The Accidental Witch

by Gemma Perfect

  “Is there anything we can do?” Sally asks. “I hate being helpless like this. If we’re going to die, can’t we go out fighting?”

  “Sal, we’re tied up, no lights, no magic. What would you like us to do?”

  There is no reply. They are helpless and hopeless and all any of them can think about was the practised and callous way the tall woman killed Zeta. There wasn’t a beat of hesitation.

  And they are all next.

  Ellis’s voice is small and scared. “Fletcher, I know you can’t do magic, but I’m head witch. Is there something I can do, something Zeta might not have thought of?”

  The silence is thick, and when he speaks, eventually, Fletcher sounds excited. “Maybe. Give me a minute. Girls?”

  Thea groans, trying to remember or think or come up with something. Talia says, “Yes, can’t she, no, could she, no, I don’t know.”

  “Ellis.” Fletcher’s voice is firm and clear, but quiet. “Try to call my mum.”

  “They’ll hear me.”

  “No, sorry. In your head. Zeta might have magicked this place, so we can’t do anything, but you’re different – well, you might be different. Try. Close your eyes and call her. Really call her, concentrate, see if you can picture her face, the sound of her voice, what our house looks like. See your words reach her. Tell her we’re in trouble.”

  Sally gasps suddenly. “Fletch, I know where we are. I remember it now. My dad brought me here once. My mum needed a new car and you know how good the shifters are with engines. We came to the shop bit, but my sister wandered off and I followed her. This is the back end where they bring cars after they’re fixed, just to wash. I know where we are. Ellis. If you can speak to Elodie, we can tell her where we are.”

  “Okay, I’m going to try. Where are we? What do I say?”

  “We’re right opposite the Liberty football stadium. In Shifts garage.”

  Ellis

  I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE scared, or petrified, or sickened, or upset, or every bad word you can think of, in my whole life.

  How was I in college yesterday with Thomas stealing my chocolate bar, and today I’m holed up in a garage, about to be murdered?

  I cannot get my head around it.

  And now I have to try to use my new magic to save us all?

  My magic might be that of a head witch, but the execution? That of a normal human girl who is in way over her head.

  I can’t believe the way they just killed the crone. It was bad enough when I was imagining how they killed her, but now that I’ve actually seen it? What a turncoat. And what does it make me, that I’m a little bit glad that she’s dead?

  She’s the one who was helping the rogue collective to murder all the witches and she’s the one who helped them get into Fletcher’s house. He’s lucky to be alive.

  For now.

  I close my eyes as I’ve been told to do and call out – in my mind – Elodie?

  She obviously doesn’t answer, and I feel stupid and panicky. If our hopes rest with me, then we’re toast.

  “Ellis.” Fletcher’s voice is urgent, but quiet. “Let me talk you through it. You’ve never done it before.”

  I nod, then remember we’re in the dark, with a dead body. A bleeding dead body. “Okay.”

  I close my eyes and pledge to listen like I’ve never listened before, to concentrate like I’ve never concentrated before and to apply myself like I’ve never applied myself before.

  My life depends on it – and I’m not even being dramatic. I have to live, and Fletcher, Thea, Talia and Sally have to live too. And if Elodie is still alive – if any of the witches who went to fight are still alive, then I get to help them too.

  I do everything Fletcher tells me, step by step and with all of my heart.

  I picture Elodie in my mind – I can see her there perfectly well, like a photo.

  I hear her voice and smell her perfume; I see her smiling as she passes me the pep. I see her hug Fletcher; I see her move around the kitchen. I see her drive the minibus, say goodbye to all of us, vanish with the other witches, off to save the day.

  Elodie, I call her, over and over, nudging at her with my mind, forcing her to hear me. Elodie.

  I feel my whole body go cold, then hot, and then I feel a weird rush and gurgle in my stomach, and now I can see Fletcher’s house – not in my head, like a photo, but as though I am there. I can’t see myself, when I look down, or when I hold out my hand, I am like a floating eye.

  I go inside the house, directing my vision, and forcing myself to go where I need to.

  I can hear fighting before I see it, and I can see some dead bodies. I don’t know if they are witches, vampires, shifters or fairies and I don’t stop to inspect them.

  I am only looking for Elodie and the fact that my weird vision is moving me along, makes me think that she might be alive. Elodie. As I float along, seeing everything in Fletcher’s house as though I am physically there, I call Elodie over and over and over.

  I enter a room. This is very weird, and I don’t like it and I hesitate enough to question it all, and then I’m back in the garage. Shoot. I’ve pulled myself out of my vision.

  I shake my head but do not make a sound. I don’t want Fletcher to know that I’m failing. I cannot overthink this and ruin it. However weird it is and however much I don’t really know what I’m doing, I’m doing something right. I was at Fletcher’s house; I could see everything. I was looking for Elodie.

  It’s easier the second time I try it. I am in a trance much quicker and I’m at the house again. I rush forwards, ignoring the bodies and the fights that I don’t believe are Elodie and I go back to the room where I lost it last time.

  This time I keep my concentration. I can see her. She’s standing opposite someone. A woman I don’t recognise. They are both breathing heavily. They look as though they’ve been fighting but they’ve stopped for a second; they are circling each other, dancing on the balls of their feet. Hands up ready, but not attacking.

  I don’t want to distract Elodie, but I need to get her attention. We need help and it needs to be soon.

  I move directly behind the woman she’s fighting and just slightly above. Elodie. I call her name and I can see that she hears something. Because I’m behind her aggressor she doesn’t look away, but keeps her eyes trained on the woman. I wonder if she thinks it’s a trick.

  Elodie, it’s Ellis.

  This woman wouldn’t know my name so I want Elodie – if she can hear me – to know it’s me.

  I repeat the words over and over, Elodie, it’s Ellis. Elodie, it’s Ellis.

  Elodie keeps her eyes on the woman but nods. “Go on.” She speaks out loud and I know she’s answering me.

  “Oh, I will,” the woman says, assuming that Elodie is goading her.

  I talk to her again. Elodie it’s me Ellis. We need your help. We’re in trouble.

  Panic and horror colour her face and I know she hears me.

  We need you. I tell her again, and in a rush of fury, she charges at the woman, and even though I know she can’t hurt me, because I’m not really there, I jump out of the way.

  The jump is enough to jolt me back into my own body, in real time, back into the garage with the dead crone, and I swear.

  “Ellis? Are you doing it? Is it working?”

  I nod. Then remember we’re in the pitch black. “Yes. I was in your house. I could see lots of dead people, but nobody I recognised. I saw your mum and she was fighting a woman. She definitely heard me, but then I moved and came back here. Let me go back. I can get there quickly now I know how to do it.”

  I don’t even wait for an answer. I can do this now. It’s like sending my mind somewhere and allowing it to go ahead without me and then catching up.

  I rush back to the room in the house, but Elodie’s not there. The woman she was fighting is dead though.

  I call her again and allow myself to be led around the house. I know I’ll find her again – I seem to know, without knowing how,
where she is.

  Elodie. It’s Ellis. Elodie, it’s Ellis. I call and call and then I find her. She’s with Ember and Griff and none of them are hurt. That I can see.

  Elodie. I’m here. We need you. We’re in Shifts garage. By the Liberty.

  I tell them everything I know, and I hear them repeat my words back to me and I know I’ve done it. I’ve got help for us. I’ve succeeded. I feel so happy.

  “Ellis, if you can hear me, go back to yourself now. We heard you and we know where you are.”

  Griff nods. “We’re on our way. Be brave.”

  Ember smiles. “Tell my girls I love them.”

  Elodie blows me a kiss and I grin. “Oh, tell Sally her parents are fine, too. We won’t be long. Just hold on.”

  I nod even though she can’t see me, and I feel so much better and so much happier. I allow my mind to wander back to myself and in a strange rush I’m back in the garage, back in the dark, back with Fletcher.

  “I did it. They heard me. They’re coming.” I can hear the pride in my voice as I speak, and for the first time since I became a witch, I don’t feel so pathetically inadequate. “Ember says she loves you, and Elodie said your parents are fine, Sally. Griff was there too. They’re all on their way.”

  I can tell that we all feel better. The room feels lighter – despite the dead body – and I am fizzing with happiness that I did it – that I helped.

  “We just have to wait now.”

  “They’ll fly – it shouldn’t take long at all.”

  “If they can get out of your house.”

  I hold my breath – I want to go back to Fletcher’s to see what’s happening, how they are getting on, but Fletcher calls me. “Ellis – don’t go again. I should have warned you about how careful you have to be. We’ve lost witches in the past, who left their bodies to go somewhere else and enjoyed it so much they never came back. It can be addictive to see all the things we usually can’t or shouldn’t, but please stay here. Once we’re safe, my mum will help you – she’ll teach you how to do it properly, how to avoid the pitfalls, but for now stay here. Stay with me.”

  “I’ll stay with you,” I say, then feel awkward and embarrassed by how pathetic I sound.

  “Good.”

  I smile and let myself grin like an idiot. Nobody can see me after all, and nobody knows how much of a ridiculous crush I have on Fletcher.

  The lights turn on and we’re all blinking like moles. And the panic creeps back in. What if Fletcher’s family don’t get here in time? What if they come just in time to see our dead bodies, our blood all mingling?

  Tears creep out of my eyes again and splash onto my hands. I don’t want to die. I want to see my parents again, and my brother. I want to put blusher on dead people again. I want to be anywhere but here.

  The fear and hope mixing together is a sweet sort of agony. I look at the three people who want to kill us and my stomach cramps so badly that I feel like I might throw up again. Then I see Elodie blowing me a kiss, and I imagine them bursting in here to rescue us and I’m almost light headed.

  Which outcome do we get? Live or die?

  15

  PERI SEEMS TO BE THE leader of the three of them, she walks in first and is the first to speak. “Oh, you guys. We can’t leave you alone for a minute, can we?”

  The five are silent, unsure what she means and not willing to upset her and get punched by her henchman.

  “So Efa – this is Efa by the way.” She points to the tall woman with the long hair, who smiles at them all. “Had this idea, and it worked. She’s so clever.”

  The five of them are still silent. It feels like something nasty is coming.

  “She knew – don’t ask me how – but she knew that if we left you here alone, you’d try something shifty. And you did!”

  Layland starts laughing and soon all three of them are laughing.

  A prickle of unease grows through the five teenagers, and Peri suddenly opens the main door of the garage with a flourish.

  Elodie, Ember, Griff and Sally’s parents are marched in by five thugs, holding them by their hair. They are pushed forward and shoved onto their knees.

  Sally cries out and Peri smacks her over the head. She cries out again and grabs onto her head. “Leave her alone!” Her father shouts and is kicked in the shins by the thug that brought him in.

  Dread and realisation dawn on the five teenagers as they realise what they’ve done.

  “That’s right!” Peri gloats. “We knew you’d call them for help, and you did! We intercepted them outside. Thanks guys!” She’s laughing again, and it’s not just her, Efa and Layland that are laughing, but the thugs too.

  The sound reverberates around the whole of the enormous room and it sounds obscene.

  “We knew you’d get your accidental witch to call for help, and we knew the big bad witches would come running to save their babies. And all it means is that they get to watch us kill their babies, before we kill them. Isn’t that just delicious?” She shouts the last word, and they all flinch.

  Peri nods to the thugs to leave, and one of them closes the front shutter before they go. “Try anything – just one bit of magic and you die. No second chances, no ifs or buts. Nothing. Get it?”

  The adults nod and the teenagers watch on, helpless and hopeless. There is nothing worse than children seeing the grownups fail. We all want the grownups to take charge, to help, to sort things out and the five teens are sobbing; it just isn’t going to happen.

  “Any volunteers? Who’s first to die?”

  Elodie speaks up. “Peri, is it?”

  Peri nods.

  “Why? Why does it have to end like this? Why do so many have to die? If you want your freedom you can have it.”

  Peri laughs – a harsh and nasty sound in the quiet of the garage. “Have it? You don’t get to give it to me. I’m taking it. We’re all taking it. You will die. We will live. And the witches will be no more.”

  “I don’t understand. We never treated you badly. We never oppressed you, or stopped you doing anything.”

  Efa shakes her head. “This is the problem with power, with privilege – you don’t even see it. We have asked time and time again for our freedom, for autonomy over our own species, our own selves. And each time we get told no. Each time we get turned away. Each time we get sent on our silly way. We got sick of it.”

  “And do you know, it’s the best feeling in the world, when you start fighting back. It’s the best thing we could have done. Every time we killed a witch it felt like giving one of our own freedom. And strength. And a future.”

  Elodie is quiet. She can see that there is no reasoning with these people. This collective is sure it’s in the right and will carry on regardless. You cannot talk sense to the insane.

  “Did you see your lovely crone?” The change in conversation and the mention of the crone confuses the adults. They all know that Zeta is dead – Sally’s parents were filled in about what happened in Mumbles when they were at the safe house.

  Layland picks Zeta up under her arms and drags her dead body around to the front of the garage so the witches can see her.

  “Why? Why bring her here? Why not leave her body where you killed her?” Elodie is upset, not just at the sight of Zeta, but the senseless removal of her from her home.

  “We did. This is where we killed her. Tell her Fletcher!” Again, the glee in Peri’s voice is sickening to listen to.

  Fletcher’s voice is flat and robotic, but he relays the story of Zeta to his mum and everyone else. “She was the traitor, mum. We knew there was one.”

  “I can’t believe it.” Elodie is crying.

  “Don’t cry, mum.”

  “No – she should cry. They should all cry. It’s their power and greed and refusal to change and move with the times that has brought you all to this. They could have saved you.”

  Peri moves around the garage as she talks, enjoying her moment of power, the sound of her own voice. She’s almost too
pretty and jolly and light-hearted to be a cold-blooded murderer, but they can all feel it coming: The end.

  “Don’t blame your little accident, either. We were getting fed up of skulking around in the shadows. We were getting ready to show our hand – this might have rushed us along a little, but that’s okay. Now we all know where we stand – and you lot won’t be standing for long.”

  They are all silent. Nobody can think of a way to stop this, to change the inevitable outcome, to save themselves. And Peri is having far too much fun letting out all her bitterness, recrimination after recrimination, telling the witches exactly why she wants to kill them, and how she plans to do it.

  “I have been dreaming about this for a long time.”

  Efa and Layland nod, evil grins covering their faces.

  “Right, enough of the pleasantries. I want to go first – and I choose Sally.”

  “No – kill us, leave the children to live. Don’t punish them for our crimes.”

  Peri turns to Sally’s mum, a contemplative expression on her face. “Your crimes? Is that a confession, Jane?”

  Sally’s mum nods, resigned, willing to say anything if it might save Sally, and the others.

  “A willingly given confession to the crimes of you and the other witches. How delicious. I almost want you to write it down, sign a bit of paper, give me something to show everyone after you’re dead but I can’t be bothered. I can kill you first, if you’d rather. Do you want to watch Sally die, or do you want Sally to watch you die? What a choice!” She’s laughing again, such a pretty sound.

  Jane doesn’t answer. It is no choice at all. And Peri knows it. She’s back to stalking around the room, her sing song voice teasing and taunting the witches.

  She’s so wrapped up in herself, and the sound of her own voice, and the incredible coup they’ve pulled off that she doesn’t notice Ellis. None of them do.

  Ellis

  I CANNOT LISTEN TO this evil fairy any longer. And why should I? We are all going to die, she’s made it clear enough. If any of the witches try anything she’ll kill them – and what can they do while she’s marching around making fun of them and the fact that they’re all about to die.