The Witch Born to Burn

by Tanya Milne

  ‘The witch has escaped, so his trial has been postponed until he is found – and he will be found. Go home and await my further instructions.’

  He turned on his heel and strode from the stage and into a waiting police car, which whisked him away.

  The crowd broke into chatter the moment he left, and it took everything in me to pretend to be shocked and angry that Jet had gotten away. Finally, when people began leaving, Mum gave Elijah and me a quick nod.

  ‘Can we hang out for a while?’ I asked Ezra quietly.

  He squeezed my hand, which he hadn’t let go of. ‘Sure.’

  ‘I’ll see you at home later,’ I said, hugging my family and Anna, who hadn’t stopped staring at the noose, her face grey.

  Mum took one long last look at me before she turned away and walked towards the car. Her face told me everything I needed to know. It was the same expression she’d had on my first day of school, the first time I went to camp, the first time I’d left the house when I knew I was a witch – it screamed I love you, be careful, I love you.

  ‘Let’s go,’ said Ezra, gently pulling me from the crowds towards where his car was parked behind the town hall.

  The moment we were in the car, I started to shake.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked, starting his car and turning the heat up high.

  Between chattering teeth, I told him everything that had happened and asked him to drive me into the woods to meet Jet. By the time we finished talking, he was rubbing his eyes.

  ‘You can’t be serious,’ he said. ‘You’re going to take him. Why can’t Elijah do it?’

  I took a deep breath. ‘I need an alibi.’

  ‘So, that’s what I am – an alibi.’

  ‘No, of course not, and I wouldn’t have gotten you mixed up in this if I didn’t have to.’

  He ran his hand through his hair and stared out the window.

  ‘I’m sorry, okay. If you don’t want to get involved, I completely understand,’ I said.

  He revved the car, and a few people turned our way. He pulled out onto the road and sped up the hill.

  ‘Just drop me home,’ I said, trying to keep tears from filling my eyes.

  ‘I don’t care about getting involved, but I do care about you getting involved with Jet.’

  ‘Back here again,’ I said, sighing. ‘Don’t you trust me?’

  He glanced over at me, the intensity in his green eyes making my heart leap.

  ‘Because if you don’t trust me…’

  ‘If you don’t want to be together, Eva, just say it.’

  ‘I’m not saying that,’ I said, no longer able to muster the energy to even raise my voice. ‘How many times do I have to tell you, I want to be with you, but you have to trust me. Can you trust me?’

  Ezra slowed down and turned left onto the road that went past his house and into the deepest part of the woods. Then he put his foot down and we sped along the road, past trees that turned into a green blur. We continued past his house to where the trees grew higher and thicker.

  Finally, he slowed down and pulled into the car park that was well hidden from the road, then turned the car off. He unclipped his seat belt, leaned over and kissed me as if he were never going to kiss me again. I pulled him closer, and as heat consumed me like fire, he pulled away.

  ‘You drive me crazy, Eva,’ he said, sitting back in his seat. ‘I want you by my side, and yet here you are, going off with another man who would do anything to have you.’

  ‘Do you trust me?’ I asked, my heart still racing.

  ‘It’s not you I don’t trust – it’s him.’

  I pushed my head back against my headrest. ‘I can handle him.’

  ‘You might think that, but you won’t even know he’s manipulating you.’

  ‘All I’m doing is dropping him off and then coming straight back – to you.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ he said.

  ‘I need you here, in case…something goes wrong.’

  He cursed under his breath.

  ‘I’ll go,’ he said.

  ‘You don’t know where to go, and besides, you’ll probably throw him overboard.’

  Ezra smiled, a small smile, and I knew I’d won. I unclipped my seat belt and put my hand on the side of his face, turning him towards me.

  ‘I only want to be with you, even if you have some serious jealousy issues that need immediate attention.’

  He let out a small chuckle and I leant forward and found his lips, which were hot and ready for mine.

  He pulled away. ‘When this is over…’

  ‘Yes,’ I whispered, flames bursting to life inside me. He pulled me closer and kissed me again, filling my body with a taste of things to come.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When we left the steamed-up car, the cold winds stopped me in my tracks. Ezra strolled around to my side and took my hand.

  ‘Everything okay?’ he asked. ‘You look really pale.’

  I nodded, not trusting my voice.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, leading me into the woods that looked and felt completely different from the parts I’d been in before. The woods here were deeper, denser and more alive with the energy of nature. The further we walked, the more I began to feel as if I were a visitor whose every step was being watched.

  Neither of us spoke as we made our way to where Jet was waiting next to the dinghy, filled with supplies, that would take him to safety. His face lit up like the sun lights the morning sky when he saw me, but when he took in Ezra, it was as though someone pulled the plug from the socket.

  ‘Hey,’ I said when we arrived.

  ‘Hi,’ said Jet, nodding at me and then frowning at Ezra. ‘What’s he doing here?’

  ‘He’s trying to help you,’ said Ezra. ‘Nice to see you, too.’

  ‘But your dad – he wants to kill me.’

  Ezra’s face turned a deep shade of red. ‘It’s lucky for you, then, that I’m not my father.’

  Jet opened his mouth to speak, but I cut in. ‘Let’s make a move – I want to get back before it’s dark.’

  ‘You can always stay with me,’ said Jet, looking straight at Ezra, who took a step forward.

  I put my hands up between them. ‘Stop it, both of you.’

  They stayed where they were.

  ‘Jet, I’m dropping you off and then coming straight back. Got it?’

  Jet nodded. ‘Sure. Let’s go.’

  Within seconds he was heaving the boat into the water.

  ‘I’ll be here, waiting for you,’ said Ezra, pulling me into a hug and then bending down, pushing my hair back and kissing me in a way that made my head spin.

  Jet cleared his throat and Ezra broke away, but not before he smiled up at Jet as if he’d won the title. I poked him in the ribs and removed the smile from his face before I walked over to the boat and climbed inside.

  ‘Be careful,’ were Ezra’s last words before Jet pushed us away from shore. Jet started the engine and in seconds we were racing across the open waters.

  Neither of us spoke other than to exchange directions as we sped across the choppy waters. I continually scanned for signs of the coastguard, but the waters were empty. The sun was midway in the sky, sinking quickly. My mind drifted to my return journey, right at sunset, if I was lucky. Or in the darkness, if I was delayed.

  Just when I began wondering whether we’d gone the wrong way, I spotted the telltale rock formation of the cove where Jet would hide until…the world was sane again. I tried to imagine how long that would take, but came up blank.

  Jet throttled the boat full steam ahead around the rocks and headed to shore. Gone were his dangerous charm and smart-alec ways. In their place was a young man facing an unforeseeable future, all alone.

  ‘Hold on,’ he said, and it took me a moment to realise that the waters around us had changed, and large waves were pushing against our small boat. I held on, trying to imagine how I’d get the boat back out on my own, when a large wave came in from
the left and tipped the boat precariously on its side. I tried my hardest to hold on, but my hands slipped and, in a heartbeat, I slid into the freezing-cold water that stunned me.

  The current of the wave dragged me under the water, and I tried to find my strength to pull myself up, but I had nothing left. Bit by bit, I’d been drained of life. As my breath tightened in my chest, I pictured the faces of my family, of Jet and Ezra. But then they started to fade and hands wrapped around me, tugging me, pulling me down.

  I was powerless to stop them and started to descend, but then the water around me parted and Jet grabbed me and hauled me into the boat. We caught a large wave that thrust our boat onto the pebbly shore.

  Jet jumped from the boat, lugged it to shore, then stepped inside and lifted me into his arms. He carried me onto soft white sands and gently placed me down.

  ‘Christ, Eva, are you okay? What were those things?’

  I tried to speak, but nothing would come out.

  Jet’s lips parted and he ran back down the beach and grabbed the large bags full of supplies. Before I knew it, I was wrapped inside a blanket and he was passing me food, insisting I eat. I gazed at the muesli bar in my shaking hand that I couldn’t bring to my mouth.

  ‘Come on, Eva, you need to get into some dry clothes,’ he said, rifling around inside the bag and finding one of Elijah’s enormous tracksuits. I tried to pick up the clothes, but couldn’t grab hold of them.

  ‘Christ, Eva,’ he said. ‘Let me help you.’

  What the…?

  ‘No!’ I managed to stutter out.

  ‘You have two choices. Either you let me help you or you freeze to death.’

  ‘Freeze…to…death.’

  ‘That’s really mature,’ he said. ‘Come on. I promise not to look and let’s face it, it’s not like I haven’t seen you before.’

  I lowered my gaze as the memory of being humiliated in front of Max washed over me.

  ‘Eva, you’re going to freeze.’

  With a shaking hand I unzipped my sopping jacket, and Jet helped me pull it off. Then I let him peel my jumper over my head.

  ‘Turn around,’ I said, and he rolled his eyes before doing so. Slowly, I undressed with shaking hands, leaving me in my bra and undies.

  ‘You decent yet?’ he said, turning back towards me, his eyes widening. ‘Shit, sorry.’ He turned on his heel, leaving me hot and cold all over.

  As quickly as I could, I dressed in the tracksuit and sat down to put on a pair of woollen socks, but my hands were shaking so much it was impossible.

  ‘Here,’ he said, squatting in front of me and pulling the socks on my feet, which felt like ice. Then he wrapped me back in the blanket and sat behind me and placed his arms around me.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I said, trying to push him away.

  ‘I can’t make a fire, so believe it or not, I’m trying to help you get warm.’

  I tried to move away, but he drew me even closer. After a few struggles I gave up and let him hold me up, pushing his warmth back into me. I don’t know how long we stayed that way, but when my body heat returned, I moved away and realised that it was getting dark.

  ‘Oh no,’ I said, fear gripping me.

  ‘You’re going to have to stay the night. You’ll never get out.’

  ‘I can’t stay,’ I said, gathering up my belongings and moving towards the boat.

  ‘You can’t go now,’ said Jet. He ran to stand in front of the boat. ‘It’s too dangerous.’

  ‘I have to go, Jet. Ezra is waiting for me. If I don’t come back, he’ll either come here himself or send a search party out. Either way, his father will find out and then you’re stuffed.’

  Jet rubbed at his blackened and bruised eyes. ‘I don’t care. It’s getting late and it’s too dangerous.’

  I pushed past him and used the last of my energy to haul the boat into the water.

  ‘Eva, stop. Please,’ said Jet, holding the boat.

  ‘I know it’s risky, Jet, but the alternative is far worse.’

  ‘Stay here, with me. We can leave this hellhole together.’

  For a split second, I saw us leaving this modern-day Salem once and for all. It was as though someone opened a door and all I had to do was walk through.

  ‘I can’t leave my family…Ezra.’

  ‘Lucky bastard,’ said Jet.

  ‘Except for his sadistic father.’

  ‘Except for that,’ said Jet, a smile lighting his face.

  ‘Will you be…okay here?’ I said, looking around at the pretty little cove with white sand that met the bush and cliffs.

  Jet’s gaze followed mine and he shrugged. ‘Better than the alternative. I heard them talking…what they’d planned for me.’

  I shivered, remembering the noose that could now be tight around Jet’s neck.

  ‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ he said, his voice breaking up. ‘No one has done anything like this for me before.’

  ‘It’s nice to be able to return the favour.’

  ‘Will you come back?’ he asked, his voice so quiet it almost couldn’t be heard over the crash of the waves.

  ‘One of us will come back once a week with new supplies,’ I said. ‘Until this is over.’

  ‘Really? You’re coming back?’

  ‘It’s not like we’re going to leave you here all alone.’

  His body, which he’d been holding tall, slumped forward. ‘Thanks…for everything.’

  I put my hand on his shoulder and he placed his hand over mine, sending a flicker of heat inside me.

  ‘What was that? Back in the water?’ he asked.

  I cringed, remembering the hands on my feet, dragging me down. ‘That’s a story for another time.’ And then I remembered the waves parting. ‘What about you? What did you do to the water?’

  ‘That’s a story for next time you visit, which I hope will be very soon,’ he said.

  ‘Hey, how come you failed that last test? Elijah and I had fixed it so that everyone would sink.’

  ‘Yes, well, that would have been handy to know. I fixed it with magic too – but without knowing you and Elijah had cleaned the bay, it kind of backfired.’

  ‘Oh right, sorry,’ I said, looking out into the waves, which seemed to be growing larger by the second.

  When I turned back around, Jet was standing there in only his undies.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I said, unable to take my gaze off his sculptured, frankly ‘hot’ body.

  ‘I thought we weren’t supposed to stare,’ he said, his eyes burning.

  I tried to find my voice. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m driving the dingy back over those waves before I swim back in to shore, and since I don’t fancy swimming in my clothes…’

  ‘It’s okay, I can manage,’ I said.

  ‘Any other day, I must say I’d have to agree, but not today, Eva. Today we need you home in one piece.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I whispered, and he bent forward and pecked my cheek before he hauled the rest of the supplies onto the beach and pulled the boat back into the water, squealing like a child as the water splashed his ridiculous body.

  I took a deep breath and climbed into the little boat, which lolled around. All I wanted to do was get home, climb into bed and stay there for the longest time. But the journey home felt impossibly long. Just getting past these waves was not going to be easy. A large wave rolled towards us, pushing our little boat back in to shore. The moment the wave passed, Jet pulled the boat back out, climbed on board and started the engine, and we took off towards the larger waves.

  ‘Hold on,’ said Jet as we blasted through the froth and waves. We were almost through when the largest wave I’d seen all day started to build.

  ‘Jet,’ I said, my fingers gripping the side of the boat.

  ‘Holy moly,’ muttered Jet, throttling the little boat faster. We started climbing the wave, which felt like the side of a mountain. As we reached the top, the wave began breaking, and for
a few moments we were suspended in midair. My fingers slipped from their grip and as the boat came back down with a massive thud onto the ocean, I landed in the middle of the boat, pain shooting through my arm and ricocheting around my body.

  ‘Eva, Christ, are you okay?’ said Jet, who’d driven the boat into calmer waters and was now crouched over me.

  I tried to sit up, but my head was spinning and my arm wouldn’t move.

  ‘Shh, it’s going to be okay,’ said Jet, pushing my hair from my face.

  I gazed up at him, the sky dark and blustery behind him.

  He knelt down and wiped the tears from my eyes.

  ‘I think I’ve broken my arm,’ I said between gritted teeth, trying to stop myself from screaming.

  ‘What about your head?’

  ‘I don’t know. The whole side of my face hurts… My head too.’

  Jet put his hands on his head. ‘Come on. I’ll take you back.’

  ‘What? No,’ I said, managing to drag myself into a sitting position, screaming in the process.

  ‘Eva, stop moving,’ said Jet, his face scrunched up as he examined my face and arm.

  ‘I’m okay,’ I said, my body breaking out in a cold sweat. ‘You swim in. I’ve got this.’

  ‘There’s no way you can manage the boat,’ he said.

  ‘And there’s no way you can come back. We need the boat so we can bring you supplies. Please, Jet, please swim in. I need to go. It’s nearly dark.’

  Jet glanced back at the beach, which was getting further and further away.

  ‘I don’t want to leave you.’

  I didn’t want to be alone in the boat with a storm rolling in and every movement of the water shooting pain through my body.

  ‘I don’t want you to leave either, but you must. Please, Jet.’

  Jet dropped his head and rubbed his face before he looked up. ‘Promise me that you’ll be careful and that you’ll come back as soon as you can to let me know you’re okay.’

  ‘I promise,’ I said, unable to keep the tears from my eyes. He grabbed my discarded wet jacket and slid it carefully around my body and up over my arm so that the limb was supported. By the time he was finished, I was covered in sweat and my head was so light I thought I’d pass out. I waited a few seconds and carefully moved to sit at the back of the boat.