SWNOVELS Chapter 28
Zev turns my hand over and brushes the pad of his thumb over my palm in rhythmic strokes, like he's trying to calm a wild animal--which maybe isn't far from the truth. "That night we followed the signs of the prophecy. At this point I don't know much more than you, I'm "The rock." I haven't thought about it since that night, but the rock I pulled out of the wall; it didn't look like a regular stone because it most definitely is not.
afraid. We followed the fallen star and it led us to you both."
"So Rain's a witch? How? This isn't like AJ's situation. Rain's dad isn't magical. I'm sure of it."
"This wouldn't be passed down through her father's lineage," Rune says softly.
The implication of his words takes a moment to settle into my frazzled mind. "So you're saying she got it from me?" I choke out a laugh. "I'm definitely not a witch."
Zev frowns. "Stranger things have happened... but you almost certainly are."
My eyes widen. "So, you're saying my mother was a witch? And--"
"--And your grandmother," Rune, finishes my thought. "I could feel her power. It was confused. Untamed. But very strong. Overwhelming, perhaps. I've never felt more clarity regarding the prophecy."
"Tilly is a witch?" I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
"Undeniably," Rune says.
I look to Zev who's nodding, clearly no question in his mind either.
The next ten minutes pass in silence, as Zev and Rune respect my need to process. I can't just accept this witch business the way I did with AJ being a nymph (especially since with everything they've said about nymphs that one makes perfect sense). They're saying I'm a witch. My daughter, who can't yet see an inch in front of her face, is a witch. Before my mother died, I was apparently being raised by a witch. And after she went, when I spent my days and nights with Nanny and Gramps, I was still under a witch's guidance.
What is a witch? I don't know what this means on the most basic level. And yet, the more I reflect, the more I have to consider the possibility. Tilly was always a little off, but in that quiet, grandmother kind of way. She fully departed reality when my mother died, but even then she went mad in her own, interesting way. A lot of nights spent at the cliffside where my mom killed herself, and a lot of lucid conversations with Gramps about why they needed to go look for Lauren (my mom). I remember overhearing those talks from my room, knowing Nanny was losing it but still wishing she was right.
As we get closer to Morgan's, I decide to break the silence with a question. "If my mom was a witch with powers and shit, why'd she kill herself?"
Zev looks over his shoulder at Rune, the two sharing a thoughtful stare before replying. Is Zev trying to figure out what the answer is, or are the two conspiring about how much I'm allowed to know. Rune finally speaks up.
"As you know from my story, magical abilities don't keep one safe from anguish."
It's a good answer. Doesn't help me at all, but I can't blame Rune for that.
We park the car and I get Rain out of her carseat. She's going to wake up screaming for food any minute, but I'm hoping she'll put that off just a bit longer to give my mind time to settle.
It's only a little after 1 pm, a much earlier return time than I expected thanks to Nanny's episode and the nurse with no manners. I figure Darius is still sleeping or hanging out in one of his darkened rooms and AJ is either on a unicorn scavenger hunt or taking a nap in preparation for another long night of bartending.
As I walk into the living room, those expectations get dashed in a hurry. AJ's sitting on the kitchen counter, drinking beer and looking very proud of herself. Darius sits in the corner, furthest from the blacked out windows and safe from errant rays ofsunlight.
And in the middle of the room, tied to a chair and looking woefully confused, is Michael Lawrence. My high school boyfriend.
"Mike?"
"Bernie?"
We speak at the same time, matching exasperated tones.
"What are you doing here?" I ask before my brain can catch up to my mouth. He's tied to a chair, Bernie. He's not the one you should be asking.
I whip my head toward AJ, who's stifling a laugh. "AJ, with God and three creatures from other realms as my witness, I will beat you to death with a ham hock if you don't tell me what's so funny right now."
My burst of anger only makes her laugh harder, and she coughs up some of her beer in the process.
"Bernie," Darius starts, "There's no need to worry. We've brought this man--"
"No, no," AJ cuts him off, "I need to tell her. You don't understand comedy, Darius, your timing will suck and the joke won't land."
"I don't believe there's anything to joke about in this situation, Anna."
There's a real sibling vibe developing
between Darius and AJ, one that I'm
sure she likes and he can't stand.
think for a second about what A
台
would have been like in high school
if she had an older brother who was a vampire. That's not a thought I want to revisit.
"Okay, Jesus, just tell me!"
"Yeah, and tell me!" Michael looks terrified, and it's clear he's been told nothing.
"Okay!" AJ snaps back. "God, it's not like anyone's late for anything. All right, hold on, I have to set this up right."
She takes another sip of beer, but neither Michael nor I say anything this time because we know another interruption will just set her off and she'll take longer. Silence from Darius shows he's learned the same lesson. "Bernie, this is Michael, you may remember him from high school when you two dated and he took your V card..."
I did not expect this part of my past to come up, and my face immediately turns fire engine red. When I turn away so Michael doesn't see me blush, I point my face at Zev and Rune, who look entirely confused.
"Anyway," AJ wisely gets back to her
story before they can derail this
ludicrous conversation with more
questions, which is the first good et
thing that's happened to me all day. "Turns out that while you and
Michael were getting your hump on, Michael was also busy making little girls' dreams come true."
I couldn't possibly be more confused, and I'm about to say as much when AJ finally spits out what she's been dying to say this whole time.
"Because your high school beau was a freaking unicorn."