Witchling (Chronicles of Witchood) (10 page)

Aiden stood beneath the arched entrance and I gave him a questioning look. “So are you going to tell me?”
I demanded.

Aiden hesitated but eventually gave in. We both knew that I was involved far too deeply and already knew and seen things I shouldn’t have seen.
A silence fell between us and I could hear a large clock tick on the second floor’s landing, its pendulum swinging back and forth.

“Why aren’t you afraid of us?” he asked.

“Who said I’m not afraid?” I said through gritted teeth and released that my body was shaking again. “Of course I’m afraid. I’m terrified of what you could do to me. I’ve seen what you’ve done, at the mall, you snapped that person’s neck, and now Ethan’s covered in blood. You can kill me right now and no one will know. So yes, I am terribly afraid but I know you won’t hurt me.”

“How can you be sure?”

I lifted up my chin and spoke with confidence. “Because this is not how I die.”

“Of course,” he whispered.
Aiden walked away from the arched entrance and placed the pillow down on the couch. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Aiden, just tell me.”

“I’m a Dextris.”

“A what?” I blinked.

“It’s a long story.” Aiden was still hesitant but there was no more avoiding the matter now.

“Well,
” I started, “it’s not like I’m about to go anywhere.”

Aiden inhaled deeply and looked as if he needed to sit down more than I did. The confusion momentarily stopped my body from shaking.

“Several hundred years ago, Ethan and I made a deal with a fallen angel and now we work for him.”

Aiden observed my reaction carefully and waited for me to say something. I stared at him. It sounded as if he was making it all up and yet, I knew that he was telling the truth.

“Fallen angel,” I whispered after some time. Then when it all sank in, I realised what it all meant. “So you’re saying that you basically made a deal with the devil.”

“Not exactly like that,” said Aiden.

“Then what?”

“The angel we
dealt with was not the devil. His name is Kael and he gave us our gifts of speed and strength. There are many dark things in this world and when we became Kael’s agents, we also pledged to keep the darkness in check.”

“Wait. I thought fallen angels are supposed to be evil.”

“It depends on what your definition of evil is. From what I’ve been told, Heaven’s politics is very different from our human ones. Their concept of good and evil is on a completely different scale and it is best that we don’t try to understand it.”

“Alright,” I said, “so what exactly do you do to keep the
darkness in check
?”

“Well, for starters, we track down stray demons and vanquish them before they can hurt anyone. We also deal with spirits and what you call monsters.”

“Was that person’s neck you snapped, is he one of the monsters too?”

“Yes. He was a
Double Walker.”

I stared at Aiden until he realised that I needed an explanation for what double walker meant.
Although the name was self-explanatory enough, I suspected that there was more to it than just looking like someone’s twin.

“Double Walkers are
shape shifting demons that take on the appearance of someone its victim trusts. Double Walkers are usually free agents and they feed on human flesh to survive, but that one that lured you was controlled by someone who wanted you alive.”

“How do you know?”

“Ethan found an abandoned spell doll nearby. Spell dolls are sort of like voodoo dolls, except it controls Double Walkers.”

I blinked as I absorbed the information.
“What does it want with me?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

I nodded. “What about you?” Aiden tilted his head slight and gave me an enquiring look. “When you left me alone on the highway. What’s your explanation for that?”

“Oh,” whispered Aiden. “I didn’t meant to cause you any injury but I was trying not to kill you.”

I was surprised by his admission and didn’t know what to think. “Kill me?”

“Yes. You’re a threat to the Balance.”

“What? How? You’re not making any sense.”

“You’re a witch.”

I stared at him as my mind became blank. I didn’t know what to think and felt tickled by the idea. It was as absurd as Karen’s theory of them being vampires, which turned out to be wrong, with the truth being as farfetched as the original speculation.

“Me?
A witch? Right.”

“It is the truth, Amelia. You are a
witch, which is why they are after you.”

“Who do you mean by
they
? Wait, you don’t mean the monsters outside my window and the shadows?”

“Yes,” said Aiden.

“Why?”

“We don’t know yet.
Ethan and I have been trying to figure it out, but whoever is behind everything have managed to keep his trail hidden and we can’t track him down.”

“And
what have you found out so far?”

“Nothing significant,” he said. I sensed that he was lying. Although I had no proof of this, I knew it in my heart.
Something didn’t add up and he knew it too. Aiden’s expression remained guarded and unmoved and he would have been impossible to read if not for the seemingly psychic deductions I was making. Was this part of my powers as being a witch? I didn’t want to believe what Aiden had just inform me, it seemed impossible. Witches only existed in books and the imaginations of people. I, Amelia Ryans from the small town of Angels Fall, cannot possibly be a witch. I noted the irony in the town’s name and the brothers being a Dextris.

The clock struck four and I realised that I must have slept through the entire afternoon.
My stomach grumbled on queue. I hadn’t really eaten anything before Ethan blew up the shadow and the hunger bit my insides like an angry animal.

“You must be hungry,” said Aiden. “The kitchen is this way.”

Aiden indicated towards the archway and waited for me to walk towards him. I hesitated at first, but seeing that I didn’t exactly know how to get home without one of the brothers dropping me off, or that I still hadn’t gained all that I wanted to know and I was starving, I complied.

I followed Aiden down the wide corridor until the end, where the large kitchen hung with heavy stone pots, pans, herbs and various strange plants. Through the glass ki
tchen door, I could see a greenhouse paved with rough brown stone. A mixture of plants grew in curated wooden boxes while some hung from baskets. The sight seemed fantastical with a touch of rustic flair.

A counter top island completed with its own sink and sleek
Italian styled faucets, sat in the middle of the kitchen, with three round wooden stools in front of it. A double door fridge tucked away in the corner and a stone kiln-like hearth sat on the other side.

“Sit down,” said Aiden as he indicated to the stools. “What would you like?”

“Surprise me,” I said.

Chapter 10

Ethan came out of the shower, half dressed and with a towel drying his head. The smell of freshly snow filled the room and I wondered if it was some sort of Dextris signature scent. Both brothers seemed to always smell like fresh snow, the scent was amplified on Ethan, who just washed himself.

I sat at the counter eating Aiden’s grilled fish and bean salad with him. Ethan came over and peered over my shoulder.

“Fancy,” he remarked. “Where’s mine, little brother?”

“Make your own, brother.”

Ethan fetched himself a fork and took a chunk of fish from my plate. He grinned at me before I could protest.

“Juicy.”

Aiden glared at him. Ethan shrugged and then made his way to the fridge and took out what looked like left over chicken. From it, he constructed himself a hearty sandwich.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do with Amelia, brother?” said Ethan.

I watched them. Ethan spoke as if I wasn’t sitting right in front of him.

“I’ll take you home,” said Aiden to me.

“What about the Hunters? They’re not going to leave until they get what they want.”

“Hunters?”

“Shadow things you saw today,” Aiden explained. “They can also shape shift, but not as good as Double Walkers.”

“Are they the same things that attacked Lydia and her mom?”

Aiden and Ethan didn’t reply. They looked at each other, waiting for the other to take up the task of explaining things to me. Ethan shrugged.

“What?” he said with a raised defensive tone. “She’s your responsibility.”

“What are you two talking about? I am still sitting here.”

Ethan opened his mouth to speak but then stopped himself with a false expression of realisation. “Oh, so you haven’t told her about that.”

Aiden closed his eyes with regret as Ethan revealed the existence of whatever it was that he wanted to keep from me.

“Should I tell her, or do you want to do it?” said Ethan in a cheerful tone.

“Start talking, Aiden,” I said.

Ethan whistled. “This is why I like you, Amelia. Go on, little brother.”

“Ethan, that’s enough,” said Aiden in a low dangerous tone. His irritation only made his older brother gloat more. I placed my fork down on the counter and waited. “You’re my responsibility. I was supposed to kill you when the Hunters started appearing, to stop them from attacking Innocents when they got hungry. If you die, they will most likely go away, but since there is no guarantee, I decided to make you my Charge, which means that I am responsibility for your continued living existence.”

“Innocents? Charge? What?”

“Basically,” started Ethan. “Innocents are all the normal, mortal people like your parents and everyone at school. And yes, your friend, what was her name?”

“Lydia.”

“Yes, her and her mother, were attacked by one of the Hunters, but luckily, we were there on both occasions and they seem alright. Still alive, I last heard.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.

“Which part?” said Ethan.

“Lydia was attacked weeks before Anna turned up at my door. What about her father? Where did he disappeared to?”

Ethan shrugged. “Don’t know.”

I frowned as Ethan seemed so
nonchalant about the entire ordeal. His lack of empathy was starting to get on my brain and I couldn’t decide which brother I liked better. Aiden was tense and unwilling to talk most of the time while his brother didn’t seem to care about anything at all. It made me wonder why Ethan is really here at all.

“What my brother meant to say was that the Hunters had taken the two adults back to their lair and was about to eat Lydia before we found her. We found Anna
later and dropped her off at your front door because it was faster than going to the hospital.”

“Yeah,
” Ethan started, “that particular Hunter was more vicious than normal and it nearly took my fingers off. Don’t know why you care about the father though, he’s a complete ass. Beats up his wife and kids. Deserves to be eaten by the Hunters, for all I know.”

I enquired Aiden with my eyes.

“We’ve been watching your town for a while.”

“How long?” I asked.

“A year and a bit,” Aiden answered. I blinked and stared at him. Aiden glanced at the wall clock. “You should really get home. Come, I’ll drop you off.”

“Right. And I’ll go and deal with the school administrators, your parents and your friend.”

“What are you going to do to them?”

“Change their memories. You know, that sort of stuff. Hey, don’t give me that look Amelia, unless you
prefer to be questioned on your disappearance from the school and late return. I suppose you could say you’ve been with my lovely little brother. He’s not bad looking and that should crank up the jealousy meter amongst the other girls.”

“Fine,” I said after a moment of thought. He did have a point and I was not in the mood to be questioned. I felt conflicted as I realised that all this
will be kept from Karen and Lydia. Besides, they would never believe me even if I tried to tell them. It was clear that Aiden didn’t want anyone else to know about his secret, despite the carefree attitude Ethan held.

Ethan winked at me and clicked his tongue. “Then I better get going,
love,” he said. He finished his sandwich and left for the front door.

~

The house sat in the middle of the forest and was only accessible by a hidden unpaved driveway that led to a lonely road on the other side of the town. Aiden drove his black mustang with expert ease and took me home.
I wanted to ask him question but something prevented me. Perhaps it was the sense that Aiden’s demeanor changed once we stepped outside the house. He was no longer soft and gentle but seemed pained by an invisible force. It was as if the house protected him and all that was said inside. In the car however, he sat with a tense grip on the steering wheel and I wondered if there was some sort of spell on the house. I decided to remain silent and I could feel his relief when I reached my front door.

My parents seemed oblivious to my late return and did not question me about where I had been. I suspected that Ethan worked his magic on them first
. My phone was bombarded with messages but someone had turned it off while I was at Aiden and Ethan’s house. There were at least fifteen missed calls from Karen and another dozen from Rick, Lydia and my parents combined. The last message was from Ethan. I opened it up immediately.

Ignore previous calls and messages.

I didn’t like the idea of Ethan messing with people’s mind but I had no choice. It was either that or unnecessary drama from everyone I knew. It would have been too much for me to deal with, especially with the brothers convinced that I am a witch and I’m wanted dead by the Hunters.

I threw myself on my bed and starred at the ceiling. Everything seemed to be happening so fast and although I should have felt more
scarred than I currently felt. The knowledge of what the brothers are gave me some sense of comfort, except for the fact that they’re agents for a fallen angel. I sat up and grabbed my laptop. Religion wasn’t really my strong point, along with angels who’s been kicked out of heaven. What was his name again? It was a strange name and after a good moment of racking my brain, I remembered. It was Kael.

I turned on my laptop and typed it into the search engine. Nothing useful came up, not even Wikipedia listed his name as one of the fallen ones. There was the Lucifer, who in some articles is Satan, and a list of other unfamiliar names but Kael was not on it. After going through all that I could, I gave up and
laid back down on my bed again, only to remember the book I had stolen from the library.

It sat on my desk, along with all the
schoolbooks and half-finished assignments. I picked it up and thumbed through the empty pages. There must be something important inside as I kept feeling a weak force draw my attention towards it. I frowned as I tried to figure it out. Perhaps it has some sort of hidden message that could only be seen at a certain time or in a certain place. Isn’t that how magical objects worked? It was the only explanation I could come up with and after all that I have seen, it seemed like a possibility.

In the middle of my thoughts,
my phone rang. It was Karen and it was risky to ignore her.

“Hello?”

“So,” she said, her voice enthusiastic and expectant. “How was the ride home?”

“What?”

“Come on, Amy, don’t give me that. Aiden took you home, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did. Wait, how did you know?”
But it was a question I didn’t really needed to ask. It was probably Ethan’s doing.

“What do you mean, how did I know? He offered it right in front of me, when Rick had to stay behind for his football practice.”

“What about the explosion?”

“What explosion?”

“Don’t worry,” I said quickly.

“Amy, is there something I should know?”

“No.”

“Then spill.
Did he take you straight home? Or did you guys have a romantic dinner and impromptu date? You’re going to be the talk of the school tomorrow.”

I closed my eyes and silently cursed Ethan. I would have to talk to him
after speaking with Karen.

“Karen, where on earth did you get that idea from? Of course I went home straight away.”

Karen sighed. “Oh, what a gentleman. Anything else? Come on, you can talk to me. I’m your best friend and you’re on speaker phone by the way. Lydia’s listening in.”

“He just dropped me home and that’s it. Nothing else,” I told her firmly.

“Are you sure?” It was Lydia that spoke. I thought Lydia sounded rather too cheerful, especially when her mom is still at the hospital. Ethan must have done something to her too. At least he took a good chunk of her misery away, which was the nicest thing he did. “The way Karen narrated it,” Lydia continued, “I would think he’s interested.”

I inhaled deeply and felt heat rise as
embarrassment bubbled under my skin and took back all the nice thoughts I had towards Ethan. He had really out done himself this time.

“I swear, there’s nothing between us.”

“Well,” said Lydia, “when there is something between you and Mr Hotness, do remember that we’re your best friends.”

“Don’t call him that.”

Lydia and Karen giggled and all I could do was roll my eyes at them. A tap came at my window. My face turned a deeper color of red at the sight of Aiden hovering outside. His visit did very little alleviate the embarrassment I felt.

“I’m hanging up. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

I didn’t wait for Karen and Lydia to approve and my thumb instantly went and disconnected the call. I walked over to the window and undid the latch.
Aiden climbed inside.

“I forgot to give you some things,” he said and handed me a small bag. I opened it and found a large purple scented candle and a small box. “Ethan and I have to go and sort out the straggler Hunte
rs near the school.”

“I’ll light the candle myself,” I said.

Aiden pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something else but stopped himself. He nodded and started to climb out the window.

“Hey,” I said, just as he was about to leave. Aiden
stopped and turned to face me. “Thank you.”

“Remember to lock your window.”

I nodded. Within a blink, Aiden was gone. I looked out into the darkness below but there was nothing there except grass and fruit trees. Aiden was as fast as light and I guessed that Ethan shared the same abilities. I closed the window and pushed the lock into place. As I took out the candle, I wondered how two brothers could be so different in appearance and personality.

I took out the candle and placed it on the dresser, along with the box of matches that was in the bag.
My eyes caught sight of the empty book again. I picked it up but could not find anything out of the ordinary, except for it being an extremely old book with all its ink strangely missing.

“I must be the most useless witch ever,” I decided after I found nothing, and yet, the longer I held the book, the more I started to believe that there was something important and special about it, I just didn’t know what it was.

After half an hour, I gave up and placed it back on my desk, hidden amongst the schoolbooks I knew I should be reading. But I was in no mood to go over geometry and luckily, I already knew the dates of the Second World War that Mr Grimms had set.

I laid down on my bed and stared at the blank ceiling. Aiden’s house had been so grand and beautiful, it was amazing that no one has discovered it or knew of its existence. When the clock struck nine, I decided that there was no point in staying awake. I lit the candle and turned off the lights.

As I drifted off the sleep, several questions meandered through my mind. Why me? If the brothers are right and I am a witch, why me? I’m not that special. I closed my eyes. Perhaps if I concentrated hard enough, my prophetic dreams might reveal something. I wondered if the brothers had some sort of manual on how to be a witch tucked away in their house. They did have a great deal of books in their private library. I wondered about the mysteriously blank book on my desk. I ought to show Ethan and Aiden it. Maybe they’ll know what to do with it.