by Karen Fuller
Luke laughed, and she looked back at him and smiled. “Let me see your schedule.”
She pulled it out of her notebook and handed it to him. He glanced over it and frowned.
“What’s wrong with it?” she said in alarm.
He smiled. “We don’t have any more classes together.” He shook his head. “Well, there’s still lunch. Meet me in the cafeteria.” He handed her back her schedule.
She placed it in her notebook, grabbed her bag, and rose from the desk. She smiled. “Okay, I’ll see you at lunch.” He grinned at her, and then turned to go see Father Turner. “Good luck,”
she whispered to his retreating back, and she heard him laugh.
Vicky rushed into her next classroom just as the bell rang. Her mouth dropped open.
Standing in the front of the class was Sister Phoebe, and she was glaring back at Vicky for being late. Vicky looked at her schedule again in a panic and quickly looked at the number on the classroom door to verify she was in the right place.
Sister Phoebe put out her hand for the schedule to sign off on it. “Vicky, I’m happy to see that you finally decided to grace this class with your presence,” she said dryly.
Vicky swallowed hard. “You’re the teacher? I . . . I thought you were the school secretary.”
Sister Phoebe handed the signed schedule back to Vicky. “I have many jobs in this school, Miss Phillips. Be sure you’re on time tomorrow,” she said sharply. “Take that seat next to Sara.”
Vicky and Sara locked eyes, and Vicky groaned. Sara sat back and smiled smugly. “Oh look everybody, it’s the harlot again,” she said snidely.
Vicky had about all she could stand of Sara for one day, and her temper finally got the best of her. She smiled at Sara spitefully. “It takes one to know one,” she said flippantly.
Sara smiled hatefully. “You really don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you?”
Vicky cocked her head to the side and shrugged uncaringly as she sat down in the empty desk. “I could say the same thing to you.”
Sara motioned her head to a small girl sitting meekly in the back of the class. “Ask Rachael back there what happens when you cross me.” Rachael turned white and cowered down in her chair further.
Vicky glared defiantly at Sara.
Sister Phoebe slammed a ruler across the front of Sara’s desk, hard, and they both jumped.
“Ladies, if you both don’t want detention, then I suggest you stop this bickering now!” she barked.
“Yes ma’am,” Vicky grumbled.
“This isn’t over harlot,” Sara said in a low tone that only Vicky could hear.
“You’re damn right it isn’t,” Vicky whispered back.
Chapter Four
It seemed like the day was dragging on forever for Vicky. All she wanted was for the horrid day to be over. Her third period class was a little better. She had Father Turner again, but at least Sara wasn’t in that class.
This time she had sat next to Rachael, and at least she was nice. Rachael was actually a beautiful brunette. She had large round blue eyes and a small petite frame. She also had a beautiful smile, when she was brave enough to show it. If she had been back in Fort Lauderdale with Vicky, Rachael would have been very popular. As it was, Sara had the poor girl cowering in a self-conscious shell. Vicky had always been a champion of the underdog, and she made the decision that she’d have to do something about that.
The bell ending the class had rung for lunch. Vicky glanced over at Rachael. She cleared her throat. “Rachael, tell me something. Why do you cower away from Sara?”
Rachael turned white. “She’s a witch,” she said in a barely audible whisper.
Vicky’s eyes got wide. “When you say that she’s a witch, do you mean actually or figuratively speaking?”
Rachael swallowed hard. “She’s really a witch.” She gave Vicky a pleading look. “You seem nice enough. Please don’t cross her.”
Vicky raised an eyebrow. “I’m not afraid of Sara,” she said dryly.
Rachael looked away. “You should be.”
Vicky smiled and placed her hand on Rachael’s. “Can you keep a secret?”
Rachael nodded. “Who am I gonna tell? Sara has no one talking to me.”
Vicky pressed her lips in a thin line grimly at what Rachael said. Vicky blew out a breath.
“I’m not afraid of Sara. I’m a witch, too.” Rachael’s eyes grew wide in fear. Vicky shook her head and smiled. “I wouldn’t hurt you. In fact, I like you. I’m going to take you under my wing and give you back some of the confidence that Sara has stolen from you.” Rachael shook her head frantically. Vicky’s smile grew bigger. “It will be okay. If Sara wants to butt heads with me, she can just bring it on. My day couldn’t get any worse that it already is.”
“Do you wanna bet?” Rachael said meekly.
Vicky rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’ll repeat myself. I’m not afraid of Sara.”
Rachael’s face paled again. “Well, when your hair starts falling out, you’ll be singing a different tune.”
Vicky’s face grew concerned. “Is that what she did to you?” Rachael nodded. “You seem like a nice girl. What did you do to her to make her want to curse you like that?”
Rachael shrugged. “Jason smiled at me.”
“Who’s Jason?”
“Jason is Sara’s boyfriend,” Rachael said and looked away. “Sara said she’d make it so that Jason or any other guy at this school wouldn’t want to smile at me ever again.”
Vicky’s blood started boiling. She and Sara were definitely going to butt heads. Vicky patted Rachael’s hand again in comfort. “Stick with me Rachael. In a few days, Sara won’t be a problem for you anymore.”
Rachael shook her head frantically again. “Please don’t provoke Sara.”
Vicky shrugged. “Sara’s already provoked me. We’re already going to have a go at each other. I might as well save you while I’m at it. Believe me, when I’m done with Sara, she won’t be able to hurt you anymore.” Vicky stood up from her desk. “I promised Luke that I would meet him in the cafeteria for lunch.” She gathered her notebook and bag. “I’ll see ya later. Try not to worry about Sara.”
Rachael swallowed hard and nodded. “It was nice knowing ya, Vicky.”
Vicky shook her head and laughed at Rachael and hurriedly left the classroom in the direction of the cafeteria to meet Luke.
Chapter Five
Vicky hurried into the school cafeteria, and Luke was waiting for her just inside the doorway. He tapped in her shoulder. “Vicky . . .”
Vicky jumped and whirled around. “Luke!” she said in surprise. “You scared me!”
He laughed softly. “What’s the hurry?”
She grinned. “I was running late, and I didn’t want you to think that I was a no show.”
He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “So, you care what I think?”
Her eyes sparkled. “Of course, I care.”
He draped his arm around her shoulders. “That’s nice to know. Let’s go get in line before we run out of time to eat.” They joined the lunch line and Luke put a tray on the rail. Vicky reached for a tray and Luke shook his head. “I’ve got this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Luke, you don’t need to be doing this.”
He grinned. “Just get what you want to eat off of the line.”
Vicky rolled her eyes again and picked up a hamburger, a plate of fries, a bottle of juice, and she put them on the tray. “Thank you.”
Luke laughed and picked up the same thing. He paid the cashier, and he looked around the room. “There’s a table in the corner,” he said, and Vicky led the way to the table. They sat down at the table and Vicky took her plate of fries and popped one in her mouth.
She grinned. “So, what did Father Turner say to you?”
He rolled his eyes. “I had to go to the confessional.” He shook his head. “They’re so predictable around here.” He laughed. “My sentenc
e was twenty-five ‘Hail Mary’s’ just like I said it would be.”
She laughed. “Well, I’m glad it wasn’t that bad,” she said and popped another fry into her mouth.
He laughed. “How were your last two classes?”
She sat back and frowned. “Don’t ask.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I really want to know.”
She sighed heavily. “Well for starters, Sister Phoebe was the teacher for my second period class.” His eyes sparkled; he grinned, and waited for her to continue. “Then I had a run-in with Sara.”
“Sara.”
She nodded. “Yeah, Sister Phoebe told me to take the desk next to Sara.”
“And . . .”
Vicky shrugged. “Sara and I are going to wind up butting heads.”
“Vicky, you need to be careful around Sara . . .”
She held up a hand to stop him from going on. “You leave Sara to me.” He opened his mouth to object. “Luke, I already know what Sara is.” She shook her head. “I am not afraid of Sara.”
He swallowed hard. “Maybe you should be . . .”
She popped the last bite of hamburger in her mouth; she chewed it and swallowed it. She put her hand over Luke’s. “Listen, Luke, I appreciate your concern.”
“Vicky, Sara is a witch,” he growled and looked around cautiously before he continued. “If she doesn’t like someone, she usually whips up a curse. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t think you’re taking the Sara situation seriously enough.”
She sat back in her chair and frowned. “I know Sara is a witch. I’ve already been talking with Rachael . . .”
He threw out his hand. “Rachael is a perfect example of what I’m trying to tell you . . .”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Rachael is the perfect example of why I have to stop Sara.
That poor girl . . .”
He took her hand in his. “I don’t want you to be ‘that poor girl’,” he said softly.
She smiled. “I can handle myself.”
He sat back in his chair and sighed in defeat. “I hope you’re right.” He smiled back at her sadly. “I’ll stick by you no matter what happens.”
She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. “Luke, nothing is going to happen to me.
Trust me.”
He smiled. “I do trust you. I just don’t trust Sara.”
She shrugged. “I’m sorry I even brought the subject up.”
He stood up and picked up the tray. “Unfortunately it’s time to go back to class. Meet me in the parking lot by your car after school.”
She grinned. “Sure, I’ll wait for you.”
Chapter Six
Vicky stepped out of the cafeteria in a hurry for her next class. She was dreading finding out who the teacher for the next class would be. She was passing by the girl’s bathroom when the door flew open, and a set of hands grabbed her from behind and yanked her inside. “What the hell . . .” she said, and then she hit the wall hard hitting her head in the process. “You!” she shouted.
Sara smiled smugly and paced back and forth in front of Vicky triumphantly. “Well, well, well . . . Lookie what I found,” she said snidely. She laughed. “Not so high and mighty now, are ya?”
Vicky rubbed the back of her head. She had a large lump forming, and all it did was make her angry. “Sara, what is it that you have against me?” she demanded as she glowered at Sara.
“You’ve been trying to provoke me from the first moment we saw each other. I want to know why?”
Sara shrugged. “I don’t like you,” she said hatefully.
Vicky raised an eyebrow and glared. “No duh . . .” she said sarcastically. “I don’t particularly like you either, but I didn’t start out in the beginning to purposefully attack you.”
Sara slammed her hands on her hips, and put her face in Vicky’s. “I know what you are . . .”
Sara spat the accusation.
Vicky rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Sara, tell me what I am . . . please enlighten me,” she paused when Sara smiled, “and don’t tell me that I’m a harlot, because we both know that’s not true.”
Sara laughed. “I can’t help it if your reputation precedes you.”
Vicky mirrored Sara, slamming her hands on her hips. “My reputation . . . How in the hell can I have a reputation here, when I just arrived in town two days ago?”
“I know why you came here,” Sara hissed.
The color left Vicky’s face. “How could you possibly know anything about me?”
“I know about your mother.”
A deep-seated rage began to consume Vicky. “Don’t talk bad about my mother,” she growled.
“I don’t have to. Your reaction tells me that the rumors are true.” The room started to darken and haze over, and Sara looked around, suddenly alarmed. “What . . . What the hell?” The light bulbs in the bathroom started to pop, slowly, one at a time. Her head whipped around to stare Vicky in the eyes. “It’s true!”
Vicky narrowed her eyes. “Do you think you still want to cross me?” she growled. “I’ve heard rumors myself, all about you.” She raised her chin defiantly. “More than one person in this school will swear that you’re a witch yourself. They are afraid of you and your petty curses.”
Sara’s eyes grew wide and she backed up. Vicky charged on and got right in Sara’s face. “You see, I’m not generally vindictive. In fact, most people would describe me as nice and easy going.
I will warn you now Sara. If you corner me, I will fight back.” She shook her head. “I don’t need spells or potions. It all comes naturally to me.” The metal on the stalls started to tremble and shake.
Sara backed up as far as she could go until she hit the wall. She brought her trembling hands up to cover her mouth. “You’re a white witch!” she said in disbelief. She swallowed hard. “You were born to the craft.”
Vicky nodded. “If you’re smart enough to figure that out, then you’re smart enough to know that your black magic has no effect on me.” Sara swallowed hard again, and Vicky continued, “I could destroy you if I so willed it.”
Sara’s eyes were large and frightened. “But . . . but . . . but white witches are only supposed to be a myth.” She shook her head in denial. “It can’t be real, but . . . I saw you. You didn’t even lift a finger. You didn’t even look at it. You . . . you didn’t even have to chant.”
Vicky slung her bag back over her shoulder and backed away from Sara. “Now, I’m going to my next class. I’ll make up some excuse as to why I was late. I don’t want any more trouble out of you. In fact, I don’t want to hear about you terrorizing anybody else.” Sara nodded. “If I do hear about you terrorizing anybody else, I won’t be so nice next time.” Sara swallowed hard and nodded.
Vicky left the bathroom to go to class. Sara stayed behind trembling in the corner.
Chapter Seven
Vicky looked around the parking lot nervously. All the other students had left, and her car was the only one left on the lot. She had been standing by her car waiting on Luke for the last ten minutes. She opened her car door and tossed her bag inside and then slammed the door tight.
“Come on Luke . . .” she said under her breath. This had been a day from hell. That run in with Sara in the bathroom had been the last straw. All she wanted to do was to go home, take a hot bath, and try to forget about the day’s events, but she had agreed to meet Luke after school. If he didn’t hurry, she was going home. She wanted to forget that this day had ever happened.
“Miss me?” Luke said softly.
Vicky jumped and brought her hand up to her chest to still her racing heart. “Luke,” she said breathlessly. “You scared me again. Where did you come from?”
He laughed softly. “I’ve been around.” He leaned against her car door. “Today’s been tough for you. Tomorrow will be better.” His eyes sparkled. “Tonight could be better.” He lifted his hand to her cheek and brushed a stray lock of hair away tenderly. “I was wondering if y
ou’d like to go out for dinner tonight.”
She bit her bottom lip and grinned flirtatiously. “Having dinner with you does sound like fun, but I have to go shopping tonight to get a couple of school uniforms to wear tomorrow.”
He grinned. “That wasn’t an out and out ‘no’. Will you go out with me if I take you shopping too?”
Her grin got bigger. No guy in Fort Lauderdale had ever offered to take her shopping too.
“I’ll have to check with my dad first.” She bit her bottom lip, looked away, and flushed. “He’s probably going to want to meet you before he’ll give me an answer.”
He put his finger under her chin and made her look at him. “I don’t mind talking to your dad first,” he said. He let go of her chin, and then he laughed. “My name hasn’t crossed his desk at work, so I should pass his test.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I don’t know. My dad can be pretty tough.”
He grinned. “Have no fear babe. Getting on your dad’s good side should be a piece of cake.
I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”
She laughed softly. “I’m sure you can, but if you want to get on my dad’s good side you can’t clown around. He’s a very serious man, and he takes his daughter’s safety very seriously.”
He put his hand over his heart dramatically. “I will protect you with my life.”
She laughed harder. “You’re teasing me.”
His eyes sparkled mischievously. “I never joke about a beautiful girl’s safety.”
“Pick me up at seven,” she said excitedly. “Do you know where I live?”
He nodded. “I’ve lived here all my life, and it’s a very small town. I know where everybody lives.” He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. “I’ll see you at seven,” he said and stepped away from her car door.
“Okay,” she said and turned to open her car door. She opened the door, turned back around to tell him good-bye, and he was gone. She searched the empty school parking lot with her eyes in disappointment. He was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged, and then her eyes caught a movement at the edge of the woods. There was a large black wolf staring back at her. It wasn’t making any aggressive advances toward her. A cold chill ran up and down her spine and her heart raced. She quickly jumped into her car and slammed the car door shut and locked it.