“I see what you mean,” I said, though I wasn’t feeling terrific about the last bit of that. “I like the people we are too, and no, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone either.”
We didn’t speak again but a few minutes later we turned onto the driveway. The porch light was on and the door had been left ajar. We must have dawdled to have lagged so far behind the rest of our group. Stepping onto the porch, I slipped off Evan’s jacket and handed it back to him with a thanks.
“Any time,” he replied.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Bright and early.” He wasn’t making a move to leave, I noted. I couldn’t help stare into his eyes, my heart speeding up a fraction as I realised with a rush that I didn’t want this to end. I wanted Evan near me, maybe even closer than when he held me while we danced. I wondered if he could hear the little thuds my heart was booming.
“Kitty hoped to get you horribly drunk so we could all have a lie-in,” I blurted. Sheesh. What a doofus! And to think I’d been doing so well. I stared at my shoes.
Once again, Evan surprised me by laughing and his face was easy and worry-free. “I wondered why she kept refilling my glass. Have a lie-in. You deserve one.”
It was my turn to be surprised. “Really?”
“Stella, I know this past couple of weeks seems like a whole lot of nothing but you have been learning, even if you don’t realise it.”
“And I was thinking you loathed me.”
“Definitely not.” Evan leaned forward and I caught my breath as I turned my chin up to look at him. He looked so far into my eyes I felt like I was melting into pools of... yum. I didn’t know what I expected. No, I did. I knew exactly what I was waiting for but instead, he kissed me lightly on the cheek and went inside. I was rooted to the spot for a moment and, by the time I followed him in, he was gone, so I scampered up the stairs. Kitty was coming out of my room with her makeup box and tongs and she waggled her fingers in a goodnight gesture as she faked a yawn. I knew I should have asked if Marc had gone to bed, but I didn’t. He stormed off and hadn’t bothered to say goodnight; but then, I’d dawdled with Evan and, well ... I’d just have to see him tomorrow.
I brushed my teeth quickly and changed into my pyjamas. I had just pulled back the covers when there was a faint knock at the door. I tugged it open but there was no one there, and no one on the landing. Just as I wondered if I was imagining it, the little pile of books at my feet caught my eye and I stooped down to pick them up. Four well-thumbed mysteries, their covers creased with age, and sitting on top was an iPod with headphones wrapped around it.
I smiled and kicked the door shut, setting the bundle on my table next to the posy of flowers I’d picked a couple of days ago from the garden. The roses had bloomed, soft white petals clustered loosely about each other. An idea pinged into my head.
I plucked one of the white roses from the vase and sat on my bed, twisting the stem between my fingertips. White roses meant friendship, right?
Focusing on the flower and where I wanted it to be, I lulled myself into concentration and sent it vanishing into the ether before I even really thought about what I was doing.
From down the hall, I was sure I heard Evan laugh and that took my mind away from the thought that something had been watching us, out there in the half-light of nightfall.
SEVEN
After the frustrations of those first two weeks, I was glad to have the weekend largely to myself. I slept in to mid-morning both days. Deciding that it was thoroughly antisocial to hide in my room, I took one of the mysteries and Evan’s music player into the sitting room and curled up in an armchair.
The sunlight streamed through the windows and kept me warm as I found myself either engrossed in the story or eagerly checking the music player’s digital display to find out what band I was listening to. I liked Evan’s music a lot and I made a mental note to see if he would like to borrow my music player in return. It was like a supernatural swap shop, I thought, with a giggle.
Meg was noticeably absent that weekend along with Étoile and Seren. Étoile had ducked her head in before they left to say she was leaving for a few days and that she hoped I would be happy to stay with the group. I was.
Marc left shortly after them and they all ended up staying away all week, though I didn’t know if they were together. Marc didn’t call but I could hardly complain; I had no claim on him, though I wondered what he was doing that kept him away so long. I was glad that I had chance to familiarise myself before he left. At least I didn’t feel so alone. Kitty was pleased to have my company, David and Jared too; while Christy and Clara kept much to themselves as usual and Evan spent a lot of time out of the house, though he never said where.
Ever reliable, Meg fussed over all of us when we saw her. I thought she was lonely and wondered where her family was and made sure to be extra helpful when she asked, and even when she didn’t.
The next week was less frustrating. Now that I knew I could not only teleport an object but also send it to where I wanted it to be, and Evan knew it too, my confidence had a brief burst of ego. He set up little tasks for me to practice. Move something, a peg or a pencil, from one side of the table to another. Sometimes I could do it, sometimes I couldn’t but the control was getting easier to harness. Later, Evan tried harder stuff like committing an object to memory and then trying to locate it in the house. I even tried to move myself again but ended up a frustrated mess.
I flopped back in the chair. We were in the library again and it seemed a given that this would be where we’d study every day. I knew Evan worked in here on his laptop between lessons and I gathered it was something to do with his business. He hadn’t volunteered what it was that he did so I hadn’t asked. I’d been feeling a little off about the dancing and chaste cheek kiss and wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bring it up or ignore it. Maybe it meant nothing at all to Evan and I was deluding myself into thinking there was something more between us than teacher and student.
“I give up.” It was my final lesson of the week and it wasn’t going well. I was tired and a headache was beginning to gnaw at my temples.
“You can’t give up.”
“Apparently I can’t start either.” I sniffed. Evan was still a taskmaster but we’d settled into an easier routine and he didn’t seem entirely unhappy about teaching me anymore at all. I liked being around him but he hadn’t touched me again, except for an accidental brush of his hand against mine that sent my heart leaping.
“We’ll just have to work out why. We know you can do these things, we just need to know how you can activate them.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
‘It will be simple when you work it out.”
“Why do I need to do this stuff anyway?” I felt like flouncing around. “Why can’t it just come naturally?”
“It would have come naturally and you’d be in control by now if you had had guidance while you were growing up.”
“So, maybe it’ll take a few months or a few years; who’s counting?”
“The timing counts.”
“Why?”
“Because...” Evan sighed, but it was one loaded with expression as he picked his words. “Because there’s going to be a war, Stella, and we’re probably going to end up right in the middle of it.”
“I don’t want to be in a war!” My voice pitched upwards and my heart clamoured inside my ribcage.
“Who does? It’s not our choosing. If people won’t leave us alone, if magic gets thrust into the open when people aren’t ready for it, there will end up being a war. It won’t be guns and tanks but death and mayhem and we’ll be targets, even from our own governments. The world will never be the same again.”
I slumped further down in my chair. “But we’re not going to harm anyone!”
“You won’t. I won’t. Who’s to say others won’t?” Evan shrugged. “Or they’ll just think we will, because we can. That’s probably an argument the Brotherhood would advocate.”
I shuddered. I tried not to think about them at all. “Why would anyone else want a war?”
“The same reason regular people want wars. Power, greed, domination. Just because there’s a world of magic on top of the regular world doesn’t mean we all want to spin love potions and keep cats.”
“That’s depressing.” I wondered if Evan kept a cat. Or had ever spun a love potion? Who would he use it on? What the hell was I thinking about?
“Let’s call it quits for today. We’ll start again next week.”
“I thought you wanted to get me all armoured up?”
“We’ve done enough for this week.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to argue.
“You can practice in your own spare time,” suggested Evan.
“O-kay.” Slave driver. I stepped up and smoothed the wrinkles out of my jeans as I remembered to delve into my pocket. I handed the little rectangular device to Evan.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my music player. I’ve been listening to yours all week. It helps me sleep. I can’t quite get used to the quiet. I thought you might like to try mine.” I shrugged. No big deal. “There’s some different stuff.”
Evan turned it over in his hand and ran a thumb over the controls, his face expressionless. “Thanks,” he said at last.
So I nodded at him and left the room the conventional way.
I slept better than ever that night. I swapped Evan’s headphones for mine when I switched music players and I put the buds in my ears and fell asleep to Fiona Apple. As usual, the buds worked themselves out of my ears by morning and I woke tangled in wires. I noticed the battery was low so I wrapped the headphone wires around the player and set it on the nightstand. I’d have to find a charger.
When I finally got up, showered and walked downstairs, Seren and Étoile had returned and they invited me to sit with them. Seren was crocheting some bright yarn on a tiny needle and Étoile was winding the wool. As one, they sat up straighter and sighed happy sighs.
“What?” I asked. I was getting used to their little quirks.
“I’ve just realised who this blanket will be for,” Seren answered, her eyes dreamy as she rested her hands in her lap for a moment. The blanket was but a few multicoloured squares but Seren’s quick hands were adding to its size speedily.
“Who?”
“It’s a mystery,” Étoile laughed and wouldn’t be pressed.
“To everyone but you two,” said Marc, coming up quietly behind me and then sitting on the arm of the chair. He put a hand on my shoulder and I reached up to pat it.
“When did you get back?” I asked him, but nodding at Étoile and Seren to show that I was including them in the question too.
“Last night for us,” said Étoile.
“And this morning for me,” said Marc. “I was in New York. My parents had a meeting that I had to attend.”
“We were at the Washington branch,” added Seren, like she was talking about a chain store.
“Should I ask about what?”
Étoile pursed her lips and thought. “Our elders are coming up with plans to get us more organised. The Washington group want a register. Imagine!”
“Is that so bad?”
“Can you imagine the Brotherhood getting their hands on a register of witches?” Marc shook his head. “Not so great. There’s more against than for, at the moment, but there’s a good chance some will acquiesce to it.”
Seren shook her head in disappointment. “Politics!”
“I hate it.” Étoile threw the unfinished yarn down in her lap. “All the bickering is so unproductive. We don’t have a single solution that someone else hasn’t shouted down. Everyone is divided over what to do.”
This was the first I’d heard of the situation with the Witches’ Council. I hadn’t realised things were so precarious and I wanted to know more. I kept quiet lest they decided to curb their tongues in front of me.
“How did it go in New York, Marc?” Seren asked.
“Much the same.” Marc shook his head wearily. “Dad could barely keep them under control. Steven thinks we should go public and force the government to help protect us.”
“What did Robert have to say?”
“He can see both sides of the argument. He’s not in favour of a register but he thinks we need a better way to keep track of our kind so we can offer assistance. He said Stella wouldn’t have had to be on her own so long if we’d had proper records.”
Étoile and Seren exchanged a glance. “Perhaps,” said Seren, “but I can’t be persuaded right now.”
“I’m not trying to persuade you.” Marc took his hand from my shoulder and put it over his heart in an oddly sincere gesture. My shoulder felt strangely bare again.
Seren picked up her crochet again and Étoile resumed the winding. I gathered the conversation was over. I made a mental note to think about the council’s problems later. After all, they might affect me. And I hadn’t even been offered a vote! I’d always been the independent type and I didn’t want decisions to be made for me by people who had never met me.
“I quite agree,” said Étoile, who seemed to have picked up what I was feeling.
Kitty was an even later riser than I but stuffed with energy as she bounded down the stairs. Marc made an excuse to leave and I wondered just what it was with him. I didn’t get the impression he actively disliked Kitty – he was always polite to her – but he never seemed to want to be near her and he had been oddly nice to me after largely ignoring me all week. I was mildly cross that he hadn’t called, especially since we had been spending so much time together recently.
As we had a free day, Kitty insisted on dragging me (quite willingly as it happened) to the nearest town so she could take me shopping. After a quick discussion between Étoile and Seren, it was decided that there were no objections provided we remained alert, though they didn’t say for what.
Fortunately, Kitty had a car with her, a white compact that was as neat as she was. We went to lunch first at a little Italian restaurant and sat out in the garden under parasols. Afterwards, she insisted on taking me into shop after shop until I left with two pretty summer dresses, a two piece swim suit, some new tops (not a single tee, per Kitty’s insistence) and shorts, a light jacket and enough underwear to see me through a fortnight.
I felt only a twinge of guilt as I dipped into my money. It was fun and a small part of me wished I had had a friend like her for years instead of only a few weeks.
“I am very, very glad you are here,” admitted Kitty as she drove us home past neat townhouses and then out onto the freeway. “Don’t breathe a word of this but while Christy and Clara are very nice, they are also slightly maddening.”
I mimed that I was zipping my mouth.
“And Étoile and Seren are gone so much. And Jared is, well, you’ve met Jared. He’s just a boy anyway. Marc and I hardly speak these days so I’ve been very much attention-starved until you came along.”
“I thought you and Marc were friends since you were kids?” I asked as I tried to remember if Marc had mentioned anything about his past with Kitty. I didn’t think he had.
“Oh yes. A long time, since we were really little.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed.”
Kitty rolled her eyes. “He does his utmost to avoid me.”
I wasn’t sure if I should ask why. If they didn’t like each other, that was their own business, I decided. I didn’t want to pry so I was relieved when Kitty changed the subject.
“You know Evan thinks he’s worked out why I can do the stuff I can with the weather. He thinks it might actually be useful.” Kitty snorted and for the first time, I wondered if she felt a bit peeved to possess such an obscure gift. “He thinks I’ll be able to use it to influence events, maybe even create my own storms. Perhaps even a tsunami, though, frankly, what use that would be, I have no idea. I could create rainfall during a drought. That would be handy, don’t you think?”
I nodded.
“But I prefer the spells.” Kitty was obviously feeling particularly chatty today and, though we were careful not to mention magic in public, in the confines of her car, it was fine. “I want to specialise in spell casting. David is keen too. I think he’s going to leave soon, he said he’s bored of feeling cooped up.”
“Cabin fever?” I asked, partly to myself.
“We all have a little cabin fever,” Kitty laughed. “We’re all used to being able to come and go and live our lives as we please but it’s all so prescriptive now. We have to be on our guard because the worst isn’t just a possibility for us; it’s actually likely to happen.”
“Do you think it will always be like this?”
“I hope not.” Kitty slowed to turn the corner and accelerated again on the long stretch of road. We were running through the town near Meg’s house and I watched the roadside buildings – a car rental place, a family restaurant, shops – flit past. “Maybe when we’re more in control, we can be more ourselves but until then, we’re stuck doing what the council thinks is best for us.”
“Don’t you think they’re doing what’s best?”
“Well, yeah. I mean we’re all still alive, right? But what the council wants is not necessarily what everyone else wants. Maybe I want to head to New York or LA or London or Paris and just get on with my career; but the council, well, they say no and that’s it.”
“We still get a choice though, right? You could just leave if you didn’t want to be here. It’s not a prison.” I thought for a moment and barely voiced, “Is it?”
“No, you’re right. I could leave, but I would be leaving without protection and I could get picked up by anyone at any time. In fact, scrap London and Paris. Europe’s where the Brotherhood is.” Kitty shuddered. “I wouldn’t want to be there.”
Illicit Magic (Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series #1) Page 15