Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series (25 page)

“Hope you’re right.” He leaned his head back and exhaled heavily. “Is Dad over at the Callahan’s?”

“Yes. I just dropped off his pajamas and toothbrush. Lisa made up the couch for him.”

“Is Gramma still there?”

“No, but she’s going to spend the night here in her old room. She ran home to get her things.” The mother-in-law suite that she’d stayed in for years was still furnished.

“You think Mrs. Callahan is gonna be okay?”

“She’s having a real hard time, but she’s a strong person. She’s holding up for now. Sort of.”

“You’re helping her.”

“As much as I can. I haven’t seen Larry, though. He’s still out searching for Fred.”

He stared at his knees and bit his lip. Then he turned back to Rachel. “Mom, are we gonna find her?” His eyes were glistening and his mouth tight.

Rachel leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Of course. We have an advantage.” She took his face in her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. “We have your father, and we have you.”

“Hope it’s enough.”

“It is. You’ll see.”

* * *

Fred lay in the dark, rubbing the back of her calf.
A voodoo doll. How creepy is that? I thought those were just superstitious nonsense, but God, that hurt. Nothing superstitious about that.

She sighed and stared at the ceiling.
Well, at least I’m still alive, and they said I’m not going to be a prostitute.
Her stomach rumbled fiercely and she thought,
But I may starve to death before Jamie finds me
.

She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. “Jamie, come get me.”

I’ve got to find him in a dream tonight. I’ve just got to
.

* * *

Jamie woke early and stared at his curtain, gray light showing at its edges. Dawn was usually a sign of hope, but not now, because it meant that dream time was over.

She didn’t find me. I don’t even remember what I dreamed about. Hope that doesn’t mean she’s dead
.

When he got to school, he walked through the front doors into the main hall to find Melanie and Bryce waiting for him. Melanie’s eyes were red and Bryce’s face was tight.

“Fred?” Bryce said.

Jamie shook his head, and Melanie cried, “So it’s true, then?”

Jamie nodded and she threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder, while Bryce stood next to him, one hand on Jamie’s back, the other on Melanie’s, head bowed. They stayed there as three sad statues until the bell rang.

* * *

When Jamie walked down the hall, kids stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he trudged by. Or they whispered and pointed. He barely saw them as he stared blankly ahead, numb.

During homeroom, he got summoned to the principal’s office.
Now what?
He got up from his desk, feeling all the eyes in the room on his back as he left.

He knocked on Principal Larkin’s door and he called Jamie in. “Sit down, Jamie.” The tall balding man with glasses gestured to a wooden chair across from his desk.

Jamie took a seat and looked at him glumly. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, no.” He waved one hand. He cleared his throat and said, “I’ve just been informed of Grace Mary’s situation and I want you know that you have all my support right now.”

“Thanks.” Jamie looked at his hands, folded in his lap.

“The NCBI has been here interviewing students. It’s standard procedure, I’m told.”

Great. Now everybody knows
. “Can I talk to them?”

“They’ll want to see you. You can use my office.” He glanced at his watch. “Next period, perhaps?”

Jamie nodded and the principal continued. “If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Jamie nodded and swallowed hard, but didn’t answer.

“You can go back to class now, but if you want to delay taking any tests, we’ll understand. I’m sure it’ll be okay with your teachers.”

“I think I’d rather take my Sociology final, if that’s okay.” Jamie looked at Mr. Larkin. “I want to get it out of the way. It’ll be one less thing to worry about.”

As he stood to leave, Mr. Larkin joined him at the door. He put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Everybody in this school is upset about this. I want you to know that. Grace Mary means a lot to us, and we’re all praying for her safe return.”

Jamie mumbled a thank you and left.

Chapter 24

Fred woke up feeling groggy, the sun already up. She was alone. “Hello?” she called. She waited a few moments and tried again. “Hello? Anybody up?”

She got no answer and decided to relieve herself in the chamber pot.
I hate using this thing, but it’s better than nothing.
When she pulled her panties down, she found that she had a different pair on.
That’s weird. When did that happen? They must’ve changed them while I was asleep, since they had to take the metal cuff off my ankle. Bet they gave me more powder to make sure I didn’t wake up.

They don’t trust me.

She tried to imagine the two women creeping into her bedroom in the dark and blowing powder in her face.
I bet Cassandra changed me. Rita would probably make me wear the same underwear for weeks
.

She sniffed herself and wrinkled her nose
. I could use a bath. How does this work?
She found a towel, washcloth, and a bar of soap next to the large bowl on the washstand. A plastic jug of water sat on the bottom shelf. She pulled her dress over her head and filled the bowl with water, then wet the washcloth and cleaned herself as best she could.

She fingered her hair and frowned.
Don’t know what to do about this. Don’t see how I can wash it right now.

She decided to worry about it later, and took off her bra, rinsed it in the sink, and hung it over the end of the bed post to dry. Then she slipped her dirty dress back on.
Uh. This is starting to smell. Maybe I’ll take Cassandra up on her offer to let me try one of Isabelle’s dresses.

She sat on the edge of the bed, looked around the room, and blew a gust of air, cheeks puffed out.
All done. Now what am I gonna do?

* * *

Fred had no idea what time it was, but it seemed like hours since she’d woken up. Her stomach rumbled constantly as she lay on the bed with her hands behind her head, staring at the dingy white ceiling. She’d memorized every bump on it. Every water stain. Every crack.
I don’t think those witches are gonna kill me, but I’m gonna die of boredom. Don’t those women ever get up? What if they died and nobody knows I’m here? I could starve to death. Boredom or starvation. Whichever kills me first.

She’d been trying to put her time to good use, planning her escape, but nothing promising came to mind.
Can I overpower one of the women and find the key to the ankle cuff in one of their pockets? Then I could jump out of the window and run to a neighbor’s house…no, they might be friends of theirs. I could run to the road and flag down a car. If I can find the road. I have no idea where I am. I haven’t heard any cars. Could be the middle of nowhere.

A noise in the hall made her sit up. Cassandra pushed the door open and entered, carrying a box of powdered doughnuts and a glass of milk. Fred’s stomach growled mightily.

“Good morning,” the tall blonde said. “Sounds like somebody’s hungry.”

“I’m starving,” Fred swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, the chain clanking against the floor.

Cassandra joined her on the bed, handing Fred the glass as she spoke, “I didn’t know if you drank milk or not. We don’t, but I bought some last night when I came home from the Screw.”

“The Screw?” Fred took the glass and drank a big gulp, the cold liquid sending chills of relief up and down her insides.

“The Rusty Screw.” Cassandra popped open the box of doughnuts and offered them to Fred, who pulled one out as Rita continued, “It’s our favorite bar. We go there all the time.”

“Where’s Rita?” Fred said, white crumbs dribbling down her dress.

“Still sleeping. She’s probably gonna be hung over when she wakes up. I think she drank most of the Jack Daniels last night.”

“So she’ll be even more grouchy.”

“Just ’till she takes some of my hangover medicine.” Cassandra pulled a doughnut out, too.

“You mean aspirin.”

“No, it’s a magic powder I make. That’s what I’m good at — cures and stuff. That’s my talent. Do you know what yours is?”

Fred paused with the doughnut at her mouth. “What?”

“Your talent. Every witch has one. We know you’re a witch, so what’s your talent?”

“I’m a —” Fred almost said
Dream Fairy
, but something made her stop.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell them about that.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t known I’m a witch for very long.”

“That’s okay. Me and Rita might able to figure it out. We thought that later we could let you try some spells and see what you’re good at. Just little stuff…nothing complicated.”

Spells
got Fred’s attention. “You have spell books?”

She flipped her hand and rolled her eyes. “Of course. Don’t you?”

“I don’t know where to get any, and my mom doesn’t want me doing magic.”

“Well, we have plenty, and your mom’s not here, is she? So you can do all the magic you want.”

Oh wow!
Her heart beat a little faster and she forgot for a moment that she was a prisoner.
I’m gonna do some magic.

Fred grabbed another doughnut from the box. “I see you changed my panties while I was asleep.”

“Couldn’t let you go all week in the old ones, could we?”

“You drugged me again.”

“It’s not exactly a drug. It’s magic powder, but we won’t use it anymore, I promise. Rita thought of a better way. We’ve got a charm bracelet that you can wear while you change clothes. We can take the ankle cuff off for a minute so you can change them yourself.”

“A
charm
bracelet? You’re kidding.”

“It’s not what you think. It’s just an old bracelet that Rita put a charm on to give it magic…she’s good at that stuff. You can put it on, and you’ll do what we say.”

“Then why don’t you make me wear it all the time?”

Cassandra picked up another doughnut and wiped powder from her lap. “’Cause it makes you kinda stupid and slow, and we need for you to be sharp to work on spells and stuff. You gotta start learnin’ witchcraft, you know. It’s not all that easy.” Cassandra looked at Fred’s bra hanging on the bed. “Did you get cleaned up?”

“I tried. I don’t know what to do about my hair, though.”

“I’ll wash it for you.”

“I don’t think —”

Cassandra grabbed Fred’s arm. “No, it’ll be
fun
. I already figured it out. I have a big metal tub we can use.” She stood and brushed the crumbs from her hands. “You’ll see. I’ll go get it now.”

She returned a few minutes later with a large aluminum wash tub and two plastic jugs of water; a towel hung over the side. “Oof!” she said as she dropped her load on the floor beside the bed. She pulled out a folded sheet of plastic and held it up. “Old shower curtain.” She spread it on the bed and draped it over the side. “Lay on top of that with your head over the edge of the bed, face up.”

Fred looked at the setup dubiously for a moment before doing as she was told. “You sure about this?”

Cassandra settled the end of the shower curtain inside the tub. “This’ll keep the bed from getting wet, but I need you to push the edges of the plastic up while I pour. You’re gonna make it like a little trough.”

Fred put her hands beside her head as she lay flat and lifted the shower curtain slightly. “Like that?”

“Perfect.” Cassandra poured water from one of the jugs over Fred’s hair, working it in with her free hand. “That’s good. Now keep the plastic up while I put the shampoo in it.”

Fred felt the thick liquid drop on her head, then Cassandra’s strong fingers massaging the shampoo into her scalp. “Fred, you have the prettiest hair I’ve ever seen. I don’t think Rita’s hair was this nice a shade of red in her day.” She worked both hands through Fred’s curls. “She dyes it, you know.”

“Really? How can you tell?”

“If you look real close you can see the —” She paused. “Oh. You’re being sarcastic.” She laughed. “Yep, Rita’s got those gray roots. She keeps dying it and dying it, but the gray comes back, faster and faster. Didn’t used to be so bad before Izzy died.”

“Why?”

“Because then we had a full triad, and our power was stronger. Rita’s been having a tough time without it, and you can see it in her hair color and wrinkles. She’s grumpier, too.” She picked up the water bottle and began rinsing Fred’s hair. “See, that’s what we need you for, another strong witch to complete our triad.”

“How do you know I’m strong? And…and how did you know about me in the first place?”

“We did a scryin’. It’s a spell for searchin’ for people or things.” She chuckled and pressed the water from Fred’s hair. “We tried doin’ our own first, but it was a total disaster, so we had to go see Momma Sue to get a more powerful one.”

“Who?”

“Momma Sue. She’s this voodoo queen who lives near —” Cassandra paused. “Lives not far from here. She scares me, I’m telling you. But we got this good powder from her and used and it and the TV flicked on and bingo! There you were, dancin’ on that big stage!” She wrapped the towel around Fred’s hair. “You can sit up, now.”

Fred did, rubbing her head vigorously with the towel as Cassandra continued, “You are so talented! You looked like some big star up there, dancin’ and smilin’ like you owned it. You
owned
it!” She sighed and rolled her eyes again. “How did you get so good?”

“I’ve been dancing since I was little.” Just then, Fred thought of her students and a little dark cloud of sadness crossed her soul. She had to close her eyes for a moment until it passed.
Their recital is this Saturday. What if I don’t make it?
She looked at Cassandra. “What day is it?”

“Thursday, I think.”

I’ve got two days to escape.

Cassandra dragged the tub across the floor to the corner and raised the window, then dumped the dirty water outside. “I bet you have lots of boys chasin’ after you.”