Free Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood Page B

fidgeted, shifting her weight from side to side. Nana wielded the ash-tipped torch over Marina, then Fern, like a conductor with his baton. She beckoned to Xochitl. Reluctantly, Xochitl took a few steps forward and allowed Nana to waft the sage smoke around her. Nana gestured for them to sit on the bed after she had blessed each of them with the smoke and kissed their foreheads. Xochitl sat on the bed between Fern and Marina.
    Rogelia crushed the sage’s burning leaves in an abalone shell. Slowly, she turned to face the girls, making eye contact with each of them. “Why are you interested in
curanderismo
?” she asked.
    “I’ve always been curious about magic,” Fern spoke first. “After we did a ceremony the other night, I began to see a strange light around this guy.”
    “Auras,” Rogelia said simply. “You are seeing auras. Auras are a magnetic energy force around people, plants, and every living thing. If you use your ability to see the energy around plants, you can match medicine with sickness.” Rogelia turned her gaze to Marina.
    “I’ve heard voices in my head a few times since the ceremony Fern and I did, and it would be nice to not be so freaked out by it and maybe even figure out what they’re saying,” Marina said.
    “Marina, it sounds to me as if you may be an
espiritualista,
sometimes called a medium or
clairaudio,
” Rogelia said, sounding impressed. “There aren’t many true
espiritualistas.
” Nana turned to face Xochitl, but it was obvious to Rogelia that her granddaughter was not going to reveal anything. “Xochitl has learned the ability to focus on the space around her, changing her energy so there is more attention on the space rather than matter. To others it seems as if she has disappeared.”
    “I knew it!” Fern exclaimed. “You did that after I crashed into your fence.”
    Xochitl avoided her nana’s look of disappointment.
    “Manipulating energy can bring healing and harmony,” Rogelia said tersely. “But it can also be abused to avoid difficult situations.”
    Xochitl sat on her hands to keep them from trembling and tried to regulate her shallow breathing. She was sure Marina and Fern were going to think this was all too strange and make a run for it.
    “Marina, since you hear things others cannot, you will pick up sounds in the distance, as well as the voices of spirits visiting the earth plane. Take all the electronic equipment out of your room so you can slow down the communication. People who have died often connect to those on earth through phones, computers, televisions, iPods, and fax machines. They will flicker lights, and zap phone lines, too, but there isn’t much you can do about that.”
    Rogelia turned to face Fern. “Fern, your ability to see auras is part of clear seeing, or being clairvoyant. With practice, you may be able to deepen your skill and have visions into the past, or future, or perhaps see the spirits living among us. I want you to get rid of as many mirrors in your room as possible.”
    “But my closet doors are mirrored,” Fern said.
    “Cover them with a sheet,” Rogelia advised.
    Xochitl shuddered to think how deeply her nana was asking her friends to delve into this magic. In the movies, people blinked or snapped their fingers and objects flew around the room or someone zipped off on a broom. But that wasn’t what it was like in reality. When someone entered Nana Rogelia’s house of magic, they had to alter their life and ways of thinking to make certain magic happen. Xochitl knew all too well what it took to conjure the natural forces, call upon the elements, and direct the energy where she wanted it to go. Now Nana was about to test Fern’s and Marina’s dedication, like she’d tested Xochitl and Graciela long ago. As she watched Fern and Marina giggle with excitement, Xochitl wondered if these girls would make it through the training—and if they didn’t, would they still want to be her friend?

Eight
    “ M arina!” Her