After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1)

by Patricia Proctor

  Then this morning, everything went picture perfect. She told Xavier her plans for the day and he told her he was going to spend the day at the library doing research on the Alexanders and the property. She found that funny, but let him believe he was contributing. So far, they had given her nothing about the triplets — other than their school schedule, which she already knew. She dropped the three of them off at the library and parked at the back of the lot. She cast her disguise spell quickly so no one would notice her Mercedes driving out toward Peter’s house. Once she got to his house she cast another spell hiding her car from passersby, not that there were that many up this way, but she certainly wasn’t going to leave the scene until after Liam and Marcus showed up. She couldn’t resist watching their reaction.

  Since the curtains on the front window were wide open, she had no trouble seeing Peter turn on a basketball game, grab a beer, and settle into a recliner. She slipped on her gloves, walked up the side of the driveway so she wouldn’t be seen from the front window and simply knocked on the door. Without even looking to see who it was, he opened the door to her. She cast her spell immediately, walked in, and locked the door behind her. She walked him to the recliner where he was sitting before she arrived, and slapped him across the face. “It’s your due, old man!” Selene yelled at the catatonic Peter. Though she wanted to do more than slap him, she knew that if she killed Peter, Liam and Marcus wouldn’t stop searching until they found his killer. She couldn’t risk it. Not when she had so much to gain by waiting. She went to the kitchen and placed the note on the counter.

  She took her time looking around the house, but didn’t find anything of any interest to her. She didn’t think he would be stupid enough to leave anything valuable around the house, especially since she moved back to town. She also didn’t find anything she could use against him or anything that would help her get back what was rightfully hers, so she waited another twenty minutes to make sure he wouldn’t remember seeing her, and then made the call. She dialed 911, listened for the operator, held the phone for a moment so the line stayed open and then hung up. She wanted the operator to assume Peter was injured or unable to speak, so that when Liam and Marcus heard about it they would be filled with fear. After a couple of seconds, she opened the line again and set the phone on the counter next to her note. She walked out the side door, locking it on her way out.

  Selene sat patiently waiting until she saw the cars approaching from the road. She watched as first, the jeep, and then, Marcus’s truck pulled into the driveway. She watched Marcus and Liam walk around the house and finally go in through the front door. She was surprised to see the three Alexander kids sitting in the car and even more surprised that Liam would leave them alone.

  Seeing an opportunity again, she started to climb out of her car when suddenly another vehicle came speeding down the road toward the house. Who the hell is this, she thought, surprised when she recognized the Subaru from last night. Surprise turned to confusion when she saw Xavier, Cian, and Brianna driving the Alexanders’ car.

  The car went by so fast that the kids didn’t even notice her parked on the side of the road, or else her spell was even stronger than she thought it was. Xavier pulled the car directly behind Marcus’s truck and before she could react, Liam came charging down the driveway.

  She sat in the car watching her nephews talk to Liam. As usual, Brianna stood to the side observing everything without getting involved. Whatever was being discussed had Liam seeing red. He looked ready to strangle Xavier, but before things escalated further, the dark headed girl stepped in between him and Xavier.

  Selene glanced up on the porch at Peter who was looking around his yard. Although she knows he can’t see her, his gaze lingers ever so slightly in her direction. He has clearly recovered from the spell she cast; and she is certain that enough time lapsed that he won’t remember opening the door to her. She knows that as soon as Peter read the note, he would put two and two together. He would know right away that it was her who left it, and he would continuously wonder how she got in and out of his house. And although she left nothing out of place, he would know that she went through his belongings. This would make him wonder if she found out anything (she didn’t) or if she planted anything so that she could listen in on him (she did).

  She can’t help but wonder what he told Liam and Marcus about the note. They have no reason to suspect it was her who left the note, especially since to their knowledge she doesn’t even know Peter. He won’t say anything for fear of getting caught in the web of lies he’s spun. Unless the kids identified the car last night, none of them, except Peter, would know the note was from her. She lets out a long sigh, relieved that the first step of the process is complete.

  Eventually she sees Xavier hand the keys to Liam and head toward the jeep. She wonders how Xavier got the keys to the car in the first place and then notices that they all seem familiar with each other. Suddenly it dawns on her that Xavier didn’t go to the library to look up information, he was going to the library to meet the Alexanders. That sneaky little bastard, she thinks. I’ll give them a chance to come clean and if they don’t tell me about their little adventure today, I will begin my preparations.

  She watches the jeep back out of the driveway and sees Xavier in the front seat. Brianna and Cian are in the back and as they drive past, no one seems to notice her parked on the side of the road. She watches Liam slow down, and feels a trickle of fear that he saw her, but he quickly speeds back up again. She’s not at all surprised they didn’t see her since her spells have been getting stronger and lasting longer since she moved here.

  She waits until Marcus, Peter, and the kids leave the property before pulling out. She drives slowly toward the library and releases the spell when she gets onto the main road. At the library, she sees the kids sitting out front on the bench, waiting for her. She looks around the parking lot expecting to see Liam’s jeep somewhere, but it is nowhere in sight. She suspects that he is parked somewhere nearby, probably watching her looking around for him. She smiles at the thought.

  Chapter 23

  Before Selene arrives, Xavier, Cian, and Brianna discuss what to tell her. They have the advantage since she doesn’t know they saw her at Peter’s house. They also have time to prepare a story, since Xavier already knew she was going to be at the house. They all agreed it was important for him to stay on her good side. They decide that Xavier will do all the talking, while Brianna and Cian just play dumb.

  Brianna and Cian aren’t sure if they can trust Xavier since he didn’t tell them that he knew Selene was going to Peter Alexander’s house in the first place, but he explained that as long as one of them knows what her plans are, then they have the advantage. The less Brianna and Cian know the better it will be for them. Their lack of knowledge will protect them from Selene and prevent them from having to answer her questions on the spot. Brianna and Cian briefly make eye contact, conveying in a glance that neither of them trusts their brother 100% when it comes to Aunt Selene. Although they can see his point, they still feel betrayed by him.

  After spending the day with the Alexanders, Xavier admits to himself that he does not want to follow through with Selene’s plans. She may want the property, but the more Xavier thinks about it, the more he wonders what life will be like for them once it is hers. As far as Xavier can tell, Selene’s power has not gotten any stronger, but he definitely notices that she has become nastier than usual. Xavier knows how obsessed she is with the property, but for the life of him he can’t understand why. There must be other properties that don’t pose the same challenges that this one does.

  Xavier can’t help but like the Alexanders, and although he won’t admit it out loud, that includes Liam. Xavier liked how protective Liam was of his family and he thought how nice it would be to be part of such a strong family. He looks at Cian and Brianna and decides that all he can do is protect the family he has, while he can.

  Just as they see Selene’s car coming down the road toward
the library, Cian says, “Chloe is going to text me soon. She wants us to come to their house tonight. She wants to finish our conversation from earlier and sort some things out. We have to go, but since we won’t be able to talk later, we need a game plan now. How should I respond?” he asks his sister and brother.

  After thinking about it for a second, Xavier asks, “You’ve seen all this, brother?” When Cian nods, Xavier continues, “Your abilities are getting much stronger here. You have seen that we are going to go, right?”

  Cian nods again. “I know we’ll go, but that’s all I can see. I’m not sure how we will get out or what will happen when we get there. Xavier thinks for a minute then says, “When she texts you, ask her to pick us up at 8:00 at the school. It will be dark enough that we should have no trouble sneaking out, especially with all that Selene has been up to in the last 24 hours. She’s probably exhausted and will go to bed early. Just make sure it is at the school. We’ll have to walk so Aunt Selene won’t hear her car pull up.”

  Their aunt pulls up to the curb and they climb into the car. Selene smirks and asks, “How was the… library?”

  Xavier smiles and says, “Very interesting. I learned a lot. I’ll have to fill you in on what I found out… later,” he rolls his eyes back toward Cian and Brianna in the back seat, implying that what he has to tell her is not for their ears. Selene smiles, looking relieved to know that he still has her back.

  Back at their house, Brianna and Cian slip away as planned, giving Xavier a chance to talk to Selene alone. He told her the story they concocted that that they ran into the Alexanders at the library just as Liam arrived to pick them up. Chloe didn’t notice her car keys fall out of the backpack so Xavier saw a great opportunity to follow them. He quickly realized they were on their way to Peter’s house, but knew he couldn’t turn back. He figured their presence would distract them from searching for evidence about who had been there. He told her that Liam accused him of stealing the car and pretty much got in his face, but her name never even came up.

  Selene smiled at this and although she hesitated to completely believe him, she decided for now it was easier to just go along with what he said. She filled him in on how easy it was to cast the spell and get into Peter’s house, but she didn’t tell him about the note she left or explain what she was looking for. Neither of them said anything about Brianna and Cian, and after dinner, Selene retired to her room, exhausted from the last 24 hours.

  Xavier sits in his room watching the clock and thinking about the day’s events. He knows that Selene is keeping secrets from him and probably suspects him of lying to her, but tonight is a huge risk. If Selene finds out they are going to meet the Alexanders tonight, he doesn’t know what she’ll do to all of them. He feels an immense amount of pressure and needs to go for a run to blow off some steam, but knows that he will make too much noise coming back and showering so he just sits and waits quietly until it’s time to go.

  The house is still until 7:30 when Xavier lightly raps on Cian’s and Brianna’s doors. Fortunately for them, their bedrooms are on the first floor while the master suite, Selene’s room, is on the second floor, making it easy to sneak out without her hearing. Xavier slowly opens the sliding glass door to the back deck and after they are all out, he silently pulls it closed behind them. Putting his finger to his lips, he reminds them not to speak until they are off the property.

  Xavier hopes that Selene won’t come down to check to make sure the doors are locked or set the alarm. Even though they all have a key to the front door, the alarm beeps every time the door opens. If the back door is locked when they get home, they’ll know Selene came downstairs at some point and probably set the alarm. If she did that, then they will be screwed. They will be stuck outside all night, since she refuses to give them the alarm code for this exact reason. They can only hope that she is already asleep and will stay that way for the rest of the night.

  “Maybe we should have put a spell on her,” Cian whispers as they walk on the back roads to the school.

  “Maybe we should have put something in her wine to knock her out,” Brianna responds.

  “Too bad we couldn’t do either,” Xavier says. “If we would’ve even tried to cast a spell she would’ve known before the first words were out of our mouths. And, really, Brianna, what do we have that we could possibly put in her wine?”

  Brianna shrugs her shoulders and leaves the sarcastic question unanswered. “Does anyone else think it’s weird that we are meeting the Alexanders tonight?” she asks.

  “I’m glad we are,” Cian answers. “I feel like we have a lot to sort out, but at the same time I am curious about how they are getting out. I wonder where we’re going to talk, since Liam certainly won’t be excited about them spending time with us again anytime soon.”

  “They probably have something figured out,” Xavier says, thinking again about how quick Liam was to get in his face. “They’ve lived here their whole lives… I’m sure they know all the best places to hide from Liam.”

  At the school, they walk up to the front steps and sit down waiting for Chloe to pick them up. It’s strange being at the school after hours — everything seems much darker than it should be. “Wouldn’t you think there would be lights on somewhere?” Brianna asks as she looks around the desolate school grounds.

  “Don’t worry, Bri. Nothing will happen to you — we’ve got your back,” Cian replies. Though he won’t admit it, he feels just as unnerved as his sister. The school grounds are totally, completely pitch black. No lights were left on inside the building and although there are lights in the parking lot, none of them are lit. In hindsight, maybe this wasn’t the best place to meet them, he thinks as he looks around.

  Fortunately, they don’t have to wait long before headlights pull into the driveway where parents pick up their kids. It is so completely dark that they can’t make out the vehicle or see who is driving. The headlights flash once and then go dark. “That’s got to be them,” Cian says, looking at his watch. “It’s 8:00, on the dot.”

  “Let’s go,” Xavier agrees. He stands up and makes his way toward the parked car sitting idling in the driveway, with Brianna and Cian at his side.

  Even though they have made this walk twice a day, every day this week going in and out of school, Brianna notices how everything seems much more threatening and intimidating at night. A bush that she barely notices during the day now looks like someone crouched down, waiting to pounce on her as she walks past. She steps closer to Xavier and Cian, then notices movement at the corner of the building. She gasps out loud, but before she can say anything she makes out the US flag, which for some reason is flying at half-mast tonight. She can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen, but her feet keep moving her toward the parked car in the driveway.

  Cian and Xavier don’t pay any attention to Brianna’s fear; it’s obvious her nerves are getting the best of her. Only when they get closer to the vehicle, do they recognize the jeep. They hesitate only for a moment before realizing, of course, Chloe would be driving the jeep. She would have easier access to those keys since her dad probably took away her car keys. They are completely surprised when they open the door and the interior light brings them face to face with Liam.

  “Expecting someone else?” he asks when he sees the shocked looks on their faces. He can’t hold back his grin and hopes that it made him look friendly rather than maniacal. The last thing he needs is for them to bolt. Chloe would be pissed.

  “Driving privileges were temporarily revoked so I told Chloe that I would come pick you tonight,” Liam says.

  Too stunned to say anything, Xavier, Brianna, and Cian look at each other and then climb into the jeep completely unprepared for whatever is about to go down.

  “So, does your Aunt Selene know that you are meeting my kids tonight or am I an accessory?” Liam asks, already knowing the answer to the question. Without thinking, Brianna chuckles and replies, “She wouldn’t let us out of the house if she kne
w we were meeting you.” Unsurprised at her honesty, Liam looks in the rearview mirror at Brianna, and asks “Oh? And why is that?”

  Xavier shakes his head at his sister and in case she missed it and before she can answer he says, “Look, we’re not sure why Chloe wanted to meet us tonight, but we don’t want any trouble, Chief Alexander.”

  Liam glances over at Xavier and knows that somehow he needs to fix this with him. He’s just a kid for God’s sake and has had enough difficulty in his life. Liam doesn’t need to add to it. Liam suspects that he is only acting defensively because Liam cornered him earlier. Attempting to make peace, he says, “I think it’s time you all start calling me Liam.”

  They all nod, totally surprised and somewhat wary of Liam’s sudden and unexpected friendliness. Liam looks at Xavier next to him and Brianna and Cian in the backseat. He hopes that whatever Chloe sees in them, she is right. Liam knows he is putting his whole family in danger bringing these kids up to the house.

  Chapter 24

  Chloe paces anxiously awaiting her dad’s return. She can’t help but feel bad for Cian, Xavier, and Brianna. She knows they are going to be shocked when they see Liam in the jeep. She was going to text Cian to tell him, but Rowan and Kaiden convinced her not to in case it alerted their aunt. She just hoped that her dad didn’t say or do anything to start things off on the wrong foot or worse, make them decide not to come.

  When they got home from GG Peter’s, Chloe took a quick nap while they waited for Liam to return to the house. She has started noticing that if she wakes up before going into a deeper sleep, she has a vision of what she thinks is the future. This time she woke up in a cold sweat terrified of what she saw in her dream. She called out for Rowan and Kaiden. When they finally came into her room, they were shocked by how pale their sister was. Chloe refused to tell them what she saw until the whole family was together so when Liam finally got home they all sat down in the kitchen to talk.