by K. G. McAbee
Then it hit me. I didn't have many people whom I loved or trusted. And neither did Anya. We were alike in more ways than I realized.
But, if I had anything to do with it, we were at least going to have each other. And nothing Clay or Kinsey or WFG could do would change that.
Nothing.
***
I lingered on the back porch, trying to blend in, while the crew got wasted on the same alcohol I kept dumping into the bushes whenever I got the chance. Just after ten o'clock, I decided I'd had enough and started to head back through the house. I reached my car, and had my keys in my hand, before a voice stopped me. A groan escaped before I could catch it.
"Where you goin', honey? Party's just gettin' started."
I turned to see the girl that had, thankfully, ignored me after Jordan started paying her attention. She looked like a mess, just as drunk as her friends inside.
"Yeah. I gotta get back..."
Hannah cut me off, walking around me to run her hand over the side of the car, before leaning against it. "Pretty. Just as good lookin' as you are."
"Um, thanks. Listen..."
She giggled, reaching out to run her hand over the front of my shirt. "You don't gotta go so soon, do ya? Get to know a girl a little bit first."
I had to get out of there. Fast. I shook my head before brushing her hand aside.
"Really, it's been fun, but..."
The girl threw herself against me, knocking me off balance, as she wrapped her arms around my throat and tried to kiss me. I acted out of some primal instinct for survival when I pushed her away. She stumbled, glaring at me, before stamping her foot on the gravel driveway.
"What is it with you? What? Cause I ain't no witch I ain't good enough for ya? I hate you!"
Hannah was away from me. Away from my car. The desire to take a shower was starting to overwhelm me as I waved and slid inside making sure, damn sure, I locked the doors behind me.
I heard one last "I hate you!" as I started the car and drove away. My thoughts went back to Anya, and it amazed me how different she truly was from the others I'd met here in Manning. Compared to Hannah, Anya embodied all the quiet peace and dignity I was searching for, even with the danger WFG posed for her family. The Hummer was gone, and I watched in my rear view mirror as I maneuvered through the streets going back into town to make sure it didn't return.
After the party, I wanted nothing more than to just hear Anya's voice. Have her calm me down after the disaster of Jordan and his friends. The thought of Hannah made me shudder, and it made my decision. I pulled into the parking lot of a fast food joint, took my new phone out, and found the number I'd dialed into it earlier. The phone rang several times before the voice I'd been wanting to hear picked up.
"Hello?"
My sudden nervousness was replaced with the calm I felt around her, and I could feel the grin on my face, as I leaned back against the seat. "Hey."
"Tommy? Hey! What's wrong..." Then laughter. "Sorry, I'm not good at this kinda thing."
I chuckled, cradling the phone against my ear. "Yeah, I'm not either. But, well..." The sudden shyness I felt, seemed to always feel when she was close by, was overwhelming, and I kicked myself for it. I cleared my throat and started over. "I just left Jordan's place. They had a party tonight and...well, I needed to talk to someone who wasn't drunk."
Or desperate...I pushed the image of Hannah out of my mind.
I could hear movement on the other side of the line before she responded.
"I'm sorry."
I laughed despite myself. "I didn't want to go. But...my uncle...thought it was a good idea if I started meeting people around here. Try to make friends."
"Did you make any?"
"No!" The word came out stronger than I intended, but she just laughed again, and I knew that silly grin was back on my face. I couldn't put my finger on it, but this girl could make me happy just by hearing her voice, her laughter. I loved every second of it.
"Well, what was the point then?"
I sighed. "I guess there wasn't one. I did hear about something though. Something happened at school on Thursday."
She got quiet, but I waited. It worked. Anya responded. "Let's start with what you heard. Then we'll go from there."
Slow, quiet, cautious. Those were the best words I could find to describe how she sounded. I cleared my throat and told her what Jordan had said about her having to go into Principal Fisher's office, and how the guy named Michael had overheard. She snorted when I finished.
"Did he tell you how I gave Michael the only bath he's had this year, too?"
Anya told me how she had found the graffiti on her locker, what the principal had said, and finally, how she had dumped the water on the guy's head. I laughed.
"Good for you! But, well, what are you going to do?"
She sighed. "Not a thing, hun. There's nothing I can do. Not really. And I hate to do this, but...well, I gotta go. I can hear Evie calling me now."
"All right. We're still on for Sunday night, right?"
"Of course. You remember how to get down there?"
"Yeah." Of course I remembered. That place had been in my dreams. The place where I realized how special Anya was to me. "I'll see you then, okay?"
"'K. Bye, Tommy."
I waited until I heard her hang up before I disconnected the call, holding the phone in my hands as if I could bring her through it. So I could hold her, kiss her again. Tell her those idiots I'd been with tonight didn't matter. So I really could take her away from this town and all its trappings.
Someday I would, though. Somehow, we would leave Manning together. I was sure of it, and I'd show her the world as it was meant to be seen.
I grinned as I pulled out of the parking spot and headed home. I was certain Anya felt the same way about me as I did her. I could feel it. Hear it in her voice. Memories of what Grand had told me about taking things slow ran through my mind and I chuckled.
It was too late for slow. Too late for caution. Once I had Anya safe from WFG, I'd tell her so.
To hell with slow. This was my girl, and I was going make sure she stayed that way.
Chapter Eleven
Anya
"Anya!"
The panic in the voice tore me from sleep and I batted at the hand digging into my shoulder.
"Anya!"
"Stop...I'm up. I'm awake. What is it, Aunt Evie?"
I looked up at her eyes, wide with fear, as she stared at the altar that had served as my makeshift pillow. She didn't have to say another word; I jumped up myself, crying out as I stepped away.
The altar was a sacred place for us. While the beauty of nature served as our cathedral, the items on the altar were to be used only as a way to create spellcraft or pray to the Goddess. By falling asleep on it, I had committed a blasphemous act, and one I would have to work to rectify for the rest of the morning. I may as well have spat on it, or danced naked on it.
I turned to Evie, who was staring at me as if I had grown a third eye overnight.
"What happened to you, Annie? You know better than that!"
"I was..." Visions from the night before crashed around me and I groaned. I grabbed for Evie's hands. "Evie, you have to help me! Ma can't know..."
She shook off my grip and her green eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Help you with what, Anya? You've made a big enough mess on your own. Why should I help?"
Boy, did I know it. First with Tommy, then with the altar. I was well on my way to being kicked out of the whole family, it looked like. I shook my head. "Evie, you don't understand. I did something...did some magic...I shouldn't have. And the Goddess said..."
Her eyes had been narrowed before. Now they widened in shock as her jaw dropped. "The who? What? The Goddess only comes to the strongest ones of us all...so few are granted...few...how...when..."
Evie struggled for a moment more before regaining control over herself. Her grip had been painful before; now it was gentle as she led me
over to the bed. I was reminded in an instant of the conversation I had overhead the night before. As well as the warning from the Goddess.
Be wary of your mother and aunt.
So that was it? I could divine with fire and talk to our spiritual deity? It didn't seem like this ability was going to be much help last night. It certainly wasn't helping me now. I tightened my grip on Evie's hands until she winced.
"Annie, tell me what is wrong."
My panic started to take over, my words stumbling over each other as I tried to tell her about the fire divination, the binding spell I put on Tommy, and how I had tried to reverse it.
She freed a hand and raised it. "No, no. Tell me what is so wrong the Great Mother would come to you."
I fell silent as I examined her face for the first time since I had started to talk. It had changed from the aunt I knew into a stranger. She looked the same, but her eyes held a new light I wasn't used to seeing in them. They had become the eyes of a fanatic.
"What was it like? What did She say? I want to hear everything, every word."
My words slowed on my tongue. I pulled back from her and took a breath. But I had no choice. There was nowhere else to turn.
"Beautiful. She...the place...all of it was stunning."
I started to tell her the rest, when we heard noises; Ivy was moving around below. She was certainly someone I didn't want to overhear me and Evie, maybe eavesdrop on the story I wasn't sure if I even wanted to tell Evie now.
Especially after seeing the look in her eyes.
The sounds snapped Evie back to earth. She shook her head, her dark hair flying, and hugged me. "We'll wait until your mother leaves for work this afternoon. There are things you need to know about. Especially now we know you are a direct link."
She clapped her hands together in excitement and I raised an eyebrow at the movement. So they had been keeping something from me. Something big enough for my mother to react in anger if she found out about it. Evie's next words confirmed my suspicions.
"You must promise not to let your Ma know we talked, though. And don't forget to clean your altar. Sleeping on it and talking to the Goddess! Who would have thought...?"
Evie's words weren't directed to me as she seemed to float out the door. I waited until I was sure it was clear before heading to the bath. I had a sinking feeling she was hanging around in the hall, just waiting for the chance to pounce. But I knew she feared Ivy's hysterics as much as I did. She wouldn't take a chance on getting caught doing something her sister had specifically told her not to do.
I spent the morning correcting my mistake. I removed each piece around my altar and cleaned it, threw the burnt candles away. It was a wonder I hadn't burned the house down with my little stunt. But my memories of the night before were so clear. Especially the exhaustion. I'd never felt anything like it before.
When the small table was bare, I began to polish the surface until the grain of the wood shone with my reflection. Pleased and satisfied at last, I moved on to the last and most important part: focusing my energies back into it. I rested my hands rested against the surface smoothed by time and my mind went to work. Images of doing spells there, and those wishes coming to pass, were at the forefront as I cleared the negativity off the top of it.
A warmth spread through me and I knew it was done. My knees popped as I stood to remind me of how hard they had hit the floor the night before. The groan that escaped came from somewhere deep me as I hobbled across the hall to the supply closet.
Cinnamon, one white, one black, tea lights...
I began to murmur aloud the mental checklist I'd memorized in childhood. Just when I thought I had everything, I ended up making another trip to the closet for one more thing. I sighed before attempting to focus on the good things instead of the aggravating ones. It had been that kinda morning.
The items were each placed in their assigned spots until all appeared to be in order.
That's how I liked things. In order. Where they were supposed to be.
I stepped back and examined the finished product. A tall white and a single black candle flanked each corner in the back. One pulled energies in. The other chased all the bad ones away. Tea lights, red and gold, lined the sides and tiny pieces of bark from the broken cinnamon sticks scattered across the shiny surface like small rocks skipping across water. The purpose of all these items was simple.
Success.
The final item was centered in the back between the two tall candles. It was nothing more than a dollar store porcelain figurine, of a slender woman raising her hands. No color marred the smooth white that defined her features; no cracks broke the peace lining her expression. This had been my idea, my vision of the Goddess for as long as I could remember. I think Evie had gotten it for my first altar. But who can really remember that far back?
Before, this representation had been enough; beautiful to me, becoming my model for how I wanted to be when I grew up. Happy. At peace. Now, I realized how wrong I was. Nothing had ever been that easy. Peace was never that easy.
When the altar was put back together, I knelt before the small figurine and bowed my head.
"Great Mother, I know I'm saying this to you a lot here lately. Please forgive me for my blasphemy. I meant no harm to this sacred place."
Silence was my only response until I stood and the distant silver bells returned to my ears. The Goddess I had talked to last night had returned to chuckle in my ears.
You needed to clean that anyway. It was getting dusty. Now go to bed, child. The rest is needed, yes, and much deserved.
There was no argument from me this time. I slipped into bed and shut myself off from all the worries and fears that had plagued me over the past twenty-four hours. Just as I was about to doze off, the soft ringing of the phone jarred me back into consciousness.
The sound was easy enough to ignore; the voice in my thoughts was not.
Pick it up, Annie. Now!
It rang twice more before I gave in. I grabbed it and said, "Hello?"
Tommy; but it didn't sound like him. His words sounded odd, forced, as if he were choking on them.
"Anya..."
I leaned forward, pressing the phone closer. As if by doing so, I could bring him through the phone.
It didn't work. He was still on his side of town, and I was still on mine.
"Tommy, hun, what's wrong? Is it the dreams?"
Tommy seemed to take a minute to catch his breath or compose himself before he answered. "I...I need to see you tomorrow night. Can you meet me by, uh, down by the pond?"
"Of course. What time?" My mind was ransacking through the list of excuses I could use for Ivy and Evie. A part of me was screaming to stay home. The voice that had become my constant companion was begging me to go.
Just to see him.
"Nine o'clock. Everything will be calm here and I..."
His voice trailed off and I waited. Whatever had happened today had been bad enough for him to search me out. Then I understood.
I have released him. The magic really was working.
"I'll see you then, okay?"
Tommy agreed and we said our goodbyes. The phone call hadn't lasted for more than five minutes, but its importance to me was more than I could say.
His tone told me what I wanted to know. The spell had worked after all.
Everything was ending.
***
"Annie..."
Evie's voice was softer than before as she slipped into my room. I had been awake for awhile, listening as my mother left for work and Evie began to make supper.
I hadn't moved for one simple reason. I wanted to avoid Evie.
Now, there was no way around it.
I cracked one eye open as she leaned over me; then I sat up with a groan, making a show of being groggy as I swung my legs onto the floor. I didn't want to admit the strange look in her eyes this morning had scared me.
But it had. A lot.
I gasped at the darkness filling the wi
ndow, all pretenses of feigning sleep forgotten.
"Evie...by the gods...what time is it?"
"Just after seven."
She laughed as I whipped my head around to stare at her in amazement. A sudden sharp pain at the base of my neck reminded me of my nap last night, and I winced as she continued.
"Now come on. I need to show you something..."
Just after seven. I must have dozed back off after Tommy's call and again after Ivy had left for work around four. It seemed strange to sleep the day through without the dreams, but I must have needed the rest. I felt a little guilty for making Evie wait for so long.
I fell in step with my aunt.
She walked out of the house and we moved in silence as she led me through the field that separated the dry shed from the house. The small building fit snug amongst the trees that surrounded it and I was briefly reminded of my visit here yesterday with Tommy when I'd dropped off the basket of herbs I'd managed to finish.
Tommy...who is going to say goodbye to me tomorrow...
The thought threatened to overwhelm me and I pushed it away as quickly as I could.
"Evie, where are we going?"
I was surprised to hear my voice sounding almost fearful. She had seemed so excited to hear the story about the meeting with the Goddess this morning. Now, she hadn't brought it up once. I was confused.
Confusion was a good thing. It kept my mind off tomorrow night.
"To the dry shed. I told you I had to show you something."
The grin she threw me seemed a little off in the twilight.
Evie's small stocky frame was lit by her flashlight as we made our way around the building. The kudzu so famous in the South had conquered the land as well as the back of the building, and for a moment, I wondered if we were stepping around the snakes that came with it.
I shuddered at the thought, then she turned and brushed the thick vines aside to insert a key into the door hidden there.
"What in the world?" I almost didn't recognize my own voice as I followed her through the door I had never noticed before. Not that I spent much time in the backyard looking for those snakes in the kudzu.