The White Witch (7 page)

“I, I just wanted to hear your voice.” I say at almost a whisper as I lay back on my bed.

I hear him sigh. “I’ve been dying to hear yours. I wanted to go to your house when Liz asked me where you were. I wanted to show up and help them look for you, but she was so distraught that she hung up pretty quickly after I told her that I didn’t know where you were.” He pauses a moment. “I drove to the coffee shop, I knew your parents probably checked the rink, but I went there anyway as well. I even went down to the beach. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you.” He sighs again. “What did happen to you?”

I listen to his strong soothing voice and wonder if I should mention Erebos. I don’t know what Erebos is to him beside someone he does business with, so maybe not just yet. After I talk with my counselor, I think to myself, and give him the same story I gave to the police and my parents.

“If you saw something like that, why didn’t you call someone? Call me?!” He sounds frustrated and I can picture him running his fingers through his hair.

“I guess it’s just habit to take care of everything myself. You know?” I turn on my side. “I want to see you tomorrow.” I say before I can stop myself.

“Just tell me when and where. Because to be honest, I was going to ask if I could come see you. Right now.” His voice gets louder and more excited.

“I don’t think I would be good company right now.” I look at the glass of water next to my bedside that Liz brought to me after my shower. The white pill next to it should help me sleep, she said.

“You could sit next to me in total silence if you wanted to. I would be fine just being with you.”

My stomach twists into knots and a desire to see him pulls at me.
Gosh, what is this effect he has on me?
But I have so much on my mind that I am afraid I will say something before I know what is going on. My head begins to pound once again and I see that the water in the glass begins to spin, forming a vortex.

“No, tomorrow is better.”

“Will you tell me the whole story then?” His voice gets softer. 

“Maybe.” My attention still on the water in the glass that has stopped spinning.

“I’ll take it. Goodnight Angel, sleep well.”

“Goodnight Polo.” I hear him laughing at the nickname as we hang up and it brings a much needed smile to my face.

What the hell
… I pick up the glass to take the pill but nothing happens to the water. Though I declare myself crazy for the thought, I look at it, trying to will it to move. Nothing, o
f course.

In the morning I convince dad and Liz that I don’t need to be watched over and practically have to beg them to go to work. I tell them honestly that I do not want to go to school and they aren’t surprised and don’t argue. I do mention that I want to talk to my counselor and though they are taken aback, they agree that talking to someone might be a good idea.

I show up at the school, but I don’t pull into the parking lot. Instead, I park along the sidewalk by the teacher’s parking. Several students walk by and look in and say something to each other almost immediately. I see a black charger with dark windows pull in. Within moments Mr. Wentworth emerges from the vehicle and turns immediately, looking at me. Just like Logan had done the other day. Didn’t look around, didn’t hesitate. Just looked straight at me like he knew I was there. He takes out his phone and makes a call. After a few minutes, he gets back into his car and leaves the parking lot. I am unsure if he wants me to follow him, but I don’t really care. I need answers.

He drives to West Beach Park and parks his car, though not near the beach area. He’s near the rocky shores that lead to several walking trails and into nearby trees. I pull up three cars down from him and watch first. He exits his car, not bothering to look in my direction though I know he knows I’m here. He walks over toward the piers and sits on a bench overlooking the ocean.

It takes all the nerve I have, but I get out of the car and head toward him. I feel someone’s eyes on me, but when I turn and search the area I don’t see anyone, so I continue forward. He never once turns to see if I’m coming. I walk up and sit on the bench beside him.

“Are you ready for the truth?” He says with low tone.

I swallow hard. No, I’m probably not ready, but it doesn’t matter. I need to know.

“Sort of.”
Hey, at least I’m being honest
.

He chuckles and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “First, I need to at least ask if you will be willing to hear me out. Without calling me crazy, without accusing me of anything… nothing of the sort. Can you do that?” He speaks to me while still looking out at the sea.

“Yes.” I say, feeling kind of guilty for jumping down his throat yesterday, even though he seemed to be trying to help me.

“To start, I am still doing a bit of research on the man who was in the forest with you yesterday. I may have an idea, but before I let you in on it, I need to be absolutely correct because it can change everything for you.”

My eyes widen and I can feel the concern etching itself on my face and soul. Part of me feels like I am stuck in some crazy espionage movie and that this couldn’t possibly be real.

“Not that things won’t change now, but the severity will be different.” He finally looks at me. “What do you know about your mother?”

I open my mouth but the words are stuck in my throat. Of all the things I thought he would ask or talk about, my mother was not in the top five. “I, I know that her name was Catherine. She kept to herself, very much a homebody. She um, she died giving birth to me.”

He smirks. “What do you know about that.”

“About her dying at my birth? The doctors said that there was no reason for it. Her heart just stopped.”

“I figured as much.” He shakes his head.

“Did you know my mother?” My heart leaps into my chest.

“In a way.” He sits back, keeping his gaze on me. “What do you know about her family?”

“Just that her family is from England and her family name is Langley.” I shrug my shoulders, embarrassed that I do not know more about my mother.

“Hm, then we will skip that for now.”

“The ‘strange occurrences ‘ that happen around you.” He leans forward again, looking for a moment at the ground then back at me. “They have happened when you have been the most emotional, correct?”

I swallow hard and I don’t know if the sudden nervousness comes from the fact that things happen around me, or that this man who I think is a total stranger, knows about them.

“Yes.” I breathe as my heart pounds in my ears.

“Since about the age of eight or so, right? Samantha’s birthday party?”

I want to jump down his throat again and ask him how he knows about it, but I restrain myself.

“Some girls were bullying her and I was trying to defend her. But she didn’t appreciate it. She was letting them bully her because she wanted to be part of their crowd. So, she got mad at me for intervening.” I shake my head, unsure of why I am explaining this to him. “She was my best friend and she turned on me. The more worked up I got, the more things began to happen. First it was the wind picking up around us, then the water in the pool bubbling up over the edge and flooding her yard. She-”

“Called you a freak.”

I squint my eyes at him. “How did you know that?”

“I was there.” He looks out to the sea. “I’ve always been there.”

“Wha-, How?”

“Katelyn, to tell you more about who you are, I should probably tell you who I am first.”

“I am Gamaliel Wentworth, a Keeper of Balance.” He closes his eyes for a moment, “We are a select group of individuals that were put on earth to help keep the peace.” He finally looks back to me. “You know how some people are geniuses’ and can use more of their brains than others?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, there are people that in doing so, can manipulate the energies around them. Energy, as you know, is in everything, especially, the elements.”

“Wait, are you talking about witches?” I prop my elbow on the back of the bench and turn slightly to face him.

“Some are known by that. As with everything, there are those that use that power for good, and those that use their powers for bad.” He lowers his head slightly. “Then there are those that use it to keep the balance between the two. That is me.”

“So there are people that are using the elements for bad?”

“Not really. There are people that don’t stop at the elements. They assume that because they can control the elements, they should be able to control anything with energy. People included.”

I set my jaw and start to wonder why a person would think that it is ok to do that, to mess with people’s minds. Then it hits me. Erebos. My expression must have given me away because Mr. Wentworth begins again.

“I see you have just realized that you met one of these people. See, unlike you, and the ones who chose evil, my powers go beyond the energy of the elements and general surrounding energies. I suppose you would call it a psychic connection or ability. I know when something is about to happen, or is happening, making it possible for me to intervene if need be to keep the balance. Though that has become increasingly difficult for our kind in recent centuries.”

“You can control minds too, can’t you? Control people, like the ones you said are evil?”

Mr. Wentworth’s lips shoot to the side as he seems to contemplate his answer. “I can. It’s not something I like to do, because aside from draining me of my own energy, it simply should not be done.”

“But you did it to the officer that went to the school, didn’t you? Officer Williams?”

He sighs hard. “I did. I didn’t want to, but I did.”

“Why?”

“Because explaining to him, and the others present what I am explaining to you now, was not an option. Not everyone can deal with the truths of this world.”

I shake my head in agreement.
Hell, I’m not sure I can deal with the truths I’m hearing right now!

“So, going back to what you said before… Why has it become increasingly difficult for your kind to keep the peace lately?” I bite my lip, sorting through the million questions stirring inside of me and picking the ones I think would heed the best information.

“You like to read, yes?” I nod my head.

“Have you ever heard of the Penhale Masacre that occurred in the late 1500’s in England?”

“Vaguely. It sounds familiar, but I don’t recall the details.”

He presses his lips together and thinks a moment before continuing. “The Penhale Masacre was a massacre of an entire family of ‘witches’ as you call them. In the town of Penhale in England, there were two families. Both born with extraordinary powers. One used their powers for the good of the town and its crops and trade. The other, well, they used their power to advance themselves in business by manipulating the minds of the ones they dealt with. This went on for a few years without anyone saying anything, but eventually, the other family began to remind them that evil will not prevail, nor go unpunished. Despite the pleas of several of the family members who had wed and even borne children with the other family, there was a plan set in place to be rid of them before they could stop the growth of their wealth. The names of the two families are Langley and Blackbourne.”

“Langley.” I whisper as my heart falls heavily into my stomach.

“Because there were those from the Blackbourne family that opposed the massacre, they tried to warn them, but it was too late. That night, the Blackbournes came down on the Langlies like a force of nature. They started with the mind control, causing some to go mad, thinking that they were hearing from demons. Others were drawn out of the town and murdered, their bodies never to be found. But there was one, Henry Blackbourne who got to a young Langley girl, Abigail Langley and convinced her to leave with him. They traveled all night until she was so far from the chaos that she would be safe. He then told her that she couldn’t go back. She was so distraught at the thought of losing her family that she banished Henry from ever seeing her again, saying that he could have stopped them. But it was not before she vowed revenge on them and put a curse on herself and every other female Langely that would come.”

I open my mouth, “So as the phoenix rises from its ashes, so will the White Witch rise from the ashes of her ancestors before her and claim revenge.” I cup my hand over my mouth, not understanding where that came from.

“Because of that, every Langley woman will die in childbirth, passing on her powers to her child, keeping the lineage strong until one comes along that is powerful enough to stop the Blackbournes.” He finishes, looking at me and furrowing his brow. “Do you understand now? This is why your mother died, and her mother before her, and her mother before her.”

I stand from the bench, the enormity of this information settling in my chest. The sounds of the waves crashing hard against the rocks surround me as the sea sprays onto my cheek.

“So I am-” I begin to pace as the waves behind me crash against the rocks harder and harder.

“Yes.” Mr. Wentworth stands and reaches out a hand to me, but I cringe away from it. From this man who has forever changed my life.

“I can’t take revenge for anyone!”  I raise my hands and bring them down bringing a wave so big, it misses the rocks completely and soaks our feet and shoes, for the first time, I realize I caused it and I don’t care. “I will not kill someone because of something that happened centuries ago. It’s not in me. She was wrong!”

I walk back to the bench, my feet sloshing around in my sneakers and bury my face in my hands for a moment. I shake my head back and forth trying to take this in, examining myself and wondering how much of this I can handle. I shoot my head back up and stare at Gamaliel, “I’m sorry Mr. Wentworth… I am sorry that you have wasted your time looking after me in the hopes that I would help you balance this injustice, but I can’t.”

I look down at my trembling hands and back at my counselor. “I don’t think you understand. I can’t control the things that happen around me. And I am certainly not a person that can go around hurting other people. Especially for something that happened centuries ago.”

Mr. Wentworth stands and I stand with him. “I think that you are the one that does not understand. By now, it is not only about what happened to your family. It is about what can still happen. They know about the curse. They always have. They have killed many of my kind in order to keep themselves in hiding, changing their names, moving , waiting for the day that they can eliminate their last threat.”

“I… I don’t think I can listen to any more of this. Not now.” The sea beside us has calmed slightly, but still it crashes onto the rocks harder than it should considering there is no wind.

“I know this is a lot and when you are ready, we can talk again.”

“Aren’t there other … other witches, or guy witches, or wizards or whatever they are called that can help?”

“No. Well, yes, there are others, but no family has ever been able to collectively amount the power that the Langleys and Blackbournes did.” He looks at me with his brows pinched as his eyes search my face for a reaction.

“What if I don’t want to do this? What if I can’t hurt anyone?” I say lowly pressing my feet into the soles of my shoes and watching the water bubbles pour out the sides.

“I cannot push you to do anything you do not want to do.”

Unable to process any more, I begin to walk back to my car, when I hear him shout after me. “I am not the only one that will know who you are. They will figure it out. Those with an understanding of magic can feel the energies of other magical beings and your energy grows stronger by the day. They will come for you, they will come for your family. They always do.”

I stop in my tracks and wonder if he is right, but convince myself that it has been so long that maybe, just maybe, it has been so long, they have forgotten.

*************

“Hello?”

I listen to his voice for a moment and realize that I don’t even remember pressing the icon to call him, like it was more of an instinct and desire than a conscious act.

“Angel? Are you there?”

My breath hitches as I try to stop the tears from rolling down my face. I realize I can’t stop them and pull over to the side of the road, feeling the breakdown coming on. That horrible feeling that I hadn’t experienced since I was little; The clamping in my chest pulling on every emotion so tight that they have no choice but to bend to the will of the pain. My breathing comes harder and despite my desire to speak, I can’t, not without giving in.

“I can hear you, Kate. Are you alright?” I hear the pleading and concern in his voice and suddenly I know why I called him.

“No.” I manage before the tears stream down my face. As I talk to him I realize that maybe Erebos is lurking around Logan because of me.
What if Mr. Wentworth is right, what if the people around me are in danger?
“Logan, we need to meet. I need to talk to you.”

“What’s going on?”

I can hear the desperation in Logan’s voice. “I’ll tell you when I see you. Meet me at my house. I’ll text you the address so you can put it in your GPS.”

“Ang-”

I cut him off and text him the address quickly before wiping my face and shifting back into drive. I look around and wonder what I can tell dad and Liz. What would they think if I told them everything Mr. Wentworth said. I run several scenarios in my head on the way home with not one ending positively. Not sure there are many parents that want to know that their kid is a witch who is supposed to carry out a curse or prophesy or whatever and kill someone.