For the first two years of her life, Storm was doted on. She would usually get whatever she asked for, yet, Storm did not act spoiled. It was when she had turned two that she gained a sister. This one took after her mother, with hair the color of ripened wheat and eyes as blue as the ocean itself. She was named Joy. Storm didn't know what to make of the newcomer at first, but it wasn't long before Storm would help her mother. When she turned four, another girl was born, hair the color of fall leaves on the maple - a beautiful auburn with striking brown eyes. She was named Felicia.

By now Storm thought she was already grown, her mother praising her for being such a big help with her younger sisters. The mid-wife had been searching through her books at home, trying to find the meaning of the rose mark on Storm. She knew Storm would be no ordinary girl as the other two did not have the mark.

One of Storm's characteristics was noticed by her father. Whenever a change in the weather would occur, such as a thunderstorm, she did not become afraid as her younger sisters did. Storm relished it, her eyes glowing with anticipation. She would often go to the window, wanting to be out in the middle of it. Whenever lightning would flash, her eyes would glow, especially when the lights would go out.

One day the mid-wife came by. She told the parents that Storm may be the prophecy come true. Now the parents had known of a prophecy that one day there would come one that would lead the coven, whose power would be that of the elements. The mid-wife told them that three centuries ago, on a night such as when Storm was born, the coven had met in the glade not too far from the town. It seemed that one of the members had turned to the dark side, using her gifts to worship Satan, doing animal sacrifices and plotting to rid the coven of the High Priestess and take over.

The High Priestess got wind of the plot and called a meeting of the entire coven. Ergesh (her coven name) or Julianna, was made to stand in the circle. The High Priestess told the coven of her plot and presented the evidence. She was reluctantly asked was this accusation true. She looked at them with disdain and said yes it was true. She accused the coven of being wishy-washy, that people were afraid of them and that the coven should use that to their advantage. She also knew that if she had been successful and had gotten rid of the High Priestess, her power would have doubled.

The Council had no choice but to banish her to a nether world, where she was to remain for all eternity. She looked at them with anger in her eyes and vowed that one day she would be set free and would get her revenge on them and their descendants. A seal was placed at the entrance that would keep her from leaving. The seal could be broken only by someone opening it with a key made of silver.

The mid-wife said that if that seal was ever broken, Ergesh would be very hard to stop as her power would have built up over the centuries. The only one that could possibly deal with her would be someone that possessed the powers of the elements.

Chapter 3

Storm was now 16 and so far had not shown an interest in learning the ways of the White Witch. Whereas, Joy and Felicia, now 14 and 12, were totally engrossed to the point they were now attending meetings and were able to do minor spells and potions.

Her father asked Storm why wasn't she interested in learning as her sisters did. Like any normal teenager, she felt it was old hat and outdated, not "cool" as she often told them. Try as they might, they could not get her to learn. Soon they gave up, hoping that one day she would change her mind.

Four years passed. Joy and Felicia were dating. Storm would often find herself at home. It was rare that a young man would ever call to ask her out. Storm would see her sisters go out on dates and would look at herself in the mirror, wondering what was wrong with her. Her mother would hear her crying in her room.

"Why don't I ever have any dates? Am I that ugly?"

Her mother would hold her and tell her she wasn't ugly. In truth she wasn't. Her jet-black hair framed an oval face, setting off her golden eyes, which were framed by long lashes. She was slightly plump, but not overly so. Her body having a nice shape. Joy and Felicia, on the other hand, were svelte and thus were noticed first.

Storm put herself into learning the business. It was a good thing she did. It was just after Storm's 22nd birthday that their parents were killed in a freak car accident.

After about 10 years, Storm thought it would be a smart move to put in a small coffee shop. It would be a nice place to go and have a cup of espresso and read in relative quiet. While Storm ran the bookstore, Joy and Felicia would run the coffee shop. Storm had thought at one time about getting rid of the shelves in the back, but her sisters persuaded her to keep them.

The mid-wife was now getting very old. It was a rare occasion when the girls would see her come in the store. One day she made one of her rare visits. She told Storm she wanted to talk to her. Storm asked Felicia to watch the bookstore while they went to the back to talk. When they were seated the woman asked Storm if her parents had told her anything about her birth. Storm said no they hadn't and asked why. The woman said that when she was born, she had a mark on her right inner thigh in the shape of a perfect rose. Storm had noticed the mark but never paid any attention to it. The woman went on to explain the meaning of the mark. Storm was confused. She couldn't believe that she would be the chosen one, not having shown an interest whatsoever. The woman said she should take it seriously and be prepared. She also told Storm of her dream of Ergesh being set loose and that it would take everything Storm had to stop her. The old woman also told her of another dream she had. That Storm would meet her soul mate, one who would be as she, and that her sisters would also meet their soul mates.

Storm looked at the old woman as if she was crazy. Storm told her that no one wanted her as she was ugly. The old woman just smiled.

"You are not ugly. You are far more beautiful than you know. You are being kept apart from the others in preparation for your soul mate."

Storm still did not believe the old woman. The woman said to remember her words, that all would come true in time.

Chapter 4

Luke Bronson was needing to get away from life. It had been one disappointment after another as far as his personal life went. At the age of 38, he owned a string of successful tattoo parlors which were located all along the east coast and soon to expand to the Midwest and beyond. He himself had tattoos on both arms and recently had one done on his right thigh.

He had broken up not too long ago, this one claiming she had tolerated his tattoos only because of the money he had. His two business associates had often wondered what he had seen in her. When he had the last one done, she had told him it was all she could stand. She had told him that quite frankly they were ugly and did nothing for him.

Luke was a man that would have stood out anywhere. He was very tall and well muscled, with long red hair which he wore in a ponytail, a red moustache and beard, which he kept trimmed, and a blue bandana, which emphasized the green in his eyes. He didn't look like the typical businessman, preferring to dress in denims and biker boots. He had a laid back manner, never one to be in a hurry. He had one hobby she disliked as much as the tattoos - Harleys - claiming they were too noisy. He thought now would be a good time to get away from things for a while. His two associates, Zach Taylor and Bo Adams, asked if they could travel along with him. After making sure that the business would be taken care of, they set out in the early morning. Luke loved the feel of the wind on his face as he rode down the highway. He thought to himself he was going to have to do this a little more often.

They had been on the road about a month, stopping just long enough to fuel, eat a meal or freshen up. It was late summer, the weather still a bit warm. They had stopped at a rest area to check their map, wondering where to go next. They decided to take the first turn they came to. About 3 miles down the turnpike, they saw a sign that said 6 miles to Shasta Lake. On the way there they stopped in town in front of the bookstore to ask for directions and buy supplies. It seems the lake had cabins so they decided to spend a few days there.

Felicia saw them enter the coffee shop. The first thing she noticed about them was how tall they were. Of course, everyone was tall next to her. "Where did these guys come from?" she asked herself.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

Bo turned around and smiled. Felicia couldn't help but notice that he had the sexiest blue eyes she had ever seen and long wavy blond hair.

"We were wondering where the nearest grocery store was."

Felicia gave them directions as he told her they were going to the lake to spend a few days. She asked them would they like to rest a spell and have a cup of espresso? They all thought that was a good idea. Felicia seated them. Joy came over and asked them what they wanted. Zach ordered a cappuccino while Luke and Bo ordered espresso. Zach smiled at Joy, who couldn't help but smile back at him. Zach was also tall, with light brown hair and hazel eyes.

It was near closing time for the bookstore, so Felicia made sure everything was put away for the day. The coffee shop usually stayed open for a couple of hours after. She joined them just as Joy was serving them their orders. Joy had asked, out of curiosity, how long they were intending to stay. Luke replied perhaps for a few days, to stretch their legs and rest as they had been riding for the past month.

Storm came into the shop as she had taken care of some business at the bank. She saw the bikes parked out front and wondered who they belonged to. She saw her sisters talking to who she surmised were the owners of the bikes. She could see they were having a good time talking, but that was how it always was.

Chapter 5

As she neared the table, Storm could hear Felicia tell them that they and their sister ran the bookstore and coffee shop. Storm asked who they were. The girls had had such a good time talking they had forgotten to ask.

"Where are my manners? My name is Joy, this is Felicia, and this is Storm."

"This is Bo, I'm Zach, and this is Luke."

As Luke shook Storm's hand, he couldn't help but stare. He was thinking what an unusual name. He couldn't help but notice her unusual eye color. Never had he seen eyes like that, as if they glowed from some unknown source. Her jet-black hair only made them stand out more. It was sometime before he let go of her hand.

Storm wanted to go somewhere to hide. No one had ever looked at her before like that and it was making her feel uncomfortable. She excused herself and went to the back of the store, thinking the less she was there, the better it would be. Luke couldn't help but wonder why she left so quickly.

When some customers came in, the girls excused themselves. When Luke went to pay, Joy told him don't worry about it. She noticed though that he looked to the back, like he was wanting someone to come back out.

After the shop closed, the girls cleaned up and prepared for the next day. Storm had stayed in the back. When Joy and Felicia joined her, they were talking about the strangers.

"They seem like nice guys."

"Yeah, and so tall."

"Well, everyone is so tall compared to you," Joy said with a smile.

The guys checked into their cabin. It was a three-bedroom cabin, with a standard kitchen-dining room, living room with fireplace, and 2 bathrooms, with a small porch facing the lake. After unpacking and putting away the groceries, they sat on the porch to watch the sunset. It had been a long day and it felt good to stretch their long legs. Conversation was slow, each wanting to relax and enjoy the view.

Luke couldn't help but notice the color of the sunset. It was the same as Storm's eye color. Funny he should remember her name, having only just met her.

"I'm getting hungry," Bo said. "Who wants to cook?"

"I'll cook us something," Luke volunteered.

"Well, whatever you cook, try not to put too much of a burn on it," Bo said with a laugh while ducking a playful fist from Luke.

Part 2

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