The White Witch (8 page)

I find myself pacing my living room and looking out the window every five minutes waiting for the black SUV to pull in, so naturally it’s when I decide to go make coffee that he arrives. Damnit! The doorbell echoes through the house as I wipe coffee grinds off the counter that I flung from surprise. I toss what’s left in my hands in the sink and abandon my coffee desire. For now.

When I open the door, I am hit by the gorgeous site in front of me. Logan’s wavy hair is combed back and held down with a bit of gel. He’s dressed again in a fitted button down shirt and dress pants, though this time, the shirt is a royal blue that makes his eyes pop. His brows are pinched as he studies my face, but one corner of his mouth still manages to rise. “Hi Angel.”

Though my chest is heavy and my mind is swirling I manage a smile as I step out of the way for Logan to ease into the foyer. As I close the door, he steps behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I take a jagged breath and turn around. His hand slides from my shoulder to my cheek. I open my mouth to say something, but instead I step forward, wrapping my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest. At first his chin rests on my head but then I feel his cheek on me as he tightens his grip. I allow my mind to wander and question whether or not it’s normal to be falling this fast for someone I just met, especially when I am so used to easily pushing everyone away. The word normal resonates in my mind and I see that even matters of the heart are not normal when it comes to me.

Logan rubs one hand along my back as the other sits entwined in my hair at the base of head. My thoughts are not as rampant as they had been before he got here and I decide that I could be here all day with him.

“Katelyn.” He lifts his cheek from my head and I pull back to look at him, reluctantly softening my hold on him. “I won’t ask the obvious question since I know the answer; you are not ok, so I will simply ask this… Will you tell me what is going on?”

I purse my lips together and nod as I take him by the hand and lead him to the living room. I sigh as I wonder just how much I can tell him. I mean sure, he cares about me, and I can’t stop thinking about him, and every time I see him, I want to throw myself into his arms, but what do I really know about him? How much can I say to him before he runs screaming for the hills?

He sits down next to me, leaning forward on his elbows. I see his hand twitch a couple of times and I think it’s because he wants to hold my hand again, but decides not to. “You’re deciding how much you should tell me.”

My eyes widen as I look at him. “How did-”

“It’s not that hard to see.” He clasps his hands. “Start with why you called me this afternoon.” He smiles at me and my heart beats faster. “Maybe that will make it easier.”

I sigh and sit up straight, my own fingers laced in my lap. “I found something out today.”

“Okay.” Logan sits up, his eyes fixed on me and his brow is pinched again.

I shake my head. “I can’t believe I thought I could tell you this without you thinking that I am crazy.” I stand and walk to the fireplace across the room, taking a picture of my mom off the mantle and running my finger over it before putting it back.

Logan pushes himself off the sofa, “I am not going to think you are crazy.” He walks over, taking my hand in his. He glances at the picture I was holding. “Is that you with your mom?”

I nod. “Yeah, my dad said that he took that the day before she gave birth to me.”

I take a deep breath as I put the picture back and look at him. “I think you might be in trouble.” I blurt out.

“What?” Logan steps back locking his gaze with mine. “Why would you think that?”

I bite the corner of my lip for a moment before answering. “Because of me.”

I think that he is about to distance himself from me, but instead he laces his fingers with mine. “What on earth makes you think that you’ve gotten me in trouble?” He thinks for a minute. “Oh, if this about the meeting that my mother called me about when we were-”

I shake my head. “I didn’t mean trouble, I meant danger. And it has nothing to do with the conversation with your mom.”

“Does it have to do with you disappearing?”

“Somewhat.” I let go of his hand and walk across the room, sitting on the window seat, burying my face in my hand. “ARGH! Why is this so hard?!” I stand again as he is walking toward me. “I don’t know what it is about you Logan, but you make me so comfortable with you that I want to tell you everything about me, good and bad.”

“Is that a bad thing, because you have that effect on me too.”

“No, it’s not a bad thing, but there are things that I… that happen to… I mean around…” I stop and take a deep breath, realizing that my rambling isn’t going to get my anywhere. “Alright, let’s start with my disappearance.”

Logan stays a few feet away from me and slides his hands in his pockets as he pushes his lips out a moment. “Alright.”

“What I told you was true. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was true. I did see someone looking at me and I did go into the woods. But once I was there, something strange happened.”

I stop and try to gauge his reaction but he is only looking at me curiously and with sadness.

I continue anyway.  “Though I have been in those woods a hundred times over, I lost sight of my house, as if by magic and here is where it gets crazy…. I thought I saw Erebos.”

Logan’s jaw clenched.

“I don’t know if he was really there, or if I just hallucinated the whole thing, but he was walking around me, saying something like he thought he saw something in me, or I’m not who he thought I was and at the same time, my head was pounding something awful and I could barely breath. I continued recounting the story up to the part where I returned home. I rub my face with my hands. “Saying it out loud just makes it sound even crazier and I don’t know why I felt I needed to tell you, but I have a feeling that someone might be after me for reasons I can’t explain yet. If they are, I don’t want you to be hurt because of me. I know we just met, but I couldn’t bear that Logan.” My eyes welled up with tears as I look straight at two blue pools. “I just couldn’t.” I finish, my voice breaking slightly.

Logan steps forward grabbing my face and pressing his forehead to mine. “Nothing is going to happen to me and nothing is going to happen to you. Do you understand me, Angel? Nothing.” His breath is hot on my face and lips are so close to mine I can almost feel them.

I nod my head as he wipes my tears away with his thumbs.

His jaw is set and his eyes bore into mine without a hint of a smile. “I need to know, are you sure you saw Erebos?”

“Not one hundred percent. I mean, to be honest, it all looked like a dream, but I know it wasn’t!” I raise my voice at the end as I move my head to be eye to eye with him. “I just… I can’t prove it. It may very well be someone else. I don’t want you confronting him only to find out I have finally lost my mind.”

“And you can’t tell me anything else?”

I bite the corner of my lip as the word freak flashes before my eyes. “No.” I look down at my feet as he pulls me to him, the rhythm of his heart pounding in my ears.

“You know, nothing you can say will change how I feel about you.” He places a kiss on the top of my head. “Look, Kate, I know I said on that first day that I want to be your friend, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel more than that. I swear I’m not trying to push you, but I think you should know that.”

I nod my affirmation, not taking my head off his chest, finding a new place I now feel safe.

“Just keep an eye out. Please.” I speak onto his chest and the silence that follows is blissful. A calm I have not had in years comes over me while I am wrapped in his arms.

After what must be at least been five or ten minutes I let go of him. “How do you do that?”

“What?” Logan looks at me, his eyebrows knitted close together in thought.

I smile for the first time today. “Nothing… nothing at all.” Just then my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Dad - Just checking in on you and letting you know we will have to be here ‘till late.

I text back, letting him know that I am alright and that a day off has done me good.

Logan smiles at me as I pocket my phone. “Alright, so now that you are smiling again, I have to go take care of something. Promise me that I can see you again later?”

I nod, though I want to ask him not to go.

Logan kisses me on the forehead and walks to the door. “I’ll text you later.”

I lock the door behind him and pass the living room heading back to the kitchen. I feel that a small amount of the weight on my shoulders has been lifted. I look around and assess the mess I made before Logan had gotten here, the only mess in my step-mother’s immaculate kitchen, that she designed herself. The tan walls and white trim bringing out the most beautiful tone of the dark oak cabinets, her granite countertops glimmering beneath the lights. Well, all but the area that was still covered in coffee grounds.

I push the coffee maker back against the tile backsplash, put my mug back in the cabinet and reach for some paper towels. I open the faucet and before I can get the towel to the water, it splashes forward, dousing the napkin. I slam the faucet closed as I stare at the napkin in my hand. “That didn’t just happen.” I wring out the paper towel and unable to help myself, I stare at the water dripping into the sink, willing it to do something.

Nothing.

“Maybe I need to be more specific.” I say out loud to myself. I clean up most of the coffee grinds and put the paper towel in the trash. I grab another and hesitate for a moment before opening the faucet again.

“Go.” Nothing.

“Splash.” I say, trying to command the water to move. Nothing.

I watch as the water is running, I place my hand at the other end of the sink, and picture the water doing what it did before. No words, just picturing the water. No sooner did the thought begin, did the water splash forward again. I slam the faucet shut again and put my free hand over my mouth. I think of the waves pounding the rocks at the beach, and the vortex in the cup the other night and realize I have finally controlled one of these ‘events’

My heart is beating so hard I feel like it’s going to burst. I feel the adrenaline running through me, or could that be something else? No, I cannot think like that. One step at a time. I wring the paper towel again and clean up the remaining grinds.

As soon as I toss the paper into the trash my mind begins to wander to the things that Mr. Wentworth had told me.
Power over elements
. Considering that up until now I hadn’t had great luck with water, I was secretly grateful for never having been around any flames when I was very emotional. Suddenly, the first night at the coffee shop with Logan comes to mind. My emotions running high and the unforeseen wind storm that formed outside. I walk over to the window and pull the flowery curtains to the side. No wind.

“OK, maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion. If, and that is a big if, I do have any powers, it doesn’t mean that I have
THE
powers that the favorite, or chosen one or whatever that witch will be called will have.” By now I am pacing the kitchen as I talk out loud to myself, happy that no one is around to witness it. I am tempted to skate tonight to see if I can see the ice flurries again and wonder how I would even make that happen.
If
I could make that happen.

My head starts to hurt as all these thoughts bombard me at once as well as the entire conversation from this morning and my conversation with Logan. I would have to say that it seems even more surreal than my conversation with Mr. Wentworth. I have never confided in anyone like that, let alone allow them to see me so vulnerable, but with Logan I couldn’t help myself. I want to keep my walls up around him and I can’t. I walk into the living room and throw myself on the sofa in the hopes that with some rest, my headache will subside.

The heavy pounding on the door yanks me from the deep sleep. I reach for my phone that has fallen on the floor. Six forty two, two missed calls and six texts. I sit up quickly and rub my face.
Holy crap, I slept the entire afternoon
, I push myself off the sofa and walk to the door, scanning my phone as the pounding continues. One text from my dad, letting me know he is taking Liz out to dinner and asking me to text back if I want to go, and the others are from Logan.  I gaze through the peep hole and smile at the mess of dark hair in front of it. I don’t bother reading the messages and instead open the door to find Logan leaning with one arm against the door frame, his gaze seemingly on the ground as he sighs hard. “I was starting to worry.” He lifts his head slowly and his light blue eyes have darkened beneath his pinched eyebrows. Concern etched in his gaze. My attention is immediately drawn to the red area along his jaw.

“What happened?” I grab his hand and as he stands straight, I see that his shirt is slightly untucked and there are marks on the front where someone clearly grabbed him. “Logan, what the-”

“I’m fine.” He says, faking a smile.

I usher him in and walk him to the sofa. “I just got your texts and calls, I am so sorry. I took a nap to get rid of a headache and ended up sleeping the entire afternoon. I’ve never done that.” He puts his hand to my face and I push into his palm.