Something Witchy This Way Comes (4 page)

Chapter Four

Tessa

H
ayden and his friends sat across the cafeteria. I would have preferred eating off campus but all seniors were restricted to school grounds for the next month due to a mysterious incident involving “some of the seniors,” the principal had announced. My guess was those seniors were associated with Hayden or his friends.

Nadia jerked her head toward them, her black bangs falling over her brows. “What’s with the parade of jackass stares? They’ve ignored us all year. Now they can’t take their eyes off us. Well, mostly you.”

Hayden was doing what he was supposed to do. It wasn’t personal. The only reason I had his friends’ attention was because I already had Hayden’s.

“
Creepy.” Corinne grimaced at the guys.

Bryce cast a quick glance at them. “Yep. Creepy.” Then he returned his gaze to his food and continued eating.

Just great. Hayden made himself look bad enough wit
hout my friends thinking he was stalking me. Not that I should care but I had to tell them something since we’d eventually be seen together. I focused on my sloppy joe while deciding what to say.

The sound of clattering trays and thrown dishes interrupted my thoughts. Brad held a skinny boy by the throat against the surface of a lunch table. “What did you say?” Brad’s voice carried over the stunned silence in the
cafeteria.

Skyler sneered. “Dude, I think you’d better apologize to the man.”

“I-I said I don’t have any lunch money. My mom prepaid.” The dark-haired boy struggled under Brad’s hold. Judging by the size of him, I’d guess he was a couple years behind us.

I looked on in disgust. Lunch money? The guys were like one big cliché. Worse, they didn’t need the money since their parents were rich. For them, it was a game.

I scanned the lunchroom. Not a teacher in sight. I wished I could help the kid. One day, if I ever really did have magical powers, I’d do something about those bullies.

That would be never.

“I’m supposed to care?” Brad held out his other hand palm up as if waiting for the cash to materialize there. “You gotta have some cash on you. Hand it over.”

Even if I could do what Agent Phillips had done, how would picking up on their
mental pictures help me defend the kid anyway? It’s not as though I could take on Brad by myself. So I sat there and felt useless, focusing on my lunch while Hayden and a couple other guys at his table scarfed theirs.

Come to think of it, that’s the way things usually went down. Brad and Skyler — Brad, mostly — pushed the little people around while Hayden and the rest stood by and watched. Bystanders. In the eyes of the law, being an accessory was a crime too. Just as it is in school. All three of them were scum.

Brad and Hayden’s table quieted. I assumed the kid coughed up the money, but I didn’t look.

“All three of them are staring now.” Nadia shuddered. “Any idea what’s up with them?”

I shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal and wishing I’d prepared myself better for my friends’ probing. “Principal Linton suggested I help Hayden with calculus.”

“You’re going to do it?” Corinne asked, shaking her head.

“Smartening up a guy like that couldn’t be a good idea,” Bryce chimed in.

“Yeah…” I cringed, sneaking a quick peek at the boys. “But maybe if he’s smarter, he won’t act so dumb.”

* * * *

I left a few minutes before the end of lunch and stopped at the restroom. In my peripheral vision, I saw Hayden get up as I passed through the cafeteria doorway. Somewhere deep down, I was impressed he kept his end of the bargain. How long it would last, I couldn’t know. I glanced back at him.

He nodded. “Hey.”

I stopped so he could catch up then stared at him.

“I was wondering… you think
you
could help me with my school work for the next few days until Agent Phillips replaces me?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and eyed his shoes. “The guys asked why I was looking at you. I told them you were tutoring me. Sorry.”

Exactly what I’d been afraid would happen. But how could I blame Hayden when I’d used the same excuse? “I guess.” I spun around and escaped into the bathroom.

When I’d finished putting on my lip gloss, he was waiting outside the door, checking his cell. I walked on, sensing him following me. Knowing he was there, on the lookout, made me feel secure. It also lessened my disgust for him. But only a little.

My phone vibrated.
When’s my 1st lesson? Maybe start with calc
?

I slowed until he caught up to me. “Calc is fine. How do you want to work it? Stay after school?”

“Sure. Meet you in the library after last class?”

Nodding, I sped up to get away. I had an unfamiliar urge to hang out with him — possibly because of his amazing face and killer body. But, as with all things superficial, the attraction would probably die soon enough. Hayden would see to it, just by being himself.

* * * *

Hayden walked me to the auditorium then went on to PE. Three seats had been placed around a small table by the big double doors. I claimed the only empty one and turned to Ms. Phillips. “So, you’re not with some secret government branch of superhuman people used for special missions?”

“No.” She chuckled softly. “And call me Fawn.”

“Let me guess.” I turned to Mr. Linton. “You’re only acting as principal for my sake. It’s not your usual gig, right?”

“I have some experience in the area, but that’s correct. I manipulated myself into the position to look out for you.” Which meant some of the other things they’d said in front of Hayden might not be true either.

I blew out a breath. “Are there really guys after me or is that a lie too?”

“You’re in danger, like we said.” He knitted his fingers together. “There are others who look for people like us to join ranks with them. More power in their hands is dangerou
s. We’re merely hoping to keep you out of their reach long enough to arm you. With some training and the right information, you can make better choices.”

I mulled that over. Bad guys looking for o
thers with magical powers to help them take over the world. Right. Did they expect me to believe that crap?

“You look doubtful, Tessa. Need another demo?” Fawn asked.

I nodded.

She reached into an inside jacket pocket for a business card. “Here. Hold your palm out.”

I did and she placed the card in my hand.

“No strings attached to it, right?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“You sure?” A smile tugged at Fawn’s mouth.

I closed my hand over the card then opened it again. “Positive.”

 The card rose about an inch above my hand, twirled then slowly descended.

“Whoa.” I set the card on the table, my eyes fixed on it.

“See my hands?” Mr. Linton raised his arms. “Watch her, too, because the lights are about to go off.”

Her hands shot up as the lights dimmed.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood. It had to be a setup. “How do I know a third person isn’t here working the lights?”

Fawn sighed. “Stand up and check your chair for cables. It’s going for a ride.”

To make certain the chair wasn’t connected to anything, I ran my hands around it.

“Step aside.” She motioned me away.

As I backed up, the chair flew into the air and floated along the ceiling. Then it returned to hover over me.

I stared at the chair, slack-jawed, as it wafted down like a mere speck of dust. Then I checked for wire again.

“You’ll be able to do it too, you know.” Fawn held out her hand for the card.

I returned the card that had twirled over my palm moments ago. Maybe they were right. I’d always thought telekinesis and telepathy were impossible. I could see now that they weren’t. Maybe I was wrong about me too. Could I do what she did?

My veins hummed in anticipation.

“Okaaay. So, you can see my thoughts, in 3D and everything, huh?” They probably got a nice visual when I checked out Hayden’s butt earlier. My cheeks warmed.

“He’s attracted to you too, you know.” Fawn mashed her lips together as though Hayden’s visuals caused her mental pain.

I couldn’t blame her for being disgusted by whatever pictures she’d plucked from Hayden’s head. But they had to have picked my brain too. I swallowed as another swell of heat rushed into my cheeks.

Mr. Linton smiled. “By the visual that Hayden conjured of
you
, Fawn, Tessa probably shouldn’t read much into it.”

I could’ve figured that out for myself.

“Don’t remind me.” She whipped out a deck of cards and handed them to me. “Make sure it’s a real deck. I’ll show you some simple things you can do.”

Four different suits whooshed past my eyes as I fanned the cards. Just like the deck I’d played with at home. I handed them back.

Fawn shuffled a few rounds, then laid a card face down, keeping her fingertips over it so the card stayed put. “The way to bring out your power is
not
to think, which is the opposite of what we’re taught from birth. I’m going to ask you a question and you’re going to tell me the first thing that pops into your head. The very first thing. No thinking allowed. Got it?”

I nodded.

“This card, is it a red suit or black?”

“Black.”

She grinned and turned the card over, revealing a two of clubs.

My stomach did a little flip.

“This next one is a face card. Which one?”

A picture jumped in my head and certainty filled me. “King. It’s a king of diamonds.”

 “Very good. Do you want to see?”

I reached over and turned the card. King of diamonds. If this were a scam, how could they know ahead of time what I’d think in order to put that card there?

They couldn’t.

Chills skated up my spine.

“Quick.” She snapped her fingers. “What color is the pen in my pocket?”

“Silver.” I couldn’t imagine where the images came from. She asked the questions and a picture magically appeared. Weird.

Fawn fished in her jacket pocket, bringing out a silver pen. She held it out in ta-da form, then searched her pocket again for a thin stack of photos. “Very good. What color car do I drive?”