Page 9 of Soul of a Witch

It would pass. I just had to breathe, focus on the here and now. The smooth wood beneath my fingers, the pouring rain, the distant murmur of conversation and soft turning of pages. I had to remember where I was. Who I was.WhyI was…

My phone vibrated in my pocket, snapping me out of the fog. My eyes flew open, a soft gasp bursting out of me. Rapidly blinking my eyes to get them back into focus, I noticed a text from Jeremiah.

Wrap it up. Me and the guys are bailing soon.

Crap. Dad must have told him I was on campus today. Being stuck in Jeremiah’s cramped car with him and his friends was the last thing I wanted to do. Father had been out all day, and he kept my car keys locked in his office, so I’d jogged here earlier and planned to take the bus back home.

As I reached the carrels on the first floor and the stack of books I’d left there, the back of my neck tingled yet again.

“Hi, Everly.”

Marcus Kynes waved as he approached, a small and uncertain smile on his face. “You’re here late. Need a ride?”

Marcus captained the university’s soccer team now — the same team Jeremiah played for. The two of them had become close over the years. After Juniper was sent away to a psychiatric hospital, Jeremiah took the younger man under his wing.

Father wanted us to keep Marcus close. God wouldn’t accept another failure.

Marcus would have been better off staying far away from our family. Still, I was grateful for the opportunity to avoid riding home with my brother.

“A ride would be great, thank you. I just need to check out my books.”

Our breath formed clouds in the cold night air as we walked from the library toward the student parking lot. Abelaum University was a relic hidden among the trees; an architectural beauty built when the mining town was first booming. Its gothic towers reached as tall as the pines, its stone pathways were carpeted in moss and its gray walls cloaked with ivy. When classes were in session, the windows lining its halls would glow in the night like beacons. But tonight, the multiple old buildings that made up the school were dark, save for the library behind us.

One day, despite everything, my studies would be my ticket out of here. Being a History Major wasn’t typically viewed as a recipe for success, but I didn’t care. Someday I would leave Abelaum, I would leave Washington; perhaps, I would even leave the country. The God’s whispers in my head would disappear, the constant fear of pain and retribution would vanish.

I’d seek a job. I wanted to research ancient languages, surround myself with the beauty and horror of history. Humanity was shaped by our past; all of us were the latest manifestation of a long line of human choices.

Some of us were manifested by choices that were far more wicked than others.

“It was Juniper’s birthday last week,” Marcus said suddenly. “I wanted to call her, but I guess her number was disconnected after they let her out of the hospital.”

We splashed through puddles as we walked, and I pulled up the hood of my jacket to defend against the rain.

And to hide my face from him.

“My mom never wants to talk about it either,” he said, when I gave no response. “No one does. Everyone just gets uncomfortable when I bring her up.”

“I’m sorry, Marcus,” I said slowly, but he shook his head.

“I get it. Especially after the accusations she made against your family. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He sounded so sad. Confused. “I’ve just been missing her lately. I never really got to say good-bye before she left.”

A familiar voice called out ahead of us. Marcus raised his hand in greeting at the three men walking toward us, and I stifled a groan.

“Look at you being a gentleman and protecting my sister, Marcus,” Jeremiah teased, as he and his friends — Sam and Nick — approached us. “Don’t worry about her though. No one is going to try to kidnap this freak.”

Marcus stopped walking to talk to them, but I didn’t bother. I headed for the road, determined to walk regardless of the risk. But Jeremiah grabbed my arm as I tried to get past him, pulling me back.

“Hey, woah, don’t rush off,sis.” He said that term of endearment like it was an insult.

“Let go,” I said. My fingertips tingled — a subtle warning that I might lose control. “I’m going home.”

“I need you and Marcus to help me with something first,” he said, as Nick and Sam nodded in agreement.

“I can help you out,” Marcus said. “No problem.”

“Great.” Jeremiah smiled; his eyes locked on me in warning. No one could ever call my half-brothernice, but there was something genuinely mean in his smile. Something that made me feel like I needed to run.

He tugged on my arm, pulling me close to him as he walked us back toward campus. “I told Coach Shelby I’d grab a couple boxes for him. He said they’re in the 2nd floor storage room in Calgary Hall. Almost forgot to do it.”

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