A Different Kind of Witch

by Carol A. Robi

  ”Sophie,” she said. ”Sophie Leighton.”

  ”Well Sophie, it's a delight to finally meet you,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. ”You've met your cousin?”

  ”I have,” Sophie said cheerfully. ”We're roommates.”

  ”That's wonderful. There's no reason why you two shouldn't be friends. Sins of your fathers shouldn't affect your generation.” Sophie shuffled uncomfortably at this comment, but said nothing.

  ”Alright, we must see to Keira now. We'll see you about,” her aunt said, giving her another quick hug, and then they proceeded down the corridor.

  Three weeks after she and Boke had stopped talking, Sophie decided to herself that she'd tell her all she'd seen on the death recall during the school dance, and then she'd stop all contact with the Wailer Witch.

  ”Friends trust each other,” she told herself as the reason, while she hurriedly changed into her tennis training kit.

  Sophie found Klaus waiting for her at the main landing.

  ¨Hi,¨ he said, half-uncomfortably.

  What now? She wondered to herself.

  ”Hi,” she answered. ”Ready for practice?”

  ”Always,” he chuckled, still a little tense.

  The cold wind outside was merciless, slapping at their exposed limbs, chilling them almost instantly.

  ¨I learnt a new trick from Boke,¨ Klaus said. He muttered something unintelligible, then capped his hands into a V before his mouth and blew out. Slowly, the air around him began getting warmer.

  ”She taught you a spell?” Sophie asked, shifting closer to him to take advantage of the warmth he was creating.

  ”Yeah,” he said. ”I like having her as a friend.” This statement was more like a probing, no doubt Klaus had noticed that she and Boke were avoiding each other.

  ”I don't want to talk about it,” Sophie said.

  ”Trouble in paradise?” Klaus chuckled.

  ”Something like that,” Sophie admitted.

  ”Well, I hope you guys solve it soon,” he said.

  ”I hope so too,” Sophie whispered, moving closer to him again, until their shoulders were touching.

  It got awkward.

  ¨Are you going to the school dance?¨ Klaus surprised her by suddenly asking. No warning?

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The silence after that was even more awkward, so Sophie forced herself to say something.

  ¨Are you?¨ She asked. He nodded too.

  ”I think we all must. I heard school dances are compulsory.”

  ”I heard that too.”

  An awkwardly long period of silence again.

  ¨Has anyone asked you to the dance?¨ He finally spoke up.

  Why won't he just get out and ask already? Sophie screamed in her head. She then decided to turn the conversation around, and put him on the spot instead.

  ¨Why?¨

  ¨W- what..?¨ He stammered.

  ¨Why are you asking?¨

  ¨I.. I.. Because I want to ask you to go with me,¨ he finally admitted.

  There it was. Her heart was doing a jig dance.

  ¨Ok,¨ She simply answered, wanting to sound as cool and calm as possible.

  ¨Okay..?¨ He asked, not sure what she meant.

  ¨I'll go with you,¨ she admitted, then hurried away before he could see the blush creeping up her face.

  Chapter 41

  While still reliving her conversation with Klaus that afternoon, Sophie felt someone slip a note into her pocket. She was standing in line, waiting to serve her dinner, and when she turned around, she spied Boke walking away.

  It took her all not to take out the note at that moment, but Sophie forced herself to remain calm through out dinner.

  When she finally got to her dorm apartment, her heart was drumming so fast in her chest, she was hyperventilating, and soon uncontrollable hiccups held her hostage.

  But rather than cure her hiccups, the first thing she did when she pushed her door closed behind her, was take the note out of her pocket and unfold it, while slipping to the floor, her back against the door.

  One unmistakable word glared at her, and no matter how many times she blinked, it never changed.

  gogo

  Sophie slapped her hand over her mouth in shock at the words.

  Boke had killed her grandmother! It can't be true! Why would she do that?

  Sophie was unable to move away from that spot until lights out, about four hours later, when she forced her stiff limbs into bed.

  Boke had killed her grandmother to absorb magic. The idea was preposterous. She pictured her friend, but couldn't picture this deed. The act and the individual couldn't fit.

  She tossed and turned all night, and was unable to hide evidence of it the next day.

  ”Are you okay?” A worried Markus asked that morning when she took her place beside him.

  ”Could Boke and I use your music cubicle after dinner?” Sophie asked instead. Markus looked momentarily surprised, but then quickly recovered and nodded.

  ”Of course, just come over when you need to.”

  Sophie now handed him a note under the table. His eyes widened, but he managed to keep the rest of him stoic.

  ”Pass it to Boke,” Sophie instructed quietly.

  With the school dance tomorrow, new developments with Klaus, screwed up information from Boke, Sophie's head was one topsy turvy jumble. She found herself wasting her whole afternoon, only animating when the dinner bell sounded, knowing that soon she and Boke would be in Markus cubicle, and maybe then she'll be able to make out all this mess.

  In her note, Sophie had instructed Boke to meet her in Markus cubicle at 7:30pm.

  When Sophie arrived, she found Markus behind his piano. Boke hadn't arrived yet.

  The cubicle was small, but good enough for a single person's use, though she, Klaus and Lola often overcrowd it most evening. A large electric piano with plugged in headphones, occupied most of the room, with a small bench behind it. A single desk and chair stood against one wall, while a nearly filled book shelf stood against the other wall.

  Sophie walked to the desk and picked up a picture depicting the Kronborg family. Markus, still having some colour on his face, stood between his pale-faced and pale hair-toned parents. His father to his left held up a very rosy-cheeked little girl of two, or thereabout.

  Markus looked just as he did now, but without the ghostly pale face. Sophie assumed the picture was taken earlier this year, right before his fourteenth birthday. Before the blood cravings began.

  Avalon children resemble human children in every way, and have no cravings or need for blood. However, once they metamorphose, their existence requires blood. Without it, they wither and die. One of the books in the library Sophie had read stated that before the unifying of the four Supernaturals races, and the formation of the Supernatural Realm, Avalons were not pale. On the contrary, they were very beautiful beings, because they fed well. They fed freely on humans, and as often as they required. However, one of the conditions Witches and Faeries had before getting into the treaty was that Avalons were to reduce their blood intake to only once per day, and a maximum of 0.4 gallons of blood. This amount was a balance- just barely enough to sustain them, and still enough for the human being fed on to survive.

  The author of the book had argued that it was inhumane to subject Avalons to such stringent rations, as an Average adult Avalon was barely starving from such an amount. Sophie found the use of the word inhumane here satirical.

  Wasn't killing humans for their blood primarily inhumane?

  It puzzled Sophie that Markus wasn't leaving the room even after handing her the keys. She grew uncomfortable, now fearing that he wished to ask her out to the dance. Sophie hoped that she'd never given him any false signals, a reason to believe that there might be something between them.

  ¨Boke will be here soon,¨ she prompted.

  ¨I know,¨ is all he said in answer.

  ”We'll need some privacy.”

&n
bsp; ”I know that too,” was his reply.

  A quick tap on the door alerted her that Boke had arrived. Markus rushed to open it, and Boke's look of disdain to see him was crystal clear.

  There and then, Sophie understand what was going on, for Markus' face fell, even as he tried to clear his voice. Poor boy was crushing for the wrong girl, for Sophie knew with unwavering certainty that Boke would never feel the same way about him.

  ¨Boke,¨ he began, even as her eyes darted past him to find Sophie's. ¨I want to ask you something,¨ he said, holding his own much better than Klaus had. Impressive! Even Boke's attention now reverted to him.

  ¨Will you go to the dance with me?¨ He said.

  ¨No,¨ she answered almost immediately.

  ¨May I ask why?¨ Sophie's eyes grew wider. Markus had guts!

  ¨I'm not going to the dance,¨ Boke declared.

  ¨It's compulsory,¨ he pointed out. It was a battle of wills Sophie was witnessing, both of them holding firm to their resolve.

  ¨If I have to attend, I won’t dance,¨ Boke answered.

  ¨I don’t plan on dancing either,¨ he countered.

  ¨Then why do you want a partner to the dance?¨ Now she had him pinned down. 1,2,3.. And the winner is..

  ¨Because I like you,¨ he said, instantly stunning all in the room.

  Did he just admit that openly? Sophie wondered to herself, wide-eyed.

  ¨Well I do not,¨ was Boke's answer, before stepping around him into the cubicle.

  The young Avalon literally flew from view, the door slamming shut behind him.

  ”How could you?” Sophie accused.

  ¨What?¨ Boke asked with a shrug.

  Sophie shook her head. That was a battle for another day.

  ¨I want you to explain to me why you killed your grandmother?¨ Sophie asked instead. Boke held her gaze for a while before answering.

  ¨Because she asked me to.¨ As shocking as the answer was, Sophie knew better than to doubt it. The Maiga clan had proved itself bizarre enough for this to be plausible.

  ¨Why would she ask you to do that?¨

  ¨Because she was dying. She was bitten by a Nyongo.” Sophie appeared confused. ”You call it a.. black mamba,¨ Boke explained.

  ”And- you couldn't heal her?” Sophie asked skeptically.

  ¨We'd just used the last rioba for a spell the previous night, and it would take hours to find another. A rioba is a rare type of mushroom, part of what we need to make a cure for a black mamba's venom.

  She couldn't port to the hospital, for the snake venom rendered her too weak to fight, and being a wanted criminal, the realm's Law Enforcers would detect her the moment she left the protection of our home, and they'd have captured her. There was no way gogo could survive the bite long enough for me to find a rioba by myself and make the cure. I was only seven.”

  Sophie dropped her head in her hands. Why? Why? Why?

  ”She gave me this,¨ Boke proceeded, taking out the creepy ivory white knife from her bag. ¨It was my mother's. I killed her with it.¨

  ¨Why kill her, if she was dying?¨ Sophie asked puzzled.

  ¨This knife,¨ Boke went on, raising it again, ¨has the power of many of my ancestors combined. It is what makes me even more powerful than the average Wailer that everybody here fears. When my mother died, it had her blood on it.¨ Here, Sophie remembered the sad scene of Maseke's death.

  ¨Gogo wanted it to have her blood too.¨

  ¨Why didn’t you just make a small gush, instead of killing her?¨ Sophie was desperate to explain all this murky business away, but Boke wasn't helping so far.

  ¨The more life blood it has, the more power it absorbs,” Boke explained further. ”Gogo wanted it to have all, or at least most of her powers. She told me to stab her hard, straight into her heart.¨ A single tear trailed down Boke's face.

  ¨She said she was dying anyway, and I needed as much power as I could get to protect myself from the same persecution as all my people before me have been through. The Wailers from southeast Asia are all dead, and so are the Aztecan Wailers of the west. The northern Wailers from the Germanic tribes died too, and I am the last of the southern Wailers.” Boke paused to hulk. She was looking away now, hurriedly brushing away the tears as they fell.

  ”Gogo said I had to do it, because it was my responsibility to ensure our entire existence was never wiped out. Sophie, you must promise to never tell anyone about this dagger,¨ she concluded.

  ”Of course,” Sophie hurried to say, now wondering how she could tell Boke what happened to her mother, considering all that she'd been through already.

  How could someone so young have undergone so much? But a deal is a deal, and tell her she must.

  They sat on the floor, their backs pressed against the door, and Sophie narrated the whole of it. She didn't leave out any part of it, explaining even all that she’d learnt from her parents.

  They remained in silence for a while when Sophie was finished.

  ¨He is my father?¨

  ¨Yes, I am afraid he is,¨ Sophie answered

  ¨He killed my mother.¨ She didn't answer this. A fool could tell it was rhetoric. The bell rang then, lights out in fifteen minutes.

  ¨Boke, what will you do..?¨ Sophie started, but Boke was already out of the door.

  Chapter 42

  ¨Boke Maiga? Where is Boke?¨ Mrs. Cahart asked. No one said anything because few cared, and those who did didn't know where she was.

  A foreboding feeling crept up Sophie's features. Where was Boke? Getting into trouble, definitely, and her heart screamed at her to save her friend right this instant.

  ”Does anyone know where Boke is- Sophie?” Mrs. Cahart stopped surprised when Sophie suddenly stood up. ”What is it?”

  Sophie didn't answer her, however. In her mind, it was clear where Boke was. She'd come here to revenge her mother's death, and the person responsible for it was at the moment in this very building.

  ”Sophie!” Sophie pushed past the teacher and dashed out of the door as fast as she could, attacking the stairs at manic speed, barely seeing where she was going.

  ¨Boke!¨ She was screaming, her voice echoing loud in the empty hallways.

  No answer. Regardless, she knew where Boke was.

  Matrons and LEs that must have heard her loud calling were rushing towards her from all direction when she stopped at the main landing. She hesitated for only a moment, her eyes falling on the large double doors leading to the administration corridor. She flew straight in.

  Oh no! She remembered the strict receptionist too late. The Witch swept her hand through the air, and Sophie crashed painfully onto the marble floor. A Werecat matron arrived just then, landing on her, pressing her face against the cold stone.

  ¨Boke help!¨ Sophie screamed at the top of her voice. She wasn't mistaken. Boke was here, and still cared enough to help. Almost instantly, the Werecat above was thrown against the opposite wall by an invisible force, and the Witch before her appeared immobilized.

  Sophie stood up cautiously, but when it was clear the two couldn't get within three feet of her, Sophie ran past them towards the door labelled- Principal's Office.

  She tried the door knob, but it wouldn't budge. Of course Boke was keeping it shut as she administered her revenge.

  ¨Boke!¨ Sophie shouted again banging on the door. ¨Don't do it!¨ No answer.

  Sophie suspected she wanted to kill, or had already killed the principal. Sophie hoped she wasn't too late, for if Boke murdered him, the whole Realm would hunt her down with everything they've got, and not rest until she was dead.

  Sophie pounded with more intensity at the doors, even as a crowd of staff members formed around her and the door. But an invisible force kept all of them away from her, and away from the door. No one could get to the door, as hard as they tried. Even thoroughbred Witches, more than five times their age. Their spells teacher too! They not only looked angry, they were humiliated. When this was over, Sophie suspected they’d enjoy punis
hing Boke. No one could take this kind of humiliation lightly.

  Sophie pounded on the door again, deciding to change tactics.

  ¨Boke, please let me in. Let me watch. We are in this together, remember-¨ The doors flew open, nearly slapping her back into the crowd of staff members.

  ¨Come in, Sophie,¨ Boke's voice called calmly.

  Involuntarily, Sophie began floating into the room, just before the doors closed shut again. Had Boke just moved her with her words? They were friends, but even Sophie felt uncomfortable at one person having so much power.

  Boke was standing in the middle of the room, one of her hand stretched out high above her, towards the floating body of her father.

  His expression though... Sophie would never forget that face. He looked just as he had when he’d crouched against the opposite wall muttering how sorry he was for having killed Maseke.

  ”What are you doing?” Sophie asked cautiously.

  ”I want to kill him.”

  ”Why?”

  ”You know why- he killed my mother!” Boke's voice was stubborn and childish now. She seemed younger than her thirteen years, and it was difficult to believe so much turmoil was being caused by such a little person.

  ”And what will killing him do?”

  ”He'll pay,” Boke said. ”He has to pay!”

  ¨Look at him,¨ Sophie said gently, approaching her slowly and quietly, not wishing to startle her with any sudden movements. ¨He isn't even worth it. He's cursed, or something. All shrivelled up, wasting away.”

  ”But he killed my mother-”

  ”Remember your mother's words. He is just a monster. She didn't want you to be a monster too. If you kill him, you won't be any different.” Her resolve shook, and she looked confused for a moment.

  ”Don't kill him, Boke. The Supernatural Realm will never let you go. They won't stop hunting you for this,¨ Sophie pleaded.

  ¨He killed my mother!¨ Boke shouted with frustration, her childish voice though small, carried so much power with it that all the windows shattered, not just in the office but in the whole building. Sophie was startled to see the rain of glass debris through the now gaping holes for windows.

  A larger number of LEs and matrons now stood outside the open window, trying, and failing desperately to move forward. Just how strong was this girl!