Wish (14 page)

Jenny stared at me for a moment before flashing her teeth in
a scowl.

“You are not someone who helps witches.” I stared at the
freak- show in front of me trying to remember what the book said. Something
about dormant powers.

“Oh. Lighten up. I’m not going to hurt you,” Jenny said.

“You
can’t,” I snapped without thinking.

Jenny’s face contorted in a furious motion, and then her
features settled back. “You’re right. Of course I can’t. What I am is a Sentry.
From the
Order of Grant Witches
. I assume you’ve seen the book,
n’est
pa
? The book your mother had hidden in her closet.” Jenny rolled black
eyes. “It’s a direct quote I believe. That is what a Sentry does- “help
witches.”

She grinned. Pure evil. “I’ve seen the book, too. I’m quite
familiar with it.”

“If you’re a Sentry, and you help witches, why are you using
an innocent teenage girl’s body to torment me?”

“
N'importe Quoi
. Innocent? This girl. I don’t know
about that. Besides, my own form might prove distracting,” she said in her
disturbing voice. “I didn’t want to cause hardship where I didn’t need to.” She
stuck out her hip, imitating the way a girl might stand. If she were a girl.
Waving a hand in front of Jenny’s body the thing inside Jenny continued. “I am
a powerful Sentry, my dear. I can borrow bodies as it were, as long as they are
willing to be borrowed. I haven’t hurt her. This girl, this Jenny, practically
begged to be used. Her fixation with you oozed out of her every pore. I zeroed
in on her at your school. Jenny is obsessed with you. I can’t blame her really.
You did try to steal her boyfriend after all. She’s been a bit angry with you.”

Jenny/thing tsked and then another obnoxious roar of deep
laughter erupted from her body. Jenny reached forward as if to touch my cheek
or hair. I twisted my head away, terrified of what I’d see if she or it touched
me.

“Don’t come near me,” I warned when she moved her foot
forward.

Jenny/thing obeyed and stepped back. “Fair enough.” She
grinned again, the voice overly friendly. “So. How many powers did you gain?” 

I didn’t answer.

“Wish continuum?”

I blinked quickly.

“Of course. I mean. That’s how I got here in the first place.
Your little crush on Mike Cameron is what I am doing here in the first place.
What about Sight?” Jenny practically panted, watching me.

I glanced longingly at the forest hoping someone would rescue
me. Wishing even, but that didn’t seem to do any good. Had this thing already
stolen my power?

“Yes?” The male voice cackled with glee. “You have sight
already. Oh you are impressive one. What about Contact Enchantment? What about
Rhythmic Spells? What else have you got up your sleeves? You’re the hundredth
after all. I’ve seen your tattoo. You’re marked by the special bonding tattoo.
The most powerful witch in the family yet.”

Jenny gleefully rubbed her hands, which did nothing to
alleviate my fear. Whatever emanated out of Jenny/thing wasn’t girl moxy.

I squinted focused on her. If I was the hundredth at least I
could start acting like it. I concentrated.

“I wish you would go away.”

Jenny’s head moved around expectantly, and when nothing
happened again, she chuckled in the deep eerie voice. “This close to the
Institute your powers are weakened. You’re too new to handle the energy or the
stones. Untrained. You don’t have the experience to use them here.”

Jenny watched me, as if waiting for me to contradict her. I
could do nothing.

At least she’d told me the Institute was close. That must
mean Mom and Nana were near. I thought about what she’d said. Contact
enchantment? Rhythmic Spells. What powers did I have? How did I use them? 

My necklace vibrated as if trying to tell me something. My
shoulder tingled. 

“You’re
not a Sentry,” I said.

Jenny
laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Sentries are men,” I told her. I’d read that in the book
too.

Jenny’s cold eyes stayed on me, expressionless and black, but
her toe tapped up and down.

“Oh. But I am. I won’t hurt you, Sydney.”

“Good. Stay the heck away from me.”

I bent down to check on Stevie. She was still breathing and
actually looked peaceful, like when she’d been a little kid. I wanted to shake
her, wake her up and unleash the Stevie who bossed me around and told me what
to do. She’d tell me what to do. She wouldn’t care if I were Sydney, the
Teenage Witch.

She’d kick my ass into shape.

I
pictured Nana face and wondered what she would do it this situation.

“Don’t be afraid, Sydney. Use what you know.”
Nana’s voice whispered inside my
head.

I glanced around, to see if Nana had appeared, but I was
still alone with Jenny. Stevie still lay passed out on the ground beside me.

I wanted to have a talk with Nana.  As in, listen Nana, I’m
kind of freaking out here. Not only am I a witch, but the queen of my school is
apparently possessed by a Sentry and seems to be stalking me and after my
powers.

I glanced up at Jenny/thing, trying to be brave on my own.
“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You know,” whispered Nana voice inside my head.

“Nana, not now, I’m busy,” I hissed.

Damn her, she was going to get an earful when I saw her in
person. I wanted to go and find her and Mom right now. I put my hand on Stevie’s
arm and gave her a gentle shake. She whimpered softly but her eyes stayed
closed.

“Little girl, you have no idea what you’re up against,” the
masculine voice coming from Jenny’s body snapped. “I don’t want to hurt you,
but let me warn you, if I have to, I will. Nana can’t save you this time.”

I heard uncertainty behind the bravado.

I didn’t stand but I glanced up. “If you want to hurt me, why
haven’t you done it already?”

“Don’t be sure,” the voice roared.

I concentrated on Stevie again. “Stevie,” I whispered into
her ear. “Wake up.”

Stevie’s eyes popped open and she sat up. “What the heck?” Stevie
looked up at Jenny and brushed herself off and scrambled off the ground. “You
put some sort of hex on me?”

Stevie’s tough exterior came from years of practice, but I
could tell she was more than a little afraid.

“Stevie,” I said in a low voice. “There’s some really weird
stuff going on right now, but it’s okay. I won’t let her hurt you.”

Me reassuring Stevie. That was a new one.

Stevie’s eyes darted back and forth between Jenny and me.

“She’s been a good friend to you?” Jenny said in her deep
masculine voice. “Weirdest name I ever heard.”

Stevie’s eyes opened so wide I thought she’d never blink
again. “Who are you calling weird?” she finally managed to sputter. I wanted to
high five her. Girlfriend was brave in the face of wackiness.

Jenny/thing ignored her. “I guess misfits stick together,
hmm. I mean, sorry to point out the obvious, Sydney but how could you be
anything else?” the male voice mocked.

My eyes snapped to Jenny’s face. “Who are you to talk? Hiding
in some poor girl’s body.”

I actually found myself on Jenny Truman’s side. I mean, how
terrified can you be of a girl when her body’s been taken over by a man and she
sounds like a car without a muffler when she speaks.

Jenny/thing’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t forget. I know about your
powers. And I do know where your mother is.”

“Powers?” Stevie interrupted. “Your Mom? What’s going on
here? What powers? Is Jenny an escapee from the nuthouse?”

I didn’t break eye contact with Jenny. “Trust me, Stevie.
Okay? I know it sounds crazy, but actually I sort of do have, um powers,” I
said without looking at her.

“Yeah. So do I,” Stevie said. “I can tell when my friends are
losing their minds.”

“Stevie. This thing is not Jenny Truman.”

Stevie’s silence implied she was thinking about that.

I concentrated on Jenny/thing while Stevie pondered.

The smile on Jenny’s face was not friendly or ‘let’s all gets
together and give a big pep rally cheer’.

“Your mother is hiding,” Jenny sneered. “Because she couldn’t
stand you becoming a witch. Now that’s not completely noble nor completely
responsible, is it?” Jenny shook her head. “No. I think not. But it is
completely futile. And now that your powers found you, she can’t hide anymore.
She’s been exposed. She can’t even escape the Institution which she sought
protection from now.” Jenny smiled. “And all this is thanks to you.”

My anger at the mutating mean girl with awkward manly
gestures swelled. My necklace vibrated. A surge of power traveled through my
blood. I glared at Jenny/thing.

“You will never hurt my mom,” I said. “Not again. I won’t let
you ever hurt her again.”

My eyes widened. I stood straighter and listened to the
beating of my heart and searched inside for strength. Deep inside me rummaged
around until I found it. I located in me and let myself really feel it. A
potent, tangible thing. Bravery. My own. People might mess with me. But not
with my family, or my friends. I would do anything to defend them. Anything. 

“Sydney.” Stevie’s voice squeaked at my side. She sounded
less cocky and Stevie-like. Scared. “If you’ve really got powers, please prove
it now and make demon-Jenny go away.”

I didn’t turn to Stevie, but I raised my lifted my hand in
her direction to reassure her. “It’s okay, Stevie. This thing can’t hurt us.
Believe it or not, I’m an even bigger freak than he is.”

Jenny/thing chuckled and stepped towards me. “Oh my Goodness.
You wouldn’t think of causing me harm, would you? Oh. That’s right. You’re
powers aren’t working anymore, are they?”

A surge of energy erupted not from my necklace, but from deep
inside of me.

“You’re not strong enough,” Jenny taunted. “Just like your
mother wasn’t. She left you. She didn’t car.”

“Don’t bet on it,” I growled. “Don’t underestimate me. Or
her.”

My anger and resentment at my mom’s absence had been working
in Jenny/thing’s favor. Clouding my mind. But I knew. I knew left out of love.
She’d left us and it took strength. Because above all else I knew she loved us.
Right or wrong, she’d done what she did to try to protect me. Us. 

I couldn’t let Jenny/thing mess around with my head or twist
around whatever my mom had been trying to do. I wouldn’t let that thing hurt
anyone. Not even me.

My mom. She needed me now. I had to be strong. 

I’d felt abandoned and angry but I loved her. I would do
whatever I had to help.

And then, in that moment, I knew the truth about Jenny and
instead of crushing me, I felt lighter, cleansed.

I knew exactly what nestled in Jenny’s body.

The hundredth.

Surely the hundredth could use powers even this close to the
Institute. I focused. I lifted my arm to see what kind of magic I could conjure
up.

I closed my eyes to quiet out the rest of the world. I needed
silence to do what I had to do.

Then commotion erupted from the woods behind us. I turned and
opened my eyes and screamed at the top of my lungs.

Stevie joined me and both of us screamed for a moment, like
five year old girls who’d just seen a spider.

Keith and Cody crashed though branches into the clearing,
panting hard and flailing their arms to get through the greenery.

“Sydney,” Keith headed straight for me. “What the heck are
you screaming about? What happened to you? You disappeared.”

“Me?” The hand I’d held in the air fell to my side. In spite
of my relief at seeing Keith and my obnoxious brother, I was still plenty
pissed he’d left me alone in the forest.

I punched him on the arm. “You left me alone. You,” I
searched for the right word. “You big goofball.”

      Beside me, Jenny laughed with her deep male voice.
“That the best you can do?”

I frowned and glanced at Cody. His eyes were as wide as the
world of Disney. He stared at me, looking shocked and not far from crying like
a kid who’d lost his mommy in a shopping mall.

I knew exactly how he felt.

Our eyes met. His head bobbled on his shoulders. 

“Keith said Mom is inside there,” he said. “He said she’s
stuck in some Institute for Witches. In the forest.” He paused, swallowing and
breathing hard. “He said you’re the only one who can get her out. He says
you’re a witch, too.”

I tried to smile to reassure him, but Cody glanced past me
and spied Stevie and then Jenny. His face-hardened and he scowled at Jenny.       

“What’s that stupid girl doing here?” Cody snapped. “She’s
got the biggest mouth in the world. Like we need this getting out.”