by A. L. Martin
“There is no easy way to say this, so I’m going to be straight forward with you. You are a witch,” Dad blurted out.
“Bitch? Why did you call me a bitch?” I tilted my head.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t call you a bitch,” Dad insisted, looking over at Mom, shrugging his shoulders.
Mom stood there with her hand over her mouth in a failed attempt to cover up her giggles.
“Londyn, you are a witch,” Dad said.
“Witch Yeah, right. Good one, Dad.” I started giggling myself.
“Your Dad isn’t joking,” Wyatt said, his eyes dark and his face expressionless.
I leaned back against the couch as my mind tried to process the information my dad just blurted out. I sat there staring down at the carpet, unable to look at anyone else in the room. After a few minutes of staring at the floor, I looked up at Wyatt, who started to shake his head yes. It was like he knew what I was going to ask him before I even got the first word out of my mouth.
I didn’t know what to do with this newfound information that was just unloaded in my lap. I had absolutely no idea what emotion I should be feeling either. I had so many questions, but I didn’t know if I should be asking them right now. I got up from the couch, scooting past my parents, and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. I wanted a glass of wine, but that would only cause me more grief that I needed right now. I could just see their faces if they walked in and I had a glass of wine in my hand.
“Londyn, you have to believe us that you are indeed a witch. How powerful of one, we aren’t sure, but I’d have to guess a pretty powerful one once all your powers reveal themselves to you,” Mom said, wrapping her arms around my shoulders from behind.
“So, is Dad a wizard and you’re a witch?” I questioned.
“I’m a witch, but I stopped using my magic when you girls were born. Your dad is not a wizard. In fact...” she paused, letting go of me.
“I’m not a wizard,” Dad said, walking into the kitchen. “I wasn’t supposed to marry your mother. It’s forbidden.”
“Forbidden? Says who?” I said, crinkling up my nose.
“The Vexers,” Dad said, not letting go of Mom.
“The what?” I walked around to a glass out of the cabinet, even though I wasn’t thirsty. I had no idea about anything anymore.
“Vexers. They are a group of witch hunters,” he said, loosening his hold on Mom.
“Why would they give a crap if you were married to Mom…” My mouth fell open, when it finally hit me. “They care because you are one of them, aren’t you?”
My father raised his somber face up. “Yes. I was to go after your mother, but I ended up falling in love with her. We changed our identities and moved close to a big city. It was easier to keep you away from a lot of people when you were little. As you got older and wanted more freedom, we knew it was only a matter of time before one of them would figure out who your parents were.” He lowered his head, looking over toward the pantry door.
“So, you are a witch hunter and Mom is a witch?” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. I walked past them to go back into the living room. Wyatt was standing in the archway of the living room.
“Let me guess you’ve known this whole time about me?” I stopped a couple steps away from him, glaring into his eyes.
“I didn’t know who you were until that day I met your mom at the restaurant.”
“That would explain her erratic behavior the minute she met you.” I walked past him, brushing against his arm. I went over and sat down on the couch. I didn’t have the energy to ask any more questions. I think my brain had turned to mush, trying to comprehend everything that they had told me. I laid my head back, covering my face with my hands. The cushions shifted toward me when Wyatt sat down next to me.
“Londyn, you can’t tell Gavin or Sam any of this. Them knowing would only put them in more danger.” His hand gently brushed against part of my hand and cheek.
“He’s right, Londyn. You don’t want to put their lives in danger,” Dad said.
I lowered my hands, cupping one inside the other. “Because of the Vexers?” I stated.
“Not just them.” Wyatt leaned forward to try and look me in the eye.
Chapter 20
The rest of the evening was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. I couldn’t explain it to anyone because I didn’t understand the feeling myself. All I knew was that something bad was about to happen. That feeling you can’t shake that stays in the pit of your stomach.
Then again, I felt like I was being paranoid because of what they had just told me earlier. Wyatt stayed close to me most of the night, not leaving me for more than a few minutes here and there. Dad had stayed for dinner but left soon after. He didn’t want to draw attention to Mom by giving her neighbors something to talk about. He even managed to leave before Jules got home from being with Asher. She had texted earlier, asking if she could go have dinner with him and his family. Mom didn’t hesitate in giving her permission with everything that was going on at the house.
Mom and Dad made me promise to not say anything to Jules just yet. Today had brought on a whole new meaning to the phrase, “It’s Monday.” Today had in fact been one of the worst days of my life, to find out that basically your life as you know it has turned out to be based on a lie that your parents created to protect you. I hated to see how Jules was going to react when they had to tell her the truth. I had a feeling it was going to happen sooner than they were planning on. I knew why they wanted to wait as long as possible, as she had never done well with big changes.
“Londyn, do you want to go for a drive or something?” Wyatt asked, caressing my hand.
I sat there for a few second, staring down at our hands on my leg. “Honestly, I don’t know what I feel like doing right now. I’m sorry.” I lowered my head even more, closing my eyes.
“It’s okay. You’ve been handed too much information for the human brain to process all at once. You’re going to be confused about a lot of things for a while. I thought maybe getting out of the house for a little bit might help. Not necessarily get your mind off things, but just to get you out of the house for a little bit.”
“I think Wyatt’s right, Londyn. Get out of the house for a little bit. Go for a drive or go get some iced lattes at your favorite coffee café,” Mom said, walking into the living room.
I knew both of them were right about getting out, but I didn’t feel like being around anyone. I didn’t know what I was capable of doing, and I didn’t feel like finding out either. I could be talking to someone and move my hand, blowing them up. I reluctantly got up and went to go search the house for my purse. I couldn’t remember where I laid it down earlier. I found it on the table in the entry way after walking past it five times. Wyatt told Mom he would take good car of me, walking toward me. She told us to try and have a good time, but I could tell by the despondent look on her fac that she was saying it more for herself than me.
Wyatt opened the car door for me, and I watched him walk around the front of the car to the driver’s side and get in. He tried asking me where I wanted to go, but I didn’t really want to out in public in fear of what I could do to someone on accident. He backed out of the drive and headed down the road. He was trying to talk to me, but I heard maybe a few words here and there of what he was saying. I did happen to catch him say the coffee café, but not much after that.
“Londyn, do you want to talk about it since we are alone in the car? You don’t have to worry about your parents or anyone else listening.” Wyatt reached over, wrapping his hand around both of mine clutched together in my lap. I didn’t feel like talking either. I just spent most of the afternoon and evening learning about my true identity, which I wasn’t even allowed to let my best friends know about.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I mumbled, staring out onto the road. He squeezed my hand tighter, but not to the point he was cutting off circulation to them. I kept stealin
g quick glances at him in hopes he wouldn’t notice it, but I was never one to be nonchalant about things like that.
“Londyn, I know you want to ask me something. I wish you wouldn’t be afraid to ask me,” he said, turning his head slightly toward me.
“I don’t want to ask anything,” I said, keeping my voice indifferent.
“I know that’s a lie.”
“It’s not a lie,” I assured him.
“I didn’t say anything.” He looked at me briefly. “Just like I’m not saying anything now,” he said, but his mouth didn’t move. He turned to face the road.
“What the hell! How did you do that?” I demanded, scooting my body in the seat to try and face him the best I could in the car.
He winked at me with a slight smile. “Most witches and wizards have telepathy. I’m more than positive you have it too. It make take a little practice at first. You don’t want to go sharing your thoughts with just anyone. Here in a few days, we can start practicing.” He smiled again, then moved his eyes back to the road.
“Why in a few days? What’s wrong with right now while we’re alone in the car?” I asked.
“Well, right now your mind is busy trying to figure out everything. It takes a somewhat open mind. And your mind is anything but open. In fact, what little bit I read of your mind, it was stressing me out. You don’t want negativity to flow to the wrong person, if you know what I mean.” He raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sorry. I forgot. I mean the wrong witch or wizard. Some feed off negativity and it makes them stronger. We are going to have to build up your powers,” he murmured.
Before I could say anything else, Wyatt pulled up behind a black sports car across the street from the coffee café.
“We’ll talk later about this,” he said, reaching for the door, not moving his mouth.
“I don’t know how I feel about you reading my mind or talking to me inside my mind,” I said with authority.
“I’m sorry, Londyn.” He opened the door and was out before I could say anything else to him about it. He opened the car door for me, offering me his hand. His grip was firm, but gentle around my small hand. He pulled me close to him as we crossed the street and walked past a few groups of people sitting outside in front of the café. I couldn’t help but stare at them, wondering if they had any idea I was a witch.
“No, they don’t know you are a witch. Most normal people don’t believe we exist.” I heard Wyatt’s calming voice in my head. I turned to my right and saw him glance over at me with a comforting smile. I could get used to being telepathic. No one would be able to hear my thoughts and I could say something to others without anyone else hearing what we were talking about.
Wyatt ordered two iced mocha lattes for us. He asked if I wanted anything else. Afraid to say anything in public, I looked at him and simply shook my head no. I was terrified to say or do anything in public in fear I would do something horrible to someone without meaning to. He led me over to a table toward the back of the café.
“I know you are nervous, Londyn. I was at first too. Honestly, I would be worried if you weren’t nervous. I know I was nervous because I didn’t want to accidentally hurt someone. A lot of witches don’t care, and those are the ones that you need to stay away from. They will lead you down a dark path of evil.”
I went to say something, but one of the baristas brought us our drinks and I didn’t want her overhearing us talking about powers or witches. She sat our drinks down, then paused when she say Wyatt, her eyes lighting up like the fourth of July. She slowly stood up straight, not taking her eyes off him. She flirtingly brushed her hair back behind her ear, asking if there was anything else she could get him. He politely told her that “we” were fine. I couldn’t help but smile when he emphasized the “we”. In fact, I let out a little giggle. Wyatt gave my leg a little nudge under the table, which only made me giggle more. Her smiled turned into an immediate frown when she realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her flirting.
I watched her walk away, sneaking glances back at Wyatt. She turned at the counter and went back into the back. “How do you make girls act like that?” I leaned in toward him, whispering.
“You mean act like complete fools?” He laughed.
“Yes. And you don’t even entertain their flirting. Don’t you think that’s a little mean to be honest?” I said, looking over toward the counter.
“I never thought of it that way. I guess you are right. I will try to not influence their moods around me. Especially since I know it makes you jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” I stated, trying to keep my voice indifferent.
“Yeah, right,” he snickered.
“I don’t care what you say. You’re wrong about me being jealous,” I assured him.
He looked at me, raising his eyebrow, not saying a word, then took a sip of his iced mocha latte.
****
“Well, did you have fun?” Mom asked, looking over her shoulder from her chair.
“I did,” I admitted, smiling over at Wyatt.
“I’m glad.” She forced a smile, then turned back around toward the TV.
I told Wyatt that I had some homework I needed to get done before tomorrow. He didn’t want to leave at first, but I insisted that he go so I would be able to concentrate on my studying instead of him. He kept asking me if I was sure that I wanted him to go, because he kept reading my mind that let him know I didn’t truly want him to leave me alone. I knew if he stayed I wouldn’t get any of it done, and I didn’t feel like staying up most of the night to do homework. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and told me to text him if I needed him. I stepped out onto the porch and watched him drive down the road until I couldn’t see his taillights anymore.
I went back inside, grabbing my purse off the table and headed up to my room. I knew I wasn’t going be able to stay focused on my homework with everything that had happened since I got home from school. I laid my books out on my bed and headed down to the kitchen to get me a drink. Mom was still in the living room with Jules and Asher, watching something on TV. I couldn’t tell if it was a movie or TV show, and I didn’t feel like finding out either. They were so engrossed in whatever it was, that I went completely unnoticed when I turned and headed to the kitchen. I got myself some tea, and then rummaged through the pantry in search of something to snack on while I studied, but nothing was sounding good. I didn’t want anything sweet and wasn’t sure what I wanted that was salty. I wasn’t even truly hungry to begin with, so I had no idea why I was looking for something to eat.
I grabbed my glass off the counter and went back up to my room in hopes I would be able to concentrate on my homework. I put my glass down on my nightstand, then propped my pillows up against the headboard. I crawled up in the middle of the bed, pulling my books up toward me. I grabbed my English book, and the minute I opened the book, my mind was already starting to wander. I sat there looking around my bedroom. The overwhelming silence was too much to deal with at the moment. I leaned over to grab my cell phone off my table and pulled up one of the music apps on my phone, hoping the music would help keep my mind focused on my homework.
Wyatt texted me a couple of times to make sure I was doing okay, and I tried to assure him that I was fine. After about ten minutes of struggling to stay focused, I was able to get my mind on homework and off the fact I was a witch. I was scared about going back to school and doing something worse than just freeze students in the hall.
I woke up the next morning before my alarm went off. I laid there for a little bit, praying that I wouldn’t accidentally kill anyone at school today. I looked over at my phone and saw that it was ten minutes after six, and I knew Jules would be up in about 20 minutes. I forced myself out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom. I hurried up and closed the door when I heard Jules alarm go off. I don’t know why I was worried about her pounding on the door. She usually hit the snooze button a couple of times before get
ting up.
I opened the bathroom door right as Jules walked out of her bedroom. “Morning, Jules.”
“Morning,” she yawned, walking past me into the bathroom. On my way back to my room, I heard Mom downstairs, banging the usual pans around for breakfast. I wasn’t hungry, but if I didn’t eat something, she would ask me a ton of questions about why I wasn’t eating.
I stood there looking at my closet full of blouses, knit shirts, leggings, jeans, skirts, and dresses not able to pick out something to wear today. I flipped my head over, pressing the towel to my head, while droplets dripped off the ends of my hair onto my floor. I walked back over to the closet, hoping something would miraculously jump out at me. I was running out of time, so I ended up choosing an over-sized sweatshirt, jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes. Once I was dressed, I sat down at my vanity and dried my hair, then threw it up in a bun. I didn’t feel like wearing makeup today, but then dark circles under my eyes told me that I was indeed wearing a little makeup. Once I was somewhat presentable, I gathered up my book bag and made my way down to the kitchen for breakfast. Right on cue, Mom was at the bottom of the stairs when I walked out of my room.
“Breakfast is ready. Could you let your sister know?” she asked, turning to walk back to the kitchen.
I walked down the hall a few feet, stopping right outside my sister’s door, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear from the blaring music that was coming through her door. I knocked a couple of times without any answer. I tried yelling through her door and again, nothing. I didn’t want to just barge in her room because I tried to respect her privacy more than she had mine in the past. I raised my fist up, about to pound on the door, when she opened the door, almost knocking me over.