Page 21 of Spellbound
He sighed and plopped back down in the seat. He finished his breakfast, including eating another roll and drinking a whole glass of milk, even though he made a little face as he did it. I think he hoped I wouldn’t see him making some at me too, when he thought I couldn’t see him.
Chapter Seven
“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
~Glinda,The Wizard of Oz
Asher
Why was Ben always saying things like “Finish your breakfast,” or “Drink your milk,” like I was a child, as if he expected me to just meekly agreed? I might have done whatever it was anyway—maybe—but it made me feel like doing it was his idea, and I was following his damn orders. I didn’t mind doing that in bed. I even liked it, but not all the time. I gave his back a dirty look as he got up and left the kitchen.
And to think I was admiring how handsome he looked that morning when I saw him.Handsome is as handsome does, as the old saying went.
I finished eating and got up to go get my bag. I could hear my grandma puttering around in her room next door, getting ready to go to town.
She’s just been waiting for the chance to ditch you for her sister, the old bitch.
The second that awful thought went through my mind, I felt startled and shook my head as if trying to shake it loose. What the hell? Why had I thought such a terrible thing? That was my grandma—who was always good to me and helpful and kind. I loved her and she wasn’t a bitch at all.
And you’re not a child, who needs someone to stay with them.She’s coddled you and babied you all your life and thenwhen you really need her, where the fuck is she? She’s a lying old cunt.
I literally gasped and flinched away from another set of nasty thoughts and my grandmother looked over at me. What the fuck was wrong with me? Sometimes I felt like I was going crazy and had alien thoughts in my head, but I shied away from that kind of thinking. I was afraid of where it might lead. I’d be as bad as my father if I didn’t watch it. looked away and tried to make my face a blank so she couldn’t read anything on it. God, I really must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, and nothing had gone right since.
Feeling guilty, I went to tap on her door. “About ready to go down, Gran?”
She opened the door and gave me a sweet smile. “Yes, I’m ready, honey.” She put a hand on my arm and leaned in closer. “Asher, are you sure you don’t mind me staying on here in the house with Rosalyn? I can come see you every day if you need me.”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Don’t be silly. I’m sure the cottage is small, and I don’t need any extra distractions anyway. I’d just use talking to you as an excuse to procrastinate.”
“If you’re sure then. You’re doing so well, and I think Rosalyn hasn’t been feeling quite as healthy as she’s been letting on. I’m worried about her. But I don’t want you to think I’m abandoning you.”
“You don’t have to explain. I’ll be fine.”
She linked her arm through mine, and we went downstairs. Outside, we met the others and Ben motioned for me to follow him, as the two ladies got in their car. The bridge out back seemed fine and had no damage I could see. But as we walked over it and over the creek below, I glanced down at the water tumbling over the rocks and couldn’t suppress a shudder.
I was happy that Ben was quiet for most of the short walk back to his truck to take my things. He’d insisted on going first over the bridge, and I let him and then felt guilty about it afterward. I still didn’t believe a word of what he’d said about me using any kind of fantastic means to save myself from falling. I’d just jumped for the grass when the bridge gave way. That was all. Maybe from the porch it looked like something different was going on, but why he would jump to a conclusion ofmagic, I had no idea. But then he thought everything was magical and he thought he was a magician or a witch or whatever. He was probably just obsessed with the subject, and he saw it everywhere he looked. I had a sinking feeling that he was just as insane as my father had been and that worried me terribly. I couldn’t go through all that again. As soon as I could afford to be out on my own, I had to get find the strength to get away from these people and never look back.
“I guess you’ll be happy to get settled in so you can get started back on your research paper,” Ben said, startling me a little. I thought he was either going to drill me about “magic” or just stay quiet. At least he was changing the damn subject.
“Mymaster’s thesis. Yes. I’ve been neglecting it a little, what with the accident and then getting ready for this move. I’ve got a few places I’d love to visit over the next few weeks or so, and I’d like to go to the local Historical Society someday soon. The University of North Carolina has a great library too. I am here to work, after all,” I reminded him.
“You’re here for rest and rehab too.”
“Well, yeah, but I need to work on editing what I’ve already written, and I need to get busy on doing that. Things have to be checked with my advisor and then after I finish that, it has to be thoroughly edited for both content and grammar. Then there are the rewrites I need to do. I have a ton of work left to do and limited time.”
“I see.”
“It’s difficult to write about a historical subject, you know. Every word had to be thoroughly researched, cited and attributed. And then there are the footnotes and end notes for copyright permissions. And all of it has to be perfect. The topic I’ve chosen has so much speculation and extreme stories surrounding it that it’s hard to discern the truth sometimes. Blame has been cast on both sides and I have to wade through all that to find the truth on personal accounts. I still have to decide on my thesis statement, which is my reason for choosing that subject to write about and decide what I’m trying to prove, other than simply saying I’m interested in it. That certainly won’t be enough.”
“You said it’s about the Home Guard?”
“Yes. They were in the plot of that book,Cold Mountain. It was a movie too. Did you see it?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while, but I remember it. Great movie. Sad, though.”
“True. I’d just like to research the Home Guard a little more and hope I can find a focus for my paper. In a few days, when I’m more settled in, that is.”
We parked in front of the front porch, and I turned to look out at the view. Beyond the house were the mountains of the Blue Ridge, looking mysterious and beautiful in the morning sun. My dad had told me they and the Appalachian Mountains were ancient but not nearly as high as the western mountains, so some people tended to underestimate the difficulties of hiking their trails. The terrain could be rugged, though, with uneven surfaces, rocks, and roots, increasing the risk of falls and injuries like sprains, and fractures. The lack of clear landmarks in the dense woods made it easier to get lost if you wandered off the trails too, and many of the trails weren’t all that well marked. Bears, coyotes, and venomous snakes inhabited the region, andthe insects and ticks were plentiful. All of that required hikers to be aware of their surroundings and take precautions not to get lost or drink bad water or make any of the dozens of careless mistakes that could lead to trouble.
