The Witch's Spark

by Melania Tolan

  By now, night had fallen. He climbed a nearby tree and peered through each lit window until he found her.

  Her cheeks blushed as she fiddled with her phone. Traian tuned in to the sounds from the room. The voice chastising her, ‘Miss Greene,’ pulled a nerve in his neck. Something about how the man spoke triggered a subtle but noticeable distaste in his mouth. Only one particular person had ever elicited that reaction from him…

  He watched the man for a few minutes. The male professor appeared to be a normal human, but Traian still wasn’t convinced. The way the professor looked at the girl only added to his growing dislike for the man.

  The girl, Miss Greene, came storming out of the building, face flushed and tears pouring down her pale cheeks. A strong protective feeling overcame Traian, pulling him toward her. He followed Miss Greene down to the transit station and onto the train heading downtown. She pulled the hood of her coat over her head and wept quietly. Her shoulders slouched.

  Traian’s heart ached at the sight of her distress.

  Have you gone mad?

  His logical mind kicked in, but he didn’t care.

  All he wanted in that moment was to cradle the girl to his chest and kiss away her tears. He also wanted to snap that professor’s head off and throw it into the bay. But logic won, and Traian kept his distance from the girl, comparatively, and settled for a seat two rows behind her. No one on the train noticed his presence, not even her. She got off five stops later, and he did too.

  Traian followed her up the station’s escalator and across the street. She walked up to an old, industrial, brick building that had been converted into lofts, and he stopped behind a parked car, watching as she entered and closed the main door behind her. From there, he listened as she called the rickety elevator to the first floor and then stepped inside. It went to the top floor, five stories up, where she got off.

  He pulled the time veil tighter around himself as he scaled the side of the building. Female voices inside didn’t alarm him, but the girl’s scent had changed again. From the speed of her heartbeat and the heat radiating from her body, he could tell she wasn’t thrilled about her roommates.

  Maybe they’re visitors.

  Traian moved to the hall window across from the bathroom when he heard her go in there. The sounds of running water, spritzing, the opening and closing of cosmetic containers, and deep breaths coming from inside told him she was trying to make herself more presentable to the people at her residence. The girl didn’t want the others to know she had been crying.

  One of the other women came to the bathroom door just as the girl opened it.

  “About time. Was coming to see if you fell in the toilet,” said the other woman.

  “This is my place.”

  “Grandma’s.”

  Traian could sense the underlying jealousy in the other woman’s voice. She wishes she lived here, he mused. So they weren’t roommates. Sisters, perhaps?

  “Why are you here?” Miss Greene asked.

  “Mom and I were going to take you out to dinner tonight, but you didn’t pick up or respond to our messages.” Traian sensed movement. “Now let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  Traian moved to get a better view through a different window. If he’d been a breathing human, he would have gasped at this new sight. Vines, trees, ferns, and all kinds of greenery filled the space. The apartment looked more like a garden than a home. That’s where the earthy undertone to her scent comes from.

  With each passing moment, this girl captured his fascination more completely. Through the green foliage, he watched as she interacted with whom he quickly learned was her mother and sister.

  “Everly.” The older woman scolded her for an offhanded remark.

  Everly Greene.

  Traian let her name roll through his mind like a gentle breeze through a summer meadow.

  Who are you?

  Chapter 5

  I woke up the next morning at six a.m., despite the fact that I’d stayed up until midnight going over my failed microbiology quiz. Mom and Stella had finally left around nine after my sister had dropped many hints about how nice it would be if she could crash here on her occasional late nights at the museum. Stella worked at The Glass Museum by the Space Needle as an event coordinator, which meant she spent many late nights running galas and charity events.

  I reminded her that the whole reason I moved here was so I can have peace and quiet while studying, and both Mom and Stella laughed. Apparently, my academic goals didn’t mean much to them. This may explain why I was the first in the family to attend college.

  But this morning, I would show them—I would prove I could take care of myself. I showered, dressed, and fixed myself a cup of tea and a slice of toast. After I finished the light breakfast, I grabbed my biochem textbook, notebook, purse, and coat. One block away, I caught the bus headed to Seattle Community Hospital.

  I’d be an hour early for my transfusion, but I didn’t care. I would prove to my mother I could take myself to my appointment without her help. I’ll text Mom when I get to the clinic, so she doesn’t freak out when she walks into my apartment and doesn’t find me there.

  Everything was going great until I was about to exit the bus, and I saw the man in the black coat again. I had to glance twice to make sure. Yup, there he was, standing at the back of the bus with silver shades covering his eyes.

  I hurried to get off the bus and misjudged the distance to the ground. My ankle rolled, and the books in my hand went flying, landing in a puddle with a spectacular splash. The rest of my body followed.

  Smack!

  My head hit the curb, sending a shimmer of black stars across my vision.

  “Ow.” I groaned.

  I tried to stand, but the ground kept tilting to the right.

  And then it rained.

  Great.

  I pushed myself up to all fours.

  “Miss. Let me help you.” A man’s voice came from behind. It was the bus driver, to my relief. “Oh, dear, that isn’t good.” He reached inside the bus and produced a roll of blue paper towels. Ripping free a generous amount, he wadded the paper and applied it to my head with one hand, while he steadied my body with the other.

  “Let’s get you out of that puddle. Can you sit?” a woman to my left asked.

  Several people gathered around me. The man in black was there too, collecting my books and papers from the ground. One person had their phone out and dialed the three emergency digits. The driver and the woman pulled me to the curb, where I collapsed on the sidewalk. I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t see or stand or do anything.

  “She’s bleeding quite a bit,” someone said, as darkness overcame me.

  I awoke for the second time today when the paramedics pulled me onto the stretcher. I scanned the surrounding faces, searching for the man in black, but everyone looked like blurry blobs. The emergency room was just around the corner, but they still loaded me up in the ambulance and drove the half city block.

  I tried to speak, but I couldn’t get my mouth to move. If only I could tell them I had an appointment at the infusion center… My consciousness came and went as they poked and prodded my body. I might as well have been dead. Time became irrelevant… I could have been there for two minutes or two days, I couldn’t tell.

  “Oh dear! Jesus give me strength,” a familiar screech came from close by, waking me up.

  And they called my mother. Dammit. I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. It was easy, as I still couldn’t move a muscle on command.

  “This is why I don’t like her riding the bus. It’s too dangerous,” Mom went on. “I will sue them.”

  Oh, no! She’s going to make a scene.

  I tried to open my eyes, but the lids wouldn’t listen.

  Once my mom knew I was awake, she would be on my case for leaving without her. In the meantime, each word coming out of her mouth felt like nails on metal. I wanted to jump out of my skin, but I couldn’t move. Instead, another blessed
wave of darkness came and put me out of my misery.

  When I woke up again, I found myself in a hospital room. Mom sat in the chair, reading her Bible and sipping on diet soda. My head hurt as I tried to take in my environment. I closed my eyes for a moment and reopened them. Mom shifted in her seat.

  “Hi, baby.” She set down her Bible and soda can. “How are you feeling?”

  All I could do was grunt.

  Mom rushed to my side and placed a hand on my arm. “Just rest, sweetie. You took a nasty hit to the head.”

  I think I nodded. I don’t know for sure. The room spun, and I closed my eyes again. This time they didn’t open for a while. When they finally did, I heard lots of beeping sounds coming from the side of my bed, and I could see all kinds of tubes and wires attaching me to the beeping machines. I gagged when I realized there was a tube down my throat. I wanted to rip the thing out, but I couldn’t move.

  Oh my god, am I paralyzed? A rush of adrenaline surged through my body as panic set in. This cannot be happening.

  “She’s awake,” I heard my mother shout. It sounded like she was screaming in my ears.

  Between the alarms, Mom’s voice, and the damn tube in my mouth, I could barely stay calm. I wanted to scream too. The nurse rushed in and saw the fear in my eyes. She quickly pushed a few buttons, which silenced some of the noise.

  “Honey, I need you to settle down. We’ll get your trach out, but you need to calm down, okay?” The nurse sounded as bad as my mother.

  I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt shallow. Tiny breaths helped keep the panic at bay during the painful waiting period until the nurse could take out the tube. She approached with a male health professional, and I braced myself for the burn after. After all the surgeries I’d had over the years, this sensation wasn’t new.

  The entire procedure, I ignored my mom fidgeting in the room's corner. The moment the trach came out, I coughed, and my hand flopped to my mouth.

  Hallelujah.

  That small movement meant everything. I wiggled my toes next and turned my head. Everything hurt, and my limbs felt like gelatin. Still, little victories. I could do this.

  Later, the doctor came in and looked me over. A concussion, mild brain swelling, and uncontrolled bleeding had landed me in the hospital, but my heart stopping twice during the night had given me VIP status in the intensive care unit.

  No wonder my chest hurts.

  The nurse made sure I was comfortable and then cleared the room, leaving my mother and I alone. I stated at the ceiling to avoid eye contact.

  Mom cleared her throat, and I met her gaze like a trained dog. Her eyes narrowed.

  “You are so grounded.”

  Where had the motherly softness gone?

  “I don’t live at home anymore.” My words came out raspy. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window over downtown Seattle.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mom said. “You are incapable of taking care of yourself.”

  “I can take care of myself just fine.” My voice cracked as I spoke.

  “Yeah, then why are we here?”

  I didn’t answer. She was partly right. If I hadn’t rushed off the bus, I wouldn’t have fallen.

  The gravity of my current situation and the doctor’s words sank in.

  My heart stopped two times last night.

  A heavy teardrop slipped from my right eye. Then I remembered why I had been in such a hurry to get off the bus, and the image of the man in black flashed in my mind when I blinked.

  “Oh, honey.” Mom was at my side, kissing away the tear.

  I turned my head away from her. “What time is it?” Why was that man there? Didn’t I see him getting my stuff?

  “Just after seven. Why?” Mom frowned.

  “I missed last night’s biochem midterm review.” I wiped my cheek. My hand came back a hot pink matching Mom’s lipstick. “Where are my books and the papers I dropped when I fell?”

  “Who cares?”

  I glanced around the room before meeting Mom’s gaze. “I do.”

  “It’s just a class.” Mom threw her hand in the air.

  “It’s my education. It’s important to me.”

  “Ev, school isn’t everything. Look at your sister. She’s making good money working at that glass place. She never went to college.”

  I shook my head in frustration. She’ll never understand. “Where’s my cell phone?”

  “You can’t use it in here. It’ll mess with the machines.” Mom waved to the equipment on the other side of my bed. “The nurse already scolded me.”

  “I need to text my classmate.”

  “I already let your school know you were in the hospital. And your boss, too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I need to let Jen know I won’t make it to our study date tomorrow.”

  The room’s sliding glass door opened, and the nurse popped her head in. “You have a visitor, Everly.”

  Mom and I glanced at each other. I shook my head. Mom shrugged.

  The nurse wiggled her eyebrows and stepped aside. Professor Perry entered the room. For a second, I wished my heart would stop and the code team would come in and kick everyone out. That’s how much I didn’t want to see him right then.

  Mom gasped at his presence. She, like most women completely lost her ability to talk when he walked into the room. I couldn’t see what she saw.

  Mr. Perry glanced at me and then at my mom. “Hello, I’m Rick, Everly’s professor. You must be her mother?” He extended his hand to her.

  Mom flushed several shades of pink and took his hand. “Why, Everly, you never told me your professor was so good-looking.”

  Now I could feel my face turn red. “Mom,” I muttered under my breath.

  Professor Perry let go of her hand and came to the side of my bed. “My assistant informed me this evening of your ill-fortune. I had to come make sure this information was true, and you weren’t just trying to get out of midterms.”

  Mom let out a high-pitched chortle.

  My jaw tightened. The heat of embarrassment instantly turned into that of rage—at both Perry and my mom. I pushed the call button. The nurse popped in.

  “Hi.” I gave her a pleading look. “I’m feeling exhausted. Could you please escort my mother and Mr. Perry out?”

  “Very well.” She gave Mr. Perry a tight-lipped smile. “I’d be happy to show you to the lounge, where there is coffee and tea.”

  Mom cast me her we’ll-talk-about-this-later glare. Mr. Perry kept his expression cool and composed, as he always did.

  “Sorry, guys, I need my rest if I’m going to get out of here in time to take my exams.” I looked straight at Mr. Perry.

  He gave me a slight nod. “No need to apologize. I wish you a speedy recovery, Ms. Greene. Do not worry about the exams next week, they will be waiting for you when you are ready.”

  Perry took my hand in his for a second. A jolt of electricity zinged through my body. It reminded me of the shock I’d received at Eva’s grave, but not as strong. Then he let go and walked out.

  Mom followed him, shaking her head. I heard her voice in the hall.

  “I’m sorry for my daughter’s behavior… She’s had a long night. Her heart stopped twice.”

  Mr. Perry responded to her, but I couldn’t hear what he said. The nurse turned down the lights and wrapped a preheated blanket around my body. She brought me a cup of water before leaving the room.

  Alone, finally. I sighed and shuddered when I remembered Mr. Perry’s soft hand on mine. I didn’t know if I should be creeped out by his gesture. He’d never touched me before—there hadn’t been a need to. I shook my hand to rid myself of the energy of his presence and tucked it under the warm covers. The moment I closed my eyes, my mind wandered to the man in black.

  Who is he? Why does he keep showing up everywhere I go?

  The hospital sounds faded into the background. I opened my eyes and found myself in a darkened forest. I walked through the trees, noting the familia
rity about these woods. Though surrounded by night, I wasn’t afraid because he stood by me.

  The man in black wasn’t next to me, but close by, watching.

  Eventually I reached a clearing and stepped out into the moonlight. I turned and waited for him to follow me, but he hesitated in the shadows of the trees. I couldn’t understand why he waited, so I extended a hand. After another moment of hesitation, he took it and joined me in the moonlit meadow. I finally saw what a beautiful creature he was.

  His chalky pale skin glowed. A slight breeze ruffled his long black hair, which flowed over his shoulders.

  Closing his eyes, he raised my hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss between the knuckles of my index and middle finger. He took a deep breath as if inhaling my scent.

  Then he opened his eyes once and met my gaze. His black irises dilated—the only movement I noticed from him when I heard, ‘Eva, te am asteptat’.

  Even though his mouth hadn’t moved, I knew with absolute certainty that the velvet voice inside my head belonged to him. Shock settled in at the realization he had telepathically communicated with me in a language I wasn’t familiar with, but still understood.

  “Why were you waiting for me?” I irreverently broke the silence.

  It felt strange to be so comfortable in his presence, though an unspoken sliver of peril remained at the edge of my awareness.

  The corners of his lips curled into the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen in my short, pathetic life. Not that I’ve seen many smiles.

  I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I wondered when you would return to your roots.

  My jaw dropped open like a complete fool. How did he know why I had come to Romania? Normally, I have plenty of comebacks and smartass comments to share, but I was plain stumped for words.