When Witches Wake

by Hilary Foxhill

  Emily could hardly contain her excitement. She wanted to hear every thought that went through Claire’s brain. She wanted to know her entire life story. She wanted to know her completely. She had already seen and felt how amazing it was to love Claire. She felt like she had a lot of catching up to do.

  “I got a divorce about a year ago,” Claire said. “And everything started falling apart after that. I gave up on my work, I started drinking too much. I started engaging in some really self-destructive behavior.”

  “What do you do for work?” Emily asked. “I’m sorry I realized I don’t even know.”

  “That’s okay, we hadn’t talked about it yet,” Claire said. “I’m a painter. And up until June died I had run out of steam, and then started running out of money too, actually.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing.” Emily said. “I would love to see your paintings.”

  “Yeah, of course. There are a lot at the house, my studio is in the basement there right now,” Claire said.

  “Well I am really sorry to hear about your divorce.” Emily said. “I’m sure that was really hard. I haven't been through that, but my parents divorced when I was little and I don’t think my dad has ever gotten over it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Claire said.

  “So, what do you mean about the killings being a wakeup call?” Emily asked.

  “When June died I just needed to paint her,” Claire said. “She had been my mentor. She was the reason I even came here to Minnesota. She taught me so much and I knew I needed to pick myself up and stop fucking around, you know?”

  Emily nodded.

  “She would have been disappointed in how I had let everything slide. And the things I was doing to people, and to myself. And life is too short to float through it in so much pain,” she said.

  “I have definitely been floating along in my life,” Emily said. “But not even for any good reason. I've just been aimless. At least you have a reason. It makes sense that something that jarring would knock you off track for a while.”

  They sat quietly and just looked at each other. Staring into each other’s eyes, both of them were lost for a moment. Without thinking, Emily put her hand on Claire’s. She immediately felt butterflies in her stomach and if she had tried to say anything in that moment, she would have been unable to speak. Claire touched Emily’s hand above hers with her thumb, a slow and gentle caress. When she realized what she was doing she pulled her hand away.

  “I’m sorry,” Emily said. “I don’t know why I did that.” She was lying. She knew exactly why she did that.

  Claire knew she was lying and she didn’t know if she should call her on it or just let it slide. How complicated did she want this situation to get today? She was not usually one for a filter. “Yes you do,” she said.

  Emily was caught off guard. “What do you mean?” she said.

  “I can tell when people are lying,” Claire said. “You know why you did that.” She paused for a moment and looked into Emily’s eyes again. “I shared a bit with you. Is there anything you would like to share with me?” She felt the energy in the room shift.

  Emily looked away and around her apartment. Everything she saw now as gone. She wasn’t concentrating on it anymore, and it seemed to have disappeared while she was lost in the conversation with Claire. She now felt nervous and put on the spot. What could she tell her that wouldn’t make her think she was a crazy stalker?

  “No, I don’t have anything to share,” Emily said. “I’m sorry I did that. I just felt like maybe you needed some contact. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “Okay,” Claire said. “That’s okay.” She knew Emily was hiding something, but she decided not to push it further for now. “I think we’re all set here for now. Should we head back to the house?”

  “Sure,” Emily said, feeling relieved that this conversation wouldn’t go any farther.

  Claire and Emily arrived at the house, and Tanner and Allison were already inside.

  “How did it go?” Claire asked.

  “Great, boss,” Allison said. “I’m not allowed in Tanner’s house again, but other than that it went swimmingly.”

  Claire looked at Tanner curiously.

  “Don’t look at me,” Tanner said.

  Allison rolled her eyes. “I spilled a vase,” she said. “I said I was sorry.”

  Tanner shot a glare at Allison. “You broke a vase," he said. “A two thousand dollar vase.”

  “I said I was sorry!” she repeated. She looked at Claire pleadingly.

  “Jesus Allison.” Claire said as she shook her head.

  “Oh cause you people never make mistakes?” she said. “Right.” She sat down on the large cushion with her arms crossed and looked out the window.

  “Sorry Tanner,” Claire said. “Thanks for helping out though, you guys. I really appreciate it. Have either of you talked to Jeremy or Olivia?”

  “I talked to Olivia. She said the store is pretty busy today with the news. Jeremy is doing okay, and she thinks they’ll be leaving in a couple of hours,” Allison said.

  “Okay.” Claire said. “We should be able to finish up around here then. We haven’t done our house yet.”

  “On it.” Tanner said. He went into the kitchen to grab a stool. Allison stood up and walked to her bag to get the supplies she had used at the cottage and their other houses. They all got to work and Emily took a seat on the couch. Once again she felt like she was tagging along where she didn’t quite belong. She wanted to help and felt like she should be doing something. But she was happy to be with them.

  Jeremy and Olivia finally walked into the house. Emily could tell right away that he had a hard day. Olivia looked upset, which was strange to see. Even having just met her, Emily felt that anything but a smile on Olivia’s face seemed wrong. Jeremy hung his jacket, removed his shoes, and slumped his body down on the couch. Allison and Tanner looked at him and back at each other. Claire walked in, and Olivia gave her a nod.

  “How did it go?” Claire asked.

  “Fine. Considering,” Jeremy said.

  “He did great today,” Olivia said. She placed her hand on his back and gently rubbed back and forth. Claire saw her close her eyes and her aura slowly encompassed his. She saw his shoulders loosen and the stress drain from his face.

  He closed his eyes. “Thanks Liv," he said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You don’t have to know,” Olivia said. Claire thanked her without saying a word. Olivia knew what she was thinking just from the look on her face.

  “So can we talk business for a minute?” Claire said.

  “Okay,” Jeremy said.

  “Besides some extra work I’d like to do to the covenstead, each of our houses and the shop are covered,” she said. “Thanks for pulling through today, you guys. And Emily,” Claire shifted her gaze to Emily, along with everyone else. “Thanks for joining us today. What did you think?”

  Everyone’s eyes were on her and she tried not to obviously gulp with nervousness. “It was really something.” Emily said. “I didn’t pick up on anything while we were at the shop, but I actually did when we were at my apartment.”

  “You did?” Jeremy said. He perked up and leaned towards Emily. “What did you pick up?”

  “I saw the shield Claire made around the apartment. And the protection from the sigils,” she said.

  Everyone was surprised.

  “Are you related to anyone who is a witch?” Tanner asked.

  Emily shook her head. “Claire asked me that too,” she said. “But not that I know of.”

  “There has to be someone,” Tanner said. “You have to have some in you already. You’re too new to all of this to be able to see anything right now.”

  “Well she put her dream in my head too,” Jeremy said. “Without even really trying.”

  “We know,” Allison said. "Maybe that was just you though, Jeremy.”

  “But I wasn’t drained at all
afterwards,” Jeremy said. “I just touched her skin and there is was.”

  “Well maybe I should try,” Allison said. She started walking towards Emily. Emily backed up as Allison approached and Claire stepped in between them.

  “No, Allison,” Claire said. “That's a bit invasive. Can we just agree to trust Jeremy?” She looked at Allison, giving her a moment to respond.

  “Yeah, of course,” Allison said. “Sorry Jeremy.” She looked at Emily. “Sorry.”

  Emily put her hair behind one ear, timidly. “It’s okay. No problem,” she said. “This has been a really big day. I think I should head home.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of any of us going around alone,” Jeremy said.

  “Well we did just go through all that effort today to shield our individual homes. I know you have this craving for a giant never ending slumber party, but we already talked about how unrealistic that is. Plus she’s probably fine,” Allison said.

  “We don’t know that. As far as Jeremy and I are concerned, she is one of us now. An honorary member of the coven until she is initiated. She could be a target and we need to think through a plan,” Claire said.

  “I just don’t see what we can do,” Tanner said. “Beyond letting everyone know when we get to anywhere we are going safely.”

  “We could have a buddy system,” Olivia said. She perked up at the idea.

  “So, mini sleepovers?” Allison said. She crossed her arms and scoffed at Olivia.

  “I don’t know, what's your idea Allison?” Olivia said.

  Allison frowned. “I didn’t say I had one.” Olivia stared at her, unsurprised.

  Emily had an idea. “We could have a buddy system, but we just stay on the phone with one another until we are home safely. We could check our houses when we get home, and then once the coast is clear we can hang up.” She didn’t think it was the best idea, but it seemed better than anything they had yet.

  “I think that could work,” Jeremy said.

  “What happens if we can’t get a hold of anyone before we need to leave somewhere alone?” Tanner asked.

  “Well there are five of us to try,” Claire said. “And if by some strange reason you can’t get a hold of one of us, just call a family member or friend I guess.”

  Everyone seemed to agree that this was the best option for now. If they came up with a better plan later on they could use it, but right now it was too risky to be anywhere completely alone without a lifeline.

  They all said brief goodbyes at the door. Olivia and Tanner paired up on a call. Allison paired with Claire, and Emily paired with Jeremy. She felt nervous, knowing that Jeremy had such a challenging day. She had been so swept up in her time with Claire that day and what she saw in her apartment, that Sheff’s death hadn’t entered her mind in hours. That thought alone made her feel guilty. She knew Jeremy had probably been sitting with it constantly since he heard the news. She didn’t know him well enough to know if she should avoid the topic, or lean into it. She started her car and switched her headlights on since the sun had gone down, and began driving. The call switched to bluetooth.

  “Thank you for the pep talk today,” she said. “I think it is exactly what I needed.”

  “Yeah, of course," he said. “I think once you learn some things, you’re going to be amazing. I really can’t wait to see you come into your own.”

  “You sound pretty confident about that,” she said. That made her feel self-conscious.

  “Well I have seen where you end up, more or less,” he said. “And I just have a good feeling about it. I think you have a great deal of potential.”

  “Well, thanks Jeremy,” she said. “I don’t know if anyone has had so much blind faith in me before. I don’t really know what to say. I just hope I don’t let you down.”

  “I don’t see how you could," he said. They were silent on the phone as Emily drove.

  “So did you see anyone strange at the store today?” she asked.

  “No, not that I noticed," he said. “But I didn’t have the feeling we were being watched after when we all first arrived.

  “That’s good I guess,” she said. “It’s really scary, all of this. It all seems really detached from me and like we are going through these motions from this threat that I can’t really imagine. None if it seems real.”

  “I know. I feel the same way," he said. “I kept imagining seeing Sheff or getting a call from him, and it definitely has not hit me yet that he's gone. But I can’t wrap my head around the situation either. I have a hard time believing that there is someone out there killing people. It's terrifying.”

  “Yeah,” she said. But she still felt removed from the terror. Everything she was experiencing right now was beyond her wildest dreams and she was just happy. She knew that she should be scared, but in this moment, she wasn't. “Well I am just pulling up to my place,” she said. She drove around the block and found a parking spot a block and a half away. “Parking. I am like two blocks from my place.”

  “Oh okay. I didn’t realize you had to park so far away," he said. “Just be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut.”

  “Okay,” she said. She got out of her car and looked up and down the street. She got to the sidewalk and walked toward her building. She was quiet on the phone as she listened to the sounds of the city around her. And then there were footsteps. Behind her she heard heavy footsteps approaching, and they sounded like they were getting faster. “Someone is behind me,” she whispered.

  “Okay, that’s fine,” Jeremy said. “You're in the city and there's usually going to be someone walking behind you.” He was trying to be logical and reassure her, but he sounded nervous too. He suddenly wasn’t confident in his ability to keep her safe from just being on the phone. If he had to call help for here, she could be gone by the time anyone got there to help.

  Emily looked over her shoulder and saw three women walking together. They looked tipsy and completely unthreatening. “It's just some women, it’s fine,” she said. “I guess I’m on edge.”

  “That’s understandable,” Jeremy said.

  “Okay, I’m inside my building. Thanks for the talk,” Emily said. “And thanks again for today.”

  “Sure thing,” he said. “I’m really glad you were able to come along.”

  “I’m sorry about everything that’s happened, Jeremy. I hope you have a good night in spite of it all.”

  “Thanks, Emily,” he said. “That's sweet of you to say. I’ll talk to you soon.” Jeremy hung up the phone and the line went silent.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  EMILY WAS DEVELOPING a burning desire to make every aspect of her dreams come true. They had lessened in intensity the closer she got to the coven and the more time she spent with Claire. She felt like her dreams had been trying to tell her something. That this is what she was supposed to be doing, and these are the people she was supposed to be with. She was a witch. And the dreams she had when she was little used to show her things too, but she was always told by adults that it was just her imagination. So she learned to push them down and suppress them. She didn't know why they started again, especially with such intensity, but she wasn’t too concerned with that at this point. What she cared about was that she felt amazing about what was happening in her life right now. It was strange, and exciting, and so completely out of the ordinary. Her boring day to day was much more bearable when she had the possibility of something so incredible waiting for her. The possibility of a love that made her feel real. The possibility of living in a world where magic exists. If she learned how to have more dreams, or how to control them and use them, she would be almost psychic. A super-hero. All of it was so outlandish that she wondered if she might wake up and discover that it had been a dream all along.

  Emily had spent the last two weeks over at Claire and Jeremy’s house almost every day. She was getting to know all of the witches, and she was falling in love with them. Olivia was quiet and kind. She seemed to hold her face in an ef
fortless smile at all times. She was tall, and her long dreadlocks were always arranged in an intricate style whether they were worn up or down. She dressed well; casual, but in expensive clothes. She was mature and thoughtful with her words. Tanner was similar to Olivia in many ways. He dressed well and he made good money. He was mature, but not in the thoughtful way Olivia was. He could be short and harsh at times and wasn't one to pick up on sarcasm or crack jokes. He was overwhelmingly handsome and smart, but no matter how many women or men were interested in him, he wasn't in a relationship. His sexuality was ambiguous, and he didn’t ever bother to give much thought to it. He would rather work, read, or write than spend time falling in love with anyone. Love wasn’t logical, so it didn’t interest him. Allison was the youngest and it was obvious in almost every interaction. She was blunt, loud, and often inappropriate. Her life was messy and out of order, and even though she flirted with almost every woman she met, she was madly in love with her girlfriend and fiercely loyal. Her loyalty extended to the coven and outside of her relationship at home it was the most important aspect of her life. She didn’t care for her job, or for school, but she was dedicated to the coven. Jeremy was the coven’s High Priest and even though he appeared to be a slacker, he was an impressive leader. He seemed to have clumsily fallen into leadership roles in both the coven and his position at the Cottage, but he was great at both of them. There was love in everything he did with and for the coven. He let Claire lead when appropriate, and when she needed a break he knew how to pick up the slack. The coven was Claire’s, and she was more relaxed in her role than Jeremy was. She was confident, smart, and extremely talented. Emily had seen them together in her dream, but in real life she couldn’t imagine that as a reality. Claire seemed like she was in an entirely different league. She couldn’t fathom how anyone like Claire would ever be interested in her. They all looked and seemed so different from one another, but there was an overwhelming sense of their bond with each other. They interacted like family. Like they had all spent their entire lives together.