Witches (Runes series Book 6)

by Ednah Walters

  Despite my near-perfect life, I kept expecting something to happen. The smirks on the Norns’ faces the night we defeated the Earl kept taunting me. Andris’ words that I must choose a side. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here in Kayville, Oregon.

  Dad was asleep when I called Femi before lunch, so I decided to eat at school. I didn’t see Cora around, which meant she was eating with Echo. Or making out. Those two couldn’t get enough of each other.

  Ingrid and her friends waved me over, but I was already headed to the swimmer table where Kicker and Sonya, and other members of the swim team sat. It didn’t matter that I no longer swam with the team, and I was dating Torin. Or that the jocks embraced me and even Ingrid’s friends—the “cheerbitches”—actually acted nice towards me. At heart, I’d always be a geeky swimmer, who’d rather discuss books during lunch. When I indicated my destination, I was surprised when Ingrid left her friends to join me.

  “All they ever talk about are which couples are hooking up and breaking up,” she whispered as we got closer to the table. “This morning is all about you and Beau, and how Torin swooped in and carried you out of the hall. So he’s the one you’re tutoring,” she added slowly with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

  “Don’t say it like that. Why is it everyone assumes he’s rotten to the core?”

  “Cause he is.” She grabbed my arm. “Do you know how many cheerleaders he’s slept with? From their expressions back there, probably all of them. One even said it’s not fair because you have Torin, the number one hottie at school. Now you have number two.”

  Girls could be such idiots. “They’re welcome to him.”

  Kicker and Sonya weren’t used to Ingrid and stared for a few minutes, but their unease didn’t last for long. They usually discussed books and character crushes. Not today.

  “Is it true you’re tutoring Beau Hardshaw?” Kicker blurted out.

  Ingrid rolled her eyes. Luckily, the girls didn’t notice. I shrugged. “Yeah. It’s just for a week.”

  “Can I be you for the week?” Sonya asked.

  “Is he coming to your house today?” Kicker asked, twirling a lock of her hair. “Cause we could swing by to visit and accidentally bump into him.” She and Sonya elbowed each other and giggled.

  “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I asked, staring at Kicker.

  “Yeah, but Cliff is not as exciting as Beau,” she retorted.

  “Or Torin,” Sonya added. “Was he really jealous and carried you from the hall to get you away from Beau?”

  “Torin would never be jealous of Beau.” I took a bite of my burrito and chewed without tasting it. I was the insecure one. He still hadn’t explained the lipstick to my satisfaction. Instead, he’d reminded me of how easy it was for him to make me forget our fight. “He has no reason to.”

  “So I hear they’ll be announcing Junior Prom Court soon,” Ingrid cut in, probably hoping to change the subject.

  “Raine will definitely be nominated,” Kicker said.

  “Cora too. She’s popular because of her blog. If only Torin was a junior. He’d be the king,” Sonya added.

  “Or I could be king if you went with me,” Beau said, taking the seat beside me. His friends, Seth and Ryder took up the seats beside Sonya and Kicker. “I’m starting a petition that seniors shouldn’t attend junior proms.”

  I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t going to the prom if Torin wasn’t taking me. Beau had everyone at the swim table hanging on his words. When he turned those green eyes on Ingrid, she flashed him such a naughty grin I wondered if she’d decided to mess around with him.

  “I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced,” he said.

  I didn’t hear Ingrid’s response because Torin entered the cafeteria, his eyes zeroing in on me. The look in his eyes had me remembering this morning and my face warmed. It was probably stupid that my breath caught as he sauntered toward our table.

  “Hey,” I said. That sounded so lame, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Hey,” he whispered and stroked my cheeks with his knuckles, completely ignoring the entire table. He wore his fingerless biker gloves, yet his fingers weren’t cold, which meant he hadn’t ridden his bike. Lowering his head, he claimed my lips possessively.

  Boy, did that kiss go on forever.

  When he lifted his head, he handed me a caramel frappe, my favorite. I hadn’t even noticed he was carrying it. “Can you take my ride home? I want to borrow your car.”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  “Thanks, luv.” He knew where I kept the spare key just like I knew where he kept his, both places protected by runes. He smiled at the table, lingering on Ingrid, and pressed a kiss on my temple and left. I didn’t turn to look but the girls at the table did. When I glanced at Beau, he wore a calculating look.

  “Nice chatting with you, Beau,” Ingrid said and stood. “Raine, see you later.”

  “You ride his Harley?” Beau asked.

  “Yes.” I stood.

  “Want to give me a ride home after school?” he asked.

  “No.” I grabbed my drink and tray, nodded at Beau. “Seven, not a minute late.”

  “She’s so bossy, I like it,” I heard him as I followed Ingrid. I caught up with her by the cafeteria dumpster.

  “I now see why Torin should worry about your evening diversion,” Ingrid said. “That boy is something else and I should know, I’ve met and dated a few bad boys.”

  “Torin trusts me.”

  Ingrid laughed. “Of course, he does. You’re crazy about him. Doesn’t stop guys like Beau. The more unavailable you are the greater the challenge. They’re in for the chase.”

  We threw our uneaten food away and returned the trays. “Spoken from experience?” She just grinned. She could be so mysterious sometimes. “You’re not going to mess with him, are you?”

  She shook her head. “Nah. I told you. I’m off Mortals.”

  “What are you doing after school?”

  She looked toward her table and shrugged. “Practicing my runes after we’re done with Lavania. Why?”

  “You want to watch the guys coach in L.A.?”

  Surprise flickered across her face. “Sure. Thanks for the invite.” She touched my arm and went toward the cheerleaders’ and the jocks’ table. I headed for the exit.

  As soon as I cleared it, I felt them. Norns.

  I headed for the library. I needed a reading book while I waited for the books I’d ordered to arrive. Usually, I borrowed books from the local library, but with all the mess going on in my life, I didn’t seem to have time anymore. Maybe I should buy an e-reader. No matter how crazy my life got, I loved to read. It relaxed me.

  The first person I saw when I entered the library was Matt Langer. Boy genius. From the lunch box by his books, he’d brought lunch from home and eaten alone somewhere before slipping inside the library.

  I waved when he saw me. His cheeks grew pink. Instead of heading to the aisles, I changed directions and grabbed the seat by his. I put my drink on the floor in case Mrs. Larsen saw it. Drinks were not allowed in the library.

  “How did you know that question was wrong today?”

  His face grew redder. “I just did.”

  The teacher had given us a pre-test in class earlier and not only had Matt aced it, he’d also corrected the last question. “I missed it along with everyone in class. You should just skip twelfth grade and head to college.”

  “Uh, my parents don’t think I’m ready.”

  “Have they met you? Do they know how fast you compute a math problem?”

  He grinned. “Kind of. My father is a neurosurgeon and my mother is a nuclear physicist.”

  “Double genius genes.” The librarian caught my eyes and shot me a warning look. Our voices weren’t even carrying. But I recognized the three girls that entered the library. They stared at me, and disappeared toward the fiction section. Catie, Marj, and Jeannette. “Okay, later.”

  I pushed back the
chair and stood, but I’d forgotten about my drink and knocked it over. Matt and I reached for it at the same time and our hands touched. His future flashed before my eyes. I grinned when the vision ended. “Thanks.”

  He shrugged. “No problem. Hide it. She’s looking over here.”

  Sure enough, Mrs. Larsen was glaring at us. I used my body to hide my drink. “Thanks again. Uh, Matt, about college. You should ask Mr. Finch to talk to your parents.”

  Matt frowned and whispered, “That’s weird. I was just thinking about asking him this morning, but then I changed my mind when I realized the deadline for registration at the schools I want has passed.”

  If what I’d seen was right, he didn’t need to worry about that. “Don’t give up without trying. I dare you to register for the SAT. If you get accepted, you owe me one of these.” I tapped my drink.

  The librarian shushed me this time. I shot her an apologetic smile, waved to Matt, and took off. I headed toward the aisle where the three Norns had disappeared. I didn’t see them.

  I found the book I’d come to get, a dystopian novel everyone was raving about. I was thinking of leaving when they appeared. They were in their true form, all wrinkly and ancient when seconds ago they’d looked like teenagers. Long gray gowns and matching cloaks with hoodies hid their frail bodies, and it was impossible to tell what color their gray hair used to be. Everything about them was gray. Even their eyes were grayish. They reminded me of a character in the TV series Charmed.

  Still, I recognized them based on their sizes. The shorter one was Catie. The tallest with hands crossed under her nun-like sleeves had to be Marj. That left the third one, Jeannette. I wondered if those were really their names. I should just name them Norn-one, Norn-two, and Norn-three. Since I knew they were invisible, I looked around first before engaging my invisibility runes. Then I waited.

  “You haven’t fixed the forest,” the one I called Catie said. A week ago, I’d thought she was the nicest of the trio. Guess she didn’t need to hide her true colors anymore.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “We told you to take care of the forest after you battled the Immortals. It needs you,” she said.

  I shook my head. “Are you saying the trees are still down? It’s been a week. They’re probably dead.”

  “Then you better move fast and save them,” Catie continued.

  “No, I’m not cleaning up your mess. You let this happen.”

  “As long as you’re involved, it’s your job to clean up after yourself and your friends,” Catie continued.

  “Involved? The Earl came after me because you sent him. You did the sending, you do the cleaning.”

  They looked at each other and disappeared, leaving me fuming. Just when I thought I was finally happy, they had to come along and screw with my head. I wasn’t fixing the forest and that was it.

  12. The Vision

  Ingrid and I appeared by the top of the stadium and walked down toward the field. As usual, the parents were occupying the bottom seats. Torin, Andris, and the two assistant coaches were in the field with the kids.

  “I can’t believe I’ve never been in here,” Ingrid said, pulling my attention from Torin. He wasn’t expecting us. “It’s huge.”

  “They’re playing a game tomorrow afternoon right here. Quarterfinals. You should come with me.”

  “What time?”

  “Two.”

  The parents noticed us before we sat, their eyes lingering on Ingrid. As usual, she looked amazing in an off-white miniskirt, a print shirt, and boots. Her pageboy hairstyle and impeccable makeup gave her a sophisticated look. I stopped feeling underdressed and not put together around her months ago.

  There were more parents this time, quite a number of them fathers. I caught myself before waving to Jace’s dad. I might know him, but he didn’t know me from Adam.

  We took the empty seats to the right of the parents. Andris saw us first and waved. If he was surprised to see Ingrid, he didn’t show it. I touched the seats next to ours, the backs, even the armrests and fought frustration. Why couldn’t I see anything except soccer players and fans?

  “Still trying to get a reading?”

  I nodded. “It’s so frustrating. The one time Torin needs me, and I can’t come through for him.”

  Ingrid chuckled. “Stop being so hard on yourself. You can’t control the visions. Most Seidr Witches need a lot of preparation before going into a trance. You don’t even have to do that. How had Lavania put it?”

  “Open your mind and reach deep inside you,” I said, imitating our trainer’s voice and gestures.

  Ingrid laughed, the sound carrying. More glances were thrown our way, some of the woman scowling. Andris glanced at us again. Torin was so focused on the game we might as well be invisible.

  When he blew the whistle, signaling a break, he stayed by the table with drinks and snacks to give pointers to the boys before walking over to where we sat.

  “What are you two doing here?” he asked.

  “Lavania let us off early because she,” Ingrid pointed at me, “wasn’t paying attention. She kept spacing out.”

  “I did not. Tattle.”

  Torin just grinned as though he was taking credit for my absentmindedness, but it wasn’t what he did at school that had me on edge. It was the damn Norns. I’d need a repeat performance by him to erase them from my head. But what if the Norns continued to ignore the forest?

  “See? I told you,” Ingrid said and I realized they were talking about me. Warmth spread to my face when Torin chuckled, touched my cheek, and went back to the field.

  “What’s going on with you?”

  I glared at her. “Quit tattling on me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to do that, I would have told him you almost crashed his Harley today,” she whispered to me as Torin left.

  I’d been busy studying and listening to the trees while riding and almost hit a car in front of me. If Ingrid hadn’t honked, I would have gone flying over the hood. “Come on. We’re going to the Grass Berm.”

  “What’s that?”

  I pointed at the grassy patch to our left. It overlooked the stadium. “I need to connect with Mother Earth without an audience.”

  She groaned. “It’s so far. Can’t I just open a portal and get us there faster?” she asked, looking at how far we had to go before we could open a portal without being seen by the parents.

  “Sure, lazy bum. Then we’ll have to come back here and rune everyone. As it is, if anyone sees us there, they’ll wonder how we got there so fast. So we’re doing this my way. I need to test something.” I took her hand and pulled her up.

  “Don’t you just hate the way people stare?” she mumbled, taking my arm.

  I grinned.

  “What?” she asked.

  “They’re staring at you. You’re gorgeous.”

  “War paint,” she mumbled. “You’re a natural beauty.”

  “Oh gee, I’d like to see you without makeup, Ingrid. Oops, I already did and you were even more gorgeous.”

  She made a face and bumped me with her shoulder. “When? I always make a point of never leaving my room without makeup.”

  We walked past the parents and I caught snippets of their conversations. U-17 Roster. Bradenton, Florida. Men’s National Team. U-17 World Cup. After lunch with Dad, I knew enough about soccer to understand these parents’ lofty goals.

  L.A. Galaxy Academy was like college football, a place to shine and be noticed by the pro scouts. If you were good, a player could get selected to join a team of talented seventeen and younger players in Bradenton, Florida to practice for the U-17 Men’s National Team. Apparently, once selected, the boys stayed in Florida for an entire year, training in the morning and attending classes at a private high school in the afternoon. If they won enough tournaments, they could even participate in the U-17 FIFA World Cup.

  We walked along the perimeter of the field. I let Ingrid’s arm go while I touched the ground, th
e grass, and the seats. Each time, Ingrid sat and sighed like she’d walked a mile and fanned herself. Then she listed various inventions that had made walking obsolete, from unicycles to airplanes.

  “Okay, you stay here and wait for me,” I said.

  “Oh no.” She jumped up, hands gripping her patent leather boots. “If you can do it so can I.”

  “Then stop complaining or I’ll… grrr.” I clenched my fist.

  “Bitch slap me into next week?” she asked with a deadpan expression. “Put a whammy on me. Did you put one on Amber’s hair?”

  Where the heck did that come from? Andris. “Yes.”

  Ingrid laughed, which only proved what I’d started to suspect. She had a sick sense of humor. “I can’t stand her. The way she and Ellie treat the other girl, uh, what’s her name?”

  “McKenzie,” I said.

  “Yes. You should have heard them during lunch on Tuesday. So when Amber said her hair just turned that ugly shade of blue on its own, I knew a witch was involved.” She tilted her head and studied me. “I knew there was a mean streak behind all that sweetness. I like it. Have you really seen me without makeup?”

  “No, but you ugly cry.”

  Her jaw dropped, then she lunged at me.

  I raced up the steps all the way to the top with Ingrid threatening to punch a hole in my head with the heels of her boots. I stopped at the top and she almost bumped into me. StubHub’s Grass Berm was on the other side of the fence.

  I created a portal and we stepped onto the grass. It sloped toward the stands. I turned around. The view of the field was spectacular. Ingrid sat on the grass and sighed. I wondered whether she was worried about grass stains on her skirt.

  “Now what?”

  “Now I open my mind.” I removed my ballet flats and lay on my back. I didn’t have to worry about my clothes. My tights were black and my shirt had more black than yellow. “It’s such a beautiful day.”

  Ingrid looked up. “Clear sky. No smog…”