Robin Starr

Chapter 2

-=The Magick of it All=-

-=Chapter 2=-

***David’s Perspective***

The summer break seemed to just fly past. Thanks to Glenn’s scrying of the area and the internet, we were able to narrow our search down to just two houses in Cherry Springs near the site of the new school. We were lucky that our old house managed to sell rather quickly so we were able to go up and look at the houses in plenty of time to be able to close on our selection well before school started.

Dann had gotten his letter about a week after he finished school, and the purchase of his books and supplies were easily acquired.

Even though he was slightly depressed about leaving his friends behind, he was also excited about the move and the prospects of the new school.

We managed to get all of our stuff loaded into the big moving van we had rented in little time since we had started the packing a couple of months before hand.

Dann really liked the new house. It was a beautiful two story log cabin with nice big rooms, a pool, Jacuzzi, and even a basketball court. Both the living room and the den had big stone fireplaces, a huge kitchen with industrial grade appliances (which I absolutely loved), an office, a big dinning room, breakfast area, and sun room. That was just the downstairs. Upstairs were 4 big bedrooms each with its own bathroom. The master bedroom even had a nice double sided fireplace with one side in the bedroom and the other in the master bath.

We managed to get all of our stuff moved into the house in one day and still had it done in time to get the moving van turned in before the place closed. After taking the rental van in to town to turn it in we managed to not only get everything we needed to stock the pantry and refrigerator, but also arrange to have a load of firewood delivered the next day.

The next day, after the firewood was delivered and stacked, we all headed up to the new school to have a look around and to check in with the principal.

We were not only met by the school principal, but also the school president. Mr. Redfern was nice enough to show us around the campus and show us which classrooms we would be using and even which rooms we would be living in during the week. While Glenn and I would both be sharing a suite, Dann would be living in one of the dorms with the other boys in his year.

The grounds and facility were very impressive. The school was laid out like a medieval castle, with a central court yard. The front part of the building was mostly administration offices and the library. The right wing consisted of the various classrooms. The left wing housed the dorms. The back wing housed the massive dinning room, kitchens, and one of two gymnasiums. The other gym was in an adjoining building and acted as a field house containing an indoor track as well as basketball and volleyball facilities. The gym that was in the castle proper housed several handball/racquetball courts as well as an Olympic sized pool.

The dorms were divided amongst three floors, one for the faculty, one for the girls, and one for the guys. With the exception of the faculty floor, each of the other floors was divided into five big suites; one suite for each of the five years that the students would be in residence. The suites each contained a large common room, large bathroom, laundry facilities, and 4 sleeping rooms with 4 double deck bunk beds each allowing the school to accommodate 80 students of each year.

By the time we were done with our tour it was about time for lunch. Mr. Dowlin, the schools principal, invited us to join him in the dinning hall for lunch. We accepted and sat down to an enjoyable lunch prepared by the kitchen staff who were still working to get things setup for the school season that would be starting in a couple of weeks.

Mr. Dowlin informed us that since this would be the first semester for the school the classes would be rather small, but that hopefully by the next semester the school would be operating close to capacity. There would only be a few students in each year, so we would be able to spend more one on one time with each student.

We thanked Mr. Dowlin for lunch, and Mr. Redfern for the tour. We gave them both our phone number and new address and told them to call on us if they needed anything before classes started and that we would see them next week when the rest of the faculty came in.

We loaded up and headed for home.

We had not been back at the house more than an hour before there was a knock on our door. Standing on the porch was a pleasant looking woman with a young boy about the same age as Dann. She was holding what appeared to be a casserole of unknown content.

“Hello, my name is Lisa Starr and this is my son Robin. We live next door and just wanted to bring this over to say welcome to the area.”

“Won’t you please come in?” I asked the two of them.

“Thank you.” Lisa responded stepping into the foyer.

“Let me take that from you.” I said, reaching for the casserole. “This smells great, what is it?” I asked leading them both to the kitchen.

“It’s a shepherd’s pie. Just a little something I threw together. We just moved to the area about a year ago, so I know how hard it is to try and get unpacked and try to feed a family at the same time.”

“Well, I really appreciate it. You’re right though. We just got home a little bit ago from touring the new school out on Alabama Trail and I had not even thought about dinner yet.”

“You mean RavenWolf?” Robin asked finally showing some life.

“Yes,” I said smiling at him “I’m going to be one of the new teachers up there. Are you going to be attending?”

Lisa smiled down at her son. “Yes, he’ll be starting there in a couple of weeks.”

“Excuse me if I seem a bit surprised, I just wasn’t expecting to meet any other wiccans this soon.” I said.

“Oh, don’t be, this is Pennsylvania remember. There are more of us than you might realize around these parts because of the heavy Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.” Lisa smiled.

“Oh yes, I hadn’t thought about that. Well then I’ll tell you that I’ll be teaching herbology. My partner will also be teaching there, he’ll be teaching the divination classes.” I suddenly realized something. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m David Drake. Let me get the other two in here and we can get all the introductions out of the way. Can I get either of you something to drink while I round up the rest of my family?”

“I’ll take a soda if you have any.” Robin said rather timidly.

“Of course I do. We have a teenage son too, so of course there is always coke around. How about you Lisa?”

“Just some water would be fine.”

I got Robin his coke and a glass of water for Lisa, “I’ll be right back.” And left the two of them in the kitchen while I went off to find my two guys.

I found each of the guys in their rooms doing some unpacking; I poked my head into each of the bedrooms and told them to come down to the kitchen, that we had company.

I re-entered the kitchen with my two guys in tow. “Lisa, Robin, this is my husband Glenn, and our son Dann. Guys, this is Lisa and Robin Starr. They live next door, and Robin will be attending RavenWolf’s with you Dann.”

“COOL! I’ve never had another friend that was Wiccan too.” Dann bubbled. “Come on, let me show you around the house.”

Dann and Robin took off with three happy parents smiling after them. “It will be so good for Robin to have a friend nearby that has similar beliefs. As you know there are not that many people living out this way.”

“Yes, we were grateful to find this place. I think now we know why the Lord and Lady led us to this spot.” Glenn said, smiling after the two young men who could be heard outside now.

“Yes,” Lisa agreed, “so how old is Dann?”

“He’s 13, will be 14 in about a month.” I said. “What about Robin?”

“He just turned 14 a few weeks ago, and is really looking forward to the new school. At least now he’ll be able to go in knowing someone there. So how long have you two been together?”

Glenn and I looked into each others eyes with a dopy, dreamy look on our faces, “16 years now.” I replied.

“So, if I’m not being to nosey, is Dann one of you two’s natural child or was he adopted?”

“We were lucky enough to find a surrogate mother.” Glenn said. “Not only that but we were able to find a geneticist that was able to combine Dave and I’s DNA before inseminating the mother. So he is a true blending of the two of us in more than just his name.”

“His name?” Lisa looked at us questioningly.

“Yes,” I replied, “The first two letters of my name and the last two of Glenn’s name.”

“Ahh, ok, I get it. That is so neat. I had never heard of anything like what you just described.”

“Yeah, it was an experiment. We are so grateful that it was a success. Dann has been a constant joy in our lives.” Glenn said.

“I am so glad to hear that.” Lisa replied. “Since he is a combination of your DNA, do you know yet whether or not he’s gay? I only ask because Robin came out to me a few months ago.”

“He has not said anything to us one way or the other yet.” I replied looking to Glenn who shook his head to confirm that he had not said anything to him. “Not that it will matter to us either way. And even if it turns out that he’s straight, I know that he won’t have any problem with Robin being gay. We have brought him up with the understanding that love is the only thing that matters, not who you love.”

“Oh I am so glad to hear that. I would hate to see Robin get hurt. Though I know that in our community he should not have any problems, it’s just dealing with the mundane world that I worry about.”

“True enough. Well, hey, that’s a pretty good sized casserole you brought, why don’t you two stay and help us eat it?” I asked.

“We’d be delighted.”

“Ok, Glenn, why don’t you go round up the boys and have them get cleaned up for dinner while Lisa and I get the table ready.”

“Ok babe, be back in a few.” Glenn gave me a quick peck and headed off to find the boys while Lisa and I set the table for dinner.

We all had a wonderful evening getting to know one another over the wonderful casserole that Lisa had brought over.

Lisa, Glenn and I talked late into the night while the boys played video games up in Danns room. Lisa finally called Robin down about 10:00 to head for home.

“I like her.” Glenn said as we were getting into bed.

“Should I be worried about that statement?” I said looking at him in mock jealousy.

Glenn just snuggled up to me and started nibbling on my neck. “Not even babe. You are the only one I ever want to share a bed with.”

I melted into his embrace and settled in for a wonderful night of love making.

-=End Chapter 2=-

A picture of Dann

Chapter 1

-=The Magick of it All=-

-=Chapter 1=-

David just sat in his recliner staring at the letter in his hand. He had read and re-read the letter at least a dozen times in the hour or so since the mail had arrived. He was still so shocked and overwhelmed that he had received an invitation to be one of the first teachers at the new magick school that was opening in a couple of months. He did not think, at the time he had sent in his application that he would actually get a job, but there it was in black and white:

Dear Mr. David Drake

After careful review of your application and your history, we are pleased to offer you the position of Instructor at the new RavenWolf School of Magick. Because of your extensive knowledge and history in the field, we are asking that you will teach the Herbology classes. Please reply to this notice before the 15^th of this month with your list of books that you will wish to use for your course that we may get the book lists out to the first batch of students before classes begin.

We thank you for your interest in working with us and getting this new school off the ground and look forward to working with you. We ask that all faculty members report to the school one week prior to the start of classes so as to get their classrooms prepared and to get to know the rest of the new faculty.

Greg Redfern

President, RavenWolf School of Magick

What was Glenn going to say when he got home; but then, a second letter had also arrived for Glenn bearing the crest of the new school. If it was not a rejection letter, then we would be able to stay together and both be teaching at the new school.

That was one of the things I had always enjoyed about the magickal community over the mundane community. The magickal community is very open, carrying and accepting of everyone. You see, I’m gay, and have been handfasted to Glenn for about 16 years now. The magickal community accepted the fact that we were a gay couple without even so much as batting an eyelash. To them, it is no big deal. All that matters is that two people love each other. I really wish that the mundane world would wake up soon and realize the same thing. Oh, they were making advances, but it has been excruciatingly slow going. In fact, it seems like for every step forward they make they have been taking a half-step back. Oh well, they’ll eventually wake up.

I looked up at the clock sitting above the fire place and noticed that Glenn would be getting home in a couple of hours, I also noted that I had been sitting in this chair for about 2 hours now just staring at the letter. I realized that I had better get up and get some dinner started.

I had just started preparing the evening meal when Dann, our 13 year old son, came in through the kitchen door, dropping his school bag on the table. “Dann, you know that doesn’t go there, now take it to your room.” I told him before he could take two steps.

Dann gave me a dirty look before finally grabbing his bag and taking it to his room.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked upon returning to the kitchen.

“We’re having spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. How about you wash your hands and start getting the salad prepped while I finish working on the sauce.”

“Ok.” He quickly did as he was asked.

Dann was such a good kid. Glenn and I count ourselves so lucky every day that we were able to find, and afford, to hire a surrogate mother so that we could have our own child. The day he was born had to have been one of the happiest days in our lives next to the day that we were joined. He was such a joy to us, and such a blending of our love that we decided that his name would be a blending of our names. Now, 13 years later he is still just as much of a joy to us as the day he was presented to us. He maintained excellent grades in school, and has even shown a real propensity towards potions. Though I have no idea where he is getting that from as my specialty is herbs, and Glenn’s is divination. Oh well, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he gets his letter from the school in a few weeks.

I felt relatively certain that the letter from the school for Glenn was to tell him that he would also be teaching there. The president of the school knew that we were a couple, so I’m relatively certain that he would not accept me and then turn Glenn down. After all, Glenn was one of the best I had ever seen when it came to the various forms of divination. We were so certain of our acceptance that we had even already been preparing our lesson plans for the coming term.

It was so refreshing that after all these years we would finally have a private school for students of magickal families. For far to long the only choices our parents had were either public schools, private Christian schools, or home schooling. Now, after many years of planning, we have finally gotten the funding to build and open the first private Wiccan school in the U.S. Thanks to the generous contributions of some of the more affluent in our community, a large tract of land had been purchased high up in the Appalachians where a large building had been built complete with classrooms, dorms, dinning and recreation facilities. It kind of looked like a medieval castle or keep.

The school had been named after one of the most prolific authors of Wiccan literature: Silver RavenWolf. It was designed to not only give the students all the needed training in usual mundane courses taught at all other schools, but would also give the students the training in more magickal and esoteric courses like my own Herbology, and Glenn’s divination classes. The students would be able to be themselves without having to worry about being ridiculed for believing in something other than Christianity.

I glanced up at the clock over the kitchen sink and noticed that Glenn should be getting home in about another 15-20 minutes. “Dann, how about getting the table set, pop should be getting home shortly and I’m about to start the pasta.”

“Ok dad.” He responded and was off to complete his assigned task. That was another thing that was different about Dann. Glenn and I were both terrible procrastinators. Dann, on the other hand, would jump to and get his tasks finished as fast as he possibly could.

While Dann set the table, I quickly got the pasta going and the bread in the oven, knowing that it would only take about 10 minutes for each of them to get done. This would have everything finished and going on the table about the same time that Glenn got home.

10 minutes later I heard the garage door opening and Glenn’s car pulling into the garage. “Hey Dann, can you pull the bread out of the oven when the timer goes off? I need to have a quick word with pop before he comes in.”

“Sure.”

I went out the door from the laundry room into the garage before Glenn had a chance to finish getting out of his car. “Hey babe, missed ya. Need to talk to you about something real quick before you go inside.”

Glenn closed his door, gave me a kiss and just looked at me kind of apprehensively. “Ok, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just think we need to come to some kind of consensus about something before either of us say anything in front of Dann.”

“Ok, about what?”

“Well, we got our letters from RavenWolf School today. I did not open yours, but I’ve been accepted as the Herbology teacher. Now, assuming that your letter is also an acceptance letter, do we tell Dann about the move now, or wait until he gets his letter in a few weeks before saying anything. OR, and this just came to me, do we just not say anything to him at all about us going to be teaching there and just let it be a surprise for him when he walks into his classes the first day and sees us there as his teachers.”

“While that might be funny, it would also be rather cruel. If my letter is an acceptance letter, then we will need to say something to him about us moving, besides the fact that your final idea wouldn’t work since we would have to move up there to the school a couple of weeks before the term starts anyway.”

“True, I hadn’t thought about that aspect. Plus, he will need time to say goodbye to all his friends and get ready for the move.”

“Well, let’s go in and see what my letter from the school says.” Glenn said as he grabbed my arm, gave me another quick kiss and pulled me towards the door.

No sooner were we back through the door than Dann was jumping into Glenn’s arms, “Welcome home pop!” I swear sometimes I think he likes Glenn better than me.

“Well,” I said, “I see where I stand around here; I didn’t get a response like that when he came home.”

“You know I love you too dad, so don’t even try to go there.”

I grinned at him and ruffled his hair. “You two go get cleaned up, dinner will be on the table in a minute.”

While my two favorite guys went to wash up I finished getting the spaghetti drained and combined with the sauce, put it on the table with the garlic bread and got the drinks poured.

They came back into the kitchen and we all sat down at our places. “Dann, will you offer the blessing tonight?”

Dann looked at me with a smile and started the blessing. “Great mother, we ask that you bless this food that has been provided for us from your bounty. We also ask that you guide us and fill us with your light and that you always watch over and protect us and those that we love. Blessed Be.”

Glenn and I both echoed him with our own “Blessed Be.”

We all started filling our plates, “So, Dann, how was school today? I’m sure you’re looking forward to the end of the term in another week.” I asked.

“You have no idea, I can’t wait to get finished and have my summer free to hang with my friends, 3 months of nothing to do but have fun.”

I gave Glenn a sympathetic look and he understood. He excused himself and went to our office and got his letter off his desk and opened it. He returned a moment later and handed me his letter to read for myself.

Dear Mr. Glenn Drake

After careful review of your application and your history, we are pleased to offer you the position of Instructor at the new RavenWolf School of Magick. Because of your extensive knowledge and history in the field, we are asking that you will teach the Divination classes. Please reply to this notice before the 15^th of this month with your list of books that you will wish to use for your course that we may get the book lists out to the first batch of students before classes begin.

We thank you for your interest in working with us and getting this new school off the ground and look forward to working with you. We ask that all faculty members report to the school one week prior to the start of classes so as to get their classrooms prepared and to get to know the rest of the new faculty.

Greg Redfern

President, RavenWolf School of Magick

I smiled at Glenn.

Dann noticed our faces and asked us what was up.

Glenn looked at him, “I’m afraid your summer is not exactly going to be as you just said. It looks like we’ll be moving.”

“WHAT!?!” The look of disappointment on Dann’s face was almost heart breaking.

I looked at him, “Afraid so bud, pop and I both have been offered jobs as teachers at a new boarding school. You’ll have about 2 months to have fun and say goodbye to your friends, then we’ll be moving to the new school.”

“What’s a ‘boarding school’?” he asked.

“It’s a school where the students live on campus.” Glenn told him.

“You mean the kids never leave the campus?” The look of abject horror on his face was almost comical.

“Well, they get to leave and go home for holidays and for the summer, but otherwise they all will live right there at the school.” I told him.

He still did not look like he cared for that idea very much. “But since you two will be teaching there, then that means that we will never be leaving. We’ll be there all the time.”

“Maybe not, we may see about buying a hose in the town that is near the school. That way we can get away from there to relax when school is not in session.” I reassured him.

“Ok, that may not be as bad then. The thought of never leaving a school is not very appealing to me.”

Glenn and I both had to laugh at him.

“So what are you two going to be teaching?” Dann asked.

“I’ll be teaching Herbology, and pop will be teaching Divination.”

“What kind of school is this? I didn’t know they taught those kinds of things in school.”

“It’s a new private school for children of the Wiccan community.”

“You mean like Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books?”

Glenn smiled, “Kinda, but not exactly. This school will teach not only the basics that are taught in all schools, but also the subjects that are specific to our community and magickal working.”

“Ok, sounds like it might be fun.”

“Well, like I said,” I looked at him, “you have about 2 months to have fun and to say goodbye to your friends. We should be getting your letter in a few weeks telling us what books and supplies you’ll need for your classes.”

“Ok, I guess I don’t really have much say in this, so I’ll have to accept it.”

“Actually,” Glenn said getting his attention, “You do have a say in how early we head up there. We have to be up there at least one week before classes start, but what would you say about going up a couple of weeks earlier than that to see about finding us a cabin or something up there to move all our stuff into?”

“Let me think about that one for a bit.”

“Sure thing champ, take some time to think about, and in the mean time we’ll do some internet searches and see if we can narrow our search down some before we even leave.” I smiled at him.

“And I’ll scry the area to narrow it down even more.” Glenn said with a smile.

I looked at my two guys and smiled, “Sounds like we have a plan then. Glenn, you scry the area to narrow down my search criteria. Dann, you might want to go ahead and start going through your stuff. I want to start packing things up so we’re not stuck doing it at the last minute. I’ll go out and start getting boxes tomorrow.”

We finished our dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and settled in for the evening. Thoughts of our impending move were heavy on our minds.

==End Chapter 1==