Freak of Nature (The Lost Witch Trilogy #1) (14 page)

Two police officers worked on carrying Zane out of the shack, while the third officer handcuffed the still unconscious woman. They put Zane on a stretcher and placed him on the trailer hooked to one of the four wheelers.

After kissing Zane’s forehead and touching his cheek one last time Gretchen grabbed Sarah in her arms and held her so tightly she thought she was going to pass out.

“You saved him Sarah. He said he was dying and you saved him. Bless you, bless you.”

Sarah looked nervously at the police officers who were trying to get the woman to wake up.
She whispered into Gretchen’s ear. “How am I going to explain what I did to that woman and to my aunt and Drake?”

Gretchen slipped a Taser from her pocket into Sarah’s hands.
“Race told me I should give this to you. Just tell them that you tasered them and leave the rest to me.”

Zane was taken to the hospital in the city while she and Gretchen went to the police station with the police officers.

After two hours of speaking with a police woman they’d brought in to question her, Sarah left the station with Gretchen.
She was so worn out she didn’t know if she could move.

“Honey, I’m getting us a pizza and then you’re going to bed.
Everything you’ve been through today and what you did to save Zane has worn you out,” she said, looking guilty and relieved at the same time.

“I don’t even know if I have the strength to eat Gretchen.
Forcing the toxins out of Zane’s blood drained me of everything. I want to go see Zane in the hospital though,” she said and then yawned, leaning her head back against the smooth leather of Gretchen’s BMW.

Gretchen patted her knee and pulled up in front of the shop.
“Here’s the plan. You’re about to collapse. You’ve got to eat something though, so eat a muffin and then get at least ten hours of sleep. I’ll have my mom come open the store in the morning and then we’ll see about getting you to the hospital. Okay?”

Sarah closed her eyes and nodded.
She didn’t have the strength to argue. Gretchen pulled her out of the car and with an arm around her shoulders helped her in the door and up the stairs. As Sarah lay on the bed, Gretchen pulled her shoes off and then disappeared for a moment, reappearing a couple minutes later with a muffin and a Dr. Pepper.

“Can you at least take a bite Sarah?” Gretchen urged, leaning over her.

Sarah mumbled something and turned over, her eyelids closing against her will.

She woke up the next day with the sun shining brightly through her windows.
She turned over and saw a vase of flowers on her night stand that hadn’t been there the day before. She smiled at the kindness and then squeaked when she saw what time it was. 1:00pm.

Sarah pulled her still lethargic body out of bed and hopped in the shower, turning the water to as hot as she could stand it.
She finished and then with a towel wrapped around herself, scanned her closet. She chose aquamarine jeans with a plain white t-shirt and her tennis shoes. She thought about seeing Zane at the hospital and took an extra two minutes to cover the circles under her eyes and put on lip gloss and mascara.

She walked down and into the store, looking quickly around for Gretchen.

“She just went back to the hospital Sarah. She said if you ever woke up to tell you that she’d be back at 4,” Agnes said as she finished dusting the moldings above the door.

Sarah frowned and felt like kicking something.
“I can’t believe I slept so long. I’ve never done that before.”

“Well, you’ve never given everything you had to give before either.
I checked on you this morning and your aura is still faded. You gave a little too much and now you’re weak. You still need to rest and more than anything, you need to eat something. I have orders to get you anything you want. I’m closing the store for lunch and I’m taking you to Fernando’s. That man can grill a steak like no other. You a vegetarian?”

Sarah grinned and shook her head.
“Nah, a steak sounds great.”

Agnes locked the shop up and they walked two streets over to the busy restaurant.
Agnes chatted about the changes to the store and sounded irritated. “Gretchen’s here for a couple months and now we’re selling gourmet muffins and artwork.”

Sarah smiled down at Agnes’s grouchy face.
“Well, how has business been?”

Agnes huffed out more irritation.
“It looks like sales have increased 27%. She might know what she’s doing there. But she should have asked me first.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at the illogical reasoning behind this and let it go.
They walked into the warm and fragrant restaurant and Sarah’s mouth instantly started to water. Agnes held up two fingers and they were seated by the window, facing the street.

“We’ll have two steaks, the best you got, two house salads, some potato salad and milk shakes,” she told the waiter as he began to hand her the menu.
He smiled, put the menus back under his arm and walked away to put the orders in.

“Now tell me everything.
Gretchen only got what she heard you tell the police. What really happened to my boy?” Agnes asked, smearing enough butter for a loaf of bread on one slice of sour dough.

Sarah took a sip of her water and looked out the window.
“It turns out I have two different gifts. I can heal and I can harm,” she said, remembering Drake, her aunt and the women.

Agnes nodded.
“That’s usually the way it works. It’s the duality of power. But it all comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it? From the beginning of time, certain people have been blessed with more than others. That blessing of power comes from God and He expects us to use it to help, to heal and yes, to protect. You didn’t hurt those people yesterday because you wanted to or because you enjoyed it or out of spite. You did what had to be done to save my grandson’s life. There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said sternly.

Sarah nodded.
“So you think our powers come from God. Most witches I’ve read about say their power is from Satan or the earth or weird goddesses.”

Agnes snorted and motioned the waiter for more bread.
“Why worship the earth and nature when God is the one who created it all? It’s ridiculous. And those Satan worshippers who think he’s going to share his power with them, they’re just like that man and your aunt. Wanting something they shouldn’t. Satan doesn’t share. He destroys. No girl, you listen to me. Gretchen told me you insist on calling it psychokinesis. I don’t care what you call it. I don’t like the word witch myself to be honest. But you have a responsibility. If you take that seriously and do what you can to help others, you’ll be just fine.”

Sarah smiled and relaxed as what Agnes said clicked into place.
“I like that.”

Agnes grinned and then patted her hand.
“Now tell me everything.”

Sarah went through everything from the beginning to the end, but she had her own questions.

“Why didn’t Gretchen call the police right after I left? Why did she call Race?” she asked grumpily.

Agnes opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by their waiter brin
ging their food. The steaks were still sizzling and she forgot what she was saying as she focused all of her attention on the fuel in front of her. Agnes laughed heartily as Sarah consumed every bite on her plate and started eyeing Agnes’s salad.

“Don’t worry, here comes your chocolate milkshake.
You’re in for a treat,” she said as the waiter placed the tall glasses, topped with whipped cream and a cherry in front of them.

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure.
“This was exactly what my body needed,” she said in satisfaction as she grabbed the milk shake
“You’re already looking perkier. Now, while you’re slurping that down, I’ll answer your question.
Gretchen called Race because I insisted she did. She fought me on it. She was so worried and hysterical yesterday she would have called in the National Guard. But Race was the one to handle that situation. And from what you’ve told me, he did. Race is a strong witch and like you, he has certain gifts that come in handy from time to time.”

Sarah studied Agnes over the top of her milkshake, frowning a little.
“I just don’t get it. I think you know more about me and my mom and Race than I do. What happened? And why, if Race is my father, did he let my crazy aunt raise me?” she demanded, wiping her mouth with her napkin and pushing the now empty glass away from her.

Agnes looked away from her and out the window.
“I know your aunt told you your mother died of pancreatic cancer. She didn’t. She died because she got caught in between Race and another witch. A witch that had turned bad. He had threatened to hurt you if Race didn’t do what he wanted. And don’t ask, because he’s never shared the particulars with me. But Race had had enough and went after Charles. Oh, a witch fight isn’t something you ever want to see. It’s brutal and it’s lethal most of the times. Charles had Race and was about to crack his scull in two when your mom came home and saw what was happening. She threw herself between the men and was killed instantly. Charles saw what he’d done and immediately disappeared. Unfortunately, your aunt was in the doorway, holding you and saw the whole thing. She was furious with Race and blamed him for your mother’s death. She told him that she would tell everyone the truth about him if he didn’t give you to her to raise. Oh, he could have taken you and left and raised you just fine, but he believed Lena. He was dying of grief and he thought it was his fault. He was too heart broken and guilty to be a good father anyways. So Lena took you.” Agnes said and then paused to take a sip of water before continuing.

“A few years later when Race sobered up and started thinking clearly, he went back to Lena and told her he wanted you back.
She laughed in his face. She told him he was a freak and that if he cared for you at all, he wouldn’t want his daughter being raised by a witch. She promised him that she would raise you to be normal and that you would be safe. Race believed her and backed off. But then Lena got mixed up with a bad group and I started worrying about you. You’d come in after school, looking so miserable and shooting off so much energy I was just grateful nothing caught on fire most days. I approached Race about being your mentor and helping you with your abilities but by then, he was so bitter and angry at the world and life in general that he said no. He thought being a witch had ruined his life and ruined Rachel’s life. He didn’t want you to even know you were a witch. Race hated himself. He didn’t want you to ever feel like that about yourself.”

Sarah closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, feeling full and lethargic and incredibly sad for her mother and father.

“But didn’t he know Lena was trying to force me to be a witch? Why would she throw that in my father’s face and then turn around years later and embrace the whole thing. She told me she was a witch too. I still don’t get it.”

Agnes took a sip of her shake and shrugged.
“I’ve known your mother and her sister their whole lives. It’s a small town so you get a feel for people. Rachel was the sweetest thing I’d ever met. That’s who you get your red hair from. But she was too sweet, if you know what I mean. She saw nothing but the good in people and sometimes that can hurt you. Lena was always jealous of her sister. She wasn’t a bad person then, but she always wanted what Rachel had. And that included you. She wanted a child so badly and when she saw her chance, she took advantage of your father’s grief and took what she wanted. So that was the beginning of her downward spiral. The cause of that spiral? I think it involves Charles. I think he’s back and I think he knows about you and wants to use you just like he wanted to use your father. Race disagrees, but I have a feeling about this. You’ve gotta be careful girl. Time to start watching your back.”

Sarah rubbed her forehead as a headache started to form.
“So the same guy that killed my mom might be after me now? Well, that’s just great,” she said tiredly and stared out the window at all the normal people walking by with normal problems and normal lives. Normal just wasn’t a category she fit in.

“Um, speaking of people who are after me, how are they?
How are Lena and Drake and those women?” she wondered for the first time if it was possible she’d actually killed anyone.

Agnes shook her head, reading her thoughts easily.
“They’re fine and in jail where they deserve to be. That man Drake has electrical burns on his shoulders and neck, but everyone else is fine. They’re being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot up and she sat up straight, looking at Agnes in horror. “You’re kidding me,” she whispered.

Agnes shook her head, suddenly very grave. “They’re going through all of Drake’s journals now and interrogating everyone, but from all the facts they have at this moment, they came real close to killing Zane. They’re doing what they can to keep them in jail until they have all the facts. No bail has been set.”

Sarah felt cold and exposed all of a sudden and wished she were with Zane.
“And my father? Race. What about him? Did he just disappear into the shadows again?”

Agnes looked at her carefully and then sighed.
“Race came by the store this morning. He and I had a long talk. He still doesn’t feel like he can be your father because of what happened to your mom. But he feels that you need watching over. I think seeing those women come close to shooting you woke something up in him, which is one good thing to come out of this mess. That man needed a cold bucket of reality if you ask me. He says he can’t be your father, but I don’t buy it. He just doesn’t know how. He says he’d like to talk to you when you’re ready.”

Sarah looked away as the waiter brought the bill.
Agnes paid with her credit card and they left the restaurant. Agnes drove her to the hospital in silence, knowing that Sarah was busy processing everything.

“I’ll park the car.
You go on up. It’s the third floor, room 328. Go on,” she urged, with a wave of her hands.

Sarah smiled gratefully and ran into the hospital, slowing to a walk as she followed the signs to the elevator.
She rode the elevator impatiently, wishing she had just taken the stairs when the doors finally opened onto the third floor. She ran right into Gretchen.