Secrets and Sorcery Read online

  “I’m not sure, but I hope it’s not anything to do with history,” Becky said with a groan. “I don’t think I can take any more of the history of witches in Stillwater, whether it’s accurate or not.” I nodded in fullhearted agreement with her. Our lessons were all over the place, but lately we'd been learning a lot about the history of Stillwater. I secretly thought that Hazel and Fang were a bit exhausted from teaching us actual magic. It took a lot out of us, so I could only imagine that it would be worse for them.

  “I’d be happy if we could focus more on our abilities,” Fern whispered. “I could use the practice.” I nodded, we all could use more practice on our abilities. As far as we understood it, every witch had an ability in addition to their regular powers. They were specific and unique to each witch. Fern was able to see a recently deceased person's last moments, which often came in handy with her job first as a detective and now as a Sheriff. Becky was able to sense and even feel the emotions of animals. As we worked more on our abilities, she was starting to be able to sense the feelings of humans too. Fern and Becky had been aware of their abilities almost their entire lives, I on the other hand hadn’t realized my ability until much more recently. Mine was intuition and it was still hard for me to figure out the difference between a regular gut feeling and my abilities intuition kicking in. Every once in a while, there would be no doubt that it was my ability as I would be forced to follow in whatever direction the intuition led me.

  “I need to work on controlling my ability. At least you guys have some control over yours, I can’t even tell if mine is working half the time,” I complained. Fern laughed at my complaints and I stuck my tongue out at her. Nothing like the comfort of a sister.

  “You’ll learn it in time,” Becky said, patting my shoulder. I would have sworn that Moody stuck her tongue out at me, enjoying my moment of frustration.

  “What will you learn?” Jimmy Jack asked, making all three of us jump in surprise. “Sorry, it’s only me,” he said rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed to have scared us. I was just glad that it seemed like he hadn’t heard more of our conversation than the tale end.

  “Hi Jimmy,” Becky said, her face instantly blushing. Their relationship was incredibly sweet. The two of them had only just started seeing each other, but I knew it would become something serious soon enough. They looked at each other with all the possibilities a new relationship brought.

  “Hi Becky,” he smiled, an equally fierce blush climbed up his neck. “So what are you learning, Mazie?” Jimmy Jack asked turning to face me.

  “Becky and I just need to make sure we both know the history of witches in Stillwater,” I lied easily. “For the witch exhibit they're creating at the museum.” Jimmy Jack nodded knowing that we'd been putting in a lot of effort to set up the exhibit.

  “Amber recommended one of her books to us today,” Becky said with a sly grin. “Only costs and arm and a leg.” Jimmy Jack laughed harder than what was needed at her joke, though I didn’t think he was faking the laugh. When you are really interested in someone, everything they do genuinely interests you or makes you laugh.

  “She’s a bit of a walking sales pitch sometimes, isn’t she?” He asked rhetorically. “But, yes, you better read up on fictional history about the impossible.” Fern and I chuckled at his joke, though we knew that it wasn’t a terribly good joke. In reality Jimmy Jack wasn’t even in on the actual punchline to his own joke. Becky’s face screwed up with guilt. She didn’t like the fact that she had to lie to Jimmy Jack about being a witch, but she had promised his father that she wouldn’t let him in on the secret. I had a feeling that the promise wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Jimmy Jack had to know the truth sometime.

  “We’ll have to make sure we do read up on it,” I said for Becky’s sake.

  “I have something else you might want to read up on,” He said proudly holding out a manila envelope to her filled with papers. “I did some research on Evelyn.” Becky looked at him in surprise.

  “You looked into my mother?” She asked, her brow furrowed.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said, suddenly looking embarrassed and unsure of his actions. “I didn’t find much, but everything is in here.” He handed her the folder.

  “I don’t mind at all,” Becky replied, touched that he had gone through all that trouble. “Thank you,” she said earnestly.

  “It’s no problem,” Jimmy Jack replied as his face broke out into a large grin. “It really isn’t much. I found some newspaper clippings from when she was younger and an article she wrote when she was in college.” Becky clutched the folder to her chest like it was the most precious thing she'd ever seen.

  “That’s more than I’ve ever had before.” she sighed. “Even if I never find her, I want to be able to know her at least.” Fern nodded in understanding and starting stacking the plates one on top of the other. She had a habit of clearing the table before everyone else was finished. She was ready to get back to work damn any food left on mine or Becky’s plate.

  “Gee, thanks Fern,” I said as she took my plate away from me despite the fact that I had food on my fork.

  “I need to get back to work,” she insisted. “I’m sorry,” she added, even though she didn’t stop clearing the plates.

  “In a hurry to leave?” Hazel asked showing up at the table. She picked up the neat pile of plates and silverware that Fern had made for her.

  “Sorry, Hazel, I’ve just got to get back to the office and finish up all this paperwork.” She lifted up the paperwork that we had untidily stacked earlier.

  “No worries, I could probably use the table anyways,” She said looking at the now packed restaurant. Moody had been very good for business for Hazel...everyone wanted to go to the diner with the fat cat.

  “We’ll be going too then,” I said nodding at Becky for her agreement. I was her ride practically everywhere, so I wanted to make sure she didn’t want to stay around any longer. I had a feeling that she wanted to stay and talk to Jimmy Jack some more, but Hazel’s words seemed to be a polite ‘get out.’

  “Yeah, we can get going,” she said reluctantly.

  “Hazel, I found some things about Becky’s mom, Evelyn,” Jimmy Jack stumbled through the sentence. First sounding more confident and then ending in a stammer at the look on everyone’s faces, but especially Hazel’s. She was glowering at the young man, an expression that I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of.

  “I said it earlier and I’ll say it now to you,” Hazel said darkly. “It’s not a good idea to be looking for someone who doesn't want to be found.” Jimmy Jack looked somewhere between shocked, upset, embarrassed and just a little bit scared.

  “Why are you so sure that she doesn’t want to be found?” Becky asked. Hazel ignored her completely. It was a valid question and perhaps there was something keeping her from showing back up. Evelyn might think that Hazel didn’t want her back in Stillwater and that’s why she never returned. I did worry that something else had happened and she couldn’t return. It was all too possible that she was dead.

  “Sorry Hazel, I was only trying to be helpful,” he said with his arms up in surrender. “I didn’t find much anyways.” I watched as Hazel softened once more. It seemed like the bringing up of her daughter made her almost hostile and irrational, but moments later she was back to her normal caring self.

  “It’s fine Jimmy Jack,” she sighed. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.” She sounded sadder and more tired than she had before. I understood what she meant. It was entirely possible that even if her mother was alive that she wasn’t interested in meeting Becky. There had to be a reason why she had given her up in the first place and it might hurt both of them equally dredging up the past like that.

  “Moody, do you want to come home with us now?” I asked the cat. Most people simply thought that Fern and I were crazy cat ladies who spoke to their cat as if it could understand us. The thing was that she could. Even Jimmy Jack’s face screwed up in laughter at my asking Moody her preference. In response Moody hopped off the bench seat and wound herself around my legs. It seemed that she was ready to leave as well.

  “Will you be alright without your tourist attraction?” I asked Hazel while picking up Moody and scratching her behind the ears.

  “I think I’ll manage,” she said with a chuckle as she walked away with the dishes.

  “I’ll see you at home?” Fern asked me, her arms over flowing with papers and her laptop. I knew that she was asking if we would be going to Hazel’s for lessons together or if she was going to meet us there. It was her subtle way of asking, without bringing up the lessons in front of Jimmy Jack.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I replied nodding. “It depends on how long your paperwork takes though.”

  “You guys have plans tonight?” Jimmy Jack asked looking between the three of us. I could tell that he had wanted to do something with Becky.

  “We have book club,” I replied quickly. We hadn’t really discussed what our cover story for spending so much time at Hazel’s was, but I had the book club idea for a while. “At Hazel’s,” I added. It was always a good bet to keep a lie close to the truth.

  “That sounds fun,” Jimmy Jack said, though there was something in his expression that made me question his sincerity. “I’ll see you later then.” He swept in and gave Becky a quick peck on the cheek, making them both blush. He handed her the folder before leaving ahead of us. While Becky and Fern finished collecting their belongings, I noticed him turn back to look. For a moment I saw a look of suspicion on his face, but when he noticed me staring, he broke into a smile and waved. I waved goodbye back but wondered what his expression meant.

  Chapter Three

  “YOU’RE SURE YOU DON’T want to come
along?” Fern asked Moody for the third or fourth time now.

  “I am not interested in becoming a casualty of your magic practice,” Moody replied dramatically. I suspected that she was just tired from all the extra food she had eaten during the day. She was splayed out, belly up on the couch and she hadn’t moved much since I had brought her home a good few hours before.

  “You won’t be a casualty,” I rolled my eyes at her. She was certain that if she came to lessons that she would get injured by some wayward spell. It seemed like she thought our lessons involved us shooting spells all over the place, willy-nilly. That was rarely the case. Most of the time we were sitting in silence and focusing on our inner power so that we would have better control over it. It would be boring for her if she wanted to come.

  “Chances are we are going over more history tonight anyways,” Fern said crossing her arms. Neither of us really wanted Moody to come, as she would complain the entire time anyways, but it would be equally as much complaining if we didn’t ensure that she knew she was invited. Moody was an ever so dramatic and fickle cat, but that was what we loved about her.

  “Then I would die of boredom,” she responded. She was busying herself batting her paws at an unsuspecting piece of dust floating in the air.

  “Alright, if you’re sure,” I said ready to go. She didn’t respond, instead she batted her paw a little too furiously and rolled ungracefully off the couch with a crash. Fern was nice enough to not laugh at the feline, but I wasn’t too tactful. Moody hissed at me in anger and stalked out of the room.

  “You shouldn’t laugh at her,” Fern scolded, but she was hiding her own laughter as she spoke. “I think she misses the company,” she added as we left our house.

  “I agree, though she’d never admit she missed the ghosts,” I said rolling my eyes at the stubbornness of the feline.

  “I’m not sure she misses them specifically. I think she misses not being alone all day long.” I hadn’t thought about it that way before, but it made sense. I felt bad for not thinking about how much time Moody spent home by herself. Especially now that Fern was gone more of the time working and we were doing lessons almost every night. I did take her into work with me as often as I could. Our boss didn’t mind much since she chased off any mice or rats that found their way inside. With Amber there, Moody hadn’t particularly wanted to join us lately. She found Amber as insufferable as I did.

  It was a quick drive to Hazel’s, even though she lived on the outskirts of town. Stillwater was not a very large town, so from one end to the other was still only a few minutes drive. Her home looked like the picture of cozy normalcy from the outside...it was the inside that her eccentricity showed. It was an amalgam of every witch you could think of. Each room felt like a new house, and Hazel being a witch almost made more sense than her house did. An outsider coming in might even feel relieved finding that out, otherwise they might just think she was crazy.

  “Come in, come in.” She ushered us inside quickly and looked around to see if anyone saw us go in. She was a little more paranoid than the rest of us, though I suppose it was better to be careful than not. It wasn’t too long ago that a witch hunter had come to town and it was always possible that another might follow. “There’s a storm coming,” she added as she bolted her door shut.

  “Are you sure?” I asked looking out at the relatively clear night sky. It was true that the weather could change quickly where we lived, but I didn’t see any sign of a storm. When a storm did hit us, it was often unforgiving and frightful. I hoped it wouldn’t start until after lessons when we were all in our own homes.

  “I’m positive,” Hazel replied smiling at me. “If there’s one thing I can do it’s tell when a storm is brewing.” She ushered us into the room where we normally held our lessons. It was covered in fabrics and pillows of deep purple and pink hues.

  “Is Becky here yet?” I asked. She had said that she didn’t need a ride to Hazel’s, but I hadn’t been sure how she was planning on getting there. It was about time she got herself a car. I remember what it was like having to rely on others for rides and it wasn't fun. That’s why as soon as I had enough for a car, I got one, even though it was an ancient pile of metal and bolts that might not run for too much longer.

  “Yes, I picked her up on my way home from the diner,” Hazel replied, her lips pursed a little in annoyance. Becky had clearly been badgering her about learning more about Evelyn. I wondered if she had shown her the articles that Jimmy Jack had found earlier.

  “Hey guys,” Becky said from the corner of the room. She was sitting on the ground, leaning up against the wall. The room had no proper seating, only the cushions on the floor were for sitting. Even Fang, Jimmy Jack’s father, was sitting on the ground. Normally he spent our lessons standing, but it seemed he was resigned to the floor tonight. I hoped that didn’t mean we were having another history lesson.

  “So, we are all familiar with the history of witches in Stillwater at this point,” Hazel said as she also sat herself down on the floor. “Including the rewritten version that you guys are going to be telling at the exhibit soon.” It was always right down to business once we all arrived for lessons. When we were first started these, we spent almost every night, the entire night at Hazel’s practicing. Then we had an immediate threat we had to take care of, so now we had some more time to learn and focus on more than just spells to heal or protect. The only reason we had even been able to start learning about our own abilities and the history was because we no longer had a threat looming over our heads.

  “Are we doing more history today?” I asked not trying to hide my displeasure. Hazel laughed at my question, only to launch into more history about the original coven that lived in Stillwater. She had only gotten a few sentences in before I stopped listening. Fern was paying apt attention, a notebook on her lap that she was furiously taking notes in. Becky was laying on the floor her chin in her hands, paying attention but not taking notes. Fang was dozing off; his hands were clasped on his stomach. A soft snore would escape from him every once in a while. It didn’t faze Hazel as she spun her tale of the past. Fang had already heard it all anyways. He was from a family of warlocks so old that their power had faded. He himself only had a whisper of power left and as far as anyone knew, Jimmy Jack had no power to speak of.

  “After the town was founded, they ran into some issues with the non-magic townsfolk,” Hazel continued. Something in her tone made me pay attention to what she was saying. “The coven had always lived in the open. They were trusted by the townsfolk, they acted as healers and town elders. For a long time they lived in harmony. After a while though, some radicals questioned why they had given the witches so much power. They feared them instead of respecting them. These radicals spread fear through the town and soon enough there was a revolt.” It was then that a large clap of thunder followed by sharp lightning sounded outside. It was like a warning sound for the rain that immediately started pouring outside. I felt like I was a child at summer camp being told a scary story and the rain started at just the right moment.”

  “They took a page from the Salem Witch Trials, and rounded up all the witches they could find, burning them at the stake,” Hazel continued solemnly. I shivered at the thought. There was a reason why we kept ourselves hidden. Why we were so cautious about people knowing that we were witches. “They didn't find every witch in the town though, and a few got away unnoticed. For decades these witches lived as nomads, with no home. It was a few generations later that they finally felt safe enough to return to their home in Stillwater, and here we all are today,” she gestured to everyone in the room. “Each of us are descendants from the original coven.” I let out a breath that I didn’t know I had been holding in. It was hard to think of our ancestors; even distant ones being persecuted for something they had no control over.

  “I wish this was the history that we could tell at the exhibition,” Becky said with a sigh. “Instead we get to spout nonsense about how no one who died was a witch and it was all false accusations like the Salem Witch Trials.”

  “It is hard to know that our history has been rewritten and forgotten by most. It’s the way that it has to be though. If anyone knew the real history then we would probably be run out of town again. We are lucky that history has forgotten the names of those who were killed during the madness that Stillwater went though. We just have to ensure that we don’t forget that history,” Hazel finished. In the moments of silence, Fang sputtered awake. Without Hazel’s melodic voice speaking, the silence was enough to startle him awake.