Marked and Charmed by Morgan Cook (uplifting book club books TXT) 📖

17 and she was chosen, yeah like we all were, all the other people in our group didn’t really care about another person, because she would be the last to join our little parade. To me it was the last person who we all had to tell secrets to, the stories of what happened centuries ago, I always talked to the new people, I wasn’t the oldest in the group I was the third after Bavol and Hugh, I got asked to welcome the new comers and so I did. They all had different ways of adapting to something new in there life like this, some like me didn’t like the idea at all, but they changed and didn’t really mind after that and others just smiled and thought it was amazing like they were a god or goddess.
“Jonathan, it would be nice you were sitting with us, it might make Felicity more comfortable and Hugh would appreciate it” I looked up to see who was talking, it was Ela, she wore her burgundy hair out, it was a bit wavy, her blue eyes stared at me wide open. Ela was always so nice, caring and like me in a way about not wanting to be here, but she accepted it and tried to hide that she didn’t want to be here anymore than I did.
“Hey, just cause you like Hugh and would do anything doesn’t mean I will, I will be nice and talk to her to make her feel comfortable but I’m not sitting with you until we start talking about the stories” I smiled at her as I finished speaking, she smiled back in a friendly way but also in a sarcastically way, I knew her that long that I knew every expression that come across her face.
“I don’t like Hugh ok, we are the same age, you, Hugh and i and if we liked some one we would talk about it to that person ok, were not in grade seven anymore we are 19 and mature so start acting like it, ok!” she sat next to me. True, at 19 we could talk about our feelings to another person but False I wasn’t Immature, I was just a outgoing person.
Ela stood back up and smiled and walked away before I could say anything else, I guess she didn’t want to have a little fight tonight and to be honest neither did I. I could hear the others around the big glowing fire talking about how boring tonight was and what they wished they were doing, I wished they would all just shut up, they had to remember the way they felt before they had to come here all the time, but I suppose some of them were just cocky knowing that they were no longer the babies of the group. The babies of the group before Felicity was part of us were Isuara Simmons and Aden Ward; both 18 this year, Isuara had short brown hair that was a bit past shoulder length, she always wore it out when we had meetings, she was normal height and dressed like she owned a Mall, Aden on the other hand had hair that looked like he spent hours on in the morning, he was a bit shorter than Isuara but they were together, boyfriend and girlfriend, and the most annoying pair in our group. Yes! There are relationships in our group but the only ones that aren’t dating are Ela, Hugh, Bavol and I, and that’s the way we like it. I looked over at Isuara and Aden, they were annoying but when they weren’t arguing about stupid ridiculous stuff they were a kinda nice match for each other. I decided I might as well go and sit with the rest of them before Felicity gets here, Ela was right, it would probably make her more comfortable, for a while, before she knew what it was really like to be in a group of Bare Witches, I sat next to Bavol, he was Aden’s older brother, he didn’t look a lot like Aden, but he was still a good person, he was the oldest in a group one year older than I am, he was like the leader of the group nearly, if we needed something people would go to him, if you want more stories people just came to me, Bavol was one inch taller than me, 5,9 was my precise height, his eyes were a grass green colour, rich and full of life, he had his hair nearly as messy as mine, he had a kind of sandy brown coloured hair, it was a bit curl and he had a bit of a fringe that came over his forehead a bit.
“Last one, you wont have to tell the stories any longer, they will then be passed to others” Bavol spoke but didn’t take his eyes of the fired, he sat on the fallen treelike a sculpture nearly, his hands out in front of his knees, he looked away for the fire and to his hands then looked at me, he was waiting for me to say something.
“Yeah, you’re right, I guess, no one else will have to join for a while I mean” I said it quietly so no one could over hear us.
“You are like a brother I never had” he smiled at me and looked back at the fire. His voice was a bit English just like mine, both from England now in Australia, how things change.
“I’m guessing no luck with Aden then?” I made it a question, because I wasn’t sure
“No, I told him about how if he wishes to see Isuara then he can, but they have to stop this annoying bickering behind each others backs, it is infuriating” when he said that last word he said it with anger but in a kind whisper, it gave a small chill.
“I’m sure he while come to his sense’s Bavol, he might not be like you but he is not stupid he is tuning 18 soon and he is in love, it makes you do stupid stuff” I meant every word but something wasn’t right, Bavol turned to me and asked
“You speak of it like it has happened to you, has it?” I opened my mouth to speak and shut it again. Bavol was like a brother to me but a best friend as well, to juggle it was sometimes hard, I didn’t want to say no because in a way he looked like I uncovered a secret that was holding him down and if I said yes then I would have to explain to him what happened, so I said the best thing possible at the time.
“Bavol, I do not know what love is, but I know when I find it, I will hold onto it, and make sure that that love never dies, I will not let anyone take it from me” I said it in a manly way I think I wasn’t going to get all soft now, I was about to tell stories soon and I already need to be a soft to make sure that no one felt uncomfortable, as if any of us felt uncomfortable we were witches, how much more uncomfortable can you get.
Bavol looked at me and smiled, I kind of ducked my head looking at the fire that was embarrassing.
“Don’t get all soft on me now Jonathan, I don’t want you to start fight like a girl too” he laughed, it was a humorous laugh, it was rare for Bavol, he was always so serious.
“Don’t let Ela here you talking about girls fighting, she might try to punch you again” Yes again, Ela had punched Bavol before because he said that girls were too fragile to fight, well she showed him and the rest of us boys that girls can fight and when some of them do, you should expected bruises and a whole lot more, Bavol managed to push her to the ground and call it even but he never hurted her, he only did that to the guys and girls if they were on the wrong side. I would never want to fight him, I might be a bit strong yeah sure, but Bavol was a hell of a lot stronger and trained more than I did.
I heard footsteps, everyone but Ela, Bavol and I stood up and the rest of the others just really kept quite or were whispering to each other.
Hugh’s voice was getting louder, closer, a girl’s voice answered back.
“Hugh, I will be fine ok! Don’t look over my shoulder every second! I don’t want to go as much as you don't want me here!”
Her voice was soft but firmly spoken, Felicity. Her voice, I could not think about her voice after that it might have been that she didn’t want to be here, so some one finally got it through there head before they got here that it is not a great place, or it might be that her voice was, well I cant explain it, it was like she spoke to me it a way, I shivered a little even though it wasn’t even that cold, for me anyway. Hugh came out from behind the bushes and trees with a girl trailing behind him. He smiled at me, a fake brave smile not confident. Ela quickly stepped up and introduced herself to Felicity, Felicity smiled and introduced herself while Hugh was to busy looking at the others and at Ela, Hugh wasn’t very good at introducing people to others he tried doing it last year with Isuara and Aden, but as always they introduced themselves, well Isuara first told Hugh about how bad he was at this then introduced herself then her older sister Visola told her off, it was the best night for a gathering.
The others were other sitting there glaring at Felicity or ignoring her but not Bavol not Ela and not me. I walked over there confidence filled my mind, I had to make her welcome, and by the sounds of things before she didn’t want to be her so she would fit in with Ela, Bavol and I but I don’t think she would want to hang out with her older brother, oh well I guess we would see.
Chapter Three

Felicity


Ohk, it wasn’t the worst night of my life so far, but as far as Hugh was concerned I should feel comfortable, Pfft. Hell he might know more than I did about this Bare Witches group but I was not comfortable not with the others at least, they just sat there looking at me like I was the bearded lady and the circus, I was largely known but I was rare. I didn’t care what they thought, I wasn’t rare I was an individual and I loved it, with my weird music selections and different dressing and gross appetites, apparently Vegemite and carrot sticks and peanut butter it weird, I didn’t, I thought they were