The Witch's Key, Book 1

by Sarra Cannon

  “Do you always ask so many questions?”

  I wasn’t ready to tell anyone about my parents just yet, and to be honest, I was surprised she hadn’t already heard about a new girl moving in with the creepy old guy in the big, spooky house. It seems like that would have been prime gossip info in a town like this.

  Of course, despite the fact that Martin always seemed to be coming and going, I had hardly left the house all summer.

  “I’m sorry,” she said with a laugh. “I’m talking too much. First day of school excitement. I’ll slow down.”

  There wasn’t a drop of awkwardness about her. There was just true, genuine happiness, like a beam of sunshine. I’d never met anyone like her before.

  I instantly liked her, which was really strange for me, because I rarely liked anyone.

  So much for my determination not to make friends or interact in any way today. Maybe I could do like Martin said and try to just be a normal high school girl for a little while. Just the thought of it made my stomach flip with nervousness.

  Me? Normal?

  If my parents were still alive, we’d most likely be in Europe somewhere fighting vampires in an ancient castle, but it seemed life had other plans for me right now.

  As I looked around at the huge crowd of students, all I could think was that I’d have been more comfortable with the vampires.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “If you hadn’t said hello, I might have just turned around and gone back home.”

  She smiled again, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Her energy was contagious.

  “Nah,” she said. “You look like the kind of person who is stronger than she thinks. You’d have come in eventually. Anyway, this is the office. Let’s find out who you have for homeroom.”

  “Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be first?” I asked. “Why are you helping me?”

  “We all have to stick together right now, especially with everything that’s going on,” she said, her eyes looking downward.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, a strange pit in my stomach.

  First, Martin telling me to be extra careful, and now this. What was going on in this town?

  “It’s just terrible, isn’t it?” she asked, all the joy draining from her voice. “I can’t even bring myself to talk about those girls. Nothing like that has ever happened in Newcastle before. No one really knows how to deal with it.”

  I wanted to ask her more, but she quickly shifted her energy and the smile returned.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” she said. “It’s our first day, after all. Besides, it’s really not that bad around here. It can even be fun. I promise. Come on, let’s get your schedule, and then I’ll take you to your homeroom.”

  I followed her into the office and luckily, Peyton did all the talking while I just leaned against the wall and pretended not to be there. For the most part, my spell seemed to be working. Everyone else looked straight past me, as if I wasn’t there at all.

  Peyton was different, though, and I was determined to find out why.

  As soon as I figured out where my locker was.

  “Here we go,” Peyton said as she handed me a slip of paper with my class list on it. “We’re in a lot of the same classes. That’s lucky, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I said, following her through the crowd. This day definitely wasn’t going like I thought it would.

  We made it to a group of lockers at the end of the hallway.

  “This is you,” she said. “That envelope I gave you should have your combination in it. I didn’t look, I promise.”

  I started to put in my combination, but before I was finished, a chill ran down my back that was so strong, my entire body shivered.

  I stopped breathing for a moment, my hand stopping completely as I focused on that feeling. It was the last thing I had expected to feel here today in a town like this.

  Martin had said everyone in this town was human. Normal.

  Mostly, he’d said. They were mostly human.

  “Do you need help?” Peyton asked, taking the slip of paper with the combination on it. “Here, I can show you how to do it. I remember the first time I…”

  I tuned her voice out for a moment and slowly turned around, searching every single face in the hallway. My heart raced, and I hardly allowed myself to take a breath as I scanned the room.

  That feeling had come from someone here. Someone close.

  And then, suddenly, there he was.

  He was tall. Over six feet, if I had to guess.

  His dark hair was just long enough to fall across his forehead, but not so long that it covered his dark, serious eyes. His tanned skin practically glowed with the health of immortality, even under these crappy, fluorescent lights.

  He was strong, too, judging by the muscles that strained against the sleeves of his grey t-shirt.

  But most importantly, there was a certain energy about him that I’d come to recognize over the years as...other. This guy, whoever he was, was not human.

  And he was staring straight at me.

  So Incredibly Normal

  Dark eyes held me to the spot, and it was as though everyone else in the hallway disappeared entirely.

  He saw me, but it was more than that.

  He knew who I was. Or at least what I was.

  Which put me at a distinct disadvantage, because even though I could tell from the magical energy radiating from him that he wasn’t entirely human, I wasn’t good enough at this to tell exactly what he was.

  And that made him dangerous.

  The bell rang, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

  “Earth to Lenny,” Peyton said with a laugh. She touched my arm, and I seemed to break free from whatever spell had held me there. “He’s really cute, right? He’s new here, too, kind of. He doesn’t say much in class, and as far as I know, he hasn’t even dated anyone yet, which is not for a lack of interest, if you know what I mean.”

  “Who is he?” I asked, fumbling with my locker combination again until it finally popped open.

  “His name is Kai Richards. Despite his height and apparent athletic ability, he isn’t on a single sports team, and he’s really good at math. That’s pretty much all I know about him. Well, that and almost every girl in school wants to date him, so get in line.”

  Kai Richards. Not much to go on, but at least it was a start.

  I would have to remember to ask Martin about him. A guy with that kind of supernatural energy didn’t just move to town without Martin noticing. So, why hadn’t he mentioned Kai to me earlier?

  I didn’t like having a big question mark over his head. After what happened to my parents, I wanted to know as much information as possible about the people close to me. Especially the non-human ones I might have to sit next to in class.

  Besides, now I had a project. Something to keep my mind occupied throughout the day.

  “We’d better get going,” Peyton said. “We have to be in the next hall before the second bell rings. And we both have Mr. Wallace for homeroom. He’s not exactly known for being the most lenient teacher around here, even if it is your first day. You don’t want to paint a target on your back right away, either.”

  She was right. I really didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention today, if I could help it.

  Somehow, I’d already gotten the attention of two people, despite my attempt to blend in at all costs. As far as I was concerned, two was enough for one day.

  I definitely didn’t want to get on the wrong side of any of my teachers.

  For the most part, I managed to get through the first day without any major mistakes or embarrassments. Other than Peyton and Kai, most people ignored me, which meant I at least had some magical ability left after a summer of being out of practice.

  I understood why the spell hadn’t worked on Kai, but I still didn’t understand why my spell hadn’t worked on Peyton. As far as I could tell, she was purely human. She just seemed to be immune to this particular s
pell, which made me immediately want to test a different one on her.

  I would have to think of something else to do tomorrow just to see if she was immune to everything, or just that one spell in particular.

  I was already thinking about different herbs to mix together when I got home as I stepped out of the main building. I nearly ran right into Peyton and another girl I was pretty sure I had a few classes with. I couldn’t remember her name, though.

  “There you are,” Peyton said. “I was just talking about you.”

  How someone could be so bubbly and energetic at the end of a full day of boring classes was beyond me.

  “This is my friend Brandy,” she said. “Brandy, this is Lenny. She’s really cool and well-traveled, and you’re going to love her.”

  “Hey,” Brandy said, lifting her chin toward me. Her makeup was immaculate, making her dark skin look lit from within. Her jet-black hair hung in tight curls around her face, and there was a smile in her dark eyes. “Peyton hasn’t been able to shut up about you all day. I can’t believe I didn’t see you around today. She said we had a couple classes together, but I didn’t even notice you at all. I’m sorry. I must have been in my own little world.”

  I smiled. Magic was so much fun when it worked.

  “It’s no problem,” I said. “I blend in.”

  “Pretty girls like you don’t just blend in,” Peyton said, rolling her eyes.

  I gave her a look. I’d never thought of myself as a pretty girl. In fact, I was incredibly plain, which is part of what made it easy for me to fade into the crowd, even when I wasn’t using magic to make it happen.

  But her compliment made me feel good.

  “Well, thank you, but I’m honestly just glad I made it through the day without too much trouble,” I said. “What you did for me this morning was really nice. I appreciate it.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Peyton said, a slight gleam in her eye. “But if you really want to repay me, you’ll agree to come with us to Sir Bean this afternoon and hang.”

  I raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “Excuse me? Did you just say Sir Bean?”

  Brandy laughed. “It’s the local coffee shop and bakery here,” she said. “A lot of us hang out there after school to do homework and just, well, avoid going home for as long as possible.”

  A strange warmth spread through my stomach. Had I really just been asked to hang out with friends after school?

  It was the kind of thing that seemed so incredibly normal. So human.

  And to think I’d been dreading this day for months. What would Uncle Martin say when he found out I’d made actual friends?

  Then again, he was expecting me home right after school. I still had no idea what his plans were for this afternoon, and we’d never discussed any rules about hanging out with friends or staying out late.

  I’d never even imagined it would be an issue.

  “It sounds fun, but I really should get home. My uncle will be wondering where I am if I don’t show up, and it’s my first time out of the house, uh, in a while.”

  Okay, that sounded really lame, but it had literally been months since I’d even stepped off my uncle’s property.

  “So, call him,” Peyton said with a shrug.

  I laughed at the thought of Martin having a phone. That wasn’t exactly how he communicated with the outside world. Not that I had a phone, either.

  Crap. How out of touch was I that I didn’t even have my own cell phone? I had to be the only person in school, which was going to look a bit fishy if I did manage to keep these new friends.

  I would have to talk to Martin about buying me a phone. I’d never needed one before, but if I was supposed to be blending in and trying out a so-called normal life, I was going to need all the trappings of a modern-day teenager.

  Maybe that meant I could also talk him into buying me a new car.

  “I must have left my phone at home today,” I said. “Maybe I’ll come with you tomorrow, if you’re going.”

  “Nope. Not good enough,” Peyton said. “I haven’t had nearly enough time to grill you about all the places you’ve lived, what kind of music you like to listen to, why you moved here to Newcastle. I have a million questions.”

  “Probably more than a million, knowing Peyton,” Brandy added.

  “Besides,” Peyton paused for dramatic effect. “There’s a certain tall, dark, handsome, and aloof someone who just happens to work at Sir Bean. But if you don’t want to go, that’s fine.”

  My breath caught in my throat.

  “Kai works there?” I asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

  Peyton’s face broke out in a huge smile, and she bumped Brandy with her elbow. “Told you she had a major crush on him.”

  “It’s not a crush,” I said quickly, defending myself.

  “Oh?” Peyton asked. “You just nearly drooled all over yourself this morning when you saw him, but it’s no big deal. It’s definitely not a crush.”

  My cheeks warmed. Okay, so he was a good looking guy who had nearly taken my breath away the first time I saw him, but this wasn’t a crush. I just wanted to know what he was.

  Still, how was I supposed to explain that to someone like Peyton?

  I don’t like the guy, I’m just trying to figure out if he’s a demon or a werewolf.

  Come to think of it, it was probably better if they did think I had a crush on the guy. That would at least make my interest in him logical.

  “You know what? Maybe I left my phone in my locker,” I said. “I’ll be right back. You want me to just meet you there?”

  “Of course not. We’ll wait for you,” Brandy said, carefully reapplying her already-perfect lip gloss.

  They started talking about chemistry homework as they took a seat on one of the benches outside the main entrance. I jogged inside to find a quiet place to contact my uncle.

  It was amazing how fast the school had emptied out. I passed a single teacher on the way to the bathroom, but other than that, the entire place was deserted.

  In the girl’s bathroom, I double-checked the stalls to make sure no one was hiding out in there, and then I placed a hand on the door.

  “Cincinno,” I whispered.

  Warmth spread out from my palm as a single flash of golden light sealed the door closed. I couldn’t exactly afford for someone to walk in here and find me talking to my uncle in a mirror, now could I? Talk about an interesting first day at school.

  I took a deep breath, leaned forward toward the first mirror above the sink, and exhaled. As my warm breath fogged the mirror, I drew our family sigil and whispered, “Martin vocatio.”

  It only took a few seconds for his image to appear before me.

  He looked frantic, and I immediately felt guilty for scaring him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did something happen? Where are you?”

  “I’m fine. Nothing has happened,” I said, surprised again that he was so concerned. He was normally so calm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be worried about me. I just wanted to ask you if I could go out with some friends after school.”

  He let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing as he placed a hand on his chest. “You scared me to death. I was expecting you home any minute.”

  “I know, but I actually managed to meet a few new friends today, and they want me to go to a coffee shop called The Bean or something? I want to go, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first,” I said. “Apparently, most of these people have cell phones, but all I had was a mirror.”

  He laughed. “Getting your use out of having that key back, I see. Of course you can go to the coffee shop with your friends,” he said. “We’ll see about ordering some cell phones when you get home tonight. I’ve avoided modern technology long enough.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “What about our plans?”

  “That can wait, child. We’ll do it another day.”

  I considered telling him about Kai, but for s
ome reason, I wanted to keep that information to myself for now.

  It was possible Martin already knew this guy’s family or what they were, but for now, I was honestly just enjoying the mystery of it. It gave me something to think about other than the fact that I was stuck in this town instead of out hunting with my parents.

  “Now, please, clean the family sigil off that disgusting mirror before you go,” he said. “I don’t want some poor freshman conjuring an old man in the mirror by accident tomorrow.”

  “I will. See you in a bit,” I said.

  I threw some hot water on the mirror and wiped it off with a paper towel, hoping that was good enough. Good timing, too, because someone was pulling on the outside door like their life depended on it.

  “Solvo,” I whispered as I placed my palm on the door, and it immediately flew open, nearly knocking the girl on the other side onto her butt.

  I winced. “Sorry, I think the door was stuck.”

  She gave me a nasty look as she rushed past me, but I didn’t care.

  I was having one hell of a day, and it was the most fun I’d had in a really long time.

  There Are No Coincidences

  Sir Bean was a short walk away from the high school. It was smack dab between a dry cleaner and a nail salon in a small strip mall, and it seemed to be the only place that had any real business this afternoon.

  I stood there for several minutes just staring at the logo on the sign out front.

  A knight in full armor riding a coffee bean, his sword stretched out in front of him.

  “What?” Peyton asked, staring up at the sign with me.

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “It’s a knight riding a bean.”