Page 10 of Marcus-stiltskin

“It’s just… Do you know when witches do their apprenticeship?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know anything about witches.”

“Witch apprenticeship usually starts in high school.”

I stop trying to scoot and stare at her. “So, it’ll be me and a bunch of…”

“Teenagers, yup,” she chuckles and turns away from the door.

“How do you know so much about witches?” I ask, slowly following her.

She shrugs. “You don’t live in Black Raven County without learning a few things about the people that live here.”

“So you knew that Darla was a witch?”

She opens the fridge and begins to dig around. “It wasn’t obvious?”

“What wasn’t obvious?” Ella asks, as she comes in through the living room. She’s dressed–hair and makeup perfect at the ungodly hour of nine a.m. Ella shares the house with us and picks up shifts at the club here and there as a cocktail waitress on the weekends. But unlike Shania and I, she actually has her life together and is almost ready to apply to law school.

“Did you know Darla’s a witch?” I ask her.

Ella shrugs. “Wasn’t it obvious?”

“Not to me.”

Shania pulls out a container of cold Korean leftovers and shakes her head. “You won’t believe who Darla thinks is a witch.”

Ella looks between us. “Sarah? A witch?”

Shania grins. “And she even talked her into an apprenticeship.”

Ella turns to me. “You know it’s all teenagers, right?”

I give Shania a dark look. “Well, I do now.”

Ella giggles, “You’re going to be like the college kid at the high school parties.”

“I think I’m going to just tell her I can’t do it anymore.”

“NO!” Ella and Shania practically shout at the same time.

Shania shakes her head. “You accepted an apprenticeship, you have to complete it. Witches are all about their word being their bond. You want to get off on the right foot with the community. Besides, what if something bad happens?”

I love Shania and Ella both, but do I trust them at this moment? Absolutely not. They’re probably dying to watch me muddle through weeks with a bunch of teenagers.

“Like what?” I challenge.

“I don’t know…” Shania starts.

Ella shakes her head. “I don’t know either, but just don’t. It’s bad vibes, karma, energy, whatever you want to call it. All the witches I’ve ever known are all about paying things forward and what you put out there coming back to you. Making a promise and then breaking it can’t be good. You have to go. You told Darla you would.”

I look between them, still pretty certain I’m being pranked, but it’s not worth the risk. “Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not going to be happy about it.”

Ella giggles, stealing a piece of bulgogi from the to-go tray. “Hey, if Sarah’s a witch, does this mean we get a cat?”

Chapter Five

In Which Jacqueline Makes Good Use of Her Very Particular Set of Skills

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