The Memory Witch

by Wood, Heather Topham

  Tanner shrugged at Mark and followed me as I pulled him into his house. I led him to the rear of the house. The Blacks had a wing of their home exclusively for entertaining. The bar area had marble countertops and a half dozen bar stools lined up against it. Unlike the art deco posters we had plastered at my house, the walls of the Black household were covered with original pieces. Tanner said that his parents kept the bar stocked with only top shelf liquor and pricey bottles of wine. He was certain his parents didn’t suspect he watered down the liquor to fill the bottles after one of his parties.

  “Pour us a drink,” I commanded and scooted onto one of the bar stools.

  He grinned. “Planning to get drunk on your birthday?”

  “Well, I only have until seven, so make me something strong,” I replied.

  “How about a shot?”

  “Sure, whatever,” I agreed. He could have been offering me rubbing alcohol and I would be game at that point.

  He poured an amber colored liquid into two double shot glasses. I shuddered as I looked at the amount of alcohol in the glass. I recoiled when I saw the bottle was Jack Daniels. I should have requested something a little less hardcore.

  Tanner handed me the shot and we clinked glasses. I cringed as I brought the glass to my lips and took a hesitant sip. As the alcohol burned my throat, I began to sputter and barely managed to keep the drink down. Tanner laughed and began to pat me on the back as I settled into a coughing fit.

  “Babe, you just gulp it down. You don’t sip it like you’re at afternoon tea,” he teased.

  I glared at him and grabbed the glass again once my coughing subsided. I swallowed the rest of the shot in a single long sip. “Ugh,” I said with a rapid shake of my head.

  Moving back behind the bar, he pulled out a tumbler. He mixed together a drink and then handed a crimson concoction to me. “What is it?” I inquired.

  “Vodka and cranberry. Probably more of your speed instead of shots of Jack,” he explained. Walking over to me, he cupped my face in his hands. “I’m sorry again about last night. I just can’t picture not seeing your beautiful face every day.”

  It was hard to not feel flattered when Tanner laid on the charm. Maybe I was hasty in deciding that things wouldn’t be able to work out between them. Wasn’t love supposed to conquer all?

  Tanner situated his body between my knees while I still sat on the barstool. I leaned into him and rubbed my hand across the small amount of blond scruff on his cheek. His eyes darkened with desire and he covered my mouth with his. Instead of tensing up, I felt swept away by the raw emotion of the moment. I gripped the back of his head and deepened the kiss. Hurriedly I kissed him with the knowledge this would be one of our last kisses for a long time.

  He jerked away as he heard the backdoor open and Amber’s voice call out. “Quinn, where the hell are you? The guest of honor isn’t allowed to disappear for the entire time.”

  Amber marched into the bar area and placed her arm through mine. Tanner made a sound of protest as she pulled me out of the room. I turned to face Tanner and gave him an apologetic smirk. He shook his head in mock anger and motioned me away. As Amber led me back to the party, I began to guzzle down my drink.

  ***

  “Quinn, I should’ve known you would be a lightweight. I can’t believe I’m bringing you home like this. Your mom is going to kill me,” Tanner muttered as he sped through Harveys Lake.

  My intoxication had led me to lose track of time. Not only would my drunkenness be a strike against me, but the fact that I was almost an hour late as well. I had stopped caring about two drinks earlier.

  My fingers caressed Tanner’s leg as he drove. His jaw was set in a tense line and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. “Let’s not bring up my mom right now.”

  As he pulled down my street, I felt myself grow emboldened. I wanted to make these last few minutes to stay in his mind while I was away. At my request, he pulled over his SUV a couple of houses away from my own. He looked over at me and didn’t say a word.

  “Are you just going to sit there? Or are you planning to give me a proper goodbye?” I whispered.

  That was all the invitation he needed as he climbed over to the passenger seat. We both grew breathless as he rained urgent kisses on my lips and my neck. I kissed him back and grazed his strong back with my fingertips. His hands reached under my shirt and I felt an ache as he caressed me. Before I could think about how far I was really going to go with Tanner in his car, I felt his left hand begin to undo the buttons on my shirt. I ran my hand over the waistband of his jeans, a move that had him moaning softly into my mouth.

  We both froze as an urgent knock sounded on the glass of his car. My mother’s voice was unmistakable as she called out, “Tanner Black, if you don’t get my daughter out of your car right now, I swear to God, I’ll be taking a baseball bat to your Range Rover.”

  My mother’s fury had an instant sobering effect on Tanner. I was still feeling loopy as I hastily straightened out my shirt. Tanner returned to his seat and gave me a beseeching look. I shrugged and gave him a gentle kiss. “I love you. I’ll call you when I can.”

  “I love you too,” he said softly. I exited the car where my mother was waiting with her arms crossed.

  She shot Tanner a deathly stare. “Don’t think I’m going to forget about this. You have some nerve pawing my daughter in front of my house. Especially after not bringing her home the other night.”

  “I’m really sorry…” Tanner began.

  “Goodbye, Tanner.” My mother’s tone left no room for rebuttal. Before I knew it, she was leading me away from his truck and towards our house. I waved to Tanner and watched despondent as he drove away. My mother forced my attention back to her.

  With frantic movements, she attempted to smooth out my hair that had turned into a frazzled mess due to my impromptu make-out session. “They have been here over an hour waiting for you! I warned you this morning to not cross her. Stella could make that boy of yours infertile with a snap of her fingers.” She exemplified her point by snapping her fingers and glaring at me.

  “You told me to have fun,” I reminded her. Although I was making a concentrated effort to walk straight and speak coherently, I had a feeling I was failing miserably. My mother turned to me with sharpened features.

  “Quinn Jacobs, have you been drinking?”

  “Yes.” It didn’t matter at this point what I admitted to. No punishment could be worse than the one I was facing now.

  My mother shot me daggers as she opened the front door. I was slow on the uptake, but finally managed to realize what she had said. “Wait a minute…they?”

  Chapter Five

  My eyes were immediately drawn to Stella who was seating in the same spot as yesterday. She scowled in my direction, but failed to address me. I glanced away and looked at the figure looming over her.

  He stood with his hands resting on the loveseat behind the witch. I couldn’t really tell his exact age, but guessed he was a few years older than me. His height and build seemed to dominate the room and I inwardly cringed at what I feared his purpose here could be. I hoped he wasn’t enlisted to manhandle me in case I failed to cooperate.

  A pair of crystal blue eyes met mine for a second. A brief flicker of surprise seemed to appear. However, I guessed I only imagined it since he gave me a bland look soon after.

  Stella addressed my mother. “Bridget, I guess your daughter has half a brain after all. I had assumed she was across state lines by now.”

  Her tone had a sobering effect on me. “I would never let you hurt my mother.”

  Stella nodded in my direction and then gestured to the man behind her. “This is my nephew Mason. He’s the caretaker of my estate.”

  Everyone stared at me. If they were waiting for me to be polite, they would be waiting a long time. I wasn’t going to pretend to be cheerful that they took away my control over my destiny. As much as my mother could act like everything would be fine a
fter a year, I shared no such delusions.

  Stella cleared her throat. “Well, we better be on our way.”

  I noted my suitcases were already brought down from my room and sat in the hallway. “Put her bags in the car.” Stella told Mason.

  “I have some money for you. Just in case you need anything. Let me get my purse,” my mother said and hurried off to her bedroom.

  “Mom, I’ll be fine…” I started to protest, but she was already out of sight.

  Mason came over and lifted up my suitcases. “Jesus, what do you have in here? Didn’t Aunt Stella tell you to pack light?”

  I ignored him and blinked back tears. I had sworn I wouldn’t get emotional, but the alcohol was making it difficult. He stopped lifting the suitcases and studied me for a minute. When he didn’t speak, I snapped, “What?”

  His eyes wandered down to my chest. Before I could lash out again, he said dryly, “You missed a button.”

  Embarrassed, I attempted to fix my shirt. His face remained expressionless, but I could tell his eyes were laughing at me. I was glad at least someone could find the levity out of this situation. “I’ll be waiting in the car,” he said and moved past me.

  Stella made her way to the entrance way as well. “I’ll give you some privacy to say goodbye to your mother.”

  Once she was outside, I pushed my body against the front door and waited for my mom. Her hands were full of twenties as she rushed down the stairs. “I took out as much as I could from our bank account. I’ve been putting away some money to help out with college.”

  “Mom, I’m not going to be around to help out with the bills. You should keep it. I’m sure they plan to feed me while I’m there,” I assured her.

  “Quinn, I’m not your responsibility. Let me do this for you.” Noting my unsure expression, she added, “Please.”

  “Okay,” I agreed hesitantly and shoved the bills into my purse. We both didn’t speak and I guessed we both weren’t intent on hastening our goodbye. Finally, I whispered, “I’m going to miss you, Mom.”

  “Me too. We’ve been through worse though, Quinn. Just go along with what she says and play her little game. We will never have to see her again after a year and the debt won’t be hanging over our heads.”

  It was nice that she put us in this together, but I was feeling very alone at the moment. I forced a smile. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too. Please call me as soon as you can.”

  “I have my cell and I packed my laptop, so I’ll email and call you everyday. I’m sure I’ll have some interesting stories to tell.” Despite the terror and sadness, there was a certain level of anticipation. It would be dishonest to say I wasn’t interested in learning more about magic.

  My mother wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I embraced her and took in her floral scented perfume. I wasn’t pleased with the fact she failed to reveal the truth about my past, but my love for her was unwavering. I forced myself out of her embrace. “I better go.”

  She nodded and opened the front door. “I’ll talk to you soon, honey. I will do what I can to make this up to you, I promise.”

  “It’s a year, Mom. I can handle it.”

  ***

  My brave mask came off as I slid into the back seat of the dark sedan. I allowed the tears to roll silently down my cheeks. Stella and Mason made no acknowledgement of my presence. The silence was heavy as Mason put the car into gear and pulled out of my development.

  “I can’t believe this is really happening. I keep expecting to wake up and find out it was all a bad dream,” I mumbled to myself.

  “You should be grateful for this year,” Stella said without turning to face me. “Do you know how many people would kill to have the gifts you have?”

  I refused to answer her and instead watched my town disappear through the car window. A light rain had started to fall and watching the raindrops run down the glass became mesmerizing. However, as we moved farther away, a horrible thought took over my brain.

  “You’re really only taking me to your house to train, right?” I asked and noted the rising hysteria in my voice. “I hope this isn’t some ruse to take me to the forest and offer me up as a human sacrifice. Is that why you brought your nephew? To hold me down while you rip out my heart?”

  “Quinn, get a hold of yourself,” Stella commanded.

  “Stop the car!” I yelled. Mason looked over at his aunt. At her nod, he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

  I threw open the car door. The contents of my stomach emptied onto the moist pavement. I was certainly regretting the alcohol consumed at Tanner’s earlier. The pleasant loopy feeling was long gone and I was left feeling nauseous with a pounding headache.

  “This is the girl you picked to carry on your inheritance?” Mason asked his aunt wryly.

  “It should have been you. Too bad you were born with the wrong sex organs,” she answered sharply.

  I fell back into the car and leaned into the leather upholstery. “I think I’m dying.”

  Stella’s stormy eyes regarded me as the overhead light illuminated the backseat. I closed the door to shroud us once again in darkness. Her hand reached back and I shrunk away. “Here, take this.”

  Her hand was holding out a small bottle free of any labels. I took it from her and gave her a suspicious look. Stella explained, “It’s enchanted passion flower. It will help you feel better. Use the dropper to put 30 drops in your mouth.”

  I wanted to protest but as my stomach revolted again, I came to the decision to simply take the offered remedy. As I swallowed the liquid, Stella remarked to Mason, “It will also knock her out, so we can drive home in peace.”

  My tongue felt heavy as I attempted to retort and felt the world spin around me. Mason was speaking to his aunt, “You could’ve just given her something to settle her stomach.”

  “The drive is almost four hours. Did you want to hear her blubbering the entire way?” Stella inquired.

  The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was a pair of sympathetic blue eyes gazing back at me through the rearview mirror.

  Chapter Six

  “Time to wake up.”

  I wasn’t certain if Stella was using magic on me, but her voice immediately brought me out of my slumber. It took a couple of minutes to regain my alertness. I was relieved to find the aftereffects of my drinking had faded. Shaking my head helped clear my thoughts and I exited the car. Mason was removing my suitcases from the trunk while Stella had her eyes fixated on me.

  I turned towards the towering house. A few lamps that burned on the path leading to the entrance cast little illumination on the exterior of Chadwick House, but I could make out most of the details of the structure.

  I was certain Stella heard my sharp intake of breath. The house was large and intimidating. It wasn’t straight out of a horror movie, but it was in need of updating.

  It was hard to tell the color of the exterior, but it looked to be a dark blue color. It had three levels and a massive façade. Dark drapes covered each window and only a single light shone on the main floor. By the massiveness of the house, I guessed there were at least five bedrooms.

  “The property was occupied by Seneca Indians until the early 1800s. The house was built in 1824 and has many of the same features. The original stairways and cooking fireplace are still standing.” There was obvious pride in Stella’s voice.

  The grounds around the house were expansive. The house was set upon a hill and acres of land surrounded the main structure, making it hard to tell where the property lines would fall. If I squinted hard enough, I could make out the lights of the closest neighbor’s house. It was definitely a far cry from the band of houses in my neighborhood.

  “Where am I bringing her stuff?” Mason’s voice cut into my reverie.

  “Put her in the right bedroom upstairs at the rear of the house,” Stella stated and took measured steps towards the front door. I picked up one of the lighter suitcases and
dragged it over the unpaved drive.

  Mason fell in step beside me. “Can’t believe she’s making you sleep in that room. I heard it’s haunted by the spirits of a hundred dead witches.”

  My jaw grew slack and I stopped walking. I gave him a fearful look that quickly melted from my face once I saw the humor in his eyes. “Oh…you’re messing with me.”

  “Of course, I’m messing with you. You look so skittish, I couldn’t resist,” he admitted.

  I tried to smile and hoped it didn’t come out too frightened looking. Mason was Stella’s nephew, which instantly made him untrustworthy. However, if he were trying to be nice to me, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have an ally.

  “How big is the property?” Directly behind the house were two smaller buildings. One of the buildings looked like an oversized garage and the other appeared to be a cottage. I noted a densely populated forest to the back of the structures and a small pond to the right.

  “My aunt owns eleven acres. It seems even larger though because we back up to farmland on both sides of us,” he said.

  “And what do you do here?” I questioned. Stella had mentioned he was the caretaker, but I had no clue what that entailed.

  “A little bit of everything. My aunt likes her privacy, so she likes me to handle most things. I’m the resident handyman, landscaper, and accountant,” he said. His smirk at my questions led me to continue heading up the driveway. The hilly terrain left me winded as I hauled the suitcase to the door, but I guessed it offered up amazing views of the countryside.

  “Get moving, it’s almost midnight and we need to get an early start tomorrow,” Stella said before opening the crimson door. We entered the foyer and Stella switched on the hall light. Before we mad our way upstairs, I looked around and noticed a large living room. An ancient fireplace was situated against the far wall with the bricks blackened from years of use. The room was overfilled with a large couch, loveseat, and two recliners.

  Our footsteps were loud as we climbed the wooden steps of the decrepit stairway. I kept a firm grip on the banister on the way up in fear of crashing through the stairs. Stella and Mason made their way to a bedroom off of the second floor landing. I followed inside and took a glance around once Stella turned on a small lamp set upon the nightstand of the room.