Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  “It suits you.” He watched me while I got my composure back.

  “How about me?” Brie sidled up to him. “Do you think that I would look good as a warrior?”

  Bones avoided Brie’s attention as he busied himself wiping down his sword. “I think you all look great, and if you practice, you will be able to hold your own.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  It was the last week of school before the holidays, and I was looking forward to having the time off. Learning the longsword was fast turning into a passion for the three of us. We had slipped over to Jasper’s after school a couple of times last week and managed a few hours of practice. We thought we were getting pretty good, but I had no doubt that Bones thought we needed lots more. I was ready and willing. So were Sully and Brie.

  Connor would be back at school this week, and I had no problems having to face him. I was actually looking forward to it in a twisted sort of way. I felt stronger, more able to take care of myself now that I knew I had the sort of power that scared the crap out of him.

  I boarded the bus with my head held high. The smell of damp clothes and wet schoolbags hit me before I got to the top step. The windows of the bus steamed from the mixture of rain and humid bodies. Turning to head down to my seat, my gaze made contact with Connor. He glared at me, his face screwed up, and his lips pursed tight. I stared back at him, not letting him see that he was making me feel uncomfortable.

  Brie and Sully were huddled in our usual seat at the back.

  “Don’t let him get to you, Nera,” Sully said as I sat down between them.

  “He really is pissed this morning, isn’t he?”

  “I heard his father gave him a belting for getting caught,” Brie said.

  “You’re kidding, right?” For getting caught but not for what he had done? Some people were plain weird

  “Just be careful and keep away from him,” Sully told me.

  “Don’t worry, I will.” Not that he could hurt me anyway.

  In English class, Mr. Eastwood gave me some papers and asked me to drop them off at the office before the midmorning break bell rang. I made my way out of the English section and slammed the fire exit door behind me. I quickly walked through the large courtyard toward the office on the other side of the building. I hurried from tree to tree, trying to avoid the drizzle as much as I could. I felt a presence behind me seconds before something slammed me in the back and sent me flying facefirst on the wet ground. My head was shoved down and my face rubbed into the damp dirt as someone else lay kick after kick onto my body. My heart raced, and I screamed in pain, unable to move or fight back. I imagined pushing myself to my feet throwing whoever it was away from me. But nothing happened.

  “Teasing little bitch,” whispered a voice in my ear as another sharp pain burst out in my side and realized I was being kicked again.

  I screamed in agony. The pressure on my head disappeared, and I was alone. A door slammed in the distance and then footfalls sounded as someone ran away from me. I lay dazed on the grass until I heard steps coming toward me. Scared it was them again, I tried to get up.

  Someone pulled me to my feet.

  “Child, calm down, it’s okay. What happened here?” the science teacher, Mr. Phelan, asked. He held my arm, helping to steady me.

  I couldn’t answer as the tears fell. The teacher guided me to the office and sat me down while Mrs. Murphy, the school office lady, tried to get the story out of me. In the end, they called Dad because I was incoherent and couldn’t stop sobbing.

  Sully and Brie arrived first. Brie gasped when she saw the mess I was in. Sully pulled me close, and I cried into his shoulder. “Shush, Nera, I’ve got you,” Sully soothed, stroking my hair and holding me in the safety of his arms while Brie rubbed my back.

  When Dad came into the office, his face was tight and flushed with anger. “There had better be a good explanation for why my daughter was not safe on school grounds!” Dad pulled me from Sully into his arms. He brushed the hair from my face and quickly looked me over to assess the damage. “Honey, who was it? Was it Connor again?”

  I could feel him shake with rage as he tried to get the story out of me. I didn’t care who it was, not then anyway. All I cared about was that the beating had stopped and I was safe. I cried on Dad’s shirt, leaving a damp patch on his shoulder. I couldn’t believe that after the previous week, I could be so insecure. I was so sure I could handle myself with my new powers. Now I thought I would never feel safe again.

  He let me wear myself out before pushing me away and gently wiping my face with a tissue. I looked up at his face and wanted to cry again. The hurt in his lovely, big blue eyes was painful to see. A hand slid into mine, and I met Brie’s tear-filled eyes. My head pounded, and a shot of pain twisted up my back from my kidneys as I tried to move. How could I have failed so badly?

  “You need to tell us what you can, Nera,” the headmistress said from beside my father. “This cannot go unpunished. This time I will call in the police.”

  “I don’t know who it was.” I looked away from her scrutiny. “I never saw them.”

  “How do you know there was more than one, Nera?” Dad gently took hold of my chin, looking into my battered face.

  “Because someone held me down and another kicked the shit out of me,” I retorted with a sob catching in my throat.

  Mrs. Murphy raised her eyebrows at my language but let it go.

  “Did they say anything that might help us find out who they were?” she asked.

  “One of them called me a teasing little bitch. Does that help?” I asked, my temper flaring now.

  “Did you recognize the voice?” she asked, ignoring my sarcasm.

  “Nope.”

  “Is everyone accounted for in class?” Dad looked at the headmistress.

  “That is what we are checking now,” she replied. “If anyone missing that is from Connor’s group, then we can start to interview. If not, I don’t know what we can do, Mr. O’Reilly.”

  “Connor got beat by his father for getting caught last week,” Brie blurted out.

  “Are you for real?” Dad said, his tone one of disgust. “Not for molesting my daughter but for getting caught?”

  “I am sorry, Jack.” Mrs. Murphy shook her head. “That boy doesn’t have much guidance with his father being the way he is. Still that does not excuse his behavior. We will do what we can. Sadly, if Nera can’t identify anyone, my hands are tied.”

  “This is unbelievable,” Dad said, running his hand through his hair, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Our kids are supposed to be safe in school.”

  “Look, I understand your pain. We’ve never had these problems before. We will make sure that the children are safe. You have my word on it. Perhaps you would like to take Nera home and get Hannah to check her over and make sure she is not badly hurt before you put her through the trauma of a hospital visit. Maybe take a couple of days to rest.”

  “I’m okay. Those bastards won’t get the better of me.” I gripped my father’s shirt.

  “No, they won’t, but you are coming home with me now so Mom can check you out.” Dad held me close. “Brie, make sure that you are not alone anywhere on school grounds until this is sorted.”

  “I was going to suggest that,” Mrs. Murphy said. “I will talk to the classes now and make sure everyone is aware of what happened and to take precautions. I will not allow thugs to harass my students. I am sorry you have been hurt, Nera, and I will do my best to find out who is responsible.”

  Dad led me from the office and out to the car. Brie and Sully followed us, keeping close to each other and watching for anything unusual.

  “Call me tonight,” Brie whispered into my ear as my father strapped me into my seat. I nodded and waved as we drove away. Dad reached out and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze and drove me home. Mom was in the garden waiting when we pulled up. Roman was in his sandpit, oblivious to my plight.

  “Baby, come here,” she said soothingly as I climbed ou
t of the car.

  She pulled me into her arms, and the tears fell once more. This time they were falling not in pain, but in confusion. I was supposed to have amazing powers, wasn’t I? What happened? Why couldn’t I defend myself? Did I do something wrong or was the whole story just bullshit? I knew that it would take a trip to Jasper’s to get the answers. I also knew that Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me leave the house today.

  Mom guided me into the kitchen and sat me down in a chair. She knelt down in front of me and looked at my face.

  “Sara Murphy called when you left school to tell me what happened, honey. She said that a couple of guys held you down and kicked and punched you. I need to see the damage before I decide whether or not to take you to see Dr. Peters.” She gently pushed my hair back from my eyes and looked at the bruises I knew were now showing. I could feel my face swelling up, and one of my eyes felt like it was going to close over. She touched the scrapes on my cheek and the cuts from when they pushed my face into the ground.

  “These I can wash with comfrey tea, but you will feel sorer tomorrow.” Her fingers gently felt all of my bruises and scratches. “Take off your shirt, Nera, and let me see what else they’ve done.”

  I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped my jeans as well. I could feel the bruises on my hips and knew that I may as well get this over and done with in one sitting. If Mom saw them later, she would spit.

  I heard Dad draw in a deep, ragged breath when I turned to show them my battered and bruised body. Mom slowly prodded over every inch of my skin to see if there was anything more than superficial cuts and lacerations.

  “Jack, can you go and draw a warm bath for Nera please, love,” Mom said. “Take a lavender bag and let it sit in the water while it runs too.”

  Dad went to do her bidding, his mouth drawn so tight it showed white at the corners. I tried to reassure him that I was okay with a smile when he passed, but the cold look of fury in his eyes stopped me.

  “Tell me in your words what happened, honey,” Mom said as she handed me my shirt. She listened while I retold my story again, saying little. When I had finished, she pushed me toward the stairs, telling me to go and soak in the tub. I promised to call her when I was ready to get out and she would see to my bruises and scrapes. I passed Dad on the stairs. This time it was him that tried to smile…and failed. His face was still too grim, the anger and pain in his eyes too raw for me to ignore.

  I dropped my bra and panties on the floor and gingerly dipped my foot into the hot tub of water. Slipping slowly under the warm suds, I leaned my head back on the edge of the tub and closed my eyes, tears running down my face. I played the encounter over and over in my head, trying to remember, word for word what they had said.

  I could hear Dad yelling at Mom downstairs. He was angry and would have driven straight around to Connor’s if I had identified him as the person who had held me down. I knew he was involved, but I wanted to be the one who dealt him the treatment I felt he deserved. I would not be frightened by him or his loser friends trying to bash up a girl. Tomorrow I would face them on the bus if they were brave enough to come to school and I would be the one to decide what his punishment would be in my own time. I would make sure that he never, ever touched me again. That I promised myself.

  I soaked for over an hour, topping up the hot water now and again until Mom tapped on the door.

  “Come on, Nera,” she said, popping her head in the door. “You need to get out so I can put this cream on your bruises.”

  She came in and passed me a towel when I stepped out of the tub. I winced at the pain when I dried myself too briskly and put a hand out to steady myself. I could feel my muscles tensing up in protest. Mom took the towel and gently patted me down. I stood still while she gently rubbed comfrey cream onto all of my sore spots.

  Once she had finished, I walked naked to my room to throw on loose fitting sweat pants and an old T-shirt. Hugo was sitting on his mat beside my bed and pushed his wet, black nose into my hand. I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his face.

  “What am I going to do to him, Hugo?” I asked him. He watched my face with his soft brown eyes and let me talk. I told him of my cocky attitude toward my safety and how I let myself down by not knowing what had gone wrong. I was so sure that I was invincible. Hadn’t I had thrown Connor against the wall the week before? As I rubbed his damp nose gently, I told him of all the things I was going to do once I had my powers under control. “I’m going to make him hurt, Hugo, more than he can ever imagine. He’ll never see me coming, and today is the last time he will ever lay a hand on me.”

  When I had vented my anger, I headed downstairs and put on the kettle. Dad had finally calmed down. “You sit down, honey.” He took my arm, guiding me to a chair. “I will make the tea.”

  I brushed him off. “Dad, I can do it. I got bashed, not killed. Stop fussing.”

  “Nera, stop,” Mom warned.

  I threw my hands up in anger. “Look at me!” I cried. “I’m okay. He hurt me, sure. But that doesn’t make me weak and incapable of making a pot of bloody tea, does it? Just stop fussing, will you?”

  My parents stared at me, mouths agape. With a cry, I ran out the door and out of the garden. I couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down my face. What the hell was wrong with me? I never snapped at my parents like that, and I never cried this much either. Hugo ran beside me. The tears flowing freely as I tried to sort out the jumble of emotions that were running through my head. I ran to the cliffs. I fell to the ground landing on the soft green grass where I curled my knees up to my chest. The cold sea wind pressed my shirt against my skin, and I struggled to slow my breath to a normal level.

  I felt his presence before he spoke. His dark hair was hanging loose, whipping around his face in the wind, and his beautiful blue eyes were full of concern. Jasper took in my disheveled state. He shook his head as his gaze roamed over the cuts and bruises I was now sporting. I looked away, embarrassed that it had come to this. After all of my angst and bitching about my powers, I had expected better from myself. Hugo stood up to greet him and then returned to sit beside me again. Sadly, I lifted my head to stare at Jasper. He stood looking down at me, the pain obvious in his eyes.

  “Girl dear, your parents are worried. They told me what happened today at school.”

  Jasper sat down beside me on the grass, and I shifted to lay my head on his lap. He gently stroked my hair, something he had done to calm me ever since I was small. His fingers hovered over the scrapes and bruises on my face, and I could feel the heat from his hands.

  “Do you want to tell me what went wrong?” he asked.

  I closed my eyes and felt his fingers move over my face, warming my skin. “I really don’t know, Jasper. I thought I was invincible and could look after myself. You tell me,” I said.

  “No one is invincible, Nera.”

  “But last week I only had to think and it happened. This time I was helpless. I couldn’t do a bloody thing. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “You must remember that you are still learning. There could be many reasons why you could not defend yourself today. We just need to find out why so you don’t get hurt again.”

  “That is not even an option.” I pulled myself up to sit beside him. “That bastard is not getting away with what he did to me today.”

  “I thought you didn’t know who it was, girl dear. Why did you say that? Why didn’t you tell them what you knew?”

  “Because I want to be the one to make him pay, that’s why.”

  Jasper watched me, his eyes registering a myriad of emotions while he processed my words. He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head slightly. “Well, I suppose you have that right. The boy does deserve some punishment. Just be careful, though. What goes around comes around.”

  “That is what you should be telling him, not me. Why didn’t my powers work, Jasper? Is everything you told me rubbish?”

  “No, girl dear, all of it is true, but I’m sure you already know t
hat. Why your powers worked the other day and not now, well, I think the best person to ask is Bones.” He stood and held out his hand to me. “Shall we? I have to let your folks know you are here, so it would be a good idea if we go down to the house and talk to him now.”

  I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Taking a deep breath, I followed him down the grassy slope to the house and found Bones in the garden cleaning a collection of longswords. I recognized the ones we had used over the weekend. Now they were shining in the sun, and I longed to pick one up, but I had other things to deal with first.

  I felt his eyes follow every move I made. Instead of going with Jasper inside, I turned at the door and came back to stand in front of Bones. He didn’t say a word; he just watched , letting me make the first move.

  I wanted to rant at him for my failure earlier today, but I knew it wasn’t his fault. He was my teacher, yes, and Jasper had reminded me more than once that I was just learning. I could hardly blame him for my incompetence, even if I wanted to. Bones was a different story. For someone that had informed me that he was my shadow, shouldn’t he have been there and helped me? Just a little would have been nice.

  “Why didn’t you help me?”

  “I did, Nera. I admit that I was a little slow in getting there, but when I sensed the danger, I was there.” Bones eyes were hard and dark; he kept his lips pressed together.

  “I never saw you.”

  “No. It would not do for me to be seen on school grounds with you laying hurt on the grass,” he replied. “They would likely think it was me that hit you.”

  “Did you see them?” I still didn’t believe him, not entirely.

  “Yes, I did. They won’t bother you again, Nera. I have seen to that.”

  I glared at him. I wanted to hurt them like they had hurt me. More than that, I wanted to humiliate them in front of others. I wanted to see them on the ground in pain.

  I knew Bones had read my thoughts when he replied. “Your time will come if you choose to hurt them more, but not yet. You are not ready to take on another life and risk taking it too far.”