Chapter 7

MP and I were taken to the police station where we gave our statements and pressed charges. The detective told us he had never seen a case like this in his eighteen years on the force. He assured me that, under the circumstances, he'd be amazed if there was any bail, especially inasmuch as his attack on MP violated his existing bail. We even accepted an offer of a ride home in his police car.

I walked MP to her door but I couldn't bring myself to kiss her. Instead, I told her what my mother had said to me when we first got involved, "MP, I love you something awful, but I don't know if we should get involved again. You see, I will only be able to marry a witch, assuming, of course, that I ever meet one. If we get back together now I don't know if I'll be able to end it later. My heart was broken before, but now I feel it's being crushed." MP began crying but she reached up to kiss my cheek before running into her house.

I was home maybe a half hour enjoying a snack when the doorbell rang. When I answered it I recognized the asshole's little sister, Alicia. "Um ... I don't think it's such a great idea for you to be here. Things aren't very good between our families just now."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not mad at you, I'm glad. Somebody finally taught my asshole brother a lesson. Know why we moved here? Because Ronny, my father's shining light, did a lot of the same crap where we used to live. Ronny has always been my father's favorite. He couldn't do anything wrong. He always got the best of everything; I always got the leftovers. Now maybe I'll get some attention, although I doubt it. Oh, by the way, we're moving again. Dad hates to be embarrassed.

"Say, you're kind of cute. Think I could interest you in some virgin sixth-grade pussy? I'll suck your cock, too. I'm pretty good at that."

"Thanks for the offer, but ... no. I do hope things work out for you." She turned and walked away, a frown on her face. I uttered a spell that would make things better for her. Her dad would notice what a wonderful daughter he had and she'd have no trouble finding someone to love when she got older.

About a month later in early December I read in the morning newspaper that Ronny's lawyer had reached a plea agreement with the district attorney. Most of the charges would be dropped in return for pleading guilty to the attempted rape. At most, he'd get ten years which would mean he could be out in five including time already served. A week later I read another story: in a rare move the trial judge, after reading through the case file, denied the plea agreement and ordered Ronny to stand trial on the full array of charges which could, if found guilty, result in between sixty and seventy-five years. I didn't have anything to do with that. Honest!

Christmas came and went and in early January we returned to school. I was sitting in homeroom while the teacher droned on about some new student. When I looked up I could feel a shock run through my body. The young woman turned around, our eyes locking on each other. She was incredibly beautiful with straight black hair that came to her shoulders and emerald green eyes, high prominent cheekbones, and a body to die for.

Nobody could blame me for staring. All the other guys were, too. The shock I was experiencing was something I'd only been told about—a mind meld, something that occasionally happened when people of magic met for the first time. The telepathic messages were passing between us at light speed. MP must have picked up some of them because she turned and looked at me obviously confused. This continued until she broke the bond telling the teacher she could find a seat. She walked down the aisle to sit next to me. "Hi, Jeremy," she sent me telepathically.

"Hi, Amanda," I replied. This time when MP turned around she had a big smile on her face—I had found a witch. I looked at her schedule and found that it paralleled mine with few exceptions. Speaking aloud, I told her, "Your schedule is almost exactly like mine. Would you like me to help you find your way around? I'm Jeremy."

"Thanks, Jeremy, that would be swell. I'm Mandy." And then telepathically, "great, that will give us plenty of time to talk and get acquainted." We spent the day together and she even sat with me at lunch. I wasn't surprised when MP joined us. I introduced them, commenting to Mandy that she could speak freely in front of MP. "We used to be an item and she knows all about me." Mandy wrinkled her eyebrows as if to ask why so I continued. "We were in her room making love when her father interrupted us. I had to freeze him and, of course, I had to explain how I was able to do it."

"I assume you took care of her ability to tell..." I nodded in reply before continuing, "MP's pretty good at telepathy; she'll pick up almost half of what we say."

"Jeremy has told me why we can't continue to see each other so I'm thrilled he has met you. I love him but I want him to be happy," MP interjected.

Tentatively I asked Mandy, "How old are you?

Getting serious Mandy replied, "I'm fifteen. I'll be sixteen in April. Will you do what is required?"

Looking first at her and then at MP, I replied, "Yes, I will. I pledge myself to honor the ancient and timeless code." I placed my hand palm down on the table. Mandy placed her hand on top of mine. "I accept your pledge." I told MP I'd explain to her later as we walked home. The bell rang and we resumed our classes. I learned that Mandy lived on a street that was perhaps a five-minute walk from mine. We kissed briefly at the end of the day before I collected MP on the way home.

"Jeremy, can you tell me now? What was all that pledge stuff? And what was all the telepathy I was picking up?"

"Well, MP, let me think of the best way to explain to you. OK ... you know that witchcraft as the unknowing public calls it is a very old practice. Some of the rituals would be considered sexist today, but that doesn't mean that they don't have to be followed. A young witch must remain a virgin until the full moon before her sixteenth birthday. Then she must be deflowered by a wizard or warlock. If this does not happen she will lose her powers when she turns sixteen. If she has sex before that specific full moon or if she doesn't meet a wizard who will do it on the specified night, she's done—no more powers. Furthermore, it has to be done outdoors, preferably on an old tree stump. The telepathy was a mind meld—basically like two computers swapping information."

MP laughed before I continued, "I told you it was pretty archaic, but that's the way it has to be."

"I'm not surprised you agreed, Jeremy, she's drop dead gorgeous and sexy, too. All the same, I wish it was me."

"I'm sorry, MP, I've tried to explain. I think it's time you moved on. We'll still be closest friends." I leaned down and kissed her cheek. It was time for us to separate. I walked in to tell my mother so, of course, she already knew, having picked up the power of the mind meld. I told her everything I had learned about Mandy and that I had pledged to deflower her in April as dictated by The Code.

"How did MP react?

"Well, Mom, she seemed happy for me, but I'll never understand women so who really knows?"

That weekend I walked over to Mandy's house to meet her parents and the rest of her family. They asked me if I knew a suitable place to fulfill the pledge. I told them that my uncle had a cottage in the mountains where I could take Mandy. I'd have my driver's license by then. I'd checked my computer and the full moon will be on a Friday night, April 7th so I could drive us after school and we could return on Saturday."

"Or, maybe even Sunday," Mandy piped in turning red in embarrassment.

"Have you ever had sex before?" her father asked. I knew I had to be truthful so I was, "Yes sir, I used to have a steady girlfriend and we made love often. Will Mandy be on the pill or should I bring condoms?"

"I'll be on the pill by then, Jeremy. I want to feel the entire experience. I'm sure it will be wonderful with you."

After that Mandy and I dated regularly. Things got a lot easier when my parents gave me a new car for my birthday in March. I was just glad it wasn't a Mustang convertible. I started to drive MP and Mandy to school every day until MP told me she felt like a fifth wheel. Mandy, however, to her credit, insisted that MP join us. If we wanted to kiss we could do that after I dropped her off. On one such occasion Mandy asked me if we could go someplace private. I drove to the nearby state park. At this time of year it was virtually deserted. We walked along one of the woodland paths, my arm around her waist. Suddenly, she turned and pushed me against a nearby pine tree. She began to kneel as she opened my pants. "You'd think someone who looks like me would have a little experience, but I've never even done this and I want to try it before our big night. By the time she had pulled out my cock I was harder than the tree I was leaning against. "Wow, Jeremy, is this going to fit in my pussy? I sure hope so. Wow, it sure is hard. Does it always get this hard and this big?"