“Oh, well, when you put it that way…” Nathalie had finished her soup and sandwich. Just a brownie left, but Nathalie was getting anxious. “I’ll eat the brownie later. Let’s search Dean’s desk before he gets back.”
They walked through the halls and Nathalie peeked to make sure Dean wasn’t there. No one was there. It was completely deserted. Nettie walked to his cube and searched to no avail.
“Something is here, child. I can sense it in my bones. But I can’t see it. You need someone with the sight.”
“The sight?”
“Someone with the touch of magic.” Nettie was looking at Dean’s desk and nodding to herself.
Nathalie was still trying to wrap her head around what Nettie was saying. “Nettie, what are you talking about? Magic doesn’t exist. It can’t. It’s impossible!”
“Then explain to me what is happening to your beau? Nothing’s impossible, Nathalie.”
“Well…” Nathalie spluttered. “There has to be a logical explanation for this. Maybe she’s slipping him some sort of drug, or has hypnotized him, or is playing mind games…I don’t know! OH, THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS!” she fumed.
“What’s ridiculous?” Beth asked, startling Nathalie almost out of her skin. She and Dean had come back from their walk. They were holding hands and Nathalie’s heart filled with pain inside her. Beth’s mouth looked like a painful, swollen mass with her split lip, Nathalie noticed with satisfaction. At least that will limit any kissing, she thought desperately.
Nettie cut in smoothly when she saw Nathalie was speechless. “Oh, we were just looking for Dean. I insisted on seeing her young man, even though she tried to tell me some silly story that they were no longer a courtin’. Well, bless me; it would appear that she is telling the truth.” Nettie looked at Beth with a vacant, innocent expression. She frowned as she looked down at their clasped hands.
“That’s right, old lady,” Beth said with a sneer.
“Let’s just go,” Nathalie said in an agonized voice and pulled on Nettie’s arm, but she didn’t budge. Nettie was looking at Beth warningly.
“You’d better watch your tone with me, girlie. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Beth took a step back, looking shocked.
Nettie looked at Dean. “Well, let me just say shame on you, young man,” she said. She looked right into his face. Dean frowned in confusion and then the expression on his face smoothed out, and he didn’t say anything.
Beth had regained her confidence and Nathalie heard her laugh as she dragged Dean away, but Nettie had a satisfied look on her face.
“What, Nettie? Tell me,” Nathalie begged.
“That boy is bewitched, Nathalie. I’ve seen it before. You need to find that hex and destroy it.”
Nathalie sighed. “Nettie…”
Nettie stopped her and took her arm. “You listen to me, lass. There are forces at work here that you don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.” Nettie put her hands on Nathalie shoulders. “Your young man is in great peril. You need help. The right help.”
“Well, I don’t know anyone…”
“You know that Kellar girl.”
“Sadie? Oh my God, Nettie, those witch stories are so mean,” Nathalie said in horror.
Nettie shook her head. “The truth is not mean, child. It is merely the truth. That girl is a witch. It is her heritage. It is in her blood and her power is rising. You need her help. She’ll be able to see what you and I can’t.”
“I…”
“Trust me, child. I have seen this before. The results are heartbreaking. She can help you.”
They had reached the reception area. Nathalie noticed that Nettie didn’t have a visitor’s badge. “How did you get in, Nettie?”
“Right now, Nathalie, nobody is watching. I just walked right in.”
After Nettie left Nathalie headed back to her desk. She had a fluttery feeling in her stomach. She realized it was fear. When she got there her chocolate brownie was gone. Whoever ate it left the paper bag on the floor. Unbelievable, she thought to herself and realized that many unbelievable things were happening. She picked up the phone and called Luke. He answered after the first ring.
“So?”
“I can’t find anything. Neither could Nettie, but apparently I may not be able to.”
“Nettie was there?”
“Yeah, she brought me lunch and suggested I may need some help from a professional…er…a gifted person.”
Luke sighed in resignation. “Do you have a pen? I’m going to give you Sadie’s cell phone number.”
At full dark Sadie and Nathalie met on East Road outside the candy factory. It was completely deserted and very dark. From the back you could barely see Sadie. Her black dress and hair blended with the night. She was merely an undulating shadow. When Sadie saw Nathalie she nodded and followed her to the main door. Nathalie flashed her pass and opened it, motioning for Sadie to precede her. Sadie slipped in and Nathalie followed. She felt awkward. Asking Sadie had been difficult because she tried not to use words relating to witches, especially since she was not sure how Sadie felt about these types of things, being a Kellar and all.
Sadie had set her straight right away and been reassuring. “No point in beating around the bush. I’m a witch and can probably help you. Anyway, I’m the one who figured it out in the first place and looked up the hex after I saw Dean’s demeanor.”
“I really appreciate this,” Nathalie whispered in the dark as they headed towards the elevator.
“Not at all,” Sadie said quietly. She had a melodious and cultured voice. Her white skin glowed in the darkness and the dark made it seem as if she was floating.
“I know this must seem crazy…” Nathalie said.
Sadie waved her hand to stop her. “Nathalie, I’m a Kellar. I’ve been surrounded by witchcraft my whole life. I’ve read through Willow’s grimoire. Her spells worked. To assume a sort of…supernatural power doesn’t exist is just foolish.” Sadie shook her head and frowned. “People have become lax. They think everything that happened during the witch trials was due to ignorance and mass hysteria of the people. Now we’re ‘enlightened.’ But some of it was real. What Willow did to those children to gain power was real. Her hex is real.” Sadie stopped and was thoughtful for a moment.
Nathalie was awed. Sadie spoke with such conviction. She didn’t feel silly anymore.
They entered the elevator and got off on the second floor. Sadie automatically turned left. “There is definitely something here, Nathalie,” she said quietly. “I can feel it emitting tendrils of power.” Sadie turned the corner and walked right to Dean’s cube. She immediately bent down and crawled underneath his desk and within seconds held a small brown bag in her hands.
“How did you know that was there? I looked everywhere, even under his desk. That was not there this morning,” Nathalie said with surprise.
“Oh, it was there, but you couldn’t see it. The person who made this hid it from plain sight. Part of the hex acts on you and tells your mind to ignore it, otherwise, it would be very easily discovered.”
“How can you see it?” Nathalie asked, fascinated.
“I don’t have plain sight,” Sadie said simply.
Nathalie looked at the little sachet in horror. “So how come I can see it now?”
Sadie smiled. “I think it has to do with the fact that I’m holding it. Your mind kind of acknowledges its presence. Either that or my hands neutralize it. But if I put it on Dean’s desk, you won’t be able to see it anymore because I’m no longer interfering with the spell.” Sadie put the little bag down and Nathalie could still see it. But once she blinked it disappeared.
“It’s gone!”
“That’s because your brain has lost track of it.”
“Oh,” Nathalie breathed. She was even more awed of Sadie now. “Why isn’t anyone else affected?”
Sadie picked up the sachet and peered at it. “I suspect that some part of
Dean is wrapped up in this little bundle. Perhaps some of his hair…she needs something from him to bind the spell to him and him alone.”
“So…I’m guessing she’s bound something of her so he would fixate on her.”
“Exactly,” Sadie said, pleased. “It’s very simple.”
“Why would she do this?” Nathalie asked. She was amazed and angry at Beth’s audacity. What was the point? What was this girl trying to do? You can’t force someone to love you!
“That’s an important question, Nathalie. If it’s just because she likes him and wants him for herself, that’s one thing. It’s obvious that he’s completely besotted with you and some girls can’t handle the rejection. She can’t steal him from you by normal means, so she tries another way. She may just be a silly rival.”
Nathalie blushed. Dean was besotted with her, and she with him. The pain of losing that was enraging.
“But if she has another purpose, that’s what you need to be wary of.” Sadie looked at Nathalie with a very serious expression on her face. “This witch is very powerful, Nathalie. This spell is simple, effective, and ruthless. It’s one of Willow’s, and it’s power is growing. While Dean was obviously struggling against its call yesterday, his desire or inclination to do that will wane each passing day as the spell grows stronger, and the longer he stays in close proximity to it.” She stared at Nathalie. “She didn’t care about the consequences, Nathalie. Never forget that. It says something about her.”
“I won’t,” Nathalie whispered. “So what do we do with it now?”
“We destroy it.”
“How?”
“We have to take it apart and neutralize the hex.”
“Can’t we just incinerate it?” Nathalie thought of Peterson The Pyro and the sachet he had burned in her garbage can after her spider hallucination. Now she knew that Beth had been involved.
“Unfortunately, no, not this one. Whatever part of Dean she used has to be extricated and rendered useless for him to be free. Otherwise, there may be dangerous magical backlash. He’s very tightly bound. I wouldn’t take a chance.”
“What about Beth?”
“The moment we start the ritual to destroy the hex, she’ll know.”
“What about now? Does she know what we’re doing right now?” Nathalie worried. She didn’t want anything to interfere with her freeing Dean.
“No. Dean may feel a lessening of the insistent demand of the hex, but not Beth.”
“Assuming they’re not together right now,” Nathalie said with a crack in her voice.
Sadie smiled smugly. “Don’t you worry, Nathalie. The worst that’s happened is that Dean has been holding hands with a strange girl. Luke has been haunting his footsteps these last two days. And if you take into consideration the split lip you gave her…trust me, our Beth has not had any luck in the romance department.”
“Dean probably isn’t too happy about that.”
Sadie shrugged. “He’s being compelled. Other emotions pale to that call. If he is angry, he doesn’t stay that way for long. Luke is working around it.”
The girls left the candy factory and headed to Sadie’s house. They went around to the back. Bordering the Kellar property was Stone Creek, which flowed behind all the houses on Sadie’s street.
“Go to the water. I’m going to get the things I need to break the hex. I’ll be out in a moment.” Sadie headed to the back door and let herself into the kitchen and disappeared from sight. Nathalie headed to the bank of the creek. After a few trips, Sadie was satisfied she had everything. Her cell phone rang.
Sadie fumbled with the phone and Nathalie smiled. She obviously endured technology for Luke alone.
She glanced at Nathalie quickly and then turned when she answered. “Hi Luke,” she whispered. Nathalie could only hear one side of the conversation, but got the gist of it quickly. “Yes, we found the hex…no, there’s no danger…this IS my area of expertise, LUKE, if you would remember…he’s being difficult? Well, of course he is. He’s being compelled…lie to him…by the creek…there’s no need…fine, we’ll wait…no, we don’t need coffees!” Sadie hissed and hung up.
Nathalie laughed. “Luke never changes.”
Sadie grinned ruefully. “Luke is Luke, and he’s insisting we wait for him. He’s bringing Dean.”
Nathalie felt a flutter in her stomach. She knew it wasn’t his fault but she was still angry with him for being too weak to resist being compelled. Two days of hell. She wanted to punch him and kiss him at the same time.
Sadie looked at Nathalie in her assessing type of way. “Let’s sit,” Sadie said. She got a thick horsehair blanket from the Kellar’s rusty shed and placed it on the ground. It was peaceful near the creek in the dark. The gurgling water was soothing and the wind through the trees made the leaves rustle around them.
The girls sat and Sadie settled herself before putting a hand on Nathalie’s arm. Nathalie started to cry, heart wrenching sobs that rocked her body. Sadie scooted over and put her arms around her and let her sob.
When Nathalie was finished Sadie started to speak softly…as if she were crooning to a child. Nathalie sighed as she listened to Sadie’s soft voice drift around her like the wind. “Cry Nathalie, get it all out, but don’t hold any anger in your heart towards him,” she whispered. Sadie’s voice danced and echoed in Nathalie’s head as she spoke. “Being compelled is like mental rape. The call takes you, wraps around you, sings to you, and you must obey. It is the master, Nathalie, and no human can withstand its power with their will alone.”
Sadie paused, and then continued, “Willow used this hex on many men she wanted to use and then destroy. They went on to do horrible things for her. They stole children… They suffered terrible shame and indignities after she dumped them. A lot of the shame was because they still wanted her so badly. One of her lovers killed himself because he realized all hope was gone and that there was no escape.” Sadie’s voice trailed off. “No one knew about her spells and hexes. Willow was so powerful she was able to hide many things from the townspeople’s sight. They just thought she was amoral. Only the town scribe knew, and Willow suspected she did, but it was dangerous to stick your nose in Willow’s business, so the scribe bided her time until the time was right…and the rest is history. I have Willow’s journal. She wrote it all down. I am a direct descendant of her line. I will free your Dean for you. I won’t let another girl use Willow’s evil magic to destroy more lives.”
The two girls hugged. “Thank you Sadie,” Nathalie said tearfully.
Sadie just took her hand. “I ache for you, Nathalie. If it were Luke, I don’t know what I would do. I finally have him. He’s mine, and I love him so much…”
Nathalie listened quietly as Sadie confided in her first girlfriend. “You are so lucky, Nathalie. Dean has always been in your life. I had to watch Luke from afar, not allowing myself to even consider whether it would ever be possible. If someone were to interfere and make Luke do something against his will…I’d kill them.”
Nathalie nodded. Sadie wasn’t kidding.
The boys arrived in a breathless, muddled heap. They had biked from the Croft’s where Luke had been babysitting Dean, who had been babysitting his little brothers.
Dean was angry because the boys had slammed the door in Beth’s face when she had come calling. Nathalie may monopolize their adored older brother’s attention, and be a girl—two strikes against her—but they were loyal.
“Go away!” they had screamed.
“I’ll get you, you little brats,” she had hissed meanly as they stuck out their tongues.
“What’s going on?” Luke had asked, coming to the door and looking outside, but Beth had already gone.
“She gave PMS to Dean,” Eddie said angrily. “That’s why he’s been such an asshole the last few days.”
Zach gasped at the bad word and both boys covered their mouths and giggled with the badness of saying it out loud.
Luke just looked puzzled. “What exactly
is PMS in your world?” he asked the excited little monsters. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Zach rolled his eyes. “Pre Mental Syndrome. You know. Makes you crazy.”
“Dean musta caught it from her, since he’s been such an ass—” Eddie started, but Luke cut him off.
“Okay, enough with the ‘ass’ talk.”
They had left as soon as Dean’s parents had come home.
The girls jumped up and Luke grabbed Sadie, kissing her soundly on the mouth. Dean’s expression was puzzled and angry. He just stood back, unmoving. Nathalie didn’t move. She just looked at his blank face in anguish.
“You said Beth was here,” Dean said accusingly.
Luke frowned. “She’ll be here in a minute,” he lied.
Sadie took one look at Dean and lit the pillar candles she had brought out of the house and handed them out. She was standing beside a special burner filled with coals. They were red hot. “Everyone sit down, around the brazier. At the cardinal points would be best. Place the candle in front of you.”
Luke grabbed Dean and sat him down at the east cardinal and took north. Nathalie took west and Sadie sat south. They placed their candles and looked at Sadie expectantly. She took out the sachet and dangled it over the coals. She threw some herbs into the brazier and they burned like paper, emitting a thick smoke and a sickly sweet smell. Dean was staring intently at the bag. The area they were sitting in was strangely still, and the four of them breathed in the smoke.
“It smells like weed,” Luke whispered.
“It is ‘weed.’ It’s good for more than smoking. This plant relaxes all things.”
“Are we going to get stoned?” Luke asked curiously, but Sadie shushed him.
Nathalie was getting dizzy. She could see the wind was still blowing through the trees but she couldn’t feel it. There was no wind in the circle. All she could smell was smoke from the brazier. Dean’s eyes were closed and he slumped forward as Sadie chanted strange words. She wove her hands around the sachet and it fell away. It looked as if it was floating. Wax melted. A pink ribbon unraveled and a dried flower fell into the burning brazier. Still chanting, Sadie dropped the ribbon and some hair attached to it, which burned instantly, giving off a terrible smell. At that moment a rush of wind roared through the circle. Dean opened his eyes briefly before they rolled back into his head and he lost consciousness, falling backwards onto the grass.
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