The Witch's Spark

by Melania Tolan

  Chapter 23

  How did she get here? Everything within me screamed “Run!” yet I stood frozen in place. My phone with Butcher’s number was inside the building, sitting on my workbench.

  “Can I help you?” I asked, keeping my voice as calm and steady as possible.

  She didn’t answer, just stared at me with those cold, red eyes.

  “I need to close shop.” I took a step back. “My partner is waiting for me inside.”

  One moment, she was on the other side of the blue garbage can, the next, she was right in front of me.

  How did she move that fast? Or is my new medication screwing with me?

  She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, her irises dilated until the red was a slender halo around the black. The feral look reminded me of Traian.

  “I can smell him all over you,” she sneered.

  “Whoa, lady, I don’t know what kind of drugs you’re on, but—”

  My words were cut short by her hand around my neck, lifting me until my feet were dangling two feet off the ground.

  “How interesting that Traian suddenly has the hots for a human.” Sharp fangs lengthened from her mouth as she talked.

  This was not how I thought I would go—not in the back alley of my work, being choked to death by a crazy woman. Already, black spots sprinkled my vision. I struggled to breathe, and her hold tightened around my throat. I couldn’t even get enough air to beg for my life.

  This is it.

  What will my mother think when the police tell her they found my body?

  I had been prepared to meet my end any day, but now that it had come, the sadness I felt surprised me. I wished for one more chance to tell Mom and Stella I loved them. I longed to have one more cup of tea with Mindy and share another kiss with Traian.

  Hang on, how does she know about Traian? Last night, he’d told me she couldn’t see him—that’s why he’d had me drive out of the cemetery. I blinked, trying to stay cognizant. I wiggled my toes and focused on the woman.

  “How?” I croaked out with the last bit of air left in my lungs. The cross on my chest vibrated. My hands grew hotter by the minute.

  Her red lips curled into the evilest smile I’d ever seen, but then the pleasure vanished from her face as her mouth twisted into a grimace. The next moment, my knees buckled as my body collapsed in a heap on the cold concrete. I gasped for air and coughed. My vision blurred and then focused on her hand. A small plume of smoke rose from her palm. I watched the woman as she looked at her hand, eyes wide, and hyperventilated.

  I didn’t know what to do.

  “You will pay for this,” she said. “You will pay for this dearly.”

  And then she was gone.

  I lay in a heap, panting for air and not knowing what to do. What just happened?

  The back door of the shop opened, and Mindy came out.

  “What are you doing?” She rushed toward me and squatted down. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure.” I rubbed my neck and groaned. Oh, that’s going to leave a mark. Not to mention the throbbing in my right knee, which had taken the brunt of my weight when I fell. The burning in my hands had subsided at least.

  “Shit, you’re hurt.” Mindy’s eyes widened. “Who attacked you?”

  My throat hurt too much to talk, but I had to try. “A woman,” I whispered.

  Mindy shot up to her feet and scanned our immediate area. “Girl, I’m worried about you.” She pulled out her cell phone and dialed nine-one-one.

  “No,” I protested, but it didn’t matter.

  A handful of minutes later, an ambulance, a fire truck, and a police cruiser pulled into the entrance of the alley. First responders swarmed around us and Mindy answered their questions when I couldn’t talk. She even called my mother, much to my dislike. Given my blood disorder and the fact I’d just been in the ICU the week before, it took no convincing for the paramedics to load me up on a stretcher and haul me off to the hospital.

  And at the hospital, who did I meet? Professor Perry. Yes, he was there waiting for me. It was like he knew I was coming.

  “Tell me how this happened.” He shined a penlight into my eyes.

  “A woman attacked me behind the flower shop where I work.” I told him in a raspy low voice. “I think she was high on meth or something.” That was the only explanation I had about her strange behavior.

  Mindy stood by, listening. “The police are here too. They have more questions,” she told us.

  “I will take care of the officials. You’ve been through enough.” Professor—I mean Dr. Perry rested a hand on my arm. He then checked my neck and vitals and told me to rest.

  Unfortunately, my mother poked her head around the curtain.

  “I told you that job was dangerous.”

  I gave Mindy a pleading look.

  She nodded and turned toward my mother. “Hi, Mrs. Greene.” She hugged my mom and somehow convinced her to go grab coffee while the nurses did their job.

  A nurse brought me some food and medicine. They ran scans and blood tests. Thankfully, everything turned out okay. The new medicine must be already working because I hadn’t lost too much blood from the bruises and scrapes on my knees. Mom returned in a much better mood. Dr. Perry came back in a while later.

  “All police reports have been filed. Your labs and scans look good. You have my okay to go home.” My professor who was also my doctor gave me a warm smile and turned to my mother. “Your daughter is in good hands. I’ll take her home.”

  “And I’ll stay the night with her,” chimed Mindy.

  “You can go home and rest, Mrs. Greene.” Dr. Perry gave my mother’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  “Alright.” She nodded and gave me a hug. “I love you, sweetie. I will stop by tomorrow.”

  “I love you too.” I gave Mom a peck on the cheek, relieved I wouldn’t have to listen to her ranting about my life choices.

  An hour later, Dr. Perry drove me and Mindy back to my place in a luxurious sedan instead of his sports car. I didn’t catch the make or model, because I was too tired to care. When we got home, he walked around the entire apartment checking windows, locks, and other safety features in my home.

  Storm jumped onto my shoulder and hissed at Perry every time he came too close.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow morning with new locks,” Perry said before he left. “Take your medicine and rest.” He turned to Mindy. “Call me if anything changes.”

  “I’ll take good care of her, sir,” Mindy responded.

  “I don’t doubt you will.” Dr. Perry nodded and opened the door. “Don’t forget to lock up behind me.”

  Mindy hurried to the door as soon as he closed it to turn the locks and set the chain. The moment I saw her sliding the hook, I wanted to kick myself in the head. Why didn’t I think of that? That would have kept my mother’s unannounced visits to a minimum. But then I realized it hadn’t been there until today. Did Traian put that in, or am I losing my mind? At least I’d be getting new locks the next day.

  I didn’t mind Mindy being there, but I really wanted some alone time. I missed Traian. Oh, what would he say if he found out about what happened tonight?

  The medicine Dr. Perry gave me made me sleepy. Mindy made me some tea and toast, and then I curled up in bed and dozed off. Storm curled up on the pillow next to me—the one Traian had used last.

  As I fell asleep, right into the forest I went. Traian waited for me, and I ran into his arms. “I’ll be back soon, my love,” he said. “It won’t be long.”

  The forest disappeared, and I was alone with my dreamless sleep.

  When I woke, it was sometime in the middle of the night. Mindy had fallen asleep on the futon downstairs. I got water, went to the bathroom, and then climbed back up to my bed in the loft. Because I couldn’t sleep, I worked on my homework. Since I’d missed two classes this week, I needed to make up my assignments. Luckily, they were posted on the online class forums, both fo
r Intro to Psychology and Research Paper Writing. Once I completed the reading and typed up a rough draft of the paper due next week, I turned to Microbiology. I still needed to get three more samples of mouth bacteria. I can ask Mindy when she wakes up, and hopefully Traian when he comes back Sunday. That would take care of two.

  I turned to Storm, who watched me from her pillowed perch. “Can I get a sample from you?”

  As if she understood, she jumped down and padded across the spread of books and papers to sit on the open microbiology textbook. I opened one of the Petri dishes and took out a swab. Storm opened her mouth, and I took a quick sample, then she closed it again.

  “Thanks.”

  She responded by head-butting me and then returning to her pillow. I applied the sample to the gel in the dish, sealed the case, and labeled it. Right before daybreak, my eyelids grew heavy, and I passed out again.

  I woke up later to the smell of pancakes, bacon, and tea. Storm was nowhere to be seen. When I peeked over the loft railing, I saw the top of Mindy’s head by the stove. My cat sat on the counter nearby, supervising her from a safe distance.

  What a great friend. And smart cat.

  I pulled my fuzzy, green robe over my shoulders and headed downstairs. This was twice that someone I loved had made breakfast for me in my home. As much as I loved the gesture, I couldn’t help feel dependent—a feeling I kept fighting against.

  “Good morning.” Mindy beamed from the kitchen. “How are you feeling?”

  I tied the robe belt loosely around my waist. “Pretty good. You didn’t need to make me breakfast.”

  “Sure, I did. What would you eat if I didn’t?” She shook the spatula in her hand in my direction.

  “I can fend for myself.” I held my hands up.

  “Right, one look in your fridge says you’ve never gone grocery shopping. Although that box of desserts looks amazing.”

  “I never get a chance. Mom keeps bringing me food, and I can’t let it go to waste.” I slid onto the barstool. “But thank you for making me breakfast. How did you find ingredients to make pancakes in this grocery-less kitchen?” Traian must have gone grocery shopping the other morning.

  Mindy flipped a cake with ease. “I had to go to the store.”

  “When?”

  “This morning while you were sleeping. I checked on you to see if you wanted to grab breakfast out, but you were sleeping so soundly surrounded by your school books, I couldn’t bear to wake you.” She shrugged. “I heard you typing away up there when I woke up to pee in the middle of the night.”

  I tried to recall, but I didn’t remember hearing her downstairs. “Oh, well, thanks.”

  Mindy slid another pancake onto the small stack on the kitchen bar. Next to them was a plate with a modest pile of bacon. I grabbed a piece and munched on the end. Mindy placed an empty plate and a set of eating utensils before me.

  “Eat.”

  “Are you going to eat with me?”

  She grabbed a piece of bacon. “One more pancake to finish, and I’ll join you. While I wait, I want to hear about this date, now that Carol isn’t here to eavesdrop on our conversation.”

  My cheeks felt a few degrees hotter. I didn’t know what to say, except that Traian filled my every thought.

  “I went on a date,” I began.

  “Yes, we know. Your face confirmed that. What’s his name?”

  I glanced around the house, as if I expected to see someone else besides my best friend. “Well, I ran into him a few times around Capitol Hill and then at school.”

  “And?”

  I lowered my voice. “His name is Traian.”

  “Interesting name.” Mindy flipped the last pancake one more time. “Where’s he from?”

  “Romania.”

  “Oh.” There was a hint of wariness in her voice.

  “‘Oh’, what?”

  “Be careful.” She shook her head. “When can I meet him?”

  I stuffed a large piece of pancake into my mouth to avoid answering her question, but I didn’t need to, as the buzzer went off. It was Mr. Perry or Dr. Perry. Whatever, I can’t keep track of who he is anymore. My conversation with Mindy ceased, as moments later, Perry knocked on my door.

  “Good morning.” Mindy let him in.

  “Good morning, ladies.” He carried two bags with him.

  “What is that?” I asked before I stuffed another bite of food into my mouth.

  “Your new security system,” he said as he unloaded several boxes onto the kitchen counter. He went right to work, installing the cameras and keypad.

  “I don’t want cameras in my apartment.” I got up and walked into the living room, where Perry was mounting a camera in the corner. The idea creeped me out.

  “These are only for when you sound the alarm.” Perry drilled the last screw and tested the camera support for secureness before stepping down from the chair. He handed me a small remote. “The red button is like a panic button. It alerts the security office you are in trouble, and then they dispatch the police and special security guards.”

  “Isn’t this a little extreme?” I asked as I held the device.

  Perry set his power drill on the chair and placed both hands on my shoulders. “My dear, you were attacked at your workplace. If she knows where you work, chances are she may know where you live, and she’s not going to knock when she comes.”

  I sighed. He was right. But then Traian’s words rang in my head. ‘The police won’t be able to do anything.’

  What kind of mess have I gotten myself into? Is this the danger that Traian always speaks of? If so, why would he leave me after seeing her in the cemetery?

  Perry finished installing the system and showed Mindy and I how everything worked. He helped me set a code to punch in to turn the alarm on or off. Before noon, he left, but not before changing the locks on my front door. I gave Mindy spare keys to the apartment and building entrance. Mom showed up five minutes later, banging on the door with two bags of groceries and more takeout. Mindy let her in and then left to feed her cat and go to work. She promised to come back in the morning.

  “This makes me feel much better.” Mom pointed at the camera in the corner of the loft living room. “But I need a spare key, too.”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “The time has come for you to let me go.”

  “Yeah, when I let you go, you tend to land yourself in the hospital.” She sat down on the easy chair across from the futon. “Why don’t you let people help you? You need it, honey. There’s no shame in that.”

  Oh, here we go again. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the futon. “I’m not having this conversation, Mom. All we do is go round and round.”

  Mom crossed her legs. “I called your hematologist’s office this morning. They informed me you transferred care. Why would you do that?”

  “Because I want independence. If it makes you feel better, Dr. Perry is my new physician.”

  “Oh, really?” Her voice sparkled with delight. “That makes me feel better, but I still don’t like that you didn’t tell me.”

  “Get used to it.”

  After a moment of silence, she said, “I feel like I’m losing you.” Her tone turned serious again.

  I opened an eye and peered at her. “Mom, you will lose me at some point. It’s inevitable. Dr. Perry’s trial is only buying me more time to do the things I love.”

  Mom nodded and carefully wiped a tear from her left eye, so as to not smudge her heavy eyeliner and mascara. “Is it wrong that I want to spend with you whatever remaining time you have left?”

  Right through the heart.

  Mom was a pro at the ultimate guilt trip. Yet I also felt her pain. It must be hard to watch her own flesh and blood, her baby, reaching the end before she did.

  I sat up and patted the seat next to me. Mom didn’t hesitate. She came over and wrapped me in her arms.

  “I love you, my darling.”

  “I know.” I squee
zed her.

  After a long moment, she let go. Storm sat on the coffee table, watching us. “Why must you keep this beast here?”

  Storm responded by hissing at her.

  “She’s my guard cat.” I smiled.

  “Pft.” Mom waved her hand to shoo her, but Storm didn’t budge. “All right, I’ll give you space. Please be careful. Your grandmother was into some evil stuff, and I feel like it’s still here.” She scanned the room. “There were strange people showing up right before she died, too, so please be careful. Call on Jesus. He’ll protect you.”

  If only it was that easy.

  I gave my mom a tight-lipped smile, because I didn’t know what else to do or say. She meant well, and I needed to keep that in mind.

  She stood up and gathered her things. “I’m going home. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will.” I followed her to the door. “And sorry for not coming over for lunch today.”

  “It’s okay.” We hugged one more time before she left, and I turned the locks.

  Thump.

  Something fell in the living room that sounded like a book. When I came around the corner, I found Storm on the second shelf of the bookcase under the stairs. A red leather book lay on the floor, its cover facing up. I nearly froze in my tracks. There on the front cover was the symbol from the grave—etched in silver.

  Chapter 24

  Sunday morning found me sitting on the futon with the red leather book spread in front of me, along with the rubbing from the grave, and a note I’d found inside the book, which was from my grandmother and addressed to me. The book was actually an empty journal.

  I had dozed off for a couple of hours at some point and woken up in a cold sweat. My symbol rubbing was exactly the same size as the one on the book cover. In fact, it could appear that the rubbing had been made from the book, and not the gravestone where I had done it.

  I picked up the note again and reread it for the hundredth time since the previous afternoon.

  Dearest Everly,

  I hope this note finds you in good health. If you are reading this, that means you’ve moved into my old loft, which warms my heart. This is a journal. When I started down this amazing path, I recorded everything I witnessed. By now, you may have experienced a few things you can’t explain. It will all make sense soon. Two men will show up in your life, if they haven’t already. Keep them close to you. They are there to protect you as you step into the next chapter. I wish I could be here to witness the amazing transformation you are about to undergo. I love you, my child. Be safe.