by Ann Atkins
The room suddenly became very quite, and my eyes popped back open to find Reverend Parris standing right in front of me. Abigail whispered something into Prudence’s ear, and I saw Joshua glance nervously in their direction. He gave a very subtle shake of his head and Prudence glared back at him.
“What afflicts thee, child?” He asked the question in a comforting voice, but his eyes were cold and calculating.
“I … I … don … don’t k-know,” I stammered.
“You seemed to know perfectly well a few moments ago,” he said snidely.
“I do not remember what happened,” I told him as I began to cry.
“Are you afflicted by a witch?”
“I don’t know,” I answered.
“Art thou, in fact, a witch thyself? Have you made an unholy covenant with the devil? Dost thou do his bidding?” His voice rose and became more accusing with every question he asked.
“N-no! I swear it!” I said desperately, but he was not listening. He had turned away from me and focused all of his attention on the other girls.
“Is this one of the witches that torments thee, dear children?” he asked them, and I felt Joshua stiffen.
I saw Prudence give an almost imperceptible shake of her head, but apparently I was the only one. Joshua still had her under his control, but I knew she would love nothing better than to see me hang.
“She does not afflict us,” they said in unison, and I sagged in relief, but Reverend Parris was not pleased with their response.
“Annabelle, which one of Satan’s witches caused thee to behave this way?” he asked, still hoping for another innocent person to throw into that filthy, disgusting jail.
“Her specter is hazy, and I cannot fathom who she might be,” I said pitifully, hoping he believed me. Most of the evidence that had condemned those in the jail as witches was spectral. The girls had all claimed to see a ghostly image of the witch who was tormenting them, and apparently their word was good enough.
He looked upon me with disappointment before turning back to the congregation and using me to fuel his religious fire. “Ye have all heard it from this poor, bewitched child’s own lips. There are still witches among us! They disguise themselves so that they may continue to prey upon more of our innocent children. These injustices will not go unpunished by man or God! They will be found out and chastised for the wrongs that they have done …”
At that point, I tuned out; I could not bear to listen to any more of his ranting and raving. I had gotten Joshua’s attention just as I had hoped to do, but I had also given credence to the claims of those foolish, foolish girls. The only evil being done was by them, and I had just inadvertently joined their ranks. I felt sick; I was no better than they were; I had, selfishly, thought of no one but myself.
Joshua and I had returned to our seats for the remainder of the service, but I was only there in body; my mind was a million miles away. I had let jealousy turn me into someone that I didn’t know or like, and I could not take it back; the damage had already been done.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, following the service, and I could not believe that I was actually dreading nightfall. At night, I would light a candle and place it in the window. At night, he would see the tiny flame and be drawn back to me. At night, I would finally be able to see him and touch him and hold onto him, but at what cost?
He would be so angry with me, and he would have to struggle even harder to keep her under his control now. And because of me, those stupid little girls would probably be coaxed into naming more witches. I had broken my mother’s heart and incurred my father’s wrath. Half of the village pitied me, and the other half feared me, but I had gotten what I wanted. It was too bad that so many others would have to pay the price for it.
I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed but troubled by my dreams. I stretched and yawned loudly as I rolled over on my side to find Mason propped up on his elbow watching me.
“Morning,” I said with a sleepy smile.
“I think you mean afternoon,” he replied, brushing his fingers through my messy hair.
“For real?” I asked with genuine surprise. “I didn’t think she’d actually let me sleep this late, even if it is Saturday. I feel like I’ve been in boot camp all week.”
“Yeah, I think she thought you deserved a break. Plus, I have my own plans for you today, little girl,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me.
“I don’t know if I should be excited or scared,” I told him.
“Let’s go with excited. Today we are going into the mountains to practice some of your recently acquired skills. It’s kinda like a pop quiz.”
I simply look at him as if he has lost his mind. “Yeah, cause tests are the funnest,” I finally responded.
“They are when I’m the teacher,” he said as he blanketed my body with his own and kissed me hungrily.
I ran my hands up and down his back and then lower to squeeze his butt. “Are you sure you don’t wanna just stay here and teach me other stuff?” I said with a grin.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but the guys are already on their way,” he said with a laugh.
“Huh?” I asked, still a little dazed from that kiss.
“Matt, Eric, and Cassie are on their way over,” he replied.
“Why?”
“Well, Eric and Cassie are for emotional support, and Matt is volunteering as a guinea pig for your magical training,” he explained.
An evil smile quickly replaced the frown on my face; there is nothing I love more than torturing Matt. “Does he know that?”
“Nope,” he replied with a smirk.
“So, why are we going to the mountains to torment, Matt?” I asked.
“So no one can hear him scream,” he laughed. “No, seriously, we need more space, and Mom really wasn’t happy when you made it rain in the living room.”
“But I’m safe here,” I said, hating that I sounded like a big ol’ scaredy cat.
His face immediately softened as he took my hands in his own. “Allie, take the protection charms you’ve been making all week with you; they should repel any would-be-attackers, and after we reach our destination, we’ll make sure it’s safe before we start practicing.”
“How?”
“Just trust me,” he said, leaning forward to kiss me on the head.
“I do, with my life,” I responded.
“Do you?” he asked, catching me completely off guard.
“Yes, of course! Why would you even question that?” I asked him.
“Did you know you talk in your sleep?” he asked.
“I’ve been told,” I responded, “but how does that relate to whether or not I trust you?”
“Joshua—whoever he is—you said his name over and over in your sleep last night. And when you stayed with me after the Hellhound attack, you said it then too. He’s obviously important to you, but you’ve never mentioned him when you’re actually awake. I was just wondering if you’d like to tell me who he is?”
He doesn’t seem upset, and he’s not accusing me of anything; he’s just genuinely curious and wants to know, because he cares about me, and I cannot lie to him; I don’t even want to. Until he’d brought it up, I hadn’t realized just how badly I’d wanted to tell him.
“How much time do we have before they get here?” I asked.
“About an hour and thirty minutes,” he replied.
“All right, here goes,” I said with a loud sigh as I closed my eyes and began. And I told him everything from the very first dream to the last. He sat quietly as I filled him in, and his expression gave nothing away. Finally, after I had finished, and he still did not respond, I said, “Well?”
“It’s amazing,” he said, almost as if he were in a daze.
“So, you think they were real people?” I asked. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”
“Yes, I think they were real people.”
“But why am I dreaming about them? Why do I care so much about them? Why does
Joshua look exactly like you? Could he be an ancestor of yours, or is she an ancestor of mine? And whatever happens to them has already happened, so it’s not like I can do anything about it! So, what’s the point of it all?” I asked, my questions all jumbled together.
“Calm down and breathe,” he said. “I don’t have any answers for you, I’m sorry, but I will help you figure it all out; I promise.”
I slumped against his chest with a sigh of relief. Everything was out in the open; and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of me, but as my head rested against his chest, another question crept into my mind.
I sat up and looked him in the eyes as I asked, “Is being able to see into the past one of my gifts?” And I held my breath as I awaited his answer.
“Yes, so you see, you’re not crazy, just very powerful. I’m guessing the ability to see the future” –he tapped the side of my head− “might be hidden in there as well.”
He smiled and caressed my cheek as I asked, “You haven’t mentioned me being able to do that before. Is it a power that comes from the other bloodline?”
“Yes.”
“Then, don’t you think you should finally tell me what it is?” I asked with a racing heart.
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully and smiled. “I think you’re actually going to like this one … you, Allie Chamberlain, are a child of the Fey.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rainbows and Unicorns
“So she’s kinda like a faerie, right?” Cassie asked from the backseat of Mason’s Mom’s mini van.
“Yeah, just like Tinkerbell,” I said with a laugh.
Matt snorted loudly at this. “Funny, you don’t look like any Tinkerbell I’ve ever seen … Captain Hook, maybe.”
Cassie sighed loudly, as if to say, here we go again. Eric appeared to be suppressing a smile, but he was smart enough not to say anything. And Mason was wearing his best poker face, with no reaction at all.
I turned around to glare at Matt, and he smiled at me, so I turned back to Mason and asked, “Can I pleeeease turn him into a frog?”
“Sure,” he answers nonchalantly, “just as long as you can remember the incantation to turn him back into a jackass, after.”
Everyone laughed at this, but Matt actually looked a little worried. “She can’t actually do that, can she?”
But no one answered him; we only laughed that much harder. Finally, I turned back to look at him, wiping tears of mirth from my eyes, and asked, “Would you rather be a tree frog or a bull frog?”
“How bout’ you go cackle over a cauldron and pray no one drops a house on you?” he fired back.
I unhooked my seatbelt and leaned across the seat to smack him upside the head.
“Hey,” Mason yelled, grabbing onto my shirt and pulling me back, so I plopped back down in my seat and refastened my seatbelt.
“You got in trouble,” Matt snickered.
“I will turn this car around if you two don’t stop it,” Mason said jokingly.
“Did you happen to bring any pacifiers and diapers?” Cassie asked Mason, and Matt and I both glared at her.
But he doesn’t answer; instead, he has a question for, Eric. “Why do you hang out with them?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out, dude,” Eric replies. To which, Matt and I both respond, “Hey!”
“How bout’ we all act like we’ve got some sense and talk about something else—anything else,” Cassie interjected.
“Well, I figured out that I’m really not crazy, ‘cause faeries can see into the future,” I told her smiling.
“Then I think your doing it backwards, because 1692 was a loooong time ago,” Matt chimes in, but Cassie and I chose to ignore him.
“Being able to see the past or the future is pretty cool,” Cassie replied with a pointed look at Matt.
“Can you fly?” Eric asked with a stupid grin, and I’m afraid Matt has started to rub off on him. Cassie elbowed him in the ribs, and he grabbed her and bit her on the neck, causing her to giggle and squeal.
“I feel like I’m driving a circus car full of clowns,” Mason said, and I could not argue with him.
After Eric was done tormenting Cassie, I finally answered his question. “No, I can’t fly, but I do have the ability to perform magic; all I’m lacking is the skill to use it, but for the past week all I’ve been allowed to do is eat, sleep, and train, and today, Mason is testing me to see what I’ve learned,” I told them.
“Sounds like a party,” Matt said, “just as long as no one turns me into an amphibian.”
“Yeah, you and I are gonna put on quite a show,” I said with a mischievous grin.
“What?”
“You will be my lovely assistant, Matt.”
“Why?” he asked suspiciously, and I turned around and motioned for him to lean forward.
“Because I love you!” I told him, giving him a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.
“I knew you’d eventually come around, baby,” he said with a wink. Then, he said, “Hey, Mason, did you know that Allie and I have seen each other naked?”
I almost choked, but Mason never wavered. “No, she neglected to mention that,” he responded.
“We were four,” I told him. “It had been raining and we both decided to rub mud all over each other, because we thought his mother wouldn’t be able to see us, and we’d be able to play outside longer. Needless to say, it didn’t work, and we both ended up in a tub of bubbles together,” I finished, smiling at the sweet memory in spite of myself.
“How can I possibly compete with that?” he asked, deadpan.
“I’d throw in the towel right now if I were you,” Eric said.
Then we were jostled roughly as the car bounced through several potholes in the one-lane, gravel road. The road spiraled around into one endless curve, making me nauseous, and the sharp drop-off to the right certainly didn’t help; the nausea was quickly accompanied by dizziness.
“Please tell me that we’re almost there,” I sighed as I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes.
“Five minutes, tops,” Mason responded. “Then, you can rest for a few minutes before we get started. You should probably drink something with some sugar in it too. It’ll help.”
I smiled through the nausea and dizziness. I’m amazed at how he always seems to know what’s wrong with me and how to fix it, even before I do.
A few minutes later, I felt the car stop, and I opened my eyes to see a small field of wildflowers surrounded by trees. I stepped out of the car to look around, and Matt pressed a cold can of coke into my hand. I should’ve known he’d be the first to raid the cooler of food and drinks.
“It’s really pretty here,” I said as I looked around at the oaks, pines, and maple trees. The ground was scattered with tiny pink and purple flowers as well as little yellow dandelions and white daisies.
“Yeah, and it’s actually shady and cool here, instead of scorching,” Matt said.
Even though we were fast approaching September, it was still ninety-five degrees outside. As I pressed the cold can of coke against my head and neck, the guys dragged out the cooler, spread blankets on the ground, and set up lawn chairs.
Mason grabbed my hand and led me to a chair, and I sank into it gratefully. He snatched the can of coke from my hand, popped the top, and handed it back to me. “You’re supposed to drink it, not wear it,” He said with an adorable grin that causes my stomach to flip.
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to doing any magic tricks?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, ‘cause you look like you’re gonna hurl,” Cassie added.
“She’d better if she wants her surprise,” Matt said as he ran back to the car and came back with a brown paper bag. As he reached into the bag, I braced myself, half expecting it to be a box of Milkbones or something. But when he pulled out a container of his mom’s homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, I felt touched, surprised, and a little guilty.
He corre
ctly interpreted the look of guilt on my face and smiled. “Did you think I hadn’t guessed that you were gonna use your mad skills to screw with me?” he asked.
“Aren’t you mad?” I asked.
“Nah, was I upset when you used coercion to make me squawk like a chicken and dig in the yard for worms?”
“Yes, you threw a fit,” I remind him.
“I’ve matured since then,” he said with a shrug.
“It was two days ago, you idiot!”
“Yeah, well, I can take anything you dish out! So, bring it, Broomhilda!”
“There is absolutely no hope for either one of you,” Cassie said, shaking her head.
“Before anyone “brings” anything, we’ve got to safeguard this area, so nothing or no one can detect magic being used here. We want to repel demons and humans, basically anyone who’s not us,” Mason said.
“I have no idea how to do that,” I told him.
“You’re about to learn,” he said, leaning down for a quick kiss. Then, he reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulled out a folded up piece of paper, and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked him.
“It’s a summoning spell that Mom gave me.”
“What, exactly, are we summoning?” I asked anxiously.
“A creature with enough power to keep us all shielded from harm,” he answers as if that clears everything right up.
“What kinda creature?” Cassie asked, looking worried.
“One with red eyes and big teeth,” Matt answered, and Cassie threw a rock at him.
“A Unicorn,” Mason finally answered.
“Those really exist?” Eric asked.
“I’ve never seen one, but Mom swears they are real. They’re very elusive. Mom’s never been able to successfully summon one, but she believes you can,” he said to me.
“What do I do?” I asked nervously.
“Read the spell on the paper … and wait.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, taking a deep calming breath, and clearing my mind of everything but the words on the page. Then, I opened my eyes and began to read.