Dani Romero-Marquez, alias Sister Starwolf, shivered a bit as she stood outside Morgana Faye's shop. To her, witchcraft had always been a religion. Now it was something straight out of the Brothers Grimm! The Mexican-American girl found this challenge to reality as she knew it a bit intimidating. On the other hand, the thought of being a witch, one who could do real magic rather than just religious rituals, was intoxicating. Of course, she could just be turned into a cat or something for her troubles. On the other hand, cats had always struck Dani as gorgeous, and they had a pretty great lifestyle. On the OTHER hand...
Dani shook her head of thick, dark hair to clear it. She could "on the other hand" until the end of time, but it wouldn't do her any good. She decided to just take a deep breath and head in.
Dani decided she liked the atmosphere inside the shop. Everything was made from good, solid oak, with no sign of linoleum, plywood, plaster, concrete, or other such materials. The familiar symbol of the Pentagram was inlaid on the floor with silver, and a stuffed crocodile hung from the ceiling. No less stuffed were the shelves, which were full to overflowing with mystical-looking oddments. Dani thought it all looked like the kind of shop a witch ought to own.
Dani spotted a raven haired, fair-skinned girl her own age sweeping the floor. She was dressed in shimmering violet robes and was extremely beautiful. Dani gulped. If she hadn't already dating Taylor Wagner, she would have seriously considered asking this lovely young woman out.
The mysterious girl looked up from her sweeping. "Oh, hi!"
"Uhh... hola," Dani muttered in her slightly accented voice, her face flushing hot. "I... I'm Dani. Daniela Romero-Marquez if you're a teacher or one of my parents."
"I'm Vivienne Faye," said the the girl with the broom. "but you can call me Vivi. My mom runs this shop, and I do odd jobs here for her sometimes."
"Does that make you her apprentice?" asked Dani.
"Yeah," said Vivi, "though I'm not too far along in my apprenticeship. The only real spell I've mastered is turning people into mice or squirrels. I mean, that's cute and all, but it doesn't take much skill."
"It's more than I can do," said Dani. "So, if you're your mom's apprentice, does that mean the position isn't open?"
"Not necessarily," Vivi shrugged. "Sometimes she takes on a second or even a third when she's really swamped by work. I gather you're trying to say that's why you're here?"
"Yeah," said Dani. "I gotta say, meeting you has been an unexpected surprise, Vivi."
Vivi winked roguishly. "Same, Dani. Hope we'll be meeting a lot if you get the apprenticeship."
Dani considered things. She was madly in love with Taylor, but she couldn't deny that her heart, mind, and body were all responding to Vivi, and they were responding HARD! Could it be that she was polyamorous? Only time would tell, she supposed.
"Did I hear voices, Vivienne?" asked a woman emerging from a backroom. This woman looked very much like Vivi (right down to the archaic fashion sense), but older, perhaps in her early forties in a beautifully preserved sort of way. This newcomer had to be none other than Morgana Faye herself.
Dani raised her hand. "I'm Daniela Romero-Marquez. I take it you're Morgana Faye?"
Morgana nodded. "I am. How curious that you are here, Ms. Romero-Marquez. You seem mostly mundane to my senses. Tell me, how did you find my well-hidden shop?"
"Liesel von Karnstein sent me," Dani answered.
"That's interesting," Morgana mused. "The word of the von Karnstein vampires carries a good deal of weight in my shop. They've always been very gracious customers. What did Liesel send you to do?"
"To request an apprenticeship," Dani answered. "I'm a member of a Wiccan coven she found meeting in her family's private forest. She sensed some real (if dormant) magic within me and my coven sisters. She sent us each to different corners of Stokerville's magical community, and she picked me to go talk to you about becoming a witch."
Morgana stroked her chin. "I hope you understand that if I decline to teach you, I'll likely put you to use as a familiar?"
Dani paused before answering. "Yes. I'm at peace with that possibility. May I request the form of a cat?"
A smile played on Morgana's lips. "You may."
Vivi dropped the broom and raised her hand, her green eyes full of concern. "Mom, you wouldn't!"
"I'm still deciding, dear," said Morgana. She regarded Dani appraisingly, deciding her fate. Finally, she made up her mind.