Her head was swimming as she replayed all that Felix Tennyson had just relayed to her. Tightening her grip on the bag that hung over her shoulder, she instinctively brought it closer to her body, only too aware of its precious contents. She’d had a lot to take in, but the fact that Arthur had left her everything, that for the first time in her life she would not have to worry about money, well, that was inconceivable.

Money had never really mattered to Lola, mostly because her parents never really had any. They had always managed somehow and had always tried to provide what they could. She and her brothers took part-time jobs, which helped with university costs, but like most people they relied on student loans to go there. Lola preferred it that way, always making do with whatever she had. Her mum and dad had taught them to respect people for who they were, not what they had. Perhaps if her parents had been better off financially her outlook may have been different, but as it was, she was content.

The sun had dropped behind the shops on the opposite side of the street suddenly making the area feel very desolate and run-down. Feeling a sudden chill in the air Lola rubbed her bare arms as goose bumps materialised. So preoccupied by her own thoughts, she hadn’t noticed anyone on the street when she emerged from the solicitor’s office, but as she became aware of her surroundings and more concerned about the contents of her bag, she began to feel quite on edge. Instinctively, she looked behind her before rounding the corner onto Waring Street and was surprised to find that she was no longer alone.

A few paces behind was a young boy, his face obscured by a baseball cap. He wore dark tracksuit bottoms and a grubby hooded top. Although this was nothing out of the ordinary, Lola quickened her pace as she neared the shop a few yards ahead. She suddenly became aware of the cold stone of the signet ring close to her chest, and for a moment it appeared to be vibrating. It felt as if it was emanating a soft gentle pulse. Lola reasoned that it was simply her accelerated heartbeat. There was no sign of life as she approached Mystic Moone. The shop seemed to be empty as Lola couldn’t see anyone through the shop front window. She admired the display, decorated with lots of dream catchers, crystals and prisms of every colour imaginable.

Deciding to try the door, she found it locked. Taking a step back from the entrance, she was about to open her bag for her phone when a sudden movement caught the side of her eye. Lola could see a hand reach out to snatch her bag and she instinctively recoiled and closed her eyes. There was blinding flash of white light, as Lola’s attacker was instantly propelled away from the shop. Lola slowly opened her eyes to find that her attacker lay on the street some distance away. Her first instinct was to go and see if he was okay, but she held back knowing that he had tried to snatch her bag. It was the same teenager that had been behind her in the street since she left the solicitor’s office. His cap had now come off and his t-shirt seemed to be smouldering. There was a murky grey mist around him, and he was obviously shaken, but he quickly rose to his feet, his face ashen white, and ran down the street.

Suddenly the door of the shop opened, and a pair of gentle hands encouraged her inside.

‘That was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that! What was it, a repellent spell? You’ll have to teach me that one, Lola,’ said Aibgrene Moone excitedly.

Lola was in shock, her head throbbing, and her ears ringing from the blast. She struggled to make out Aibgrene’s excited words.

‘Here, take a sniff of this, it’ll bring you around, help clear the head,’ soothed Aibgrene.

Lola winced as a small bottle emanating a sharp pungent aroma was forced under her nose. Inhaling, it burnt her throat and nostrils, but appeared to do the trick because her head began to clear.

‘What the hell just happened to me? What did that boy do to me?’ she asked in disbelief.

‘What did he do to you? More like what did you do to him!’ laughed Aibgrene.

Aibgrene Moone was very like her mother, only slightly taller, with a familiar set of playful hazel eyes and long golden hair that flowed down her back. She was lean, with angular features, but very pretty. Dressed in cream corduroys, pumps and a brown t-shirt, she reminded Lola of an Amazonian. Lola could see a beautiful apple green haze around her entire body. Clearly her head hadn’t cleared that much, she thought.

‘What did you give me? I think it’s made me worse,’ exclaimed Lola as she tried to get up, but her legs refused to respond. ‘I’m seeing things. I think I might need to go to the hospital!’

Rolling her eyes, Aibgrene knelt down beside her, and held her hand in front of Lola. ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’

‘Two,’ answered Lola, with a sigh.

‘What’s your name and where do you live?’

‘Lola Paige and I live in Ballyvalley.’

‘Where are you now?’

‘I’m lying on the floor of what I presume is Mystic Moone.’

‘I think you’re fine, Lola!’

Lola was becoming more irate. This girl wasn’t taking her seriously at all. ‘Well then why is everything around you all green?’ snapped Lola.

‘That’s interesting. You can see auras as well as perform powerful magick.’

‘Auras? Magick?’ quizzed Lola, growing more impatient by the second. ‘What are you on about? Have you been sniffing that stuff too? I can’t do magick and I can’t see auras, whatever they are. I don’t even believe in magick, never mind powerful magick.’

Lola didn’t care that she was being quite rude. Anyway, Aibgrene didn’t seem to be offended in the slightest. Bending down she helped Lola up off the floor and onto a chair. Much to Lola’s irritation nothing seemed to break Aibgrene’s mood, she was positively beaming.

‘Hi, I’m Aibgrene Moone, lovely to meet you.’

Lola stared blankly at her. She already knew it was Aibgrene; she had after all planned to meet her here at the shop. Aibgrene, assuming the perplexed look on Lola’s face was because of her unusual name proceeded to break it down phonetically for dazed Lola.

‘Oh, a lot of people have never heard of my name before,’ she explained. ‘So they’re a bit wary of pronouncing it. It’s pronounced A-grain-ya. It means radiant sunshine in Irish,’ she added cheerily. ‘And you must be Lola Paige. It’s very nice to meet you. Well to meet you again!’ added Aibgrene with a mischievous grin.

Lola shook her hand, slightly bemused. ‘Again?’ I don’t think we’ve actually met before.’

‘Yes we have. Well technically it was in a dream,’ explained Aibgrene in a matter-of-fact tone.

Lola rolled her eyes, the girl was clearly delusional at best, but for some reason she felt drawn to her, as she had been to her mother. She immediately felt that she could trust her, and the truth was that she needed to, because Lola knew she was on her own and Aibgrene – as naïve as she appeared – was her best chance of making sense of this mess.

‘Listen, Lola, I’m sorry if I’m freaking you out a bit at the moment, but you’ll get used to it.’

‘No, I’m the one who should be apologising, Aibgrene. Sorry. I’ve haven’t been very pleasant. What happened out there really scared me. All this is new to me. There’s been so much to digest and take in, most of which I can’t understand. I just don’t know why Arthur would do this to me. He’s made a mistake. And now your mum has gone missing, it’s just too much.’

Aibgrene sat beside Lola. She knew that Lola Paige would in time become her closest friend, and she gave Lola the reassurance she so desperately needed.‘Listen Lola, you don’t need to apologise,’ said Aibgrene looking right into Lola’s eyes. ‘This is scary stuff, there is no denying that, but we have to stick together, and if Arthur trusted you, you must trust him. You have to accept the possibility that there were things that he knew about you, things that you’re yet to discover or acknowledge.’

Lola felt Aibgrene was placing too much faith in her. What happened outside had not been her doing. What she was saying was so absurd to her. Magick. If it wasn’t so serious Lola would have laughed in her face.

‘Look, Aibgrene, you must believe me, that wasn’t me out there, I didn’t do that, but that’s something we can figure out later. What upsets me more is the fact that that boy was after my bag. Well not my bag, but what’s in it.’

Aibgrene was unaware that Lola had just left Tennyson and Tennyson solicitors. In fact, the only people that knew this were the old solicitor himself and her parents, both unlikely to hire the assailant. Despite Felix’s words of caution about telling anyone what she had in her possession, Lola felt it was only right to inform Aibgrene. After all, she had been advised by Arthur and Celeste to trust her inner voice. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew she could trust this girl. Aibgrene could help Lola understand the world she was being forced to enter, because she was part of it. Besides, she felt that Aibgrene had a right to know, it might help them find her mother before it was too late.

‘Listen, Aibgrene, the things that I have been told and experienced in the last few days have completely turned my world upside down and challenged my sanity to say the least. I want to tell you everything I know so far, but I don’t think this is the place. That was no random attack out there, that boy was sent by someone, and I’m certain he was after what I have in my bag. In fact, he could have already told our enemies where we are and more importantly that we are together.’

Aibgrene nodded in agreement. ‘I have a few enchantments on the place, but I think you’re right, Lola, it’s no longer safe here.’

There was sadness in Aibgrene’s voice as she looked around her family shop. Lola focused her mind, she knew her life was not the only one that was affected by Arthur’s death, there was no doubt that both women had been brought together for a reason, and that they must rely on each other from now on.

‘You can’t stay on your own here, why don’t you come back to Ballyvalley with me and we’ll take it from there?’ asked Lola.

‘A road trip! Excellent! Let me get a few of my things together, we’ll need all the help we can get!’

Lola watched intently as Aibgrene busied about the shop, lifting tiny bottles with various herbs and oils, adding a few multi-coloured crystals and some other items. She placed them into a small leather case that already housed a tiny mortar and pestle, a set of brass scales and long silver knife with an ornate crystal handle. Disappearing upstairs, she returned with a hold-all with some clothes and toiletries packed inside.

‘That’s me. I think I have everything I need,’ confirmed Aibgrene.

‘Are you sure?’ laughed Lola. ‘I think the kitchen sink is still there.’

‘Good woman, Lola, I almost forgot.’

Lola looked on in amazement as Aibgrene disappeared into the small kitchen at the back of the shop, emerging, not with the sink, but a small broom.

‘Oh, don’t tell me we’re going to fly to Ballyvalley,’ scoffed Lola as she surveyed the miniature broom.

‘Of course not,’ said Aibgrene indignantly. ‘This isn’t some movie, Lola. We traditionally use the broom for dispersing negative energy, among other things, and I can see I’m going to need it!’

‘Oh, negative energy, how did I not know that?’ added Lola sarcastically.

It was twilight when the girls emerged from the shop. Taking one last look around, Aibgrene locked the door, pulling the shutters down on Mystic Moone. The street was deserted once more as they approached Ruby’s buttercup yellow Figaro. Once inside, the doors were locked and they set off for Ballyvalley.

Lola was reluctant to speak about what she had in her bag, and the numerous other things that she had been privy to over the last couple of weeks, until she was back home. Aibgrene must have read her mind, or perhaps her thoughts were with her mother, as both remained in silence.