Ashes: Witches of Whitley Bay Book 2

by Katherine Heason

  “But my mam’s the best.”

  Matthew raised his eyebrows. “How many healers do you know?”

  Lillith stopped. Only one; her mam. Her face must have shown it.

  “Exactly,” Matthew said. “She might be the best you’ve got up there in Whitley Bay, but she’s not necessarily the best, is she?”

  Angela stepped forward. “I know a few, and Uma is definitely the best.”

  Matthew released his hold on Lillith’s phone. “You know, accidents happen, and we have witches here who deal with them every day. Your mam is two hours away, at least. Sophie’s probably being seen by someone right now. It’s up to you, but maybe you should trust that we know what we’re doing, and stop acting so superior.”

  Lillith stared at Matthew. Was she acting superior? She was only trying to help, but maybe suggesting that witches in Whitley Bay were better than witches in York, without knowing any of them, was a little bit conceited. She put her phone away. “Okay,” she said. “But I was only trying to help.”

  Matthew eyed her for a moment and sneered. “I’m going to the hospital.” He turned and walked away.

  Lillith stared after him. “Should we go to the hospital?” she asked.

  “Somehow, I don’t think we’d be welcome,” Charlie said. “I’ll ask Darren and Matthew to keep us informed, though. Let’s go home. I think we could do with a chill-out.”

  Lillith nodded.

  “I have a question,” Angela asked. “Where did the broomstick go?”

  Lillith looked up. The last time she’d seen it, it was hurtling toward the clouds.

  Tristan answered. “Well, it’s either been hit by a plane, burned up in the atmosphere, or it’s floating in space,” he said.

  Angela looked up. “Or it’s come down somewhere else, and hit someone on the head.”

  Lillith groaned. She sincerely hoped not; one accident was enough. Her stomach sank, and her mind replayed the moment Sophie’s body hit the ground. The crunch. The silence, after such a deafening scream. Her eyes welled up again. Sophie had to be okay.

  Back at Charlie’s flat, the atmosphere was subdued. They were waiting for the phone to ring. They’d had a text from Matthew, with an update to say that Sophie was in theatre. She’d broken several bones. That was it. That’s all they’d been told. Lillith wanted to know where the broken bones were. She’d picked a little up from her mam, and knew that some breaks were worse than others. A broken collarbone was worse than a wrist, for example. Charlie had replied, asking where and how serious, but Matthew hadn’t sent anything back. That was several hours ago. So they were just waiting. Lillith picked at some food that Charlie had given her.

  They spoke about little else, dissecting what had happened, and going over what they could have done differently. Speculating on what would happen to Sophie. The afternoon turned into evening, and the evening into night, and still they’d heard nothing. Charlie tried texting. Then she tried calling. She rang Darren and Matthew, no reply. She rang the hospital. Nothing. They went to bed.

  Lillith couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned all night, with her mind replaying the day’s events. Tristan tried holding her, but it didn’t work. It just made her feel guilty for being okay while Sophie’s life was in danger.

  In the morning, Lillith got up early, eager to hear some news. Everyone else was already up. Charlie, Riti, Angela and Brody looked up as she entered. Their faces wore looks of sympathy. They’d all been crying. Lillith’s stomach sank.

  “Have you had some news?” she asked, but she already knew the answer.

  Charlie watched Lillith enter. Her eyes full of sympathy and tears. Angela stood up, and walked towards Lillith. She opened her arms to give her a hug. Lillith stared into her friend’s eyes.

  “Is it bad?” she asked, but again, she already knew the answer to that question.

  A tear rolled down Angela’s cheek. Lillith covered her mouth with her hand. She fell into Angela’s arms, and sobbed into her shoulder. She’d killed someone. She’d actually killed someone.

  Angela seemed to know what Lillith was thinking. She stroked her hair. “It was an accident,” she said softly. “It wasn’t your fault, Lillith. She wanted to do it. She asked you to do it. She was the one who made you recite the Repulsion spell in the first place.”

  Lillith looked up. She could hardly breathe from sobbing. “You told me not to, though. If I’d just listened to you…”

  Tristan came out of the bedroom and grabbed Lillith, pulling her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Lillith felt like she was falling, and he was the only thing holding her up. She felt herself being half-carried into the bedroom, and placed on the bed. She lay there, crying into Tristan’s chest.

  Chapter 22: Telling Mavis

  She was still numb. Tristan took her home that same day, and Uma had tried and failed to comfort her. She’d hardly eaten or spoken for two days. Nothing seemed important or worthwhile anymore. She felt like she was the worst person in the world – which, of course, she was.

  Lillith lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. It was morning, and she’d been awake for hours, but she didn’t feel like getting up. There was a knock at the door, and she heard Uma’s voice.

  “I’ve brought you a cup of tea,” she said.

  A tear trickled down Lillith’s cheek. It was wrong that she was here to drink cups of tea, when Sophie wasn’t. Lillith’s door clicked open, and Uma’s face peered in.

  “You have to drink,” she said, sensitively.

  “Thank you,” Lillith said. Her voice was thin and weak.

  Uma came into the room, and placed the cup of tea on Lillith’s bedside table, next to one of her vanilla candles and the photo of Lillith and Angela as young girls. Uma sat on the bed and looked at Lillith. Her eyes glimmered with compassion.

  Lillith breathed deeply, and sat up. She’d worn the same pyjamas since she’d got home, and she was starting to smell. Her hair felt heavy and lank, but even showering seemed pointless.

  “You’ve got to forgive yourself,” Uma said. “From what everyone’s told me, it was an accident, nothing more. It wasn’t your fault, Lillith.”

  Lillith looked up. “It was my fault. Everyone told me to stop, but I wanted to carry on. I felt powerful doing it, like I was doing something no one else could, and it felt good. Isn’t that what makes me so bad? Isn’t that what everyone fears will happen? That I’ll get consumed by power, and end up killing people?”

  “No one fears that you’ll end up killing people by accident, Lillith. Accidents can happen to anyone. Accidents do happen to anyone, even non-witches, so you can’t blame your powers.”

  Lillith picked at her duvet cover.

  Uma held Lillith’s hand. “I’m sorry it happened. I wish it hadn’t, but it has. You have to pick yourself up, and keep going.”

  “How?” Lillith asked, with a wavering voice.

  “Start by forgiving yourself,” Uma said. “And by having a shower,” she added, wrinkling her nose. “Showers always make you feel better.”

  Lillith nodded compliantly.

  Uma had been right; a shower did help, a little bit. Lillith allowed the hot water to wash over her, cleaning away the tear stains from her cheeks and the stale sweat from her body. She washed her hair, and it felt immediately lighter. She cleaned her teeth, so that her mouth felt fresher. She felt a little more like herself, but even that made her feel guilty, and it pressed on her, heavier than gravity.

  Lillith dried herself, rubbed moisturiser all over, and dried her hair. She stared at her fresh face in the mirror. Her brilliant green eyes stared back. They were as bright as ever. A reminder that she was powerful. Like she needed reminding of that.

  Lillith got dressed, in clothes rather than pyjamas. She grabbed her empty teacup, and went downstairs. It was time to re-enter the world, and face up to what she’d done.

  “Shouldn’t I be locked up, pending a trial?” Lillith asked, as she entered the kitchen where Uma and
Brody sat. Lillith placed her teacup by the sink, and sat down opposite her mam. Brody’s mouth fell open, and he looked genuinely frightened at that prospect.

  Uma shook her head. “Not for an accident,” she said.

  “Isn’t that what a trial should decide?” Lillith asked. “Whether it was an accident or not?”

  Brody shook his head. “You don’t want to be locked up,” he said. His voice quivered.

  She didn’t want to be, but she felt like she deserved to be.

  Uma reached over the table and held Lillith’s hand.

  “Does the coven even know it’s happened yet?” Lillith asked.

  Uma shook her head. “I haven’t told them,” she said.

  There was a knock at the door, which made Lillith jump. “Shouldn’t they be told?” she asked her mam, who was already walking out of the kitchen to answer the door.

  Uma turned, and looked sympathetically at her daughter. “They’ll find out, eventually,” she said.

  Lillith watched as her mam disappeared through the kitchen door. She turned to Brody, who was still staring at her with a pale, shocked expression. “How’re they going to find out if no one tells them?” she asked, not really expecting Brody to know the answer to that.

  He didn’t answer. Lillith got up, and went to the cupboards in search of something to eat. She was eyeing different packets of cereal when she heard Uma’s footsteps re-enter the kitchen.

  “Lillith, can you come into the sitting room, please?” Uma said, gravely.

  Lillith was about to protest, but she saw Uma’s face. It was serious, anxious and maybe even a little frightened. She closed the cupboard door.

  Uma turned to Brody, and attempted a smile. “Can you stay here, please, Brody.”

  Brody looked worried, but he complied.

  Lillith followed her mam across the hall, and into the sitting room. As soon as she entered, she smelled lavender perfume. Mavis, the leader of their coven, was there, sitting comfortably in one of the cream armchairs. Her grey hair was tied tightly in a bun. She wore a white blouse, with a blue skirt and a yellow cardigan. She looked exactly like someone’s grandma, only without the caring smile. Instead, her expression was stern and solemn.

  Lillith walked slowly into the room, and Mavis followed her movements with her eyes. It reminded Lillith of Arthur. He used to watch without moving his head. It was exactly what Mavis was doing. Lillith sat on a chair opposite Mavis, and swallowed. She knew this must be about Sophie. Perhaps she’d come to lock her up, after all.

  Mavis cleared her throat. “I’ll get straight to the point,” she said. “We’ve made our decision.”

  Lillith blinked back tears, and the blood rushed from her face. Now that it came to it, she didn’t want to be locked up. Her hands trembled as she awaited her fate.

  Mavis continued, not seeming to notice Lillith’s change in demeanour. “We’re keeping Arthur locked up,” she said.

  Lillith breathed in sharply, and held her breath, gawping at Mavis. This wasn’t about Sophie?

  Mavis’s face relaxed and she actually smiled. “I thought you’d want to know, straight away,” she said.

  Lillith had forgotten all about Arthur and that his fate hadn’t been decided, yet. Relief washed over her, like warm air. She sat back in her chair, and looked at her mam. Uma was looking as relieved as Lillith felt. She must’ve thought this was about Sophie, too. It was why she’d kept Brody away.

  “Thank you,” Lillith managed to say, weakly. Tears welled in her eyes, and she couldn’t stop them. They slid down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  Mavis shook her head. “No need,” she said. “You did this,” she continued. “What you said at the trial gave everyone, including me, I’m ashamed to say, a bit of a wake-up call.”

  Lillith stared at Mavis. Tears still rolled down her cheeks.

  “We’ve all been fearful of something that’ll never happen. You and Brody are different people. We see that, now.”

  Guilt enveloped Lillith. She wouldn’t say that if she knew about Sophie.

  Mavis carried on. “Arthur was wrong to do what he did. Very wrong. We could only make one decision, although it’s taken a while to come to it. Too long, if you ask me, but there you go. We got there in the end.”

  Lillith shuddered with every word.

  Mavis didn’t seem to notice, and kept rambling. “So we’ve made another decision,” she said. “You and Brody have been guests in our coven long enough. You’ve proven yourselves to be good, trustworthy witches. It’s time to make you full members.” Mavis stopped talking and smiled, broadly.

  Lillith stared at Mavis. Why was she being so nice? Lillith didn’t deserve it. Good and trustworthy; she couldn’t be described as that. Brody could, but not her. Lillith shook her head. She had to tell her the truth. She opened her mouth to speak, but Uma spoke first.

  “That’s fantastic news, Mavis. Brody’s in the other room, he’ll be over the moon.” She turned to Lillith. “Why don’t you go and fetch him, Lillith?” She looked at Lillith, pleading with her eyes. Lillith stared back, not moving.

  Uma turned back to Mavis. “And would you like that cup of tea, now?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Lillith. “You can put the kettle on while you’re there.”

  Lillith wasn’t sure what to do. She deserved to be punished for Sophie, and instead she was getting rewarded. Arthur was to remain locked up, and the coven didn’t fear her anymore and were welcoming her and Brody into their coven. How was that fair? How was that reparation for killing someone? It was too much. She needed to tell Mavis the truth, and accept the consequences.

  “No,” Lillith said to her Mmm. “Mavis needs to hear about it. She’s going to find out eventually. You said so yourself.”

  Uma’s face dropped, and her eyes glistened. She sat down in a chair near to Lillith. Mavis was looking confused. She looked between mother and daughter, waiting for someone to explain.

  Uma started. “There was an accident,” she said. “That’s all it was.”

  Mavis listened as both Uma and Lillith replayed the events in York which had resulted in Sophie’s death. By the end, Lillith was sobbing. Uma held her daughters hand, her own eyes full of tears.

  Mavis looked down, thinking. When she looked up her face was serious. “I will have some refreshment now, Uma,” she said. “But coffee, not tea. Filter if you have it, and two sugar lumps.”

  Uma let go of Lillith’s hand and stood up. Lillith watched her mam leave, wondering why she hadn’t told Mavis that they didn’t have filter coffee or sugar lumps.

  Mavis turned her grey eyes onto Lillith. They bore into her skin. “This changes things. But you know that, don’t you?” she said, gravely.

  Lillith nodded. She couldn’t expect to kill someone and get away with it.

  “It gives weight to Arthur’s defence; that he was justified in attempting to kill you.”

  Lillith stared at the floor. That’s not what she’d expected Mavis to say. She’d expected Mavis to get angry and retract everything she’d just said about Lillith being good.

  “Why did you tell me?” Mavis asked. Her voice was sincere.

  Lillith shrugged. “Guilt,” she said, the word caught in her throat. She swallowed back more sobs.

  “Do you think it was an accident?” Mavis asked.

  Lillith frowned. Everyone had told her it was. She should say yes. She’d be in less trouble for an accident. Lillith gave a small nod, but stopped. Sophie’s falling body, her scream, the crunch all flashed through her mind. Lillith shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t think it was an accident.”

  Mavis said nothing, but her expression urged Lillith to give her reasons.

  “I didn’t think it would happen to me. I didn’t think it could happen to me, and I didn’t listen to everyone telling me not to do it. I wanted to make Sophie fly. It felt good to be doing something that other people couldn’t. That Angela said was impossible.”

&nbs
p; “So you meant to hurt this girl?” Mavis asked.

  Lillith breathed in, angrily. How could she think that? Of course she hadn’t meant to hurt Sophie. Lillith shook her head. “No, never,” she said. “That’s the point, though. I didn’t think I could hurt her. I stupidly assumed that I could do anything; that I’d make her fly and catch her if she fell.”

  “You’d done it with the other boy, why would you think otherwise?”

  “Exactly,” Lillith said.

  “If it wasn’t for the repulsion spell, you probably would have.”

  Lillith gazed at Mavis. Was she on her side?

  “And had you completely forgotten about the repulsion spell?” Mavis asked.

  “Yes. We all had.”

  “Then it sounds like an accident to me.”

  Lillith couldn’t believe it. She felt lighter, somehow. Mavis had given her some clarity; it was an accident. Why would Mavis do that? She was just about to ask, when Uma and Brody entered with a tray. The smell of freshly brewed coffee entered with them, and replaced the smell of lavender. Uma placed the tray on the coffee table. Lillith noticed a bowl of sugar lumps and furrowed her brows. Where had they come from?

  “Two lumps, wasn’t it?” Uma said to Mavis, plopping two sugar lumps into a cup and stirring it.

  “Thank you,” said Mavis, reaching out her hand to take the cup.

  “Biscuit?” Uma asked, holding out a plate with a variety of biscuits on.

  Mavis selected a wafer biscuit and thanked Uma again. Uma handed Lillith a cup of tea. Lillith thanked her, and took two chocolate biscuits. She was hungry for the first time in two days.

  Once Uma was seated, Mavis spoke. “Thank you for telling me,” she said to Lillith. “You did the right thing. But we needn’t tell anyone else.”

  Lillith had been dunking her chocolate biscuit into her tea. She looked up, shocked. A soggy piece of biscuit broke off and dropped into her tea.

  Mavis chuckled. “I hate it when that happens,” she said, pointing at Lillith’s cup.

  Lillith pouted. So did she.

  “I’m satisfied it was an accident, but others might not look at it as objectively,” Mavis said, by way of explanation. “Others might use it to…” she trailed off, took a slurp of coffee, and smiled. “Well, let’s just say it’s best to keep it between us.”