by Tara West
Dad arched a bushy brow as he sat down next to me. “The witch trials?”
“Yes.”
Mom set a bag of flour on the counter and slowly walked over to us, her narrowed eyes focused on my father before she snapped her gaze to me. “Why would your school want to do a play about witches?”
I sunk low in my chair as I focused on twirling a lone noodle around my fork. “That’s the play the teacher picked.” Why had I known my mom would be upset about the play? And why did her disapproval hurt me so much?
As tempting as it was to pop into her brain and find out exactly what she thought about witches, I somehow already knew the answer. At that moment, all I wanted to do was get as far away from my mom’s brain, from my family, as possible.
“What is her name?” Mom snapped. “I need to speak to this teacher.”
“Mom,” I struggled get the words out as my throat tightened with emotion. “It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?” She rolled her eyes while throwing up her hands. “High school kids doing a play about devil worshippers is no big deal?”
“Witches aren’t devil worshippers.” I threw my fork down and crossed my arms. “And these were falsely accused witches anyway.”
Mom gasped and then looked at my father, who surprisingly hadn’t said a word. “What do you know about witches?” she asked in an accusatory tone. “What else are you learning in school?”
“Omigod, Mom, could we just drop it now?” I snapped, feeling heat infuse my chest and inflame my brain.
My dad cleared his throat as he set his fork down on his plate. “Seriously, hon, you are taking this a little too far. My grandmother wasn’t a devil worshipper.”
Dad’s grandma? What did she have to do with this? Then it hit me. O-mi-god! “W-what?” I stammered. “Your grandma was a witch?”
Mom held out both hands and stepped back from my dad, as if he suddenly had a case of the cooties. “Please let’s not talk about this.”
“No,” I said as my voice took on an urgent pitch. “I want to know.”
Dad shot Mom a baleful look before turning to me. “Nonna, my grandmother.” He paused once to cough into his hand as he shot my mom another wary look. “She was very special.”
My mom crossed her arms and glared at me dad. “She was crazy.”
Dad groaned as he raked his fingers through his greying chestnut hair. “Please, let me finish.”
When he looked back at me, I could read the anguish in his glossy grey eyes.
“When I was a kid,” he said, “we’d play hide and seek. One second she was in one room, and the next she was in another.”
I gasped. “Like teleporting or something?”
Dad nodded before flashing a subdued smile. “Yes.”
“Hun,” Mom snickered, “you were a kid. She was tricking you.”
Dad shook his head, but he refused to look up at Mom, who was by now practically hovering over both of us. “I was old enough to know the difference.”
“People can’t just vanish and reappear someplace else,” Mom practically growled as she leaned closer to my dad. I swear I thought I saw steam shooting out of her ears.
Dad straightened his shoulders and leveled my mom with a direct glare. “My grandma could. She was a wonderful woman, and sweet, and I loved her until the day she died.” With that he rose from his seat, patted me once on the shoulder, and walked out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
I looked over at my mom, who was still shaking her head and snickering. Wow. Just wow. I loved my mom, and she was normally so sweet and kind, but she totally didn’t get how badly she’d just hurt my father. I briefly scanned her thoughts, but only one phrase stood out.
Foolish man.
“How did she die?” I asked my mom.
“Suicide,” Mom said matter-of-factly. “She jumped in front of a bus. Broke your father’s heart.”
I froze at the low, ominous howl that resonated through my skull and filled my heart with dread.
Beside me, my mom gasped and her hand flew to her throat. “What is that sound?”
“I-I think it’s Alessia.” I slowly rose from my seat as another howl shook me to the core. It was definitely coming from upstairs. “Where’s Buster?” I asked my mom.
Mom’s widened gaze was focused somewhere on the ceiling. “Outside,” she rasped.
Even though my legs felt like deadweights, I marched toward the stairs before turning back to my mom one last time. “I need to find my cat.”
***
“Alessia, are you okay?”
I hesitantly pushed open the door to my bedroom and peered inside. My shoulders fell at the sight. A little ball of white fur was curled up on my bed, mewling softly as she shook.
“Alessia?” I breathed as I slowly kneeled beside the bed.
My kitty didn’t look up as she continued to cry and shake. A feeling of helplessness and despair washed over me. What had happened to upset Alessia? When she didn’t respond to my call again, I did the only thing I knew to do: I scratched her soft, fluffy fur.
My kitten shook but she didn’t pull away as I continued to scratch behind her ears and along the ridge on her back. Why she was so distraught? I wanted to pop in her head, but Alessia would know I was prying, and I didn’t want to upset her more. Although, I had a suspicion Alessia’s grief had something to do with what my mom had said about my dad’s grandma. Had Alessia been listening? If so, did she know Nonna? Had my mom’s careless insults upset her?
I honestly don’t know how long I scratched my kitty before her shaking subsided. When the aroma of warm cinnamon wafted up to my room, I knew I had been petting long enough for mom to bake a batch of cookies. If Mom was baking cookies for rehearsal, maybe that meant she was softening to the idea about me being in a play about witches. Hopefully.
I turned my head at a soft knock on my bedroom door as I felt Alessia jerk beneath my hand.
“Everything okay in here?” Dad called from the doorway.
I looked down at Alessia and stroked her back before leaning toward her. “It’s just my dad. You okay?”
She looked up at me with wide pale eyes and then twitched her tail.
Even though I wasn’t very familiar with cats, I figured tail twitching was a good sign. Relief flooded through me as I smiled at my kitten. “Yeah, we’re okay,” I called back to my dad.
I heard the door creak open, followed by my dad’s heavy footsteps on the thick carpet. “Thea. Is that you?”
My mouth fell open as I turned toward my dad. He was pointing a trembling finger at my cat.
“Thea?” I rasped as I pulled back from my cat. “You were Nonna’s familiar weren’t you? Your name was Thea?”
Alessia’s tail twitched again before she rose up on all four paws. My name has always been Alessia, she said as she lazily stretched across my bed. Your father never could say my name right.
“Am I right?” Dad asked me as he waved his hand at me and then Alessia. “Is this Thea?”
That’s when I realized I’d actually spoken to Alessia out loud in front of my dad. Oh, crap. I hesitantly looked up into my dad’s eyes. Luckily, I didn’t see judgment, there, though I saw a whole lot of other emotions. For one, it looked as if my dad was about to cry. “Yes, Dad,” I answered with a sigh.
Dad’s legs and arms began to visibly shake as he slowly lowered himself onto the edge of my bed. His wide, watery gaze traveled down to Alessia and then across to me. Several times, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but said nothing.
I remember it wasn’t too long ago my dad could easily lift me over his head and plant me on his shoulders. Over the past few years, his dark hair had grayed at the sides, and a lot more lines were framing his eyes. And though I’d always thought of my dad as this big strong guy, at the moment, he appeared as vulnerable and helpless as a baby.
“Dad.” I leaned forward and patted his hand. “You okay?”
Dad’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “If T
hea is your familiar, then you are a witch.”
I winced and pulled back from him. The way he’d said ‘witch’ sounded so ugly. My dad winced, too, and then pulled my hand back into his grip. “It’s okay, baby,” he said as his eyes softened. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Don’t tell Mom.” The words rushed out of my mouth on a whoosh of air. My mom couldn’t know. Not ever. Not after the way she’d reacted to my play and to Nonna. If Mom found out I was a witch, she’d drag me to a church and douse me in holy water.
“Okay.” He smiled as he squeezed my hand. “We’ll keep this between us.” Then his smile subsided and he released my hand while looking at me with a somber expression. “So what is your power?”
I shrugged while averting my gaze. I could not believe I was actually having this conversation with him. I could not believe he was acting so calm, because truthfully, on the inside, I was kind of freaking out.
“Come on,” Dad urged. “I won’t judge you, I swear.” He crossed his heart with one finger.
Alessia purred as she rubbed against my dad’s thigh. He reached down and stroked behind her ears. “I remember you always liked to be scratched here.”
I let out a nervous sigh as I watched my dad pet my cat. I loved the way she nuzzled his hand while swishing her tail. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of peace, contentment, and acceptance. My dad knew what Alessia was, knew what I was, but none of that seemed to matter to him.
I cleared my throat as I prepared to confess to my dad. I only hoped, once he learned of my gift, he’d still accept his witchy daughter. “I can read minds.”
Dad broke into a wide grin as his gaze locked on mine. His hand stilled on Alessia’s head, to which she responded with a loud purr and more nuzzling. Dad rolled his eyes at me before resuming his petting. “What number is in my head right now?”
I quirked a brow at my dad. I didn’t want to go prying around in my dad’s head, especially as there might be some things in there I really didn’t want to see. I popped in just long enough to grab the number. “One hundred-thousand, two-hundred and sixty-three.”
“Holy cow!” Dad slapped his knee as he jerked forward. “Is that all you can do?”
I swallowed hard before stealing a glance at Alessia, but she seemed more interested in getting scratches than in assisting me. What gives? Wasn’t that my familiar’s job?
“It’s okay.” Dad’s voice dropped to a soothing whisper. “Believe me, I’ve heard it all from Nonna.”
“Sometimes I can make people do things, say things.” I said it so fast, the words seemed to jumble together on my tongue. Why did confessing my power to my dad feel like I was confessing my sins? Why did I feel so vile for acknowledging my new gift? Would he think I was vile, too?
Dad’s brow furrowed before he smoothed a hand across his face. Was it just me or did Dad look really rundown today? Then again, I guess it’s not every day a parent finds out his daughter is a witch. In just a few short minutes, I’d probably tacked an extra decade to his life as well as several more grey hairs.
“Be careful,” he said after heaving a low groan. “Nonna said she had a cousin like that. She abused her powers, and nobody wanted to be around her, not even her familiar.”
“I know.” I shrugged. “I’m working on it.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have told my dad about my “extra” powers. Maybe I should have stopped at witch. Confessing “hey, dad, I’m a witch” was bad enough, but adding, “oh, yeah, and I have the potential to be an all-powerful, mind-controlling, sadistic, demoness of doom” might have been overkill.
Dad looked at me sideways, and then he did something remarkable. He smiled. “I imagine these powers have got to be tempting.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Wow. Just wow. He knew what I was and he wasn’t judging me. I’d had no idea my dad could be so awesome. “You have no idea.” Then a thought occurred to me. Maybe dad was being so cool about my powers because he had known other witches besides Nonna. “Does this mean I have family members like me?” I asked.
Dad rubbed a hand across his five o’clock shadow before shaking his head. “Nonna left most of her family behind in Italy. But I think maybe I have some cousins. I don’t talk to that side of the family much.”
Hopeful anticipation surged through me. “Is there any way you can find out?”
He laughed. “Just call them up and ask if they’re witches?”
My heart plummeted. He had no idea how much I needed this. How badly I wanted to find family members like me, people who knew what it was like to be a freak. “You don’t know what it’s like, being the only weird one. It’s been really hard for me dad, since AJ and Krysta left.”
Dad’s eyes widened. “So they’re witches, too?”
Crud. I’d let way too much slip around him. Confessing my powers was one thing, but I’d promised AJ and Krysta I wouldn’t out them. “Swear you won’t tell,” I begged, unable to keep the panic from my voice. “Not anyone.”
Dad placed a hand across his heart. “I swear it.” Then he flashed a lopsided grin. “AJ’s family always seemed a little weird.”
When I gasped, he laughed out loud. “No offense. Anyway, you’re not alone.” He patted my shoulder before slowly standing. “You have Thea.” He motioned to my kitty who had stretched her claws across my bedspread (my mom was going to kill us when she saw all of the holes in the fabric) looking at us both expectantly. Funny how I didn’t need mind reading powers to know what she was thinking: give me scratches!
“She was Nonna’s best friend and companion from when she was a little girl,” Dad said as he leaned down and stroked her side.
I stood before taking my dad’s spot beside my cat. Instinctively, I began rubbing behind her ears. I loved the way her soft purr sent a buzz of energy through my fingertips. “Alessia told me she lives a long time,” I said as I smiled at my cat.
Dad nodded. “She will, and she can help you as long as you listen to her instruction. Nonna said she was teleporting into walls before Thea came along.”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of my great-grandma running into walls. After the way I’d abused my powers and screwed up the play, it was a relief to know other witches had glitches with their powers. That I wasn’t the only witch whose factory settings had been set to “screw up” during assembly.
I jumped up and grabbed my dad in a fierce hug. “Thanks, Dad.”
He chuckled before wrapping strong arms around my shoulders. “For what?”
I pulled back and smiled up at him, trying my best to blink back the sudden gush of tears that threatened to spill over.
Where had the waterworks come from? Why did I have to get all emotional over a little talk and a hug? Oh, yeah, PMS.
“For making me feel better,” I said through a sniffle.
Dad wiped the corners of my eyes with the pad of his thumb. “Do you have any homework to do before your friends come over?”
Nodding, I swallowed back the stupid emotion that suddenly threatened to overwhelm me and send me into PMS overdrive. “Tons.”
Dad cupped my cheek and then kissed my forehead. “I’ll let you get to work.” He looked down at my cat, who was still looking at us both with that expectant ‘scratch me’ glare. “It’s nice to see you again, Thea.”
Alessia’s eyes narrowed at me and then in the next instant, I watched my great-grandma’s death play out in my mind. I heard the screech of the tires, the voices of onlookers yelling at her to get out of the way. I saw Nonna’s startled expression right before she let out a terrified scream. O-mi-god!
Just as Dad reached the threshold to my door, I lunged and grabbed him by the arm. “Dad. I think Thea, I mean Alessia, wants me to tell you something.”
We looked over at my kitten, who was staring back at us, her pale eyes clouded.
“What is it?” Dad asked.
“It was an accident,” I spoke through a voice tighten with emotion. “Nonna meant to teleport
to the sidewalk in front of the beauty shop, not the street.
Dad’s lower lip trembled and his eyes watered over with moisture. “I knew it. She was old and senile, but she wasn’t suicidal. Thanks, Sophie,” he said as he wiped his tear-stained face with the back of his hand. “You don’t know what this means to me.”
I looked up at the man who’d always been the pillar of the family, the guy who refused to cuss when he’d smashed his thumb with a hammer, who only managed a grunt when he’d broken his toe moving the refrigerator—this man, who was now showing more emotion than I’d ever seen in all fifteen years of my life.
This time, I leaned up and wiped my dad’s tears. “I’m sorry about your grandma. I really am.”
He flashed a smile that didn’t quite mask the sadness in his eyes. “I wish Nonna would have lived to meet you.” Dad’s voice cracked. He coughed into his fist before clearing his throat. “She would have loved you. I know I sure do.”
***
Concentrating on homework was anything but easy. My gaze kept drifting toward the time blinking on my iPad speaker charger. It was nearly six o’clock. The drama club would be here soon, and I had so many thoughts bouncing around in my brain, how was I supposed to rehearse?
Finding out I wasn’t the only witch in the family filled me with relief and excitement at the same time. If my great-grandma had been a witch, there had to be other relatives like me. I mentally scanned the few relatives I’d met from my dad’s side of the family. I vaguely remembered a cousin about my age, but it had been so long since I’d seen her. We had to have been about four-years-old and my powers hadn’t started developing until I was around seven or eight. Then there were my two older sisters. Lu Lu lived on the West Coast and was in her final year of medical school. We only got to see her for a few days during the summer and over Christmas. Rose Marie was busy going to school, working and raising babies by herself. But if either of my sisters had been witches, surely I would have seen the signs.
Rose Marie’s twin boys were too young for me to tell if they were gifted. Besides, the few witches I knew were all female. I wondered if boys even inherited special powers. That would totally suck, knowing there would never be a guy who would understand me. Well, there was my dad, but he was different. How many other guys would be cool like him? How many other guys could I trust with my secret?