Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Did she tell you how to overcome it?”

  “Nope.” I kinda wanna smirk, but Mom’s eagerness changes it into a smile instead.

  She mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ignorant cow.

  I giggle. “You know, Mom…”

  “Uh oh, I know that tone. What do you want now? Two jobs aren’t enough, and you want to start working somewhere else? Or organize a retreat or—”

  “Hilarious, Mom. If you’re so worried about me working, then that’s all the more reason for me to have a cell. I can even use my birthday money to buy the phone.”

  Her hair flies about as she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I just don’t see the need for teenagers to have cell phones. I’ve told you for years now that you can have one once you go to college. Now go upstairs and clean your room. It’s a mess.”

  At least she is allowing me to have the two jobs. I’m pushing the limit as it is. “What about your mental—”

  “That’s something I’m going to have to get over myself.”

  I wrinkle my nose. “Silver Tiger said it’s because you’re a scaredy-cat.”

  “Go clean your room, Crystal!”

  I rush up the stairs. My room’s not that messy. I know where everything is and… what’s that? Sitting on my desk is a new cell phone. With a squeal, I grab it, barrel down the stairs, and bear hug Mom. “You’re the best!”

  She squeezes me, pats my back, laughing all the while. “It’s only a pay as you go phone. You don’t need that texting garbage.”

  I squeal again.

  “You’re welcome. Now go clean your room.”

  * * *

  THAT NIGHT, I stay up as long as possible. I don’t want to have any more premonitions. My body fights me and wins, but I only sleep about three hours before my alarm sounds. No dreams. No premonitions. I’ll take it.

  I breeze through my history test. It feels good to be back in the swing of things academically.

  I’m still in a good mood when I walk into lunch. Gavin’s in a corner, hunched up, as if he doesn’t want to be seen. With him being so tall, that’s not an easy feat.

  I approach him. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

  He doesn’t acknowledge me.

  Can’t blame him. I sit next to him and place my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did yesterday.”

  “I can’t help what my dad does.”

  “I realize that. I’m sorry I took my anger out on you. That isn’t something friends do.”

  “Friends.” He snorts and finally looks over at me. “I don’t have any friends. It’s not worth it. Dad’ll kill the witches here sooner or later, and we’ll move on to the next town. It’s the same old story.”

  I remove my hand as if I’ve been burned. Although he isn’t looking at me as if I’m beautiful, this scene is too similar to the one in the cauldron for me to be comfortable. “Why hasn’t he already killed them? He went after them the other night.”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t lying when I said I’m not involved in his work. It’s a messed up world we live in, with or without witches. I want no part in it.”

  I can so understand where he’s coming from. “What does your mom think?”

  “She doesn’t know. Completely in the dark. I think it’s wrong, but…” He hangs his head. “I swear I didn’t know he caused the accident. I swear.”

  The pleading in his voice increases my guilt. How could I have been so cruel to him?

  “I believe you.”

  His face doesn’t change from its serious, depressed expression. He breaks a cookie in half. “Want some? My mom makes great cookies.”

  I accept it and take a bite. “It is good,” I agree, some crumbs flying out of my mouth.

  He nods toward my table. “Vince keeps looking over. You should go to him.”

  “In a minute. Do you think your dad might know anything about shamans?”

  Gavin shrugs. “He’s never mentioned them to me.”

  “Could you find out for me?”

  “You want me to play the other side? Crystal, I don’t think that’s smart.”

  Despite my being a, well, a witch to him, he still cares enough about me that he doesn’t want me to get hurt. I would smile, but he has a point. “You’re right.” I sigh. “Does your dad have a directory or something like that on witches?”

  He makes a weird noise, almost like a laugh and a snort rolled into one. “Something like that.”

  “Maybe you can see if there’s a mention of a Stormtide.”

  “I take it this Stormtide is a shaman.”

  “Ex-shaman,” I clarify. “A witch took away his magic.”

  “I’ll look.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” I stand. I’m hungry, and I wanna go to talk Vince.

  “Crystal, wait.” He grabs my arm. “You asked for a favor. Now I have my turn to say something.”

  I owe him that. “Go on.”

  “End it with Vince.”

  “What? Why?” Of all the things he could ask for…

  “You know you should. It’s not fair to keep putting him in danger. He doesn’t know anything about all of this. No good can come of this.”

  I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing, counting to ten before opening them. “Vince and I are none of your business.”

  “Hey, it’s not like I want you two to stop dating so I can date you.”

  Good, because I don’t want to date you. I keep the thought to myself. “You did seem to hit it off with Lydia the other day.”

  “Lydia’s not my type.”

  “Why not? What’s your type?”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t want to know.”

  Is that a challenge? “Tell me.”

  “I like fragile girls, short ones, ones I can protect.”

  I’m short, but I’m not fragile, and I certainly don’t need him for protection.

  “That’s a strange type,” I say after a moment.

  “Well, if you want the more superficial one, I don’t usually go for blondes.”

  “Lydia isn’t blonde.” I walk away and try not to think that I’m not blonde either.

  Chapter 25

  LATER THAT DAY, Vince and I drive over to the daycare center. “Be on the lookout,” he says. “They can smell fresh meat. They’ll test your patience today to see what you’ll let them get away with. Be strong, be firm.”

  “I’m good. It’s not as if I’ve never babysat before.”

  “Have you ever watched this many kids at the same time before?”

  “I did fine on Monday.”

  “Yes, but that wasn’t for the entire two hours.”

  True. The interview and paperwork took up a considerable amount of time so I only ended up working for about a half hour.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He parks. As soon as Vince opens the door, a rush of kids runs over.

  “Vince, Vince, want to play with me?”

  “Crystal, read me this story.”

  “No, read me this story!”

  Vince grins and mouths, “Good luck.”

  I swat his shoulder and bend down to address the two girls holding up books. “How about I read one story and then I’ll read the other?”

  The girls look at each other and back to me. “But which story first?” the blonde girl asks.

  “I’ll tell you what. Whoever has to wait until second gets to pick two books.”

  “I only want you to read this one.” The blonde girl hugs the book to her chest.

  “Wait. I go get another one.” The brunette runs away and comes back holding a very thick book of nursery rhymes. It’s so thick her tiny arms can hardly hold it.

  I smile wanly. Maybe Vince was right after all.

  I read until I’m hoarse, tie shoes, hand out snacks and help paint—although a lot of the paint ends up on the kids and me rather than the paper. Weary, I steal a minute to sit on a chair. My back is killing me, but I’m havi
ng a blast.

  Val walks over, carrying a tiny baby. “How are you holding up?”

  “Tired but good.”

  “Mrs. Davis mentioned you never held a baby before. Do you want to?” Her smile makes it impossible for me to refuse.

  “Okay. How do I…” I hold out my arms.

  “Put your arms like this. Good.” Val hands me the baby. “Keep your elbow up and support her head. There. There’s nothing to it.”

  I stare at the small, precious baby in my arms. Such chubby pink cheeks and bright blue eyes. “Hello,” I breathe.

  “Talking soothes them. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Tiffany needs her diaper changed.”

  I’m too mesmerized to nod. “You’re so cute. Yes, you are.”

  The baby coos. She grabs some of my hair and yanks.

  “Ouch. You’ve got a good grip, girl.” I maneuver my neck so as not to jerk the baby but still free my hair, or at least attempt to. Her hold is really tight.

  Vince walks over. He holds out a finger for the baby to grab on to. “I see you’ve met Becca.”

  “Hi, Becca.”

  Becca smiles, her toothless grin adorable.

  “She likes you,” Vince says.

  Becca turns to stare at him.

  “And you too,” I say.

  He leans closer to Becca, and closer to me too.

  My heart pounds. I always enjoyed babysitting, but I never thought about having a baby. In this moment, I know I want to be a mom, would do anything to be one.

  Only I can’t.

  I’m not human.

  I’m magic.

  Tears burn my eyes, and I blink them away.

  “Something wrong?” Vince asks.

  “She got ahold of my hair and pulled hard.” The lie quickly rolls off my tongue.

  “Becca’s grip is stronger than any of the other babies. She’ll rip your hair out if you aren’t careful.”

  More like rip my heart out.

  Once our shift is over, I climb into the car and buckle my seat belt. “Do you want kids, Vince?”

  He puts the key in the ignition but doesn’t start the car. “Someday, yeah. Not until after I’m married and that won’t be until after college.”

  “What do you want to major in?”

  “Not sure. Still have plenty of time to figure all of that out.” He looks at me. “Where’s all this coming from?”

  “My mom—my real mom—it was really hard for her to get pregnant.” I wring my hands. I don’t want to lie, but how can I tell him the truth? “She was supposed to be infertile.”

  “You were a miracle. Just because your mom was infertile doesn’t mean you will be. And besides, if anyone has God on her side, it’s you. God will give you anything you want.”

  When Mom called me that, my heart warmed. Hearing Vince say it warms my soul.

  He starts the car and drives away.

  But my happiness drains away with each passing house. I stare out the window. My closeness with God is slipping away. Will Vince also one day slip away?

  No. I will never let that happen. Vince means too much to me.

  * * *

  THAT NIGHT, I wait until Mom’s snoring to sneak out of the house. I run along the familiar route to the cottage.

  The door’s closed, and for the first time, I have to open it. It’s surprisingly heavy.

  Five witches fill the room—four female, one male. Five pairs of eyes turn and focus on me.

  Maybe coming was a bad idea. Too late now.

  I swallow hard. “I need to speak with Sapphire Belladonna and Silver Tiger.”

  The three unfamiliar witches snap their fingers and disappear.

  “Why are you here?” Silver Tiger growls. She plops onto the sofa.

  “Grouchy as always. It’s nice to see you too.”

  “Is something wrong, Crystal?”

  I ignore Sapphire Belladonna and stomp over to Silver Tiger. “I told you about the car crash.”

  “Yes.”

  “Want to know who did it?”

  She’s staring at her nails, and I fight the urge to slap her. I’m not a violent person, but something about her makes me want to lash out. After a moment, she glances up at me. “It wasn’t a shaman, I know that much.”

  “You’re right. It wasn’t. It was the witch hunter.”

  Silver Tiger whistles. “He was a busy man that night. Busy failing. Didn’t kill any witches, didn’t hurt you.”

  “He landed Mrs. Fuller in the hospital!”

  “Who is fine now, thanks to you.” Sapphire Belladonna touches my shoulder.

  Or God, I think stubbornly.

  “Why aren’t you doing anything about him?” I demand.

  “He’s a pawn. We have more important matters to attend to,” Silver Tiger says lazily. “Unless you want us to kill him?”

  Witch hunter or not, he’s still Gavin’s dad. “I guess not.”

  “Something else is bothering you.” Sapphire Belladonna gestures for me to sit, but I shake my head.

  “You said I’m not human.” Coldness sweeps over my body with each word.

  “To be human, you have to be formed from an egg and a sperm. That was not the case in your birth.”

  “Then why do I look like one? Age like one?”

  “You can look any way you want. You aren’t limited to this form,” Sapphire Belladonna says.

  “Oh, make your hair purple. That would be fun.” Silver Tiger claps her hands.

  I furrow my brow. “I don’t understand. If I can change my appearance, why does my hair never seem to grow? I never have split ends, but even if I don’t get haircuts, it never grows past my shoulders.”

  “That would be my fault, dear.” Sapphire Belladonna lowers herself beside Silver Tiger. “I thought it would be comforting to you to have a resemblance to your birth mother, even if you didn’t know about her. This isn’t your true form.”

  “My true form?”

  “She isn’t ready,” Sapphire Belladonna murmurs to Silver Tiger.

  Silver Tiger silver’s eyes bore into mine. “I say you’ve been holding her back for too long as it is. Why not? What harm could come of it?”

  The older witch sighs. “I don’t know…”

  “Please?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “You would have to do that yourself.”

  I close my eyes and reach into my heart, where I now always feel the pulse of my magic within each beat of my heart. Not sure what I’m supposed to do, I bring the energy to my hands but instead of bringing forth fire, I contain it. Gradually, I allow the magic to wash over my entire body, to strip away this shell, to show my true form.

  Even before I open my eyes, I can see myself. I glow, brilliant light radiating from my limbs, my body barely visible beyond the brightness.

  My eyes see more perfectly than an eagle’s and allow me to perceive the hard, long years Sapphire Belladonna tries to hide with her magic. The witch has to be centuries old.

  I can hear small nocturnal animals running around outside, scavenging for food. An owl hoots. Car breaks screech in the distance.

  There’s a full-length mirror tucked in a corner of the cottage. It levitates and settles before me. My body is truly a sight to see. Different streams of color blend in with the light, and I shine with magic.

  I truly am magic.

  Blinking, I revert back to my human form. The magic slips back inside, where it belongs, but it doesn’t feel some much a part of me. The magic and me… we’re one.

  The rush of power I felt—the complete sense of self—whole and complete… I only felt that way a few times before, always during prayers, long before I knew about being adopted.

  I am magic. I’m not human.

  The thought both thrills and terrifies me. What exactly am I? What can I do? What can I become?

  I stand tall even though I’m short. I know one thing for certain that I’ll be. “I will one day be a mom,” I vow.

  The witches glance
at each other.

  I walk over to the door. “By the way, does the name Stormtide mean anything to either of you?”

  Silver Tiger winces. Why am I not shocked?

  Sapphire Belladonna looks from Silver Tiger to me. “No. Why?”

  “He’s just an ex-shaman, that’s all,” I explain.

  “An ex-shaman was able to seek you out? That is not good.” Sapphire Belladonna holds unnaturally still. “Silver Tiger, we don’t have much time.”

  “Time for what?” The high I felt from being me, accepting me, is starting to dim.

  “To figure out a way to save your life.”

  “But—”

  “Trust us for once. Not all of the witches are as glad to see you as we are, but even they agree that your death could cause bad things for those who survive.”

  What does that mean? “Could you be more cryptic?” I complain.

  Silver Tiger gives a half smile. “Probably not.”

  Chapter 26

  MY LIFE SLOWLY falls into a routine. I enjoy both jobs and work hard on my school work. When I’m not busy, I’m either spending time with Vince or practicing. Each night, I dream, although most of the time, I wake up unable to remember them, or if I do remember, I’m unable to determine if they’re a premonition.

  I don’t seek out Gavin, but I don’t ignore him either. Each time I see him in the cafeteria, I wish he’d pull me aside with information about Stormtide or witches, but he never approaches. Sometimes he sits with my friends; other times he sits by himself. He never looks completely comfortable either way.

  A week later, Vince notices me staring at Gavin a few tables away. “He’s a loner.” He shrugs. “We all try to be nice to him.”

  “A hot loner,” Brianna cuts in, “but not sociable enough for my liking.”

  “Is anyone to your liking?” I tease. We’ve been talking and hanging out more even despite my being with Vince and her still not knowing my magical self. Makes me feel like life is almost ordinary again.

  She tosses her hair back and dramatically raises one shoulder. “Maybe I’ve outgrown the boys here. I’m mature enough for a college freshman, don’t ya think?”

  “Um… nope,” I deadpan.