by Shelly Bell
“Hazel, are you all right? What happened?”
Relief flooded through me. “I’m okay, just some asshole trying to get money.”
“Description?”
Jimmy used his radio to call Eric’s description and last known sighting into the station. There was no way they would catch him - he was most definitely using a cloaking spell. But it made me feel a little better anyway.
When he was done, Jimmy pulled my hand gently away from my face. “That’s the third time this year, Hazel.” He gave me a knowing look.
“I’m not selling drugs, Jimmy.”
He sighed and let my hand go. “I know. And I know you don’t want to talk about it. But I really think you should come with me to the station to file a police report and get your face looked at. Madge is there, we won’t even need to go to the hospital.”
Madge was a retired nurse who was too bored to stay at home. She volunteered at the combination police-fire station and kept the officers and firefighters fed. She was awesome at taking care of my small injuries and making me chicken soup when I was sick.
“My shift is in...” I glanced at my watch with my right eye, my left too sore to open, “forty-five minutes.”
“Come on. We’ll get down to the station and I’ll make sure you get to work on time. But we’ll have to take the car.”
I stopped dead. My muscles contracted and my skin grew hot. My eyes stung from the pools of unshed tears that accompanied my racing heart. I shook my head violently, wincing at the headache from Eric’s fist. “Jimmy, you know I can’t get in a car,” my voice came out breathy. I was having a hard time getting enough oxygen. “I’ll just ride my bike.”
Pain pinched his forehead. “Not until Madge gives you the all clear, honey. Your eye is half swollen shut and I can’t in good conscience let you ride.”
“Then we can walk!”
“If we walk it, you’ll never make it on time.”
I whimpered and closed my eyes. “Can’t you go pick Madge up and come here?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Do you really want to take Madge away from the station on chili night?”
I sighed. “No, that would cause a riot.”
“Damn right it would. Now, come on. You have to face your fear sooner or later.”
My chest ached as my heart assaulted my rib cage, desperately trying to find more oxygen. “Fine, let’s go.” I closed my eyes and held my hand out to Jimmy. He led me forward until we reached the car. The sound of the door opening made my legs shake.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised. But his voice was lost in the screams inside my head.
It wasn’t even the fact that I was getting in a car. It was the fact that I was not driving and I could not escape the car without someone else letting me out. I wasn’t in control and there was nothing I could do about it. Climbing onto the crinkled leather seats and putting my head in my hands, I nodded. Jimmy closed the door and I was trapped.
The assault was instantaneous. The sounds of shattering glass and twisting metal filled my ears. “Stay with me, Hazel. Only four minutes.” But four minutes was more than enough time to relive the entire accident.
They said it was a black magic deal gone wrong. Mom had been riding too long on too much credit and they had finally decided to collect their payment in whatever way they could. And she let them.
We had been driving home to Charleston, West Virginia after a concert in celebration of our eighteenth birthday. My twin sister Rosemary, Romi to those who wanted to keep their fingers, had won tickets off the radio for our favorite band, one of her many witch talents. Numbers and timing had been her thing.
The roads were starting to ice with the unexpected dip in temperature, but traffic was sparse so we took our time. We were thirty minutes outside of town when Romi turned to look at me from the passenger seat. “I think we need to move out. Like, as soon as possible.”
My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I negotiated a left turn. My sister wasn’t prone to overreacting, so I knew something was very wrong. “What happened?”
She was silent for a long moment, turning to stare out the front window. “I logged onto the downstairs computer to print my report since my laptop’s acting up. Mom left her email open.”
I kept my eyes on the road, not trusting myself to speak yet. If it were up to me, I’d keep driving until we ran out of land, then I’d hop a ship. Hell, a rocket! But Romi hated spontaneity. “And?”
“It was a ‘final past due warning’ from BMagic, LLC,” she said softly.
“Why didn’t you tell me until now?” I shouted. She flinched.
“Because I didn’t want to ruin the concert,” she said softly.
I felt like an asshole, but anger burned beneath my skin at the thought of Romi having to carry this in silence. Anger at our mother for putting her in that position. “Why the hell is she buying black magic when we can’t even afford the house payment?” I spat through my locked jaw. She didn’t respond. “How much money do you have?” I asked, risking a glance over to her.
She blinked, surprised by the question. “I have twelve-hundred from my school loan and I’ll have a paycheck deposited tomorrow. Why?”
I nodded, calculating. “I’ve got almost a grand in savings. The car is in my name and we can sell it when we get further out. Buy a new one she wouldn’t recognize.”
“No way!” Romi exclaimed, finally catching up to my escape plan. “We can’t just leave...”
“Why not? It’s not like we have friends who are going to miss us for very long. Everything we have is replaceable. Dad is long gone. It’s just you and me.”
“It’s not right to just leave!”
“It’s not right to expose your children to your addictions either!” I countered. “Do you know what that past due warning means, Romi? It means if she can’t pay in cash, they’re going to come after us!”
Her face fell as she sorted through what I’d told her. “Fine. But let’s stop home first and get some supplies. It’s only midnight. She won’t be around.”
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheeks until I tasted iron. I didn’t want to give in, but I knew I should make this one concession. I really did want our grandmother’s spell book. “Food and clothes only,” I negotiated. “Then we’re on the road.” She nodded and I pushed the accelerator a little bit harder, testing my limits on the pavement that sparkled in the headlights.
Despite the nagging feeling in my gut, I took the exit off 64 to 77. “Rom, this doesn’t feel right-” Something slammed into us from behind. “SHIT! WHAT WAS THAT?” I screamed, struggling to keep us on the road.
“Someone just hit us! HAZEL!” She screamed as the back driver’s side door caved in, glass flying everywhere. My steering wheel was helpless as we spun around in a complete circle.
“Romi! Protection spell!” I ordered.
She shook her tear stained head as I tried to get the engine to turn over. “We already have one on the car, remember? They broke through. Somehow they broke through...”
Giving up on the engine, I turned to her. “Count of three, we try again. Ready? One...two… ”
Then the attacking car hit the passenger door. And my world stopped spinning.
***
“Hazel, come on. We’re here.” A hand was rubbing my upper arm, trying to pull me from the terror that was holding me prisoner inside of my head. “Come on, you can get out of the car. It’s okay.”
I blinked, clearing away sounds of the crash, her scream, the pain. A shuddering breath brought me back to my current predicament. I was in the back of Jimmy’s car. I scurried out of my seat so fast, I almost knocked him over. I ran away from the car to the side of the pavement, doubled over and gasping for air.
He let me stand there for a few minutes, the cold air of early dusk calming my overheated skin. Cautiously, he approached me and I let him take my arm. “I’m sorry, Jimmy,” I sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
&nb
sp; I put my hand over his, resting on my arm as we walked toward the station. “How’s Carole? The new grandbaby?” I looked up at Jimmy and the small smile on his face warmed me. It was nice to have a normal conversation after the flashback.
“That new cream you gave Carole for arthritis really works. She finally was able to finish knitting that baby blanket.”
My heart swelled. “I’m so glad. So she loves being a grandma?”
“More than anything. You’ll have to stop by next time Lexi and Adam bring Aiden over.”
“I’d like that,” I admitted. In the past, I would have said no to any humans. But if Eric was going to try and pick on people after I’d done my best to avoid them, then I wasn’t going to avoid them anymore. I was so tired of always hiding.
“Really? Great! Carole will be thrilled. Now, let’s get this report written up and get some ice on your face.”
Chapter 6
Hazel
After filing a report and having Madge fuss over me with vision checks and ice packs, I was given the all clear to drive my bike, and a promise that Jimmy would bring me leftover chili tomorrow. I knew Madge would have forced me to eat two bowls if it hadn’t still been cooking.
Then, exactly forty minutes later, Jimmy dropped me off at home. The car ride back was significantly better, thanks to sheer exhaustion. Or maybe I was making progress - immersion therapy and all that.
The night felt colder as the cruiser pulled away and left me looking out my frosty bedroom window. I ran to the bathroom and put the last of my healing cream on my fingers and rubbed it carefully over my eye and face, then added two coats of foundation and a bronzer.
It would take an hour for the cream to work its magic, but hopefully no one would notice the bruise. Mitch, however, would surely notice the rose scent. It took all of my conviction to pass by my seductive looking bed and walk out the door. “I miss you, bed!” I sighed.
The moment I climbed on my bike, a bone deep chill ran under my skin. I frantically searched the shadows, trying to find the source of my discontentment. Was Eric back? But I already knew.
The phone call this morning had not been a coincidence.
Taking a few calming breaths, I shook off my paranoia. All I could see were creepy, leafless trees. Stupid creepy trees. In the sunlight, they sparkled with the morning frost that accompanied late October. But at dusk, they were towering shadows, blocking out the soon-to-be-full moon.
I was barely out of my parking spot when I felt a pair of cold arms latch around my middle.
“Boo!” a small voice said.
“Jesusfreakingchrist!” I screamed, slamming on my breaks and skidding on the wet pavement, nearly toppling my bike for the second time that day. Romi appeared on the seat behind me, laughing. Even death couldn’t stop her when she decided she wanted to torment me. “Not funny, freak,” I accused pointedly.
“Hazel Evanora! That is no way to greet your favorite sister!”
“My only sister,” I grumbled and hit the gas again. “Where’s your helmet?”
“Don’t need one, already dead,” Romi sang. “So...” she started.
Ignoring her, I gunned the gas and launched forward a little too fast. She didn’t flinch. I growled. Romi squeezed tighter to get my attention. For a ghost, she had one hell of a grip. “Ow! Lighten up! I thought ghosts were airy and shit.”
“Witch ghost, remember?” she retorted. Her voice couldn’t be above a whisper, but I heard her as if she was speaking into a microphone. “I know she called you this morning. And I know Eric came by. Are you crazy? How did he get through the spell? How’s your face?”
I knew she felt me stiffen under her non-gauzy ghost arms. “Yep, she did. And yes he did, and I know I’m working on it. And my face is fine.” Romi was a peculiar ghost. On good days, she was a solid as any live body, although only others could see her. Today was a good day.
Romi huffed and we sat in silence. “God, I hate her.”
“Romi, watch your mouth!” I scolded. “Don’t put hate into the universe.”
She squeezed me with frustration. “I’m already dead, how much more damage can the universe do to me? Anyway, our karma is pretty shitty anyway.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. I was in round two of self-pity when she broke the silence.
“So...”
“Yeah...” I mumbled. “You, too.”
A familiar bone-deep longing crashed over me. I wished, more than anything, that I could have one full day with someone I loved as much as my sister. Bonus points if they were still breathing. “You ever get angry?” I asked.
She shifted on a deep breath. I always wondered why she still had such human traits since she had been a ghost for three years. She obviously didn’t need to breathe. “I don’t have time to be angry. I’m too busy keeping you out of trouble.”
“Ha!” I laughed, throwing her a rare smile over my shoulder. “Still, it would be nice to have someone to share dessert with.”
“Listen, I’m not sure who you think this imaginary dessert-sharer is, but it is NOT me. That’s sacrilege.” Now, I let out an actual laugh. She joined with her beautiful trill. “And rumor has it you already shared dessert with someone today.”
“Shush,” I said. “You’re so much prettier than he is.”
“It’s true,” she sang. By the time we pulled into an almost full Billy’s Blues and BBQ parking lot, my sides hurt from laughing.
Billy’s was one of the only places still open after ten and within walking distance of the miniscule campus of Hayvenwood College. Once you crossed the Mackinac Bridge, all you had to do was keep driving until you lost your dreams, and that’s where you’d find us.
After the labs closed and whatever sporting event was in season wrapped up, Billy’s was where the college crowd went to unwind. We were fifteen miles northwest of St. Ignace, Michigan (read: middle of nowhere) in a place that combined drinking and studying like it was a sport.
Just look for that bloody stone bridge. The Pont d’Amour. The bridge that leads people to true happiness. Whatever. It was mostly used for hooking up, getting off, or getting high. But in pictures it looked mysterious and daring, so at least it made my photography class projects more interesting.
With a sigh, I parked the bike and walked through the back door of the bar to the employee lockers. Flipping open my locker, I stuffed my coat and keys inside and slapped both sides of my face to wake up. I threw a glance over my shoulder. “You hanging for a bit, Rom?”
She shook her head, shadows darkening her eyes. “Rain check?”
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Yeah, I’m tired anyway. Need to stop sharing my energy.”
“Love you,” she sang.
“Ditto.” And she was gone. “That never stops being weird,” I said to myself.
Pulling out my waist apron, I quickly double knotted it before pinning my nametag onto my strategically low-cut Billy’s t-shirt, which made both my rack and my cherry blossom chest tattoo look fantastic. While they didn’t make the uniform shirts quite this racy, a pair of sewing shears had done the job nicely. “Coffee,” I worshipped, grabbing a very hot cup from the staff pot.
The kitchen staff always made sure a pot of double strong with a touch of nutmeg was ready for me to chug. Well, it was really Mitch, who doubled as my night cook, made sure. Because he knew what it was like to be hidden in a world of humans. And also that I was terrifying without coffee.
More terrifying than vampires.
I could give Damon Salvatore a run for his money. Seriously. Ask Scotty Jacobs and his enchanted unibrow. Don’t mess with a witch before she’s had her coffee…and then not tip her. I mean, we had a code of ethics and all, but sometimes I liked to toe the line. And by sometimes, I mean most of the time.
Slamming down the now empty coffee cup, I forced a smile. Commencing night shift in three...two...
Mitch walked by and pulled on my ponytail. “How we lookin’?” I asked, following him into the kitchen
.
“Under control.” Clearly, a man of many words.
I looked him over for any side effects from today’s potion. “Glad to see you’re not overly hairy or dead. Thanks for not dying.”
“Thanks for not killing me.”
The heat of the kitchen surrounded me like a sunny day marinated in dry rubs and tangy sauce. Despite the spicy scent, it was no surprise when Mitch leaned over and sniffed my face. “What the hell happened to your face, Zee? Why do I smell roses?” he barked. Seriously, sometimes his voice came out so gruff, it sounded like a dog. Well...he was, kind of.
“Eric,” I admitted
He looked me over. “Again?”
“Yep.”
Mitch threw his tongs on the counter and pulled at his apron strings. “That’s son of a bitch. I will tear out his throat -”
I put my hands on his arm. “Calm down, Mitch. Deep breaths. I can’t have you turning in the kitchen, ’k?” He glared at me but stopped moving. “Jimmy showed up, took me to the station to file a report, Madge checked me out. Everything’s okay.”
Mitch tucked his fingers under my chin, lifting my face to the light. The sneer on his mouth confirmed he could still see the outline of the mark. “Jimmy let you drive to the station after getting hit that hard?” Mitch was getting angry again. “What if you had a concussion?”
“Stop, it’s okay. He took me in the car.”
He released me and rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit, Zee...” He startled me by reaching out and pulling me into his arms for a swift, but very firm, hug.
I shoved his hard, unmoving shoulder. “Stop. I’m okay. I have until Friday to get the money.”
“Maybe you should move in with me.”
“We both know how terrible of an idea what would be.”
He sighed and nodded. “How much are you short?”
I looked at my scuffed black boots. “Eight-hundred and fifty.”
His eyes grew wide. “Zee. Let me talk to Blake. He’ll loan it to me -”