Something Witchy This Way Comes

  That would be never.

  “I’m supposed to care?” Brad held out his other hand palm up as if waiting for the cash to materialize there. “You gotta have some cash on you. Hand it over.”

  Even if I could do what Agent Phillips had done, how would picking up on their mental pictures help me defend the kid anyway? It’s not as though I could take on Brad by myself. So I sat there and felt useless, focusing on my lunch while Hayden and a couple other guys at his table scarfed theirs.

  Come to think of it, that’s the way things usually went down. Brad and Skyler — Brad, mostly — pushed the little people around while Hayden and the rest stood by and watched. Bystanders. In the eyes of the law, being an accessory was a crime too. Just as it is in school. All three of them were scum.

  Brad and Hayden’s table quieted. I assumed the kid coughed up the money, but I didn’t look.

  “All three of them are staring now.” Nadia shuddered. “Any idea what’s up with them?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal and wishing I’d prepared myself better for my friends’ probing. “Principal Linton suggested I help Hayden with calculus.”

  “You’re going to do it?” Corinne asked, shaking her head.

  “Smartening up a guy like that couldn’t be a good idea,” Bryce chimed in.

  “Yeah…” I cringed, sneaking a quick peek at the boys. “But maybe if he’s smarter, he won’t act so dumb.”

  * * * *

  I left a few minutes before the end of lunch and stopped at the restroom. In my peripheral vision, I saw Hayden get up as I passed through the cafeteria doorway. Somewhere deep down, I was impressed he kept his end of the bargain. How long it would last, I couldn’t know. I glanced back at him.

  He nodded. “Hey.”

  I stopped so he could catch up then stared at him.

  “I was wondering… you think you could help me with my school work for the next few days until Agent Phillips replaces me?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and eyed his shoes. “The guys asked why I was looking at you. I told them you were tutoring me. Sorry.”

  Exactly what I’d been afraid would happen. But how could I blame Hayden when I’d used the same excuse? “I guess.” I spun around and escaped into the bathroom.

  When I’d finished putting on my lip gloss, he was waiting outside the door, checking his cell. I walked on, sensing him following me. Knowing he was there, on the lookout, made me feel secure. It also lessened my disgust for him. But only a little.

  My phone vibrated. When’s my 1st lesson? Maybe start with calc?

  I slowed until he caught up to me. “Calc is fine. How do you want to work it? Stay after school?”

  “Sure. Meet you in the library after last class?”

  Nodding, I sped up to get away. I had an unfamiliar urge to hang out with him — possibly because of his amazing face and killer body. But, as with all things superficial, the attraction would probably die soon enough. Hayden would see to it, just by being himself.

  * * * *

  Hayden walked me to the auditorium then went on to PE. Three seats had been placed around a small table by the big double doors. I claimed the only empty one and turned to Ms. Phillips. “So, you’re not with some secret government branch of superhuman people used for special missions?”

  “No.” She chuckled softly. “And call me Fawn.”

  “Let me guess.” I turned to Mr. Linton. “You’re only acting as principal for my sake. It’s not your usual gig, right?”

  “I have some experience in the area, but that’s correct. I manipulated myself into the position to look out for you.” Which meant some of the other things they’d said in front of Hayden might not be true either.

  I blew out a breath. “Are there really guys after me or is that a lie too?”

  “You’re in danger, like we said.” He knitted his fingers together. “There are others who look for people like us to join ranks with them. More power in their hands is dangerous. We’re merely hoping to keep you out of their reach long enough to arm you. With some training and the right information, you can make better choices.”

  I mulled that over. Bad guys looking for others with magical powers to help them take over the world. Right. Did they expect me to believe that crap?

  “You look doubtful, Tessa. Need another demo?” Fawn asked.

  I nodded.

  She reached into an inside jacket pocket for a business card. “Here. Hold your palm out.”

  I did and she placed the card in my hand.

  “No strings attached to it, right?” she asked.

  I shook my head.

  “You sure?” A smile tugged at Fawn’s mouth.

  I closed my hand over the card then opened it again. “Positive.”

  The card rose about an inch above my hand, twirled then slowly descended.

  “Whoa.” I set the card on the table, my eyes fixed on it.

  “See my hands?” Mr. Linton raised his arms. “Watch her, too, because the lights are about to go off.”

  Her hands shot up as the lights dimmed.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood. It had to be a setup. “How do I know a third person isn’t here working the lights?”

  Fawn sighed. “Stand up and check your chair for cables. It’s going for a ride.”

  To make certain the chair wasn’t connected to anything, I ran my hands around it.

  “Step aside.” She motioned me away.

  As I backed up, the chair flew into the air and floated along the ceiling. Then it returned to hover over me.

  I stared at the chair, slack-jawed, as it wafted down like a mere speck of dust. Then I checked for wire again.

  “You’ll be able to do it too, you know.” Fawn held out her hand for the card.

  I returned the card that had twirled over my palm moments ago. Maybe they were right. I’d always thought telekinesis and telepathy were impossible. I could see now that they weren’t. Maybe I was wrong about me too. Could I do what she did?

  My veins hummed in anticipation.

  “Okaaay. So, you can see my thoughts, in 3D and everything, huh?” They probably got a nice visual when I checked out Hayden’s butt earlier. My cheeks warmed.

  “He’s attracted to you too, you know.” Fawn mashed her lips together as though Hayden’s visuals caused her mental pain.

  I couldn’t blame her for being disgusted by whatever pictures she’d plucked from Hayden’s head. But they had to have picked my brain too. I swallowed as another swell of heat rushed into my cheeks.

  Mr. Linton smiled. “By the visual that Hayden conjured of you, Fawn, Tessa probably shouldn’t read much into it.”

  I could’ve figured that out for myself.

  “Don’t remind me.” She whipped out a deck of cards and handed them to me. “Make sure it’s a real deck. I’ll show you some simple things you can do.”

  Four different suits whooshed past my eyes as I fanned the cards. Just like the deck I’d played with at home. I handed them back.

  Fawn shuffled a few rounds, then laid a card face down, keeping her fingertips over it so the card stayed put. “The way to bring out your power is not to think, which is the opposite of what we’re taught from birth. I’m going to ask you a question and you’re going to tell me the first thing that pops into your head. The very first thing. No thinking allowed. Got it?”

  I nodded.

  “This card, is it a red suit or black?”

  “Black.”

  She grinned and turned the card over, revealing a two of clubs.

  My stomach did a little flip.

  “This next one is a face card. Which one?”

  A picture jumped in my head and certainty filled me. “King. It’s a king of diamonds.”

  “Very good. Do you want to see?”

  I reached over and turned the card. King of diamonds. If this were a scam, how could they know ahead of time what I’d think in order to put that card there?

&nb
sp; They couldn’t.

  Chills skated up my spine.

  “Quick.” She snapped her fingers. “What color is the pen in my pocket?”

  “Silver.” I couldn’t imagine where the images came from. She asked the questions and a picture magically appeared. Weird.

  Fawn fished in her jacket pocket, bringing out a silver pen. She held it out in ta-da form, then searched her pocket again for a thin stack of photos. “Very good. What color car do I drive?”

  I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans and inhaled slowly. “Red. A Porsche.”

  She held out a picture of her standing in front of a red Porsche.

  A thrill ran through me. But... “Maybe I didn’t really see any of that for myself. Maybe I only saw the images from you.”

  Fawn chuckled. “In which case, you’re still mind reading. Either way proves you have abilities. You’re a witch, Tessa.”

  A witch. My breath hitched.

  “Is that enough?” Mr. Linton asked me. “Or do you need more?”

  “I guess we should move on.” I released a nervous giggle. “And if a TV crew springs up and I find out it’s a joke, I’ll deal. What’s next?”

  “Let’s get any questions out of the way.” He leaned back in his chair. “Then we’ll see if we can draw out your special talent. What would you like to know?”

  My mind flooded with a million questions at once. “Why are some people witches and some aren’t? Is it hereditary?”

  “No one knows for sure.” She casually lifted her shoulder. “Science hasn’t been very helpful. Some believe that the mind and spirit are separate from the body. That the body comes into existence at conception but the spirit is already around. We bring our native abilities as spiritual beings to our earthly existence.”

  I grinned. “I like that.”

  Fawn returned my smile. “Me, too.”

  “You said the only error a Detector can make is to miss something that’s actually there. How is that possible? If it’s there, why wouldn’t you sense it?”

  Mr. Linton folded his arms over his chest. “We lead different lives. We all feel joy and we all suffer. Scientists know extreme stress affects memory, physical health, etc. It muddies the waters. We see these gifts more often in children that don’t come from broken homes, who haven’t been abused. Our searches usually come up empty at orphanages.”

  “I don’t get it. You mean the more screwed up they are, the harder it is to detect anything in them?”

  “Exactly,” he said. “Usually orphans have been through some kind of ordeal — abuse, death of their parents. The energy is different. They’re too mucked up by their demons or whatever you want to call them. Now and then we find someone later in their life who has escaped their past, re-invented themselves, risen above the things that haunted them. It happens.”

  “Not often though.” Fawn studied me. “As decades pass, the percentage of sorcerers in the population decreases. We’ve theorized that the more dependent people become on technology, the less they rely on themselves.”

  I inhaled and exhaled deeply. “So I’m a sorceress. A witch.”

  Fawn nodded. “Of course.”

  “Those surveillance photos…” I’d been about to ask if they knew who took them, because I figured they had to know. Since Hayden wasn’t present, they’d probably be more open about it. But a vision invaded my head of my home in the dark, our driveway and the curb. A little farther down the street, a red Porsche. Fawn. I tried to pick more images from her and Mr. Linton, but it was as if I’d been blocked. Alarm bells dinged in my head. “Why did you take the pictures and pass them off as someone else’s work? Is there really someone watching me?”

  “Yes.” Mr. Linton said. “But we couldn’t convince you of that without proof. We didn’t have any, so we manufactured it. Sorry but it was the only way. We couldn’t take a chance on anything happening to you.”

  Another lie. If they meant harm though, wouldn’t they just get on with it instead of recruiting Hayden to watch over me? And their explanations seemed plausible. Plus, Mr. Linton looked so sincere. The ice in my veins thawed. “One more question. You’re shielding your thoughts from me now. Can I do that?”

  Fawn blinked. “You… uhm…”

  “She’s startled because you’re learning everything quicker than we expected.” He tapped his fingers on the table and glanced away as though not sure what to do next.

  “Okay.” I scanned their faces, wondering if they planned to cough it up. “If I’m in danger, like you say, don’t you want me to be able to defend myself against them? If they’re like us, they’ll see into my thoughts and know about you two as well.”

  “You’re absolutely right. Don’t mind me. I’m not used to losing control of my pupils so soon.” She stared at me. “You shield your thoughts simply by willing it.”

  I squinted, trying to decipher her words, see the hidden meaning. “I don’t get it.”

  “Like with everything else, you just do it,” Mr. Linton said. “Don’t give yourself a chance to remember that it’s not possible. Don’t think about it.”

  “It’s not as difficult as it may seem. The moment you decide we can’t see, we can’t.” She looked away, appearing thoughtful. “Without words, show me the inside of your bedroom.”

  I sent her everything, from the velvety purple blanket on my bed to the jelly hearts I’d stuck to the full-length mirror and the white faux-fur rug at the foot of my bed.

  “Good. Fuzzy blanket and pink hearts. I got that. Now, hold on. I have to think of something I don’t already know about you.” She held up a finger for a moment then dropped it. “Okay, go ahead and shield yourself. Build an imaginary wall around your mind and know that no one else can see inside. Then think of the contents of your locker.”

  I imagined a barrier around me where my thoughts were private. Taking an extra moment, I made sure the mental wall around me stayed solid. I telepathically looked into my locker, saw my backpack, books, paper scraps and a picture of Ian Somerhalder taped to the door. Maybe Linton and Fawn were good actors, but I doubted it. I was pretty confident they had no clue what secrets my locker held.

  “Very nice,” Fawn said. “It’ll become second nature before you know it and no one will ever pick up your thoughts without your consent.”

  Mr. Linton’s lip curled up. “You’ll be an asset.”

  “An asset?” What did that mean? And now I couldn’t help but wonder what they expected from me. “As in… I work with you, not them?” I chewed the inside of my mouth.

  Fawn rose from her chair and tugged the bottom of her suit jacket. “Not necessarily. You’re free to do whatever you wish. But we hope you’ll be an ally. Any friend is of great value to us regardless of the extent of their contribution.”

  “When will I learn my specialty?”

  “Hard to know when.” Mr. Linton stood and grabbed the deck of cards, then placed them in his pocket. “We’ll have to figure it out together.”

  I had a feeling they were holding back. That was fine. I could grill them another time. Or maybe they’d let their guard down and I could see into their minds. One way or the other, I’d get the rest.

  “We’ll walk you to class and Hayden will take over until you leave here. You’re tutoring him today in the library after school, right?”

  He must have seen into Hayden’s head earlier. “Yes, but who takes over when we’re done? I assume you have people staking out my house?”

  “Absolutely.” Mr. Linton put a gentle hand on my arm and guided me out of the auditorium.

  * * * *

  We’d gone over the math problem again and again, but Hayden wasn’t getting it. Every time I tried to explain it, his eyes glazed over.

  “Your hair smells good. Fruity.” He reached out to rub a lock of my hair between his fingers. “Soft.”

  I moved my shoulder to shrug him off. “I think we need to start over. Were you ever doing well in calc?”

  “Yeah, the first few weeks
went okay.” His gaze strayed to my mouth.

  A very real image of his lips exploring mine intruded on my thoughts. I could almost feel the warm softness of his mouth against mine. Heat rushed to my belly and I squirmed and blinked. After what I’d done in the auditorium and the things I’d learned, my head swam with possibilities. Could I do more than read his mental pictures? Could I bend his thoughts and make him feel what I wanted? And, if so, could I make him faithful, like a real boyfriend?

  Oh, no. Not only would it be wrong to mess with someone’s mind, but Hayden wasn’t worth the effort. I renewed my vow to stay focused. Purging those images and thoughts, I concentrated on Hayden’s homework. If I could keep my mind on his studies, so could he. Snapping my fingers under his nose, I poked my index finger at a page of the open book. “I need you to concentrate. Okay?”

  “Or we could make out.” He grinned. “There’s no one around.”

  Crazy enough, making out with him sounded… exciting. Especially since a preview had just played in my head. My heart sped up, but reason stepped in and I steeled myself when I remembered his latest conquest. “It’s over with Taylor already? Boy, you sure go through them, don’t you?”

  “That’s one way of looking at it.” He shrugged. “Or you could say they’re using me.”

  “You are the user. And the thought of becoming a joke to your friends is enough to keep me miles away.”

  He held up his hands. “Whoa. Relax. I withdraw the offer. Man, you’re uptight.”

  “I’m going home. When you’re ready to take this seriously, let me know.” I rose and reached for my purse, knocking over my chair.

  Hayden captured my wrist. “Okay. I get it. We’ll stick to business from now on. I’m sorry.” He looked a little startled, like he’d never had a girl reject him before, especially one he was depending on for help. “Can we start over? I’ll be good.” He released me.

  I had so many things I’d rather be doing than catering to a cocky rich-boy. Maybe we needed to lay down some rules so Hayden knew the lines not to cross. “No more hitting on me.”