Once Upon a Witch: A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy Books 1-3

by Amanda M. Lee

I faltered. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s a … fine … lifestyle. We’ll just keep it a secret, like we do the witch thing. It will be fine, Mr. Spock.”

  Landon’s eyes were dangerous slits when they locked with mine. “For your information, missy, I’m Captain Kirk.”

  “I’m sorry.” I really wasn’t.

  “Mr. Spock,” Landon muttered, dusting off the seat of his jeans. “He’s not sexy. Captain Kirk gets all the women. I’m definitely Captain Kirk.”

  I patted his shoulder as I moved up beside him. “I’m just glad you’re not wearing a red shirt. I don’t want to worry about you dying on an away mission.”

  “Ha!” Landon swiveled and pointed a finger in my direction. “You would only know that if you’re secretly a fan of the show.”

  Crud. “I prefer Picard to Kirk.”

  Landon’s expression was full of disgust. “He’s bald. I’m not bald.”

  “Captain Kirk wears a toupee,” I pointed out.

  “That’s never been proved. I happen to believe that’s his real hair.”

  I realized what Landon wasn’t saying. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” I said. “I’m sure you won’t lose your hair.”

  “I can’t even look at you right now,” Landon said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, we’re back at the house again. When do you think this is?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea. Let’s move closer, though. We’ll try to stay hidden and see what’s going on.”

  “That’s because you’re starting to think I’m right about the time travel, right?” Landon asked, as he followed me through the thick foliage. “I’m right. Admit it.”

  “I’m right,” I argued. “You’re just … a Trekkie.”

  “I’m never going to live this down,” Landon muttered.

  “Don’t worry; if you’re good for the rest of the day and we get out of this unscathed, I’ll let you play with my Tribbles.”

  “Bay, you can’t mock me for being a Trekkie when you have all of this geek knowledge of your own,” Landon said. “You’re a Trekkie, too. If you try to make fun of me, I’ll tell everyone about that Tribble comment. Your mother will be horrified.”

  Crap! Why do I always paint myself in such obnoxious corners? “Fine. Your secret is safe with me.”

  “That’s good,” Landon said. “That means your secret is safe with me.” He pulled up short and extended a hand to hold me back, pushing me down behind a bush and pressing a finger to his lips to warn me to be quiet.

  “What?” I whispered. “If someone is over there, they’ve already heard our Star Trek argument. There’s no reason to hide now.”

  “It’s Calvin,” Landon said. “He’s sitting on a log. Look.”

  I followed the direction of Landon’s finger, taking a moment to soak in the scene and realize what I was witnessing. “It’s Mom.”

  “It’s all of them,” Landon said, gesturing toward the giggling girls as they danced in a circle around Calvin. “Look how small they are.”

  “Look at Twila’s hair,” I marveled, grinning. “I guess Mom wasn’t lying when she said her natural color was blond. I’ve never seen anything but the Ronald McDonald color. She looks … normal.”

  Landon chuckled. “What are they doing?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “It looks like they’re having fun, though, doesn’t it?”

  “Is this before or after your grandmother died?”

  “Before. I think everyone lived here together, though.”

  “Girls! Come inside for lunch.” Ginger appeared in the doorway. I could barely make out her features, but her smile was evident as Twila and Marnie scampered in her direction. Mom lingered behind, clearly waiting for Calvin.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Mom asked.

  “In a minute,” Calvin replied. “I have something to do first. You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you.”

  “Okay,” Mom said, skipping toward the house. “You’d better hurry if you want cookies.”

  “Don’t you dare eat my cookies.” Calvin feigned a stern expression. “I’ll tickle you if you do.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Mom said, her blond hair bouncing. “I can only do so much, though.”

  “I have faith in you,” Calvin said, smiling as he watched Mom enter the house.

  Landon and I kept our heads bowed, inhaling quietly and working overtime not to alert Calvin to our presence.

  “I know you’re there,” Calvin said.

  My heart rolled. Was he talking to us?

  “Bay Winchester, I know you’re there,” Calvin said.

  When I risked a glance over the bushes I found Calvin staring at me. I straightened, smoothing the front of my shirt, and glanced around for a sign of Aunt Tillie. She was nowhere to be found. “How did you know we were here?”

  “I heard the very enlightening Star Trek conversation,” Calvin replied, seemingly unperturbed by our appearance. “Tell your friend to stand up, too.”

  Landon reluctantly did as instructed. “Hey, man.” It was the lamest greeting ever, but it made Calvin smile.

  “Hey,” Calvin said. “You definitely have more in common with Kirk than Spock. I have no idea about the other people you mentioned, though, so I’ll have to side with your boyfriend.”

  Landon smirked. “I told you.”

  “That doesn’t count,” I said, picking my way through the foliage so I could close the distance between Calvin and myself. “Picard doesn’t exist yet. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

  “Don’t push me, Bay,” Landon said. “I can only take so much.”

  Calvin was chuckling when we finally made our way to him. “You guys are funny. I’m glad you found someone funny, Bay. You deserve to laugh.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, glancing around. “How do you know who I am? And where is Aunt Tillie?”

  “She’s close,” Calvin replied. “My Tillie is in the trees over there watching. She hides from the girls when they get boisterous. Your Tillie is in the trees behind me watching. You can’t see her yet. You’ll be able to soon, though. I have to have a talk with you first.”

  “About what?”

  “Do you know what’s happening, Bay?” Calvin’s brown eyes were serious. “Do you know why you’re here?”

  “I think so,” I hedged.

  “We’re time traveling,” Landon offered.

  “Star Trek isn’t real, son,” Calvin said. “You need to let that go.”

  Landon scowled.

  “I told you,” I muttered.

  “You might try being more gracious, Bay,” Calvin admonished. “I know you have it in you. You’re Winnie’s daughter, after all.”

  “How do you know who I am?”

  “I know what Tillie wants me to know,” Calvin answered. “She’s … conflicted.”

  “Because she’s hurt and in the hospital and she’s hiding from her pain, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ha!” I glanced at Landon. If I was expecting applause, I was about to be disappointed. “I mean … I graciously say that I was right and you were wrong, and I’m doing it in a way that’s not annoying.”

  “Try again,” Landon muttered, although I didn’t miss the brief smile on his face. “Why doesn’t she want to wake up? Do you know?”

  “I know that Tillie feels badly about what happened,” Calvin said. “She’s doing her best to heal herself, but she’s fighting the urge to wake at the same time. It’s important that she wakes up, Bay. Do you understand why?”

  “Because she hasn’t finished her plan of world domination yet?” What? That’s a legitimate answer. She’s been telling me about her plan since I was five.

  “No,” Calvin said, chuckling. “It’s not her time.”

  “Do you know when her time is?”

  “No.”

  “Then how do you know it’s not her time?” I pressed.

  “Do you want it to be her time?” Calvin asked, switching gears.

  “I don�
�t think I would be here if that was the case,” I replied. “I just … I don’t know what to do. We haven’t seen her. Not the real Aunt Tillie, I mean. I’ve seen younger versions of her.”

  “You’re going to see your real aunt very soon,” Calvin said. “You’re almost ready. You only have to open your mind and see what’s right in front of you.”

  “You’re right in front of me.”

  “I see you have the Winchester penchant for arguing,” Calvin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the one thing that never skips a generation.”

  “There’s comfort in familiarity,” I offered.

  “My Tillie says that when she wants to win an argument,” Calvin said. “I guess your Tillie does, too.”

  “How do we wake her?” I asked. “When we find her, I mean, how do we wake her? We can’t even wake ourselves.”

  “That’s because you’re not meant to leave yet,” Calvin replied. “When you’re meant to leave, you’ll know it. You have a job to do first.”

  “Wake Aunt Tillie,” I surmised. “I don’t know how to do that, though. You have to help me.”

  “I can’t help you,” Calvin said. “You have to do this one on your own. There’s a reason you’re the one she called here. I’m not sure she realized she was doing it. It doesn’t matter now. You have to do this now. There are no other options.”

  “Do what?” I was beyond confused.

  “Don’t let her stay here, Bay,” Calvin said, repeating a mantra that was starting to grow wearying. “It’s very important.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Tell me where she is and I’ll figure out a way to wake her.”

  “She’s right over there,” Calvin said, inclining his chin.

  This time when I focused on the trees I could see her. She was hiding in the shadows, her face unreadable, but there she was. “Can she see us?”

  “Of course.”

  “Will she listen to me?”

  “Of course not,” Calvin said. “You’re stronger than you know, Bay. I believe you can do what needs to be done if you set your mind to it. Rely on Captain Kirk here. He’ll help you. When your strength fails, his won’t. When his strength fails, yours won’t. That’s why you’re such a good match.”

  “Like you and Aunt Tillie?” I had no idea why I asked the question.

  “Exactly like us,” Calvin said. “Now go. She needs you.”

  LANDON remained close but let me take the lead as we moved toward Aunt Tillie, sticking his finger through my belt loop to make sure we weren’t separated. He was terrified of being jolted into separate memories. I didn’t think that would happen, but I couldn’t promise him that it wouldn’t so I let him be.

  Aunt Tillie leveled her gaze at me when we approached. “What are you doing here, Bay?”

  “You brought me here,” I said. “You brought both of us here. Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

  “How did I bring you here?” Aunt Tillie looked legitimately puzzled.

  “I don’t know for sure,” I said. “I think you did it subconsciously, because we were asleep in the hospital room with you. I know it hurt getting hit on the head, but you can go back now. The doctors have you on pain medication. It will be okay.”

  “I’m good here.”

  “But … you need to go home,” I argued. “I’m sure everyone is terrified waiting for you. We need you to wake up.”

  “I don’t think that’s true, Bay,” Aunt Tillie said, focusing on Calvin. “You’re an adult now. Your mothers needed me when they were young, but they’re good. You guys never needed me. I think I’m going to stay here.”

  I frowned. “No, you’re not.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” Aunt Tillie said, snapping her eyes to me. “This is my mind. These are my memories. I want to stay here.”

  “But … why?”

  “Because it’s better here,” Aunt Tillie replied, shrugging. “Calvin is here. Ginger is here. You’ll be fine without me.”

  “Don’t say that,” I hissed. “We’re not better off without you. We need you.”

  “You have Landon,” Aunt Tillie said. “He’s your Calvin. You should understand what I’m telling you.”

  I exchanged a brief look with Landon, but he didn’t have a solution either. “Aunt Tillie … .”

  “Aunt Tillie, you need to go home with us,” Landon interjected. “Calvin told us to come get you. He says it’s not your time. He’ll still be here when it is your time. Until then, you’re needed at home.”

  “This is my home now,” Aunt Tillie said, taking a step away. “You two need to wake up and get out of my mind. You’re giving me a migraine with all the arguing.”

  “Did you break Landon’s code?” I asked, going for levity. I was desperate to keep her engaged in the conversation.

  Aunt Tillie snorted. “Yeah. I can’t figure out how he became a Fed.”

  “Hey! This isn’t about me,” Landon snapped. “You need to come with us.” He reached to grab Aunt Tillie’s arm with his free hand and missed. She was already gone, the spot in which she stood only seconds before now empty. “Where did she go?”

  “Oh, no,” I muttered, the world tilting again. “Wherever it is, we’re going with her.”

  “Hang on,” Landon said, pulling me tight against his chest. “It will be over soon.”

  I knew he meant the trip to a new memory, but my worry was more important things would be over soon. We would only be left to sleep for so long before someone woke us. If that happened, would Aunt Tillie remain behind forever?

  Crying isn’t good for anything. The only time you should cry is if you’re manipulating someone, lying, trying to get out of a ticket, pretending you’re upset when someone dies even though you really want to dance on their grave, someone cancels your favorite show, you stub your toe, someone steals your pot and wine, or when watching “E.T. The Extraterrestrial.” Those are the only times crying is acceptable.

  – Aunt Tillie trying to get Clove to stop crying

  Seven

  Landon absorbed the bulk of the jolt when we landed this time, groaning under my added weight.

  “I’m so sorry,” I murmured, running my hand down his cheek. “Did I break your back?”

  Landon smirked. “I think I’ll survive,” he said, gingerly pushing me up so he could run his hand over his back. “I’m going to kill that woman once we get her to wake up, though. I think she’s doing it on purpose.”

  “Still, let me see,” I said, digging my fingers into the tender spot at the base of his back and causing him to moan. “At least I know the way to your heart. If I wrapped myself in bacon and massaged you every day, I can pretty much guarantee you would never leave me.”

  “The bacon and massages are just a bonus,” Landon clarified. “I won’t leave you because of you.”

  I sighed as I sat behind him and rubbed, chuckling at his muted groans. I wasn’t sure where we were. We appeared to be on the ground again, but there was no sight of the house or of any Hemlock Cove – or Walkerville, for that matter – landmarks to give me an idea of where we landed. “What do you think about what Aunt Tillie said?”

  “I don’t know,” Landon replied, his head hanging as I worked out the kinks in his sore muscles. “Oh, keep doing that. You’re right. I’m yours forever.”

  I snickered. “All we’re missing is you doing that leg thing dogs do when you find their sweet spot.”

  Landon half-heartedly jerked his leg. He was trying to bolster my spirits. I offered him a wan smile for the effort. “I’m worried,” I admitted. “I’ve never seen Aunt Tillie so … lost.”

  “Bay, I don’t know what to tell you,” Landon said. “I think we’re here to make sure she goes back, but she’s fighting the effort. I can’t say I blame her.”

  My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Why?”

  “Calvin was the love of her life,” Landon answered. “She never got over losing him. He’s here. If I lost you �
� well … I don’t consider myself a defeatist, but I can’t say I wouldn’t want to stay with you if I found you after the fact.”

  It was a sweet sentiment. It was also a little morbid. “Do you think about losing me often?”

  Landon shrugged. “I worry you’re going to get in over your head,” he answered. “I like you just the way you are, but you find trouble all of the time. I would be lying if I said it didn’t worry me.”

  “I worry about you the same way.”

  “I know you do,” Landon said, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “That’s why I don’t press you on this stuff. We both chose our lives. We both chose to share our lives. Things aren’t going to change. We have to do the best we can with the lives we’ve chosen to live. That’s how it is for us.”

  “I’ve never heard you this … calm … when talking about stuff like this.”

  “That’s because I can’t help myself when you’re in danger,” Landon explained. “I’m always going to go out of my way to save you. I’m going to get angry when I think you’re doing something stupid. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It doesn’t mean I’m unhappy.”

  “Are you happy?”

  “Oh, I love it when we have deep conversations in a fantasy world. Have I ever told you that?”

  “That wasn’t an answer,” I prodded. “If you’re unhappy … .”

  “Don’t finish that sentence, Bay,” Landon warned. “I’m very happy. If I wasn’t happy, we wouldn’t be together. I’m not thrilled when you and your cousins run off into danger without thinking about the consequences, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”

  “That’s a really nice thing to say.”

  “Yes, well, I’m the best guy in the world,” Landon said, wrinkling his nose as I rolled my eyes. “Besides, Bay, how would I find another woman who magically smells and tastes like bacon from time to time? You’re a keeper.”

  “Ha, ha,” I intoned, giving his back one more solid rub before pushing myself up on my knees and scanning the area. “I don’t recognize this place.”

  “You don’t?” Landon cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Look again.”

  I frowned. “Do you know where we are?”