I heard Tanner’s voice call to me from behind. I sprinted away as if my life depended on it, but the darkness and the tears blurring my eyes made me stumble. Tanner grabbed me by the waist as my foot touched the concrete of his paved driveway. “Quinn, listen to me…”
“No!” I tried to get out of his tight hold. “I hate you!”
“Quinn, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just…”
“If you say its just sex, I swear to god I will knee you in the crotch,” I threatened. I squirmed out of his grip and fell to the ground hard. Gravel scratched at my bare legs and left my knees raw and tender. I winced and bestowed Tanner with my deadliest stare. He was clad in only a pair of green swim trunks and the water from the hot tub streamed down his legs and formed a puddle around him. Amber must have been smart enough to stay in the back. Best friend or not, she would end up with a chunk of her red hair pulled out if she dared to face me. I had asked her to keep an eye out for Tanner, not offer up her lady parts while I was away.
Muscular arms wrapped under my arms and lifted me off of the ground. I had been so busy envisioning smashing in Tanner’s face with my fist that I hadn’t heard Mason get out of the truck. I spun around to face him.
Mason wouldn’t even look at Tanner. It was as if Tanner was so insignificant that he couldn’t even bother addressing him. His blue eyes were intense as he ordered, “We’re leaving.”
“Who the hell is this, Quinn?” Tanner took a step towards me. In a flash, Mason had me pressed behind him.
“Stay away from her,” Mason warned. His voice was low and dangerous. It made me almost concerned for my pathetic ex-boyfriend’s well being. I got over that feeling quickly and instead flashed him a disgusted look.
I allowed Mason to lead me over to his truck. When I looked back, I could see Tanner struggling over what to do. His expression told me he was torn and wanted to make me understand that he wasn’t a complete douchebag. Not that his meaningless words would have any difference, there would be nothing that he could say that would make me forgive him for practically having sex with my best friend in his hot tub.
He called out, “We were together for a year Quinn! How long was I supposed to wait for you to put out?”
Mason practically wrestled me into the truck as I made a break to go after Tanner. I wanted to inflict pain and I was grateful that Stella had yet to fully teach me how to cast. Otherwise, Tanner would be dead on the spot.
Mason threw the truck in gear and my body catapulted forward as the car moved forward. His arm reached forward to prevent me from hitting the dashboard. He slowed down once we reached the street. His body intersected over mine as he slid the seatbelt across my body.
I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the truck window. It was humiliating to relive the past ten minutes in my mind. It made me wonder if I ever really knew Tanner. What kind of person sleeps with not only his girl friend’s best friend, but also the girlfriend of his best friend? Maybe I shouldn’t have spent so much time keeping Tanner in check. Then, I would’ve seen his true nature earlier. My controlling nature micromanaged my boyfriend until he became unrecognizable. I had been his crusader while he obviously only biding his time until I slept with him. I succumbed to the tears as I mourned the loss of someone I had thought I loved.
Mason sent a few glances my way and I was grateful for his silence. I barely knew him and it got under my skin that he saw such a personal and mortifying moment between Tanner and me. We drove away from Harveys Lake with only the sound of my hiccups filling the truck. I had wanted to see my mother while I was in town, but couldn’t ambush her while I was in this state. She was worried enough as it is with me being away, I didn’t need to give her another reason for concern.
“I’m sorry you’re upset…” Mason said softly, “but just for the record, you’re too good for him.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“And although my aunt told me to stay away from you,” he continued, “I’m here if you need a friend. Come by the cottage anytime you want.”
I almost smiled at his offer. I was touched and it eased the ache in my heart slightly. Mason was willing to risk the wrath of his aunt in order to be my friend. Maybe this year wouldn’t be as appalling as I expected.
Chapter Thirteen
“Miss me?” Stella asked wryly as I met her downstairs two days later. A couple of weeks ago she had gifted me with an alarm clock. She no longer had to wake up like a little kid who needed her mommy to get her up for school. Though she loathed admitting it, I had exceeded her expectations. I never overslept and I always did what was asked of me. With my brilliant performance as her apprentice, I was hoping for more freedom from her stringent set of rules.
“Always,” I replied sarcastically and collapsed into the kitchen chair.
I was irritable from a lack of sleep. Tanner and Amber’s betrayal still stung. The day before I had forced myself to not think about my loser ex-boyfriend by throwing myself wholeheartedly into my studies. Mason had invited me over for pizza, and having dinner with him was another welcome distraction. At night, I had tossed and turned without being able to quiet my brain. I replayed every second as I stood there and watched Tanner’s lecherous hands stroke my best friend’s half-naked body. I was tempted to call Mark and sell the two of them out. After mulling it over with Mason, he convinced me to wash my hands completely of the whole unsavory situation.
As the clock passed three in the morning, my self-doubt crept in and I began to blame myself for Tanner’s treachery. Did I push him away? It wasn’t only the fact that I was a virgin that made me feel that, but my insistence on not telling him the truth about Stella and my apprenticeship as a witch. Trust was a two-way street and maybe if I’d been honest from the start, I would’ve never driven him to commit the ultimate betrayal. Coupled with the fact that I became repulsed whenever Tanner ventured too far sexually made me think I was to blame as well for the demise of our relationship.
Stella was speaking. “I was thinking today you can watch me from start to finish. You’ll meet with the client and then watch me cast for them. You need to start understanding the delicacy of spellcasting. Doing it precisely is the only way to make sure the magic is effective.” She was using her lecture voice. This was a hint to shut up and listen because she would probably be testing me on this information at a later time.
Stella’s teaching methods were frustrating. More than once, I demanded of her to show me proof I even possessed any magical ability. Why couldn’t she let me practice just to prove to both of us that I would be able to do these spells? It would be a waste of time to learn all about being a witch if I couldn’t perform when the time came. Stella asserted that magic was in my blood and she didn’t need any further proof.
We walked into her studio and I put on my scarlet cloak without her prompting. Before I could sit down, Stella’s hand arrested my wrist. “I have something for you.”
In her free hand was an unlabeled jewelry box. “Turn around,” she ordered and I complied. Her small hands smoothed back my hair before securing a gemmed chain around my head. I could feel a large gemstone resting in the center resting against my forehead.
“It’s a headpiece adorned with the gem rhodonite. You’re to wear in while we meet with clients,” Stella explained as she secured the silver clasp. The intricate silver design of the headpiece threatened to become tangled in my hair and the stone felt unnatural as it lay flush against my bare skin.
“I feel ridiculous.”
“But you look beautiful,” Stella insisted and dragged me over to the mirror. I was expecting to look like a demented genie, but instead my mouth fell open in astonishment. At least, I thought it was my mouth. Instead, my lips were fuller and cherry stained. My brown eyes had flecks of gold and were accentuated by long thick lashes. My skin was usually clear, but nothing like the blemish free mask that appeared in the mirror. The soft gold strands that were now weaved through my light brown tresses outshined the dazz
ling silver of the headpiece.
“Why do I look like that? What did you do to me?”
“It’s still you, I promise. The rhodonite enhances your outward beauty and helps heal the inner wounds that harm your appeal.” I doubted a simple stone could heal the wounds inside of me. A dump truck would need to rain the stones down upon me to even begin recovering from the damage inflicted upon me.
I whirled away from my reflection. “Am I that ugly you needed to give me this?” I demanded.
“You don’t need me to tell you how pretty you are. You have boys like your little boyfriend to do that,” Stella sneered. I hoped she didn’t see me recoil at the mention of Tanner. “Beauty is a weapon for women. When you’re beautiful, you can bring any man to their knees.”
“Okay, but what’s this have to do with meeting with clients?”
“It’s good for business, of course. The women will want to possess your youth and the men will want to set their eyes on my beautiful new witch. Part of working as a spellcaster is bringing in clients. Many people fear me and this will help put them at ease.” Stella put up a hand to halt my reply as the doorbell rang. Without a second glance in my direction, she made her way to greet our latest client.
The headpiece was another blow to my ego that I wasn’t sure I could stand. I wanted to rip the ostentatious piece off my head and stomp it into oblivion. I wanted to smash the mirror and make that warped version of me disappear forever. The rage was building inside of me again and I was surprised at its appearance. I was always a levelheaded person in the past. Where was this desire to cause pain to those who had hurt me come from?
A startled sound broke into my reverie. A middle-aged man was at the door and openly gawking at me. I rolled my eyes as his hungry gaze drank me in and he stumbled through the entranceway. A warning look from Stella prevented a string of expletives from escaping my lips.
“This is my assistant Quinn.” Stella sent a manufactured smile my way.
The stranger gained his composure and forced a nervous half smile in my direction. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I guess I’m just on edge about being here.” He stuck out his hand and I shook it hesitantly. His sweaty grip held my hand for ten seconds too long. I slipped my palm away and nodded at his greeting. He mumbled, “I had no idea witches looked like you.” I didn’t care what Mason had said about his aunt. She was cruel to put me through this humiliation in the name of attracting more clients.
He introduced himself as Bill. He sat down across from Stella, but his eyes remained fixed on me. His attention was finally diverted once she asked him his reason for coming to see her. Bill cleared his throat. “My wife and I have been trying to have a baby now for five years. Nothing has worked. We’ve gone through round after round of fertility treatments. It’s like we’re not even us anymore. My wife is out of her mind from the hormones in the drugs and we’re constantly disappointed when it doesn’t work.”
“Why don’t you just adopt?” I piped in.
Stella stiffened and didn’t respond to my suggestion. I guessed she didn’t appreciate me talking potential clients out of using her overpriced services. Bill had the courtesy to reply to my query, “We really want a biological child. We’re both only children and it would mean a lot to both our parents to give them a grandchild with our DNA.”
“Of course you would,” Stella clucked like a deranged mother hen.
“My wife doesn’t even know I’ve made this appointment with you. But I didn’t know what else to do. We’re scheduled to start another round of IVF in a couple of weeks and I don’t know if we can go through it again,” Bill sighed. I was relieved to see any desire fade from his face and be replaced with wistfulness.
“So, you want a conception spell,” Stella said and added in a mock whisper, “You know, pregnancy spells are my favorite.”
Bill let out a shaky breath and smiled. It was almost a touching scene if he hadn’t been leering at me five minutes earlier. If I were his wife, I would probably want to kill him. Not only was he flirting with a girl young enough to be his daughter, but also sharing his wife’s fertility issues with strangers.
“You’re in luck, Bill. Because I can help make sure your wife has a healthy pregnancy. You could even choose the sex if you’d like,” Stella offered.
“A boy would be great,” he called out quickly. If I ended up practicing as a witch in the future, I prayed my clients wouldn’t be as annoying as this one.
“What will you be giving me in return?”
“Well, I have some money set aside for the treatments, but you said that cash doesn’t always help the spell work. So, I thought about my most prized possession and decided on my car.” Bill dug a pair of keys out of his pocket and dropped them on the table in front of him. “It’s a 1970 Chevelle and it was the first car I ever bought with my own money. I love this car. I’ve customized everything and have kept it in pristine condition for more than twenty years.” He swallowed hard as if he may spill tears over the loss of his classic car. “But having a baby with my wife is more important.”
“I think we have a deal,” Stella announced and stood up. “Quinn and I will perform a spell that will put a special kind of fertility magic inside of an acorn. You will put the acorn under the mattress of your bed and then make love to your wife. You’ll conceive your son that very night.” Stella paused and tapped a finger against her lips. She asked thoughtfully, “Is everything in working order on you down below?”
Bill looked offended by her question and looked at me pointedly when he said, “Of course it is.”
“Excellent,” Stella replied and added, “Wait here. We will be back shortly with further instructions. Is the car ready to be picked up?”
“I drove it here,” he said and his face scrunched up into a mask of grief. He looked prime to withdraw the deal as it sank in that he would be handing over his car for the spell.
“That makes thing much easier. I’ll need the signed title and the car can stay on my property. My nephew will give you a ride back home.” Bill looked vaguely nauseous and I guessed he had hoped to spend a few final days with his car. He opened his mouth as if to protest the terms, but seemed to think better of it. With his mouth set in a tight line, he simply nodded. Stella turned sharply and I followed her cloak as it billowed behind her.
“Fertility spells are fairly simple,” she said as I concentrated on not stepping on her cloak. Tripping a witch seemed to be something best to avoid. We arrived in the workshop and she darted off to gather the required ingredients for Bill’s spell. “The thing you must remember before anything else is that you must make your offering to nature before doing any spell. I must tell the spirits that Bill is parting with his beloved car in order to conceive a child.”
“A baby is equal to a car?” I asked skeptically.
“Not to everyone,” Stella asserted. “But I could tell by the way he was speaking that his car was like a child to him. He has nurtured it for years and has grown to love it. His pain over losing this possession will help balance out his debt.”
Stella set out three candles in a triangular formation. A yellow candle was at the pinnacle with green and blue candles making up the base. “Turn off the lights,” she commanded me. Once the room was cast into darkness, she lit the candles with a match. “The candles represent the elements that make up the father: the earth, the sun, and the water. I will place a leaf from an oak tree and an acorn in the center as a symbol of the womb of his wife.”
I was silent as I observed her. Stella’s movements were confident and she didn’t open her books for reference. The ingredients and chants for the spells were all permanently etched in her brain. The longer I observed her, the more I doubted that she was a future vision of me. Before long, my year at Chadwick House would be a distant memory. Changing the fate of people wasn’t a burden I wanted.
“Now, please be silent as I cast,” she told me sternly. Her tonal quality changed slightly as she held the leaf and acorn in the palm o
f her hand. In a deep voice she announced to the air, “Bill Mitchell offers up his most prized possession, his car, as payment for the gift that shall be bestowed upon him and his wife.” I expected a gust of wind or the candles to flicker, but the room remained deathly silent.
Holding up her palm to the air, Stella continued, “Sow in the womb a son with the health and strength of the magnificent oak. As this seed bore the oak, the union between husband and wife will bore a son.” She laid down the leaf and acorn between the candles. Although dark shadows concealed her face partially, I could make out the whites of her eyes. She shut them tightly and looked as if she was meditating for a long minute. As she stood as still as stone, an unnatural warmth seemed to creep into room. The cloak suddenly felt stifling and I longed to take it off. The heat seemed to be a tangible thing since it left me as quickly as it came. The burst of heat affected the candle as well and I was concerned for Stella’s closeness to the wicks as the flames climbed higher and higher. The candles appeared to be sobbing as the wax climbed down the sides in a steady stream. Just as suddenly, the candles extinguished simultaneously.
I gasped and was surprised by the display. It was the first magic I had seen up close in weeks. As days passed, I had talked myself out of truly believing that Stella was capable of manipulating the world around her. It was unsettling to witness further proof of her supernatural abilities. Her voice broke into my thoughts. “Quinn, you may turn the lights back on.”
“Wow, that was…” I was lost over what adjective to use. Scary? Amazing? Unbelievable?
She saved me from my loss of words. “While I closed my eyes, I pictured the growth of the child coming from the acorn. I could see him growing, his limbs protruding first followed by the rest of his body. I visualized a strong heart beating in time with his mother’s.” Stella walked over to where I stood and grasped my hand in hers. I sent her a questioning look. “It’s not the words that matter the most in a spell. They are merely a way to help you get into a state of mind where you’re able to tap into the magic. It is what’s inside of you that will make it work.” Gently, she moved my hand until it rested over my heart. “You must believe in the magic in order to give it the power it needs.”
The Memory Witch Page 9
