by K. A. Poe
“You got a cat? You hate cats —”
“I don’t hate them,” she said with a frown. “They’re just ... extra work. And they’re dirty. But Ollie is cleaner than Jason ever was. And besides, it just wasn’t right around here without Willow.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, where is he?”
“He’s asleep upstairs on my desk. He likes to sleep in my chair. Let me go get him.”
With a nod, I watched her walk up the stairs I’d gone up so many times to go to my bedroom. What had become of that room since I left? I felt a pang of regret for leaving the house and my room behind ... but eventually you have to move on from the place you grew up. Had I not wound up being a witch, I would still have gone off to college and pursued a future elsewhere, eventually. That would have been years from now, however. This had all happened in such a short time. Life has a way of doing that, though, taking time and condensing or stretching it. No one ever really knows what tomorrow will bring, Clairvoyant or not.
Chapter Eighteen
Oliver turned out to be an orange and white cat that made Willow look like a kitten in comparison. He was a handsome cat with unique features — a stripe of white across one eye, and a few patches here and there. He leapt onto my lap without any hesitation and I rubbed him behind the ear.
“He’s sweet,” I said and listened to the sound of him purring. “He’s lucky to have you.”
My phone rang in my coat pocket and I hesitated to answer it, but Eila nodded to say it was all right. I snaked my hand around Oliver, who tried to force his head under my hand in order for more petting, and pulled my phone from my pocket. The call was coming from Mathias’s number.
“Uh, hang on ... I’ll be right back. Sorry,” I said and hurriedly left the room after gently pushing the cat down.
Stepping through the front door, I answered the phone. “Hello?”
There wasn’t an answer at first, then, “Hello, Castus Young. This is Castus Whitlock, a ... friend of Castus Forsythe. Artemis is trying to get a hold of you but doesn’t have your number.”
“Oh ... is everything okay?”
Silence again.
“Madison,” Artemis’s voice streamed through the phone this time, “I wanted to inform you that Mathias’s condition is worsening, regardless of his lack of using his gift. He is safely confined within Castus Whitlock’s shield, and has not had any opportunity to do anything but rest. He’s ... unconscious right now, but he has been saying your name in his sleep.”
I stared out into the white layers of snow on the ground and inhaled a shaky breath. “Is there a reason ... why are you calling me to tell me this?”
“He asked me to keep you updated before he slid into unconsciousness. Perhaps your presence would make him feel better.”
Scoffing, I kicked at the mat by the front door. “How would me being there help in any way? I’m not a healer. I’m ... I don’t even know what I am!”
“Even if you can’t heal him through a gift, your presence may comfort him in other ways.”
“Have you even found any answers yet?”
“No. I have not. But I assure you that I am working on it.”
“How much time do you think he has before ...?
Artemis sighed and muttered something I couldn’t understand. “I don’t know, Castus Young. But I am looking for answers, and I will find them before any further harm can come to Mathias.”
“I’m sure you’re trying your best,” I grumbled and hung up on him.
Stumbling back into the house, I fell straight into Eila’s arms and bawled into her shoulder. She didn’t even question what happened. After my tears were shed and my throat burned, she continued to hold me and brushed her hand soothingly over my hair, whispering repeatedly that it would be okay, but I didn’t believe her.
“It’s Mathias, isn’t it?” she asked lightly when I finally stepped back and wiped at my eyes.
I nodded. “He’s getting worse. Artemis says I should come back but … I don’t know. I just don’t think I can right now. Do you think ... could I stay here over night?”
Her eyes lit up. “Of course you can. You’re always welcome here. Your old bed is still —”
“No. I want to stay in the treehouse.”
She didn’t look surprised. “Of course. Let me get you some blankets, and if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled and watched Oliver follow her up the stairs.
With my hands full of blankets, I exited the house through the back door and peered up at the old treehouse. It felt like only months ago that Dad and Uncle Mitchell built it, yet it had been years. I heaved the blankets up toward the building and then climbed the rickety ladder. The rungs creaked noisily under my weight, but I wasn’t concerned. When I finally made it to the top, I found the small building to be the same as Serena and I had left it last time; there was a stack of magazines beside the sleeping bag she’d laid in and a book next to mine that I hadn’t remembered having up here.
Thinking of Serena made me decide to take my phone out and call her. I was surprised when she answered right away. I briefly told her what was going on and she said she’d be over as soon as possible. It was a relief knowing that I was still one of her top priorities and that she knew that I needed her at that moment. She was even willing to leave Zach and rush over.
I looked around the space and decided it needed some sprucing up. There were shelves built into the right-side wall, along with a small window that overlooked where Eila’s garden had once been when she’d had time to tend to it; now it was just a patch of dark soil peeking out from the snow and frost. I imagined it would have been a beautiful sight if it had been full of blossomed roses and other flowers. Since I was pretty sure it was impossible to summon up row upon row of flowers, I settled for a vase of roses that sat on the windowsill. I wasn’t sure how much weight the treehouse could handle, so I didn’t summon any furniture, just some decor for the walls to make it homier.
Deciding one small piece of furniture wouldn’t hurt I willed a small lounge chair into existence in the left corner. I sat down with the book that had been left up there and skimmed through the pages. There was an inscription in the right corner of the first page.
To my raven, with all the love in the world.
-S
This book had been my mom’s, and had my dad’s writing in it. His script was elegant and swirled; I ran a finger over the ink and frowned. There wasn’t a title on the cover, but when I flipped through the pages, I recognized some things here and there and knew at once that Hannah must have put it up here with the intent of me finding it before it became known to me who my parents really were — and who she really was.
Something caught my attention as I flipped through the pages — a highlighted passage. I flipped back through until I found it again and read it:
‘Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore.’
Had Hannah highlighted it, or was it my mom? Either way, it sent chills up and down my spine. I knew the poem; it was my mom’s favorite poem, and I’d read it before for school – The Raven.
“Thought I’d find you in tears, not with your nose in a book,” Serena said as she climbed into the treehouse.
“Very funny,” I said and stood up, setting the book on the chair. “Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, you know I’d do anything for you ... even ditch Zachary Wilson,” she said with a smile and put her arms around me. “I heard about Mathias from some people in the lobby earlier ... I figured that’s what was wrong. Surprised that you came here, though.”
“It felt like the safest place to go. Eila ... she’s a lot happier now. At first I was coming here to visit her to make sure of that.”
“That’s good at least. So what exactly is wrong with Mathias?”
“No idea. No one seems to know, and I don’t know where else to go fo
r answers.”
She looked thoughtful as she set down her purse and sat down on her sleeping bag. “What about Hannah?”
I scoffed. “She was the first place I went after Artemis basically did nothing. If she knows anything, which I don’t think she does, she’s not telling.” I glanced briefly at the book, then back at my friend. “So how are you liking it at Haven so far?” I needed to change the subject for a moment as I felt both anger and sadness surfacing again.
“Aside from that Noah guy, it’s fine. He can’t seem to get it through his head that I’m taken and not interested.”
“Don’t give him a hard time ... he’s been through a lot. He seems like a huge flirt, but I think it’s all a cover for the sensitive boy underneath. I wouldn’t take it too seriously. I don’t.”
Serena laughed. “I know you try to see the good in everyone, but really ... I think he’s just a perv.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Have you heard anything else from Cam or your mom yet?”
She looked glum and leaned against the wall behind her. “Cam’s staying with some friends of his. I still haven’t talked to mom. She’s tried to call me a few times, though …”
“Maybe you should. She has to be freaking out.”
“Well, maybe she deserves it! She’s the one that cheated on my dad.”
“But your dad’s the one that pulled the trigger. He’s the one that pushed her to do it anyway. After beating her and you two all those years and staying gone all the time ...”
“Yeah, so? She should have seen this coming. Why not just divorce him instead first? It’s all so stupid …”
“She was probably scared to. What if he had shot her when she told him she wanted a divorce?”
“Whatever. Two wrongs.”
There was no getting passed it, Serena was at least partially right, and she was definitely not budging from her opinion any time soon. While I agreed that Mrs. Dupont was in the wrong, I didn’t think that she deserved any of what happened to her or the man she’d been with. He was dead now, and I couldn’t even imagine what Serena’s mom must have been going through. Despite everything, she needed someone to comfort her. She’d seen a man die, her husband was undoubtedly going to prison, and her children weren’t talking to her.
“I still think you should talk to her,” I said. “She needs you right now.”
Serena shrugged. “I’m sure she can find another man to comfort her. That’s what she does best.”
“Serena!” I couldn’t believe her words; she’d never been so cold about anything before. “I know what she did was wrong, but seriously ... she’s been through a lot, and you ignoring her isn’t helping anything.”
“Whatever. I’ll think about it,” was all she said.
The rest of the night was spent in near silence. I didn’t want to talk about Mathias anymore, and I was fairly sure she was done talking about her mom. She sat on her side of the treehouse with her phone in her hand, texting away to Zach while I stared out the back window that gave a clear view of the starlit sky. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of training with Iris, a girl that I barely knew, to see if I had a gift that was apparently impossible for me to have. My nerves and worries were keeping me from being able to sleep.
Clouds crowded over the view through the window and I took that as a sign to stop staring and start at least trying to relax. But how could I when Mathias was fighting for his life? Hesitantly, I curled up on top of my blue sleeping bag and pulled the blankets Eila had given me over me and shut my eyes. The sound of Serena’s fingers rapidly typing and the bright glow from her phone’s screen kept me from getting comfortable. I pulled one of the blankets over my head and groaned.
“It’s getting kind of cold in here,” Serena said, clearly unaware of the fact that I was trying to sleep.
I pried the cover from over my head and looked at her. “Maybe if you’d stop texting your boyfriend and got under some blankets you wouldn’t be so cold,” I said and tossed an extra blanket at her.
“Thanks ...” She glared at me but wrapped it over her shoulders anyway. “So, you said that that Artemis guy wasn’t going to let me stay at first but then he changed his mind? Any idea why?”
I leaned up on one elbow with my head in my hand and looked at her curiously. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
“I’ve overheard a few others talking about it … about me … and how it’s against the rules to bring in a non-witch into Haven. I know one of the guys said Artemis probably would’ve let me stay anyway because he’s not a very strict person but ... I don’t know. I get this sort of creepy vibe around him.”
I laughed. “There’s nothing creepy about Artemis.”
She shrugged. “Maybe he thinks I’m hot.” She smiled.
I couldn’t help but laugh again. “You’re so weird. He’s old enough to be your dad.”
“Yeah, but he isn’t my dad. I’m just joking, though. But he probably does think that.”
I playfully smacked her with the corner of my blanket, then turned my gaze to the ceiling. Why did Artemis suddenly change his mind when he saw her? Was it because she was a young girl in need, like me? Was it because she was my friend and he just couldn’t say no with her right there? That was probably it. Aside from one or two brief moments, Artemis had been one of the nicest, most calm people I had ever met. I sighed at yet another, be it small, mystery in my life.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop my thoughts from meandering from Artemis to Mathias. I pictured him lying in his bed, trapped behind the invisible walls of a magical force field. What sort of answers would Artemis come up with, if any? And who was he getting them from? That was the question that nagged at me the most — who did he know that could help Mathias … and why did he seem so averse to telling me?
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning Eila made Serena and me a full breakfast — scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, biscuits, and orange juice. I didn’t think I’d need to eat again for a week after that. Serena was uncharacteristically quiet the entire time, and barely touched her food. I wondered if something I’d said last night had gotten through to her; maybe she was finally going to consider talking to her mom.
Despite my reservations, I had Serena drop me off at Haven after breakfast. Mathias was still locked up in his room and Artemis was said to be out … hopefully searching for information. Noah was up bright and early, sitting on the sectional eating his cereal and staring blankly at the TV. If he noticed me come in, it didn’t show.
I went to my room and fed Willow and spent a few minutes pampering her after having abandoned her last night. She never reacted well when I was away over night, but she seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe she was getting along well with my mom.
After tending to the cat, I left in search of Iris. I stopped and asked Noah what room she was in, and after no answer on three different tries, had to turn off the TV.
“Hey! I was watching that.”
“More like you were getting brainwashed by it.”
“Now I’ll never know if Judy makes that guy pay for the screwed up boat. My life is ruined.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed. “I think you’ll live. Now, what room is Iris in?”
“Thirteen. Now give me back the remote.”
I shook my head and tossed the remote back at him. He immediately flipped the TV back on and groaned when he saw it was on a commercial.
I made my way down one of the halls and to room thirteen, which happened to take me by Alan’s room. I was briefly tempted to knock and see if he was in there, but something told me that now wasn’t a good time; maybe after training. I needed to keep my mind clear and focus on whatever was ahead of me. As much as I hated to admit it, everyone was right. Awesome powers or not, it did me no good if I couldn’t control them. If I were caught alone out again by that ice-wielder, or anyone, for that matter, I wouldn’t have Mathias to save me. I needed to be prepared.
My fingers rapped against t
he wood of door number thirteen and I could hear shuffling noises in the background. The door opened and Iris greeted me with a grin.
“Morning, Castus Young,” she said and let me in. “Artemis said you’d be here.”
The room was dark and colorful all at the same time — black walls with intricate chalk swirls drawn onto the paint in varying colors; neon-colored bedspread; lava lamps lining the surface of her desk; glow-in-the-dark stars pinned to the ceiling. The only things that stood out of place were the same basic furnishings that my room had in the kitchen and dining area.
“Wow,” I breathed once I finished examining my surroundings. “I think that aside from me you’re the only other one to actually do something with your room.”
Iris laughed and I saw the barbell on her tongue. “It helps if you have a job, I guess. Artemis makes sure we all have a place to stay and food to eat, but if you want to deck out your room in awesomeness you need to bring in your own bucks.”
I nodded. “Or be able to summon them.”
“That probably works too,” she said with another bout of laughter. “But seeing as that’s uncommon around here, the rest of us have to settle for work.”
“Where do you work?”
“I’m a barista, part time. The rest of my time is spent going to school, majoring in art. That, plus living a secret life as a witch, makes things a little hectic ... but I haven’t died of sleep deprivation – yet.” She laughed again. She was awfully happy and energetic for someone with such a crammed life. I felt bad for thinking I couldn’t handle just being a student and witch at the same time. She had that plus a job … and now she had to train me too …
“Wow …” I sat down at the kitchen table, thrumming my fingers against the wood. “So ... Artemis says you can help me?”
“I can try,” she said and leaned forward with her hands on the tabletop. “Telekinesis is actually one of the more common gifts among witches, but it’s one of those easy to do, hard to master sort of things.”
