by J. C. Hart
"I'm scared, Magnus. I'm really scared." The words caught in her throat, and it wasn't until she spoke them that she realized how true they were. She was petrified of doing something terrible to someone. Even Magnus, who she'd come to trust, whose company she enjoyed, had seemed to have no problem reaching inside Angela and punishing the woman. Hell, Alyssa had wanted that to happen. As much as it had sickened her, Angie had deserved it. It was too difficult, too blurry, and how long would it be before the line between right and wrong merged and she was making decisions that others might not condone?
"Your fear will protect you. It's not always a bad thing. It will keep you honest, keep you asking whether you tread the right path."
"Thank you." Alyssa nodded and inhaled deeply. She still wasn't certain she could do what he suggested, but she wasn't as worried about the possibility of going bad as she had been before. Magnus had a way of making things a bit better.
"I have a gift for you," Magnus said.
"Which reminds me. Thanks for the aurora borealis last year. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Alyssa smiled, recalling the image of it.
"Well, there is someone here who has been trying to get your attention, but you've been doing a great job of ignoring him."
"Him?"
"Yes. You know, small, furry, died under suspicious circumstances and has been left to walk the human plane."
"Buttons? No way."
"Yes...way." Magnus frowned. "I'll give him a nudge."
A sensation like a bubble bursting in her ear made Alyssa shudder, and then she could see the cat, wending his way around the couch.
"And he's been here all along?" She reached out as if she could touch him, but her finger slipped through his body. It felt like nothing, but still made her shiver.
"He never left."
"Well, I guess that's pretty cool." She smiled, pleased that technically, she still had a cat. And this way, she'd never forget to feed him which would probably work out quite well.
"Are you okay?" Magnus asked, his question bringing her back to reality.
"I don't know. Things are pretty shitty right now, but one thing's for sure. I've got to figure out what to do with my magic, and how to satisfy Mrs Nolan so that Brandon's kid nephew doesn't die.
"And you were worried you'd turn bad?" Magnus gave her a wink and then disappeared.
"Oi!! I didn't say you could go. I didn't end the séance!"
His voice wafted back to her, barely there, "No, but I did. See you around Alyssa."
The next thing she did was probably one of the hardest things in her life, but she knew it had to be done.
Alyssa called her mother.
"My god, I thought you'd dropped off the face of the planet or something," her mother quipped. "Then again, I guess you kind of did, down there in the Bay."
Alyssa could hear the tell-tale slosh of liquid against a glass through the phone. Naturally, her mother was a drinker. It was where Alyssa had picked it up from.
"Look, I know you don't like it here and I know you and Gran had your differences."
Her mother snorted.
"No, really. I found out about your sister."
The silence from her mother was unnatural. Chattiness ran in the family, silence did not.
"And I know you were keeping me away from Gran because you were protecting me. I get that, and, you know, I'm kind of grateful."
"You are?" Her mother voice shook, just a little. Enough to give away how rattled she was. In their family there was honesty, and then there was honesty and the second kind almost never cropped up.
"Yeah. I am. I can see why you wouldn't want me to embrace the family magic and all, but I'm a bit out of my depth down here and I needed to talk to you about it." Alyssa wished she'd thought to pour a wine before making this call. It was late and it had been one hell of a day, but she needed this out of the way. "They want my help down here, doing what Gran was. Pitching in to help the town out. And I kind of want to help them, but Mum, I'm scared." It was her turn for the voice shake. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep it at bay.
"Oh honey, I'm sorry. It's my fault for keeping you away, for not teaching you a single thing. You can feel the pull, can't you? I knew you would. The Bay has a way about it."
"And that's why you won't come here, right?"
Her mother paused before replying. "Yeah. It is."
"Will you still love me if I do it?"
Her mother laughed. "I didn't think that was important for you."
"Mum! Of course. I mean, I know we've got our differences but you're my mother."
"That's right. I am your mother, and nothing would ever stop me from loving you. Even if you become a witch, raise the dead, whatever it is that takes your fancy."
"You're not taking this seriously."
"I don't think you're taking it seriously actually. I've always been here for you, done my best to protect you, but you're an adult now, you have to make your own decisions and take responsibility for them. My love is unconditional, now go and do what you want." With that her mother hung up and Alyssa was left to wonder what the hell had just happened.
She'd never truly doubted her mother’s love, but she'd never stopped to think that her actions might make her mother believe that it didn't matter. It did, and knowing that she wasn't going to be disowned if she became the witch that everyone wanted her to made it a little bit easier to make the decision.
But was that what she wanted?
At least she wasn't just stubbornly resisting the idea any more—personal growth right?
She felt a weird sensation at her knee and looked down to see that Buttons was still there. "So you really are sticking around. Nice to know." Alyssa nodded in approval and decided it was time for sleep. Maybe the morning would help her figure out what to do next.
Chapter Twenty-One
He couldn't sleep. The moon, all but full, pulled at his senses even through the blackout curtains and he just couldn't relax. The tension in his body wasn't just because of Alyssa either. He needed to do something, to move forward and make some kind of progress because while he didn't want to pressure Alyssa, he didn't want to see his nephew die either.
Brandon grabbed his coat and headed out the door, not bothering to lock it behind him. Angela had set so many protections on the place that no-one was going to get in if they had even the slightest of ill intentions. That woman's paranoia came in handy occasionally.
He knew the graveyard was close enough to walk—not like the town was all that big-and while he didn't need it in order to call up Alyssa's Gran, he needed to get out of the house and well away from the girl he fancied. There was no way he needed her stumbling in on this.
But hell, what was he even going to say? He shook his head free of that question and focused on the cool night air on his skin. Autumn was going to come on soon enough. It was his favourite season, that changeover from the vibrancy of summer to the quiet introversion of winter. Fairly fitting, really, being that his magic set him between life and death. He was the autumn of magical folk.
Not the winter. Not like some people would make him out to be. Sure, he'd done some dodgy stuff in the past, but who hadn't? Everyone is young once, and he knew from experience that old age didn't always change a person. Angela was a good example of that. At least he'd sorted himself out, pulled back from the dark side and made good with his magic. He was torn between wanting to tell Alyssa that, needing her to believe he was a good guy. Because he was, now. His history didn't change that, in fact it was the defining reason of why he was good now.
The gates to the graveyard were closed and there was a chain looped between them, padlock securely in place. It was a token gesture though because the fence was only waist high. He hopped over and wiped the crumbling brick remnants from his hands onto his pants. Moonlight flooded the little graveyard, lighting up the faces of the headstones. He meandered past broken and neglected plots until he reached the area where things were still
pristine and new, and it was there that he found the grave of Constance Stewart.
"Right then," he muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together. He closed his eyes, drawing on the moonlight and the life around him, focusing on the grave before him and everything he knew of the woman. Alyssa kept tugging at his thoughts, but he had a feeling that wouldn't detract. He didn't even need to speak the words out loud to call Constance, he could feel her nearing, drawing back to the living world from her rest.
"I was wondering if someone would drag me back." Constance spoke with a weary voice, her form solidifying before him. Her grey hair was tied in a bun, face lined with age, though her eyes were the same piercing shade of blue as Alyssa's. "So, what's going on?"
Brandon chuckled. Constance had that same straight forward attitude as Alyssa did. "We've got a bit of a problem. I'm not calling you back permanently, but I wanted to have a chat."
She eyed him up as if gauging whether he was worth her time before shaking her head and tutting. "Out with it then. I was rather enjoying the peace and quiet."
"Mrs Nolan contracted me to come and bring you back to protect the Bay, in the event that Alyssa doesn't step into your position."
"What, the ghost wasn't enough to tempt her into claiming her magic? I was sure that would do the trick. She's contained it at least, hasn't she?"
"Ah, no. She struck a deal with him and set him free."
"She did what? That ghost was a primary power source for our family, we need him."
"Well, we can't do anything about that right now. She's still resistant to the idea of embracing her magic and I wanted to check in with you and see if you are willing to become a fixture of the town."
"I bled for this town," Constance hissed, leaning toward him, the icy chill of her power brushing against his skin. "I gave my time, and my life for it, and I'm not going to be shackled. It's time for Alyssa to take her place as the head of the family. Time for her to accept her birth-right."
"What about her little sister?"
Constance threw her head back and laughed. "She has no magic in her. She was not born of the Bay."
Brandon froze, the words clanging against other snippets of conversation in his head. "She was made of this place, wasn't she? Like the first woman made her baby from the Bay all those years ago."
"You know about that?" Constance's brow furrowed. "Did Nolan tell you?"
"No, but Alyssa knows, and let me tell you, she wasn't pleased to find out. Knowing how the women in your family have manipulated others has put her off accepting what she is."
"It's not like that though," Constance uttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I need to see her, I need to speak to her. Explain. Once she knows the truth, she'll understand, she'll want this."
Brandon shook his head, not so sure of that. Alyssa was many things, but she wasn't overly forgiving, nor was she inclined to listen to the full story. Yet, she'd heard him out, and they were okay. Weren't they? She'd listen to her Gran, surely. "Tell me. And then I'll figure out what to do."
"No, this is about family. And you're not family."
"Not yet, but I plan on being around for a while. Alyssa and I are... Well, we're something. I care about her, and I'm not going to let you do anything more to damage her."
Constance nodded, a slight smile turning her lips up at the corners. "Good. It's about time she met someone, and you seem like you might have the steady hand required to deal with her. The women in our family aren't known for their level-headedness."
"Tell me."
"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes, but the smile was still there. "When the first of our line came to this land to help with the settlement, she fell in love with the land, and the land fell in love with her. Papatūānuku herself, I speak of. She could see something in our blood, something she respected, and knew that in future times it might come down to the colour of your skin as to whether you could get things done. So she gifted a child to my ancestor, Bethany. And she grew that child and birthed it, loved it. Her name was Jessica, and when it was her time, she too accepted a child from Papatūānuku."
"Alyssa is a child of Papatūānuku too. Isn't she?" Brandon's brain hurt just thinking about it. That he had almost been prepared to manipulate and control the child of a goddess. And Alyssa didn't even know what she was.
Constance nodded. "She is."
"But not her sister."
"No, Alyssa's mother waited until after she'd done her duty and conceived Alyssa before settling down. She didn't want any part of it, but after Ronnie died..." Constance exhaled sharply. "I had two daughters by Papatūānuku. Two gifted to me from the earth. I was greedy and while there were no complaints at the time, I paid for that."
"Alyssa is infertile. Did you know that?"
Constance let out a sharp laugh. "We're all infertile. At least until after the goddess blesses us. If it weren't for her longing to be a mother, Bethany would never have conceived a god-child. Alyssa would never have been born."
"Well. Shit." Brandon plonked down, felt the dampness of the grass seep through his jeans as he sat there by the grave. "How the fuck am I meant to tell this all to Alyssa?"
Constance shrugged and Brandon surged to his feet. Willing her form more solid, he grasped her by the shoulder. "Don't you shrug. You all just play god with the lives of others. Maybe she's right and she shouldn't do this thing. Don't you care?" He released her, pushing her backwards and letting her form fade out.
"I do care." Her words were quiet, filled with pain. "But this is just the way it's always been. We have our duty. We trade our magic for the things we want, and as long as we're not hurting anyone—"
"She's hurting. And you did this. You, and everyone before you." He shook his head and turned away, cutting the connection with Constance and sending her from this place, not in the least bit comforted by what he'd found out here. How the hell was he meant to breach this topic with Alyssa—and on the other hand, was there any way he could not tell her and call himself a decent man?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alyssa was pouring her coffee when there was a knock on the door. She'd had her phone turned off for days now so it could be anyone—most likely someone she didn't want to see—and she contemplated whether to just ignore it entirely and pretend she wasn't at home.
She padded barefoot down the hallway, the wooden floorboards cool against her skin. Her fingers paused before clasping the handle and pulling the door open and for a moment didn't register the fact that there was no-one there.
But not nothing. Deja-vu.
This time however, it wasn't a weird relic left on her back step, but a brown cardboard box. She knelt down, picked it up tentatively and almost dropped it when something inside it moved. Alyssa swore under her breath, putting the box back down and nudging it with her toe. A soft meow came from inside and her heart both sank and ached. She flipped open the flaps of cardboard to see Socks looking up at her, blue kitten eyes deep and pitiful.
"Bloody Kelly," Alyssa muttered under her breath. "If you're still here show yourself. I can't believe you're stooping to leaving kittens on my doorstep." When there was no answer she shook her head. "I'm not taking him inside, you hear me? You come get him." She knelt down to fold the flaps back over but Socks knocked his head against her palm, his purr vibrated through her hand.
"Don't look so sweet. You're tainted. I can't love you now," she said, loud enough that someone hiding nearby could hear her. Satisfied that he wouldn't escape Alyssa turned back to the house. Another soft meow reached her ears and she paused on the threshold before turning back and grabbing the box. "This doesn't mean you're forgiven." She threw the words over her shoulder, slamming the door with her foot.
Buttons appeared further down the hall, slightly hazy as though he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be acquainted with the new arrival.
"Oh he's just a kitten, Buttons. Seriously. And you're a ghost. If anyone is going to be afraid it should be him."
Alyssa drew Sock
s out the box before discarding it on the floor by the door. "I'm not sure I missed you. I barely had time to get to know you," she told him. "But, I know Kelly well enough to know that she’d leave you there to wear me down. Better we just try and get along. No point in this break up hurting the kids." She gave him a kiss on the forehead before plonking him down on the ground. Socks instantly skittered forward, crashing through the spot where Buttons had been just a second ago. He turned around as if trying to see where the other cat had disappeared to, and Alyssa laughed.
"Well this should be entertaining at least." She returned to the kitchen to finish making her coffee, trying to push aside thoughts of Kelly, though she reached for her phone and turned it on to find twenty five missed calls, ten voice mails, and a gazillion text messages. Alyssa flicked through the notifications, pausing when she saw one from Sam and opening it.
Still waiting to hear from you. Let me know when a good time to talk is.
Oh yeah. There were more important things at stake than the fact that her best friend had shacked up with her ex. Like witchcraft and keeping the Bay safe. And figuring out what to do about Mrs Nolan.
And then it hit her. If she took on Gran's mantle and helped boost the barriers around the Bay, Kelly would never be able to come near her again.
And she'd be just as bad as everyone else in her family.
Shit.
One way or another, she was going to have to find a way to resolve their issues, because if she didn't then she'd always know that there was a chance she had done magic for the wrong reason. It was okay to be selfish sometimes, but not like this. Not with her magic.
Her magic. Yes, a part of her had already claimed it. Already made that decision. Now she had to go out and make it happen for real.
