The Cursed Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  Landreia stood in the opening without a hint of makeup and her black hair tied up on top of her head. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Hello? May I help you?”

  I smiled my kindest, most human smile. “Good morning, I apologize for the early hour but I was on my way to work and wanted to stop by. I am Zachariah.I go to school with Saraphina. I ran into her last night after her psychic reading and she looked rather shaken up. I wanted to check on her.”

  Landreia’s face softened and her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re so sweet. She was rather freaked after that. Come on in.”

  As she turned and led me up the stairs I had to smile. This woman had no idea I’d already been in her house and in Saraphina’s room. This time the hardwood floor creaked and groaned under my weight. Every step I took echoed up and down the hall. Landreia didn’t speak as we climbed up to the third floor, though she did hum an unfamiliar tune.

  When we got to the top, we retraced my steps from a few minutes ago, except this time Landreia stopped outside her door and knocked. “Saffie?”

  There was a moment of silence, and then a very sleepy, “yes?”

  “You have a visitor,” Landreia shouted through the door.

  “Okay…” Saffie mumbled. “Come in”

  Landreia winked at me, then disappeared back down the stairs.

  I reached out and turned the handle. This time it groaned a little when I twisted it and the wooden door got a little stuck, but I powered through it. As the door opened, Saffie sat up in her bed wearing just a little camisole that left little to the imagination.

  She gasped and flushed bright red. “Riah.” She wrapped her blanket around herself.

  The door clicked shut behind me and then I was trapped in the tiny room with her scent all around me. My chest burned and grew tight. What am I doing here? This is a terrible idea. I need to leave. Now. Yet my feet were glued to the floor. All I could do was stare at her sitting in the middle of her bed wrapped in fuzzy blankets. She looked adorable and tiny.

  I nodded my head once. “Saraphina.”

  Her cheeks flushed bright pink and those lavender eyes dilated. But she stared at me.

  I cleared my throat. “I just wanted to check on you after last night.”

  She frowned. “…but you don’t even know me.”

  "I..." I know you like to dip apple slices in honey. I know you used to make miniature flower crowns for the squirrels and would decorate the birds’ nests. I know your smile curves up to the left when you’re trying to hide it, but to the right when you’re teasing. “...know….”

  As silence fell upon us, I knew I needed to get out of the room, except I’d gone in there for a reason. You wanted to talk to her, now talk to her. Even though it’s clear she’s fine.

  Saffie licked her lips and looked up at me under her dark eyelashes. “Maybe you should change that,” she whispered.

  Shit, shit, shit. This was the worst idea I’ve ever had. I have to get out of here. I must abort this mission before I screw it all up. Seeing her like this, having her see me – it was too much. I couldn’t handle it. She was poison, a silent killer that was going to destroy me inch by inch.

  Still…she just stared at me. Like she was waiting for something.

  “I must go now.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Saffie

  I woke to the sound of birds chirping from my windowsill. As I laid there, smiling and listening to their song, everything was right in the world. It was such a peaceful way to rise, to be serenaded into consciousness. Especially after that weird dream about Riah I’d just had. But I was all warm and cozy in my blankets despite the snow clinging to my window and the lingering weirdness over my thoughts. My eyes fell shut and I let them because I wanted to dream about something else to chase him from my thoughts, and my bed was far too comfortable to — my bed. Wait. My bed?

  I opened my eyes and found the newly familiar sight of my ceiling. A quick glance around proved that I was, in fact, in my bed in my room. Which was all fine and dandy, except I had no idea how I’d gotten there. The last thing I remembered was Riah walking me over to Savannah and Gigi— I gasped.

  Riah.

  Riah helped me. Again.

  Sure, he’d snapped at me at first but then when he saw how afraid I was he’d become kind. He’d consoled me and helped me find my friends. That definitely wasn’t the kind of guy who would’ve chased me through the dark streets. I needed to talk to Dr. Troy about it, about him. I needed to make sense of this. I needed to know why I kept seeing his face in random places. It bothered me so much that I was now dreaming about him.

  My whole body warmed at the memory of the dream. It was nothing special, in fact it was awkward and tense. It was a fleeting moment that only confused me more now that I was awake. I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hands. My confusion about Riah would have to wait until tomorrow morning when I met with Dr. Troy. But I did want to know what happened after that moment last night.

  I kicked my blankets off then climbed out of bed. The air was a bit chilly so I slipped on a fuzzy sweater that fell halfway down my thighs. I yanked my jeans off that I clearly hadn’t changed out of last night and put on some leggings and my big fluffy socks. I made a quick stop in the restroom then skipped down the stairs toward the kitchen where I heard Landreia humming.

  “Good morning, Landreia—” I stopped short just inside the kitchen. “Savannah. Gigi. Hi!”

  My two friends sat at a little breakfast nook set into the bay window.

  “She rises!” Savannah threw her hands up in the air and shook them.

  “Hey, girl, hey!” Gigi waved with a smile. “Ignore this one.”

  I sighed and walked over to join them at the table.

  “Good morning, sweetheart,” Landreia said as I slid into the wooden booth.

  “Good morning everyone.” I looked to my friends. “You’re here early today.”

  Gigi smirked. “Early yes, but we never left.”

  My eyes widened. “You didn’t? Why not?”

  Savannah arched one black eyebrow. “Why not? You were shaken up after that reading and it was my idea, so I was not leaving until I knew you were okay. That’s just how it is.”

  “That’s what friends do.” Gigi winked.

  My heart fluttered. “Well…thank you.”

  “Soooo…” Savannah rubbed her hands together then leaned into the table and stared straight across at me. “How are you feeling?”

  “You look better this morning, at least.”

  “I feel better, that’s for sure.” I groaned and leaned back against the booth. “It’s just…how did I get home last night? What happened? I don’t remember anything after that reading – well, after Riah helped me find you.”

  Gigi, who was sitting to my left, turned to look at Savannah.

  Landreia came over and sat in the chair on my right, completing our little circle. She placed her palms on the table and eyed me carefully. “I haven’t gotten much out of these two since you got back, out of respect for your privacy, which I adore. But perhaps you can fill me in?”

  I opened my mouth then shut it. Where do I even start?

  “First, to answer your question, we called an uber. You fell asleep in the car before we reached the stop sign.” Savannah narrowed her eyes on me. “Now spill. What happened, Safferella?”

  I took a deep breath…then told them everything. I recounted every single detail from the moment I sat down at Mark’s table to when I found them afterward. I didn’t leave out anything from the reading. Not even the weird poem.

  After I was done, we all fell silent for a long moment.

  Landreia closed her eyes and shook her head.

  Gigi rubbed her arms, they were covered in goosebumps.

  Savannah shivered wildly.

  Gigi exhaled. “So this spirit, Elizabeth Bishop, she knew your name? Sorry, but that’s creepy.”

  I nodded. She wasn’t wrong.

  Savannah shivered again. “
Although, this proves that it IS your name, unlike what that detective suggested. So there’s something in that?”

  “That’s a great point, Savannah. Whoever this Elizabeth was, I wouldn’t doubt her. That must actually be your name, though I never doubted it.” Landreia pursed her lips but then she smiled at me. “And that nice young man came to check on you this morning, which was sweet.”

  Wait.

  That was real?

  He was really here?

  “WHAT BOY?” Savannah and Gigi shouted at the exact same time.

  Landreia smirked and her eyes danced. “The dangerously pretty one. Zachariah.”

  My eyes widened. Riah WAS here. It wasn’t a dream. That really happened. He came and checked on me.

  Gigi’s jaw dropped. “Riah was here?”

  “Oh my God,” Savannah squealed. “What did he say?”

  I shook my head, still trying to wrestle with this realization myself. “Quite literally nothing, actually.”

  Savannah frowned. “That’s not enough detail, Safferella.”

  Landreia jumped up and walked to the stove, then returned a moment later with a big plate of – well, I wasn’t sure what they were. They were round, several inches in diameter and a tan color. I frowned and stared at them. I should know what this is. Savannah reached to the counter behind her and grabbed the stack of plates.

  Landreia came back with a bowl of brown liquid. “I knew you had a rough night, so I figured buttermilk pancakes were in order.” She winked at me as she sat back down.

  Pancakes. Right. I had a vague memory of these, which was infuriating. Made no sense I could recall food but not my life. My stomach growled and my mouth watered. The others had dug in and started cutting their food. I patted the table beside my plate but it was empty. Then I glanced around the table, not seeing silverware.

  “You okay? Need something?”

  “I need…um…” I blinked and shook my head. My brain just stopped working. I couldn’t think of the word I was trying to say, even though I’d just thought it a moment ago. I groaned and gestured around me. “Where are…I need…food weapons.”

  There was a beat of silence and then all three of them threw their heads back and laughed hysterically. All of their faces flushed red. Landreia covered her mouth and shook her head. Gigi wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. Savannah’s laugh turned into a cackle and then she snorted.

  I sighed. Silverware. That’s the word I needed. Damn it.

  Landreia cleared her throat and slid a fork and knife over to me. Then she stood. “Okay, on that note, no more readings today. Why don’t you three hang out in the shop today? Teach Saffie what you know. Relax.”

  “Yeah, I like that idea. I need a break from terror.” I glanced up to Landreia. “Thank you.”

  She nodded and gave me a wink, then slipped out of the room.

  Savannah hissed. “Okay, tell us about Riah this morning.”

  I frowned. “I did?”

  “Oh no.” Savannah scowled and waved her fork at me. “Oh no, we’re gonna go over every single detail of the moment. That’s what girls do.”

  Gigi licked syrup off of her fork. “Yep. So start talking.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Saffie

  “Wow. Three psychic readings?” Dr. Troy smiled and nodded. “You had quite the weekend.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I did. Savannah and Gigi are really into this stuff. Plus they’re trying really hard to help me with my memory.”

  “I’m glad you’ve found good friends so quickly.” She sat her notebook and pen down, then leaned back in her seat. “So, tell me, anything interesting come out of these readings? Any juicy details you want to share?”

  Riah.

  Definitely Riah.

  That King of Swords card looked just like him.

  I needed to talk to her about him and what was going on, but when I opened my mouth I heard, “one was a medium…”

  Dr. Troy’s eyebrows rose. “Oh snap. A medium. Did a spirit speak to you?”

  “Oh. Yeah.” I laughed, though it wasn’t funny. “Her name was Elizabeth Bishop.”

  Her eyes widened. “Elizabeth Bishop? Wow, was not expecting something so specific. The Bishop name is famous in Salem because of Bridget Bishop. Do you think she could’ve just been a random spirit—”

  “No.” I shivered at the memory. “This was so creepy. My reader was so scared he dragged me out of the shop afterward to tell me he’d have nightmares about it. Then he gave me this necklace literally off his neck because he said I needed it for protection.”

  “That’s not intense at all.” She leaned forward and eyed the crystal. “But that’s beautiful. Why was he so freaked out?”

  I dropped the crystal without looking at it. In fact, I still had no idea what it looked like, I wasn’t ready to see it, so I tucked it back in my sweater and cleared my throat. “This spirit, Elizabeth, she said my name. She said you know me, Saraphina Proctor. And I had not told the psychic my name, I hadn’t told anyone in the store my name. Then she told me all this stuff about these people who were coming for me—”

  “What people?”

  “The Star card. The King of Swords—” which may or may not be Riah. And that’s what we should be discussing but apparently I’m avoiding it, “The Empress is going to save me. The Emperor and High Priestess are going to bring my memories back – oh and someone named Tegan is apparently already working on helping me. Whoever that is and whatever that means.”

  Dr. Troy pursed her lips and tapped on her chin. “Okay, so all those cards represent strength and power. They’re good cards. So whoever they are, they should bring good things with them. I mean, I know talking to the dead is freaky, but it sounds positive.”

  “It was…and it wasn’t.” I bit my bottom lip and replayed the final moments. “Until she gave me this ominous poem and said it’s time.”

  “Oh, what did it say??”

  The piece of paper was in my pocket but I didn’t need to look at it. The words were burned into my retinas. I shuddered. “When the Angel of Tides rings his drum, Beware the time has finally come. Sides of fate must be chosen, For the bonds of peace are unwoven.”

  She gasped and sat up straight.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Exactly.”

  “Well…” She took a deep breath. “I want to tell you that I know what that means, but I can’t. All I can say is not to let it weigh you down. Maybe it’s from an old book or something that holds significance to you and when your memories come back you’ll discover this wasn’t ominous at all.”

  My breath left me in a rush. “Oh. Huh. I hadn’t even thought of it that way.”

  “For all we know it’s from Robert Frost or Edgar Allen Poe,” she said with a giggle.

  I laughed with her and pushed my hair back out of my face. “Won’t I feel silly then.”

  She sobered and shook her head. “Do not feel silly. Be cautious and keep your eyes open, just don’t let fear consume you. There are too many unknowns for you right now.”

  Riah’s face flashed in my mind. He was a major unknown for me, one that was driving me crazy. I frowned and shook my head.

  “What?” She leaned forward to catch my gaze. “What are you thinking?”

  Just tell her. “Well…so…okay, so you remember how I thought a guy was following me that night?”

  “Of course.” She frowned. “Have you seen him again?”

  “No…but…yes.” I sighed and balled my hands into fists. “I keep thinking I see him, but like in weird ways. Like I looked through a camera lens and saw him but then he wasn’t there when I put the camera down. Or when I looked through a hole in a stone, or out of the corner of my eye. But never like straight on. Never in my actual line of sight with my actual eyes.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You suffered a traumatic event that gave you amnesia. Your mind is struggling and working overtime, that has side effects. It’s possible that your subconscious has latched on
to this image and is using it as a visual representation of stress.”

  My face fell. “As in…maybe I’m just hallucinating? That he’s not really there when I think I see him?”

  “Well, what would be the alternative? That he’s magically vanishing before your eyes?”

  I opened my mouth, then shut it. I hated that part of me had considered that possibility, but hearing her say it out loud made it sound ridiculous. Her explanation was logical and just made so much sense. Hell, my own story hadn’t made much sense. No human being could do the things I’d said he’d done. No one could move that fast.

  And then I’d seen him at school. I’d seen his face in the daylight. I’d seen him mingle with other students. I’d seen him in my class. My friends knew who he was. And then he’d saved my life and came to my rescue another time.

  “Try not to be too hard on yourself,” she said softly. “Sometimes the more you fixate on it, the more you see it. Make note of it whenever you see him. Write down where you are, how you see him, what you’re feeling when it happens, then we’ll revisit and dissect what’s causing it.”

  “Okay.” I nodded and licked my lips. “Okay, I can do that. Make notes.”

  Maybe it won’t happen again now that I’ve talked to him.

  And if it does…I’ll say something.

  To him.

  He came to my house to check on me, I can approach him now.

  You hear that, Riah? I won’t let you have this power over me anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Saffie

  The restroom is right out in the hall, they said.

  You can’t miss it, they said.

  Well I missed it. And now I was lost. Which didn’t make a lick of sense because I had found a restroom successfully once, yet there I was standing in the middle of a hallway not knowing where to go. It was only my second day at school – and it was Monday, so it wasn’t even my second consecutive day at school. My first day I’d been too nervous and overwhelmed so I evidently hadn’t paid any attention to the school geography.