CHAPTER 8
I AM A WITCH
Jo was preparing dinner and waiting for Clair to come home from school. Ian had reluctantly left Lena’s with Marcus and Isabella, in order for Jo to get dinner prepared and spend some time with Clair before he joined them. Jo was making roast chicken and potatoes with banana cream pie for dessert. She had put on a pretty chocolate brown dress and fastened her hair loosely at the nape of her neck. As she began taking out dishes and cutlery she heard the front door and walked out to the hall.
“Hey mom,” Clair said putting her bag down and looking up at her mother, “you look so pretty, what’s the occasion?”
“Clair! Ian’s coming for dinner tonight, don’t tell me that you forgot?” Jo was clearly upset.
“Chill, I’m just joking. Of course I didn’t forget.” Clair kissed Jo on the cheek.
“What am I going to do with you?” Jo shook her head.
“So what time’s he coming?”
“Six.”
“I’ll go do my homework and then get freshened up, so I can meet your hot new boyfriend,” Clair teased.
“You know you’re not too old for a good old fashion spanking young lady,” Jo said wagging a finger at Clair, who stuck out her tongue playfully as she headed up the stairs.
Jo finished dinner, put the pie in the refrigerator and set the table. She was nervous; Ian and Clair were both extraordinary people, whom she loved more than anyone, and she wanted so desperately for them to like each other. She was dreading an awkward meeting where they would all sit trying to make small talk and picking at their food uncomfortably. The doorbell brought her out of her daze and she went to answer it.
“You look delicious,” Ian said, when she opened the door.
“Please behave yourself,” Jo said as he pulled her close to him. He looked incredibly handsome with his dark jeans and sapphire blue shirt.
“I will be on my best behavior I promise, but I warn you, I can be quite boring.”
Jo led him inside just as Clair was coming down the stairs. When she saw Ian standing next to her mother, she paused for a minute and Jo’s heart sank. Clair continued down the stairs and walked up to the two of them.
“Clair, this is Ian,” Jo eyed her nervously, “Ian this is Clair.”
The two of them shook hands and Jo thought she saw Clair hesitate.
“You’re as stunning as your mother,” Ian told her.
“Thank you,” Clair said, “you’re pretty stunning yourself.” She smiled at him and Jo relaxed a little.
“I have something for you,” Ian said, looking at Clair as he took out the box with the Lapis Lazuli amulet and handed it to her.
“You brought me something?” Clair asked, as she accepted the box.
“Of course I did,” Ian said eyeing Jo and she smiled in response.
Clair opened the box and let out a gasp. She took the amulet out and held it at arms length to examine it. “This is so cool, thank you.”
“It was nothing,” Ian said. “Do you want me to put it on for you?”
“Yes please,” Clair said cheerfully.
Ian put the amulet around her neck, “You know the lady I got this from told me once you put it on, it’s rotten luck to take it off again.” Ian winked at Jo.
“Don’t worry I won’t, it’s awesome! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s one of a kind, you won’t find another one like it,” Ian told her.
They sat down to eat and to Jo’s relief the conversation flowed effortlessly. The three of them talked and laughed and by the end of dinner Clair and Ian were teasing each other as Jo and Clair often did.
“Why don’t you have a seat on the couch while we clean up the dishes?” Jo said to Ian.
“I can help,” Ian said.
“No you sit down,” Jo gave him a look that clearly said she wanted to talk to Clair alone, “we’ll clean up.”
Ian went to the other room and sat on the couch as Jo started washing the dishes. Clair picked up a cloth and bumped her mother’s hip with her own.
“You weren’t kidding, he is hot.”
“Shh, he’ll here you.”
“So, he must know how hot he is.”
“Do you like him?” Jo asked.
“Yes I do, but I think what matters is if you like him.”
Jo turned to look at her daughter, “Yes I like him, a lot, he’s very special to me. It’s just nice to know that you like him too.”
“He’s great mom and it didn’t hurt that he brought me this cool necklace.”
Clair said goodnight to her mother and thanked Ian again for the necklace then went upstairs to finish her homework before bed.
“She’s a great kid,” Ian said.
“You’re not just saying that are you?”
“No really, she’s amazing. You’ve done a great job with her.”
At that minute the phone rang, it was Anna. Apparently one of the suppliers was making a delivery in the morning and she could not find the check to give them. Jo had completely forgotten to leave it in her anxiety to speak to Lena, so she assured Anna that she would run over and drop the check off. Ian insisted on accompanying her, and so after telling Clair where they were going, they left for the café.
It was a crisp cool night and by the time they reached the café it was pouring rain. In the time it took for Jo to find the keys in her purse and open the door they were both soaking wet. Jo turned on the lights, set her purse down on the closest table and took off her wet coat. Ian followed her to the back office dripping on the floor.
Jo bent over her desk and wrote out the check and when she turned around Ian was standing directly behind her. He scooped her up and sat her on the desk, her legs instinctively wrapped around him. He put one hand in her wet hair and gently pulled her head back to expose her neck. He put his lips to her jaw, closed his eyes and then inhaled deeply, his hair dripped on her skin giving her goose bumps. He suddenly stiffened and cocked his ear toward the door.
“Did you lock the front door?” He asked.
“I don’t remember. Why? What’s wrong?”
“I hear something,” he didn’t move a muscle.
“What is it?” Jo asked.
“I think it’s…it is.”
“What?”
“It’s Dean.”
“It can’t be. What would he be doing here?” Jo questioned sliding off of the desk and heading for the door.
Ian pulled her back by the arm, “Jo stay here.”
“Jo, Jo where are you? I know you’re here, come out so I can talk to you,” Dean’s voice sounded from inside the café.
“He knows we’re here. If we don’t go out there, he’ll just come in here,” Jo said.
“You stay here, I’ll go,” Ian said.
“I’m not hiding in here,” Jo said, heading to the door.
Ian shook his head, “You’re so stubborn,” and he followed her out to the café.
Dean was pleased to see Jo, but his expression changed when he saw Ian behind her.
“Dean what are you doing here?” Jo asked.
“I called the house to talk to Clair and she said you’d gone to the café.” He glared at Ian. “I heard you had a new boyfriend. So it’s true then?”
“Yes Ian and I are dating, why does that concern you? Does Dana know you’re here?”
“Dana doesn’t always need to know where I am,” Dean slurred, he had obviously been drinking.
“What do you want Dean?” Jo asked stepping forward and Ian held her arm so she couldn’t advance.
“Let go of her,” Dean said.
“I just want to make sure she’s safe,” Ian said.
“You think I want to hurt her?” Dean asked. “If you don’t take your hand off of her it’s you who’ll be getting hurt.”
“Dean you should leave, you’ve been drinking, you’re not thinking straight,” Jo said.
“Why him?” Dean asked, ??
?Look at him. He’s no good for you; he sleeps with everyone in town. What could you possibly want with this guy? You’re making yourself look like a whore.”
“That’s enough,” Ian said stepping in front of Jo, “don’t talk to her like that. You should go home to Dana.”
“Don’t tell me where I should go, I’ll go when I’m ready. I’m not finished talking to Jo.”
“We can talk tomorrow when you’ve slept it off,” Jo suggested.
“No we can talk right now. Tell your loser boyfriend to get out of my face and come over here so I can get a better look at you.”
“Dean go home, I don’t want to talk to you. You’re being ridiculous,” Jo said.
“Oh now you got this young guy and you got no time for me eh?”
“May I remind you that you’re the one who had an affair with the dimwitted waitress and left me?” Jo said angrily.
“Dana may not be the brightest girl but she has her good qualities,” Dean said.
Ian couldn’t help himself, he stepped as close to Dean as he could, “I’m well aware of Dana’s redeeming qualities,” he said softly with a wink.
“You son of a bitch!” Dean hollered as he pulled something sharp from his pocket and raised it over Ian.
Jo let out a scream that pierced the night, the café went dark and a crack of thunder filled their ears, then all was silent.
“Jo stop! Jo you have to stop, you’re going to kill him! Jo!” Ian’s voice was coming to her, “Jo can you hear me? You have to stop!”
She opened her eyes. Ian was standing in front of her patting her face, a look of utter horror in his expression. She looked down and there in the middle of the café floor laid Dean. He was grasping at his chest and after a minute he was completely still. She didn’t understand what was going on.
“What happened?” Jo asked with pleading eyes.
“You did something,” Ian said leading her to a table, “Dean pulled a knife on me and you did something, he just dropped.”
“I thought he was going to hurt you,” Jo’s eyes were wide with fright. “What did I do? Is he dead?”
“No he’s not, but you need to listen to me.”
Jo looked at him but her eyes were unfocused.
“Jo I need you to go home, do you hear me? I will take care of this, but you have to go straight home.”
“Ian what have I done? He’s Clair’s father.”
“We’ll talk about that later, right now you have to go,” he stood her up and led her out to her car glancing around them through the pouring rain. “Can you drive?”
“Yes,” she said dazed and with one last pleading look at Ian, she drove away.
She did not know how she got home or how long it took her to get there but she was somehow already in her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and went to take a shower. By the time she slipped on her pajamas and went back downstairs, Ian was already in the kitchen fixing her a cup of tea.
“Ian what happened? What did you do with Dean?” Jo asked as she sat at the kitchen table.
“I Left him in his car and made an anonymous 911 call. He should be fine,” Ian said handing her a mug.
“What did I do? I saw him pull something out and I thought he was going to hurt you…”
Ian lifted her face to his, “Jo, he can’t hurt me.”
The horror suddenly hit her. She had completely forgotten, Dean couldn’t hurt Ian; he was a vampire.
“Oh no,” she shook her head, “I hurt him for absolutely nothing.” She was horrified.
“It was an accident. Drink your tea, you’ll feel better,” Ian told her.
Jo took a sip, “Are you sure he’s going to be alright?”
“He’ll be just fine.”
“What did I do to him?” Jo asked.
“If you don’t know, I certainly don’t.”
“I just didn’t want him to hurt you,” she said, shaking her head.
“Finish your tea,” Ian said
Jo was feeling exhausted, she suddenly couldn’t keep her eyes open. The next thing she knew there was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Mom, are you awake?”
Jo jumped up, “What time is it?”
“It’s 7:15,” Clair said.
“Clair what’s the matter?” Jo noticed that Clair’s eyes were red and she looked as if she was crying. Clair went and sat next to Jo on her bed.
“Dana just called. Dad was in a car accident last night.”
Everything came rushing back to Jo like an enormous wave that she couldn’t get out from under. She had completely forgotten about last night, she did not even remember falling asleep. She sat on the bed motionless staring at Clair.
“Did you hear me mom? Dad was in an accident.”
“Oh, my God! What happened?” Jo asked trying to sound like she had no idea anything had happened to Dean.
“He had some kind of heart trouble and he ran his car into a ditch,” Clair said wiping her eyes.
“Heart trouble? Are you sure?” Jo questioned.
“That’s what Dana said. She didn’t call last night because she wanted to be sure before she let us know what was going on.”
Jo pulled Clair to her and held her, “Did Dana say how he’s doing? Is he alright?” She asked stroking Clair’s hair.
“They’re running more tests but he seems to be fine now, just weak and a little bruised up from the crash.”
“Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” Jo asked, but she didn’t know why she had offered. She did not know if she could see Dean and know that she was the reason that he was in this condition.
“Dana is at home getting a few things for him, she said that I can go back to the hospital with her if that’s all right?” Clair asked.
“Of course it is,” Jo said hiding her relief.
“I’ll go and get ready before Dana comes,” Clair said giving her mother a hug. Jo noticed she was still wearing the Lapis Lazuli necklace. Knowing that Clair was safe from Mia made her feel a little better. “I Love you mom.”
“I love you too sweetheart.”
Jo made her way to the kitchen as the doorbell rang. Could that be Dana already? Jo had no desire to speak with Dana. Clair usually made sure she was ready and waiting at the door whenever Dean or Dana picked her up, to avoid any awkwardness. Jo reluctantly opened the door and saw Ian standing in the doorway.
“Oh good, It’s you,” Jo said relieved.
“Were you expecting someone else?” Ian asked as he stepped inside and closed the door.
“Dana’s picking Clair up to take her to the hospital.”
‘How’s she taking it?”
“She’s upset but she seems alright,” Jo said preoccupied.
“What are you thinking?” Ian asked pulling her close to him.
Jo lowered her voice, “What if Dean tells Clair that it was me? She’ll hate me. No matter what he’s done to me, he’s still her father, and she loves him. I couldn’t bare to have her look at me knowing that I put her father in the hospital.”
“First of all, it was an accident; you didn’t mean to do anything to him. Secondly, Dean is not going to remember what happened last night, only you and I know what happened.”
Jo looked questioningly at Ian, “Did you make him forget?”
“Of course I did, he wouldn’t have known you had done anything regardless. I just didn’t want him to remember that he was at the café with the two of us, that might have sounded a little suspicious,” Ian said looking at her. “Did they say what caused him to collapse?”
“Heart failure,” Jo stated plainly.
“Heart failure?”
“That’s what Dana said,” Jo shrugged.
Just then Clair came down the stairs. “Oh, hi Ian,” she said pausing as she noticed him.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your dad Clair. If there’s anything I can do just ask,” Ian said genuinely.
?
??Actually there is,” Clair said looking seriously at him, “take care of my mother I don’t want anything happening to her.”
“I won’t let her out of my sight, I promise,” Ian said pulling Jo even closer to him.
“Thank you,” she said and then looked to her mother, “I’ll call you later and let you know what’s going on.”
“Okay, if you want me to pick you up just call.”
Dana honked from the driveway and Clair kissed her mother, said goodbye to Ian and left.
“I need to talk to Lena,” Jo said as the door closed.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Ian agreed with her.
As Jo turned to go upstairs to get ready, Ian pulled her to him once again and kissed her tenderly. “Don’t worry everything’s going to be fine. Dean will be home in a day or two and then things will be back to normal.”
“Normal Ian? I’m in love with a vampire, I almost killed my daughter’s father and I am a witch, nothing will ever be normal again,” Jo said as she turned and went upstairs.
As soon as Jo and Ian entered Lena’s store, she locked the door and beckoned them over to the expanse of wall at the back of the shop that concealed the secret room. Once they were inside the three of them sat around the long wooden table.
“I take it you slept well?” Lena asked with her eyes on Jo.
“Yes, actually I did,” Jo answered
“So the tea helped?”
Ian cringed as Lean spoke these words and both ladies glared at him.
“What?” Jo asked.
“You didn’t tell her that you were giving it to her?” Lena demanded.
“If I told her she wouldn’t have drank it,” Ian said.
“Are you talking about the tea you made me last night?” Jo asked.
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“It was tea,” Lena said, “to calm your nerves. Ian stopped by last night and told me what happened. He said you were in shock and I gave him some tea to help you sleep. I thought he would tell you that he was giving it to you.” She shot Ian another look.
“I wanted you to forget that it ever happened, because I know that you’re never going to forgive yourself. But since that’s not an option, I thought that if you at least slept well you would feel better in the morning,” Ian said, in his own defense.
“What do you mean that’s not an option?”
“You’re a witch, mind control won’t work on you, and so I can’t make you forget.”
“Why would I forgive myself? I almost killed someone, that’s unforgivable!” Jo sputtered.
“I’m sure Ian thought he was helping,” Lena said, “but he’s right you do need to forgive yourself. If Ian were not what he is, Dean could have killed him, if you had not intervened. Don’t ever apologize for what you are Jo.”
Jo knew that what Lena said was true, if Ian wasn’t a vampire, Dean would have stabbed him, and if she was not a witch she would not have been able to stop him. The three of them sat quietly and after a few minutes Ian reached over and rubbed Jo’s back. She smiled at him and laid her hand on his knee.
“Do you remember me telling you that your emotions are linked to your magic? If you are not in control of your emotions than you cannot control your magic,” Lena said. “I want you to start practicing to focus your energy. When you are upset, mad, happy no matter what you are feeling, I want you to pick one thing and focus all of your energy on it. For example, close your eyes and think about what you felt when you saw Dean about to stab Ian. Once you have the image in your mind, and you are feeling that strong emotion, I want you to take that feeling and focus it on something it the room, let’s say this glass jar for example,” Lena said, setting a small glass jar down on the table in front of Jo.
“What if I can’t do it?” Jo asked
“The first step is believing in what you are,” Lena said. “You can do this. You are a witch, believe in yourself.” Lena patted Jo’s hand, “Shall we give it a try?”
Jo nodded. She closed her eyes and pictured Dean in his drunken state, dripping from the rain, standing in the cafe. She remembered he’d called her a whore for being with Ian. This made her so angry. He had an affair with Dana and moved in with her, Jo hadn’t so much as looked at another man until she met Ian. Ian, who made her happier than she could ever remember being, since she had given birth to Clair. Who did Dean think he was? She saw the blade in his hand raised over Ian. The rage inside of her burst and she remembered the glass jar on the table. She felt a slash across her face, and she was back in the secret room with Ian and Lena, both of them had their hands raised over their faces. Ian had a piece of glass sticking out of the hand that he used as a shield.
“Ian, your hand!” Jo said as she reached to see his cut.
“I’m more worried about your face,” he said, as he gently pulled a small piece of glass from her cheek, and then held up his hand to show her the completely healed cut, “see.”
Lena handed Jo a small jar of ointment, “Put some of that on it, you will be healed by dinner.”
“What happened?” Jo asked.
“You did it,” Lena replied, “You focused your energy.”
“I did that?” Jo asked pointing to the jar that lie shattered on the table.
“Yes you did,” Lena said beaming at her.
Jo stared at the broken pieces of glass. I did that? How? She continued staring at the broken fragments; she pictured the jar as it was before she had shattered it. I did that. She contemplated the pieces; they looked like pieces of a puzzle, and she could see in her mind’s eye how they all fit together. She unconsciously raised her hands over the broken glass and the small jar began to reassemble itself before them. When she was finished she put her hands on her lap and smiled.
“I am a witch.”
“You certainly are,” Ian said as he kissed her on the head.
“Well done Jo,” Lena said with enthusiasm. “You will need to keep practicing on focusing your energy every chance you get and I will see you again tomorrow.”
Jo was overcome with emotions such as she had never felt before. She was surrounded in a sudden euphoria. She was a witch and she had powers, powers that she could control. Last night she felt as if her powers were a curse and that she was the very evil she was supposed to be disposing of. But Lena was right, she just needed to control her emotions, if she could do that, she could control her magic.
When she and Ian arrived back at her house, there was a message from Clair saying she would be staying with her father at the hospital overnight. Dean would be discharged in the morning and Clair wanted to accompany him home.
“I don’t want her to feel burdened,” Jo said to Ian as she sat on the couch next to him.
“She would have told you if she wanted to come home.”
“I don’t understand why she’s staying at the hospital. Dana can go home with Dean in the morning and Clair could have gone over tomorrow to see him.”
“Maybe she just wants to be with her dad,” Ian said, as he brushed Jo’s hair gently from her face. “I may be selfish but I’m happy to have you all to myself for the whole night,” he leaned close to her and kissed her hungrily.
Jo gave in without a fight. She had so many new emotions surging through her and this very moment, she wanted to be with Ian more than anything else. The passion between them never seemed to dwindle; every time they were together was like their first. Jo fell asleep so utterly happy, so content and the last thought that crossed her mind, before drifting off into a deep dreamless sleep, was, “I am a witch.”