Episode 2 of The Witch’s Key: Far From Human
Yesterday’s reading was so much fun! It’s giving me something to look forward to every day, which I’m so grateful for right now.
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I had several people ask yesterday why not just put this up for sale in ebook? Well, several reasons! For one, I’m editing this as I go for fun! It’s not a fully edited, polished story yet, so I wouldn’t feel right about listing it for sale.
Second, the whole reason behind doing it this way is to give people something to look forward to that will help get your mind off the virus and give you something to chat about on social media or YouTube! If I published it as an ebook, you’d just read it alone in your house in a few hours and be done with it!
This is just something a little different that I’m hoping many of you will appreciate and enjoy as an escape each day. Once the story is done, if everyone loves it, I’ll happily have it professionally edited and publish it in ebook format for those of you who just don’t like to read stories chapter by chapter.
Now, let’s read Episode Two!!
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Episode Two: Far From Home
Dark eyes held me to the spot, and it was as though everyone else in the hallway disappeared entirely.
He saw me, but it was more than that.
He knew who I was. What I was.
Which put me at a distinct disadvantage, because even though I could tell from the magical energy radiating from him that he wasn’t entirely human, I wasn’t good enough at this to tell exactly what he was.
And that made him dangerous.
The bell rang, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
“Earth to Lenny,” Peyton said with a laugh. She touched my arm, and I seemed to break free from whatever spell had held me there. “He’s really cute, right? He’s new here, too, kind of. He just moved to town last year. He doesn’t say much in class, and as far as I know, he hasn’t even dated anyone yet, which is not for a lack of interest, if you know what I mean.”
“Who is he?” I asked, fumbling with my locker combination again until it finally popped open.
“His name is Kai Richards. Despite his height and apparent athletic ability, he isn’t on a single sports team, and he’s really good at math. That’s pretty much all I know about him. Well, that and almost every girl in school wants to date him, so get in line.”
Kai Richards. Not much to go on, but at least it was a start.
I didn’t like having a big question mark over his head. After what happened to my parents, I wanted to know as much information as possible about the people close to me. Especially the non-human ones.
Besides, now I had a project. Something to keep my mind occupied throughout the day.
“We’d better get going,” Peyton said. “We have to be in the next hall before the second bell rings. And we both have Mr. Wallace for homeroom. He’s not exactly known for being the most lenient teacher around here, even if it is your first day. You don’t want to paint a target on your back right away, either.”
She was right. I really didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention today, if I could help it.
And for the most part, I managed to get through the first day without any major mistakes or embarrassments. Other than Peyton and Kai, most people ignored me. I still didn’t understand why my spell hadn’t worked on Peyton. As far as I could tell, she was purely human. She just seemed to be immune to this particular spell, which made me immediately want to test a different one on her.
I would have to think of something else to do tomorrow just to see if she was immune to everything, or just that one spell in particular.
I was already thinking about different herbs to mix together when I got home as I stepped out of the main building. I nearly ran right into Peyton and another girl I hadn’t met yet.
“There you are,” Peyton said. “I was just talking about you.”
How someone could be so bubbly and energetic at the end of a full day of boring classes was beyond me.
“This is my friend Brandy,” she said. “Brandy, this is Lenny. She’s really cool and well-traveled, and you’re going to love her.”
“Hey,” Brandy said, lifting her chin toward me. Her jet-black hair hung in tight curls around her face, and there was a smile in her dark eyes. “Peyton hasn’t been able to shut up about you all day. I can’t believe I didn’t see you around today. She said we had a couple classes together, but I didn’t even notice you at all. I’m sorry. I must have been in my own little world today.”
I smiled. Magic was so much fun when it worked.
“It’s no problem,” I said. “I tend to blend in.”
“Pretty girls like you don’t just blend in,” Peyton said, rolling her eyes.
I gave her a look. I’d never thought of myself as a pretty girl. In fact, I was incredibly plain, which is part of what made it easy for me to fade into the crowd, even when I wasn’t using magic to make it happen.
“Well, thank you, but I’m honestly just glad I made it through the day without too much trouble,” I said. “What you did for me this morning was really nice. I appreciate it.”
“It was my pleasure,” Peyton said, a slight gleam in her eye. “But if you really want to repay me, you’ll agree to come with us to Sir Bean this afternoon and hang.”
I raised a questioning eyebrow. “Excuse me? Did you just say Sir Bean?”
Brandy laughed. “It’s the local coffee shop and bakery here,” she said. “A lot of us hang out there after school to do homework and just, well, avoid going home for as long as possible.”
A strange warmth spread through my stomach. Had I really just been asked to hang out with friends after school?
It was the kind of thing that seemed so incredibly normal. So human.
And to think I’d been dreading this day for months. What would Uncle Martin say when he found out I’d made actual friends?
Then again, he was expecting me home right after school. We’d never discussed any rules about hanging out with friends or staying out late. I never even imagined it would be an issue.
“It sounds fun, but I really should get home. My uncle will be wondering where I am if I don’t show up, and it’s my first time out of the house, uh, in a while.”
Okay, that sounded really lame, but it had literally been months since I’d even stepped off my uncle’s property.
“So, call him,” Peyton said with a shrug.
I laughed at the thought of Martin having a phone. That wasn’t exactly how he communicated with the outside world. Not that I had a phone, either.
Crap. How out of touch was I that I didn’t even have my own cell phone? I had to be the only person in school, which was going to look a bit fishy if I did manage to keep these new friends.
I would have to talk to Martin about getting me a phone. I’d never needed one before, but if I was supposed to be blending in and trying out a so-called normal life, I was going to need all the trappings of a modern-day teenager.
Maybe that meant I could also talk him into buying me a new car.
“I must have left my phone at home today,” I said. “Maybe I’ll come with you tomorrow, if you’re going.”
“Nope. Not good enough,” Peyton said. “I haven’t had nearly enough time to grill you about all the places you’ve lived, what kind of music you like to listen to, why you moved here to Newcastle. I have a million questions.”
“Probably more,” Brandy added.
“Besides,” Peyton paused for dramatic effect. “There’s a certain tall, dark, handsome, and aloof someone who just happens to work at Sir Bean. But if you don’t want to go, that’s fine.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“Kai works there?” I asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
Peyton’s face broke out in a huge smile, and she bumped Brandy with her elbow. “Told you she had a major crush on him.”
“It’s not a crush,” I said quickly, defending myself.
“Oh?” Peyton asked. “You just nearly drooled all over yourself this morning when you saw him, but it’s no big deal. It’s definitely not a crush.”
My cheeks warmed. Okay, so he was a good looking guy, but this wasn’t a crush. Still, how was I supposed to explain that to someone like Peyton?
I don’t like the guy, I’m just trying to figure out if he’s a demon or a werewolf.
Come to think of it, it was probably better if they did think I had a crush on the guy. That would at least make my interest in him logical.
“You know what? Maybe I left my phone in my locker,” I said. “I’ll be right back. You want me to just meet you there?”
“Of course not. We’ll wait for you,” Brandy said.
They started talking about chemistry homework as they took a seat on one of the benches outside the main entrance. I jogged inside to find a quiet place to contact my uncle.
It was amazing how fast the school had emptied out. I passed a single teacher on the way to the bathroom, but other than that, the entire place was deserted.
In the girl’s bathroom, double-checked the stalls to make sure no one was hiding out in there, and then I placed a hand on the door.
“Cincinno,” I whispered.
Warmth spread out from my palm as a single flash of golden light sealed the door closed. I couldn’t exactly afford for someone to walk in here and find me talking to my uncle in a mirror, now could I? Talk about an interesting first day at school.
I took a deep breath, leaned forward toward the first mirror above the sink, and exhaled. As my warm breath fogged the mirror, I drew our family sigil and whispered, “Martin vocatio.”
It only took a few seconds for his image to appear before me.
He looked frantic, and I immediately felt guilty for scaring him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Do you need help?”
“No, nothing like that,” I said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be worried about me. I just needed to ask you if I could go out with some friends, and I remembered you always carry that mirror in your pocket.”
He let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing as he placed a hand on his chest. “You scared me to death. I was expecting you home any minute.”
“I know, but I actually managed to meet a few new friends today, and they want me to go to a coffee shop called The Bean or something? I want to go, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first,” I said. “Apparently, most of these people have cell phones, but all I had was a mirror.”
He laughed. “Getting your use out of having that key back, I see. Of course you can go to the coffee shop with your friends,” he said. “We’ll see about ordering some cell phones when you get home tonight. I’ve avoided modern technology long enough.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I considered telling him about Kai, but for some reason, I wanted to keep that information to myself for now. It was possible Martin already knew this guy’s family or what they were, but for now, I was honestly just enjoying the mystery of it. It gave me something to think about other than the fact that I was stuck in this town instead of out hunting with my parents.
“Now, please, clean the family sigil off that disgusting mirror before you go,” he said. “I don’t want some poor freshman conjuring an old man in the mirror by accident tomorrow.”
“I will. See you in a bit,” I said.
I threw some hot water on the mirror and wiped it off with a paper towel, hoping that was good enough. Good timing, too, because someone was pulling on the outside door like their life depended on it.
“Solvo,” I whispered as I placed my palm on the door, and it immediately flew open, nearly knocking the girl on the other side onto her butt.
I winced. “Sorry, I think the door was stuck,” I said.
She gave me a nasty look, but I didn’t care. I was having one hell of a day, and it was the most fun I’d had in a really long time.
**
Sir Bean was a short walk away from the high school, located in a strip mall next to a dry cleaner and a nail salon.
I stood there for several minutes just staring at the logo on the sign out front.
A knight in full armor riding a coffee bean, his sword stretched out in front of him.
“What?” Peyton asked, staring up at the sign with me.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “It’s a knight riding a bean.”
She laughed and put her arm around me. It was such a foreign feeling, I almost pulled away, but it was actually nice. Her instant trust was comforting.
“It’s a play on our mascot, you know,” she said. “The Newcastle Knights. Get it?”
“I mean, I get it, but it’s weird, right? It’s a knight, riding a coffee bean. Beans don’t even have legs. Where could he possibly be going? What’s he fighting for?”
“Coffee beans everywhere!” Brandy said, putting her hand up like a sword.
I laughed so fully, I hardly recognized my own voice. It was such a foreign feeling, and even though it was pleasant, it was also slightly terrifying.
What if I actually liked being a normal person? What would I do with my life?
It was a sobering thought, but I was determined not to bring down the vibe of the afternoon.
“Well, let’s see if the coffee’s any good,” I said.
“It’s amazing,” Peyton said. “But the coffee’s got nothing on the cupcakes. They’re to die for. Trust me. I’ve tried every single flavor they have. Twice.”
“Ah, everything makes so much sense to me now. You’re high on sugar,” I said.
Peyton laughed and bumped my arm, the same way she’d done with Brandy earlier. Why did that make me feel like I belonged? It was such a simple gesture, but it carried so much meaning for me.
“Nailed it,” Brandy said. “Did you know she actually carries a giant pencil case full of candy in her bag? It’s an addiction.”
Peyton herded us toward a small table in the back. “It’s busy today,” she said. “But I guess that’s really no surprise, since it is the first day back to school. Everyone has to gossip about what happened over the summer and make cool videos for TikTok.”
“What’s TikTok?” I asked.
Brandy and Peyton both looked at me like I’d grown five heads, and I tried to think of a way to play it off like I’d just been joking. But no, I had no idea what TikTok was, which apparently was some kind of sin.
Before they could start grilling me about my lack of knowledge, though, a girl with her brown hair in a high ponytail and a Sir Bean apron on came pushing through the crowd, waving madly at us.
“You made it,” she said, sitting down to catch her breath. “I can’t let the manager see me taking a break on such a busy day, but I’ve been keeping an eye out for you. What took you so long? All the tables were almost gone.”
“Olive, this is Lenny,” Peyton said. “She’s our new friend. Lenny, this is Olive, our cupcake goddess. We’ve all been friends since we were kids.”
“Cupcake goddess? That sounds promising,” I said. “Nice to meet you, Olive.”
Olive’s cheeks reddened slightly, and she looked down, obviously embarrassed. “You guys are too sweet. I don’t make them myself, anyway. My mom is really the mastermind behind the amazing cupcake flavors,” she said. “Speaking of which, we have some new ones in the cafe today, if anyone wants to try something. I should take your order, anyway, before Melvin gets angry.”
“Ooh, what’s new?” Peyton asked. “Something I’ve never tried before? Because I was looking forward to the s’mores cupcakes again today, but you know me. I can’t resist new flavors.”
“Neapolitan, chocolate peanut butter pretzel, and maple bacon are the new ones today, but the bacon ones are almost sold out.”
Peyton jumped on the chance to try the last of the bacon cupcakes, but I couldn’t resist trying the chocolate peanut butter ones. What can I say? I have a thing for that flavor combination.
“Get me a caramel latte, pretty please,” Brandy said.
“No cupcake for you?” I asked.
“She can’t have gluten. It’s a tragedy,” Peyton said. She fished a twenty-dollar bill from her backpack and stuffed it in Olive’s hand. “Get us all caramel lattes. And keep the change.”
“You don’t have to pay for mine,” I said. “I have a few bucks in my bag.”
“Peyton’s parents are loaded,” Brandy said with a wink. “Abuse it.”
I laughed. I was pretty sure Uncle Martin was loaded, too, but we’d never really talked about money before. A lot of the things we purchased in our family used a different kind of currency.
“Thanks. I’ll get it next time.”
A strange thrill went through my body. I was already thinking about a next time. I’d never had friends before. This was weird and exciting, and I was so scared to actually trust it.
Maybe I’d stepped out of Martin’s house and into some kind of alternate reality.
Olive turned and froze, gasping as she placed a hand to her mouth.
In fact, most of the people in the cafe grew quiet for a moment and looked toward a guy with shoulder-length blond hair who’d just walked in.
The silence was brief as everyone tried to pretend they hadn’t noticed the guy, but there had definitely been a shift in the energy of the place.
“What just happened?” I whispered. “Who is that?”
Peyton leaned in, and we all huddled close together.
“That’s Troy Valentine. His sister, Marcia, went missing about three weeks ago. She’s the most recent girl to disappear,” Peyton said in a hushed voice.
“You mentioned something about that earlier today,” I said, a chill going through me. “How many girls have gone missing? And what happened to them?”
“No one knows,” Olive said. “One day, they were going about their normal lives, and the next, they were gone without a trace. Four girls total so far in the past six months. All of them students at Newcastle High. All of them are still missing.”
Holy what?
My mouth went dry, and I dug my nails into the palm of my hand. Four girls missing without a trace? In a town that had almost no history of crime or violence.
Why hadn’t Martin mentioned this to me?
What were the chances four missing girls was some kind of coincidence?
I wasn’t an expert Slayer or anything like my parents, and I certainly wasn’t trained as a Keeper like Martin, but I didn’t need to be to answer that question.
There was no way this was a coincidence.
And if I had to guess, I would have said there was some kind of supernatural being behind their disappearance. Kidnapping four girls wasn’t usually something humans did, even if that’s what the news had to say.
Nine times out of ten, if there was a serial killer or mass murderer out there, he or she was far from human, no matter what they looked like on the outside.
Just then, as if on cue, Kai stepped out to take over at the cash register. It was the first time I’d seen him since that morning, but the moment my eyes landed on him, he jerked his head toward me.
Just like earlier, our eyes locked across the crowd. It was as if he could feel my presence, the same way I could feel his.
“I have to get back to work. I’ll be back with your orders in a sec,” Olive said, disappearing into the crowded cafe.
I pulled my gaze from Kair’s and leaned toward the other girls. “Hey, so just out of curiosity, when did you say Kai started school here?”
“Sometime toward the end of the school year last year, I think,” Peyton said.
“No, it was earlier than that,” Brandy said. “He started just after the new year. I remember, because it snowed that first week back, and he stopped to help me get my car back on the road after I slid on some ice. I think that still might be the only time he’s actually talked to me, but that was definitely last winter. January or February at the latest. Why?”
“Just curious,” I said.
I’d already started counting backwards, though, and the results made me feel sick to my stomach.
Four missing girls in the past six months, and a handsome new guy who just happened to come to town about six months ago and who just happened to be something other than human?
I didn’t like the way that was adding up.
Something my parents always taught me was that there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, and if you see a pattern start to emerge, pay attention to it. It might save your life.
In this case, maybe it could save four lives.
I knew what Uncle Martin and the Council would say. Stay out of it. If this was really a matter for us to be concerned with, the Council would have already sent someone to deal with it.
But like my parents, I’d never really been good at following the rules.
I needed to find out just who Kai Richards was, and I needed to do it fast.