Sophie's Secret Crush - [Whispers 05]

by Tara West

  I noticed how my sister’s arms hung limp at her sides, as if all the life had been sucked out of her. I stiffened as I tried to force the image of Ethan’s broken body out of my mind. I reminded myself it had only been a dream, and my sister’s deflated look came from the hazards of raising twin boys by herself.

  “No, Rose Marie,” I said, emphatically. “Today is your birthday.”

  Rose Marie heaved a sigh before thrusting Aaron into my arms. She nodded down at Alex, who was flashing a bad baby grin. He giggled once and then let out a high pitched wail, indicating he was out of cereal.

  “Alex needs to be cleaned,” she said while pointing to something crusty and sticky in his matted tufts of auburn hair. “Their playpens are in the living room. Put them to sleep when they get cranky. Change their diapers before bed. Remember to wipe carefully and use baby powder or they will get rashes on their bottoms. Aaron’s teething, and he’s been fussy. Rub some of this on his gums after dinner.” She grabbed a small tube of ointment off the diaper bag that was sitting on the counter.

  I looked down at Aaron as he tried to wiggle out of my grasp and flop back into his mother’s arms.

  Rose Marie’s smudged mascara disappeared beneath heavy eye circles as she narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

  “Yes,” I lied, trying to hold tight to my squirming nephew. “It will be fine. Go enjoy your birthday.”

  Rose Marie’s looked worn out, and nothing hid the look of uncertainty in her eyes.

  “Is that my shirt?” I asked, recognizing the coral blue stripes that crisscrossed into a V at the waist.

  She looked down at her chest and shrugged. “All my shirts have stains on them.”

  “Then you can keep that one,” I said before Aaron stuck his wet fingers in my mouth.

  Rose Marie’s mouth fell open and she looked at me like I’d just handed her a winning lottery ticket. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah,” I said, unable to keep the note of pity out of my voice. “Happy Birthday.”

  “Thanks.” She leaned over and hugged me before kissing Aaron on the forehead. “Everything mom buys me is so old lady,” she whispered into my ear.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her she already had a spot of drool on her shoulder.

  Aaron screamed like an injured animal when Rose Marie pulled away and handed Alex another handful of cereal. Aaron was still screaming when Rose Marie and my parents hurried out the door. Alex scattered his cereal all over the floor, banged on the saucer, and joined his brother in what could only be described as the screaming match from hell. I was so not having kids until I was at least thirty, and maybe not ever.

  *****

  “Omigod! Will you please stop crying already?” I pleaded with Alex while I bounced his brother on my hip. “I can’t hold both of you at the same time.”

  Alex didn’t seem to care about my dilemma as he looked up at me from inside his playpen and held out his arms. Snot dripped down his nose and into his mouth. No matter how many times I wiped his face, the boogers continued to flow. Not to mention he howled and slapped me whenever he saw me coming at him with the tissue.

  Aaron had already ripped a hole in my shirt. I didn’t know a baby could be so strong. He dug his little fingers into my shoulder, leaving angry red indentations as if my flesh was made from clay. If I tried to put him down for one second, he clung to me harder, screaming and kicking his legs like I was about to drop him in a boiling cauldron.

  This was so not working. I was never having kids. Never.

  Neither baby had stopped fussing since Rose Marie left. They wouldn’t take their bottles. They wouldn’t watch cartoons or play with toys. Teething crème didn’t help. Their diapers were clean. What the heck else did they want? Buster disappeared after Alex pulled his tail. Alessia was off hiding somewhere in my bedroom. I was all alone with twin terrors. I kept checking the clock, hoping my family’s dinner had been served on time and they’d eaten quickly without conversation.

  A knock on the door startled me. Who could it be? It was already dark outside and I wasn’t expecting anyone. An image of my red-eyed history teacher flashed through my mind, and panic squeezed my chest. I tried to tell myself I was acting stupid, but I quickly untangled myself from my crying nephew and hurried to the door. I winced as the screaming behind me grew louder. With one hand poised on the security alarm interface, I looked through the peephole. I saw Ethan’s messy hair and bright blue eyes on the other side. I quickly disabled the alarm and threw open the door.

  “Ethan!” I shrieked, throwing myself into his arms.

  Relief washed over me as he hugged me tight, whispering into my ear. “I had to come see you. Are you okay?”

  “No!” I sobbed against his neck. “I’m up to my eyeballs in crying babies.”

  As if on cue, their wails grew louder, piercing the night sky and sending a shiver of dread coursing through me. I didn’t want to go back inside the living room.

  “Sophie.” Ethan pulled me back and looked into my eyes as he wiped my tear-soaked face with the pads of his thumbs. “Stop crying. They can sense you’re upset.”

  “They started it,” I said petulantly. Why did I suddenly feel like the crying infant?

  “Here, watch me.” Ethan grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the house. I briefly thought about my parents’ no boys rule, but quickly pushed it aside. If they wanted to ground me for an eternity, so be it. Any punishment was better than facing a night alone with twin terrors.

  Ethan bent down in front of them. They were both standing and clinging to the sides of their playpens, looking very much like little prisoners desperate to break free.

  Ethan made a goofy face, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Amazingly, the babies stopped crying.

  Alex banged on the side of the playpen and giggled out loud. Aaron simply looked at Ethan with wide eyes.

  Ethan mimicked Alex by banging on the side of the playpen and laughing out loud.

  This time both babies laughed, but their tone sounded odd, kind of way too mature for babies.

  Ethan looked at me funny and scratched his head. “Your nephews have deep voices.”

  “I’ve never heard them sound like that,” I said. Then I nudged Ethan’s shoulder. “Laugh again.”

  Ethan laughed again, only this time, he lowered his voice to a booming chuckle, reminding me of Santa Claus ho, ho, hoing.

  The babies mimicked Ethan almost to a t.

  “Okay, that’s not weird.” Ethan shot to his feet, pointing at my nephews with a shaky finger. “That’s creepy. Did their voices just drop?”

  I sucked in a sharp breath as my vision tunneled on the two smiling babies in front of me. “That’s impossible,” I breathed.

  Ethan looked down at them and scrunched his features. “Sophie, what color are your nephews’ eyes?”

  “Brown.” But even as I was answering Ethan, I could not believe what I was seeing. Both of my nephews were looking up at my boyfriend through bright blue eyes!

  My hands flew to my mouth as I backed up, nearly tripping over my own feet. “Omigod!” I pointed at Ethan. “They’re the same color as your eyes.”

  I watched in horror as Alex flashed a devious grin before each strand of his hair began to lift as if being pulled by some invisible force. His light brown hair slowly darkened, and within a matter of seconds, the top of his head looked exactly like Ethan’s. “Whoa!” Ethan exclaimed. “It’s kind of like they’re chameleons.”

  But since my nephews weren’t lizards, that left only one other option. “Magic,” I breathed. “This isn’t good. My mom will freak if she finds out they’re witches.” I turned and ran toward the darkened stairwell. “Alessia!” I hollered. “I need you!”

  When I ran back to my nephews, both of them had electrified hair and bright blue eyes. They were also laughing, deep, throaty, masculine laughs. Creepy laughs.

  Alsessia slowly sauntered down the stairs, flicking her tail and acting as
if my world hadn’t suddenly spun on its axis.

  She eyed my nephews and then turned up her nose, her feline laugh resonating in my ears. I’m not going near those creatures. Last time one of them tried to rip out my tail.

  “What is going on?” I asked her, unable to keep the note of terror out of my voice. “Why are their eyes changing color?”

  Alessia sat on her hind legs and stared at them through slitted eyes. They’re morphlings.

  “Morphlings? What does that mean?” I looked at Ethan, who shrugged, looking as baffled as I felt.

  Morphlings can take on any shape of any living creature, Alessia said.

  “Any creature?” I gasped. “Like animals, too?”

  Yes, she answered. Their magic is just forming. It always starts with the eyes and hair. Soon, they’ll be able to mimic faces, then bodies.

  “We can’t let them do that!” Terror seized me at the thought of my nephews being discovered. I thought of how Ethan’s mom had abandoned him. I didn’t think my family would desert the babies, but I knew my nephews’ lives would be miserable. Images of Aaron and Alex being prodded by priests and examined by doctors swirled in my line of vision. “What do we do?” I cried.

  You wish to hide their abilities?

  “Yes!” I practically screamed.

  I’m afraid that is beyond my feline powers. Perhaps you should call another witch.

  The only other witch I knew who was close by was Mrs. Dawson. “AJ’s mom. Got it.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and quickly searched for her number. “What am I going to do?” I said to Ethan while I scrolled through my contacts. “This isn’t the kind of magic you can hide.”

  “Don’t panic.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure AJ’s mom will know what to do. If not, I can call my dad.”

  The babies screamed and banged on their playpens again. I guess they were angry they were no longer the center of attention. Ethan began playing with them while I dialed AJ’s mom.

  “Hello, Sophie,” Mrs. Dawson’s sing-song greeting sounded through the receiver.

  “Hello, Mrs. Dawson,” I said, and then repressed a shiver, as I felt a weird feeling, kind of like I was being watched. I quickly scanned the room, looking for a pair of unseen eyes, but nothing jumped out at me. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Of course not, sweetheart,” she answered. “I’m wide awake.”

  “I have a problem.”

  “I know,” she said in that knowing motherly voice of hers. “I’ll be right over.”

  When she hung up, I stared down at my cat. “She already knew about my problem.”

  Using her gift to spy again, Alessia laughed.

  AJ was right. Her mom was nosey.

  *****

  Luckily, AJ’s family lived down the street, and it only took a few minutes for Mrs. Dawson to get to my house.

  When the doorbell rang, I raced to the door and looked through the peephole, relieved to see AJ’s mom and grandma on the other side. “Hey, Mrs. Dawson,” I said as I swung open the door.

  AJ’s mom was a timeless beauty. She was an older version of AJ, a tall stunning blonde with crystal blue eyes, except unlike AJ, Mrs. Dawson liked to dress in feminine clothes and her makeup was always flawless.

  AJ’s grandma, on the other hand, was quite the character. She was small in stature, but made up for it with a carefree attitude and a crazy sense of humor. As she followed Mrs. Dawson inside, I noticed something was off about her. She walked funny, kind of like Buster after he chased his tail for several minutes. Tonight she was dressed in a long wool robe and oversized hot pink slippers, her grey hair pinned up on top of her head. She hiccupped as she walked by me and then wobbled toward the sofa, plopping down on the cushions like she was about to pass out.

  Grandma hiccupped again before looking at me through heavy lidded eyes. “Shame on you, Sophie,” she slurred, waving her hand toward Ethan. “Sneaking a boy into your house when your parents are gone.”

  Ethan dropped his gaze to the plush carpet, his face flushing ten shades of red.

  I turned up my chin and met Grandma’s direct stare. “Ethan was helping me take care of the babies,” I said as I came beside Ethan.

  I stifled a gasp at the heat radiating off him. I wanted to comfort him by holding his hand but thought better of it. Obviously, being humiliated by old ladies made him put off heat.

  AJ’s grandma snickered, and then she came to her feet, nearly falling onto her face as she bumped her leg on the edge of the coffee table. “Dammit!” she howled. “Who put that table there?”

  The babies mimicked Grandma’s howl before erupting into amused laughter. Then they began jumping up and down in their playpens.

  Mrs. Dawson knelt down beside the babies and smiled. She looked up at her mother and rolled her eyes. “She’s fine,” Mrs. Dawson harrumphed. “She’s just had a bit too much wine.”

  A bit too much? I figured Grandma had had more than a bit too much, but I kept my thoughts to myself. As long as she could help me conceal my nephews’ powers, that’s all that mattered.

  Aaron and Alex rolled their eyes at Mrs. Dawson and then harrumphed. Then their eyes turned from bright blue to crystal blue. Their messy dark hair fell to their shoulders in long, pale waves.

  Mrs. Dawson gasped and clapped her hands. “Amazing!” she squealed.

  The twins squealed and clapped their hands, too.

  AJ’s grandma stopped to look at my nephews. She wobbled up to Ethan and poked his chest with a bony finger. “What happened to your hair, boy? Caught in a wind tunnel?”

  “Alessia says he’s an Elemental,” I explained, trying to keep my voice even.

  Poor Ethan. He had that deer-in-the-headlights stare as he looked at Grandma with a frozen expression.

  “Oh, boy.” Grandma clucked her tongue. “Not another one of those. I dated one in college. They’re pretty hot in the sack if you know what I mean.” She shot me a not-so-subtle wink before bursting into a fit of laughter.

  The babies cackled loudly, sounding like dying old crows.

  “Hey!” Grandma stomped her foot, before swaying to one side and nearly falling over. “I don’t sound like that!”

  I covered my mouth with my hand to conceal a smile. When I looked up at Ethan, I noticed he wasn’t smiling, but blushing an even deeper shade of red. Gah! The boy looked ready to burst into flames.

  Mrs. Dawson came to her feet and glared at Grandma. “Serves you right, Mother. Mind your tongue. You’re going to make the boy combust.”

  Grandma waved us off like we were a swarm of flies and pushed past Mrs. Dawson. “Well, what have we got here?” she said as she bent over the playpens. “Aren’t they cutie pies?”

  Mrs. Dawson clasped her hands together and sighed. “They look adorable with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like my little Allison when she was a baby.”

  Aaron and Alex collectively sighed, before staring up at Mrs. Dawson with loving expressions. Their long blond hair made them look more like dolls than babies.

  As cute as this whole magical baby experience was, I knew we had a serious problem. I glanced at the mantel clock above the fireplace. It was almost eight-thirty. I knew my parents would be home soon.

  “Mrs. Dawson,” I said. “My mom thinks witches are satanic.”

  Both AJ’s mom and grandma turned to me with raised brows.

  “If she finds out…” I swallowed hard before looking at my nephews. “These poor babies. She’ll bring them to an exorcist or something.”

  Mrs. Dawson turned to Grandma. “Can you put a glamour on them?”

  “A glamour?” I asked.

  “Something to hide their powers,” Mrs. Dawson answered. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with the tips of her fingers. “Mother, you’d better hurry. Sophie’s parents will be home in a few minutes.”

  “My parents are coming!” I shrieked, and then rolled my eyes when my nephews shrieked back.

  Grandma nudged me in the ribs
. “You’d better send your elemental smoochy face home before Daddy finds you’ve been stoking the fire behind his back.”

  I turned to Ethan, hesitant to grab his hand as I could still feel the heat radiating off him. Instead, I rushed toward the front door and waved for him to follow. “Sorry, Ethan.”

  He followed me, looking as if he was in a daze. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Yeah, that would be awesome,” I said as I unlocked the deadbolt and swung open the door. “Thanks for coming over.” I took a chance and pushed him, hoping he’d take the major hint and leave.

  But he didn’t take the hint. I stifled a groan as Ethan held his ground. “I’m glad I could help but I came over to talk.”

  I couldn’t let my parents catch him here. “Can’t it wait?” I pleaded as panic tied a knot in my stomach.

  Ethan’s expression darkened. “No, it can’t. I talked to my dad. He thinks you were right about Mr. Sleznick.”

  “They’ll be home in two minutes,” Mrs. Dawson called from the living room.

  Ethan bent down and kissed me on the cheek. Surprisingly, his lips were only slightly warm. “I’ll call you when I get home. ‘K?” he breathed into my ear.

  I silently nodded, the queasy feeling sinking to the pit of my stomach as he walked toward his car. Could my life get any more stressful? Magical babies. Demonic teacher. What was next? Locusts? A plague?

  When I walked back into the living room, Mrs. Dawson and Grandma were hovering over the babies. They were holding hands, chanting some foreign tongue, and much to my surprise, the boys were snuggled into their blankies, sleeping like twin angels.

  The air around me was surprisingly warm, stifling even. Weird, because Ethan had left. Usually, whenever he left, I felt colder.

  “Who turned up the furnace?” I asked, the rattle of my voice betraying my frayed nerves.