by T. S. Harvey
‘Right then, Trump,’ spat Kacey, after she’d finished pulling apart what the geeks were wearing today, ‘when are you gonna try again?’
I wanted to tell her to stick it but I didn’t. I don’t know whether it was because I’d been so wound up that she’d thought I’d bottled it but I felt really determined to go back and try again. In the end I just shrugged my shoulders and suggested I try again later that day.
As we were leaving the canteen the geek, Erik, looked across at me. I fully expected him to blank me again so was really thrown when he actually smiled. I’d have smiled back but was conscious of Kacey giving him daggers and I could really do without another argument.
Later that day when school had finished, I text Aunt Suze to tell her I was going to see a friend after school, there was no point getting on her wrong side again after all.
As I had done the day before, I followed the bus all the way to Erik’s house. Once he’d been gone up the lane for ten minutes I parked the scooter about halfway up and walked the rest of the way. I’d figured that the balcony closest to the lane led to his bedroom as I’d seen him standing looking out from there last time. I decided to wait until it got a little darker.
I was starting to wish I’d bought a proper camera with me. If I’d had one with a decent zoom then I wouldn’t have to climb the trellising, I could have taken it from where I was stood. The thought of going up there was quite worrying.
I thought back to last night, again trying to figure out how I’d gone home in such a mess. I looked up at the balcony and wondered whether I’d attempted the climb last time, whether I’d taken a fall, maybe knocked myself out. If I had, then that would explain why I couldn’t remember getting into such a state. I dismissed this idea pretty quickly though, as I clearly remembered waiting in the lane, watching the house for signs of life.
It was dark again now and I was starting to get cold. I looked down toward the scooter wishing I hadn’t left my jacket on it. I hadn’t seen anyone moving about upstairs and there was no point climbing the trellising unless he was actually there.
I checked my phone for the time and it was just after 7.30 p.m.! What the hell! 7.30 p.m.? I’d told Aunt Suze I would be late back but I didn’t expect to still be here at this time.
I was just thinking of heading home when the light came on in the bedroom, the patio doors opened and Erik walked across to the edge of the balcony as he had yesterday. This felt every bit as weird as it had before. Looking out into the darkness he stared over in my direction, just like he was staring right at me. I felt really uncomfortable and started to edge backwards further into the shadows. I was pissed at not getting the damn photograph and the thought of facing Kacey without it the next morning made me feel quite sick, that wasn’t the worst of it though, when I got back to the scooter some bastard had nicked my fucking jacket!
When I finally got home Aunt Suze had gone out for the evening with friends, leaving a salad in the fridge for my dinner. I was pretty pleased. Not about the salad, about Aunt Suze, I really didn’t want to lie about what I’d been doing so now I could just avoid the subject altogether.
I got my dinner out the fridge, poured some juice, and sat down in front of the TV to watch Ellen. I put the plate on the coffee table and pulled it towards me. As I did so I noticed my pantyhose were ripped; again! I sat for a moment trying to think back to how this had happened. I could have sat there all night and not been certain but in the end I figured I must have caught them on the bracken hedge on the way back to the scooter in the dark. I felt a bit better at this point as this could well have been how I’d gotten in a mess the previous night.
The next morning was every bit as bad as I thought it might be. Kacey almost spat venom at me when I told her I still hadn’t got the photograph.
‘For Christ’s sake, give me a chance. It’s not easy. I’ve been stuck up that lane for two nights running waiting for the chance, someone stole my best jacket and for what? Why the hell do you want a photograph of a geek in his underwear, anyway?’
‘I don’t want it; I just wanted you to take it. It’s just a bit of fun but clearly you aren’t up to it.’
We bit back at each other for a few minutes until I couldn’t take any more.
‘Well, stick it, Kacey. I didn’t wanna do something so stupid in the first place. You only want it to humiliate the poor bloke on Facebook. You’re such a bitch. I really don’t need this or you.’
She shouted spiteful abuse after me as I walked away but I really couldn’t have cared less. The rest of the day I sat alone and I ate alone, it really dragged by. I was more miserable now than any first week of school ever.
Despite my misery what I decided to do next was really shameful. Without any goading or pushing from either Kacey or the girls I decided I would have one more go at getting that damn photograph. I think this time I just didn’t want to admit defeat; I always was very competitive and the thought of letting something beat me didn’t sit well. This time however I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I had to wait until it went dark again but eventually he came out onto the balcony, in his underwear! Bright red boxers – I was elated.
I waited until he went back inside, crept up the trellising, took the photograph from outside the patio door and then climbed triumphantly back down again. I knew what I’d done was childish and immature but what I did next topped even that. I uploaded the picture to my email and sent it to Kacey. The very minute I pressed send I pressed recall but it was too late. Anyone that’s ever tried to recall something knows it doesn’t always work and it didn’t work this time either. It took Kacey just under seven minutes to open the attachment and upload it to Facebook.
Chapter Five – What an idiot!
Erik
I had wondered whether to skip school today. After what had happened lately and in particular last night I didn’t know if I could face her without giving something away. In the end I’d set out an hour earlier than usual. I didn’t have any classes with her today so by getting in early I’d been able to avoid seeing her at all. I spent most of the school day and the bus journey home going over and over it all in my head. It had started off as a bit of a joke but now I was starting to feel really guilty. I’d wiped her memory of what had been happening but what if I hadn’t gotten it quite right? Using too much power in this way could cause long term memory loss but I’d had to do it. I couldn’t risk her knowing who or what I was. It was stupid of me really. It was even a touch rebellious. Dad had decided we would never practise magic, ever, but now and again I couldn’t help it I just had to do something; perhaps to remind myself of who I really was and what I could do. Selfish, in truth. Dad had warned me that one day I’d trip up and that I shouldn’t take risks.
It had started innocently enough. I’d sensed her following me home that first time and I knew it was likely to be some kind of dare from one of the girls, most probably Kacey. She’d dared girls before to try to find ways to humiliate me and I guess this time I’d just had enough and I decided to fight back. She’d shimmied up the trellising and was stood, hid as she obviously thought, outside the patio doors that led to my bedroom. I was just gonna shout at her; perhaps frighten her a little, after all I owed her nothing so why should I care. In hindsight I wish I’d done just that. I waited until I knew she was looking and I did something I really shouldn’t have. In the instant that I’d done it I wished I hadn’t. I sensed her fear, in fact I didn’t just sense it I felt it. She stumbled backwards over the chairs on the balcony as she ran back towards the trellising. I reached out to grab her but even with my speed I wasn’t quick enough and she fell almost head first to the ground below. I leapt over the balcony wall onto the floor beside her and screamed for Jared and Dad to come out. Jared didn’t hesitate, but then he never did, he never panicked. Holding his hands over her for just a moment, concentrating quietly in the darkness it didn’t take too long before she started to come around.
Dad told me to bring her inside to make sure sh
e was OK; what he really meant was to make sure she didn’t remember anything.
I’d bought plenty of girls back to the house before now and Dad was really cool about it. This time though I hadn’t bought her back, she’d followed me. After I told him what I’d done I knew he was angry. He was also concerned as, like me, he sensed something about her. Jared was the most worried though. His ability to sense was the best there was and although he recognized something he couldn’t pin point it. This wasn’t normal for him and I think he felt a bit threatened by it. The whole thing was a mess and I really wished I’d handled things differently.
When she came around I spoke gently to her, not because I felt like being gentle but because that was just part of the process. Whenever I performed mental changes my voice would be calm, my tone measured and reassuring; my insides however weren’t necessarily as calm as my outsides portrayed.
After we felt confident that she would be OK to get home I led her to the top of the lane. I’d instructed her to forget everything that had happened and that she would only remember seeing me on the balcony once. Any intelligent, clear thinking individual would have left it at that, but not me. I was still way too curious about her to let it go at that and I instructed her to come back the following night! What an idiot!
The following night, so she’d know I was in I’d allowed her to see me on the balcony for a moment before going back inside. After she’d started to climb the trellising I crept back out onto the balcony to wait for her. I could hear her wincing whenever she caught a thorn or lost her footing and I felt bad that I’d let it get this far, that I hadn’t just invited her inside instead of keeping up this pretence. After she’d hauled herself over the top of the wall she stood for a moment, straightening her skirt and complaining to herself about the state her pantyhose were in. As you can imagine she was pretty shocked when she turned around to see me standing there.
She looked scared but nothing like as scared as she had been the night before. I could hear her heart racing, beads of sweat on her forehead starting to edge down towards her eyes. She’d stammered awkwardly at first but then started to laugh, she had a great laugh.
Instead of acting surprised I just invited her to come and sit down. After a little coaxing to get to the truth it turned out that Kacey had dared her to get a photograph of me in my underwear and whilst I felt a little annoyed I didn’t show it. I’d punished her enough already and she was genuinely embarrassed at having agreed to do it.
We spent the next couple of hours talking, laughing mostly, and by the time she left I knew that was it. I’d fallen for her and fighting all my instincts to stay away from someone that made me feel I wasn’t quite in control was not gonna be easy. Before it came time to leave I wiped her memory again and instructed her do the same thing the following night. I knew Dad and Jared weren’t happy about her being around but they always let me make my own decisions and I knew they’d cover my back if I got it wrong.
The following night was pretty much a mirror image of the night before. This time however, after going through the pretence of coaxing her to tell me why she was there I persuaded her to take a photograph of me in my brightest boxers. I figured this would get Kacey off her back once and for all and then perhaps we could start over. After I’d walked her back to the top of the lane I should have just smiled and said a friendly goodnight, but I didn’t; like I said, what an idiot. As I reached out and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear I leant in and kissed her. Softly at first but, as she responded, my kiss became more powerful, more urgent. I could feel the Warlock in me rising – her aroma was overpowering and I was ready to take her there and then. It took everything I had to resist my natural urges; well, it took everything I had, plus Dad calling out to me to come inside! As I walked back to the house I had no idea what I was gonna do next. I hadn’t instructed her to do anything but forget we’d talked, forget we’d kissed; to remember only that she finally managed to get the photograph. I’d been tempted to Influence her to come around the next day but I didn’t. She believed I was just some geek and yet she’d still been happy to spend the last few hours laughing and flirting with me. For a sixteen-year-old, I’d had a lot of meaningless sex with a lot of random women and none of them meant a thing to me. With Sarah, though, things felt different; this time I wanted it to be something else. This time I wanted it to matter.
After school and before I’d even turned into the lane that led up to our house, I’d sensed that Dad was already home.
‘Erik! Come in here please,’ came a firm shout from the lounge.
‘Yeah, be right there.’
I hung my jacket up on the hook by the front door, left my bag and books on the bottom of the stairs and went through.
‘So you want to tell me exactly what happened last night?’ he asked calmly as I sat down on the chair by the hearth.
‘Nothing happened. I didn’t let it get that far.’
‘Look, I know you’re not gonna like this but I think you should stay away from her.’
‘But …’ I tried to interrupt but Dad cut me off.
‘I’m not finished,’ he said sharply. ‘I have no problem with how many girls you hook up with. You’ve always made sure nothing came back on us but this is different. We can’t be sure what it is about her, Erik, but you sense it too. You can screw any girl you want but not this one. Are we clear?’
I nodded submissively.
‘There’s something else I need to tell you, Erik.’
The look on Dad’s face told me not to speak but to listen.
‘You know I didn’t decree we shouldn’t use magic just out of a sense of wanting to be normal, don’t you? I told you The Council were hunting down Segans but what I didn’t tell you was why. Many centuries back The Council’s Seer, Luka Menae, foretold of a child, a child between a Warlock and a Moirai and that this child would bring about the downfall of The Council. For this reason they tried to kill off the Moirai line. About thirty years ago, a descendant of Menae had the same vision but this time he named our Segan line as the Warlock involved. This is why they hunt us; this is why we don’t perform magic and this is why we need to stay under the Tracers’ radar.’
I knew that a Warlock’s magic was like a fingerprint; a fingerprint on the air that could be sensed by the Tracers as well as other Warlocks. I was certain that had we lived in town then the little magic I did perform would have been picked up by a Tracer. Tracers were agents of The Council. They had used them to hunt down and kill the children of the Moirai line in order to ensure there could be no progeny. Along with the Grenae, the Moirai were the most powerful and feared of all witches, more powerful even than Warlocks. The struggle to remove them from the earth raged on for centuries. In the end The Council deployed the Tracers as they were the most adept at infiltrating covens and ultimately they believed their line was extinct.
‘But what has this got to do with me seeing Sarah?’ I asked.
‘Jared thinks she might be the Moirai they are looking for.’
‘No! She can’t be. She’s just an ordinary girl, Dad. If she’d been a Moirai, I wouldn’t have been able to instruct her.’
‘Yes you would. Whilst their magic lies dormant, a Moirai is just like any other human. If she hasn’t been released, she is just like any other girl.’
Jared had extraordinary senses, much better than Dad or I could ever hope to have but this time he was wrong, I was certain of that. When he joined us in the lounge a few minutes later his hesitance to confirm for sure what he felt made me more confident than ever that he was wrong. Unfortunately Dad wasn’t so convinced.
‘Just in case, Erik, you need to stay well away from her. You can have your pick of the girls but not this one. I don’t want to have this conversation again. Understood?’
‘Yes, of course,’ I said, somewhat despondent at it all.
‘You need to stay well away from her.’
‘I will, Dad, of course I will.’
The words almost st
uck in my throat. The truth was, not only did I not want to stay away from her, I didn’t know if I could.
Chapter Six – Second Chances
Sarah
Friday afternoon and I couldn’t wait for the final bell. I knew that at some point there would be fallout from my resigning from the pack the previous day but I was ready for it, I wasn’t looking forward to it but I was definitely ready for it. I might not be as tall as some of the girls but I always said that what God didn’t give me in height he gave me in shoulders! For today at least though I managed to avoid conflict and that was good enough for me, I tried to stay positive and put the whole sorry week behind me. I’d been ashamed at emailing the photograph of Erik to Kacey and there had been a fair bit of sniggering going on every time he’d walked into a room. He seemed pretty oblivious to it all but that didn’t make me feel any better. As the school day drew to a close, I dreaded the thought of bumping into him on the way to the bus stop so I feigned period pains and cut out twenty minutes early.
‘Well, I’m pleased to see you back at a reasonable hour,’ grinned Aunt Suze when I arrived home.
‘And it’s Friday, woo hoo,’ I smiled back.
‘OK, so what do you want to do tonight, movies, dancing, drinking?’
Aunt Suze could be an awful tease. I knew there was no way she’d let me have alcohol. She was a bit of a free spirit compared to my dad but underneath that free spirit she was capable of being responsible.
‘Yeah, I reckon dancing and a bottle of JD,’ I said with a wink.
‘That’s that sorted then. Dinner and a movie it is.’
There was a new Brad Pitt movie on at the Multiplex, so it was an easy decision as to what we were gonna see. He was a bit old for me but boy did he keep that body hot. After the movie we went over to a new Mexican place on the other side of town. It was a bit of trek on foot but Aunt Suze didn’t suggest getting a cab so I didn’t say anything. It was nice spending time with her. She was usually out of the house before I got up; she worked 7 till 3 at a care home a few miles out of Tredegar Heights. This always surprised me, as she didn’t really need to work. She’d ‘seen off’ two husbands and, with the policies they had left her, she wasn’t strapped for cash. She always said she enjoyed her job and felt like she was giving something back by doing it. I didn’t understand that either to be truthful but I never pushed her to elaborate, I just figured it was an age thing; after all, she was almost 43 now.
