Bewitched

by Mark Jay Harris

  “Oh.” Samantha groaned.

  Serena was now at her side. “This can’t be good.”

  “Tack,” Samantha broke the spell and shut off her phone, sure that on the other end, Samuelson was hearing a busy signal and hanging up, unable to remember anything that had just transpired.

  Samantha quickly recited the phone conversation for Serena. “Contact Mike and tell him to meet us at Logan Regional Hospital. I’ll get a hold of Darren. I think he’s in trouble.” Samantha called Darren’s phone, but after six rings, no one picked up. Just before the answering machine was about to kick-in, someone answered.

  “Darren?”

  No response.

  “Darren?”

  ***

  Andrea eyed the child with Down’s syndrome. In truth, the little girl set Andrea on edge. With her sloped brow and almond eyes, she appeared alien. Andrea wouldn’t have considered herself a bigot when it came to appearances, but there it was. Crissy seemed like a nice enough kid, but she freaked Andrea out, sitting there across the room, talking to her doll. She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have a child like that. Could she love such a child? Oh, she was being ridiculous. She would never have a child like that.

  Holding up her wrist, she slid several bracelets aside and checked the time. Darren had been gone almost fifteen minutes. If she hadn’t promised to watch the ‘special’ kid, she’d go look for him. She considered leaving Crissy to go look for him. Waiting was boring. The kid wouldn’t talk to her, and there was nothing to turn the television on with. She’d go look for Darren.

  The cell phone’s sudden chirp in the quiet room made her jump.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, is this Andrea?” a girl on the other end asked.

  “Yes. Who is this?”

  “Please don’t hang up. This is Samantha Spelling. Are you at the hospital with Darren?”

  “Yes. How did you know that?”

  “That’s not important. Is Darren there with you? Can I talk to him?”

  “No, he was called out of the room by a nurse about fifteen minutes ago. I was just about to go look for him.”

  “Don’t do that!” Samantha blurted. “I can’t explain, but I think Darren is in some sort of danger, and you might get dragged into it. Stay where you are. Where’s the rest of Darren’s family?”

  “His dad’s in the ICU with Atavus. His mother hasn’t shown up yet, and Crissy’s sitting here with me.” Sort of, anyway.

  “Crissy’s there, good. Stay there. We’ll be there soon. And don’t go looking for Darren. Stay right where you are.”

  Andrea snapped her phone shut and tossed it back into her bag. “Samantha!” She fumed. She looked down the row of chairs at the little retarded girl talking to her doll. Crissy’s hair hung down, blocking even a side-view of her face. What a night.

  ***

  Mike was the first one to arrive at the hospital. Serena had gotten a hold of him while on the road. He’d swung his Jeep around and made it to Logan Regional in less than five minutes. After talking to several nurses and being instructed in a way that only confused him, Mike had finally found the floor and the double doors that opened into the waiting room outside of the ICU.

  “Andrea!”

  She jumped up and hurried toward him. “What’s going on, Mike? I got this mysterious message from Samantha about something happening to Darren and to not go looking for him. He’s been gone now for almost a half an hour.”

  “I don’t know exactly,” Mike replied. “Let’s just say he’s sort of fallen in with some bad people.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? You make it sound like he owes money to the mob. What’s happening, Mike? Tell me the truth.”

  Mike groaned and scratched the back of his head. Noticing Crissy, he walked down to her end of the room. “Hey, little sister, what’s happening?”

  “De-win’s gone. We have to go find him.”

  The way she delivered this information chilled Mike; as if she knew more than she’d said and understood what had to be done better than he did. “Yeah, well, we’ll get him back. Don’t worry.”

  Andrea came up behind him. “Do you know where he is?”

  “No, not exactly. But I think we’ll be able to figure it out once Samantha and Serena get here.”

  “Serena, the new girl, your want-to-be girlfriend, is coming as well?”

  “I think so.” He looked at her a bit guiltily.

  “You know more than you’re saying. What’s happened to Darren? What is going on?”

  “Andrea, I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know where he is, and I’m worried about him, too.” The door opened, and Mike sighed with relief as Serena and Samantha entered.

  “We need to get Crissy and go,” Samantha said abruptly.

  “What about Darren’s folks?” Mike asked.

  “Where is Darren?” Andrea inserted herself between the two of them.

  Ignoring her, Samantha replied to Mike, “Run in and tell them we’re taking Crissy home for them and will keep an eye on her.”

  “Darren is missing, and you know where he is!” Andrea was not going to give up. “Tell me what’s going on!”

  Samantha nodded to Mike, who left for the ICU.

  “How do I explain,” Samantha began. She looked over at Serena, who shrugged. “I don’t really know if I can trust you. I understand you’re upset and worried about Darren, and rightfully so.”

  “You’ve got to tell me. You can’t just come in here, take Darren’s little sister, and leave me wondering what’s going on. I’m his girlfriend; I have a right to know!”

  Samantha grimaced and looked back at her familiar.

  “I’m not gonna kiss this one,” Serena said and sat down next to Crissy.

  “Hold on a moment,” Samantha told Andrea. She walked over to the side of the room, motioning for Serena to follow. Once alone, they pretended to whisper, but in reality, they used their ability to read each other’s thoughts.

  “She was the last one to see Darren. What do you think if I used the spectate recenso, then erased part of her memory?”

  “That’s a difficult spell, Samantha. It takes a lot of concentration and power. Are you up for it?”

  “I think so. You’ll have to tell me what you see. Recreate the image afterwards for me.”

  “I’ll fax you a copy.” She smiled at her witch.

  They returned to Andrea, whose impatience was written in a scowl across her pretty features.

  “Okay, this is not what I’d rather do, but you’re not leaving me any options, and I think we could use your help.” Samantha reached inside her bag and pulled out the wooden box they’d taken from Atavus’s room earlier that evening. She opened the lid and took out the rusty black Roman blade.

  Andrea’s large eyes grew even larger at the sight of the ancient knife, and she backed away. “What’s that for?”

  “Don’t panic, Andrea. It might sound strange, but I need to make a small incision in your hand.”

  “A small incision?” Andrea increased the pace of her backward retreat. “Are you crazy?” She headed for the door. “No, you are crazy. Since you arrived at our school, things have been wrong. Darren’s acting different. Mike’s acting...” Momentarily flummoxed, she stammered. “Mike’s no different, but you’re like his kind of people. Everything’s a big joke. Now, you want to cut me with a knife that looks like it carries a flesh eating bacteria!”

  Serena smirked. “If it does, this is the perfect place to get infected; you’re only a couple of feet from the ICU.”

  “You’re not helping,” Samantha admonished. “Andrea, this knife is just a little test. I know it sounds far-fetched, but—”

  “Attonabitus.” Serena flicked her fingers at the young girl. Andrea’s eyes grew wide and remained so as her head tilted backward and her body collapsed. Samantha helped her gently into a seat. Andrea stared ahead, dazed like one who is unconscious with her eyes open.

  “Serena!” Sa
mantha snapped.

  “I was saving you time. She wouldn’t cooperate. Now she will.”

  “Now she will,” Samantha grumbled, mocking her familiar. “I guess so.” She took the point of the knife and pierced the inside of Andrea’s left palm. Red blood bubbled out and smeared across the blade.

  No strange colors.

  “If Darren’s right about this blade, then she has not been bewitched.”

  “Even still, I don’t trust her.”

  “I think we have to risk it. If we do the spectate recenso we might be able to see one of the witches who took Darren, not to mention finally discover who one of these Northern Coven witches is. But from now on, would you, please, not be so quick to stun people? Follow my lead.”

  Serena saluted. “Ja wohl.”

  Samantha rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. She reached in her purse and pulled out a small bandage, which she wrapped around Andrea’s hand. She stood up and waved a hand over the unconscious girl. “Refoveo.”

  Andrea’s eyes fluttered. She looked around at the two girls and pressed back against her seat as far as she could. “What did you do to me?” She glanced from one to the other. “Who are you two? What is going on?” A hint of hysteria tinged her voice.

  Samantha and Serena shared a look.

  “You’re...you’re witches!” Andrea spluttered. “You used witchcraft on me. I want out of here!” She grabbed her purse and stood up, but Samantha and Serena pushed her back down.

  “Calm down, Andrea. No one’s happy about the way things have turned out, but I don’t think we have any choice in the matter. We all want to save Darren. And to do that, we need some information only you can give us.”

  “What do you want? I’ve told you what happened.” Andrea fought to get up again.

  “Andrea! I need you to trust me. Unfortunately, the information we need requires that I cast another spell on you. It’s not something you can just tell me.”

  “You can’t really be witches!” Andrea screamed. “I was just talking. I was scared.”

  “Whether you believe it or not, we are witches, and we’re also the good guys in this case. I don’t have time to explain everything, but there are some really bad witches we need to stop. They’re also the ones who have Darren. To get him back, I need to cast this spell on you.”

  “You’re crazy!” Andrea bellowed. “Let me up! There’s no such thing as witches!”

  Samantha looked down the row of chairs. Crissy had stopped playing with her doll and sat watching them. She didn’t seem to be disturbed in the slightest at the argument taking place across the room from her. Samantha smiled at Crissy, who smiled back and gave her a little wave.

  Mike rushed back into the room. “What’s going on in here? I could hear you all the way down the hall.”

  “She doesn’t believe in witches,” Serena answered.

  “You told her?”

  “We had to,” Samantha explained. “We need her help.”

  “Use some magic; show her you’re a witch.”

  Serena sighed. “Would you like me to take care of this?”

  “Be my guest, but nothing too showy, just a simple demonstration.”

  Serena released her grasp on Andrea’s shoulders and moved to the middle of the waiting room. “The easiest thing for a witch to do is move objects. It is essentially telekinesis only it isn’t brainpower; it’s the power of Baal. Anyway, you see that magazine on that seat over there?”

  Andrea didn’t say anything, just glared back at her.

  “Accerso.” Serena stretched out her arm. The magazine lifted from the chair and flew quickly into her open hand.

  Andrea’s nostrils flared, and she continued to glare, unimpressed.

  “That didn’t prove it to you?” Mike demanded. “A couple of hours ago we were marching Samuelson around like a puppet. These guys are the real deal. They turned Darren invisible.” He looked at her incredulously. “They can fly!”

  “This is all insane,” Andrea huffed.

  Serena groaned. “She’s a hard case.” She looked at Samantha who nodded to her.

  Holding her arm out toward Andrea, Serena incanted, “Opinor surrectus volatus caerulum.”

  Samantha released Andrea, but as she took her hands away, it looked as if she were lifting the brunette off her seat with her hands.

  Andrea gaped down at the ground to find she was floating above the chair and still heading upward. In an attempt to regain her balance, she dropped her purse and splayed her arms, wheeling them about uselessly for something to hold on to. Her legs pumped wildly in an ineffective effort to find solid footing. When she was four feet off the ground, she managed to rotate herself completely upside down in the air.

  “Okay, okay!” she cried. “I believe you’re witches. Let me down! Let me down!”

  Samantha smiled. Mike smirked, but Serena laughed out loud. Crissy merely watched everything with a pleased expression on her face.

  “Are you sure? You’re barely off the ground,” Serena taunted. “After you put a few footprints on the ceiling, I think you’ll really get the picture.”

  “Let her down,” Samantha ordered loudly in order to be heard over Andrea’s shrieking.

  “Abrogare.” Serena flashed a hand at the floating cheerleader. Andrea fell to the ground in an awkward heap. She rolled over and grabbed the chair, clamoring to her feet. Planting herself in the chair, she grabbed its arms and looked at the two girls with fear and loathing.

  Mike couldn’t help himself. As if she were Darren, he wiggled fingers at Serena, who understood what it meant and joined hers with his. “Snap girl! That was most excellent!”

  “It’s not funny!” Andrea snarled.

  “She’s right, Mike,” Samantha agreed. “In case you’ve forgotten, Darren’s been kidnapped.”

  “I haven’t forgotten. But that was—oh, forget it.” He conspiratorially smiled at Serena.

  Samantha slowly approached Andrea and handed her back her purse. “I know this is a lot to take in and no doubt difficult to believe, but we’re running out of time, and I need to extract this information from you.”

  Andrea glared at her not too unlike an animal caught in a trap.

  “I assure you, we’re the good guys. We need to get Darren back. You want that, don’t you?”

  Andrea gave her head a tight little nod, but continued to scowl.

  “To do that, it will be helpful if I could see the woman who called him from the room. I will be able to see what you saw using the Spectate recenso. Will you help me?”

  Andrea glared back at Samantha. “Fine!”

  Samantha turned to Mike. “Hold the door. Serena, bring down the lights. Andrea, just sit there and try to relax.”

  Serena cast a gesture toward the lights, making them dim. Mike stood in front of the door with his hand on the knob.

  “Okay, here we go. Serena, be prepared to pull the image.”

  Serena nodded and sat down next to Crissy.

  “Look directly into my eyes, Andrea.” Samantha reached toward Andrea; at the same time, her eyes lost focus. “Spectate recenso.”

  Andrea felt her head fall back against the wall. Then a warm, comforting sensation flowed from her head, down her shoulders, and out to her limbs.

  Samantha watched invisible tendrils of the spell leave her fingertips and snake into Andrea’s eyes like a thin mist. It played around Andrea’s nerve endings that branched out from her retina. Samantha moved the tendrils rapidly over sparkling images. With a sudden movement, she jerked a hand toward the ceiling. A bright three-dimensional image burst into view in the center of the room. At first it appeared to be a floor and ceiling winding around in a nauseous pinwheel of 3D motion.

  Mike tried to follow the action, leaned too far to the side, and fell to the floor. Looking about confused, he shook his head. Serena hid a smile behind her hand.

  Samantha twirled her up-stretched arm in a counter-clockwise circle, and the images moved back in time. Ser
ena was in the next image, launching a magazine across the room to a chair. This was followed by close-ups of Serena and Samantha like they were too close to the camera lens. Images blurred past, Mike, then Serena, Samantha, a quick flash of Crissy talking to her doll, a flash of images that ran like water colors until they stopped and a still-shot of the waiting room door hovered in the air.

  Moving forward now at regular speed, the door opened and Darren entered the room. He asked the camera lens why she wasn’t sitting with Crissy. The cameraman’s voice explained how she kept getting up and moving. Darren spoke, and the camera angle panned across the room to Crissy. They heard her tell her doll, “Don’t, it’s a trap! Don’t you understand? It’s a trap. Now, you stay right here. Don’t trust strangers.”

  The image stopped, and with eyes still out of focus, Samantha said, “She was warning Darren.”

  “Yes,” Serena agreed.

  The three-dimensional show started up again. Darren was the focus and spoke a moment before the lens shifted again toward the door. A middle-aged woman’s head poked through, and Samantha froze on the image.

  “Serena,” Samantha said.

  Serena waved her arms in a particular fashion, then muttered, “Carpo procer facsimile,” and thrust her arms toward the doorway.

  Moving her arms like waves, Samantha soothingly repeated, “Abrogare, abrogare...”

  Andrea’s body slowly grew more rigid until she sat up straight. She blinked and looked about confused. “Is it over?”

  Samantha smiled wearily. “Yes, you did great.”

  “What exactly did you do? I think I fell asleep. I remember some talking, but it’s all hazy.”

  “We found what we were looking for. Serena captured the image.” She turned to her familiar. “Where did you send it?”

  “It’s out in the hall. We can pick it up on our way out.”

  Samantha grabbed Crissy by the hand. “Are you ready to go? We’re going to get Darren.”

  Crissy smiled back. “Yes, get De-win.”

  The five of them left the room and headed toward the elevators. Serena veered off and circled around to the nurses’ station. Three nurses manned the desk. A middle aged woman in a white smock looked up questioningly at the attractive girl.