Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series (10 page)

“Well….” His father’s face grew thoughtful. “I hope it works. I like Bryce. He’s a good kid.”

“I like him too, Dad. He’s a good friend.”

* * *

Rita took a sip from her beer and leaned back in her barstool, watching Cassandra make her way through the crowded tables — a forest of tattoos, black shirts and blue jeans in mismatched wooden chairs. Her tall friend’s bleached-blonde beehive nearly brushed the light fixture of a ceiling fan as she passed, and she bumped into more than one table. No one complained.
They’re used to it,
Rita thought.

“Did you sell any?” Rita asked as Cassandra dropped on the stool beside her.

Cassandra set five small brown envelopes on the bar. “I sold six. I’m saving one for me since I’m driving. I don’t want a DUI, either.”

“Deputy Fife’s probably on the lookout for our car since we razzed him last week.” Rita picked up the packets and dropped them in her purse. “At least we made enough to pay for our bar tab.”

Cassandra crossed her long legs and lit a cigarette. “Louis wants a special order.” She took a drag and blew a long stream of gray smoke. “Wants to know if we’ll make a poison for him.”

“Poison? What for?”

“His divorce is final, and his ex-wife got his motorcycle in the deal.”

“His Harley? Damn. I’d be pissed, too.” Rita shook her head. “You told him no, I hope.”

“Said I’d talk to you, first.”

“We ain’t making no —”

A noise from the pool room got their attention. Two men were throwing awkward punches and grappling, bouncing off of furniture and getting shouts of encouragement from the other pool players.

“All right, a fight!” Cassandra clapped her hands and grinned.

The men knocked a high top table over with a crash of shattering glass, and Alphonse said from behind the bar, “Rita, can you help me out here?” When Rita didn’t respond, he said, “I’ll comp your tab.”

Rita turned in her seat to face him. “Last night’s, too?”

“Yeah, sure, last night’s…just hurry, will ya’?”

Rita stood and walked across the bar toward the pool room, pulling a necklace from over her head as she went. It was slim silver chain attached to a pendant made of jade, carved in the shape of a sleeping baby. She began spinning the necklace as she neared the fighters, slowly at first, and the pendant began to glow, so that it made a blue–white incandescent circle before her.

She entered the pool room and spun the necklace faster. The fighters stopped their clumsy assault as she neared them. She stopped a few feet away and said as she spun, “You’re tired. You need to rest.”

Both men looked at her and blinked stupidly, and one of them rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Then they both sat down hard in the nearest chairs, looking exhausted. Several bystanders groaned.

“Damn, Rita,” someone said from the other side of the room. “It was just getting good.”

“Sorry,” she said, slipping the chain back over her head. “Blame Alphonse.”

Rita returned to her seat, and Cassandra handed her a tall iced drink with a cherry and a lime slice on top.

Rita took the drink and sat down. “What’s this?”

“Long Island Iced Tea.” Cassandra put the straw to her bright red lips, delicately positioning it so that it wouldn’t mess up her lipstick, and took a sip. “I figured if Alphonse is gonna comp our tab, we might as well run it up some.” Cassandra surveyed the room and narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to go down to Pauley’s and see if we can sell something?”

“Nah. That place has gotten too rough for me. Those folks don’t even care if they get a DUI.”

“Maybe we could sell a love potion or two.”

Rita gave her a level look. “Well, maybe not,” Cassandra said, fingering her drink glass. “Let’s just stay here. Our home away from home.”

* * *

Rachel watched the two pig-tailed girls peddle their bikes down the sidewalk past Lisa’s house toward the setting sun. Each bike was a rolling testimonial to innocence, all sparkly purples and pinks, with colorful handlebar steamers flowing in the breeze and white baskets on the front. One girl had a tiny brown dog in her basket, its ears back and eyes wide, the tell-tale look of an unwilling passenger.

“Remember when it used to be so simple?” Lisa said when the girls were well past.

“For us or for our kids?” Rachel said.

“Both, I guess. Now everything is so strange.”

The two women were on Lisa’s front steps, enjoying the Hendersonville October weather. The air was as clear as the highest note an angel can sing, and the sky was the deepest blue that a Carolina autumn could offer.

Lisa set her coffee cup down and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “You know what’s missing from this scenario?”

“Adele,” Rachel said without hesitation. “Tell her to get her butt over here.” She watched Lisa send the test message.

Lisa set her phone down next to her cup and looked out over her lawn to Rachel’s house. “Whose car is that in your driveway? It’s nice.”

“Bryce’s. Jamie’s treating his leg again, trying to get him ready for cross country practice tomorrow.”

“Is he doing it with magic?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Lisa shook her head. “Strange, strange.”

“Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it.” Rachel took a sip of her coffee and said, “Is Fred still upset about her…power?”

“You mean, that’s she’s a witch? Oh yes.”

“You don’t seem to be bothered by it too much.”

“I am having a little trouble accepting it. But…all she can do is talk to Jamie in her dreams.” She gave a little nervous laugh. “At least she can’t fly or anything, right?” Lisa picked up her cup and fingered the handle. “I guess I’ll have to take my cues from you, Rachel. You’ve found out Jamie’s an incredibly powerful sorcerer, but you act the same. It’s like business as usual at the Sikes’s house. And I don’t really think of her as a witch, Jamie does.”

“I should be worried about Jamie, you know? He could destroy our house with a wave of his hand, but all I have to do is look at him and I see the same old klutzy, good-hearted, curly-haired boy. He’s
still
the same old Jamie. He surprises me sometimes when he plays with his magic around the house, levitating plates and stuff, but I had to put a stop to his flying indoors. He almost knocked me down the stairs the other day. I thought I was going to have a heart attack!” Rachel put her hand to her chest.

“At least Fred isn’t doing any of that.”

“Is she still practicing for the big show next weekend?”

“She goes to the dance studio every day. Adele told me Rollie’s been practicing, too. He records himself on video and watches it all the time.”

“Jamie’s not practicing at all…well, not for the show, anyway. Every time I ask him about it, he just shrugs and says he’s only doing the show for the fun of it. He wants Fred and Rollie to win and move on to the next round.”

“Must be nice having all that money from Eddan just drop into your lap like that.”

“Well, it is, but Carl and I were talking, and we think we have might have enough to help Fred and Rollie with their college.”

Lisa put her hand on Rachel’s arm. “That’s really generous of you, but I don’t know if Larry will go for that, and I
know
Garrett won’t. We may not —”

“Who’s that?” Rachel pointed.

They both turned to watch the old red car pull into Lisa’s driveway. The front bumper was dented and one door was painted white. Thin blue-gray smoke plumed from the rusted tail pipe. “Are you expecting company?” Rachel asked.

“A friend of Fred’s.”

A girl with long blonde hair stepped out and closed the car door, then walked up to the front steps, a couple of books under one arm. She greeted them and Lisa said, pointing with her thumb at the door behind her, “Fred’s in her room. Go on in. She’s expecting you.”

Rachel waited until the door closed behind Melanie before saying quietly, “Is that
the
Melanie? The one who kissed Jamie?”

Lisa nodded. “I told you things were getting strange around here. This is even stranger than the magic.”

“I thought Fred hated her guts.”

“She did, but they’re best buds now, for some reason. Last night I overheard Fred try to talk Jamie into double dating with Melanie and her boyfriend, but Jamie didn’t seem to be going for it.”

“I hope Fred didn’t pinch him again.”

“I didn’t hear him yell.” Lisa drained the last of her coffee and set the cup on the concrete stoop behind her. “Rachel, do you think there are any other wizards around like Jamie?”

“He doesn’t think so, at least here on Earth. He said he could feel it when they did magic.”

“Even if they’re all the way in China?”

“If they’re doing strong enough magic to worry about. That’s what he thinks, anyway.”

“How about witches? Do you think there are any of those around?”

“There are plenty of Wiccans, but he doesn’t think they have real power. He can’t tell, though. He said he can’t sense when a witch does magic.” She put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “I hope there aren’t any others around, for Fred’s sake.”

“One is enough.” Lisa laughed.

Rachel looked down the street and saw a woman with bangle earrings and chocolate-colored skin walking down Rollie’s front steps. “Here comes Adele. We’d better change the subject.”

Chapter 10

Jamie felt the sand beneath him first, then noticed Fred sitting next to him.
I’m dreaming again,
he realized. He looked down and saw that he was wearing a bathing suit. Fred wore one, too.

“Hey,” she said, giving him a slight smile.

“Hey yourself.” He smiled back. “This is a good one, Fred.” He turned and regarded the houses behind them. “This is Ponte Vedra Beach, isn’t it?”

Fred turned, too. “Must be. I have really good memories of this place. We had a lot of fun here. Do you remember?”

“If I said no, would you pinch me again?”

“Want me to, just so you can see how real it feels?”

“I got two big bruises on my butt already. Why don’t you kiss me instead?”

Fred leaned close and kissed him softly; he felt her soft breath on his face before the warmth of her moist lips.
It almost feels like the real thing
. “You’re getting better at this, Fred.”

“Kissing?”

“No, you’ve always been good at that.” He gestured at their surroundings. “This is pretty real looking.” He looked at the sky and shook his head. “The light is diffused, like at the meadow. There’s no sun.”

“What?” Fred looked up. “You’re right. Where should it be?’

“We’re facing east.”

A glowing orb appeared in the sky in front of them.

Jamie squinted and shielded his face with his hand. “That’s good, Fred, but it’s in our eyes.”

She frowned. “Always the critic.”

Shadows suddenly stretched before them, and Jamie turned to see the sun at their backs. “Awesome. I’m impressed.”

“So is my magic up to your standards?”

“This is pretty cool, I must admit. Can you put us anywhere?”

The scene melted and morphed into darkness. They were sitting on grass that was wet with dew. Jamie looked around. “Now where are we?”

“My front yard.”

“I like the beach better.”

“This is where you first told me you loved me. Remember?”

He grinned innocently. “I did that here?”

Fred reached for him with her thumb and forefinger, but he scooted safely away. He laughed and said, “Of course I remember. I think about it every day.” He could tell from the look in her eyes that he’d said the right thing. “Now can we go back to the beach?” The scene changed again and they were on the sand. “Thanks. Now all we need is a breeze and the sound of seagulls.” He felt a gentle wind on his face and heard a distinctive squawking.

“Satisfied?” Fred said.

“It’s perfect.” He turned and looked behind him. “The house we stayed in is right over there. Do you think we could go in it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But I want to stay right here.” She hooked one arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Fred, do you ever feel tired in the morning after one of our encounters like this?”

“I usually feel great….happy. I’d still do this even if I did feel tired.” She lifted her head and looked at him. “Do you feel tired?”

“No. I feel wonderful. Have you tried talking to anybody else in a dream?”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Just to see if you could.”

“Who would I talk to?”

“I dunno…your mom?”

She raised her head from his shoulder and gave him a hard look. “Is that a serious question?”

“Sorry. But you should try sometime, just to see.”

“No thanks. The only person I want to see in my dreams is right here.”

“Well, I still think you should. You need to know the limits of your power. Just in case.”

* * *

Jamie opened the front door and let Rollie in.

“This better be good, Dude,” Rollie said. “Got a bunch of homework to do and it’s almost dinner time.”

“It’s good, Buddy,” Jamie said as he led him through the house to the family room. “Won’t take but five minutes.” He held the back door open and they stepped outside to his expansive yard.

“Why’re we comin’ out here?” Rollie asked as they walked down the wooden steps of the deck.

“It’ll work better out here. More room.”

Rollie scuffed his foot through a pile of fallen leaves. “Dude, you need to get out here and get these leaves up. Can’t you just poof ’em away?”

“My parents don’t want me doing chores with magic. They say it’s lazy, so I gotta use the leaf blower and the rake, same as you.”

“What’s the use of havin’ all that magic in you if you can’t do stuff like that?”

“Good question.”

“So where are we going?”

Jamie stopped in the middle of the yard. “This should be good. You stay there.” He walked another twenty steps toward the back. “Now turn around.”

Rollie spun in a complete circle and grinned. “Like that?”

“You know what I mean.”

Rollie turned and faced the house. Jamie put his arms out from his side, fingers splayed, and focused his will.
Here goes
. “Okay. You can turn around.”