The Council, A Witch's Memory

by J. C. Isabella

  He grinned, heading back for the swing. “It suits you.”

  “Har, har.” Was he checking me out?

  Okay, I really needed to get a grip. I thought my infatuation with Henry had died down to a manageable simmer over the past few months. But the more I looked at him, the more heated up I felt, as if it was back to a rolling boil.

  Not good.

  Henry gripped the rope and swung into the cool water, splashing me.

  I jumped back.

  Reflex. Old habits die hard.

  He swam around, giving me a playful smirk. “Come on Venna, I’m growing old just waiting for you.”

  Closing my hands around the worn rope, I pulled back and raced forward, my feet leaving the ground. I was airborne and hit the water with a loud splash.

  When I came up Henry shot back onto the shore. Swinging in again, he sent a title wave over me.

  I held my breath, treading water. My feet didn’t touch the bottom. The lake was deep. Way over my head.

  Much to my relief, Henry popped up beside me. Out of habit I latched onto his arm, cursing my fear of drowning and forcing it away.

  He frowned. “Sorry.”

  I splashed him. “Stop it, I’m fine.”

  “You’ve never been a confident swimmer.” An emotion passed quickly across his features. Worry? Irritation? I couldn’t tell. He reached out a long finger and touched my chin.

  “It’s not a big deal.” It was as if the spot he touched electrified. The air positively charged around me. Pulsing with energy.

  “Will you be all right here for a minute?”

  I managed to bob my head in the affirmative.

  Disentangling from me, he swam to the shore and retrieved a two-person raft from a shed park rangers stashed water toys in, and made his way back into the water.

  I grabbed on and levered myself up. Henry came on next to me. We lounged back, gazing at the treetops canopying over the lake. The dense leaves kept the water nice and cool, burning sun at bay. Aside from the small group of kids quite a ways down on the other side, we were alone.

  We’d shared a raft and floated around lazily before, this wasn’t anything new. But now all these familiar feelings had overcome me, I was drowning in so many emotions I couldn’t put names to them, and they were all for Henry.

  I made the mistake of thinking I could control my emotions by acting indifferent, pretending my feelings were nothing more than friendship-based.

  I closed my eyes and let my head drop to the side. It came in contact with his arm.

  I froze, waiting to see how he reacted.

  He relaxed even more, shoulder going slack. Letting out a deep breath, almost a sigh. He didn’t seem to mind my using him as a pillow, so I didn’t bother moving.

  Even if he wanted me to move, I’m not sure I could.

  I was too comfortable and too stupid.

  The lap of lake water against the tube almost lulled me to sleep, along with Henry’s warm skin under my cheek.

  I scooted a little closer to him after a while. I heard him chuckle and he moved closer to me. But then I heard something else, a whooshing sound.

  The muscles in his arm tensed and I opened my eyes. He was watching the children across the lake intently.

  “What’s that noise?” I didn’t bother moving, since he was watching them. I’d figure he’d relay the information.

  He didn’t answer me and continued to watch them, looking a little concerned, but not enough to alarm me.

  “Henry?” The next sound I heard was a crackling, followed by another whoosh.

  “Look out!” Henry threw himself at me and we toppled into the lake.

  The cold shocked my heated skin. I sucked in a mouthful of water, trying to figure out which way was up. Kicking hard, I surfaced and gasped in disbelief.

  I wasn’t at the lake anymore.

  Chapter 6

  A rocky shore jutted out to my right under a heavily clouded gray-green sky. Foamy seawater swirled around me, lapping incessantly. Beastly thunder rumbled in the distance. I squeezed my eyes shut. They burned from the salty spray hitting my face.

  This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. I was at the lake swimming with Henry. And now I was in the ocean? Was I dreaming? Hallucinating?

  I opened my eyes again and was met by the same dark and unfamiliar surroundings.

  “Henry?” I shouted, after coughing up a mixture of lake and seawater. “Where am I?”

  An icy wave hit me from behind. I flailed helplessly, gagging on the water rushing into my lungs. The current was so strong, I could only hold my breath and pray I wasn’t pulled out to sea.

  “Help!” something hard jabbed my side. I shoved at it and realized it was a large plank of rotted wood. There were several swirling around me.

  I grabbed for one, but it did nothing to help me float.

  “Don’t panic,” I said, repeatedly.

  Henry told me that panicking always makes it worse.

  But he’d told me this a couple years ago when we were cramming for a math final.

  It was all I had though, so I tried to keep calm and head for shore, but I was starting to freak out.

  Rain began to fall. My legs were tired, stomach sloshing from the salty water I’d swallowed bobbing up and down. My arms slapped against the water uselessly.

  I grabbed onto a different plank of wood, managing to use it as a flotation device. It kept my head above water, and I was able to keep my eyes on the shore.

  It felt like forever. I had to stop to catch my breath and rest a couple times. I was panting and coughing so much my head spun.

  I was exhausted and feeling myself start to slip under, just before I felt the sandy bottom squishing between my toes, and as I pushed on, rocks biting into my feet. I couldn’t see through the murky water to avoid the jagged stones. But I didn’t care.

  I’d almost made it to safety when I felt someone was behind me.

  “Henry?” I glanced back.

  I found my footing on a softer spot. The water still touched my chin, waves rocking me. I let the wood go, cupping my hands over my mouth to amplify my shouting. “Henry!”

  He wasn’t here. But his presence surrounded me. I could have sworn if I looked over my shoulder again he would be there.

  He wasn’t.

  I was waist deep now, gasping with relief. I wasn’t going to drown in the water. But I was going to drown from the terror starting to sink in.

  I was in another place.

  Henry was gone.

  My hands started to shake and my teeth chattered. I tripped a couple times, hitting my knees on rocks in the water. My chest heaved from heavy sobs.

  I trudged forward, panic filling every inch of me, and almost made it to the shore when something thick and warm hooked around my waist and yanked me back. Pulling me under the waves.

  “No!” I screamed, water surging into my mouth, and amazingly, I broke to the surface again.

  Chapter 7

  I fought the thing curled around my waist. Clawing, flailing, nothing was going to stop me from reaching the shore. Drowning wasn’t an option. I would find Henry and tell him where I was.

  “Venna, calm down!”

  I opened my eyes, realizing I’d had them closed. My vision blurred, but I felt hard ground under my back, and the warmth of the sun on my face.

  “Are you hurt?” Henry’s concerned voice broke the rest of my trance. I blinked, focusing as his horrified face swam into view. “Venna…you feel like ice. What happened?”

  I inhaled deeply, staring up at the sky. A blue sky.

  The lake. I was back at the lake. The air was warm. The day bright and sunny. No storm. No waves of icy water. I was perfectly safe. Freezing. But safe.

  How was this possible?

  “Venna, talk to me, please.” He hovered over me on his hands and knees. “I thought you drowned. You were sinking to the bottom of the lake. Why didn’t you swim?”

  My bottom lip trembled and I sat up b
uried my face against his neck. I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever. The contact between us felt so sweet and unbelievably good.

  “I couldn’t find you.” I whispered hoarsely, my voice raw from screaming and coughing up saltwater. I could still taste it.

  His hold tightened. “You were disoriented. I knocked you off the raft.”

  “No, Henry. I saw something, like a movie playing in my head.” Tilting back, I met his gaze. “I wasn’t here. I came out of the water somewhere else.”

  “Tell me.”

  I shuddered and held on tighter to him. “It’s like I was there. The waves hit me. I felt it, and I could taste the saltwater. It was s-so cold.”

  “You’re sure you aren’t hurt?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Give it a minute, you’re disoriented.”

  I nodded. “But why did you knock me off the raft in the first place?”

  “The kids set off a rocket. Instead of aiming it skyward, they aimed it at us.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  He pointed at our raft. Next to it in the water was a large white cylinder.

  “Those little brats.”

  Henry smirked. “Do you want to try standing up?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stood, pulling me with him. The second my feet touched the ground I cried out in pain. My skin was on fire. I startled Henry. He almost dropped me. “What?”

  I bent to inspect my feet. Crimson stained my pale skin where the rocks had cut me.

  Impossible.

  “Venna, what happened?” Henry set me back on the ground and knelt to examine the cuts.

  I wiggled nervously, trying to pull away. He wouldn’t let go. “I tried to make it to the shore in my dream, or whatever it was. There were rocks.”

  He cursed. “How bad do your feet hurt?”

  “Not too bad, as long as I don’t walk,” I grimaced. The bleeding had stopped. “Thankfully, I’ve always been a fast healer.”

  “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?” he looked seriously at me. a muscle jumped in his jaw

  I let out a breath, giving in. “Well, a plank of wood hit my right side.”

  His eyes went wide. Before I could scoot away he peeled the back of my suit forward. I stared down at an angry red mark almost the size of my hand. Thankfully, it didn’t feel as bad as it looked.

  I tugged my suit back in place. “It doesn’t hurt much.”

  “You could have broken something.” He said. “Let me take you to a doctor.”

  “If I’m not better by morning I’ll go.”

  He frowned, “Venna.”

  “I’ll even let you drive me.”

  He gave in and picked me back up. I tried to protest, but I was injured.

  We stopped by the restrooms and I rinsed my feet off in one of the outdoor showers. They were already looking better, and the pain was starting to dissipate in my side.

  “I still can’t believe what those kids did.”

  “We never got into stuff like that.” Henry helped me into the Mustang.

  I laughed as he got behind the wheel. “No, but you tried some dumb stunts.”

  “Yeah, like what?” he reached into the backseat to search for his shirt and keys.

  “Let’s see…one time you tried to fly.”

  He stopped, his eyes searching my face way too seriously for my joking. “And?”

  “Nothing happened. You took the wheels off a skateboard, convinced you’d make it fly while you stood on it. Airboarding, you called it. You jumped off the roof.” I’d never been so afraid in my life. It was one of the many strange things Henry did that I couldn’t explain. “I was so worried you were hurt.”

  He nodded, eyes still burning into mine. I continued. “Anyway, I ran to the back of the house and you were standing in the yard, not a scratch on you. You said you flew off the second story.”

  “Did you believe me?” He didn’t tell me it was my imagination or a joke, and he’d never been the type to goof around recklessly.

  What other choice did I have than to think he told the truth?

  “I’m not sure. What did happen that day?”

  “I don’t remember.” He grabbed the blue shirt he wore from earlier and draped it around my shoulders. I rolled the sleeves to my elbows and buttoned the middle buttons to keep it from slipping off. He didn’t bother covering up, and that’s when I noticed the nail marks on his arms. I’d tried to fight him off.

  I ran my fingers over the light pink scratches, “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m fine.” He went silent after that.

  The ride to my house unnerved me, too quiet, with Henry brooding the entire time. I knew I caused the turmoil and wanted to make things better, only I had no idea what the problem was. Was he upset because I’d been hurt? Angry?

  “I’m sorry, Henry.”

  He frowned. “Why?”

  “I’ve upset you.”

  “You’ve done nothing wrong, Venna.”

  “Something is bugging the crap out of you. What is it? Me? Because I don’t want to go to the doctor?”

  He pulled into my driveway and parked the car. He offered to carry me, but I followed him up the front steps, refusing to be babied because of my feet. I wasn’t an invalid. I liked being held by him too much for my own good. I had to keep my distance to keep my sanity.

  His posture was tense, footfalls landing heavily on the porch. “I’ll see you in the morning, eleven o'clock.” He turned abruptly to face me.

  I jumped back, heart pounding against my ribs.

  It was just the light. The light was playing tricks. The sun setting made his eyes illuminate. Because for a second, when he looked at me, I swore his eyes had changed. Glowing.

  “You still want me to go?” I suddenly felt like I was standing in front of someone dangerous. I had no reason to be afraid of him, but I knew in my heart there was something different about Henry. He wasn’t normal. I’d always known that to some degree, and there were days I didn’t feel normal either. Maybe that’s why we got along so well.

  He cocked his head to one side, confused. “Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

  “I just figured, with the way you were acting…” I trailed off, opening the front door, feeling stupid for being afraid of him. It was Henry. Just Henry.

  “Venna.” His hands settled on my shoulders and squeezed gently. “Please, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, and this has nothing to do with you.”

  “If you’re sure, I’ll see you in the morning.” Still completely perplexed by his behavior, I watched him walk back to his car, wide shoulders slumping ever so slightly. It was killing me to let him leave like this. He was a little broody sometimes, but never so quiet and drawn into himself. We always talked things over.

  “Henry?” I whispered, just a small sound on my indrawn breath. His back went ridged, and he turned, pinning me with tortured eyes. He should not have heard me say his name. But he did.

  “It’s all right,” he said.

  I didn’t move, not convinced.

  “If you keep biting your lips like that you’ll make them bleed.” He came back to me, taking the porch steps two at a time to wrap his arms around me.

  “Something doesn’t feel right about this. What happened this afternoon…the way you’re acting…” I let out a breath. “The only logical explanation that I can come up with is that I was temporarily unconscious and dreaming.”

  “Shh,” his breath caressed my ear as he bent to hug me closer against his bare chest. I didn’t want him to leave. This was exactly where I belonged, in his arms. “Venna, we’re going to figure out what happened together.”

  “I’m scared. Seriously.” What happened at the lake wasn’t normal.

  “I’m scared for you.” He pulled me with him along the porch to the swing. We sat together, and he didn’t let me go. His long legs pushed against the planks, rocking us gently. “Do you want me to stay?”

  I rubbed my eyes. �
�No…maybe…I don’t know. I’m just so wrung out.”

  We watched the rest of the sunset, but once it was dark, I stood and hugged him tight, as a friend, wanting him to kiss me before he left.

  But I was again wishing for something that would never happen, and felt empty as I watched Henry get in his car and drive away.

  Chapter 8

  My phone chimed as I shut the front door behind me. It was a text from Henry.

  Call me if you need me.

  I replied with an okay and a smiley face and headed for the kitchen, distracted by the smell of pizza. It filled the air, making my mouth water. I found my brother seated on a barstool at the counter, pizza box open in front of him.

  “Too much of a heathen to get a plate?” I asked, sitting on the stool beside him.

  “I don’t want to do dishes.” He offered me a slice, which I set on a plate I got from the cabinet next to me. “Mara and Jackson went to the movies, you just missed them. Where were you?”

  Henry wasn’t the only one who enjoyed keeping tabs on me. Zane grilled me regularly on who I hung out with. Sometimes I wondered if he and Henry took turns sharing the responsibility of watching me. Not that I required babysitters.

  “I spent the afternoon at the lake with Henry.”

  His face brightened. “I thought that style of shirt you’re wearing looked familiar. What’s he up to these days?”

  “Same old stuff.”

  “Sure, keep telling yourself that.”

  I scowled. “Stop.”

  “You’re in denial. I mean, most guys are not territorial over their friends.”

  “Henry is naturally attentive. He’s been like that since the first day we met.”

  “Uh-huh, and Santa plays poker with the Tooth Fairy.” He laughed. “Come on, I’m not being mean. Don’t you see how he looks at you, as if you’re the only other person on earth?”

  “I don’t know, maybe.” Most of the time I wrote it off as an overactive imagination. He’d been looking at me the same way for years.

  Zane shrugged and slid another slice onto my plate as I finished my first one. “Just pay closer attention and trust me on this. I’m a guy. I know these things. Henry’s got the hots for you big time.”