“Oh, it’s only a little work to cover my bases,” I assured her. I served the hot chocolate, and had no sooner joined Ivy at the island when there was a knock on the door.
“You expecting someone else?” Ivy asked.
“No.” I frowned at the door as the knocking continued. I set my untouched drink down and went to answer it, only to discover a little elf in a red winter coat.
Charlotte Leigh Bell was alone and on my doorstep. Again.
“Charlie!” Horrified, I quickly pulled her inside and out of the wind.
“Hi!” She smiled, sunnily. Her blonde hair was sticking out from under her striped hat, and a small backpack was slung over her shoulders.
Ivy rose to her feet. “Hey there, kiddo.”
“Hi!” Charlie grinned at Ivy. “I like your sweater.”
“I like your face,” Ivy said, making Charlie giggle.
“What are you doing here?” I asked the girl.
“I came to see you.” She pushed her cap back. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Of course I am,” I said, my mind reeling. “But sweetie, how did you get here?”
“The school bus.” Charlie dropped her backpack on the floor. “Do you have any cookies? I’m starving!”
“The school bus?” I repeated.
“Yeah, the school bus.” Charlie started to unzip her coat.
“This is the little girl you found the other night,” Ivy said, narrowing her eyes.
“Yes it is.” I picked up Charlie’s discarded coat and draped it over a chair.
“Violet, the school bus doesn’t run to this part of town,” Ivy said.
“I know.” I exchanged concerned glances with Ivy. “Charlie, how exactly did you get downtown?”
“I asked Mrs. P to bring me here instead of taking me home.” She pulled off her hat and squealed in delight when Tank made his way straight to her. “Hi Tank!” Charlie knelt down and the cat burrowed right in her arms.
“The school bus driver dropped you off here, instead of at home?” I tried to keep up with her.
“Sure.” Charlie smiled, innocently. A huge pink bow attached to a headband decorated her wispy hair. With her bubblegum pink sweater and gray corduroys, she seemed absolutely angelic. “I just asked her really hard,” Charlie said, “and she did what I wanted.”
“You just asked her really hard...” Her words had me catching my breath. What if the child was more than a sensitive? What if she had power? “Charlie,” I said in a soft, coaxing tone. “Look at me.” I gently cupped her chin in my hand and raised her eyes to meet mine. I did a light scan, wondering what I’d find.
Our eyes locked, and I felt a jolt of magick go all the way to my toes. Charlie began to giggle, and I allowed my eyes to go unfocused so I could see the child’s aura. It was a glowing vibrant pink with clouds of white.
“By the old gods,” I breathed. Charlotte Leigh Bell not only had magick, she was carting around a level of power I’d never experienced in a child so young.
“Oh, I see pretty lights,” Charlie said, staring up at me.
“What colors do you see?” I asked.
“Green.” Charlie’s laughter bubbled up and made me smile in reaction. “Violet you have green all around you. Like leaves.”
The child was reading my magickal energy. I was aligned to the earth element, and only one other person in my life had ever told me that they’d seen leaves and flowers all around me—my maternal grandfather, Ronald Lewis.
“She can see your aura,” Ivy said from behind me. “Damn, Skippy.”
“When I look at you I see pink with white clouds,” I told Charlie.
“You see pink and clouds?” Charlie thought that over.
“Yes I do.” I released her and stepped back. Fortunately there were no traces of the earlier sugarplum spell lingering on the child. I breathed a little easier realizing that it wasn’t my magick that had called her back today.
Ivy knelt down and held out a hand. “Try again, Charlie,” Ivy said. “What do you see now?”
Charlie took the offered hand, peering at Ivy Bishop. “Yellow,” she said after a moment. Yellow light all around you, like the sun.”
“Maybe she’s a natural...” Ivy spoke carefully, avoiding the W word in front of our guest.
A Natural Witch, I thought. It wasn’t unheard of for people to discover they had abilities even when no other family member possessed magick…But typically it didn’t begin to manifest until their teenage years. “She’s awfully young to be displaying that much talent.”
“Autumn did,” Ivy said. “Remember, we found out after she moved here that her dad had bound her powers when she was little, because it upset her mother.”
“That’s right.” I considered the young girl who grinned at us.
“My mom always said that I ran her ragged when I was little...” Ivy smiled over that. “But I’ve never run across a natural with this much juice.”
“I like juice!” Charlie announced.
Ivy titled her head, assessing the child. “Who taught you how to see the colors, and to ‘ask really hard’, Charlie?”
“Nobody.” Charlie’s bottom lip poked out. “Mrs. Gruber gets confused when I ask her really hard, and then Daddy gets mad at her.”
“Who’s Mrs. Gruber?” I asked.
“The housekeeper,” Charlie said.
Ivy placed her hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Don’t you think Mrs. Gruber’s going to worry that you didn’t get off the bus?”
“Nah.” Charlie shrugged. “She’s probably asleep on the couch.”
Charlie’s casual response made my stomach turn over. “Does Mrs. Gruber usually forget to meet you at the bus stop?” I asked cheerfully, as if it were no big deal.
“Yeah,” Charlie said. “I mostly walk home by myself.”
“By yourself?” It took everything I had not to explode in anger at the housekeeper’s lack of regard for a young girl’s safety.
“Can I have a snack?” Charlie asked with a grin.
“Sure.” I ushered the girl to my kitchen island and boosted her up on a barstool. I gave her my hot chocolate and a few cookies. While Charlie called happily to Tank, I stepped back and spoke to Ivy. “I have no way to contact her father. I don’t know where he lives, and
