Chapter 15: Edge of Seventeen

Seventeen.

Seven. Teen.

I'm not sure if I liked it or not.

Saturday morning and I was lying in my bed; on my back, wide awake, being seventeen.

I was feeling a bit sick too but I thought it was just the seventeen-ness making me feel like that.

'Ugh.' I groaned. Katie and Victoria had already opened the blinds and curtains in our room and the sunlight was blazing in and I didn't like that either. Last week I was embracing my powers and witchyness and I felt whole, like I was a part of something. Now I just felt like a teenager. An actual teenager. I had been a teenager for years but now it had finally hit me. I didn't want to get out of bed, in fact I just wanted to eat cereal and watch TV all morning. I would've been happy to wallow in my misery of being seventeen if Katie and Victoria hadn't nearly scared me half to death.

'Happy Birthday Maddie!' They both shouted and cheered as they come barging in to the room. They rushed over to my bed carrying a few gift bags and boxes wrapped in brightly coloured paper. We made a pact a little while ago; we never bought anything really expensive or extravagant for each other for birthdays or Christmas. I sat up and shoved my pillows behind me as Katie and Victoria dumped the bags and boxes on my bed before they both gave me a massive hug.

'Go on, open them!' Victoria exclaimed as she shoved the presents over to me. I smiled as I grabbed the first gift bag and opened it up, taking out the parcel inside which was wrapped in some really nice lilac tissue paper. I unwrapped it, revealing a grey woollen jumper which had the faces of different coloured cats all over it. 

'Vic I love it!' I squealed as I cuddled the jumper. She then handed me over a small box which was the other part of the gifts she got me. Looking inside, there was a pretty watch with a real leather strap and it had my name and my birthday engraved on the back of the watch itself. 

'It's so pretty, thank you Victoria.' I nearly shed a tear as I wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

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'Open mine now.' Katie smiled as she handed me the gifts she got me. The bag contained a really nice gift box from Selfridges which I didn't want to open as it was so nicely packaged, it contained an elegant looking cosmetic and wash bag set which I actually really did need as mine were a bit worse for wear. The box she then handed me had an assortment of goodies in it. There was a huge box of Godiva chocolates, a few pairs of cute socks one pair had otters on them and the other pair had penguins. There was also a nice set of Morphe make up brushes in there and a cute little velvet jewellery box I could keep my earrings in. Katie always got me practical stuff that I needed and would actually use. I hugged her in thanks for the presents.

'Okay so go get ready. Auntie M is taking us out so we can get you a birthday breakfast!' Katie grinned. I nodded. I gathered up my now old wash bag and began transferring my stuff in to the new one Katie got me. I quickly went in to the communal bathroom at the end of the hall on our floor, brushed my teeth and washed my face. Back in my room I swapped my make up from my old bag and in to my nice new one as I was applying some to my face; just a bit of light foundation, some smudgy eyeliner, a slick of mascara and some tinted lip cream which I also used as blush. I wanted to be comfy today so I wore a pair of dark jeans, my trainers and the cat jumper Victoria had got me. I loosely tied my hair back in to a messy bun and figured I was good to go. Katie and Victoria were already set and we were about to leave our room before we heard a knock at the door, in walked Auntie M.

'Where's the birthday girl?' Auntie M squealed and she shuffled over to me. She also had a bunch of bags in her hands which swung around me as she hugged me. 'Here, for you.' She smiled as she thrust the bags at me. 

I opened the bags excitedly. One contained a really intricately carved wooden box that was quite big and heavy. Inside the wooden box were two large geodes, one amethyst and one calcite. The other bag had an awesome leather jacket in it. The box now lived on my bedside table with the two geodes in front, but the jacket went straight on. I had to admit it looked really good especially with the rest of my outfit. Okay I was beginning to like being seventeen now.

We all bundled in to Auntie M's BMW and to wind me up she put Teenage Kicks by the Undertones on the stereo. I rolled my eyes as Auntie M, Victoria and Katie had a chuckle at the joke but the music soon went on to random and we all had a good sing a long to whatever came on next. Auntie M had taken us to a relatively new American Diner in town where the breakfast menu was basically all desert, but to be honest; none of us cared. We tucked in to blueberry pancakes stacked so high on our plates that they threatened to tip over, Belgian waffles loaded with mixed fruits, syrup and whipped cream; all washed down with several large lattes. It was the best breakfast ever. We all agreed that while it was a wicked breakfast it wasn't something you could have every day, or every other day. 

Heck it was more of a once a month treat if that. And a treat it was as Auntie M paid for everything. I kept forgetting she was absolutely loaded. Mum was loaded too but she absolutely did not spoil me like a lot of the other kids were at school. But because I had turned seventeen, Mum sent me a birthday card with a leaflet and a handwritten note inside. It was for driving lessons; she was paying for the lessons, my provisional licence, the tests and eventually on the condition that I passed in the next six months... a new car. Wow mum came through for my seventeenth birthday. I was hoping she'd come down to visit but knowing her she'd have some stupid excuse and would probably call me later.

After breakfast we went shopping in town for a few hours. I'd had some post that morning, a bunch of birthday cards off some of the family from my fathers side who I barely saw but they felt compelled to at least send me cards on my birthday. I did get a few gift vouchers and pre paid debit cards as birthday presents which I wasn't grumbling at. Mum did give me a monthly allowance just so I could buy myself things I needed like clothes, toiletries and shoes. She always sent me a huge amount but I usually saved most of it. I didn't need to buy much. Right now though I was buying some snacks and drinks for later on. Auntie M had told me she she had some witchy business later, some "Area Manger" meeting. So me, Victoria and Katie would have a girly night in with a few films and the supplies I had just bought. I had loads of different kinds of crisps, sweets, chocolate, cans of cola, the works.

It had been a relatively normal day considering. We got back to our dorm later on in the afternoon after having an early dinner in town. We got our comfies on, put face masks on and messed about with each others hair. We were having a proper girly night. We ended up watching Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and The Wedding Singer. Of course we had seen them loads of times before but they were our favourites so that didn't matter in the slightest. I'd had a great day. A normal day even though I woke up with complete dread about turning seventeen. But as everything had gone swimmingly despite my sketchy feeling when I woke I started thinking that the dread would soon come back. I hadn't done anything with my powers during the day, just my standard protection spells I did every morning with my chant and oil.

I felt a bit sick now, just out of nowhere. I didn't now if it was the sense of dread manifesting itself because something possibly bad was going to happen, or if it was the whole bag of Haribo and the copious handfuls of Pringles chased down with nearly a full litre of Pepsi.

Nah I was a snack Queen, this amount of junk food wouldn't make me ill. It was foreboding. Definitely foreboding.

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