Denial

by R. M. Walker

  They nodded and ran back down the road towards the end of the cottages.

  Matt and Nate jogged towards Drew’s cottage. Nate’s phone vibrated in his pocket almost immediately, and he pulled it out quickly, hope flaring that it was Lily calling him, but it was Josh’s name on the screen.

  “Maybe they’ve found her,” Matt said as Nate answered and put it straight to speaker.

  “Drew is out here, looking for her as well. He hasn’t seen us, but he’s shouting for her in the woods.”

  “Keep yourselves covered. Don’t let him see you, but keep looking for her. We want to find her before he does.”

  “Too fucking right.” Josh ended the call.

  “How would he know she’s missing?” Matt frowned at him.

  “I don’t know, but it means we can get in there.” Nate tugged him to follow. The light was on in the kitchen, but there were no other signs of life.

  “Mrs J leaves a spare key under one of the pots for Mum to clean after tenants go home. It should be”—Nate bent down and began moving the flowerpots till he found the spare key—“here!” They let themselves in through the back door quietly.

  “She’s been here,” Matt said and pointed to the table. There were books piled up, two mugs, and Lily’s coat over the back of one of the chairs.

  “She’s out there with no fucking coat on, and it’s cold,” Nate muttered. “Does she not listen to anything we say?” Nate grumbled as he picked up her coat. “Don’t come in here on her own, we said. Oh, fuck, do you think she ran because he’s hurt her?” A chill swept through him that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

  “Look at these books, Nate.”

  Nate crossed to the books and read out some of the titles. “Eye of Newt: a guide to plants for the modern herbalist. Crucible. Medieval Medicine. What the fuck?”

  “Hedge magic. We need to look around!”

  Nate sent a small ball of light ahead of them as they went into the living room. It would be enough to see, but not bright enough to be seen if someone were to pass the window outside.

  “The furniture is Mrs J’s,” Nate muttered as he looked around at the furnished room. The dread was growing in his mind. Something bad had made Lily run.

  Matt stepped forwards to the staircase and tripped on the edge of the rug. He swore, just catching himself by grabbing at Nate. He looked down at the rug that he’d kicked up on one corner. “She needs to get that sorted—What the hell is that for?”

  “What?” He watched as Matt pulled at the rug and dragged it back to expose the wooden floor. “Oh, bloody hell! What is that?”

  A chalk pentagram was marked out on the floor with symbols in each of the points, an eye with wings above was drawn in the middle.

  “Is that blood?” Matt pointed at dried dark splotches around the markings. “I’m looking upstairs.” He rushed up the stairs, calling Lily’s name.

  Nate dragged out his phone and took several pictures. This was magic. Someone had been spell-casting, and that someone had to be Drew.

  Matt was coming down as the gate at the bottom of the path squeaked, signalling the arrival of someone, probably Drew. Nate kicked the rug back into place, and they moved swiftly back into the kitchen. He snuffed out the light, and they slid out the back door, leaving the key in the lock. They moved silently through the cars and hid where they could still see into the kitchen window.

  “There’s no sign she’d been upstairs. He’s a witch though. His spare room is full of stuff. Nate, what the fuck was that on the floor?” Matt’s breath was hot in his ear as they crouched, pressed together behind a car.

  Nate put his fingers to his lips as Drew appeared in the kitchen and opened the back door. He looked down at the lock and took the key out.

  “Lily?” Drew called her name softly. “It’s going to be okay. It might not seem it right now, but it will be okay.”

  They watched silently as he put the key back under the flowerpot.

  “It’s a shock, but it’s going to be all right. You know the truth now, Lily. You’re safe with me, you know that. You know how to get in when you’re ready.” He looked around for a few more seconds then went back in.

  “The truth? What the fuck? You think he knows what she is and told her?”

  “That wouldn’t shock her enough to run.” Nate shook his head. “No, I think he’s told her he’s a witch, and it’s frightened her enough to run.” Even as he said it, he realised that wasn’t the case either. It was much more than that.

  “I don’t know, Nate. She didn’t run when we... well, yes, she did run when she found out what we are. But it wouldn’t freak her now.”

  They crept through the car park, keeping down in case Drew was watching. As soon as they were out of sight of the cottage, they straightened and Nate was dragging his phone from his pocket again.

  “He can’t have hurt her; he wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell her she was safe with him if he’d done that. And he knows she’s not stupid enough to flit around the back and go in if he’d hurt her. No, it’s something else,” Nate said as he found Jonas in his contacts. “Try and get hold of the twins. See if they’ve found her. I need to get these pictures to Jonas. I want to know exactly what he’s been doing in there and why.”

  “Where the fuck are you, Lily?” Matt hissed as he took his phone out.

  Nate sent a text to Jonas with the pictures as Matt spoke to Josh. His heart sank when he heard that they hadn’t found her in the woods behind her cottage. Matt told them to meet them back at the war memorial and ended the call. The blood in his veins turned to ice. He needed to be able to see her, touch her, find out what had terrified her enough to run.

  She hadn’t run to them. She hadn’t run to him when she needed him, and it stung.

  “We need to pick this apart,” Matt said as they headed across the green to the war memorial. “We need to figure out what she’s said to him, what he’s said to her, and what the fuck has made her run.”

  “If we can find her, we can ask her. Why didn’t she come to us like she said she was going to? Even if he’d surprised her enough by telling her he was a witch, why didn’t she come to us?”

  “Because it would mean telling us that not only was he a witch, but that she’d been talking to him about magic and not history. She’s been discussing this with him for a while, Nate, I’d bet my left arm on it. And I think it’s why she’s suddenly questioning Jonas. He’s telling her stuff that doesn’t match what Jonas said. What do we do if she’s told him about us? About Jonas?”

  Nate’s stomach tightened into knots. He didn’t want to think that she’d betray them like that. He shook his head; he didn’t know much about what was going on, but on this he was certain.

  “She hasn’t told him about us,” he said. “She promised me she’d never tell another soul, and I believe her.”

  “And if she’s let it slip?” Matt asked, his hands stuffed into his pockets, waiting for the twins.

  “No, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t do that to me, to us.” He’d doubted her when he first met her, before he knew her. But now? He knew she wouldn’t do that to him. He wouldn’t believe anything else.

  “I hope you’re right.” Matt sighed.

  “You doubt her?” A tendril of anger slid through him at Matt’s lack of faith.

  “I don’t think she’d deliberately tell him about us. But he’s not a stupid man, Nate. He can put two and two together. If he knows what she is, he might work out what we are. And if he only guessed and asked her? Why deny it if he knows already?”

  “He has no cause to think we’re—” His phone rang, and he answered it quickly, seeing Jonas’s name on the screen.

  “Where the hell did you see that?” Jonas barked out as soon as he answered it.

  “What is it?”

  Nate saw the twins heading towards them at a jog, the light from their torches bouncing across the grass.

  “Nat
e, where did you see it?”

  “In that professor’s house. Drew. Lily’s missing, and we went in there to look for her. It was under his living room rug.”

  “You went in... I’m taking you broke in? Merlin, Nate! Okay, okay, forget that for now. What do you mean Lily’s missing?”

  “Seems she got upset over something, took off from her mum’s, and we can’t find her yet.”

  “Find her, Nate. Do a location spell. You have to find her!”

  “What is it? What was that spell?”

  “It’s an Obscurus Arcanum spell. The sigils hold the physical form to the earth while the shadow-self can go anywhere you want. Astral projection. She said she’s been waking up thinking someone was in the room.”

  “Oh, fucking hell!” Nate swallowed heavily. His heart flipped in his chest as he made the connection.

  “Quite. Find her Nate and bring her here. I can try and locate her from here, but I don’t have anything that belongs to her. It won’t be as reliable.”

  “We can cast it,” Nate said. “I’ll ring you when we find her.” He ended the call and looked at the others. Matt was telling the twins about the spell they’d found in Drew’s cottage.

  “We need to get to the treehouse and do a location spell,” he said, getting their attention. “We have to find her and fast.”

  “What was that spell?” Matt demanded.

  They headed back towards the twins' place. It was the quickest way to get to the treehouse.

  Nate told them what Jonas had said. “He can get into her room. She said she’d woken, thinking someone was there.”

  “Oh, bloody hell!” Matt choked on the words as the reality of it set in. “He’s been... what? You think he’s been messing with her?”

  “Could that have been him at your place, Matt? When the alarms were set off and she said about a man in her room?” Jake asked.

  “We need to find her.” Josh slammed the garden gate. “And we need to kill him slowly.”

  “Do you think she’s figured out it was him in her room?” Jake asked.

  They went around the back of the cottage, and the security light came on.

  “I don’t know. All I know is that we have to find her and take her to Jonas,” Nate replied.

  “There’s other stuff,” Matt said as they made their way over the lawn. “We think they’ve been talking—”

  “Have you found her yet?”

  They turned and saw April in the conservatory doorway.

  “No, not yet, Mum, just going to check the woods back here!” Jake called out, and she nodded.

  “Okay, let me know when you find her! I’m going to ring June again and see if she’s gone there.”

  Jake sent her a thumbs up as they headed around the hedges into the car park behind.

  “Talking about what?” Josh demanded as soon as they were out of earshot from the cottages.

  “She’s been talking to Drew about magic, especially hedge magic,” Matt told them, and they swore.

  Nate kept quiet as Matt told them the rest. It was all a confusing mix of what ifs and maybes. They couldn’t be sure about any of it until they could talk to her. She was lost somewhere, in possible danger, and scared. She needed him, and he needed her. He needed her. It sank in that even if she had told Drew about them, nothing mattered except having her safe again and with him.

  He was attracted to her, had been from the moment she’d stood up to him in the canteen. Attraction had eased into a strong like; he liked her—a lot. And somewhere along the line, the like had morphed again, changing into something stronger. Something that made his heart ache knowing she was upset and alone. Was it love? He didn’t know for sure. One thing he did know: he would kill to keep her safe.

  Found

  Lily hugged her knees as she stared unseeing into the darkness of the room. The trees had guided her to the treehouse. Here she was safe, tucked into a corner of her mind, allowing the low, sweet singing of the trees to surround her. She didn’t know how long she’d sat there, and she didn’t care. Nothing mattered beyond the singing of the ancient trees.

  Voices joined the singing, discordant and out of tune. Loud and fearful, like keys on an out-of-tune piano. The singing started to fade as the voices became louder. She wanted to shout in rage for the voices to shut up. She fought against being dragged out of the calm corner of her mind.

  “Lilith!”

  Her mind snapped into sharp focus and the darkness was gone, replaced with the light from Nate’s flames.

  Matt, the twins, they were all there, crowded around her. Fear reflected in their faces as they shouted at her. Their hands on her arms and legs, shaking and rocking her. She focused on Nate’s face and everything crashed around her once more. Everything she’d found out, everything she’d believed in had been ripped out from under her. Her breathing came in fast pants that made Nate grip her face tightly, almost nose to nose with her.

  “Keep it together,” he ordered. “Keep it together, Lily May! You’re safe. We’ve got you. Take deep breaths.”

  Matt sat cross-legged behind her and drew her onto his lap, her back against his chest. Josh and Jake knelt on either side of her, hands on her knees and calves, and her breathing slowed.

  “I’ve got you,” Matt whispered into her hair.

  “Lily, sweetheart, what happened?” Josh asked.

  She didn’t know her own thoughts; how was she going to tell them? She didn’t know who she was. Everything she’d believed had been dismantled from the foundation up.

  “Okay, look, you went to see Drew, right?” Nate let go of her face and held her hands. “If he’s hurt you, Lily—”

  “He’s my father,” she blurted out.

  Nate’s head went back in surprise. He glanced at Matt before looking back at her.

  “He’s what?” Josh’s hands tightened on her legs.

  “My father. He told me tonight,” she whispered. Now the words were out, the rest flowed like water. “I’m so sorry. I’ve made such a mess of things. I talked to him, and I didn’t tell you because I knew you didn’t like him. I spoke to him in the car when he took me home. We talked about witches and magic.” She drew a breath in, waiting for them to get angry with her, but they didn’t. They just sat there. “I didn’t... didn’t say anything about you. None of it. Never. I swear.” She choked. She wouldn’t survive if they left her, if she lost them.

  “We know,” Nate said. “We know you wouldn’t betray us. It’s okay, sweetheart, honestly.”

  Fresh tears coursed down her face as Matt kissed the top of her head, drawing her closer into him.

  “Keep going, baby,” Josh prompted her.

  She drew in a deep breath. “I asked him if he believed in magic, and he told me he did. He has his doctorate in medieval history. He told me that just because something doesn’t seem real doesn’t mean it isn’t real. He made me re-think what you’d tried to tell me. He told me that I could borrow his books, and I wanted to. He brought them over that time when we stayed home. There was one book, it was like the book Jonas has, but older. I wanted to know what it was.” She was exhausted, all emotion and adrenaline had fled, leaving her with nothing more than the desire to close her eyes and sleep.

  “So, you went to see him. We know that, Lily. It’s okay, tell us what happened then,” Matt murmured into her hair.

  “He told me about the book. That witches would use plants to make healing potions and then people would believe that the love spells would work as well. Everything he said contradicted Jonas. That magic wasn’t leaving this world. That if magic left, everything would be destroyed. He said there were as many witches and fae now as there have always been. He said true witches don’t need spells to make magic, they just do it. He told me that he was a witch and that he knew I was because it’s passed down to me, that he would never view me the way you said he did because he was my father. I didn’t believe him.”

  She pulled her
hands free from Nate and covered her face. “He told me to ask her. He knew things, knew that we moved from city to city. Said he knew wherever we went. I asked her, and she denied it, but I knew! I knew from her face, the way she brushed me off. She knew, and she lied all this time. She’s not even my mother! Nothing makes sense. None of it! I don’t know what to do, what to think. I don’t understand.”

  “Hang on, back up a bit,” Matt said. “What do you mean she’s not your mother?”

  “He came over. Just walked in. She was so angry, but she knew who he was! I could see it; she knew exactly who he was. He said that she wasn’t my mother, she’s my aunt. I wanted her to deny it, to laugh at him, tell him he was mad. But she didn’t. She kept saying she could explain. I couldn’t stay there. They were arguing and shouting, and I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Fucking hell.” Josh sat back, not letting go of her.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she mumbled.

  “We’re going to take you to Jonas,” Nate said, sliding his fingers through her hair.

  “No!” She shot to her feet, almost trampling over Josh to get away from them. “No, not him!”

  “Jesus, Lily, don’t believe what Drew says. Trust us!” Nate begged.

  “Drew has a ring. I saw it! The symbols are the same. Jonas said the Council doesn’t exist. Drew said the Council stopped him from being able to see me. They stopped him! How can they stop him if they don’t exist? Why did Jonas say they don’t exist if they do? I don’t know who to trust!” She slid to her butt again, her legs unable to hold her up. She was ravaged, adrift and sinking fast.

  They were on her again in seconds. Josh reached her first, and he pulled her onto his lap. The others wound around her, holding her tightly between them.

  “We’ve no idea what’s going on here. There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense. Look, whatever happens next, your mot—Lynda is going to need to know you’re safe. So do our parents. We think what we need to do is crash at your place, Matt—all of us. We’ll tell your mum that Lily and Lynda had a spat, nothing major. We sleep on this. And tomorrow, we’ll figure out what to do. We’ll skip college; it won’t hurt for once,” Josh said.