WITCH SHIfT

JP

“Snow Worth please,” I said to the secretary that I didn’t recognize. I guess I should call more.

“She is in a meeting. Can I take a message?”

“How about Peter Worth,” I said thinking talking to dad would be worse, but I still had to figure this out.

“He is in a meeting as well. Can I take a message?” She said pretty satisfied with herself.

“You can let them know that their son Jonathon called. I will call my brother instead. Thank you.” I hung up. She could deal with the fall out after dismissing me like that. I might not be my parent’s favorite but I was still their son.

I dialed Charlie’s number and after one ring he answered. “Hey dog, oh that’s your assistant, what’s up JP.”

“You’re still an ass,” I said into the phone laughing.

“Yup, and you’re still a slacker. What’s up? I haven’t heard from you in a while.” He said wondering.

“So how mad would mom and dad be if I fell in love with a non magic user?”

“Are you nuts?” he screamed back at me. “Dude they would disown your ass in a second. Dad is so worried about his image he wouldn’t even hesitate. Tell me it’s not that nymph?” Charlie said scared and confused all at the same time.

“It’s not a nymph,” I said thinking at one time it could have been.

“Ok well that is something. Ok little brother; tell me what is going on.”

“Not much to tell. I met a girl from a witch family but she is a level one. She has no powers to speak of, and I am falling for her. What else can I say?”

“Where are you running to and will you send me a forwarding address.” He said smartly.

“You’d like her she is a bigger smart ass than you are. I could stay here. The guardian is enough of a threat to keep most people away.”

“Do you not know our parents? JP they will make you marry a witch, plain and simple, if she was level five they could live with it, but a one, no way. I feel for you buddy, I really do, but they are going to hamstring you and make it hell.”

“I know. I just don’t want to give her up. She is trying to walk away before it gets more serious knowing what it will do to our family, but I can’t let her. I was kind of hoping you would take my side?” I threw out there.

“Sure,” he said not even thinking about it. “It won’t matter though. They are the supreme witches and they can’t let anyone buck their authority, especially one of their sons. I’ve got you little brother but I don’t see this ending well.”

“Me either, I just wanted you to know.” I said defeated but happy I wouldn’t lose my brother over it.

“Who is this spitfire of personality?”

“Her name is Mar Oliver,” I said.

“Her dad Tom,” he asked like he knew something.

“Yeah, head of medicine for the East Coast or something like that, why?”

“He tried to get his daughter classified as a level two, the first ever. Our own parents went against him. He was slated to be the national head surgical paranormal until that battle. He lost. Our parents are assholes. They think because they came up with the grading system only they can say how it goes.”

“I didn’t know that. Her parents aren’t going to like me much then are they?” I said feeling more defeated.

“Who’s to say? Ours are just merciless, hers may be better. Too bad it wasn’t her sister, you’d be the one being trained instead of me. I could use the break. Hey I’ve got to go bud but call me later and we can plan something if you want.”

“Ok, thanks Charlie.” I said hanging up. It just keeps getting better and better.

Mar

Inventory was in. Taxes codes were made and everything was set. Harvey could do the hard part tomorrow, which reminded me, I still hadn’t seen him lately to see how he was doing. It was almost time for him to change back and I wanted to be able to explain it to dad if I needed to.

I went down to the warehouse floor and he was lying there breathing hard and JP was there with him. He really cared about his friend. I loved that about him. Damn he clicked all the boxes. I wished I had just an ounce of magic so we could be together but even a smidgeon wouldn’t be enough for that family of his.

Harvey was writhing on the floor and I wanted to reach out and touch him. JP just shook his head looking worn out. I couldn’t believe they went through this every four days. This had to be killing both of them.

I pulled out my phone and called my dad. He answered on the first ring. “Hey dad, so I am watching the change. It looks like he was cursed to go through as much pain as he could. He is getting beat up bad.”

“Bad witches make us all look bad.” He said mad.

“Is there anything I can do dad?”

“Not really, if I was there I would put my hands on him and see if I could detect the flow. With the flow connection I may be able to alter the path to make it more comfortable for him. A curse goes from heart to head to cause the change. My guess is that they made the curse run all the way to his toes to his head to cause the most pain and the longest amount of time.”

“How would you divert it?”

“I would steer it away from going south and having it head to his head. Get it there quicker and the pain is less. It doesn’t get rid of the curse but it helps a little.” He explained.

“Could any witch do that?”

“No, they would have to be a level fifty. I don’t think your mom could do it, in fact I am positive she couldn’t. She has trouble sensing flows.”

I covered the receiver. “JP, what level are you considered?”

“Fifty,” he said like it was no big deal. Of course he was a fifty.

“Dad, if I happened to be sitting here next to a fifty, could they do it?”

“Mar?” he asked sounding confused.

“Could they do it dad, or would it hurt the patient?”

“Even if they couldn’t do it, it wouldn’t hurt anymore than usual. You are just redirecting, not anything on a molecular level. The witch would have to be able to sense flows. Can they do that?” He asked still skeptical of the person with me.

“We will see. I’m going to set you down for a minute and get closer. Give me a second.” I said.

I hit the mute button so dad couldn’t’ here us. “Can you sense flows?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried. What are they?” JP asked scared.

“Like I would know,” I said getting on the floor next to Harv. JP joined me. “Put your hands on him and see what you can feel under the skin.”

“No way, it hurts him too much when he is touched.” JP said sitting back.

“It could help him.” I said grabbing his hands.

“No,” he said.

“Yes,” I said Taking his hands in mine and making him place them on Harvey’s back. “Lightning shot through me and I saw JP’s eyes fly open. I could sense Harvey through JP’s connection. I could feel everything he felt. I didn’t know how it was possible but it was. I saw the black line of magic that was about at his stomach. I could see an avenue to make it move north. I didn’t know what to do. JP was just watching me. I had no idea what he was thinking but it didn’t matter. At this moment all that was important was Harvey.

I used JP’s senses and urged the blackness into a different vein and watched as it headed north. It would still take time as it moved slow, but it should cut the time down dramatically. “Can you see it?”

JP nodded still looking at me weird.

“Keep watching, I need to ask my father if we did it right.”

I let go and JP slumped. “It’s not there now. I can’t sense it. I’m blind to whatever is going on in him.”

“Ok, give me a second.” I grabbed the phone and hurried. “Dad, we caught the curse before it hit the stomach. We turned it into a vein that is headed to the brain. Is that what we can do or are we missing something?”

He could hear the panic in my voice. “Mar, its ok. If the person you are with did that, you did it. I can’t wait to meet this person, they should be a doctor. What else can you tell me about it?”

“It’s dark, like a black wave that flows with the blood but at a much slower pace. It’s almost like a haze.” I said into the phone.

“Oh that’s nasty.” He sounded pissed. “If I find that family they will have a lot to answer for.”

“Dad focus, are we done here, for now at least?”

“This time. It will continue to follow the original path each time until we cure it but it will be more comfortable if the person is there to change it each time to make the journey shorter. Best we can do for now.”

I sighed. “Ok dad, sounds good. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Mar, when this is all over, I want to meet this witch.” He said with no room for negotiation.

“Sure dad,” I said. “Love you.”

“Love you too Mar.” He said hanging up.

“My dad wants to meet the witch who could do what just happened.” I said joining him again at Harv.

“Well that could be difficult since it wasn’t just one witch. Mar I sense nothing without you.” He said confused. “I mean I know I have my powers, I can feel those, but I can’t sense Harv at all. It’s like I need to be on a different level, and I can’t do that without you.”

“I don’t understand why. I mean I have no powers. Why should I make a difference?”

“I don’t know, but you do. Here, touch my hands,” he pleaded.

I put mine on top of his again and it was magical. I felt everything. I knew. I just knew that if I wanted to perform a spell while touching him I could. I sensed into Harvey and the curse was flowing toward his brain. The speed it was traveling it would be there in less than an hour. It was moving faster than it was and for that we could all be thankful.

“Mar, is it moving faster?” JP asked.

“I think so. It seems to be. You can see it right?”

“I can when your hands are on mine. Before that I couldn’t. For some reason when you touch me, it magnifies my power. I have no idea what level I am when you touch me, but its more.”

“What does it mean?” I asked scared.

“Mar, I don’t think you are non-magical. I think you are a witch born focus. If that is the case we have to keep this under wraps. Some powerful witch might try to control you. I wouldn’t even trust my parents around you at this point.”

“Well shit,” I said.

“Shit is right. Mar this is dangerous for you. My god this is dangerous for all of us. The last time the witch council knew of a focus we had a war, and that was an object, not a person. We can’t let anyone know about this. Or if we do, we have to make sure everyone knows about it. Oh Mar, this is going to be crazy.”

“Shit, shit, shit,” I said not liking my choices here.

“When you two are done, could you take your hands away please?” Harvey gasped out through human teeth.

We both jumped and removed our hands. Neither of us noticed he was back to normal. It was incredible. Of course he was lying there naked, but JP rushed to grab a blanket and cover him. He still looked whipped.

“I’ll help him to his cot,” JP said helping Harvey and walking away leaving me there to think.

A focus, I was a freaking focus. What could I do with that without being a liability?