by Patti Larsen
“Perish the thought,” I grinned. “Me, a good influence on anybody.”
Uncle Frank laughed again. “Seriously, kiddo. But, you realize what happened was wrong, not because of what you did, but because you did it unconsciously.”
“I know,” I whispered. “It’s been getting stronger, lately. Stuff’s been leaking out all over the place.”
“You’re sixteen,” he said. “And only now coming into your power. They’ve let you off the hook before now because you haven’t really manifested anything. But, Syd, they’re not going to let you get away with it for much longer.”
“I get it, Uncle Frank,” I said. “I already told Mom I’d start taking lessons.”
“I think it’s past that. You need to start studying seriously. Right away. Before someone gets hurt. Including you.”
Concern creased his face.
“Grow up and be a big girl,” I said. “Suck it up and stop whining about it, right?”
“Yes,” he agreed. “As much as I love you and want you to have whatever life you want to live, I think we both know being normal is no longer an option for you.”
I wanted to cry. Why me? Just as quickly, though, I shook myself. This was the way things were going to be. Complaining and sulking about it all the time was only going to make things harder for me and everyone around me.
Get over yourself, Hayle.
My demon roared happily back.
We reached my driveway. Uncle Frank paused.
“We could keep this from your mother,” he said, not meeting my eyes. “I only found out by accident because I went looking for you. She would never have to know.”
I admired him standing there, so handsome and boyish, his black hair gleaming, face peaceful and still. I loved him so much at that moment I could have burst from it.
“Thanks, Uncle Frank,” I said, “but we both know what I have to do.”
A sweet smile broke over his face. “Good for you, kiddo,” he said.
He opened the kitchen door for me. I took a deep breath. He winked. I knew no matter what happened in the next few minutes, Uncle Frank had my back.
I entered the dragon’s den.
My mom stood at the table waiting for me. She saw Uncle Frank behind me. Whatever was in his face must have warned her because her expression passed from happiness to concern.
I bit the bullet and told her everything.
Mom took it better than I expected. In fact, after she paled and sank into a chair, she was quiet from beginning to end. I’m not sure from her expression if she was more worried there was alcohol at the party, how Alison was treated by the other girls or the fact I used my magic to punish them all for it. I finished by telling her about trick or treating. I held out the candy to show her where I was the last few hours.
She sat there in silence after I finished. I glanced at Uncle Frank who took a seat at the table across from her. His expression remained warm and steady. I took a lot of comfort from the fact Mom didn’t burst into a tirade and turned me into something unpleasant.
The silence stretched, heavy and oppressive, between us. Tears rose in her eyes. I reached out, feeling crappy. I made her cry despite my decision to not do that to her anymore. I noticed she didn’t seem sad, exactly. Her body shook, mouth opened, lips curling upward.
My mom was laughing so hard she couldn’t make a sound. She rocked, the tears spilling over to run down her face. She gasped in a breath and started howling out loud. Uncle Frank grinned at her.
“Yeah,” he said. “I know. That was my reaction, too.”
She turned to him, unable to speak. He started laughing with her. They went on like that for a bit while I tried to figure out what to do.
Mom managed to get a hold of herself. She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt.
“Mom,” I said, feeling a little indignant and embarrassed by what I did. “It’s not funny.”
“No, honey,” she giggled, “it isn’t.”
“I lost control,” I said. “I’m sorry, I really am.”
She continued to clean herself up as the occasional snort escaped her.
“I know, Syd,” she said around snickers. “I know. And we need to do something about it. You…” She broke off as laughter took her over again, “you can’t go around… leaking power.” One glance at Uncle Frank and she was off.
I rolled my eyes at the two of them. How could they make so light of what I did? I should be punished for breaking the rules. She should be yelling at me right now. I did the right thing and confessed and she had the nerve to think it was funny?
“I’m going to my room,” I grumbled. “Let me know when you’re ready to talk.”
She waved me off, still in a fit. I stomped out of the kitchen, knowing I should have been relieved to dodge that particular bullet but feeling cheated at the same time.
I made it upstairs and to my room.
“Syd,” I heard Meira call. I went to her door and peeked in. She lay tucked in her frilly pink bed, but her eyes were wide open. I could tell she was upset.
I went in and dumped the candy on her bed, spreading it around so she could see the haul.
“Happy Halloween,” I said.
She started to cry. I made a hole in the pile of treats and hugged my little sister.
“What’s wrong, Meems?” I said, stroking her hair. “Didn’t you have fun tonight? Did someone pick on you?”
She shook her head, sniffling. I leaned back enough to see her.
“Then what’s up?” I pushed away some of her tears and offered her a small chocolate bar. “Look, your favorite.”
She cried harder and clung to me.
“Sassy’s favorite!” She wailed.
And then I understood. I was still working on the assumption, because I insisted on it, somehow Sassafras was okay and we would figure out what happened to him. Meira, on the other hand, was not. To her, Sass was gone which meant he was never coming back. And while I had to admit to myself there was a chance it was true, I wasn’t going to let my sister suffer if I had anything to do about it.
“We’ll save it for him,” I said.
“He’s gone,” she cried, face crumpling.
“We’ll find him,” I told her.
“But, I can’t feel him,” she said, so much sorrow in her little face I wanted to cry, too. “I’ve been trying and trying all night but he’s nowhere, Syd.”
“I know,” I said. “I can’t either. But there has to be a reason. Like, maybe he’s hiding.”
She stopped crying. I wiped her face with the corner of her pretty pink comforter.
“Why would he hide from me?” She asked, losing the desperate grief clinging to her.
“I don’t know, Meems,” I said. “But if Sassy is hiding, he has a good reason.”
“What if he isn’t?” She was very frail and fragile laying there, her little body nestled in all that pink frill and froth, so much she was almost lost in it. “What if he’s… he’s…”
I hugged her again, but the tension had left her. I knew I did my big sister job.
“If, and I stress if he is gone for real,” I said, “we’ll find out who hurt him and do something about it.”
“Yeah,” she said. “We will, won’t we?”
Anger replaced her sadness. “We will find them, won’t we, Syd?”
“You bet,” I answered. “But, I still think he’s okay. We have to figure out where he is, that’s all.”
Meira snuggled into her fluffy pillows and managed a smile.
“Thanks,” she said. I knew she’d be okay.
“You’re welcome,” I said. I tucked her in and kissed her forehead before getting up and heading for the door.
“Syd,” she whispered.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Thanks for the treats,” she said.
I grinned at her and closed her door.
In my own room I collapsed on my bed and cried for my missing friend until my pillow was soaked with tears.
&
nbsp; ***
Chapter Twenty Five
I guess the coven had more serious things to worry about than my indiscretion because I slept through the entire night without being hauled from bed to be burned on a pyre for breaking the rules.
They really didn’t do that kind of thing anymore, but I worried they might resurrect it just for me.
In fact, when I went downstairs for breakfast, I could feel the house was empty. Aside from a note on the fridge from Mom that instructed me to practice my shields, there was nothing. I had my bowl of cereal in privacy and silence on the porch as I slowly and carefully practiced over and over, so into it by the time I took a bite my crispy bits were soggy. I returned for a fresh bowl and instead used the time to let what happened the day before sink in.
No, I hadn’t done anyone permanent damage or anything. Not this time. I shuddered as I considered what my demon may have done if I told them all to drop dead. Not a nice thing to consider. I was pretty sure nothing would have happened, but not positive. Which worried me more than a little. It was time to grow up and take it like a woman. My power was permanent, and I was becoming a danger to myself and others. No matter how much I wanted to shed this life, it didn’t want to let me go. I still hated the thought of being trapped, but I knew I had to get my demon under control and keep her there before someone was seriously hurt.
Now that I officially made my decision, I tried to ignore the imaginary sounds of slamming bars and the rattle of chains. Knowing I would have to someday lead all those witches terrified me. A fate worse than death. I crossed my fingers my mother would live forever. A healthy forever, I added to myself as I thought of poor broken Gram.
Amen to that.
I went back inside and put my bowl in the dishwasher. I leaned against the counter, looking out the window. I half expected to feel the weight of a fat cat body wind its way around my legs, searching for food. The sadness returned. I cried enough the night before I didn’t feel the need for fresh tears on the subject, but my throat was tight. I had to push myself away from it before it went so far again.
A knock on the front door was a nice distraction. I made my way through the house to answer it.
Imagine my surprise when I saw Brad standing on my front step.
He was pale. I winced, realizing he was caught in the spell with everyone else. A spark of anger surfaced. Served him right for not helping Alison. I was at war with myself as I stood there with the door wide open.
Brad broke the silence.
“I’m sorry, Syd,” he said, and the war was over. How could I stay mad at that?
“It’s okay,” I said. “Alison is all right, by the way.”
He shuffled his feet. “Yeah, I know, I’ve already been to her house.”
I thought better of him for checking on her.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
Probably not the best idea. I stepped outside and closed the door.
“Rather go for a walk?” I asked. Not that I didn’t want Brad in my house, but with all the weird stuff going on lately I figured it was better to keep him away from my family who could arrive home at any time.
“Sure,” he agreed.
We headed down the street at a stroll. He didn’t look like he was up for much more. A block from my place, I took a seat on a bench. He sat next to me, squinting into the sun.
“You don’t look very good,” I said. “Are you okay?”
His embarrassment was obvious. “Yeah, only… after you left, everybody got… sick. Really sick. I think it was the punch or something. It was pretty awful.”
I had to know, like digging at a scab even though it hurt to get rid of it.
“Really?” I said, trying to be sympathetic while hiding my own embarrassment. “Everybody?”
“Yeah, wow, you’re lucky you left when you did. I’ve never seen anything like it, kids puking everywhere. The house… some kids ended up in the front yard and the neighbors called 9-1-1. The ambulance came and Suzanne’s parents were called. They were pretty mad at her, but she was so sick at the time I don’t think she cared.”
Part of me thrilled at the revenge but the rest of me wanted to crawl in a hole and die.
“Sounds awful,” I said.
“You have no idea,” he said. “They didn’t know she was having a party and when they found the punch… they called all the parents. Most of the kids are grounded and the football team’s been benched for two weeks.”
Oops. He didn’t seem upset about it, though, so I tried not to beat myself up.
“Sorry,” I said.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he answered. “I’m glad you and Alison are okay.”
He was just so sweet I wasn’t sure if he was real. I wanted to tell him it was my fault but knew no matter how I felt about it, confessing I was a witch was a terrible idea all the way around.
Besides, in a way, I was getting my punishment after all, worse than I could have ever gotten from my mother.
“Anyway,” he said, “I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”
“It wasn’t your fault, either,” I said.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I didn’t do anything to stop it, Syd. That makes me as guilty as the ones who did it.”
I didn’t want to tell him I agreed with him. Too cruel.
“Hopefully no one else will ever have to go through that,” I said.
“Don’t hold your breath,” he said. I saw, for the first time, a tightness in his face, a loss of innocence. Not that I’m the most worldly, mind you, but Brad was so naive when I first met him. I was sad that changed.
“I won’t,” I answered.
“I didn’t realize,” he said softly, “what they were like. Really like. The whole bunch of them. Even the guys knew, Syd, what Suzanne and the squad had planned.”
“But you didn’t?” I asked, kind of relieved to hear it.
“No way,” he said. “I would never have let them if I had known.”
He was so earnest, I believed him.
“That’s why they didn’t tell you,” I said, touching his arm. “They knew you would stop it or warn her.”
“I guess,” he said. “I had no idea they were such jerks.”
“It’s high school,” I shrugged. “Eat or be eaten.”
I might as well have hit him.
“It shouldn’t be that way,” he said.
“Tell them,” I answered. We both knew exactly who I meant.
“Well,” he said, straightening up a little, “I’m not doing it anymore.”
“Sorry?” I said.
He squared his shoulders. “I’m quitting the football team. And all of them, too.”
The very fact Brad Peters dumped the pops blew my mind.
“But, you’re a Senior, captain of the team. Aren’t you up for a football scholarship or something?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I told my dad. He wasn’t very happy. But I don’t want…”
“What?” He couldn’t throw away a chance at a great school over this. Talk about a sudden awakening. Part of me wanted to put him back to sleep until high school was all over.
“I don’t want to turn into them,” he whispered.
Was my internal conflict spilling over onto other people or something? This was the second person in two days who came to me—me—for life-altering advice. Talk about overwhelming.
“Brad,” I said firmly, wanting no misunderstanding between us, “you will never, can never, be one of them. Ever. End of discussion.”
“Really?” He seemed like he wanted to believe.
“Never ever,” I told him. “Trust me, I have been to more junior and senior highs in the last five years than I care to admit and I have never met anyone like you who has ever turned into one of them.”
Couldn’t say it any clearer than that. I was pretty sure it worked because his whole body relaxed. He leaned back on the bench.
“Bet you’re going to be a psychiatrist when you get older,” he said.
If he only knew.
“Guess we’ll wait and see,” I mumbled. “Please don’t give up your chance for a scholarship.”
He thought about it. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Maybe I should play, to spite them.”
“They aren’t worth it,” I said. “And from what I hear, college is way different.”
“Thanks, Syd,” he said.
We stood up and continued walking, more because I felt restless all of a sudden than because I wanted to.
“I was hoping we could see more of each other,” Brad said.
I hadn’t prepared for this talk, but he wasn’t about to give me the chance to change the subject. He grinned at me like he knew I was uncomfortable, his soft blonde hair falling over one eye.
“I’m not pushing you,” he said, “and I don’t want to freak you out. There is something about you, Syd.” He stopped and faced me, transparent green eyes seeing only me.
I stared into those eyes, drowning in the color, and I knew I had never seen anything in my life quite so amazing. I could feel the two of us getting closer, drawing together. I was unable and unwilling to fight it. He stood so close to me I could feel his breath on my cheek. I knew in that instant if he kissed me, really kissed me, I would pass out at his feet.
Saved by the crazy lady. Gram’s cackle snapped my head around. I had to dive for her as she hustled past me, hands outstretched, making a bee-line for a parked car. I could feel her on the edge of her aura. I knew if I didn’t act right then, Brad and I would not only be witness to a light show but would probably end up in the hospital, or worse, if I didn’t manage to stop her.
“Gram!” I grabbed her and hauled her around, panicking as I realized I had neither of her vices on me as enticement. I pushed against her spell as hard as I could. My demon obliged. I pushed so hard, in fact, Gram staggered and slipped from my grasp, landing hard on her butt on the sidewalk. I was surprised this time the nausea and dizziness wasn’t so bad.
Maybe I was getting the hang of it after all.
Gram glared up at me as if she was seeing me for the first time.
“Thief!” She shrieked at the top of her lungs. “Give it back! It’s mine!”
That old line again. I felt her power build and gritted my teeth. Viciousness radiated from her in waves, and I knew a blast of power had to be a short breath behind. I saw motion next to me. Damn. Brad was still there. Unable to do anything about it, I glared at my grandmother and shoved her magic down, smothering the air energy with as much earth as I could pile on her, acting on pure instinct. I took a moment to make sure my eyes were normal before I glanced at Brad. He stared, mouth open.
