by Tanya Milne
Chapter Eight
‘Good shot,’ said Noah from the other side of the school tennis court.
I turned and grinned at him. It was always satisfying beating Elijah, who appeared to enjoy being consoled by Anna at the other end of the court.
‘One more game?’ Elijah called out.
I went and stand on the baseline, narrowing my eyes at my big brother, who was trying to hide the smirk. ‘Sure.’
‘Go, Eva,’ said Noah from beside me as I served, causing me to lose concentration and hit the ball into the net.
Elijah laughed. ‘Yes! Go, Eva,’
‘Sorry,’ said Noah as I lined up for another serve.
‘No problem.’ I served an ace that left Elijah standing with his mouth open and Anna doubled over in laughter.
I turned to Noah and there, behind him, on the other side of the wire fence, was Ezra. My heart lurched in my chest, and I raised my hand and smiled at him – resisted the urge to run to him.
It had been several days since I’d found out I was a witch – several days since I’d seen Ezra. I’d looked for him everywhere, desperate to talk to him, make sure he’d got home okay and thank him for helping me. But he was nowhere to be found.
Noah turned to see where I was gazing.
‘Oh, it’s him,’ he said quietly.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Haven’t you heard?’
Ezra beckoned me over.
‘Heard what?’ I said.
‘Who he is?’
I was only half listening, as I was too busy studying Ezra’s face and the small smile playing on the corner of his lips.
‘He’s Ezra Blackthorn,’ he said, loud enough to be heard. ‘As in Orpheus’s son, his one and only child.’
Ezra’s forehead scrunched together at Noah’s words. I felt as though all the air left my lungs. Ezra looked down at the ground and walked away, taking part of me with him.
How could it be? The first boy I’d ever liked, the only one I felt I could tell anything, was the one boy I couldn’t talk to, could never be with? Now, I wouldn’t get to know Ezra, look into his emerald-green eyes and learn the thousands of emotions that would be reflected from his soul.
What if he heard me on the boat?
What if he’d listened to me mumbling about my family? Being a witch?
What if he told his father?
‘C’mon, Eva. I haven’t got all day. Put me out of my misery,’ yelled Elijah.
I looked at my brother.
‘Eva?’ said Elijah.
I served the ball, and Elijah intercepted my shot and sent it flying back to me. I saw the ball, but my body wouldn’t move and it hit me right in my left eye, sending me straight to the ground.
Anna screamed, but it was distant.
‘Eva,’ I heard Ezra say in the distance.
I tried to sit up, but it was as though an invisible hand pushed me down.
‘I’ve got this,’ said Noah, whose creased face came into my view. ‘Someone get the nurse.’ He took off his sports jacket and covered me up.
Elijah’s face was above mine, and I knew the injury must have been bad when I saw him cringe. ‘I would have let you win, sis – no need to give yourself a black eye.’
My eye was the least of my worries. The back of my head where I’d hit the ground was pounding. I tried to tell them, but no words would form.
‘Shit, she’s bleeding,’ said Noah.
The light grew brighter and brighter until I couldn’t see a thing. I heard them launch into panicked action. Then their voices faded and I was left alone. Well, not entirely alone. Ezra’s words were with me, telling me that everything was going to be okay.
When I woke, my head was pounding and my mouth was dry. For a few moments I kept my eyes closed and listened to the conversation around me.
‘I feel terrible,’ said Elijah, who sounded exhausted. I tried to open my eyes to tell him I was okay, but couldn’t.
Then Noah spoke. ‘Just an accident, mate, don’t worry. The doctor says she’ll be okay. Just a bit of concussion.’
‘I still can’t believe it. She’s never missed a ball in her life, let alone let one smack her in the eye.’
Noah let out a long sigh that was almost a groan. ‘She was distracted.’
‘How so?’ asked Elijah.
‘That Ezra boy.’
‘The mayor’s son? Just moved here?’
‘The one and only,’ said Noah.
‘How does she even know him?’
‘She met him on your first day at school, but apart from that…I have no idea.’
Elijah let out a quiet whistle. ‘Little sis, the dark horse. Bit of competition, hey.’
Noah didn’t reply. The tread of fast feet rushed into the room, and an unfamiliar, efficient voice barked, ‘Okay, boys, out now. Time for us to check on her.’
I attempted to prize my eyes open, but they felt as though they were being dragged shut. My body was heavy, so heavy. It was pushing me down, back into the darkness.
The next time I surfaced, the room was quieter and I knew it was nighttime. The world around me was hushed. Beside me someone breathing, quietly. Mum. Heavy breathing. Dad. My eyes felt as though they were glued shut and I couldn’t prise them open.
‘You okay, love?’ said Dad.
Mum let out small sobs.
‘She’ll be awake soon, Angie. She’ll be all right.’
‘She’s supposed to be awake already.’
‘I know, but her scans are all clear. She’ll be awake soon.’
Mum erupted into fresh tears, and my dad shuffled towards Mum, took her in his arms.
‘Oh, Christian. I feel terrible about everything. This last week has been the worst of my life. Ever since she found out. She’s changed so much.’
‘It’s a big thing to find out, particularly at her age.’
‘I know, but we’ve always been so close and she’s pulling away from me.’
‘Shhh,’ said Dad. ‘She’ll come back to you.’
‘Will she? How do you know?’
All of a sudden, my body felt as though it didn’t exist. I wanted to open my eyes, to tell her I loved her, but I couldn’t move.
Dad sighed. Didn’t disagree.
‘Oh, of course she’s changed. How could she not?’
How have I changed? Tell me.
‘I know she’s angry at us, but that’s not all. She used to be quiet, but now she’s quietly determined. She was soft, but now there’s an edge to her.’
Dad let out a long sigh. ‘Angie, she’s growing into herself. She’s never quite fitted in, and now she knows why. She’s stopped trying to fit. She’s just being herself.’
What have I become?
‘Do you think…’ asked Mum, her thoughts a mirror of my own.
‘No, I don’t,’ said Dad, his voice stern. ‘I don’t think she’s a black witch.’
A warm surge of relief coursed through my veins.
‘What about…’ asked Mum.
‘I don’t know whether she’s the Fire Queen, love.’
Who’s the Fire Queen? Tell me!
‘Her actions may not be typical of a white witch like Elijah. But her heart, her heart is made of gold,’ said Dad. ‘You need to stop worrying.’
‘I can’t help it, Christian. She’s so different from any white witch I’ve ever met. I’m worried for her. So worried.’
The sound of a trolley in the hall.
Who am I?
‘She’s not the typical white witch, but her heart is too good to belong to a black witch,’ said Dad. I don’t know what this means, but I do know that whatever she is, she’s growing into it quickly and she will learn how to be a witch, whether we help her or not.’
I thought back to the daily fights I’d had with my parents since the night I found out my true identity. My intention to learn witchcraft had not wavered, not for a second, and neither had Mum’s will to stop me. It had been a living hell.
Mum let out a sound, a sound of protest and acceptance from her soul. ‘It’s so dangerous. If anything were to happen to her…’
‘I know, my love, I know. Maybe we can take it slow. Let her know we will help her, but in time. When things settle down.’
I felt my edges harden. I was ready.
Mum made her way towards my bed. She placed a hand on the side of my face before she pushed my hair behind my ear. ‘We can try, we can try. But I know she won’t like it. Her will, it’s so strong. I can hardly believe it.’
Dad walked to stand by Mum’s side. He picked up my hand, held it tight. ‘All I know is that she’s going to be one powerful witch.’
Mum’s hand froze on my forehead. ‘Do you think they still want her?’
‘I wish I knew, Angie. Only time will tell.’
Who wants me? What do they mean?
I tried to store the question in my brain for later, but it was flying away from me. I was drifting, slowly, back into the abyss of darkness.
The next time I woke, the birds outside were singing their morning song. It was quiet in the room. Someone was sitting next to me. I could hear them breathing and feel eyes on me – his eyes.
Ezra.
My heart fluttered to life. And then I remembered. Ezra Blackthorn.
‘Eva, I don’t know why, but I sense that you can hear me.’
He took my hand and I tried to squeeze it back, but nothing happened.
‘I’m sorry I haven’t been in earlier. This is the first time you’ve been on your own. If it’s not Elijah, it’s Noah or Anna in and out, in and out. Or your parents. Poor things, your mum looks terrible.’
The invisible hand of guilt squeezed me tight.
‘We’re all so worried,’ he said, his voice breaking up. ‘Well, I’m not supposed to care. Rumour has it that it was all my fault. Ezra Blackthorn strikes again.’ He moved, ran his free hand through his hair. ‘Started by your perfect boyfriend, no doubt.’
He’s not my boyfriend!
‘But you need to know I would never want anything bad to happen to you. I realise we don’t even know each other, but it’s strange, because I feel like I do know you. I don’t really understand it, but there you have it.’
The machine next to me started to beep. I felt myself being pulled towards the surface, towards Ezra. An alarm started. Footsteps in the hall. Cool lips on my forehead. A whisper in my ear. ‘Come back to me.’
I opened my eyes to the hospital room bathed in hazy green early-morning light. Ezra was climbing out the window. He turned to me, his eyes glassy, a small smile on his lips. I held out my hand, but he glanced at the door where footsteps were headed. He looked at me one last time before he closed the window and was gone.
In seconds, the lights were switched on, a nurse’s face smiled down at me and the doctor entered the room. Someone was on the phone calling my parents. I heard it all. I saw it all. I was back, but part of me longed for the darkness that hid the sharpness of my life.
I was a witch, but even my parents didn’t know whether I was a white or black witch.
Noah had somehow claimed me as his own.
And, the one and only boy I’d ever liked was too dangerous for someone like me to be with. Dangerous for me, yes, but more dangerous for him. I remembered Ezra’s dad’s eyes, the windows to his soul, hardened to life so that he couldn’t feel or care. I remembered the sadness in Ezra’s voice when he spoke about his family. His life was already so difficult. I couldn’t make it harder.
I closed my eyes, willed myself back to sleep. But Elijah strode into the room and sat down next to me.
‘Don’t you dare close your eyes, sis,’ he said.
I opened my eyes and there was his face, full of lines and eyes smudged and puffy. Tears filled his eyes when he spoke. ‘Oh geez, who did you beat up this time?’
I laughed, and life – life in all its beautiful and tragic form – poured back into my body, filling me until I was back, back in my body. Back to face my life and my future that felt uncertain, untethered. There was only one thing I knew. I was a witch and I needed to learn how to become one.
Chapter Nine
The moment I’d been dreading finally arrived – my first class back at school after the tennis ‘incident’ that left me unconscious for two days. Not much ever happened in Melas, so this was, unbelievably, big news.
I took a settling breath and walked into my history class. The room fell quiet as every person turned my way, who were no doubt staring at my black eye. Heat flooded my body, but I kept my head up as I scanned the room for a seat. There were no signs of the teacher, Noah or Anna, and unfortunately Elijah wasn’t in this class. But there was Ezra, sitting in the back row, smiling at me and indicating a spare seat next to him.
My heart felt as though it got a jump-start. I knew I had to make it clear to him we could only be friends, but now – in my first class back? I walked to sit next to Ezra. A few heads turned our way, but thankfully everyone started talking all at once.
‘Welcome back,’ said Ezra, his piercing green eyes not wavering as he looked at me.
‘Did I miss much?’ I said, thinking of the week of work I’d need to catch up on.
Ezra laughed. ‘You could be away for a month and not miss much. You okay?’
I nodded, remembering to one of the strangest weeks of my life. ‘You know, being unconscious wasn’t at all what I expected.’
Ezra raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It was kind of like being down someplace like the bottom of the ocean, but then I’d surface, hear things, know things and then sink back down again.’
‘What can you remember?’
‘Oh, you know, bits and pieces from conversations in the room.’
Ezra spoke quietly. ‘Do you remember me visiting? What I said to you?’
‘I do. I remember you sitting next to me. You helped me…’
He leaned forward. ‘Helped you what?’
Why did I even open my mouth?
I tried to find the words I needed to put distance between us, but every word, every action was drawing us closer together.
At that moment Mr Moore, our history teacher, made his entrance. He dropped his books with a plonk onto the table and commanded the class’s attention.
Saved by Mr Moore – who would have thought?
Noah and Anna walked through the door, their faces lighting up when they saw me.
I waved at them and they waved back.
‘Nice of you to join us,’ said Mr Moore as they made their way to the only two seats left, in the front row. Noah turned to me again, his face clouding when he saw Ezra sitting next to me. ‘Welcome back, Eva. Okay, let’s get to work. For these next two weeks, we’ll be studying witchcraft.’
‘What?!’
Unfortunately, I said this word out loud and everyone turned towards me.
‘Sorry, Mr Moore, I was just asking Eva a question,’ said Ezra.
Mr Moore’s gaze flicked between us. ‘Do you care to share your question with the class, Ezra?’
‘I asked Eva to the Easter dance, sir.’
I looked over to Ezra, a small smile playing on his lips.
‘And that was her response? Looks like you have some work to do.’
Everyone cracked up laughing, everyone except Noah and Eva.
Mr Moore resumed his introduction of witchcraft, but I couldn’t hear a word. Ezra was now writing in his book. Clearly, somehow, I was sending him all the wrong signals.
While Mr Moore was writing on the board, Ezra pushed his book towards me. I looked down and read his message.
‘How did I help you in the hospital?
Sorry to lie just now, but I didn’t know what else to say.
Will you come to the dance with me?’
I looked back up at the board, the wo
rds swimming. All I could think about was dancing in Ezra’s arms as he held me close.
‘Please,’ he wrote again, underlying the word please. That’s when I remembered. The special police. His father. His unhappy family life. The danger I could put him in. I had to put some distance between us. Extinguish any hope that I may have given him.
I held my breath, picked up my pen and made myself write the words.
‘Sorry, I don’t dance.’
I could feel Ezra’s body droop as he read my words. The small smile that I’d grown to like so much disappeared. He sat taller, moved his body away from mine. The rest of the class passed in a blur. The moment it was over, he stood, ignoring me entirely, and was the first out the door.
Mission accomplished.
I felt as though I’d dobbed in a friend for stealing. It was the right thing to do, the only thing to do, but inside me, it felt as if I’d done the completely wrong thing.
‘Hey, you,’ said Anna, who was by my side, hugging me tightly, pushing warmth back into me. ‘So good to see you.’
‘So good to see you too,’ I said as she broke away.
‘Hey, Eva, you doing okay? You look a little pale,’ said Noah, who had visited me every day since I’d been in hospital.
I stood up. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Ezra didn’t upset you, did he?’ asked Noah.
‘No, not at all. It’s all good.’
Noah pressed his lips together.
I knew I needed to put some distance between me and Noah as well, and pronto, but I just didn’t have the energy.
‘Come on, Eva, let’s go to assembly. Elijah will be waiting for us,’ Anna suggested.
I looped my arm through hers.
‘He won’t be waiting for me,’ I said before laughing. ‘But he will be waiting for you.’
She laughed, such a pretty, soft laugh, as we made our way out the door.
I played with the food in front of me. Elijah, Noah and Anna chatted away, but I felt far away. Sitting with a flock of girls in the corner of the cafeteria was Ezra. He looked how I felt, but it didn’t seem to bother the clearly smitten girls.
