Magic is dangerous

"Do it everyday," Davi's distinct voice came into her mind.

She could finally feel nature's stream. Kelly couldn't explain what it was but she knew she was filling something up.

"I can fill it completely now," she said. She could! Somehow, she knew she could, she wanted to.

"Don't." Davi warned, "you will not be able to control it,"

"But I can!"

"Kelly!"

Kelly sighed and opened her eyes, "I won't. What am I filling myself though?"

"To use magic," Davi said, "let your body be accustomed to it. Move it round; from the tip of your fingers to you bones, your heart... I'm going to make lunch,"

Alone in the garden, Kelly followed Davi's instructions. This was hard. Like passing a dam through a needle-sized hole. Aunt Davi was right; it was hard enough to control this much.

Magic flowing in her arm left a tingling pain. It was uncomfortable. There was one good part though;

Moving it around, she gained what she could only describe as internal eyes, or at least, sensation. She knew where the magic went, her blood work visualize in black an white; white being the magic.

It got to the tip of her fingers and itched to be let out. Kelly smiled. She wanted to use magic! She wanted to see what it could do.

It went forward like lightning, burning through the house wall. Shit. She wasn't expecting that.

"What did you do?!"

Kelly flinched. She sighed; not the yelling. Aunt Davi yelled a lot. She rushed out.

"I tried using magic" Kelly tried to explain when a look of dread twisted her features. What?

"Your hand," Davi muttered.

From the tip of her hand to shoulders, was black and shriveling; life sucked from it.

What was going on?!

Aunt Davi rushed out with first aid as it continued to spread.

"Magic is dangerous!" She pulled out guaze and wrapped the dead hand. Kelly's breath laboured. It was dead, she couldn't feel it.

"Witches use words to channel magic, control the environment, nature. We never use our bodies! It is far to weak!" Davi continued to berate. "I'm sorry; I should have told you,"

Kelly didn't practice a second longer. She didn't want to. She'd lost an arm...to magic. Davi had it in a cast. She spoke something of amputation that Kelly didn't want to think about.

Kelly dropped magic to focus on her investigations.

Ravens Creek.

That was where they found the body. She would head there after classes; maybe, she could find something.

Classes ended late. Controlling a flashlight and everything with one arm sucked. As she managed to get her hair into a ponytail, she got to searching.

Nothing. What did she expect? The cops couldn't find anything; how could she?

What was that?! Dried leaves crunched under her booth as she followed the sound. A low growl made her pause.

Kelly yelped when she was forced to the ground by furious licking. She laid there defeated as the dog mangled her face. She was pressed down by its weight.

"Lucky?!" A voice called, "Lucky!"

Slobber was disgusting. Kelly got up when it finally let go.

"I am so sorry!" A female voice said.

She couldn't see anything! There was slobber in her eyes!

The girl wiped it off and passed her a towel for the rest. "I've got a farm on the other side. Luck and I were searching for dead pests, don't know why he latched unto you. I'm so sorry,"

"It's fine," Kelly said, "thanks for the towel," she needed to keep searching.

"Well, come on Luck. This is private property,"

"Sorry. What did you say?"

The lady raised a brow, "oh, I said this was private property,"

"Raven's Creek is private property?"

"Yeah, owned by the Clines; Cline Corp," she said, "you didn't know that. How exactly did you get in here?"

'your blood is special, Miss Richardson.'

'I can only assume it's genetic'

'what do you have to say about your brother's illegal experiments?'

The Clines owned Ravens Creek.

___

Kelly spent days thinking. She sat at the table, uninterested in her sandwich as her thoughts swirled again.

Did the Clines really kill her mother? Why else would someone kill her and drop her on Cline property? Who would be brave enough to go against them that way?

They'd been in the news all year, yet the death of a woman on their property never made it to the news. Were they covering it up?

"Earth to Kelly!" Brianna frowned. "You okay?"

Kelly braved a smile, "I'm ok,"

"You're not, and you won't talk to me." Brianna said, with a frustrated sigh, "I suggested lunch today, cos' I wanted to spend time with you. You haven't spared me a glance all half hour,

"Tell me, what's going on. Please"

Her shoulders slumped; that was lethal. Of course she wanted to tell Brie, she couldn't! She was investigating a murder, with a high profile suspect. The Clines owned everything! She might be signing her death here.

"I think August Cline killed my mother," she needed someone to talk to, she was losing her mind.

"What?" Brie dropped her lunch, "what do you mean August Cline killed your mother?" She whispered.

Kelly ran a hand down her face, "I don't know if it's him exactly, but, her body was found in Ravens Creek. Ravens Creek is owned by the Clines."

Brie visibly relaxed, "that doesn't mean he killed her,"

"Two weeks ago, the day I got the call. August offered me a deal," Brie leaned closer, "he offered to give me anything, to be experimented on,"

"What?" Brie seemed to understand her better.

"Said something about my blood," Kelly said, "that seems like too big a coincidence to me"