Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series

by Geof Johnson

  “I know why you girls are here,” Momma Sue rasped.

  “Oh really?” Cassandra said. “And why is that?”

  Rita wanted to reach over and pinch Cassandra. Don’t say anything stupid, Cass! If Momma Sue thinks we’re being disrespectful, she’ll send us home empty handed.

  “I heard about Isabelle,” Momma Sue continued. “Tried to walk home eight miles in the dark, and wearin’ black.” She cackled. “Stumblin’ drunk, too! Silly old fool. She always was a stubborn one.”

  “We miss her real bad, Momma Sue,” Rita said. “She was a good witch.”

  “You miss her ’cause she was the leader of your triad.” She narrowed her eyes at Rita. “That’s your job now. You ready for it, Rita Red?”

  “I think so.”

  “You think so?” She raised her voice. “You think so? What kind a’ answer is that? You be messin’ with powerful magic, and you think you’re ready?”

  Rita nodded her head firmly. “I mean, I know I am. It’s time. I learned a lot from Isabelle.”

  “You learn enough?” The woman’s brown eyes were penetrating and hard, measuring Rita as they held her prisoner.

  I’m not going to let her get to me. Rita said without looking away, “Yes, I’m ready.” She put her hand on Cassandra’s arm. “We’re ready. But we need a third witch.”

  “I knew that.” She reached over to the small table beside her and picked up a cloth pouch, closed at the top by a leather draw string. “This is what you need.” She tossed it onto Rita’s lap.

  “What is that?” Cassandra asked.

  “Scryin’ powder.”

  “I thought you used a pendant or a crystal for that.”

  “That’s for amateurs.” She nodded her head knowingly. “Girls that use the Ouija board and other nonsense. That powder there is the real deal. Momma’s Sue’s special blend.” She laughed at her little joke. Rita forced a smile.

  “How do we use it?” Rita asked.

  “You gots to wait ’till the next full moon, for starters.”

  “When’s that?” Cassandra said.

  “Fifteen days.” The old woman scowled at Cassandra. “Don’t you know, girl? What kinda witch are you, don’t know the phases of the moon?”

  Cassandra looked at her lap and mumbled, “I know ’em, kinda. Don’t pay attention, is all.”

  Rita came to her defense. “Me and Izzy always worried about that. Cass had other responsibilities.” Like painting her toenails. “So what do we do next?”

  “Wait ’till it’s around midnight on the full moon…don’t have to be exactly twelve o’clock, just close… and get you a flame goin’.”

  “A candle? Or can we use Sterno?”

  Momma Sue chuckled. “Sterno. I use that sometimes. Candle might get put out by the powder. You’re gonna sprinkle that stuff into the flame, but before you do, you and Cassandra got to hold hands and link up real good, and focus on what you’re lookin’ for. I mean really focus.” She glowered at Cassandra. “I don’t mean thinkin’ ’bout your makeup and your boyfriend or whatever.”

  “I got it, Momma Sue,” Cassandra said and pressed her mouth tight.

  “All of the powder?” Rita said.

  “Depends,” Momma Sue said. “Start off sprinklin’ kinda lightly and keep goin’ ’till you get your answer.”

  “Do we have to chant or recite anything?”

  She scrunched up her wide nose and shook her head. “Just so long as you’re focused, the powder will do the job on its own.”

  “What form will the answer take?”

  “It varies, but you’ll know when it happens. Won’t be no doubt.” She looked intently at Rita. “You think you got all that?”

  “Yes, Momma Sue. It’s not too hard.”

  “Good.” She grinned, showing a mostly full set of yellowed teeth. “Now, you got something for me?”

  Rita reached into her purse, withdrew a thick white envelope, and handed it to Momma Sue. “Do you want to count it?” Rita said.

  Momma Sue put the envelope under her nose, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nostrils. “No. Smells like it’s all here.”

  “Good.” Rita rose from the floor. “We gotta run.” She helped Cassandra up and said, “One more thing. We need a doll.”

  “A voodoo doll?” Momma Sue said. “What you want it for?”

  “We need it to help convince the new girl to join us. It’ll help us connect with her better.”

  Momma Sue looked at Rita for a long moment, her eyes unreadable black marbles. Finally, she reached into a pocket in her skirt and pulled out a little white cloth doll. “I knew you was gonna ask, but before I give you this, you gotta promise to use it for that purpose only. You may not use it to hurt her. This is not Haitian voodoo, Rita Red.”

  “I promise, Momma Sue.”

  “’Cause if you do, I’m gonna have to punish you. Can’t let you give Momma Sue’s voodoo a bad name.”

  “I won’t.” She held out her hand and Momma Sue gave her the doll, which Rita dropped into her purse. “Thanks for everything, Momma Sue. We can let ourselves out.”

  “’Course.” She gave the smallest of nods, then looked away, dismissing them with sudden indifference.

  Rita and Cassandra left, and when the front door closed behind them, Cassandra said, “That woman gives me the heebie jeebies. She makes me feel like a little kid who needs a spanking.”

  “Sshh.” Rita put her finger to her lips and stepped across the wooden walkway.

  “You think she can hear us?”

  Rita pointed to a lone crow perched on a nearby branch.

  “Really?”

  “Really, Cass. Keep it to yourself ’till we’re in the car. In fact, wait ’till we’re all the way out to the highway.”

  “You think she’s got other animals listenin’ to us?”

  “Probably. Maybe even the bugs. Some might’ve crawled in here.” She grabbed the car door handle. “But I got an amulet in the glove box that’ll take care of that. She’s not the only one with magic.”

  Chapter 15

  Jamie nearly stumbled on another tree root. Man, thisis tough, he thought as he ran. No wonder the course record is so slow.

  It was Saturday morning, and he and Bryce were far ahead of the pack, huffing up a long hill that ran through a densely wooded area next to West Henderson High. Bryce was running hard. He must be recovered from his stress fracture.

  They crested the hill and turned at the marker that funneled them back toward the school and the finish line. Jamie groaned inwardly as he gauged the distance and estimated his reserves. I don’t know if I can keep up. I blew it out on the last hill. Bryce doesn’t seem to be affected, though. The trees thinned and they ran onto open grass. I know he wants us to finish together, but if I hold him back, he might not get the record.

  They were less than one hundred yards from the finish when Jamie gasped, “Go on.”

  Bryce glanced at him. “No. Push it.” He ran another few strides. “We’re gonna get it.” He caught his breath. “The record.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Don’t wimp out.”

  I’m hurting. I’m going to lose my form. “Go!”

  “You go,” Bryce said as he pulled a step ahead.

  Jamie pushed with everything he had to make up the gap. I’m holding him back. The finish line was only forty yards away, but it seemed like miles; his body was rebelling, a mutiny of the muscles, and he felt like he was slowing.

  Bryce stayed with him, though. Twenty yards to go and their coach stood at the line, glancing at his watch and waving them on. A few others at the finish were shouting for them. Jamie squeezed out his last ounce of energy and they passed the flags together, stumbling to a halt and gasping, hands on hips.

  Their coach joined them, shaking one fist in the air and grinning jubilantly. “You got it, boys. New course record. You beat the old one by almost five seconds.”

  Bryce nodded and grinned, then slappe
d Jamie’s hand. “Told you we could.”

  Jamie shook his head. “You coulda run faster if you hadn’t held back at the end.”

  “I had to. I felt a little twinge in my hamstring…didn’t want to pull it.”

  He’s lying, Jamie thought. He’s not favoring it now.

  “There’s a fellow I want to introduce you to,” their coach said, gesturing to a man standing nearby. “This is Mark Stillwell, the assistant cross country coach at Western Carolina.”

  Wow! Jamie thought. A coach came to see us run?

  He was slightly taller than Jamie and trim, with thinning brownish-blond hair and a tanned, youthful face. He shook Jamie and Bryce’s hand and said, “Great race, guys. Your coach has been in touch with us all season, sending us your meet results.” He nodded. “You guys have finished one-two in just about every race, haven’t you?”

  “Except for one, when I was hurt,” Bryce said.

  Shouldn’t tell him that. Coaches don’t want damaged goods.

  “You didn’t look hurt today.” Bryce gave his head a tight shake and the coach continued, “I heard you’ve been running college-level workouts. Gotta be careful about over training.”

  “We really wanna win,” Bryce said.

  “I like that attitude.” He nodded. “The reason I came over here today is we’re looking for some talent for next year, and I was wondering if you boys would consider Western Carolina as your college.”

  Jamie and Bryce both looked at him open-mouthed and he continued, “It’s a great school, beautiful campus, about an hour and a half drive from here, so it’s not too far. Lots of pretty girls. Excellent academics. We’re a Division One program, and we have a very competitive team.”

  “What kind of scholarships can you offer?” Bryce said.

  “Well, we’ll have to talk about that, but if your grades are good…are they?” He raised his eyebrows and both boys nodded. “Anyway, we can work out a combination athletic-scholastic scholarship. It would end up being about the equivalent of a full ride.”

  “Can we come see the school?”

  “I was getting to that. Why don’t you come visit us some Saturday when the season’s over? We’ll give you a tour of the campus and let you meet the rest of the team. I know you’ll like it.”

  “Sure.” Bryce shook his hand and Jamie did too. “Sounds great, Coach.”

  “Excellent.” He smiled and checked his watch. “Well, I gotta get back. We have a meet this afternoon, so I need to get on the road. Call me, okay?”

  They waved as he left. Bryce turned to Jamie, grinning broadly, and said, “So, what do you think?”

  “Huh.” Jamie ran a hand through his hair. “I’m a little overwhelmed. It’s cool, though. Western Carolina is a good school, I hear.”

  They started walking to the team bus, and Bryce said, “It would be awesome if we both went, huh? We could keep running together, and we’d be roommates and stuff. And it’s in Cullowhee, I think. That’s far enough away so that I can get away from my parents.”

  “And still come home to see Sally.”

  “I’m not worried about that. Have you and Fred talked about what you’re going to do?”

  “No.” What are we going to do? Are we going to go to the same school? Then he remembered the doorways. Guess it won’t matter. I can see her anytime, just by using my magic. “Fred and I haven’t talked about it. But I’ll go to visit the school with you, if you want. I think it’ll be great.”

  On the bus ride back to their school, Bryce talked on his cell phone to his girlfriend while Jamie looked out of the window, lost in thought. He hadn’t considered what he and Fred would do about college. What if she doesn’t want to go there? If she goes to a different school, can I make a doorway there without someone noticing? Colleges are crowded.

  He’d never tried Eddan’s trick of translocating himself without using doorways. How would I explain that, anyway? “Oh, hello, you must be Fred’s roommate. I’m Jamie. I live across the state, but I thought I’d pop in.”

  Then his thoughts turned to Rollie. Will I still get to see him, too? He’s my best friend. We’ve been friends forever…what’ll that be like? No Fred or Rollie?

  He knew what his parents would say: College is a chance to make new friends and grow as a person.

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to grow, just then.

  He spent the rest of the bus ride trying to imagine life without Fred and Rollie.

  * * *

  Jamie pulled into the parking lot of the dance studio and rolled his window down. He had to yell to get Fred’s attention because she was surrounded by parents and little girls, standing outside of the front door and chatting. “Hey Fred, hop in. I’m taking you home today.”

  Fred waved goodbye to her students and slid into the passenger seat, her face beaming with excitement. “This is a pleasant surprise,” she said as she closed the door.

  “I called your mom and told her I could get here in time.” He guided the car out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  She flung her bag into the back seat. “To what do I owe this honor?”

  “Well, I really wanted to —”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Did you not shower yet?”

  “No, I came straight from the meet. There’s something I wanted to —”

  “My kids were so cute today.” She clasped her hands to her chest and smiled. “You should have seen them. I found my old reindeer antlers from way back when I danced in my first recital. It’s the same recital these kids are doing. I let them try them on and took pictures of them. I’m putting them on Facebook when I get home.”

  Jamie steered the car around a corner and onto the road that led to their subdivision. “That’s great. I can’t wait to see them. But I —”

  “And one of the moms took a video. I promised I’d help her put it on YouTube. Can you help me with that?”

  He passed the little corner store where his father used to take him to get ice cream sandwiches. “Sure, but first I want —”

  She held up one finger. “Before I forget, I need to order some red foam clown noses to go with the antlers. You can do that, right? From the trick shop?”

  “Yeah, but Fred, you see —”

  “We need to do that soon, because it’s already November and the recital is the third week of December.”

  “Isn’t that when the regionals are for the talent search? How are you gonna do both?”

  “They’re a week apart. The recital is the Saturday before Christmas, and the contest is the following week.”

  He pulled onto their street and slowed down. I really need to talk to her. “What do you want to do tonight?”

  “I forgot to tell you. I’m spending the night at Melanie’s.”

  “Oh….” He pulled into her driveway. “Well, how about this afternoon? I could get a quick shower and —”

  “Melanie and I are going to the movies, soon as I can get ready.”

  “Oh.”

  She put his hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been so busy I’ve hardly had time to tell to you.”

  “Fred, we had a great meet today,” he said quickly. “Bryce and I set a new course record.”

  She reached into the back seat and grabbed her bag. “That’s your first one, isn’t it?”

  “A coach from Western Carolina was there.”

  She stopped. “A coach? What for?”

  “He was scouting me and Bryce. I think they’re going to recruit us. I might get a scholarship.”

  Fred looked at him wordlessly, as if she were still sorting out what he was saying, mentally trying to fit the square peg into the round hole. “Western Carolina?” She blinked at him several times and her voice got small. “But that’s far away.”

  “It’s an hour-and-a-half away.”

  “An hour-and-a-half?”

  “Yes, Fred! That’s what I need to talk to you about.”

  “Oh.” She looked at the dashboard for a long m
oment.

  “Oh is right.”

  “We need to talk.”

  He cocked his head before answering. “No kidding. When?”

  She looked at him, mouth tight. “Pick me up from Melanie’s on the way to church tomorrow. We’ll talk then.”

  “You forgot to say please,” he muttered.

  “Okay, please.” She put her hand to her face and shook her head. “We need to talk,” she said, turning away from him. Then she leaned over, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stepped out of the car, still shaking her head. “We really need to talk.”

  “I know! Fred?” She walked up her to her front steps without looking back.

  That wasn’t much of a goodbye kiss.

  Chapter 16

  Rita and Cassandra led Louis out into the parking lot of the Rusty Screw, and the door closed behind them, muffling the racket from the crowd and the jukebox. Rita looked around to make sure no one was nearby while Cassandra leaned against a pickup truck and lit a cigarette. Louis stood, hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket, a blue bandana wrapped tightly around his skull. “All right, Louis,” Rita said. “Before I give you this stuff, we need to agree on the price.”

  “Well….” Louis looked at his feet for a moment and scuffed one heavy black boot against the asphalt. “I was thinking: I’m short on cash right now, so instead of a flat fee up front, how about you get a percentage of the sale of the bike? Say…five percent.”

  “How much do you think you can get for it?”

  “About ten or twelve grand, maybe.”

  “For a Harley? It’s worth twice that.”

  “Yeah, it’s almost brand new. But I gotta sell it quick and on the sly so Sandra can’t pin it on me. I got a buyer lined up already, over in Morgan City.”

  “What do you think, Cass?” Rita looked at her tall friend.

  Cassandra tilted her head back, blew a long stream of smoke and watched it dissipate into the night. She said, “Ten percent.”

  Louis looked at Cassandra hard for a moment, and then turned back to Rita. “Ten percent’s a lot.”

  “You want to steal your bike back or not?”

  He rubbed his stubbled jaw and stared across the parking lot, past the other rusty trucks and older cars. He looked at Rita. “You sure this is gonna work?”