Memories. So many awful memories. I wiped away the tears with the backs of my hands. I slowly sat up, my head whizzing with questions. I looked around and saw remnants of my artistic days, when I’d always sketch or paint something for my best friend. Jo’s room was fluorescent. Fluoro versions of almost every colour decorated the room and it assaulted my eyes.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Jo’s voice said. She came into focus to my right, sitting in a bright green chair. “I’ve been sitting here for ages.”
“How did you entertain yourself?” I smirked.
“Sending busy tones to Seth on your phone,” Jo shrugged, a wicked smile playing over her lips.
“You didn’t!”
“Oh yes I did. It was quite fun too. I’m betting the boy’s squirming as we speak,” Jo swung her legs over the side of the armchair. “I bet he reckons you’ll fall for some gorgeous warlock boy and he’ll be forgotten. Fingers crossed.” Jo crossed her fingers and picked up a magazine. A famous witch actress was on the cover, looking glamorous.
“You’re so mean to him,” I laughed, hastily grabbing my phone out of her other hand.
“Hey! Haven’t you been told not to snatch?” she scolded.
“I don’t snatch I... remove swiftly.” And in that precise moment, my phone rang again, Seth’s name lit up the screen and little hearts immaturely decorated it. I clicked the answer call button and held it to my ear. “Hey Seth.”
“Where have you been?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, fixing Jo with a glare. “My phone’s been on the fritz.”
“Just call me Fritz,” Jo muttered. I decided to put Seth on speaker so I could be free to beat Jo to a bloody pulp.
“So what’s going on?” he asked.
“We’re entertaining male strippers,” Jo replied casually.
“I meant with the witch thing,” Seth said coldly.
“Well... I’m a witch... and that’s the gist of it.”
“Witches are hot,” Seth informed me.
“Thank you for that valuable piece of information,” I said harshly. “I’m about to lose all sense of normality, change schools, be taken from my friends and, ultimately, you, but at least I’ll be hot.”
“Whoa, you’ve been hanging out with Jo too much. She’s influencing you.”
“It’s about bloody time,” Jo called out.
“Yeah, well if you can’t support me, then I may change boyfriends as well as schools, like you said. Witches are hot. So are warlocks.”
“Aw Lori, don’t be like that,” Seth pleaded. “What if I come to see you...?”
“I’m tired. Goodbye Seth.” And with that, I hung up. Jo clapped her hands giddily. At that moment, Jo’s mother Leanne burst into the room.
“Hey! Does privacy mean anything to you?” Jo asked.
“I’m your mother dear, of course it doesn’t,” Leanne replied. She then turned to me, tucking a stray honeycomb blond hair behind her ear with a French manicured hand. Leanne was a high-payed lawyer who mainly lived in the city, only occasionally returning to her small hometown of New Salem to see her daughter who was usually watched by their housekeeper. Needless to say, I was hiding out here without her permission.
“You’re a witch,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Yes ma’am. I’m sorry we didn’t check with you first, I just need a place to stay before they-”
“Get out,” Leanne interrupted. “Get out of my house. I can’t have my daughter hanging around with some witch.”
“Miss Tyson, please, you’ve known me for four years. You know me. I’m not just some witch,” I pleaded.
“You are now,” she said icily, looking away. “I’m going to my local office for a few hours. When I return, you will be gone. I cannot tolerate witches or...or warlocks.” Leanne turned on her stiletto heels and walked out the door, it clicked softly behind her.
“Lori, I’m sorry, she’s just-”
“Don’t,” I interrupted Jo. “Don’t defend her, don’t make excuses for her.”
“No. Listen to me,” she pressed. “You know that story I told you about my cousin’s best friend’s brother? It wasn’t actually my cousin’s best friend’s brother. It was my brother.”
“You have a brother?”
Jo nodded solemnly, looking at her knees intensely. “His name is Callum. He was a warlock and my overly-religious mother couldn’t handle it. I was twelve; he was only thirteen when they took him. It didn’t take them long to come get him, just long enough for my mother to say everything he was afraid she would. And for her to kick him out and hide all traces of his existence.
“Callum was so sweet; he was really protective of me. And even though they’d never admit it, he was my parents’ pride and joy. He was smart, athletic and loyal. He had so many friends and such a bright future. They were talking scholarships, law school and pre-med by the time he was ten. But when it turned out he was a warlock they fell apart. My father walked out for good and my mother just went cold. Colder, at least, she was never the warm, maternal type. After he was gone, she made me change schools. And then I met you and we grew to be such good friends and now, because you’re a witch, I’m going to lose you too. The reason she won’t tolerate you is because then she’d feel even guiltier for not tolerating her own son.”
“I’m so sorry Jo,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “But I won’t let this be it. I’ll write to you, call you. Whatever I have to do, I will do it.”
“You swear?” Jo asked, reaching out her pinkie finger. I hooked it in mine and shook it, just like we did when we were twelve. When my wounds from my mother’s death hadn’t completely healed and her wounds from losing her brother were as fresh as rain.
“I pinkie swear,” I smiled. “And you never know, maybe I’ll meet your brother.”
“If you do, will you tell him I’m sorry and that I miss him?”
“I will, but I’m sure he already knows.”
*
I was curled up in Jo’s living room, watching a rerun of The Simpsons when her mother’s expensive sports car pulled up in the driveway. Jo came and sat beside me and we braced ourselves for the explosion. We could hear her heels clicking up the driveway and her keys jingling as she unlocked the door. When she opened the door her face turned to steel.
“What is she still doing here?”
“I’m not going to let you kick her out just like Callum,” Jo said, getting to her feet.
“DO NOT,” Leanne roared. “Speak that name in my house.”
“Callum,” Jo said. She gave a fake gasp and covered her mouth in false shock. “Callum, Callum, Callum and, oh, Callum,” Jo got right in her mother’s face and whispered it again “Callum.”
Leanne lifted her hand as if to strike Jo but a hand wrapped itself around her wrist. Leanne turned to face what had to be one of the Sisters. The hood of her full length gown was pulled back to reveal a heart-shaped face with flawless pale skin, a full-lipped mouth and startlingly luminous green eyes. Around her neck was a large red ruby on a golden chain.
“We do not look kindly on those who lay their hands on children in anger,” she said in a soft voice. Leanne wrenched her wrist free of the Sister’s grip.
“I do not look kindly on people barging into my house,” she replied.
“We will not impose on you for long. We are simply here to collect Lorelei and then we will be gone.”
“Good. You can take her. Saves me from having to call the police,” she said.
“This place is familiar,” the Sister said. Leanne stiffened slightly. “Ah yeas, I remember this place. I retrieved another one from here. A young boy I believe. Callum Tyson. Your son perhaps, Miss Tyson?”
“You will take your little witch and leave,” Leanne hissed. “You have no further business here. Grab the girl and get the hell out of my house.”
“For a religious woman, you use the term ‘hell’ loosely,” the Sister noted. “You may think us to be heathens, but we believe in God, we believe in Heaven and Hell and we would never condemn you to such a place as easily you would us, or your own son.” She then turned to me, reaching out her hand. “Come Lorelei.” I got to my feet and gave Jo a tight hug and fixed her judgemental mother with a smirk before following them out of that awful house, never to look back.
anyways this is very very very interesting to say the least. I really love the way you've written this and the way the plot seems to be playing out. Stupendous job on this <3