“Yeah, thanks,” said Kala. “For everything you’ve done to help us. All of you.”
“You’re very welcome, child,” said Clarice. “And like Tyler said, we’re going to do everything in our power to save her.”
She smiled humbly. “I believe you.”
“Time to get you to Vail,” said Rebecca. “Remember, leave her in the guestroom and make yourselves at home. Whatever you do – don’t touch her. It might be fatal. We’ll return there as soon as we find the wand.”
“Sounds good,” said Bailey.
Rebecca waved her wand, and in a flash of bright light, Adrianne, Kala, and Bailey had vanished.
“I’ll never get used to that,” I replied, turning back to Rebecca.
“You will,” she replied. “Now, if everyone is ready, let’s head out to Oregon. Specifically, the Devil’s Playground. Clarice will lead the way.”
“Are we flying this time?” she asked, looking hopeful.
Rebecca frowned. “That’s right, your knees.”
Clarice bent down and touched her right knee. “Truth be told, they are a little sore, but if you think we should teleport instead, I’ll just have to suck it up.”
“Nonsense,” said Rebecca, patting her gently on the back. “We can fly. Tyler?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re all going to use brooms this time. So that we don’t split up.”
“Okay,” he replied. “I guess I’d better change into something warmer then.”
“Good idea. In fact, let me take care of that,” she replied, pointing her wand at him. Seconds later, he wore a black wool sweater, a fresh pair of blue jeans, and mountain boots. She then turned her wand on herself, and was now wearing a similar outfit, but with a black leather jacket.
“My goodness, it is chilly up there, especially at this time of the morning. I guess I’d better change, too,” said Clarice. In a flash, she was dressed all in black and reminded me of a cat burglar. One with a healthy appetite. Pulling a black beret over her white hair, she winked at me. “You should put on something warmer.”
I looked down at my long sleeves. It was September, and it had gotten up to eighty the day before. How cold could it be? “I should be okay.” Then it really hit me – we were going to fly! I grinned. “Seriously? I’m really going to fly on a broom?”
“Yes,” said Tyler. “Think you can handle it?”
The thought of shooting through the sky on a broom made me giddy, although I hated heights.
Could I handle it?
I had to.
Chapter Three
“Yeah. Sure,” I replied.
“Unfortunately, you’re going to have to do this all on your own,” said Tyler, grabbing a black wool jacket from behind the front counter. “One body per broom, or the weight will be too much.”
“Okay.” I turned to Clarice, who I knew enjoyed flying on hers. “So, um is it hard?”
“Oh, just hold on tight and you’ll be fine,” she replied, opening up her purse. She pulled out her broom as I watched in astonishment. The fact that she carried around a roomful of magical items inside of her purse, was mind-boggling.
“It’s a little more than that. You’ll need to focus on where you want to go and then point your broom in that direction,” said Rebecca, who also now had hers.
“In other words, follow mom,” said Tyler, who had returned from the linen closet, holding two brooms. He handed one to me.
I stared down at it. Nothing about the old, wooden broom appeared special.
“It’s not enchanted,” said Tyler, noticing my confusion. “Not yet. You’ll need to use Chloe in order to make it fly.”
“So, it really is just a regular old broom?” I asked.
He smiled. “Yep.”
“Tyler, place your broom on the floor,” ordered Rebecca. “So we can show her how this works.”
He set it on the rug and then stepped back, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Rebecca raised her wand. “Awaken,” she said, waving it at the broom.
I watched in wonder as the broom lit up and began to sparkle.
“Okay, Tyler, you can now pick it back up,” said Rebecca.
He walked over and grabbed it.
Rebecca waved her wand again. “Allegiance.”
The sparkling light spread to Tyler until they were both engulfed in a sparkly yellowish haze.
“Wow,” I whispered, feeling like we were in a Disney movie or something.
Clarice smiled. “Now, the broom will obey his every command.”
I grinned. “That is so cool.”
“Your turn,” said Tyler as the sparkly light began to dim. “Excited?”
I nodded. “Uh, does it hurt?”
“No,” he replied. “Not at all.”
I licked my lips nervously. “Okay. So, do I just repeat the same spell, Rebecca?”
She nodded. “Exactly the same spell.”
I put the broom down on the floor and held out Chloe. “Awaken.”
Just like Tyler’s broom, it began to glow and sparkle.
“Great job,” said Clarice, nodding in approval. “Now, don’t forget the second part. You have to do it quickly.”
I then picked up the broom with my left hand, and immediately felt a tingling sensation. I waved the wand with my other. “Allegiance.”
There was a flash of warmth that spread from where my fingers held the broom, to every part of my body. It was pleasant and electrifying at the same time.
“Wow,” I said. “This is really intense.”
Tyler chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”
I looked at Rebecca. “So, it’s flyable now?”
“Yes. Let’s go out the backdoor and we’ll show you what to do,” she replied.
An image of me holding onto the broom with both hands, and praying for dear life, crossed my mind. I stared at my wand nervously. “Okay, yeah, sure. What should I do with Chloe while I’m flying?”
Rebecca was silent for a few seconds, and then raised her index finger. “You know what? I have just the thing.” Then she hurried to the back. When she returned, she was holding a small black and green backpack. “Here,” she said, handing it to me. “You can have this.”
“Thanks,” I replied, unzipping it. I placed Chloe into the backpack, and then slipped my arms through the straps. “Is this thing enchanted?”
“No,” said Tyler. “I used it for camping once.”
“I’ve never been camping,” I said.
“We’ll have to go,” he replied, smiling. “We can even share a sleeping bag.”
Rebecca grunted.
“So, are we ready?” asked Clarice, who was clearly getting excited. “Anyone need a potty break?”
“Uh, actually, I should probably go,” I replied, walking toward the bathroom. Just the thought of flying several hundred feet in the air at the mercy of a broom was almost making me wet my pants as it was.
“We’ll wait for you,” called Tyler.
When I reached the bathroom, I closed the door and glanced in the mirror, still pretty shocked at my reflection. I touched my face, wishing that it was all just a bad dream and I’d wake up. But… the crazy truth was staring me in the face. Not only was I fully conscious, but the face staring back at me wasn’t my sister’s, and the woman I’d known all my life as my mother, was actually my aunt. Needless to say, I wasn’t even sure who I was anymore.
Sighing, I finished my business, washed my hands, and walked out.
“Here,” said Tyler, handing me my broom.
“Thanks.”
“Nervous?” he asked, removing his sunglasses.
I stared into his green eyes and a warm calmness engulfed me. “Actually, I’m doing better.”
“Good,” he replied, obviously holding back a smile.
I smirked. “You’re not fooling me, Tyler. I know exactly what you just did.”
His eyes twinkled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I
shoved him playfully toward the back. “Right. Um, thanks. I probably needed a little help in the nerve department.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, flying is a little intimidating at first. But, if you relax and hold on tight, you’ll also find that it can be a lot of fun.”
“So, how many times have you flown on a broom?” I asked.
He shoved his sunglasses into his jacket pocket. “Just a couple. I usually prefer teleporting because it’s faster. But even I have to admit that flying is more enjoyable. Well,” he stared at my lips and then grinned. “Usually.”
I thought about the few stolen kisses we’d shared during teleportation, and I couldn’t have agreed more.
“Come on,” called Rebecca, holding the door open to the alley. “I’d like to get to Oregon before the sun comes up. Less chance that someone will see us flying.”
“We’re coming,” answered Tyler.
“I still can’t believe I’m going to be flying in the air,” I said as we stepped outside and into the darkness. It was almost four in the morning and the alley was quiet, except for a few chirping crickets.
“You’re going to be blown away by the experience,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?” I replied, not so sure.
He laughed. “Literally. It’s pretty windy up there.”
“Tyler, keep it down,” whispered Rebecca as her eyes scanned the dark alley.
“Sorry,” he replied.
She turned to me. “Grab your broom with both hands and straddle it. Like this.” She placed the broom between her legs and I had to stifle a laugh. Even though they were really enchanted, and we actually were witches, it looked silly.
“Okay,” I replied, following her lead.
“This is going to be so much fun,” said Clarice, giggling like a little girl. She straddled her broom, winked at me, and then said, “I’ll meet you under the stars, young witch.”
“Right,” I answered as her broom began to sparkle.
“I’ll race ya, Tyler,” said Clarice. “If you think you’ve got what it takes to beat an old pro like me.”
“You’re on,” he said, getting onto his broom. He looked back at me. “Just remember to hold on tightly and focus on us. Your broom will go where you want it to go, now that it’s under your spell. Kind of like me.”
Rebecca snorted loudly, although I couldn’t help but blush. He made me feel like I was already flying.
“Catch me if you can!” cackled Clarice as she shot into the air.
“Oh, it’s so on,” said Tyler, taking off after her.
“Okay, Kendra, take a deep breath,” said Rebecca, as we stood side-by-side. “And focus on what you want the broom to do.”
I inhaled and exhaled, and then stared down at the broom. “How come it’s not sparkling or anything?” I asked.
She frowned. “You must have some reserves. The broom knows if you’re not mentally ready to fly. You have to really want it.”
I bit my lower lip. “But I do.”
She stared at me for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, then you should have no problem following me west. Just remember to focus on getting to Oregon, and stay close. I’ll watch for you up there.”
“You’re going to leave me?” I squeaked.
She nodded toward the sky. “No, I’ll be up there, waiting. Just like I said.”
I shivered. “Yeah, but what if I can’t do it?”
Her eyes softened. “You can do it. I have faith in you.”
“But, what if I don’t.”
She reached over and squeezed my wrist. “Kendra, just believe that you can. If it helps, believe it for your mother’s sake. She needs you to save her life. She needs you to fly.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
Rebecca stared at me for another few seconds and then nodded. “Okay. Up there.”
“Up there,” I repeated.
She then took off into the sky, and I felt nervous and very much alone.
Do it for mom, I thought.
I looked up into the stars and swallowed hard. It was now or never.
Crap.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” chuckled a voice I’d come to despise. “A witch-wannabe?”
My head whipped around and I found him standing alone in the shadows by the dumpster. “What do you want?” I snapped, clenching my teeth. I still couldn’t believe that we were related. That he was actually my uncle. It made me physically ill.
Mark smirked and began moving toward me. “You know, I don’t know why you’re so upset with me. Your aunt kidnapped you and your sister years ago, keeping you from your true mother. You should be grateful I’ve taken care of Adrianne.”
My hand itched for Chloe, but she was in my backpack. He’d cast a spell on me before I could even unzip the bag. “Look, our real mother didn’t want us. As far as I’m concerned, Adrianne was more of a mother than Vivian could have ever been.”
He raised his finger. “But, she wasn’t given a chance. Not only did your aunt steal you, but also your father. Vivian was left with nothing.”
My eyes narrowed. “Apparently, she had you.”
He smiled grimly. “We had each other. But, now she’s gone.”
“She was an evil woman, Mark. She tried killing a lot of innocent people, including her own sister and children.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he snapped, his face darkening. “You just know what was told to you by Adrianne and the others.”
“Same goes for you. You only know what Vivian told you.”
He stared at me for a few seconds and then laughed. “You’re such a pathetic little twit. Do you really think that I care what Vivian did to you or your aunt? As far as I’m concerned, she should have taken Adrianne out when they were teenagers.” He reached behind his waist and pulled out a wand. “I certainly won’t make that same mistake.”
From the look in his eyes, I knew I was a goner. Frantic, I took three steps with the broom still between my legs, and mercifully, my feet left the ground on the fourth.
Chapter Four
I shot up into the crisp, dark sky, clinging to the broom in terror. It was hard to see anything, and I had no idea what I was doing, or where the others were. All I knew was that I was ascending quickly and that a wrong move could prove to be pretty painful. Unfortunately, I had no idea what any of the right moves were.
“This is insane!” I cried, my eyes filling with tears as the wind hit me in the face. “Tyler, where are you?!”
“Kendra!” he hollered, coming up behind me. “You okay?”
“Thank God!” I yelled back, trying to balance myself on the broomstick. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Clarice enjoyed it so much.
“Hey, why don’t you lean forward on the broom a little more,” he instructed, as I somehow managed to slow down. “You’re sitting up too straight.”
I followed his advice and sighed in relief as the ride became more tolerable.
He gave me an encouraging smile. “See, you’re getting the hang of it.”
“Right,” I laughed humorlessly.
“There’s my mom,” he shouted, pointing ahead of us.
We’d already reached the edge of town, and I could see Rebecca’s long hair blowing behind her as we sped closer.
She looked back at us, grinned, and gave me a thumbs-up. “You finally made it! Good, now follow me!” she yelled.
“Uh, okay!” I answered, still very shaky. I had to admit, I was so nervous that I wanted to puke.
“Relax!” yelled Tyler. “You look like you’re going to throw up!”
“Good observation!” I answered, my teeth chattering from the cold. I kicked myself for not changing into something warmer when I had the chance.
He moved his broom closer to mine. “Mark returned, huh?”
“Yes. The jerk.”
“I was about to land when you took off. I wanted to rip his head off when I saw him back
there, harassing you.”
“He almost killed me. My wand was in my backpack and I couldn’t defend myself. Thank goodness for this broom.”
He swore. “I’m not leaving you again. Not until we fix everything that needs to be fixed, and then find a way to lock him up.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You can really do that?”
“Yes. He hasn’t fully evolved magically yet, so he’s vulnerable without his wand. If we take it away, he’s pretty powerless.”
Just like me, I thought. Without our wands we were both, obviously, vulnerable.
But those same rules didn’t apply to Tyler. Fortunately. “So, basically we’re just human. What does that make you?”
He smirked. “Me? I’m a human with… benefits.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re a goof.”
“Kendra!” hollered Clarice, joining us. “How do you like it?”
“It’s… okay, I guess,” I replied, although I had to admit, I was starting to feel a little more at ease. “I’m just trying not to look down.”
“Don’t worry, dear,” she said, her own cheeks flushed with excitement. It was clear that she was having a blast. “Your broom won’t let you down. Even if you were to try and jump off of it in mid-air, it would come right back to you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“She’s right,” said Tyler. “I guess you could say that it’s part of you now.”
I relaxed even more. “Well, that’s good to know. I really don’t like heights, so this has been pretty nerve-wracking.”
“Don’t be frightened. If an old woman like me can handle this, you certainly can, too!” hollered Clarice as she sped off to catch Rebecca, who was now a couple of hundred feet ahead of us.
“I suppose that we’d better keep up with them,” said Tyler. “Do you think you can handle going a little faster?”
An image of my mother’s frightened face popped into my head and I nodded. “I guess I’ll have to. I want to find that wand and free Adrianne from the curse as quickly as possible.”
“Good. Just remember that you’re perfectly safe on the broom and that I’m here to help if you need anything.”
Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport) Page 2