Witchling (Curse of Kin) (7 page)

Mom was in the kitchen making tea when I ran down with Hugo at my side. I grunted to her when she passed me a jacket. It was raining outside, but it took more than that to put me off my morning routine. I pulled the jacket on and headed out, determined to go to school today with a clear head. If I hurt someone because I wasn’t thinking straight, I would end up in all sorts of trouble, and there would be questions that I couldn’t answer. Not yet, anyway.

Hugo and I made our way around the still sleepy streets. Lights were coming on in the homes we passed, the day slowly starting for the town. I ran toward the newspaper shop. The dirty white van passed me and pulled into the driveway to park behind the shop. Mr. Jakes was hobbling around the front door, putting out his posters.

“Hi, Nera,” he called to me. He leaned on his crutch, and I had no choice but to stop beside him.

“Hi, Mr. Jakes. How is the leg healing?” I stretched my calves back one at a time to avoid cooling down too much while we spoke.

“It’s getting better.” He rubbed his finger around the top of the plaster. “Thank your mom for me. She sent over a casserole this week to help out. It was much appreciated.”

“No problem. Anything to help.” The skin on the back of my neck began to prickle, and I watched a young man come through the shop. His jet black hair hung over his cheeks, and he flicked the loose strandsback with a small movement of his head. His dark eyes roved up and down my body, stalling on my face before he spoke to his boss.

“All done, Mr. Jakes,” he announced in a rich, deep voice that was surprisingly warm. “Is there anything else I can do for you before I head off?”

“Thanks, Bones, but no. What you have done has been great. I couldn’t have coped without you.” Mr. Jakes turned toward me. “Nera, I want you to meet Bones. He has been helping me out since I broke my leg. Bones, this is Nera O’Reilly. She lives around the corner. “

Bones looked at me, his eyes going cool, one eyebrow raised in a scornful look from underneath his long, black fringe. “Well, I will go, then. See you tomorrow.” He turned away and walked down the path, not saying a word to me.

“He’s a bit of a recluse.” Mr. Jakes made an excuse for him. There was no cause for bad manners. Mom had always drilled that into me. It looked like his mother didn’t bother to do the same.

“Yeah, sure. Anyway, hope the leg is better soon. See you.” I waved to him and ran down the same path Bones had taken. When I got to the corner, I looked both ways, but there was no one in sight. I headed for home in desperate need of a hot cup of tea and some warm clothes.

The rich smell of cinnamon toast hit me when I arrived in the kitchen. I snatched a piece off of Roman’s plate and headed to change into my school clothes. His cry of indignation followed me up the stairs, and I grinned to myself. Missing the opportunity to harass him was not going to happen.

When I was dressed, I jogged back downstairs, humming to myself. Dad was at the table, and there was a plate of fresh toast for me in my place. I handed one to Roman with a flourish, and he grabbed it with both hands, a big grin spreading across his face.

“Thanks, Nera.”

“Welcome, buddy. I saw Mr. Jakes, Mom. He said thanks for the meal. He enjoyed it.”

“Did he say he needed any help with the shop?” Mom asked, passing Dad a cup of tea.

“He’s got someone there,” I told her and thought about those dark eyes. “Some broody sort of guy who has been doing the driving for him.”

“If you see him again soon, let him know he can call if he needs any help. We are always here,” Dad said. He flushed and turned away suddenly.

“Yeah, sure. What’s wrong, Dad? You look a bit sick.”

“I’m fine.” Dad coughed, clearing his throat and took a sip of tea. “How do you feel about going back to school today and facing those boys?”

“It’s all good. Connor won’t be there till next week or the week after, but I can handle them anyway. They don’t scare me.” I gulped a mouthful of tea before grabbing another piece of toast and nibbling the edges.

“They are scared of you now, Nera,” my little brother spoke up, his gaze solemn.

“What do you mean, buddy?” Dad asked, reaching over to wipe the butter from Roman’s chin.

“They think Nera is scary after yesterday,” he replied, letting Dad dab at his face.

I looked at my parents and wondered if Roman had heard any of our conversation about what Connor had done to me. We would have to be more careful in future.

My breakfast eaten, I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. Saying good-bye, I patted Hugo on the head and ran for my bus. I was going to miss my first class this morning and retake my math test in the office. Now everyone would all know what had happened yesterday, and I would have to deal with their stares.
Thanks for making me feel like a freak
.

The bus pulled into my stop, and I took a deep breath, then climbed up the stairs. Keeping my head high, I walked past Connor’s friends to the back of the bus without being hassled. They had the good grace to look the other way. Brie started talking before I sat down about the coming weekend and going over magic with Jasper. Sully butted in to ask if we could explore Jasper’s house. Ever since he had seen the sliding panels, he constantly talked about finding more. I just wanted answers to the future. Overall, we didn’t think it was too much to ask.

***

“Nera, can I come with you?” Roman clutched my hand and pleaded with me the next morning.

“Maybe tomorrow, okay?” He looked at me with big puppy dog eyes, and I turned away so I wouldn’t give in. “I’ll take you over tomorrow, I promise. I just have to study today, and you will find that too boring. Go and play in the garden with your old friend for a while.”

“She’s not old. She’s nice.” Roman huffed before grabbing hold of me again. “Do you promise, Nera, tomorrow?”

“I promise, buddy.” I was feeling ashamed that I was leaving him behind, but I didn’t want to involve anyone else before I understood what I was getting into.

Brie called out when she came into the back garden with Sully, and I ran down the stairs to meet them. We made our way through the forest, anticipation making me edgy. When we got to the house, Hugo raced into the garden before us. I followed behind him and came to a halt. Someone was standing by the back door, rubbing Hugo’s ears and talking to him softly.

Sully ran into the back of me. “What’s going on?”

Bones looked up when Sully spoke. He turned to me and looked straight into my eyes, and a chill went down my spine. I returned his gaze. Brie nudged me, but I couldn’t make my feet move. My stomach felt hollow as Bones and I continued to stare at each other.

“Nera, hello. Brie, Sully, how are you?” Jasper looked at the standoff between me and Bones. Unconcerned, Bones continued to rub Hugo’s head, talking to him softly. “Come and meet Bones, Nera,”

Jasper motioned me forward. I walked over and stood beside Jasper with Brie and Sully right beside me. “This is Brian, Nera. Bones is what he likes to be called. Bones, this is Nera, but you now know that, and her friends, Brie and Sully.”

“We’ve already been introduced.” I paused, feeling antagonistic toward Bones for what I didn’t know. “Unfortunately.”

“Tsk tsk, girl dear. I told you she would react like this, Bones, didn’t I?” Jasper said to him right in front of me.

The young man didn’t reply. He merely returned my glare.

“Hi, Bones,” Brie said with her usual breathy voice as she bounced over to him. Fluttering her eyes, she leaned to rest her hand on his arm, her lips curving into an inviting smile.

“Lovely to meet you, Brie,” Bones said, his gaze flitting back to me as he charmed her. He looked over to Sully, who was standing beside me.

“Sully, how are you?” He held his hand out.

“Yeah, good,” Sully replied, shaking hands quickly and returning to my side.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’ve always been here.” He looked at me, the corners of his lips tilting up.

I glanced at Jasper, eyebrows raised for an explanation. He motioned us inside to the kitchen. “I think this is better discussed over tea.” It was his cure for every situation. Jasper bustled around, putting on the kettle while I stood against the door unsure of my next move.

“I think I’ll wait in the library, Jasper.” It was rude of me, but I had to get away from everyone for a minute. The air in the kitchen had suddenly become too stifling.

The fire was on in the library, and I walked over to it, holding onto the sill above and leaning my head on my hands. I felt tightly wound, ready to explode. Why was Bones here? And why did it affect me so much? I had no reason to dislike him like this; he had done nothing to me.

I let the warmth of the flames wrap around my body and slowly release the tension. I knew the moment he walked into the room. I turned toward him, watching him take a seat in one of the chairs by the fire. He crossed one foot over his knee and leaned back into the chair looking quite at home.

“There is no point in trying to run away from me, Nera. I have been with you from the moment you were born and with you I will stay.”

He watched my face while I tried to absorb his words. “Why?”

“Jasper has told you of what is your future. I am here to make sure that it happens.”

“That doesn’t explain who you are or why you are here really, does it?” I was being stubborn. Just because Jasper had told me of my new destiny didn’t mean that I would accept this stranger in my life.

“I can probably explain better than Jasper.” He flicked his hair from his eyes. “You have been told some of what happened in the past and that you are the next in line to break the curse. With each girl, there is a protector. Me.”

This was my life he was talking about, and I felt that I deserved more than a casual conversation. I headed for the door.

“Jasper,” I yelled, walking back to the kitchen. I met him in the hallway, bringing in a tray with morning tea. Brie and Sully followed behind him.

“Coming, girl dear. Just calm down, and we can explain it all to you,” Jasper soothed and walked past me into the library. He put the tray on the only table that was not covered with his projects and poured tea for all of us. When he had his cup, he went and stood beside Bones.

“How far have you got?” he asked, looking down at Bones.

“Not very, Jasper. Perhaps you should have a go. You obviously have more experience talking to teenage girls than I have.”

I looked at him in disbelief. How hard was it to talk to a girl? I went and sat down on the floor in front of Brie and Sully and leaned back against Sully’s legs. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I reached up and squeezed it. Bones’s hawk-like eyes watched every move I made.

Jasper cleared his throat and started to talk. “You know about the ‘every third generation’ deal. This is how it works. What I didn’t tell you was about Bones’s involvement. He is the protector.”

“Why?” I interrupted. “I mean, why would I need one?”

“Because, girl dear, evil is always out there—what we refer to as the Others—and you need to be protected. It was the only thing Mari was able to do when Edrith cursed me. She could not reverse the spell, even though she is the Queen of the Witches. She could only aid someone else to fight it. So she sent Bones. He will protect you and also be your teacher.”

I glanced at Bones, who was looking at me with a smile tugging his mouth. He obviously found this amusing.
Great
. I tried to appear unconcerned by this news, and I asked Jasper to explain what Bones was supposed to teach me.

“Most of your magic training will come from Bones,” Jasper said. “Although I can help and it will give me great pleasure to do so, his magic is stronger, and he will be able to help you reach your potential much faster.”

“Jasper tells me that you had an incident in school this week that had you testing out your skills,” Bones interjected.

“I don’t know if that was it.” I looked at my feet before meeting his gaze. “It happened so fast.”

Bones smiled and brushed his hand through his black hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “Why don’t we test you here and now and find out?”

I glared at him. I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to stir me up or if he genuinely wanted to teach me. “What do you want me to do?” I got to my feet. I could never resist a challenge.

“Over here, Nera.” Jasper beckoned me to a table. A crystal bowl sat on it. “Just block out everything around you, girl dear. You can do it. You used to do it as a small child when you wanted something. Things would always come to you when you wanted them, but as you grew up, you went to them. Natural progression I suppose, but this is so much more fun.” Jasper watched me; his eyes twinkled, and a grin lit up his face.

I sat down on the floor beside the table with my legs crossed in front of me. I put my hands together on my knees and concentrated on the bowl. It sat still on the table ,and I shrugged my shoulders. This didn’t look like it was going to work.
Breathe deeply. Try one more time.
There was the smallest movement.
I can do this.

A quick glance at Jasper revealed his encouraging smile, and I focused on the object again. The table trembled under the force of energy that was building, and the bowl skimmed the polished surface as it shot in different directions. I had no control over it.