Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series (4 page)

* * *

Jamie and Bryce were already dressed out and ready to run when their coach called them into his office. The room was small, with cluttered shelves lining the walls and a small wooden desk. “Have a seat, boys,” the coach said as he closed the door behind them. He sat in his chair, leaned both elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers. “Do you have any idea why I called you in here?”

They shook their heads as they sat and he said, “It’s about Spencer. His dad called me last night and
reamed — me — out
.” He gave his head a shake with each of the last three words. “He’s pretty upset because he thinks you guys are picking on his son. Says you’re running him ragged. Any truth to that?”

Jamie glanced at Bryce and looked back at his coach. “Not really. We’re all running the same workout. We’re not asking him to do anything we’re not doing.”

“But whose workouts are you running? Mine? Or your own?”

The room was silent for a long moment before Bryce said, “Actually, we’re running some of Manny’s.”

The coach crossed his arms and gave them a level look. “You changed the workouts without talking to me first?”

They looked at their laps and mumbled, “Yes sir,” in unison.

“Are these Manny’s workouts from last year?”

“No sir,” Jamie said. “They’re from his college coach.”

“Where did you get them?”

“Manny sent them to me. We stay in touch….mostly e-mail and text.”

The coach drummed the fingers of one hand on his desk. “And how are you doing in these workouts?”

“Pretty good, actually,” Bryce said, his face brightening slightly. “They’re hard, but not that much harder. We’re getting close to the times we’re supposed to be hitting.” He held one hand up, thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

“We’re sorry, Coach,” Jamie said. “We didn’t mean to go behind your back, but it’s just that we really wanna do good this year.”

The coach leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and took a long breath through his nose. “Good. That’s why I made you captains.” He leaned forward and shook one finger at them. “But next time, clear the workouts with me, understand?” Both boys nodded and he continued, “I don’t want you overtraining.” He stood and walked to the door. “Run my workout today. From now on, forward me any workouts Manny sends you so I can look ’em over.” He opened the door and gestured for them to leave. “Now get out of here.”

Chapter 4

Jamie was the first through the magic doorway into the brilliant sunshine of Waikiki. He squinted and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, then looked around to see if he’d been observed.
Nobody seems to be paying attention,
he thought. He turned back to the opening. “All clear.”

Fred strolled out, totally nonchalant, her sunglasses and white beach hat already in place, a long T-shirt covering her bathing suit, and white sandals. Carl and Rachel were next, followed by Lisa and Larry.

Larry tilted his head back and looked up at the towering hotel where the magic doorway was affixed. “Wow. That’s huge.”

Lisa squealed with excitement, her hands fluttering and her eyes wide. “We’re really here! We’re in Hawaii. Larry, can you
believe
it?” She squeezed Larry’s arm as he nodded.

“Jamie,” Rachel said, do you think anyone saw us?”

Jamie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. They don’t know that doorway wasn’t there before.”

“Where’s the restaurant?” Larry said.

Carl pointed. “Just past the pool, close to the beach. Next to that stand of koa trees.”

“So that’s what those trees look like,” Lisa said, her head on a swivel as they started down the sidewalk that wound through the carpet-perfect lawn.

I feel so conspicuous,
Jamie thought.
Are people looking at us?
He felt better, though, when a portly man crossed in front of them, his checkered shorts pulled up past his bellybutton, chomping an unlit cigar. He wore black dress socks with black wing tip shoes.

Fred turned to face her parents and said in a low voice, “Gee, Dad, that guy looks dorkier than you.”

“Thanks a lot.” Larry gestured at his clothes. “I’m not dressed all that bad.”

“Untuck your shirt.”

“I like it tucked in.”

Without a word, Lisa reached over and snatched his yellow shirt loose from his waist.

“Hey!” Larry said.

Rachel laughed. “I agree with Fred.” She pointed ahead of them. “This is the spot.”

The outdoor restaurant was at the edge of the beach. Wooden tables, edged with bamboo, were covered by thatched umbrellas, and palm trees lined the perimeter. An open-air bar was at one end, covered with a matching thatched roof, and the bartender wore a blue flowered Hawaiian shirt. A musician playing steel drums was set up in one shady corner.

“I love this!” Lisa said as they entered. “Look!” She pointed at the azure water, sparkling in the glorious sunshine, where catamarans with colorful sails zipped just outside the breaking waves. Countless tourists lounged on the sandy beach, many under red and yellow striped beach umbrellas. Palm trees, slender and graceful as ballerinas, lined the shore as far as they could see.

“Look down there.” Carl pointed to their left, past a long row of hotels, to a volcanic ridge that dominated the horizon. “That’s Diamond Head.”

Lisa pulled out her camera and snapped a picture.

Rachel shook her head, frowning. “You know you can’t show that to anybody. You’d have to explain how you got here.”

“I know.” Lisa put the camera back in her purse. “It’s just for us. Don’t want to forget this, do we?”

A hostess was already seating Jamie and Fred at a long oval table, so the parents joined them.

“I asked to be seated over here,” Jamie said, “so we won’t be overheard if we accidentally say something about you-know-what.”

“Good thinking,” Lisa said, picking up a menu. “I want one of those tropical drinks with a little umbrella in it.”

“Try a Hawaiian Margarita,” Carl said. “It’s made with pineapple.”

“Can I have one?” Fred said.

“A virgin one,” Larry answered.

Fred wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. “That means no alcohol, right?”

“No, it means they’ve never had sex with another margarita.”

Lisa patted Fred’s arm. “I’ll let you have a sip of mine, if you stop making that I-smell-a-fart face.”

As they surveyed their menus, Lisa said, “Rachel, is this the only place y’all have visited?”

“We went to Switzerland, remember? To get the money Eddan gave us.” The old sorcerer had taken the money from the house he’d sold Jamie’s parents, put it in a Swiss account, and left it to them when he died.

“Oh, I forgot about that. Was that awkward when you went there? Don’t they speak German or something?”

“Enough of them spoke English, but I was a nervous as a tight rope walker with the hiccups.”

Larry put down his menu and looked at Jamie. “I have a question. If that evil wizard guy, Renn, or whatever his name was…if he was from another world, then how could you understand him when he talked?”

“He spoke English,” Jamie replied, gazing over the top of his menu.

“He had an accent, though,” Rachel said. “With a slight burr…Irish or Scottish sounding, I thought.”

Larry’s brow furrowed. “How could he possibly know English?”

Jamie worked his mouth slowly from side to side and sifted through his cache of Eddan’s memories. “I think there used to be a lot more coming and going between our two worlds.” He scratched his cheek. “A long time ago. Centuries, maybe. Most of the sorcerers knew how to make doorways. They stopped for some reason, and most of the wizards who knew how to make them died off. But culturally, the two worlds weren’t all that different. Must’ve been a lot of cross-pollination going on.”

Fred smiled and patted Jamie on the arm. “My boyfriend, the geek. He uses big words.”

Rachel put her menu down beside her plate and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t remember Eddan, or Mr. Edwards as he called himself, having an accent when we were dealing with him about the house. Maybe a little bit of one, but not much. I figured he was from Europe somewhere.”

Jamie nodded. “He’d been to Earth a lot. He liked it here, especially the Western part of North Carolina. He loved the scenery, and he really liked the people.”

“It’s a good thing,” Carl said, “or you never would’ve been born. Eddan would’ve helped a childless couple somewhere else have a baby, instead of us.”

The whole table was silent for a moment.

“That’s too weird to think about on an empty stomach,” Lisa said and looked at her menu again. “Let’s order.”

* * *

Lisa finished her drink and set it next to her empty plate. “That was yummy.” She looked at Rachel. “One more?”

Rachel gave her head a little shake. “Maybe in a few minutes.”

“You need to slow down, Honey,” Larry said. That’s your second one.”

“Oh, foo.” Lisa waved her hand loosely. “It’s not like I have to drive anywhere, right?” She giggled and shook her reddish-blonde head. “There’s no law about walking through magical doorways while under the influence, is there?” She giggled again.

Rachel couldn’t help but smile.
Lisa’s really enjoying herself
. Everyone was, she thought. She looked around slowly at their tropical surroundings.
It’s hard to believe we’re doing this. Dinner at a beach in Hawaii. So amazing.

Fred pushed her plate back and stood. “I’m done. Come on, Jamie, let’s go in the water.”

“You’re supposed to ask him, Honey,” Lisa said. “Don’t be bossy.”

Jamie dropped his napkin and stood, too. “That’s not bossy, Mrs. Callahan. Not like I’m used to, anyway.”

Fred dropped her hat in her chair and pulled off her T-shirt. She nodded at Jamie. “Take yours off, too.”

“Now you’re being bossy.”

“Yeah, Jamie,” Lisa said. “Take it off. We wanna see your muscles.”

Jamie’s face grew red and Rachel said, “You’re embarrassing him.”

“Fine,” Jamie grunted. “I’ll take it off.” He slipped his tan cotton shirt over his head and dropped it on the chair. “Satisfied?”

“Oooh!” Lisa said admiringly, and turned to Rachel. “He’s starting to fill out, isn’t he? His shoulders aren’t as broad as Carl’s, but he’s not skinny anymore.”

“He’s as tall as Carl now,” Rachel said.

Jamie scowled. “Are you done with your critique?”

Lisa waved her hand in a shooing motion. “You kids go play.”

Fred rolled her eyes, let out an exasperated sigh, and grabbed Jamie’s hand. “We won’t stay long.” She kicked off her sandals and Jamie did, too.

“Don’t get lost,” Carl said. “Jamie’s our ticket home.”

* * *

Jamie and Fred walked out of the restaurant’s gate and headed for the throng of tourists and the water beyond. Jamie frowned, “I think your mom’s getting tipsy.”

“She can be annoying when she’s had a drink or two.” Fred leaned over and lightly kissed Jamie’s cheek. “But you
are
starting to fill out. Make a muscle for me.”

Jamie shook his head as they wound their way through the crowd of beach umbrellas, their feet sinking into the loose sand with each step. “You’re worse than your mom.”

Fred laughed and pulled Jamie toward the water. “Let’s run!”

Holding hands and laughing, they raced the last thirty yards to the edge of the shore. They ran a few steps into the surf before Fred stopped. “It’s cold!”

Jamie wrapped his arms around her. “Better?”

“Much, thanks.” She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Their lips parted, but she kept close to Jamie, whisper close. “Hope my dad’s not watching. He gets upset when we do this.”

Jamie looked back in the direction of the restaurant. “He can’t see us. An umbrella is in the way.”

“Good.” She kissed him again, but Jamie cut it short and shifted his body so that he faced away from the shore.

“Don’t turn around,” he said. “I think I just saw Mrs. Shlotsky on the beach.”

“The school guidance councilor? What’s
she
doing here?”

“She just got remarried, remember? This is probably her honeymoon. And if she sees us, she’ll probably want to know what
we’re
doing here.”

“What can we do? We can’t stay out here all day.”

Jamie glanced back at the shore. “She’s not looking, but as soon as she sees your red hair, she’ll know it’s you.”

“Can you change my hair color?”

Jamie bit his lip. “Dunno. Maybe. What color?”

“Blonde.” She patted her curls. “Don’t you think?”

“You’ll stand out too much. How about brown?”

Fred made a pouty face. “Brown? Bleah.” She sighed. “Okay, brown. But it’ll only be temporary, right?”

“I won’t change your actual color, just the way the light reflects off it. I’ll change the frequency of the —”

“Skip the science lesson, professor. Just do the spell.”

“Okay.” Jamie thought for a moment. “I’ll start with a small change and see how that works.” He gestured and Fred’s hair became less red. He shook his head. “Not enough.” He gestured again and it turned light brown.

Fred held up one end of a stray lock and inspected it. “That’ll do. Wouldn’t want to make it permanent, though.” She chuckled. “It’s not my look.”

“No, I like you better as a redhead.” He put his arms around her. “One more kiss and let’s head back.”

* * *

Jamie was the last one through the doorway. He stepped into their family room, turned and gestured, and the glowing outlines vanished.

“That was amazing, Jamie,” Larry said. “Just amazing. Thanks so much.”

Lisa rubbed her hands together gleefully. “So where are we going next week?”

Carl frowned. “Maybe we should give the magical travelling a week off. It’s time we did something that included Garrett and Adele.”

“I think so, too,” Rachel said, setting her purse on the coffee table. “I don’t want them to feel like we’re leaving them out.”

Larry pulled at one earlobe. “How ’bout if we have a cookout in our backyard?”

Fred shook her red curls. “Jamie and I will be bored. Can we skip it?”

“We’ll see.” Larry pressed his lips together and rubbed his chin. “Jamie, I can see why you wanted us to swear that oath. If word got around about what you’re capable of, you’d never get any peace. People would be pestering you to do all kinds of stuff. You’d have to hide somewhere.”