Episode 18 of The Witch’s Key: “Who To Trust”
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Episode 18: “Who To Trust”
βPass the pasta,β Britta said. βAnd another piece of that homemade bread. Martin, I have no idea where you find the time.β
Martin smiled and passed a bowl of handmade pasta to Britta.
βWhen youβre retired, you will understand,β he said. βItβs been a challenge to keep my mind and hands occupied since I left my position with the coven.β
βWell, I donβt ever plan on retiring, thank you very much,β Gowan said as he stood and reached all the way over the table to load his plate with ham from the serving tray. βI still donβt understand why you gave it up.β
Martin didnβt say a word. He simply took a sip of his pinot noir.
βHeβll never tell us,β Asher said with a sigh. βIβve been trying to get it out of him for a while now. But we all know Martin. A man of many secrets.β
I leaned back in my chair, almost too tired to eat, but so happy at the same time.
It was such a strange thing to feel so many conflicting emotions all at once. I was terrified for what might happen tomorrow and what I might have to face. Would we all survive? Would I have to fight?
But I was also sad for my new friend and the other girls whose lives were on the line. They had to be so scared. Did they know what was about to happen? Had Algrath prepared them in some way for the ritual? What conditions were they being held in?
At the same time, I was also angry at the Council for not stepping up and taking care of this a long time ago. This was their main job, and it shouldnβt have taken a group of Slayers going rogue to come deal with this demon.
Finally, though, as strange as it seemed, I was also happy and grateful. Watching Slayers my parents had cared about so much, who had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, sharing stories around this cozy table made me feel warm inside.
Martin had kept me alive through my grief this past summer, but Iβd also spent a lot of lonely nights crying and wondering what would become of my life now without them.
Tonight, though, I felt whole again, despite my fear.
It felt like together, we could take on anything.
βWhat do you say, Lenny?β Gianna asked.
I hadnβt been listening, and I blushed.
βIβm sorry. What did you say?β
Asher smiled. βSee, I told you she was zoning out. You exhausted her.β
βI was just asking whether you wanted to head back out to the clearing at first light for a little more training,β she said. βI feel like we made really good progress today, but thereβs a lot more we could do with a few hours tomorrow.β
I groaned. Everything ached. But I needed this. We had no idea what we might be facing tomorrow.
βIβm up for it,β I said. βI just might need an extra cup of coffee first thing.β
Martin nodded. βOf course,β he said. βBut for now, maybe itβs time for you to rest, dear girl. I have left some healing balm in your bathroom for whatβs left of those burns. It should also help with your sore muscles.β
βBut thereβs still so much to do,β I said, barely able to stifle a yawn. βWe need to make potions and discuss strategy. We still havenβt even found Algrath. Weβre running out of time.β
βThatβs why weβre here,β Britta said. βGet some rest. Youβve been through a lot in the past few days.β
I shook my head. Days? Had it really only been a handful of days since I first started at Newcastle High? It felt as though Iβd stepped into some kind of time warp.
I started to protest again, but even the act of opening my mouth to speak made me yawn again. Everyone at the table laughed, which then set me off, too.
βOkay. I admit it,β I said. βIβm tired. Iβll head up.β
Besides, that bath I thought of earlier was calling me.
βSleep well, dear girl,β Martin said. βWe will see you in the morning.β
βSweet dreams,β Gianna said.
βNo nightmares about bunnies,β Gowan said, winking.
I shuddered. βLetβs hope not,β I said. βIβm never going to forgive you for that, you know.β
Martin tilted his head. βWhatβs this about bunnies?β
I patted Gowan on the shoulder. βIβll let you tell him about what you did to me this afternoon.β
As I left the kitchen and headed back to my room, laughter from the kitchen echoed throughout the entire first floor of the house.
When Iβd first arrived here, it had felt so dark and lonely. Martin had done what he could to make me comfortable, but I had never really thought of this place as home until tonight.
I was halfway up the stairs and already dreaming of the bath when my phone vibrated in my pocket. There were only a handful of people who even had this number, and I smiled when Kaiβs name came up on the caller ID.
βHey,β I said. βDid you just get off work?β
I honestly had no idea what time it was, but there was no going back out to the clearing tonight.
βNot quite,β he said, his voice low. βI decided to stay until closing. Thereβs a lot of chatter going on in the cafe today about Julie Petersonβs disappearance and the cops being at her house and all. I wanted to stay and listen, and Iβm glad I did.β
βWhy?β I asked, sitting down on the steps.
βBecause guess who just walked in with a few of her friends?β
My eyes widened. βNot Olive?β
βYes, Olive,β he said. βAnd sheβs talking about the house and her mom. I think maybe you should come down here. Maybe if we both talk to her, we can find out where her mom might have gone.β
βSo, she just never came home?β I asked. βI thought maybe she was the one who called the cops.β
βPeople here are saying it was a neighbor,β he said. βThe parents of the girl who went missing before. LaTasha. The rumor is that they saw a strange van in the driveway and heard some terrible noises coming from the house.β
I closed my eyes. That poor family. Theyβd already gone through so much.
βSo, Bates must have gotten out of there just in the nick of time before getting caught,β I said.
βYeah, but the police are searching for him. You better hope they didnβt bring his van to Martinβs house,β Kai said.
βThey wouldnβt be that stupid,β I said, realizing now that I hadnβt seen Bates at all since I got home.
Darius had been relatively quiet at dinner, too.
I would have to find out in the morning how his questioning had gone and where in the world they were hiding Bates, but for now, I needed to get over to Sir Bean.
βCan you come?β Kai asked. βOr are you still training?β
I groaned. I had a lot to tell him about the training.
βNah. We just got done with dinner, and I was about to go pass out in a bathtub full of chamomile,β I said. βI guess thatβs just going to have to wait, though.β
I headed back to the kitchen to ask Martinβs permission to go out, and Gianna agreed to drive me over to the cafe. No one wanted me walking alone at night, and I wasnβt exactly up for it, either.
βAre you sure Kai wonβt mind driving you home?β she asked when she pulled up to Sir Bean.
There were surprisingly more cars in the parking lot than I had anticipated. It was only thirty minutes until they were supposed to close, but the place looked packed.
βHe wonβt mind,β I said.
And why did I suddenly feel so nervous about that? Iβd been in his car alone with him several times now. Maybe it was something about being alone with him at night and having him drive me home.
Like we were on a date.
I was so stupid. He was just helping me figure this out. We werenβt dating. He was probably going to leave town as soon as this was all over, anyway.
The thought hit me hard.
Dang. He probably was going to leave. It wasnβt like he was really a student at Newcastle High. He could come and go as he pleased, and he had to have a life to go back to somewhere.
I still wasnβt sure what had happened to his father, either. If he didnβt get the answers he needed, heβd be heading out to find them.
βYou okay?β Gianna asked, leaning forward to get a look at my face in the light of the giant Sir Bean sign.
βIβm okay,β I said, forcing a smile. βJust tired.β
βWell, donβt stay out too late,β she said. βAnd under no circumstances are you to be alone with this Olive person. Not even to go to the bathroom. Until we know her motherβs involvement in all of this, we have to keep our guard up.β
βI canβt imagine Algrath would have taken the form of a teenage girl,β I said. βWouldnβt he want to pretend to be someone stronger?β
Gianna shrugged and gripped the steering wheel. βWith these trickster-type demons, you honestly canβt make any assumptions,β she said. βSo, be careful, okay?β
I nodded. βOkay. Iβll be home in an hour or so at the latest.β
She waited in the parking lot until Iβd gotten safely inside. She waved and drove off just as someone touched my arm.
I jumped.
βHey,β Kai said. βYou made it.β
I placed a hand on my heart. βYou scared me.β
Wow, that little conversation with Gianna must have stirred me up. I was on edge now, as I looked around. Anyone in this place could be Algrath.
βSorry,β he said. βIβve got work to do in the back to clean up, but Olive is over there by the back door talking to some friends. Donβt tell her I said she was here. We donβt want to seem too suspicious, just in case sheβs part of this.β
I shook my head. βSheβs not,β I said. βI canβt believe that.β
Kai shrugged. βTime will tell,β he said. βItβs just ticking by as we speak.β
He was right.
βYou know, I really hate that I didnβt find out about this until now,β I said. βI could have been searching for Algrath and those girls all summer.β
βAnd putting your life in danger the whole time,β he said, taking my hand. βDo you think you really would have felt up to it this past summer?β
I shrugged, not wanting to admit he was right. I was a puddle this summer.
βMaybe it would have given me a reason to get out of bed some days,β I said softly. βAnyway, time is ticking. Youβre right about that. Let me go see what I can find out.β
βIβll find you later.β
βYou better,β I said with a laugh. βYouβre my ride home.β
He smiled and headed back to the counter.
I found Olive, Brandy, and a few other people I hadnβt met yet, huddled around a table near the back door. They looked surprised when I walked up.
βLenny, what are you doing here?β Olive asked, wiping tears from her face.
βI was just coming in for some coffee,β I said. βI saw you guys back here. Is everything okay? I tried to text you earlier. Is everything okay with your mom?β
Olive started to cry again.
βNo, everything is very not okay,β she said, laying her head down on the table. βThis is the worst day of my life.β
Brandy gave me a sympathetic look as she reached for Oliveβs hand.
βHave a seat,β she said. βOlive can use all the support she can get right now.β
βLook, weβre going to head out,β one of the other guys at the table said, motioning to his two friends. βOlive, if you need anything, let us know. I hope they find your mom.β
βThanks,β Olive said, not bothering to lift her head off the table.
I took a seat next to her and placed my hand on her back.
βIβm so sorry,β I said softly, glad it was just the three of us now. βWhat happened?β
βI decided to go to school today just to be around friends, because I was tired of sitting at home, worrying about Peyton,β Olive said, lifting her head and sniffling. βMaybe I should have stayed home.β
βNo, if youβd stayed, maybe something terrible would have happened to you, too,β Brandy said. βIβm so grateful you werenβt there.β
βOh my gosh, you guys. What did happen?β I asked.
I kind of hated myself for pretending to know nothing about the incident, since I had actually been a huge part of it, but what else could I do?
If Olive was really Algrath, they already knew Iβd been at that house. This was so messed up. It was like playing a game where the punishment for losing was death.
βI was heading out to my car after school when this cop car pulled up,β Olive said. βIt was the most terrifying moment of my life. They told me I needed to come with them. At first, I was terrified they had found Peyton, you know? Like what if they found her body or something and needed me to identify her?β
She sniffed and ran a napkin under her nose.
βBut when they said it was about my mom, I just totally lost it,β Olive said. βBasically, it looks like someone broke into our house during the day when I was at school. The police believe someone might have kidnapped mom, because her car, her purse, her keys, everything is all still at the house. The place is a total wreck, though, apparently.β
βThey wouldnβt even let her inside to grab her things,β Brandy said in a whisper, as if that was almost worse than her mother being gone.
βWhere are you staying?β I asked. βWhat can I do to help?β
Olive shook her head and leaned back against the booth. βThereβs nothing anyone can do,β she said. βNot unless you know where my mom is.β
βOlive is staying with me and my family for a while,β Brandy said. βHer dad is supposed to be coming in from Michigan in a week, but he claims heβs busy with his business until then.β
βI donβt even really know my dad,β Olive said. βI donβt want to have to go live with him.β
βYou wonβt,β Brandy said. βYour mom is fine. Everything is going to be fine.β
I took a deep breath. This was so complicated.
The truth was here somewhere, staring me in the face, and I couldnβt see it.
βI hate to ask this, but is there somewhere your mom might have gone?β I was skirting the line between concerned friend and inappropriate jerk, but I needed information. I was willing to be rude if it meant saving someoneβs life.
βWhat do you mean?β Olive asked. βYou think she might have left me? She would never do that.β
βYeah, besides, her car was still there,β Brandy said.
βThatβs not what I meant,β I said, backtracking. βI was just trying to think through the possibilities. I mean, not to be rude or anything, but what if your mom went out with someone else during the day. Sheβs single, right? Maybe she had a secret boyfriend or a place she might have gone to be alone with someone? I know Iβm grasping at straws here, but I want to believe sheβs okay and just hasnβt been able to make it home.β
Olive shook her head.
βThatβs just not possible,β she said. βMom hasnβt dated anyone in a really long time. She always says she doesnβt have the time, even though she never does anything at night but bake. She also used to spend all her weekends out at the cabin her parents used to own. But she wouldnβt have gone there. She hasnβt been back there since last fall, because she always gets so busy getting ready for those holiday expos all over the place, trying to sell Christmas cupcakes and stuff.β
I shook my head. So, maybe Bates really had been telling the truth.
βShe stopped leaving me home alone on the weekends after LaTasha went missing, too, so the cabinβs been empty for a long time,β she said. βDo you think I should mention it to the cops? I canβt even imagine how she would have gotten out there without her car, though.β
Nervous butterflies danced in my stomach. Was this cabin connected?
βNo, youβre right. Itβs probably not worth mentioning to the cops,β I said. βWe donβt want to take their attention away from their investigation and send them in the wrong direction. I just wanted to think of a way to help. Iβm sorry I brought it up.β
βItβs okay,β Olive said. βIβve been trying to make sense of it or think of anywhere she might have gone, too, and nothing really seems possible or real anymore. I donβt understand how I could lose two of the most important people in my life in the same week. Iβm not sure how Iβll survive this.β
βYouβre going to be okay,β Brandy said, squeezing Oliveβs hand tighter.
I put my hand on top of theirs.
βWeβre going to find them all,β I said. βItβs going to be okay.β
Olive shook her head.
βNo, itβs not,β she said, her voice suddenly so calm it gave me chills. βItβs never going to be okay again, Lenny. And I think deep down inside, we all know it.β
The lights flickered, and Melvin, the owner, came out.
βWeβll be closing the doors in about five minutes, everyone. Time to wrap it up,β he said. βThanks for coming out.β
Everyone in the cafe started moving around, scrambling to throw away their trash, order one last cup of coffee to go, or put their things together. Brandy and Olive stood, so I stood with them.
βI would invite you over for a while, too, but I think Olive needs to get some rest,β Brandy said. βItβs been a long day.β
βOf course,β I said, walking with them toward the door.
βWill you be at school tomorrow?β Brandy asked. βWe havenβt seen you since Peyton went missing.β
βNot exactly the best start to the school year, huh?β I said with a joyless laugh. βI havenβt talked about it much, but I lost both of my parents earlier this year. I guess making friends with Peyton and then losing her, too, really hit me hard.β
βI was meaning to ask you,β Olive said. βDid you and Peyton just meet Monday at school? Or had you known each other for a while? You moved to town this summer, right?β
βYeah, I moved here about three months ago, but no, I didnβt meet Peyton until Monday. Why?β
She looked confused for a second. βNo reason,β she said. βIt just seems strange that you care so much about her so quickly, I guess. The day she disappeared, she was already talking about you like she knew so much about you. Like you had been old friends or something.β
βPeyton was always like that, though,β Brandy said, her eyes welling with tears. βEveryone she met was a friend.β
I got chills for a second time, and I looked around for Kai. I wanted to talk to him and tell him about that cabin. And about Oliveβs behavior.
Why would Olive be so confused about my friendship with Peyton? Sheβd been there for a lot of it. Sheβd seen how close weβd gotten.
But maybe she hadnβt been expecting me to get so involved in the search for Peyton. Maybe I was getting in her way.
I shuddered. I hadnβt wanted to believe Olive had anything to do with this, but now, I wasnβt so sure.
βSo, youβll be at school?β Olive asked.
βWill you?β I asked back, surprised.
βIβm certainly not going to stay home alone, even if I am at Brandyβs,β Olive said. βBut I guess weβll see what happens with the police.β
βI might just take another day off,β I said. βI donβt know yet.β
I also didnβt know why they would care.
I was suspicious of everyone and everything, which kind of just made me angry, to be honest. A few days ago, I had thought Iβd made my first true friends and was embarking on a normal teenage life.
Now, everyone seemed like a threat.
βThereβs my mom,β Brandy said, pointing to a dark car that had just pulled up outside. βSee you soon, I hope. Call me if you want to hang out this weekend.β
βI will,β I said. βOlive, let me know if I can do anything to help.β
Olive sniffled and nodded as they walked out to the car.
βWhat happened?β Kai asked.
I jumped again, and he laughed.
βSorry, I didnβt mean to sneak up on you or anything.β
I turned. βItβs okay. Everything has me so on edge right now.β
βItβs understandable,β he said. βCome on, Iβll drive you home.β
On the way there, I filled him in on what Iβd learned.
βDo you think the cabin might be important?β I asked.
βAnything could be important right now,β he said as we pulled up to the house. βLet me walk you to the door.β
Those nervous date-vibes came back up, but I tried to push them back.
βTomorrow morning, I think weβre going back out to train,β I said. βAre you coming?β
We climbed the steps toward the door, and he nodded.
βWe have to do what we can, right?β he asked. βAre you sure youβre okay?β
βI just wish I knew who to trust,β I said, then smiled. βI mean, you could be Algrath, right? How would I even know?β
βTwo things,β he said, slipping his arms around me.
My breath caught in my lungs, and my heart beat faster.
βFirst of all, I was there with you when Algrath attacked,β he said. βAnd secondly, demons donβt have wings.β
The memory of the way heβd wrapped those beautiful wings around me earlier this morning took my breath away.
βYeah. I doubt the demon would have bothered to save my life,β I said with a whisper. βThank you for that.β
βYouβre welcome,β he whispered.
βSomeday, youβre going to have to tell me why you even care so much,β I said.
βWhen weβre on the other side of this mess, I promise. Iβll tell you everything,β he said. βGoodnight, Lenny. Get some rest.β
βYou, too,β I said, a sense of loss coming over me as he released me and stepped away.
I watched him get into his car and drive away, and I wondered just what tomorrow would bring for us both.
With a sigh, I headed back inside and soon after, disappeared into a healing bath of chamomile.