A Witch of a Time

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Hey, they wanted it,” Aunt Tillie said. “I gave them what they wanted. The truth is, I’m really a giver. That’s my problem. I only want to give people what they desire. That’s my whole goal in life.”

  “Yeah, that’s your problem,” I said dryly. “What are the girls doing now?”

  “They’re all sitting at the tables trying to wake up,” Aunt Tillie said. “Lila and Rosemary are whispering about something, and I have a feeling it’s nothing good.”

  “Lila is going to be worse now,” I said. “I just know it.”

  “The only way she could be worse is if she sprouted fangs and wings and embraced her true nature as a creature of the night,” Aunt Tillie said.

  “Just … give it a rest,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “If we’re lucky, a full day of kayaking is going to exhaust these girls and make them want to go to bed early.”

  “Oh, you’re cute,” Aunt Tillie said. “You think just because that’s what you want it’s automatically going to happen. Trust me. They’re going to get their second wind after breakfast.”

  I had a sneaking suspicion she was right. “Don’t push any buttons today,” I warned. “I can only take so much. I’m a woman on the edge.”

  “You always did need a full eight hours of sleep,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re crabby if you don’t get it.”

  “Since you did get your full nine hours of sleep, I don’t think you have much room to talk.”

  “Whatever. How long until breakfast?”

  “About five minutes,” I replied.

  “And we’re going kayaking after that?”

  I arched an eyebrow. Aunt Tillie generally hated the water. She was like the witch in the Wizard of Oz. She melted in anything stronger than the shower. “You’re going kayaking?”

  “I happen to love kayaking.”

  That was news to me. Still … . “Good,” I said. “That will allow us to break the girls into smaller groups. I’ll take Bay, Thistle and Clove with mine.”

  “You only want to keep an eye on Bay,” Aunt Tillie said.

  “You’re right.” I wasn’t going to deny it.

  “Fine,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’ll take Lila and Rosemary in my group.”

  I considered arguing, but allowing Aunt Tillie free rein over Lila seemed a good way to utilize my best weapon against my biggest problem. “Have fun.”

  “I’M stuck in the trees,” Thistle sputtered, ducking her head lower as the overhanging branch clawed at her face. “I’m going to cut all of my hair off, I swear. It’s too long and it just gets in the way.”

  “Then you’ll look just like your mother,” I said.

  Thistle scowled. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “You’ll live,” I said. “Use your paddle to push away from the tree. I don’t understand how you keep running into the trees. Why can’t you stay farther out from the shore?”

  “It’s not like I’m aiming for the trees,” Thistle said. “They just keep … sucking me in. I think they’re possessed.”

  Something here was possessed, but I didn’t think it was the trees. “Just … stay calm and push yourself away from the trees.”

  “You stay calm,” Thistle shot back.

  “I am calm.”

  “Then work yourself up,” Thistle said. “I could be trapped under this tree forever if you don’t help me.”

  Every time I think the girls hit a new level of drama they manage to climb another rung on the teenage theater ladder. “Really? You think you’re going to be trapped there forever?”

  “You’re starting to really bug me,” Thistle growled.

  “Join the club.”

  “You’re dead to me!”

  I couldn’t help but smile. Marnie, Twila and I often said the same words to each other. The girls picked up the saying at a young age. It was actually a weird term of endearment. “You can free yourself, Thistle,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm. “If I come over there I’m only going to make things worse.”

  “They can’t get much worse.”

  Bay, always an expert kayaker, was at the end of her rope. “Oh, good grief,” she said, floating forward. “You’re being a pain.”

  “You’re being a pain,” Thistle said. “Get me out of here!”

  “What do you think I’m trying to do?”

  “Give me an ulcer.”

  Bay used her paddle to try to dislodge Thistle’s kayak from beneath the branches. The sound of laughter behind us caught my attention, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Rosemary and Lila floating lazily a few feet away.

  “Oh, nice,” Lila said. “Good job, Thistle.”

  “Why are you guys over here?” I asked. “You’re supposed to be with Aunt Tillie.”

  “I’m not staying with her,” Lila said. “She’s being mean to me.”

  “Mean to you?”

  “She is,” Rosemary said, her eyes wide. “She keeps muttering stuff under her breath and I swear she’s planning to do something awful to Lila. My Grammy told me that Aunt Tillie is an evil person, and I believe her.”

  “Aunt Tillie is not evil,” I said. “She’s a very good woman. Your Grammy is … just trying to turn you against us.” That was probably not the best thing to say given the circumstances. I couldn’t help myself.

  “My Grammy is a great woman,” Rosemary insisted.

  “I’m sure she is,” I said. She was a lousy aunt. “I understand she’s been very good to you. I hear she spends a lot of time with you.”

  “And you’re jealous because your daughter doesn’t have a grandmother to spend time with,” Rosemary said. “My Grammy told me that, too.”

  Bay shifted her head in Rosemary’s direction. “I have a grandmother,” she said. “Aunt Tillie is my grandmother.”

  “I’m not old enough to be a grandmother,” Aunt Tillie said, floating into view behind Lila and Rosemary. “Thank you for the sentiment, though.” She flashed a bright smile in Bay’s direction, something unspoken passing between them. “Just because I’m not your grandmother, though, that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun together.”

  “See, you don’t have a grandmother,” Rosemary said. “Your grandmother died before you were even born.”

  “Thanks for the update,” Bay snapped.

  “My Grammy says that you would be better people if your grandmother had lived.” Rosemary refused to stop talking. “She says allowing Aunt Tillie to take over and finish raising your mothers made them evil.”

  “Your Grammy says a lot,” I said. “In fact, I think your Grammy says too much.”

  “She always did,” Aunt Tillie said.

  “My Grammy only tells the truth,” Rosemary said. “She says you’re all evil.”

  “They are,” Lila said. “They’re evil and … weird.”

  Something crackled in the air and the atmosphere warmed. Magic! I swiveled quickly, fixing Aunt Tillie with a hard stare. I had no idea what she was doing, but it couldn’t be good. Instead of the wrinkled nose that usually accompanied Aunt Tillie’s spells, though, her face was blank. She wasn’t looking at Lila and Rosemary. She was focused on Bay.

  I turned back around, involuntarily shuddering when I saw the look of abject hatred on my daughter’s face. A burst of wind skimmed the top of the lake, and when it reached Lila it rolled her kayak and sent her face first into the water.

  Bay’s eyes widened as the spell dissipated. I wasn’t sure whether she realized what she’d done. Lila surfaced, sputtering as she flailed her arms. “Omigod!”

  “You’re perfectly fine,” Aunt Tillie said, regaining her composure. “The water isn’t even above your head. Put your feet down and stop your bellyaching.”

  Lila did as instructed. Well, she put her feet down. The complaining was another story.

  “Who did this to me?” she shrieked.

  “You tipped over,” I said. “No one did it to you. No one was even close to you.”

  “I didn’t ju
st tip over,” Lila said. “I’ve been kayaking since I was eight. I’m an expert. Someone flipped me over!”

  “Maybe it was the lake monster,” Thistle suggested. “It probably smelled a horrible beast and knew you needed to take a bath.”

  “Kiss your tree, Thistle,” Lila said. “No one is talking to you.”

  “Lila, no one tipped you,” I said. “You must have shifted your balance. It’s not the end of the world. Haul your kayak to the shore and change your clothes. It’s almost time for lunch anyway.”

  “This isn’t over,” Lila said, glaring at Bay. “I know you did this. I’m going to make you pay.”

  “You’re not going to do anything,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re going to go back to your cabin and change your clothes. Don’t even think about doing something you’d regret.”

  “What makes you think I’d regret it?” Lila challenged.

  “Because if you do anything to Bay, I’m going to do something twice as bad to you,” Aunt Tillie said. “Rosemary is right. I am evil. I’d like to show you how evil I can be.”

  “You can’t threaten me,” Lila said. “It’s against the law.”

  “Tell Terry all about it when he comes over for dinner tonight,” Aunt Tillie said. “For now, get out of the water and get away from my nieces.”

  “You’re going to be sorry you threatened me,” Lila said. “My father is a lawyer. He’s going to sue you.”

  “Your father couldn’t sue his way out of a paper bag,” Aunt Tillie said. “Last time I checked, he used that paper bag to cover the bottle of whiskey he keeps in his car. Don’t you even think about threatening me. You’re not going to like what happens if you do.”

  “I already don’t like what’s happening.”

  “Then you should quit while you’re ahead,” Aunt Tillie said. “Trust me.”

  “TERRY didn’t come for lunch today,” Marnie said, cleaning the picnic tables and gathering the trash so it wouldn’t attract scavengers. “Were we expecting him?”

  “Not today,” I said. “He took the boys on a hike and they were going to eat sandwiches on the trail. They’ll be over for dinner.”

  “That’s good,” Marnie said. “Lila has been demanding to talk to him since she got dumped in the lake today. What happened with that, by the way? Did Aunt Tillie lose her temper?”

  I shook my head. “Bay lost her temper.”

  Marnie’s eyebrows flew up. “Bay did it?”

  “I don’t even know if she knew what she was doing,” I said. “She just got this look on her face and … bam!”

  “Well, at least she’s standing up for herself.”

  “I’d rather she stand up for herself with words,” I said. “She can’t use magic to solve her problems. She could really hurt someone if she’s not careful. We got lucky this time. Lila only got wet … and she was already unhappy, so there’s no loss there.”

  “Well, you can’t talk to her about it here,” Marnie said. “It will have to wait until we’re home. If someone overhears … .”

  “Then things will only get worse,” I finished. “I know. Just … help me keep an eye on Bay.”

  “I think we need to keep an eye on Thistle, too,” Marnie said. “She’s plotting something against Lila, and it’s not going to be an accident when she does it. She’s going to mean it.”

  I had the same worry. “Speaking of Bay and Thistle, where are they?”

  “Thistle is with Clove over there,” Marnie said, pointing. “I’m not sure where Bay is.”

  “I saw her head into the woods,” Twila said.

  Something pinged in the back of my brain. “When?”

  “About five minutes ago,” Twila said. “I thought she told you she was going for a walk.”

  I hadn’t talked to Bay since the incident in the lake. I didn’t know what to say to her, so I’d opted for denial. “Where?”

  Twila pointed to the trailhead next to the cabins. “I’m sure she didn’t go far.”

  “Watch the girls,” I said, moving toward the trail. “I’ll find Bay and bring her back.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Marnie asked.

  “No. I’ll be fine. We’ll be right back.”

  Finding Bay wasn’t as easy as I initially thought. After traipsing through the woods for ten minutes, stopping a few times to listen, I finally found her. She’d left the trail and was hidden by a stand of trees. I heard her before I saw her.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Bay said. “I just want to talk to you.”

  I stilled my approach. Eavesdropping wasn’t nice, but neither was sneaking into the woods without permission.

  “I don’t want to know your life story or anything,” Bay said. “I just want to know what happened to you.”

  She obviously wasn’t getting the answers she wanted.

  “I saw you watching me by the lake earlier today,” Bay said. “It looked like you wanted to talk to me. I couldn’t talk then, but I can now. What do you want?”

  I tilted my head to the left until I could see Bay. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her face was red from too much afternoon sun. She looked intent on her conversation and obviously hadn’t noticed me.

  “If you want me to help you pass over, you’re going to have to talk to me,” Bay said. “I can’t help if I don’t know what you need … and I want to help.”

  Bay was getting frustrated.

  “Fine! Do what you want,” Bay said. “I won’t be here forever, though. You’re running out of time for me to help you. I think you need help, so I’ll wait for you to come to me. Just don’t wait too long.”

  When Bay returned to the trail, she jumped as I moved in closer. “What are you doing here?” she asked, breathless.

  “Looking for you,” I said. “You shouldn’t run off into the woods without telling anyone.”

  “I wasn’t going far.”

  “I see that.”

  “I … .” She looked uncomfortable, clearly unready to talk.

  “Let’s go back to camp,” I said. “We both need something to eat after our busy morning.”

  “That’s it? You’re not going to yell at me?”

  “No,” I said, deciding to repeat her words back to her in an effort to help. “You don’t need to be yelled at. When you’re ready for help, you’ll come to me.”

  I hoped that was the truth.

  Five

  “How was your day?” Terry asked, sidling up to me as I flipped burgers on the charcoal grill. I’d been lost in thought, so I hadn’t even heard him approach.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know what I mean,” Terry said, his smile rueful. “You always look fine. In fact, you look better than fine. You don’t look as if you feel fine, though.”

  My cheeks burned under the compliment. “You’re a sweet talker today, I see.”

  “I’m always a sweet talker,” Terry said. “Why don’t you stop pretending nothing is wrong and tell me what’s bothering you. The faster you talk about it, the faster I can help with the problem.”

  “I don’t know that there is a problem,” I said. “I … well … things happened today.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, for starters, Bay lost her temper and flipped Lila’s kayak,” I said.

  “Kid stuff,” Terry shrugged. “Lila should have stayed away from her if she didn’t want to get wet.”

  “Bay was twenty feet away from her.”

  Terry stilled. He was aware of our witchy heritage; the secrets of our upbringing and genetics trickling out over the years. He never asked questions, instead accepting everything we told him on faith. I had a feeling something else informed some of his knowledge base – something with Bay, in fact. He never talked about it, though, and Bay was known for keeping her cards close to her vest.

  “How do you know it was Bay?” Terry asked, his eyes scanning the group of kids
milling about next to the tables. “Couldn’t it have been someone else?”

  “I know you want to think Bay is perfect,” I said. “I like to think that sometimes, too. But I’m certain it was her. I don’t think she realized what she was doing until after it happened. And, if I know her, she’s probably trying to rationalize what she did even now.”

  “She only dumped her in the water,” Terry said. “It’s not as though she hurt her.”

  “You always rush to her defense.”

  “That’s because she’s a good girl,” Terry said. “She’s sweet and kind. You’ve raised her well.”

  “She’s still got a lot going on right now,” I said. “She’s at a bad age. All three of them are at bad ages. She’s also got the … other thing … going on.”

  “You mean the ghosts,” Terry said. “Has she seen the one by the lake again?”

  “Yes.” I told him about following Bay into the woods. When I was done, he swore under his breath.

  “She can’t wander off into the woods on her own,” Terry said. “She could get lost … or hurt.”

  “She didn’t go very far,” I said. “That’s not my biggest concern right now, though. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like her wandering around on her own, but right now I’m more worried about the ghost.”

  “Do you know who it is?”

  “No. I don’t think Bay does either. The thing is … .” I broke off, unsure how to proceed.

  Terry waited.

  “Do we have any idea what happened to Donna Wilder?”

  Terry furrowed his brow. “You think she’s talking to Donna?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “Has anyone ever gone missing out here? Has anyone ever drowned in the lake? Have there been any mysterious deaths in this area?”

  “I’m not familiar with every case, Winnie,” Terry said. “I don’t ever remember reading about anything, though.”

  “We all thought Donna going missing was out of character,” I said. “She was known for being responsible. That’s why we all trusted her with our kids.”

  “The truth is, we have no idea what happened to Donna,” Terry said. “Her car was parked in front of her house. There were no signs of a break-in. There was just … nothing.”