Malice: A Barrington County Novel

by Stacy Charasidis

  Katie’s face was very serious. “I won’t.”

  Max shook his head. “There are way too many coincidences in this stupid town.”

  Vail sighed. “Oh Max, there are forces that push and pull that we don’t understand. But I agree, the three towns do seem to be inextricably linked.”

  “So, wow again,” he said, looking at Katie. “I thought resistance was futile. God, no one can push you around, can they Katie?”

  “Nope. It also helps that I am not from Barrington. Didn’t anyone get the memo? I’m a transient here, zero magic. None. It has rejected me and I don’t care! Of course, Elanah didn’t know that. She treated me like everybody else because I was incognito. That’s how I was able to give you the information you needed without looking like a stoolie. I wasn’t under any compulsion. I just acted like I was.”

  “Smart and crafty, like your father.”

  “He didn’t raise a fool,” she agreed.

  “Thanks Katie,” Max said, hugging her.

  Katie laughed. “Can I have another kiss? Theoretically you’re a free man until Ella the Idiot gets over her anger and agrees to date you again. You can kiss whomever you want.”

  “NO!”

  “Okay, can I at least take a picture of us hugging and post it?”

  “No, that ruse is over too.”

  Katie sighed. “Fine, you can tell Ella I’m not interested in you anymore. It’s way too much work, and dangerous, and the hassle! I gained eight pounds as your friend. I’m much more interested in that gorgeous brother of hers.”

  Max groaned. “Good Lord, females! Forget Dean, he’s taken. As for Ella, well, she’s just a bit…hurt.”

  “A bit? Look, she doesn’t strike me as very bright. You are a terrible actor and a worse liar. You’re too nice. I would have seen through you immediately.”

  Max shrugged. He knew his best friend. “She wasn’t in her right mind, and sometimes your vision gets cloudy when your heart’s involved. Sadie told me how easy she was to manipulate when she was crazy with jealousy.”

  “Hmmph, I would still characterize her as stubborn and stupid. She’s a fool, Max. Only an imbecile would fall for the half-assed stunts you pulled. They weren’t even convincing,” she snorted.

  Max sighed. Katie sure knew how to boost a guy’s confidence.

  “Still, let me know when you want a real girlfriend and I’ll consider it. If I can’t have Dean Croft, I would settle for you,” Katie declared as she flounced off.

  Max smiled at Katie’s departing back. She was opinionated and condescending, but damn, she was a good friend.

  Sadie stood by Nathalie and Rain, watching as the Sheriff and his men moved around the area. She was very sad. Elanah did some good today by getting rid of the magical poison, but she unraveled a lot of relationships and wrecked a lot of lives in the process. It was going to take a long time for the emotional scars from the last few weeks to heal.

  Both Parker girls were heartbroken as they headed home.

  Luke joined Sadie and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Sadie. Why do strange things always happen to us? By the way, you look marvelous in that outfit.”

  Sadie laughed, kissing Luke’s neck. “Let’s go home. There is nothing more we can do here, and magical terror always makes me frisky. Tomorrow, let’s just spend the day lying on our blanket in the woods, like we used to.”

  Luke shook his head. “There’s nothing else I’d rather do, but I have an obligation to return a rare knife to its caretaker in Superstition and retrieve my precious,” he hissed, waggling his empty ring finger as Sadie laughed at his silly Lord of the Rings impression.

  He pulled her closer to him. “I do want my wedding ring back, and I’d like you to meet Hagar. She’s really scary, but nice, just like you, and I think the two of you’ll get along famously.”

  Vail was holding her crying mother tightly. “You’re such a…pain in the ass, mom. You’re like a teenager with the trouble you get yourself into. But just think, now you can have the mortal life you’ve always wanted, and love. No one is hunting you. No beast is threatening you. There’s great potential!”

  Elanah looked at Dean. He was leaving with his sister, but when he looked back it was to stare at Nathalie with longing, and then he was gone. She cried harder. No love for her, no parting words.

  Her daughter kept talking. “But not him, mom. His heart belongs to someone else. You’ll find someone to love that you won’t have to share, or spell, but you have to stop stealing men from other women.”

  “Hester stole Sean from me.”

  “They were betrothed before you two met. From what I understand, both you and Sean were spoken for. Neither of you had any right to do what you did, having a long-term affair before and after your marriages. Hester had no chance of any relationship with her husband. You took that from her. Anyway, that’s all in the past now. Sean is gone, mom. You’re hundreds of years in the future. It’s time to find your new, unattached Sean in this century. I’m sure the Barringtons will help you get your life together.”

  Elanah looked toward the small circle of police officers. “Is she dead?”

  Vail didn’t answer.

  Elanah was inconsolable, and when Vail started to cry, Claire came over to put her arms around them and simply comfort her aunt and grandmother, many times removed.

  Part 2:

  A Reweaving

  Re- (prefix)

  1: again: anew

  2: back: backward

  Weave (verb)

  1

  a: to form (cloth) by interlacing strands (as of yarn); specifically: to make (cloth) on a loom by interlacing warp and filling threads

  b: to interlace (as threads) into cloth

  c: to make (as a basket) by intertwining

  2: spin 2 —used of spiders and insects

  3: to interlace especially to form a texture, fabric, or design

  4

  a: to produce by elaborately combining elements : contrive

  b: to unite in a coherent whole

  c: to introduce as an appropriate element : work in —usually used with in or into

  5: to direct (as the body) in a winding or zigzag course especially to avoid obstacles

  -Merriam Webster

  ~

  Sometimes things need to be unraveled so they can be rewoven more tightly and become stronger.

  -Hagar Oaks

  ~

  Chapter 35 – The Truth Unfolds

  A few days later…

  Max and Ella

  Doc Peabody was at the Crofts giving Ella a quick checkup. She was very depressed and hadn’t gotten out of bed since she got home three days ago. So many bad things had happened that she couldn’t face life.

  Jenna hadn’t survived Elanah’s spell, and Ella was still in shock.

  She’d lost her best friend Max. She flat out refused to speak to the two-timer. His betrayal pierced too deeply.

  Rain and Gabriel had broken up and had gone back to Superstition to separate their affairs.

  Nathalie and Dean had broken up as well. Ella knew Nathalie still planned to move into the apartment above Clara’s Crafts and Crystals, but she had revoked Dean’s invitation.

  Dean was devastated.

  Gabriel and Tess were looking like a non-item as well. Apparently he needed to sort things out in his head and figure out what was real and what wasn’t.

  Tess wasn’t speaking to anyone.

  Vail had taken Elanah to an undisclosed location in Limerick.

  Everything was horrible.

  “Knock, knock!” a voice said from the hall before opening the door. Vail peeked in. “Can I come in?”

  Vail was the only person outside her family that Ella would see.

  Doc Peabody was packing his medical bag and deigned to offer his two cents, like usual.

  “Look girlie, when you were sick I told the Barrington boy your fever was so high you’d probably believe any cockamamie story he came up wi
th. Stubborn girl. If you had just done what you were supposed to do, he wouldn’t have had to do what he did. Desperate measures require desperate, and in this case, stupid acts. Sometimes we have to hurt the ones we love, including ourselves, to ensure the greater good. Max will be a great man one day. Hell, he’s already a great kid. I’d hold on to that star if I were you, since it doesn’t look like your brain is maturing at any great rate.”

  Ella gasped. Vail covered her mouth and tried not to laugh in shock.

  The Doc continued. “Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. He loves you, so don’t be spiteful and keep screwing up your face like that or you’ll get wrinkles and then no one will marry you.”

  Wild-eyed, Ella stuck out her tongue at his retreating back then stared at the ceiling.

  He rolled his eyes to the heavens as he nodded at Vail. “Did she stick her tongue out at me?” Vail’s eyes widened. “Eyes at the back of my head,” he said, tapping the side of his skull. “She never broke that rude habit, I see. To think, I delivered that girl. Good luck with Miss Sourpuss,” he said gruffly, slamming the door as he left.

  Vail sighed. Great doctor, but his bedside manner needed a lot of work.

  She came to sit on the bed by Ella’s side and ruffled her hair. “These are for you,” she said, dropping a package of letters on Ella’s chest. They were tied with pink ribbon. The envelopes were all shapes and sizes. “I went back to the cottage and found these in Horace’s garbage. It looks like one arrived for you every day while you were up there, but Horace seems to have kept them from you out of spite, even the one that Max left the day you were sent up.”

  Ella looked at the stack then back at the ceiling. She didn’t want to touch them or read them. But then her eyes strayed back. The ribbon was so pink and happy.

  “That day, while we were talking, he mumbled something, but I have excellent hearing. He said he didn’t think he deserved you, Ella, but it has been my experience that actions speak louder than words,” Vail said softly, patting Ella’s knee.

  Then Ella found she couldn’t help herself, and the heart she thought dead in her chest took a small, powerful beat, flooding her face with blood as she read the writing on the first envelope. It was addressed to Ella, my love, my beautiful girlfriend. Tears filled her eyes as she snatched the pile and sat up, untying the ribbon and tearing open the first one.

  Day 1 of our separation

  To my beloved Ella,

  So it begins. Right now you must hate me so much, and I know I’m going to go crazy thinking I’ve lost you. The plan to hurt you and throw you off balance so we could get you to safety must have worked like a charm, and believe me, I am heartbroken.

  I am so sorry about my part in it. The pain on your face will be burned into my memory forever. I don’t think anything will ever hurt as much as that did.

  I’m writing this letter so we’re clear. I would NEVER, EVER date Katie Fairchild. Pretending to like her was hard enough. Why on earth would I ever choose her over the smartest, toughest, cutest girl that ever lived in Barrington? That girl being my best friend, my GIRLFRIEND, the gorgeous, desirable, and wonderful Ella Croft.

  I didn’t want to lie to you, or trick you and ultimately hurt you—but the doc said I could probably get away with it at this point of your delirium, and I was desperate to get you out of Barrington. DESPERATE! The thought of losing you was eating at me. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t think. I was obsessed. How could I live without you? Why are you so stubborn? Why won’t you listen? So I lied and pretended and broke both our hearts so that you would go.

  I’m so sorry, Ella.

  Get better and come home. I’d rather love you from afar than lose you forever.

  I hope you can forgive me. I miss you so much already.

  Love, Max

  Ella ripped open the second letter.

  Day 2 of our separation

  To my beloved Ella,

  I love you so much. Being away from you is absolute torture. I miss you all the time. I want to talk to you and hold you in my arms. Kiss your beautiful mouth and stroke your artificially long hair…

  Ella laughed out loud and closed her eyes. Ah, her hair. That one-dollar spell, which turned out was permanent. No matter how many times she cut her hair, it always grew back down to her bum. Then it occurred to her why the second one-dollar spell she bought hadn’t worked. She hadn’t needed it. God, they had so much history together.

  Then she was crying, her head on her knees, and Vail knew that she would be okay. She wasn’t sure Ella heard her as she quietly said goodbye and shut the door to her room.

  Chapter 36 – The Next Generation

  Three months later…

  Luke & Sadie

  Sadie was skin and bones, so the bump was unmistakable.

  Confirmed by Doc Peabody this very morning. Sadie was three months pregnant.

  Ecstatic, Luke kissed his wife. “We’re going to have a baby!” he said, jumping for joy. Sadie was having his baby! He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

  Sadie smiled as she snuggled in Luke’s strong arms. “Yes,” she said, touching her belly softly, “and it’s a girl.”

  Nathalie & Dean

  Nathalie walked toward Town Circle. The evenings were getting cooler and darker more quickly, but the Rotunda’s restaurant area was still teeming with life as people continued to stream in and visit Barrington’s Harvest Festival. She knew The Barrington Hotel was booked solid until the festival closed on Halloween. The fair culminated in many riotous festivities and a town-wide Halloween party. It was a great time to live in Barrington.

  She stopped momentarily beside a huge fir when she spotted Dean sitting at a table waiting for her. Butterflies were churning in her stomach. You’d think she’d be past that feeling by now, but it never truly went away when she was around him. He sat quietly, listening to the band, but was twining a blue box in his fingers. Her heart caught as she realized it was the box that contained her engagement ring.

  Three months ago, Rain’s anger had flamed Nathalie’s own, overpowering her reason. Without thinking about it, she’d returned Dean’s ring with only a note, asking him to stay away from her, and rescinding her offer for him to move in with her. She had needed a break from Dean, had needed time to think about and come to terms with the events that had happened in May and June. She’d needed a break from her family, Rain’s pain, and her parents’ sympathy and sadness for both girls. They had lost Dean and Gabriel at the same time, and they’d loved both boys wholeheartedly.

  When she moved to her apartment it was a pleasure and a relief. She finally had the time alone she needed to manage her intense pain and think about what she wanted, and what she was going to do.

  Dean left her alone, not even visiting her at work. The change in him was visible. He was thinner, sad, and obviously suffering. One night when Sadie came for a girl’s dinner, she told Nathalie that Dean felt he didn’t deserve her, so he wasn’t going to pursue her anymore. Nathalie had cried, especially after Sadie told her that Dean and Elanah hadn’t slept together.

  “He told Luke it was close, but he couldn’t do it, even under her spell.”

  “But he was attracted to her. Elanah said there had to be a spark,” she sobbed.

  Sadie smiled. “Nat, I think it’s like meeting a movie star, or your idol. Sexy, notorious Elanah Von Vixen, the powerful, mysterious witch from centuries ago, a stunning beauty, comes to town and shows an interest in you, flatters you…flirts with you. Dean’s male, it strokes his ego, but normally that feeling is harmless. But then he’s bound...trapped. Passing flirty feelings that would die naturally are nudged to grow instead…and we all know where that leads.” They thought about Beth and her unskilled attempt to hex Dean.

  Sadie shook her head. “Look at me. I think Luke is fascinated with Hagar, and she’s at least twenty years older than us! It’s funny, but he really admires her and desires her approval. I know it’s harmless. It means nothing. I’m everything to
him, but if someone tampered with him to inspire unnatural feelings…that would be different. Now, let me ask you something.”

  “What?” she asked, sniffing.

  “Remember Wayman? Tall, dark hair, big muscles, white teeth…remember him?”

  Nathalie blushed. She had felt a strong attraction to Wayman. She couldn’t help it. He exuded masculinity. Many women had sighed over him. “Sure, but that was nothing, a feeling of appreciation for his beauty, not a serious...love interest.”

  “Exactly. Now suppose Wayman had used magic to manipulate that spark, made it stronger, made himself irresistible, changed your feelings into something they weren’t originally, so he could take advantage of you, and every other girl in Barrington that batted their eyes at him. Would you hold yourself to blame? Would you have wanted Dean to understand? To forgive you?”

  Nathalie didn’t respond.

  “Elanah tampered with him, Nathalie. She removed his will. If she had been straight with him, he would have turned her down flat without a second thought. That guy was already in love, and she knew it. That’s why she did it. Think about it,” Sadie said seriously.

  “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

  Sadie smiled. “Yours, which is why we are having this little talk.”

  That conversation burned in her mind for weeks. Could she forgive Dean?

  About a month after she moved in and taken some time to think, she called Dean and asked him over for supper. He was shocked and silent on the other end of the line. “Dean?”

  “I’m here,” he said gruffly. “Just surprised. I’ll have dinner. When?”

  “Tomorrow night, five o’clock.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  They had never yelled at each other before, but when they met the evening was made up of talking, screaming, and crying. Dean explained what happened to him, what he’d done, and given his point of view.