A History of Hexing

by Evie Wilde

  “How long are you going to hold that against the headmaster?” Dash asked. “The man is trying to make this right.”

  “Until this is over. And I’m not so sure he’s the right man to lead this academy.” I turned away but stopped. “And I don’t believe he’s trying to make anything right. I think he’s trying to do what’s right for him.”

  “Come on, Cass,” Dash said. “All of us have to stick together. We need Headmaster Eliphas.”

  “We have an issue,” Oliver interrupted. “Kyler. He’s done nothing but avoid us and today he didn’t show up for training. We don’t know where he is.” He glanced at Dash. “We need to get Kyler back on board.”

  “You went into the woods?” I asked. “That’s where he goes to settle his mind and get away from everyone.”

  “We haven’t tried that yet.” Dash’s face was full of frustration. “We wanted to make sure someone knew before we went out there and were eaten by a bear.” He smiled and crossed his arms.

  I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, thinking we needed to search the woods. “If we don’t figure out what’s going on between him and Sonny, it could destroy him or the group or both.” I shook my head. “He hasn't mentioned anything? To either of you?”

  “He’s never around to mention anything,” Dash replied. “I think maybe he’s gone AWOL, if not physically then at least mentally.”

  “Who could blame him? Damn it.” I glanced toward the forest again. “We need to find Braeden, and the four of us can go find Kyler.”

  “Negative,” Oliver said, and he and Dash looked guiltily at each other.

  “What now?” I asked, sensing I was about to lose my mind again. For some reason I remembered my father once saying that sometimes we would own the day, and at other times the day would own us. Never truer words spoken.

  “Braeden went looking on his own,” Oliver said. “We tried to stop him, but he told us to mind our own business.” He looked at Dash and then back at me. “We told him we should talk to you before going off on our own.”

  “We’ll go check the arena,” Dash said. “If he hasn’t left the academy, then he may be there taking his anger out on dummies.”

  “When you find him, we meet in the courtyard.” I glanced at my watch and then back at them. “Be careful, and do not split up.”

  Dash opened the door and stepped out, stopping to wait for Oliver who shut the door and locked it. “Seriously, brainiac?” Dash knocked on the door. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Give me a minute,” Oliver said and then turned his attention to me. “I think before we go off searching for Kyler, we should talk to Sonny first. He’ll talk before Kyler will; I’m sure of it.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure what else Sonny can tell us other than what he’s already said. And if he does, can we believe him?”

  “Seriously, I think it’s the only way this works. We find Sonny, we find the answers.”

  “Okay, give me a few minutes, and let me talk to Dash before he tries to play hero.” I kissed Oliver on the lips and left the room.

  Outside the building, I found Dash sitting on a bench, waiting for Oliver. “So, what did brainiac have to say? He tell you about his little computer?”

  “That you’re his hero.” Dash rolled his eyes. “What do you make of all this? Kyler being evasive, Aurelius’ and the headmaster’s health. Everything is going to shit.”

  “He’s never acted like this before,” Dash said, “and we’ve been through hell and back together. I don’t know what to think.”

  I nodded. “He’s an anomaly among us. A witch doctor, shapeshifter, the earth element. I think he’s the answer to all that has gone on. He’s the key, Dash. I need to talk to him for him to understand he has to accept the powers he’s been given.”

  “Let’s head to the arena. I have a feeling we’ll find him there. He said something about settling a score.”

  “With Sonny?”

  Dash nodded. “We need to stop him before he goes too far.”

  The door behind us opened, and Oliver exited. “Where are we going?” He winked at Dash as if something naughty had happened when he locked the door. Dash shook his head.

  “Arena,” Dash said, and the three of us broke into a jog toward the arena.

  We entered the arena just as Kyler cast a spell at a fallen Sonny.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Kyler

  “What the fuck are you doing, Kyler?” Sonny’s eyes were wild with fear, and I enjoyed seeing the fear in his eyes. It was about time he felt what so many others had experienced.

  I held the spell and glared at Sonny. “You fucking let me take the fall for what happened to her. Everyone pointed their fingers at me. Told me I had one job to do and that was to keep her safe. And then she mysteriously died, getting sick on your watch, not mine!” I pulled my hands back further. “And now all this shit that has happened at the academy. It’s got your signature all over it.”

  “That wasn’t my fault.” He started to his knees. “And I swear I had nothing to do with what’s happened around here.” He held up his hands as if to block my next spell. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t fighting back. I let him stand, still prepared to tear him apart; to hell with the academy and the headmaster if they decided to toss me out of school. “I didn’t poison her that night, Kyler. It wasn’t me. I think you know that, and you’re just looking for someone to blame. You and I”—he pointed at me—“our history is solid.”

  “You were jealous, Sonny. You hated that she fell in love with me and not you. That’s why you killed her! I got the girl, and you didn’t!” I tried to remember a forbidden hex, one that would make sure he never forgot what he did to her. Our history together was exactly that—history.

  “Think about what you’re saying.” He paused for a moment and swallowed hard. I enjoyed seeing him scared. “We were both exiled, not just you.” He held out his hands in a peace offering. “Think about it. I left her side for several minutes while you were gone. Someone else could have snuck in and done something. You have to think rationally about this. I cherished our friendship.”

  “Two years ago,” I began, “before coming here, I took a break from everything and traveled the world, looking for myself; looking for reason and a purpose. I needed to escape everything and everyone. And I did find myself and what I was looking for. I met a mentor who I could trust, and I pushed all the pain from my head. I never forgot her, or you, but I learned to move past the pain.” I lowered my hands. “I learned to forget and maybe, just maybe, forgive. And my new mentor didn’t judge me for my past. In fact, he taught me to move on.”

  Sonny took a step closer, testing my anger. “We need to talk about all this. We can be the friends we used to be. There’s a big world out there, waiting for us. We could head out right now and never look back.”

  “And then he died, Sonny. But I think you probably know this. No one could figure out what happened to him. Just a mysterious illness. Same as the students and faculty here. Same as that night on the train. Every time I care about someone, they die mysteriously. Of course, you wouldn’t have knowledge of any of that, right?”

  “You and I can figure out what happened, Kyler, just like the old days. Give us a chance.” Pleading filled his eyes, but I wasn’t buying it. The poisonings could only be done by a witch doctor with superior skills, and I knew Sonny had honed his skills to that level.

  “There aren’t going to be any old days, Sonny. I’m done with you. I’m done with people I care about dying.” I moved in front of him, close enough to smell his bad breath. His jaw twitched in anticipation of my next move. I sensed he thought I would never hurt him, but he was wrong. Ending his life was the answer to ending the pain that resurfaced when he showed up. “I’ve got new friends, friends I can trust. They aren’t going to stab me in the back or kill people I care about.”

  “You need to forget those people and accept what you are. Half shifter and half witch doctor. Yo
ur mother was one of the best witch doctors in the country, if not the world. You need to embrace what you are. Until you do that, you’ll never be able to help Cassandra and her boy toys.” He stood stoically, as if he’d just help me with a mental breakthrough.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Sonny. It’s more than just sex, more than being sexual objects. It’s friendship. It’s about undying trust. Something you’ll never understand. Cassandra and the guys are my family now. Not you.”

  “A friendship? A family? That why you keep running from them? Where are they now when you need them? Not here. But I am. Because I forgive you for blaming me for something I didn’t do.” He let a small smirk cross his face, pushing me. “You know I’m right. Why fight it?” He opened his hands and stretched his arms out from his side. “I came here because you’re here. To say I’m sorry and to build the trust we once had. I’m just asking for a chance.”

  “Don’t push me, Sonny. You and I both know what I can do to you. If you’re lying, I’ll end your life.”

  “But you won’t because you know everything I’ve said is true.” He nodded in agreement with himself. “Let’s leave this place, and you and I can hunt down Ren and Edius. They’re no match for us. It’ll be like it used to be between us.”

  I stood there for a long moment without saying anything. Sonny and I went way back, back to a childhood where we hung out together. When you saw one of us you saw the other. I even dated his sister back in the day, and it didn’t bother him. He knew his sister and I were having sex, and that didn’t bother him either. As long as I was good to her he didn’t care. And then she took off, and he was there to help me pick up the pieces. After that we spent a lot of time running the town together: fishing, hiking, you name it. We were inseparable. Our families spent holidays together. We even talked about being the best man at each other's weddings. We’d planned on hitting Europe, getting drunk and finding women in Prague. We planned every hour of every day. And then came the night the woman I loved was poisoned. There was no one else. No other explanation. A lifelong friendship had been destroyed.

  “What happened to you, Sonny?” I withdrew the power racing toward my hands, subduing the hex that would kill my childhood friend. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he’d done none of the things I accused him of.

  “I stayed the same person. Nothing happened to me.” His voice dropped a notch, and he talked to me as if I were a child.

  “Everywhere you go, someone dies. I can’t let you do that to Cassandra and the others.” I pulled back my hands again to cast a final spell. I couldn’t risk being wrong.

  “Accept who and what you are, Kyler.” Sonny shoved his hands in his pockets and looked like a wounded dog.

  “Enough!” Cassandra ordered as she and the guys came onto the field. I lowered my hands and took a couple of steps back. She moved between Sonny and me, but she faced him. “If you cared as much as you claim you do then you wouldn’t treat him like that.” She pushed him away, and when he started to raise his hands the guys moved forward. Sonny had no idea what he was dealing with.

  “I’m trying to help. He needs to accept the power he’s been given.” Sonny looked around Cassandra. “Do it. Accept it, and we can find Ren and Edius.”

  “I’m fucking out of here,” I said and turned away. The last thing I wanted was for Sonny to air any more of my dirty laundry, especially in front of the others. Despite how close I was to Cassandra and the guys, there were some things I didn’t want to discuss.

  Dash intercepted me as I was leaving. “Ignore that asshole. Braeden and I want to hear about these special abilities you have. We both think it's kinda cool.” He pointed at Sonny and glared. Dash was intimidating enough without saying a word.

  “Well, I don’t think it’s cool! And if I wanted everyone to know about that stuff, I would have told you!” I darted around Dash but then stopped. “I don’t want to be both. And if you guys can’t accept that then I want nothing to do with any of you. You don’t understand!”

  “Kyler.” Cassandra marched toward me, leaving Sonny behind. She placed a hand on my shoulder and her positive energy spread, through my body. “We don’t want you to change or be something you aren’t. We miss you being part of what we have.” I looked down at the ground, and she placed a finger under my chin, raising my head to look at me. “With all that’s going on we have to have your help. We can’t do this without you.”

  “Okay,” I said, drawing a whistle from Sonny. I turned and looked at him.

  Sonny laughed and then glared at Cassandra. “Are you their mother?”

  I started around Cassandra to end Sonny’s existence, but she held me back. “No, but we are one small happy family.” She faced Sonny again. “And I suggest you remember that.”

  Dash moved between Sonny and Cassandra, poking Sonny in the chest. “And if you ever start to raise your hands toward one of us again, you’ll find yourself permanently green with warts and living in fear you might be eaten by a bird or squashed under someone’s foot.” Braeden moved to Dash’s right side, Oliver to his left.

  “I’m heading back to the dorm to get some rest,” I said. “I promise, we’ll talk tonight, and I’ll clear the air.” Shaking with anger, I left the five of them standing in the arena.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Cassandra

  “You smell that?” I asked and turned my nose upward. I hadn't smelled anything so delicious since the time I made dinner for Braeden and me a few years ago. In fact, that had been my last home-cooked meal. “I think Kyler learned how to cook.”

  Dash moved closer to the door. “That little shit never said anything about knowing how to cook.” He placed his hand on the doorknob, and I stopped him. “I’m hungry, and you’re between me a meal.” He winked, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

  “We don’t rush in there and start asking a bunch of questions. Let him tell us what he wants, how he wants, and when he wants.” I waited for each of them to nod, knowing guys would be guys and have no filter. “And show your table manners.”

  Dash put his hand back on the doorknob. “I’m sure he ordered out and didn’t tell anyone. No way he cooked for us.”

  Oliver made a pfft sound. “Where’s he going to order from? Think of all the things we don’t know about him. I kinda miss the cafeteria food and those square pizzas, though.”

  “I missed a good old-fashion home-cooked meal. When things get back to normal, we need to have at least one night when we all sit down to eat together.” Gawd, what I wouldn’t give for a piece of my mother’s cheesecake. “Let’s go.”

  Dash pushed open the door, and the smell of garlic and onions was heavenly. “Damn, the little warlock did cook.”

  Oliver laughed. “You still make a killer piece of toast.”

  Braeden pushed past us and entered the kitchen. “What in the hell, Kyler? Where’d you learn to cook?” He stood as dumbfounded as the rest of us, though if anyone could pull something like that off it would be Kyler and his artsy and earthly personality.

  “That’s pie!” Oliver ran his finger through the cherry pie, and Kyler smacked his hand away. Oliver stuck his finger in his mouth and moaned, closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he winked at me. Like Dash, I knew exactly what he was referring to.

  “You need to wait like a real adult. You guys have no manners.” Kyler looked at me. “Control your brood and have a seat at the table. I’ll get the food.”

  Braeden quickly found a seat. “This is like Thanksgiving.” He grabbed his fork and knife. We’d all struggled with our food choices since the campus went to hell. It was either pizza or snack food, rarely anything of nutritional value.

  Kyler placed a basket of still-warm bread in the middle of the table, and the guys snatched a slice almost before the basket had found a home. He then gave us each a bowl of salad and then a plate with two slices of Island Pork Tenderloin with a side of asparagus. “Bon appetit!” He watched us dig in, a satisfied smile on his face.<
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  I stared at the plate of food and then cut the tenderloin, the taste of meat, garlic, and onion divine. “You did this all by yourself?” I tried the asparagus, and it practically melted in my mouth.

  Kyler nodded. “My mother was a hell of a cook. Sometimes I’d sit at the kitchen table and watch her do her food magic. Every now and then she’d let me help, especially when she was making desserts. She always joked with my father that he married her for her cooking. I picked up a few secrets along the way.”

  “Freaking amazing,” Oliver said and started on his slice of pie before hitting the main course. “Dude, I can’t believe you made this. I’m gonna need a to-go box.”

  Braeden forked a piece of tenderloin into his mouth and moaned. “This is damn good, dude. I vote we make him the group cook. We’ll do the shopping; you do the cooking!”

  Kyler shook his head. “No way. This is my way of saying I’m sorry for acting like a child the past few months. I know it’s been hard on everyone, and I didn’t mean to make hard times any harder. You know I love you guys.”

  “You were kind of a douche,” Dash said and proudly ate another piece of meat. He looked at the rest of us. “I’m joking!”

  “It’s okay, you’re right. I should have trusted you guys.”

  I put my fork on my plate and looked around the table. They were waiting for me to say something. “Whatever you want to say you can. It doesn’t leave this table. We just want to make sure you know we’ve got your back. I can’t say this enough. We are a team of five, and always will be.”

  “That’s fair,” Kyler said. “Seeing Sonny started bringing back all these shitty memories I’d locked away in the basement of my mind. Once they bubbled up, I started losing my mind. And then to hear him talk about me being both shapeshifter and witch doctor, like I was some kind of special deity, it just drove me over the edge. I don’t see it the same way he does. Yeah, he’s a witch doctor, but he has no idea what it’s like to be a shifter. It’s not as glorious as it sounds.”