The Memory Witch

by Wood, Heather Topham

  I was grateful that Stella was gone by the time I came back through the backdoor off of the kitchen. My mother was still sitting in the couch and staring off into space. Once she heard my noisy entry, she leaped from the couch and ran to greet me.

  “Quinn, I’m so sorry. I know you must hate me right now, but I swear on your life that I was only trying to save our family.” She grabbed my hands and begged me to understand with her emerald eyes. I tried not to flinch at her overbearing manner.

  I gave her a forced smile. “Mom, I just want to know the truth. It’s my life. I’m not a kid anymore that you need to shelter. I can handle whatever happened to me.”

  Before I had finished speaking, my mom was already shaking her head empathetically. “Quinn, I’ll never tell you. I’m sorry and I realize you don’t understand my reasons. But let this go.”

  “Mom…” I started.

  She cut me off. “No, Quinn. I’ll give you anything else besides that,” she declared. “I’m serious about taking your place. If going to live with Stella for a year is too much to ask of you, we’ll refuse. I have no idea the extent of her power, but we’ll tell her she can do her worse.”

  “Mom, that’s not even an option,” I refuted. “Do we have any other options? If your family is magical, can we find someone to help? Maybe do some sort of counter spell?”

  “I wish that was the case, but my family hasn’t practiced witchcraft in decades. All of the old books were destroyed years ago,” she sighed.

  “So, that’s it? Basically you sold your own daughter to a witch for a year? Do you have any idea how much work I’ve put into getting out of this town and going to college?”

  Her eyes filled with shame. “Of course I do, Quinn. Stella wouldn’t take anything else I had to offer. I only did this to protect you.”

  “You keeping saying that, but you’re not even telling me what you’re protecting me from.” I paused and gritted my teeth in frustration. “How could you not tell me that she may be coming for me? How could you let me get my hopes up about college?”

  “I’m sorry. I never thought…”

  I interrupted her. “Betting my future on Stella being dead was thoughtless.”

  My mother’s only response was to begin sobbing loudly. Each cry reverberated through my own body and drove home a single point—she would not be helping me get out of this.

  I went over to the couch and blew out a long breath. My mother’s bargain with the witch would completely alter the course of my future. Things that were certainties an hour ago—a business degree from Lehigh and a happily ever after with Tanner—were improbable now. My scholarship to Lehigh would likely be revoked and it was doubtful that I’d be able to afford college without it. My mother looked tortured as she sat down next to me. I laid my head against her shoulders and tried to rally for her sake. “It’s only a year, right? I can start college next fall and it will be like this year never happened.”

  “Absolutely, sweetheart,” she agreed, tears still in her voice.

  “What do you think it will be like there? What does she expect me to do?” I questioned.

  “She’ll teach you everything she knows about being a witch. You’ll learn the elements that work with each spell and the invocations that go along with them,” she sighed. Her eyes fluttered close and I imagined she was revisiting the past. “As I said before, my family hasn’t practiced in years. My great-grandmother accidentally killed her husband during a ritual and vowed to never use witchcraft again. She burned her spell books to prevent her heirs from learning any of the enchantments.

  “The women of our family knew we had the ability to cast spells, but never the knowledge of how to do so.” My mother’s voice was detached as she described her family’s history. My head was swimming with this newfound knowledge. She had never shown any interest in the occult. Our bookshelves were stuffed with romance novels and medical journals, not spell books and paranormal studies.

  Before I could question her further, she continued. “My family’s background gave me the faith that Stella could help us. When I made the deal, she promised that when you would turn eighteen, she would only ask that you stay at her estate for one year. She wanted someone to carry on her work after she died. To be honest, Quinn, she looked ancient then and I figured she wouldn’t live another ten years.”

  “You really think I have any supernatural abilities?” I asked doubtfully. “I sprained my ankle when I ran from the house and she healed it with her hands. It seems far-fetched that I could do anything like that.”

  I begged for logic to destroy the probability of Stella using magic to heal me. Maybe, I hadn’t injured myself to the extent I believed. Maybe the sweet balm had helped without magic coming into play. As much as I tried to rationalize what had happened, I couldn’t deny that I had felt heat surge through her hands and the pain was instantly diminished.

  I’ve never felt like I was anything out of the ordinary. I categorized myself as an average looking girl with a slight memory problem. How could I suddenly be able to manipulate matter in order to heal the wounded?

  “Yes, your bloodline promises you’ll be able to do the same thing,” my mom answered hesitantly. “But Quinn, you don’t have to use magic once you leave Stella’s. Magic is a powerful and dangerous thing. It’s easy to be seduced by it and not realize the price that comes with it.”

  My curiosity was spiked, but it still didn’t ease the ache of not going away to college. Tanner and Amber popped in my head as I felt myself wallowing. I couldn’t imagine how I could explain this to either of them. “What do I tell Tanner?”

  My mother mulled the question for a long moment. She gently began to run her fingers through my straw-colored locks. It was comforting and I decided at that moment to forgive her. Whatever happened ten years ago had obviously caused her a great deal of pain. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luxury of forgetting the horrific memories. Maybe I should have been grateful for being sheltered from it all.

  “We’ll tell him your grandmother is very ill. She has no one else to care for her and not enough money to hire help. You’re going away to stay with her until she gets better and you’re not sure how long it will be,” she elaborated.

  I nodded my head and decided that a lie would work best in this situation. There was no way I could tell my boyfriend that I had to leave him for a year to work under the tutelage of a witch. He would probably request that I get committed to the closest psychiatric unit.

  I rose from the couch. “I’m going to pack and try to process all of this. I’ll call Tanner too and break the news to him.”

  “Quinn, can you hold off from telling him just yet? I know he’ll want to see you, but I’d like to spend the day together. If I’m not going to see you for a year…” my mother choked on the last sentence.

  I wanted to be alone, but I had a tendency to put my mother’s needs always ahead of my own. “Of course, Mom. You can help me pack and we could grab some lunch together.”

  “I know you’re going to miss Tanner terribly. Why don’t you spend the day with him tomorrow? Maybe you could get together with him and your friends to have a birthday celebration before you leave?” she suggested.

  I already missed Tanner. A year apart from him seemed unthinkable. Would he be willing to wait for me? In my heart, I doubted it. Rich and handsome boys like Tanner Black didn’t wait for anyone. Whispered promises in between frantic kisses weren’t likely to hold water now that high school was over.

  I agreed with my mom’s plan and we headed upstairs to prepare for my new life.

  ***

  “Is this some sort of joke?”

  Tanner’s reaction was predictable. I had dodged a couple of his calls and texts over the course of the day. He figured I was punished and my mother had confiscated my phone. I wished it were as simple as that. My mom’s wrath about staying out for the night seemed like a walk in the park compared to reality.

  I lay back in my bed and didn’t respond im
mediately. I was exhausted physically and mentally. My mother had insisted on non-stop bonding time. We had shopped for hours, although I cringed as she spent probably a week’s salary on clothing and toiletries she thought I would need for my stay. As a birthday present, she took me out to an overpriced restaurant that I knew we couldn’t afford and then to see a movie. I tried to argue with her about spending the money on frivolous things, but I suspected it helped ease her guilt.

  As ten o’clock approached, I knew it was time to stop avoiding my boyfriend. Tanner needed to know that the next day would be our last together for a long time. I was hoping I’d be able to visit him while living with Stella, but her tone had led me to believe I was pretty much a prisoner for the next twelve months.

  “I know it’s not what we expected, but I don’t have a choice. My grandmother is really sick and there’s no one else to take care of her,” I reiterated.

  “What about your mom?” he countered.

  “She can’t stop working. We barely have enough money to cover the bills as it is,” I explained.

  “What’s wrong with your grandmother?”

  “Cancer,” I replied. The lie pained me, but I was uncertain what else to tell him. The diagnosis had the effect of silencing him from asking any more questions about my grandmother’s health status.

  “What about college? We were going to be an hour away from each other. Now, you’re going to be hours away and you’re not even sure if we could see each other,” he groaned with frustration.

  “She needs round the clock care,” I said lamely. I tightened my grip on the cell phone and willed Tanner to empathize. The thought of spending our last day together arguing filled me with as much apprehension as the though of making the three hour drive to the Chadwick House, Stella’s home in upstate New York.

  “This is bullshit, Quinn. If she’s that sick, she should be in a nursing home,” he countered. Tanner continued, “Plus, you told me before your grandparents wanted nothing to do with you and your mother.”

  I tried to hold back tears, but I was unsuccessful. I hadn’t anticipated Tanner to be thrilled I was leaving, but I wished he could’ve at least pretended to be supportive. “I don’t want to go. I have to.”

  Tanner let out an angry sigh over the phone. He seemed to regain his composure after a minute. “I’m sorry, Quinn. This is hard enough, I’m not trying to make you feel like crap about it.”

  “It’s okay. I didn’t expect this either,” I assured him.

  “Can you come over? Spend the night with me,” he suggested.

  “I can’t. My mom would never let me,” I replied.

  “Who cares? She’s shipping you off to the boondocks for a year. Just sneak out,” he urged.

  I was tempted. Yet, I doubted Tanner only wanted to spend time with me and cuddle. My promise to him about tomorrow night haunted me for a minute. I had a keen sense Tanner was thinking about the same thing when he had made the offer.

  I was too much of a mess to go down that road with him. The thought of sex had me wrecked with anxiety as it was and I didn’t want to worsen my emotional state. “I promised my mom I would stay with her tonight. She feels horrible about me leaving. She said I could spend the day with you tomorrow though.”

  “What about our plans? You said tomorrow night…”

  I didn’t let him finish and felt my annoyance flare. “Sorry if sleeping with you isn’t the first thing on my mind. I am losing my scholarship and getting shipped off for a year.”

  “Quinn, this isn’t another excuse to not have sex with me, is it?”

  I couldn’t take another minute of Tanner’s self-involvement. I hung up on him and turned off my phone before he had a chance to call me back. Tanner never had a care in the world. He never seemed to grasp the meaning of familial responsibility. His parents gave him everything he wanted which meant he never worked a day in his life. His grades were average, but a hefty endowment from his parents ensured he had his pick of schools. In the course of our relationship, I never resented him for this. Until now.

  My fury with Tanner dissipated as swiftly as it had arrived. I imagined my reaction to the announcement that he would be gone from my life for a year and how devastated I would be. I also felt like I had painted Tanner as this evolved and perfect boyfriend in my head. In all honesty, he was an eighteen-year-old boy who simply wanted to have sex with his girlfriend. After a year of a string of “nos,” he had been anticipating the moment we took things to the next level.

  Maybe it would be best to end things now with him. Another year would probably be too much to ask of him. Despite his flaws though, I loved him and saying goodbye to that relationship was something I wasn’t ready to do.

  Instead of worrying about Tanner, Stella, and my year away, I snuggled into my comforter. I closed my eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Four

  “Quinn! You have a delivery!”

  My mother’s clear voice rang through my head. I opened my eyes and blinked at the sunlight streaming through my sheer curtains. I glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was after ten-thirty. I was sleeping away not only my eighteenth birthday, but also my last day in Harveys Lake.

  I bounded down the steps and saw my mother bringing in a large bouquet of red roses. They were arranged in a vase with baby’s breath and a large cream bow on the front. The flowers were Tanner’s act of contrition for being such a selfish jerk the night before.

  “Thanks,” I replied and took the bouquet from her hands. I set it upon the kitchen table and removed the card. Following Tanner’s apology and birthday wishes was a note inviting me over to his house today to celebrate my birthday.

  “Happy Birthday, honey,” my mother said walking up behind me and engulfing me in her warm embrace.

  “Thank you,” I answered. I gestured to the flowers. “Tanner wants me to come over to his house at three. Is it okay?”

  “Of course. Stella will be here at seven to pick you up, so just be back by then,” she instructed.

  “She was serious about not allowing me to take my car? Will I be allowed to come home to visit?” I was genuinely trying to make the best of this situation for the sake of my mother, but it was becoming exceedingly difficult. At each juncture, another curveball was flung at me and I was struggling to keep up.

  “No, you won’t be able to leave her estate for the year.” My mother failed to meet my eyes and instead busied herself with arranging my flowers. After the flowers were displayed to her liking, she pulled at a thread on the hem of her dark green skirt.

  “So, basically I’m a prisoner?”

  “Stella has learned her craft over the course of decades. Her reasoning behind keeping you isolated is that you need to learn every thing within the span of a year,” my mother said.

  “I just have to keep repeating to myself, it’s only one year, it’s only one year,” I said when I noticed her torn expression.

  “That’s the best attitude to have. Stella may be old, but she’s formidable. I wouldn’t test her patience too much. Just go along with whatever she has to say and then in July of next year, you’ll be back home where you belong.”

  I smiled hesitantly and nodded. A year didn’t sound long, but a lot of things could change in a year. First off, I had no idea what to expect at Stella’s. I couldn’t imagine what my tutelage would involve and that scared me more than anything. I’ve never studied the occult and had no idea the type of spells a witch could cast. Maybe a year working under a witch would change me irrevocably and I wouldn’t be able to resume my normal life.

  I wished Tanner would be there for support throughout it all, but I had no illusions over the hardships our relationship would face. Who knew if my high school romance with Tanner could survive with limited contact? Going away to college was going to be a struggle enough. Did we love each other enough to be able to reunite after a year apart?

  “Stop worrying and enjoy your day. No daughter of mine is going to spend her e
ighteenth birthday moping.” My mother had put on her no nonsense voice and sent me a measured look.

  “Agreed,” I replied. “I’m going to live up my day since this may be the last chance to have fun in a long time.”

  ***

  “How can you leave me alone, Quinn? I’m going to spend the summer alone, babysitting those two jokers,” my best friend Amber whined and sent me a forlorn look.

  Tanner had thrown me an impromptu farewell/birthday party. Mark and Amber along with about a half-dozen of our other friends were hanging out on the Black’s expansive deck. Tanner and Mark were over by the grill trying to prove their manliness by seeing who could make the best burger. Everyone else was coming up to me and lamenting over my sudden departure for parts unknown. Amber had taken the news the worse.

  “It’s not by choice, Amber. I have to go.” I repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time.

  “You’re such a good girl, Quinn. You help your mom out by working all the time and now you’re going to live with a grandmother you never even met. Throw in the virgin thing and you’re pretty much destined for sainthood,” Amber joked.

  Although I was trying to have fun, I felt my anxiety worsening the later it got. I wished Tanner hadn’t decided to hold a party. It was hard to keep my spirits up when all I could think about was that I wouldn’t be in my own bed that night.

  “Does Tanner have his parent’s liquor cabinet opened?” I questioned.

  The query took Amber by surprise. I wasn’t known for drinking. My friends were heavy drinkers and I typically volunteered for designated driver duty by choice. A few sips from Tanner’s beer were typically as wild as I would get at his parties.

  “Yes, I just made me and Mark a couple of drinks. Do you want something?”

  “I think so. I’m going to grab Tanner and see if he wants a drink. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes,” I said and rose from the patio chair. I slinked behind Tanner and grabbed the spatula out of his hand and gave it to Mark. “I’m stealing my boyfriend for a couple of minutes.”