After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1)

by Patricia Proctor

  “Nah, she won’t go to jail. They’ll tell her not to do it again, maybe slap her with a fine and that will be that,” Cian says.

  Up ahead, Cian sees that his aunt and Xavier have stopped walking and are looking back at him and Brianna.

  “What?” he mouths and holds up his arms in question.

  His aunt looks furious and just stares them down until they catch up. When they finally do, Selene grabs both of them by their arms and pushes them against a tree. “We will only get caught if the two of you keep making so much damn noise,” she hisses, as if she overheard their conversation.

  Cian shakes her off and stares daggers at her while Brianna cowers beside him. “Why are we even doing this?” he asks. “We told you to give us time to get to know the Alexanders, but you can’t even wait a couple of days?”

  Selene is ready to smack that smartass look off Cian’s face when Xavier breaks her attention away from them by asking, “Do you smell that?”

  Selene takes a big sniff of the air and smiles when she recognizes the smell of fresh pine needles burning. She drops Brianna’s arm and looks toward the sky, searching for smoke.

  “We’ve got to be getting close,” she says as she takes in the woods around them.

  “Not necessarily,” Xavier replies, as he looks around the woods seeing only trees and rocks as far as his eyes can see. “Just because we can smell smoke from a campfire doesn’t mean it’s coming from them, or that it is even burning nearby. The wind could be carrying the smell from miles away. I think we should turn back now before it gets dark.”

  “I know it’s them,” she says as she pulls a map out of her pocket. She wasn’t sure if she’d have service up here, so before she left she printed out a map. She is thankful for how easy the Internet makes everything. There was a time when she would’ve had to go to a county clerk’s office to get a decent map of the property, but now she can easily pull it up online.

  She didn’t see anything unusual on Google Earth because of all the trees, but she could make out the property lines. This helped her decide the best place to start the hike onto the property. Ten acres is a lot of land to explore and without a decent map they could hike for days without ever making it up to the house.

  She consults the map and then the GPS on her phone. She can see that they probably have not hiked very far at all. Technically they are still climbing an incline, which means since they haven’t come across any flat land, they are probably not that far from the road. The woods are so dense that every few steps they have to change direction to find another route up.

  “Keep your eyes open and your mouths shut,” she says to Cian and Brianna. “We’ll keep going for a while and we have flashlights if it gets dark. So, let’s go.”

  Xavier looks over Selene’s head to his brother and sister and mouths “I’ve got this,” but neither Brianna nor Cian can make it out. Selene notices them looking past her and she quickly spins around to see what they are looking at.

  Xavier quickly looks away and starts climbing the hill again, putting more distance between himself and his Aunt Selene. He hopes Brianna and Cian can see the difference and will know that he’s got their back, or at least, that he’s trying.

  He is getting tired of dealing with his aunt and all her bullshit, but he just doesn’t know what will happen to the three of them if she is out of the picture. They have no alternative. They have no other family to take care of them and at 17 years old they would be sent to foster care. Their trust funds aren’t available to them until they turn 18, and then they will be free from her grasp. Two more years, he thinks, only two more years to deal with her until we are free.

  Since he has been in town, and even more clearly since he has been climbing this hill, he feels the strong desire to get away from his aunt. She has always told him that his magic and gifts are dark and that he has the ability to manipulate people’s minds, but for the first time he is wondering if she has just been telling him this to get what she wants from him. He wonders if she has been manipulating him. He feels a kernel of hope inside as he realizes that he doesn’t want to and doesn’t have to practice black magic. He has a choice. This is his life, his gift, and he must do what he knows is right — not follow the path that his aunt has chosen for him.

  Thinking clearly for the first time in a long while, Xavier decides to change their direction a bit so that they won’t climb any higher up this hill. Since he is leading the way, and everything looks the same, it won’t be hard to appear to be climbing, but really only stay in the same area. Honestly, if it weren’t for the occasional rock outcroppings, it would be impossible to get anywhere on this hill.

  Suspicious of Xavier, whom she always thought was the one she could count on, Selene thinks if even he is challenging her now, I am going to have to rethink my strategy. Threats and fear don’t seem to be working as well here as they did in California. These kids seemed much more pliable back home, she thinks, but then again they were mourning their mother and then their father. Such a tragedy they died within five years of each other.

  She can’t help but smile as she thinks how easy it has been to eliminate the obstacles that have stood between her and her goals. Only three, well four, more obstacles to overcome and then she will have the life she has always wanted. Before moving here she was certain she could continue to manipulate the kids into doing whatever she wanted, but suddenly something has changed in them and in herself. Since they moved here she is constantly wavering between self-doubt and suspicion.

  Bringing herself back to the present, she looks around and sees only trees with the occasional outcropping of rocks. Although they have climbed higher, it feels as if the woods are closing in around them, becoming denser the higher they go. From Google Earth it looked like the trees would thin out a bit closer to the top, making it easier to climb.

  All of a sudden, she looks around and it seems much darker than she thought it would be. She realizes maybe she did rush into this hike. Not one to admit her mistake out loud, she decides to wait until one of the kids starts to complain again. It will probably be Brianna, she thinks to herself. She smiles as she looks forward to Brianna complaining. Then I’ll use that as my excuse to turn around.

  Brianna stares at the back of her aunt’s head. Without noticing, Brianna has somehow started hearing her aunt’s thoughts. It must be this land, she thinks to herself. Her aunt says it’s special and very important to them, but until this moment, Brianna didn’t really believe her. She can’t help but wonder how her aunt knows about this place.

  Brianna has always been very intuitive about other people, and even has some psychic abilities, but this is the first time she has heard someone else’s thoughts so clearly. It seems as if her aunt has no idea that she has developed this ability, which is surprising, since Selene seems to be aware of everything. So, the bitch assumes I’ll be the first to cave, she thinks, smiling to herself. Well, we’ll see who caves first. She trudges along next to Cian who seems to be enjoying himself as he thinks about Chloe Alexander. I wonder if I’ll be able to hear everyone’s thoughts all the time now or if it will only happen on this land, Brianna considers, feeling empowered by her new ability.

  Cian has given up on complaining and now, rather than thinking about why they are climbing this hill, he decides he will just enjoy being out in the fresh air. He hears the birds singing, the cicadas chirping, and the leaves rustling overhead. He looks over at his sister who is smiling and thinks maybe she is thinking the same thing. Cian lets his mind wander to Chloe and his date with her on Saturday. As he thinks of Chloe, he clearly pictures her in his mind. She is sitting outside somewhere nearby… and is about to cast her first spell. He sees Kaiden and Rowan with her and pictures them with their eyes closed, breathing deeply.

  Although he has never been able to see something so clearly, he knows that whatever he is seeing is not happening right now, but rather will happen in the near future. He has always had the ability to see a few moments into the fut
ure, but since they’ve come to town his visions have stretched further, and this seems to be amplified on this land. But instead of focusing on that now, he has to get Selene out of here. If her abilities are getting stronger she will be able to zero in directly on their location once they start practicing magic.

  He jogs to catch up to his aunt, “Aunt Selene, I think we should stop and head back to the car while we still have some light,” he says. “It seems like it’s getting darker and we haven’t seen anything yet. It’s all starting to look the same and if it looks that way now, it’s only going to be worse when it gets dark — even with flashlights. We can come back this weekend when we have more light…” he suggests, hoping that she’ll see his point.

  “Fine, Cian. We’ll turn around because you are afraid of the dark,” she snaps. “Now go catch up to your brother and let him know that we are heading back down. He looks lost anyway,” she snarls as she abruptly turns on her heel and starts heading back down the hill, giving Cian a much needed moment to talk with his brother. Just as he is about to run to catch up with Xavier, he overhears his aunt tell Brianna “And here I thought you would be the first to break. I guess the more time Cian spends with you, the more he starts acting like you.”

  Shaking his head and feeling bad he has to leave Brianna with Selene, he runs ahead to Xavier. “Hey Xav, we’re turning around,” he says when he finally catches up to him.

  “Who couldn’t handle it?” Xavier asks looking around for Selene.

  “Me,” Cian answers, adding in a whisper, “I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely feeling something on this hill. My visions are getting stronger.”

  “I am feeling it, too,” Xavier replies. “Have you noticed that I’ve been leading us in a circle for the past 10 minutes? Something is definitely going on, bro. I have so much clarity and I know it has something to do with being on this land.”

  “Me too,” Cian agrees. “But we can’t talk about it now. I think something is going on with Brianna too, but so far Selene hasn’t shown any sign of anything otherwise she wouldn’t let us turn around so easily.”

  “She’s showing something, Cian. Don’t you see she is being a bigger bitch than usual?” Xavier asks. “Whatever is happening to us is having a nasty effect on her and we need to get her off this hill and keep her off or who knows what she’ll do to all of us.”

  They don’t say anything else to each other as they make their way down the hill. When they finally reach where the car is supposed to be, they find Brianna sitting on a rock, alone, and Selene and the car gone.

  “Well, I guess we have a chance to talk now,” Xavier starts then stops when the Mercedes comes out of nowhere and pulls up next to them.

  “Or not,” Brianna responds as she opens the car door and climbs in.

  Chapter 18

  The rest of the school week goes by business as usual with little to no interactions between the Silvans and Alexanders; other than Chloe and Cian, who continue to get to know each other. After going back and forth all week, Rowan held her ground and insisted that they wait until Friday to invite Xavier and Brianna to meet at the library.

  “It will give them less time to plot something against us if they don’t know until the last minute,” she kept saying, until Chloe and Kaiden finally gave in and agreed.

  Finally on Friday, things change when Rowan, running late, sees Xavier walking ahead of her in the empty hall. “What are you doing out here, Jet,” Rowan asks as she sidles up next to him.

  “Ah, the mighty Rowan has come down from her high perch to speak to me,” Xavier responds, knowing it will piss her off.

  She doesn’t disappoint when her cheeks flush red and her eyes narrow at him, but before she can respond, he says, “You need to lighten up, Red. I’m just playing.”

  “Don’t call me Red, and here,” she says pulling out the note she was going to pass him in class asking him to meet her in the café at the library on Saturday afternoon.

  Intrigued, he opens it immediately. After he reads it, he smirks at her and says, “Really? What are you up to, Re — Rowan?”

  “Nothing at all, Jet. I just thought it would be nice to get to know you, outside of school,” Rowan responds walking away. She can feel him watching her so she puts a little extra twitch in her hips. She looks over her shoulder at him and sees she accomplished what she set out to do. “You’ll be there, right?” she asks flirtatiously.

  Xavier smiles and only slightly embarrassed to have gotten caught watching her walk away, replies, “You know I will.”

  Rowan nods and continues on to class, feeling empowered by how easy it is to make a boy pay attention to her. I don’t need to be a witch to get someone to do what I want, she thinks grinning to herself.

  In American Lit, Kaiden sits next to Brianna and asks her if she would be interested in seeing him outside of school sometime. When she agrees, he invites her to meet him at the library on Saturday afternoon, around 1:00, in the study rooms. Brianna wonders if her aunt will let her go, but then remembers Cian telling her that he is meeting Chloe this weekend at the library. She realizes it will be a lot easier to get out of the house if they both go. She agrees excitedly and looks forward to telling Cian that she’ll be joining him at the library.

  In Spanish class, Chloe and Cian talk about their plans to meet at the library the next day. Chloe feels a little bad about not telling him that her brother and sister are also asking his sister and brother to meet at the library, but she knows her loyalty is to them and not to Cian. She figures he’ll find out later and hopefully, he won’t be too upset that she didn’t tell him ahead of time. She knows they will all talk about it later just as the Alexanders have been doing all week.

  At home, when they aren’t doing homework or studying schoolwork, they’ve been studying the grimoires and learning about their craft. When they aren’t doing any of that, they talk about the Silvans. They all agree that the Silvans are even more intriguing now that they have been observing them. The Silvans seem much less threatening than they did on that first day, though they aren’t sure if it is the protection spell or if something else has caused a change. Either way, the only person who is putting off bad vibes is their aunt, who has been trying desperately to get their dad’s attention all week.

  Liam finally asked them to just come to the police station after school so he wouldn’t have to have a conversation with Selene Silvan while they waited for the kids to get out of school. If they go out the back doors, he can watch them from the moment they leave school until they are at the station. Usually Liam would not intentionally avoid someone in town, but this woman makes him more uncomfortable every time he sees her and it’s putting him on edge. Although he believes in “keeping your friends close and your enemies closer,” he doesn’t yet consider her an enemy as much as a nuisance. A nuisance that, for some strange reason, makes him feel defensive and cautious every time he talks to her.

  Other than Kaiden’s basketball practice, the Alexanders have spent every evening together, which to Liam is a damn miracle. Rowan has not been texting her friends, Chloe has been teaching both Rowan and Kaiden about various herbs, and Kaiden has stopped playing video games altogether. Learning about their history has clearly brought them closer together and although Liam can tell they are keeping secrets from him, he knows that his part as protector is not to interfere, but rather to allow them the space they need to learn. As their guardian, watching them learn to spread their wings is exhilarating but also difficult, especially because they don’t seem to need him anymore. This is killing him, but he knows it’s all necessary so that they can grow.

  On Friday night when they are all gathered around the kitchen table, Liam finally broaches the subject, “So, what’s going on, guys?” he asks casually.

  Chloe looks at Rowan and Kaiden. Although they don’t want to involve their dad in what is going on, they agree that they need to find out if he found any dirt on the Silvans.

  “First, we wanted to thank
you for giving us the space we need to figure all this out,” Chloe says smiling at her dad. “And tomorrow, we want to look some stuff up at the library, if you wouldn’t mind dropping us off in the afternoon.”

  “You’re all going?” Liam asks, more than a little surprised.

  Rowan, who has been attempting to control her bitchiness, says, “Yes, all of us. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” She flashes Liam a smile in the hopes of appearing more laid back than usual.

  “I’ll be happy to drop you off. I have to be at the station by 9:00 though, so I’ll come home for lunch and then drop you off in town afterward, around 1:00ish? Unless you want me to drop you off in the morning?”

  Chloe, Rowan, and Kaiden look at each other. They are meeting the Silvans at the library at 1:00 and wanted to be there early enough to get situated in their specific meeting places before the Silvans arrived, but they didn’t actually want to spend the whole day there.

  “Dad, I think it’s time we revisit taking GG Peter up on the offer to take his old car,” Kaiden says, seeing a perfect opportunity.

  Liam looks at the three of them. It’s obvious that they have already discussed this with each other and have been waiting for the right time to ask. They got their driver’s licenses last summer and have been mostly content letting Liam chauffer them around, but about a month ago his grandfather suggested that they would start needing some independence and offered his 2008 Subaru Forester to them. At the time Liam passed on the offer, but now he can see that they need it.

  “Alright, we will go over on Sunday to pick it up,” Liam says, surprising everyone with how quickly he agreed.

  Pushing his luck, Kaiden says, “Dad, I called GG Peter earlier and asked if we could pick it up tonight and he said as long as you are okay with it, then we can go get it now. He already added us to his insurance so we’re covered, and it’s not like we haven’t driven it already.”

  Chloe adds, “We don’t want to spend the whole day at the library, just the afternoon and we are actually supposed to meet up with some friends earlier than 1:00, so it would be so much more convenient if we could just drive ourselves.”