by Savannah Mae
I took off running out the door, headed straight for Zephyr’s black car.
“Stop!” my father screamed after me.
In my head, I heard a cacophony of voices in my head, warning me to stop before something horrible happened. What I didn’t expect was what happened next.
He stood in the doorway, his face red with anger. He collapsed to the ground while one very distinct voice, cackled in my head.
“Dad! Daddy!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
As I ran to help my father, Zephyr exited his vehicle, his cackling moving from inside my head to all around me.
I bent to assist my father, but my limbs froze.
“Use your power. Use your strength,” an unfamiliar voice whispered. “Use your strength.”
I didn’t understand. I couldn’t move.
“Dad?”
“He can’t hear you. You can’t help him,” Zephyr’s low, sadistic voice was in my head again.
“St-” The word wouldn’t leave my mouth.
“Use your power. You can do it,” the woman said.
My father’s lifeless body remained slumped on the ground. My mother’s cries filled the air. Ben lifted him into his arms.
Please, help him. Help him, Ben.
The sky above us went black. The air became thicker. The voices in my head stopped.
“Ben!” I prayed he’d follow the sound of my voice. “I can’t move.”
In a flash, everything changed. The darkness turned to light. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the darkness was due to a sea of vultures converging on us, forming a layer of pure darkness. As they dispersed, lightness fell back over us. The spot where my father had collapsed was now empty. The front door to my house was closed. My limbs were no longer stiff.
“I’m right here, Melanie. I’m right here.” He reached for me, pulling me into his arms and leading me away.
I looked behind me, fearful that Zephyr would be standing behind me.
“He’s not there. He’s gone,” Ben said.
“Where’s my dad?” I didn’t see him anywhere.
Calliope and Calypso emerged from somewhere behind me. “Are you okay, Melanie?”
My head was spinning. Why were they asking about me?
“Where’s my dad?”
“He’s inside. He’s okay. Your mom is with him. An ambulance is on the way,” Ben said, leading me inside the house. “He’s on the sofa.”
I started to cry.
“He fainted, honey. We called an ambulance,” my mother said.
Ben released my hand.
I ran to my father’s side. “Dad? I’m so sorry.”
He reached for my face, brushing his thumb on my cheek. “I’m okay. How are you? How’s your head?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the sound of sirens outside interrupted me. The ambulance pulled in front of the house, blocking the cars in the driveway.
Calliope put her hand on my shoulder. “They’re here.”
“What is going on? What was that outside?” I screeched at her.
She said, “You should come with us.”
I started to protest, but my father said, “Go with them, honey. They’ll explain everything. I’ll be fine.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Nope. That’s not going to work. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. Think of something else.” Lyra studied her sister’s handiwork.
Turning my chair to face the mirror, I didn’t know whether to scream or cry, so I chose a combination of the two. “What did you do? I look like a clown. Why is this necessary?”
Calypso shrugged. “Who said it was necessary?” She looked at her sisters. “Did you tell her it was necessary? I don’t remember saying that.”
These women were impossible. Nothing they did made sense. For that matter, nothing they said made any sense either. Ever. What was I doing with them? Why did my father feel it was necessary for me to go with them?
“You people are impossible. What does this have to do with anything? In case you forgot, my father is in the emergency room right now. Why am I here with you? What are we even doing? I thought you had a big plan and all my family’s problems were going to disappear. Isn’t that what you do? Don’t you have tricks or magic potions?”
“Stop being so negative and get those thoughts out of your head. Didn’t your mother teach you not to think bad thoughts?” Lyra asked me, her eyes narrowing, while I tried to stop thinking about anything they might deem inappropriate. I’d had it up to my eyeballs with these women.
“I’ll stop it if you and your creepy sisters will stop reading my mind. And, while you’re at it, stop telling me what to do. Stop feeding nonsense to my parents and, most importantly, stop telling me that this is my destiny.” Cue the hysterics because I had no doubt that’s what I was headed for. Hysteria village, here I come!
I don’t know what kind of response I expected from them, but I’m sure I didn’t request full on laughter from them. Nor did I ask for the eye rolling, the jokes or the mocking, but that’s what they gave me.
Short of walking all the way back to my parents’ house, I had few options. I could have gone out and braved the unlit roads and hoped that Zephyr, who had apparently vanished during a previous fit I’d had, wouldn’t find me and take what little was left of my dignity or hope and pray the killer vultures wouldn’t descend from the skies and rip my head off or gouge my eyes out of my head. You know, because I’m sure that’s what vultures did when they came across witches.
Lyra fixed her eyes on me, crossing her arms in front of her. “What part of stop thinking negative thoughts did you not understand?”
I shrugged. “All of it.”
Calliope snorted. “See, that proves she’s a Jinx!”
Lyra and Calypso laughed.
I didn’t get the joke. As far as I was concerned, there was no humor in my response. I was dead serious. I had no idea what they meant by controlling my thoughts around them. How was I supposed to know when it was safe to think or not? It was my brain. The last I checked, I could think whatever I wanted to think.
Lyra giggled. “Who are you arguing with? Yourself?”
Ach! Clear your mind, Melanie. Clear your mind, Melanie.
Lyra turned her attention back to my face full of newly applied makeup. “You look just like her, you know?”
And, here we go again. They’d been trying to work my birth mother into the conversation and I’d helped them push it even more by allowing them to ‘fix’ my face under the guise of covering my tear-stained face before going in search of Zephyr’s wife to demand that she do something to stop her husband. I had no idea what good that would do, but that’s what Calliope wanted so that’s what we were going to do. Apparently, she was in charge and everyone did exactly as she said, no questions asked. Yeah, that was going to take some getting used to. Obviously, my listening skills weren’t up to par. Just ask my parents. Or Ben. Or anyone I’ve ever encountered in my life. They’ll tell you.
I looked back at my reflection. I didn’t see the resemblance. Maybe I didn’t want to. Maybe these women had it all wrong and this had all been a terrible mistake. Maybe I wasn’t their sister’s daughter. What if there was a mix up at the hospital? It was possible. I’ve read about cases where children were switched at birth, only to have the mistake discovered after some medical emergency. All I had to do was sit back and wait for that phone call from the hospital alerting me that there had been a terrible mistake and I had no connection to the Jinx family. A girl could hope. Maybe they’d did find a connection to a wealthy family living in the south of France and I stood to inherit a gazillion dollars plus a hefty payout from the hospital. That could happen.
Calliope put her hands on my shoulders. “You don’t see it because you’re not ready to see it.”
Every time she came anywhere near me, a wave of energy shot through me. I couldn’t explain it. Perhaps there wasn’t an explanation for it, but I experienced it nonetheless.
Up until they’d told me the story of my birth mother, I hadn’t realized what I’d experienced was because I belonged to this clan. How could I have never seen that? Why didn’t I connect the dots, especially where Calliope was concerned? Her presence left me disoriented and confused at best and anxious for days at a time. But, true to form, I never listened to my intuition. I ignored it just like I ignored the visions I’d lived with most of my life. Why? Because I was afraid. Yep, the descendant of a clan of powerful witches was a scaredy cat. I can almost guarantee there will be no ‘Welcome to the family’ party for me.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but since I already let you do this to me,” I started, pointing to my new do and harsh makeup. “I can’t back out now, can I?” I sighed before saying what I wanted to say. “Tell me about her. What was she like? Why did she-”
Calliope squeezed my shoulder. “She loved you. She wanted the best for you. Don’t think that she did this lightly.” Her voice filled with emotion.
Lyra chimed in, her eyes moist with tears. “Astrid, your mother, fell in love. She couldn’t help it, no matter what we said to her. She loved him and he loved her.”
My breath hitched. They hadn’t mentioned my birth father. I had never actually given him much thought other than to assume he and my birth mother must have been in love and some emergency had pulled them away.
“Who was he?” My heart beat faster in my chest. “Where are they now?”
Calypso took the moment to say something. “Please, understand you were not given up. What Astrid did was supposed to ensure your safety. I think she made a wise decision. Nelly did a great job. She gave you a good life.”
“Yes, I’ve had a good life, but that was because of both of my parents, not just my mother alone. I had two parents. They’ve given me everything. I’m the reason they’re in the mess they’re in right now,” I said.
Calypso stood up. “What happened is not your fault. The Willis’ have always said they’d return to-” Her voice trailed off.
“To what?” I asked.
The sisters hesitated. I second guessed myself. Maybe I didn’t want to know everything now. Maybe it was better that I didn’t.
“Zephyr wants to take you back to the family,” Lyra answered.
Was she saying what I thought she was saying?
“I don’t understand. I am with my family. I came home to live with my parents again.” Although I thought I knew what Lyra meant, saying it aloud would make it real.
Calliope took a seat next to me. “Zephyr’s brother Blaise is your father. He was the love of your mother’s life.”
“His name is Blaise? Zephyr is my uncle?” My stomach turned.
The sisters nodded in unison.
“So, what does he want from me? I’m twenty-five-years-old. It’s not like he can take me to go live with his family. If he wanted that, where was he when I was growing up? Why didn’t he speak up for me years ago? Where’s my birth father now?” I hadn’t realized I’d been crying, until Calliope offered me a tissue.
There was a noise outside the front door, followed by a knock.
“I didn’t see a car.” Lyra jumped up from her seat to peek out the window.
Calliope grabbed her head, grimacing in pain. “My head!”
“What is it? What do you see?” Her twin, Calypso, reached to help her.
Through clenched teeth, Calliope whispered, “He’s nearby. I can feel him.”
“Who are you talking about?” My heart fell into the pit of my stomach.
“Open the door. Let her in!” Calliope bent forward, putting her head down.
Calypso and Lyra exchanged curious glances.
“Who is it?” Lyra asked, turning her gaze back out the front window. “I don’t see anyone.”
Calypso sighed, saying, “What is everyone getting excited about? Just open the door.” Nudging Calliope’s arm on her way to the door, she mumbled, “Pull yourself together. We’re supposed to help her, not scare her.”
I held my breath as Calypso jerked the door open. Miss Maita stood on the other side of the door, worry written all over her face. From the furrowed brows to the pursed lips and closed fists, she fit the true definition of a damsel in distress. I instantly forgot all my problems and turned my thoughts to her.
“Miss Maita?” I called out from across the room.
Her eyes widened at the sound of my voice.
“Miss Abney? Um, hello.” She looked back at Lyra’s cold, hard gaze. “I didn’t know she would be… um, I think we should talk.”
Lyra nodded, motioning for her sisters to agree with her.
“You and Miss Maita are friends?” I asked, remembering the warnings each had given me to stay away from the other.
“No, we’re not friends,” Calliope said quickly, massaging her temples.
I had a feeling there was something more going on here, but the air in the room was too thick. Asking them wouldn’t have been a good idea. I had a limit as to how many times in a twenty-four-hour period I’d risk my life. Asking questions not related to my personal problems would put me way over the line, so much so I might not ever be able to recover. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to ask any more questions about their relationship.
Calliope answered my question for me. “Miss Maita or whatever she’s calling herself these days is Zephyr’s-”
Lyra interjected with an insult. “Grandmother. She’s Zephyr’s grandmother or is it great-grandmother? I can’t remember. The story changes about as often as the wind changes around here. Either way you look at, she’s no good. Nothing that comes out of this loon’s mouth is worth a moment’s thought. She’s a charlatan and her cousin-uncle-brother-nephew-grandson or whatever he is-”
Miss Maita’s face reddened with anger. “I’m not old enough to be a grandmother, thank you very much. The last I checked you still had about a decade on me or was it two decades?”
There was bad blood between them.
Calypso and Calliope reluctantly followed Lyra and Miss Maita to another room, leaving me with more questions swirling through my head. I’m sure the wicked witches of Jinx Cove already had a handle on every thought in my head and every thought I’d ever have again in my life.
Lyra poked her head back into the room. “Stop thinking. Relax. You’re stressing me out.”
I’m stressing her out? She and the demented twins had already given me gray hairs. I could practically feel them springing up on my head at the rate of ten per second. By the time this whole hocus pocus mumbo jumbo was done, I’m sure I will have aged by about five or ten years, give or take a decade. I didn’t have time for this. I had more important things to worry about, like checking on my father or doing something to help my parents keep their home.
I stood up, took a good look at myself in the gilded mirror the three dingbats made me remove from their living room wall when I’d arrived and said, “That’s it. I’m out of here. I don’t know why I agreed to come here in the first place. And, what’s with this makeup? Why did I let them do this to me? I look like a cross between Tootsie and Blanche Deveraux on a hot date night. Yuck. Yuckity yuck yuck!”
“When I said to stop thinking, I thought it was implied that you just wouldn’t make any noise at all. Can’t you see we’re busy in here?” Lyra scolded me from the doorway of the room they’d escorted Miss Maita to.
I took a deep breath, grabbed the front door knob and hightailed it down the street to get as far away from the witches and the fake psychic as fast as possible.
Lyra called out behind me, “You stop right now, Little Miss. You have no idea what you’re doing. You’ll mess everything up!”
“Little Miss?” I looked over my shoulder at her, nearly tripping over my feet. “Did she just call me little?”
I kept running until my lungs wanted to explode, noticing my reflection in a storefront window. Hey, I guess I have lost a few pounds, I thought.
“Melanie, what do you think you’re doing
?” I heard Calliope’s voice in my head. “You need to come back now. He’ll come after you and you won’t know how to defend yourself.”
I shouted, “Get out of my head!”
Some of my friends and neighbors were standing outside as they often were on any given day. I waved politely to them, pretending they hadn’t just seen and heard me talking to someone they couldn’t see. “Hi! How is everyone today?”
A couple of the local farmers nodded.
“How are things with you and your folks, Melanie?” Naomi, Ben’s mother, stepped out of our local butcher shop. “I heard they’re going to move into the house next to the Jinx women.”
I practically jumped into her arms, but stopped myself when she put her hands up to shield herself.
Noticing my face full of makeup, she asked, “What is that all over your face?”
I shrugged it off, thinking it’d be wiser if I didn’t mention my extreme makeover, courtesy of the good, the bad and the extremely creepy witches.
“I thought I’d try something new,” I offered.
She narrowed her eyes at me, assessing me from head to toe. I held my breath, hoping that would help control my uncontrollable heartbeat and make the beads of sweat on my back and forehead disappear.
“No, you didn’t.” She grabbed my elbow. “What are you up to, Melanie Abney, and where’s my son? I know he must be somewhere nearby. What are you up to?”
“Um, nothing?” I hadn’t meant for that to come out in the form of a question, but lying to my best friend’s mother didn’t exactly sit well with me.
Squeezing my elbow, she said, “Tell me what you’re up to, Little Miss!”
Little Miss?
Keeping a firm grip on my elbow, Naomi led me back in the direction I’d come from.
“Where are we going?” I asked, tugging my arm from her.
She smiled, her eyes looking clearer than I’d ever seen them.
“Are your eyes gray?” I asked. I’d never noticed that color in her eyes before. I knew her eye color changed depending what she had on, but I’d never seen them turn this light shade before in all the years I’d known her.