Page 14 of The Spell Caster

“Not a lot. They don’t think it’s good for us. The structure’s supposed to help us focus.”

“What? That’s miserable.”

Costi huffed out a laugh. “Fucking hate it.”

The witch Circles prided ourselves on our peacefulness. Unlike the outside world, we strove for inner balance, allowing every witch the freedom to follow their bliss. But our harmonious life came with a price. Those with violent or antisocial traits were not welcome among us.

From childhood, Costi was marked as one of the Troubled. They were supposed to receive extra guidance and care, but it seemed like he’d only ever been ignored and outcast.

Once grown, the Troubled had few options. Costi’s future had always been as set in stone as mine.

As we drove, he coached me through using the map on my phone for navigation.

Once I could no longer avoid it, I opened my messaging app.

Are you there? I hope everything is going well with your new job. That was my last text to Holly from over a year ago, unanswered.

Then her text from this morning. I don’t know what you said to him, but you have to stop making Costi drop everything and come running every time you have a problem.

Shame flooded me, and I thumbed my phone screen off, looking out the window. I hadn’t made him come with me.

“You okay?”

I sighed. “I’m… sorry about all this. I know you have more important things than hauling me around.”

He scoffed. “Don’t start with that. And don’t let anybody else give you shit about it either.”

He always had an eerily accurate sense of what was going on with me, even when I didn’t tell him the details.

“And me?” he went on. “I’ll get a medal for protecting and escorting our new secret weapon.”

“Some secret weapon.” I rolled my eyes. “There’s no way to turn me on.”

Costi gave a dark laugh.

My face flushed hot once I realized what I’d said, and I wanted to hide. I’d walked right into that. But he’d picked it up and run with it. We never joked… like that. I wasn’t sure how to continue.

“You wanna try Greek food with me?” he asked mildly, saving me from myself. “I saw a place last time I came through here.”

“You haven’t had it before?”

“I’m sure I did when I was little. I don’t remember. I kinda want to try it.”

“Let’s do it,” I said, smiling.

Costi gave me the name of the restaurant, and I set the phone to give us directions. It didn’t seem too far off the highway before we came to yet another shopping center. The entire highway was lined from one end to the other with towns. There seemed to be an endless number of gas stations and shops.

He pushed the glass door open over my head and let me walk in before him. I was amused by the little chime that went off to announce our entrance. The delicious scent of spices filled the small space. A few outsiders were eating at the tables, but no one else was waiting, so we went straight to the counter.

An older man with a bushy mustache and tanned skin like ours greeted us warmly. “Hello, come on up. What can I get for you?”

I had been a little worried that everyone in the outside would distrust us like the hotel lady, but this man seemed nice.

“What’s good?” Costi asked.

“Have you tried Greek food before?” We shook our heads as he continued. “No? Where are you from? You look like you could be my cousins.”

“He was born in Greece, but not me,” I said.

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