The Witch Born to Ignite

by Tanya Milne

  The name of the town where I was born, where I was raised, sat on the tip of my tongue.

  ‘Emerald,’ said Elijah, the lie slipping out like oil.

  ‘Oh right, lucky you guys. An actual city where there’s something to do. Not sure why, exactly, you would leave there?’ said Noah.

  ‘Mum’s work,’ said Elijah. ‘She was transferred.’

  ‘Lucky us,’ said Anna, her voice kind and soft.

  ‘Are you…twins by any chance?’ I said, my gaze flitting between them.

  Anna laughed and nodded.

  ‘This is all a bit strange,’ I said. ‘Kind of the last thing I expected.’

  ‘And what were you expecting?’ asked Noah.

  I remembered back to all my fears that had kept me awake for nights. ‘Not you.’ The moment I said these words, I wanted to shove them back in.

  I was saved by the school bell, which rang out through the wide halls. Suddenly there were students everywhere, gawking at us as though we were animals in a zoo.

  ‘Well, we’d better go find the office,’ I said, risking a quick glance at Noah, who had a satisfied smile on his face.

  ‘It’s at the end of the hall.’ Anna pointed down the long corridor. ‘Want to meet up for lunch?’

  I glanced at Elijah, who looked like a puppy dog as he stared at Anna.

  ‘That would be nice,’ I said, gently nudging Elijah. ‘See you then.’

  ‘See you then,’ said Noah and Anna at the same time, making us all laugh as we went our separate ways.

  ‘Put your tongue back in your mouth, Elijah,’ I said the moment we were out of earshot.

  ‘Oh, I didn’t expect to meet you,’ he said in a falsetto.

  I nudged him harder this time. ‘I didn’t mean to say that.’

  ‘Yeah right,’ said Elijah, laughing again without a care in the world.

  Oh, to be him.

  The cafeteria was chaos. People were clustered together everywhere, laughing and talking as they caught up after the long summer’s break. My breath shortened as I looked around the busy room, searching for Elijah. We’d been split into different classes, but he’d promised to meet me here.

  I felt eyes on me from every direction, and I recalled the snippets I’d overheard throughout the long morning; questions about where we’d come from, was it true I was a twin, why on earth was I wearing a hat? But mostly, there were the giggles and whispers from girls about Elijah.

  As I swept my gaze across the room, my hands started to sweat.

  ‘Hey, pretty girl,’ yelled a voice behind me, and the next thing I knew my hat had been taken from my head, my long brown hair falling down my back and shoulders. The offending male was running away, laughing at the top of his lungs.

  The cafeteria fell quiet and every person turned in my direction. I knew my face was blazing, and I narrowed my eyes at the offender, who was still running.

  I was about to turn on my heels and bolt when a male voice said quietly in my ear, ‘What a jerk.’

  I turned and looked up at the boy who had spoken. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting him.

  Boys had always been on the periphery of my life. I had admired them, sure, I mean, who hadn’t, but I had never even been on a date or had a boyfriend. I simply wasn’t interested enough.

  So when I locked eyes with his, my dormant heart stuttered to life. Time stood still as my gaze ran greedily over his chiselled olive face with its smattering of freckles, his thick eyebrows and eyelashes the same colour as his dark-blond hair, flecked with the sun-kissed blond of a surfer. His full lips with a Cupid’s bow parted as we continued to contemplate each other.

  ‘There you are,’ said Noah, bringing me back into the room from wherever I had been.

  ‘Oh, hi,’ I said, realising that the room was still quiet, far too quiet.

  You have to be kidding!

  I had slipped inside my own personal nightmare. Every single person had just seen me drooling over a complete stranger.

  Noah glanced between me and the mystery boy, a single crease marking his forehead.

  ‘Hi, I’m Noah.’

  ‘Ezra,’ he said.

  So, we aren’t the only new kids.

  An awkward silence followed, and I risked a quick peek at Ezra. He was staring across at the boy who’d stolen my hat.

  ‘We’re sitting in the corner,’ said Noah. I turned to where he was pointing, but couldn’t see Elijah past all the people.

  ‘Oh, right,’ I said, my voice sounding strange in my ears.

  ‘Would you like to sit with us, Ezra?’ asked Noah as though he were asking him to go to the dentist.

  ‘I’ve eaten, but thanks,’ said Ezra, taking one long last look at me before walking off in the direction of the boy who was now throwing my hat up in the air.

  ‘Well, okay then,’ said Noah, his smile returning as though the sun emerging from behind the clouds.

  I started walking – more like sprinting – towards my brother. Finally, the cafeteria erupted into conversation again, no doubt laughing at what a love-struck fool I’d been.

  As my brother came into view, my racing heart slowed. He turned towards me, the smile he reserved for me beaming up from his goofy face.

  ‘What kept you, sis?’ he asked as I sat down, with Noah sitting down beside me.

  ‘A couple of boys,’ said Noah, his voice flat.

  Elijah cracked up laughing, but one glance from me silenced him.

  ‘Situation normal then,’ said Elijah, picking up his sandwich. ‘Glad you had Noah here to save you.’

  I stared down at the food before me, my appetite gone.

  ‘Would you like one of these?’ said Anna, her kind voice a balm to my soul.

  In front me was a chocolate-chip cookie. ‘Made them this morning. Hopefully they taste okay?’

  We smiled at each other and I bit into the cookie, the flavour of chocolate exploding in my mouth.

  ‘Amazing,’ I said, looking over at the girl I had only exchanged a few words with, yet I knew from years of meeting new people, that she just got me. In that moment, I felt that Anna was going to be one of my closest friends.

  Finally, the last bell of the day rang out, and relief poured from me. Apart from the exceptionally mortifying lunchtime experience, everything else had been just as I’d expected – only mildly mortifying.

  As I gathered my books, I pictured my little attic tucked away from the rest of the world; a place where I could finally shed my layers and be myself.

  Before I knew it, I was at my locker. I unlocked it and inside, sitting there on top of my belongings, was my cap.

  What the…?

  I blinked a few times before looking around me; everyone was chatting away, not even noticing me. I picked up the cap as questions exploded inside my head – who had put it there, and how did they get it into my locked locker?

  As I packed my books into my dodgy locker, a guy appeared next to me – the driver of the sport car I’d seen on the way to school.

  ‘So, Eva, how was your first day?’

  ‘How do you know my name?’ I said, my face heating.

  ‘Honey, we don’t get many new people around here. Everyone knows your name.’

  Honey? Enough with the personal invasions.

  ‘And who, exactly, might you be?’

  ‘Oh, she has a temper. I like a girl with a temper.’

  ‘You know what, leave me alone.’

  I turned to leave, and in one quick move, he placed his hand on the locker in front of me, blocking my path.

  I took a deep breath. ‘I want to go.’

  ‘Look, I think we’ve got off on the wrong foot. I’m Jet.’ This time when he spoke, I glimpsed past the charade and saw the real him. It made me step back.

  ‘I don’t bite, you know,’ he said and smiled, his devilish good looks and charm drawing me to him against my will.

  ‘Did you put my cap in my locker?’ I said, snapping m
yself out of his spell.

  He glanced between me and my locker, the side of his mouth pulled in. ‘The hat that goofball stole from you at lunch?’

  ‘Yep,’ I said.

  ‘Nope, but I wish I had.’

  ‘Good to know,’ I said, realising that we were the only ones left in the hall. ‘Look, I have to go. My brother will be waiting.’

  ‘Last time I saw your brother, he was not waiting for you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘His eyes were glued to Miss Goody Two-Shoes.’

  ‘Anna is lovely.’

  He put his hands up in front of himself. ‘No arguments from me there.’

  He flicked his fringe across his face, and his bad-boy persona was back.

  ‘Whatever, I have to go,’ I said, ducking under his arm, but not getting more than two steps before he was there again, in my face.

  ‘Fast one, aren’t you?’ he said.

  All of a sudden, my hands felt hot, boiling hot, and I pictured myself placing them on his chest, burning him.

  ‘Look, before you go, I have to ask you something,’ he said.

  ‘One question and then I’m going.’

  His eyes opened a little wider. ‘Come out with me. Friday night? I know a…’

  ‘No!’ I said, shoving him as I walked past, causing him to stagger backwards.

  I raced to the doors, pushed them open and ran through them. Elijah, who was standing alone under a nearby tree, stepped out into the light, his face set in steel.

  I was halfway down the stairs when Jet emerged behind me, calling my name in a way that meant he was pissed, really pissed. I stopped in my tracks and Elijah stepped forward.

  ‘Leave me alone. I mean it,’ I said.

  Jet burst into laughter, his anger vanishing. ‘Quite the little minx, aren’t you?’

  Elijah strode forward and up the stairs to stand by my side.

  ‘You heard my sister. Leave her alone.’

  The smile slipped from Jet’s face as he sized up my buff brother.

  He raised his hands up in defeat and smiled, but his eyes were like hard black rocks. ‘A misunderstanding is all.’

  ‘Come on, let’s go,’ said Elijah.

  I took one last look at Jet, who watched me as though I were his possession being stolen from him, before I turned back around, a strange push-pull sensation filling me.

  ‘He’s a creep,’ said Elijah. ‘Steer clear of him.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I will,’ I said, intending to avoid Jet like the plague.

  A very handsome creep, said another voice I didn’t even recognise inside my head.

  I ignored it and put my cap back on. But that didn’t stop me feeling Jet’s hawk-eyes as we walked down the street.

  Chapter Three

  Elijah and I were nearly at the restaurant when the rain started, sprinkling softly but each drop holding the promise of a freezing-cold winter, still months away.

  I opened my umbrella and we walked faster.

  ‘I’m not sure this is a good idea,’ I said, looking around into the darkness.

  Elijah laughed. ‘Bit late to chicken out now, don’t you think?’

  I let out a low groan. Coming on a double date with Noah and Anna had been a no-brainer for Elijah, but I’d hesitated, only agreeing after seeing disappointment on Elijah’s face. And I’d regretted it ever since. It wasn’t that Noah wasn’t nice – for the last two weeks since we started at our new school he’d been attentive, funny and I had to admit, extremely good-looking; I just wasn’t sure I liked him that way.

  ‘I don’t want to lead him on, Elijah.’

  ‘Poor fellow,’ said Elijah. ‘But I think he’ll survive. And who knows, you might even decide you like him.’

  The headlights of an approaching car shone in the distance. I was still surprised how quiet this town was. Having come from a country town far smaller than this one, I’d been expecting lots of people, noise and traffic. Apart from the packed cafeteria at lunchtime or the afternoon frenzy at the lockers, it was slow and sleepy.

  I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realise we had made it into the heart of the town, where the picture-perfect shops and cafés ran in two perfect rows down to the large and beautiful harbour.

  And then we were there, at the agreed meeting place. I looked through the water-splattered windows and saw the double booths, open fire, dimmed lights and candles on every table. I started to back away.

  ‘Oh no you don’t,’ said Elijah, placing his hand on my elbow while he opened the door and shuffled me inside.

  I spotted them instantly. It was impossible not to. Their blond hair looked more like halos, and their smiles of double perfection beamed at us from the booth in the corner of the restaurant.

  ‘After you,’ said Elijah, holding out his hand.

  ‘You owe me,’ I whispered before I put on my smile and walked to greet our ‘dates.’

  Noah and Anna shuffled out of their seats and kissed us on our cheeks. I found myself sitting next to Noah with Anna and Elijah opposite us, their arms already touching. I shuffled a little further away from Noah.

  ‘So, how are you enjoying it here, Eva?’ said Anna, her brown eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

  I thought back how I’d dragged myself out of bed each and every morning since school started, dreading yet another day as the token ‘new girl.’

  Elijah laughed. ‘Eva doesn’t really enjoy being the centre of attention, do you, sis?’

  ‘You could say that,’ I said, remembering all the stares I’d seen and whispers I’d overheard. And most especially Jet, my own personal stalker, never taking no for an answer.

  ‘Well, I’m sure it will get easier, hey,’ said Anna.

  I smiled at Anna, warmth spreading through me. ‘It already has.’

  ‘So, what can I get you lovebirds?’ asked a waitress who appeared next to the table and handed us our menus.

  My face heated, and I was glad to be under the cover of semi-darkness. We made our orders and settled back into our chairs, conversation leading from one thing to another. Time slipped away smoothly. When a chocolate brownie was placed between me and Noah, I realised I was smiling and had been smiling the whole night. It was an unfamiliar sensation that I had no idea what to make of.

  I looked over at Anna and Elijah, who were sharing a chocolate sundae, feeding each other and laughing as ice cream dripped onto their clothes and the white tablecloth. Over dinner, they’d inched closer and closer until they were nearly one person. Elijah’s face was soft as he gazed at Anna.

  Elijah had had a few girlfriends back in our old town, but they were always far more smitten with him than he was with them. Until now. He was gone – hook, line and sinker. And I was glad for him; he’d chosen well, very well.

  Noah inched closer to me – again – making it impossible for me to move without falling off the seat. I glanced over at him, and he looked at me shyly. He really was the whole package. Part of me knew I should be leaping into whatever it was we could be, but another part held back. The same part that kept thinking of Jet, who was arrogant, pushy, selfish and gorgeous.

  ‘So, what do you guys think of these new laws?’ said Anna before taking another mouthful of ice cream in her full pink lips.

  It was as though someone popped my balloon. Those new laws, that new mayor – Orpheus Blackthorn… It was all very strange and more than a little scary.

  ‘I don’t like it,’ I said. ‘I mean, what right does anyone have to insist we start going to church?’

  ‘Apparently they’re going to record who goes and who doesn’t,’ said Anna, the expression on her beautiful face heavy.

  ‘It’s like Santa, checking whether we’ve been naughty or nice,’ said Noah, making us laugh, but it was a hollow-sounding laughter.

  ‘What do you think he’ll do to those who don’t go?’ I asked, trying to remember whether I’d ever gone to church.

  ‘Why don’t you start coming with us? T
hat way you don’t have to worry,’ said Noah.

  ‘You guys go to church?’ I said, nearly choking on my brownie.

  But of course they go to church!

  Noah and Anna exchanged glances. ‘Yeah, sure we do,’ said Anna.

  ‘Sorry if that sounded rude,’ I said. ‘I guess I don’t know anyone who goes to church.’

  ‘Well, you do now,’ said Noah, his brown eyes clear and steady as he looked at me. ‘Will you come? Avoid any trouble?’

  Wholesome! Yes – that’s the perfect word for these twins.

  Elijah answered yes at the same time that I said no. We both laughed, but we were the only ones.

  ‘Sorry, guys, I don’t mean to offend you, but I can’t go to church when I…don’t actually believe in God,’ I said.

  The silence at the table was deafening, but I wasn’t backing down, not on this. ‘You must understand why I feel the way I do. And anyway, surely there won’t be consequences for not going. I mean, really, we live in 2025, not 1605.’

  ‘Have you heard about the other law?’ said Noah, his face paling. ‘Giving Orpheus’s special police force more powers?’

  I laughed – I couldn’t help it. ‘You have to be kidding?’

  ‘I wish I was,’ said Noah, putting down his spoon.

  What kind of hellhole backwater did we move to?

  ‘Surely he won’t bother us here, in Melas? He doesn’t even live here. He lives in Tarrin.’

  Silence settled around the table like a low mist.

  ‘Actually, Eva, Orpheus just moved here,’ said Anna, her oval-shaped eyes full of concern.

  What?

  Elijah reached out and took Anna’s hand. I pulled my hands up and out of Noah’s reach.

  ‘He moved into the river house, on the edge of the harbour.’

  I knew the place; it was impossible not to. It was, after all, the one and only mansion in the whole town, occupying the best real estate and possessing a commanding view over the river, ocean and town.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  ‘Well, I’ll come to church with you,’ said Elijah, clearly leaping at the chance to see Anna on a weekly basis and no doubt get into her mum and dad’s good books.