The Last Witch

Into The Folk - Ep 1

By January, most of the snow had melted. Decorations were pulled from the mantle and the pine trees were shoved into the garage for the next year or being turned into good furniture. It was also the month when students had to return back to school to complete the first academic semester. One student was particularly glad to be back to school as opposed to others.

"Oh my gosh! Aliss, you came!" Kimmy flew on the girl, "I've missed you so much". Aliss tapped her arms to release her neck. "Sorry", Kimmy apologized as Aliss found her breath, "you don't look so good". "Thanks. You look beautiful too". Aliss rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious Aliss. When was the last time you had sleep?"

"The night I faked to be in a coma".

"What happened? Did that witch lock you in a basement with all kinds of creepy bugs? I am so going to get back at her!"

"First of all, calling Tess a witch is an insult to me because I actually am one and no...she didn't lock me up", Aliss rubbed her forehead, sighing, "I've been getting a lot of emergency calls from different places in the world. You'd think the Creatures of the Night would stick to America only". "What kind of places?" Kimmy lowered her voice. "On my first night in Tess's mansion, I got a call in the middle of the night to Siberia and I had nothing but my pajamas on".

"Are you out of your mind?! Why didn't you go back to get a coat?"

"Because I don't know how to leave the Watch Tower without traveling through the mirror. I was expecting to take my freezing ass home when I got another call from Dublin turns out the leprechauns are almost extinct and their Scottish cousins; the Clurichauns felt it was nice to take over their land".

"The leprechauns are almost extinct?" Kimmy frowned, "that makes no sense. According to my research, they live a minimum of two centuries". "Your research needs an update because they're only fifty left", Aliss shrugged, "and crazy emergencies have been happening every night since then. The time difference between the continents is really getting on my nerves".

The bell rang. "I need to get to class but I'll talk to you later". Aliss was about to move when Kimmy pulled her back. "You enter class like that and they'll call your Mom. I'll fix you up in the bathroom and we have the same class dummy". Aliss's exhausted body followed Kimmy's lead.

Kimmy forced Aliss to wash her face. "I know you hate make-up but it'll be light. Just to make you presentable". Aliss rolled her eyes and stood quietly. Kimmy brought her makeup purse from her school bag.

"I never asked. Did your guardian angel send anything to help?" Aliss's mind immediately went to the painting. It was the last message to her. Since she had to live with Tess, she hadn't been able to study the painting to figure out what was missing. "Nah", she lied to Kimmy, "some guardian angel they turned out to be".

"Cut him or her some slack. They did send your spell book and it has saved us from a lot of trouble".

"The voices in the tower said a spell book was like my heart. Isn't it weird that someone else had my heart?" Aliss had wondered about it secretly. "It is weird but don't add that mystery to your many problems. One at a time". "Sure thing Mom". Aliss teased. Kimmy became more responsible over the holidays. She was still loud and crazy but learning about her family matured her mind a little.

The girls were proudly late to English. The teacher ignored it since it was only the first day of school. Aliss tried to concentrate but thoughts of attending to another call bothered her. She looked at her chest a few times, waiting for it to glow.

"I know we just returned from the Winter break but at the end of the year, you'll be seniors so you need to challenge yourselves", the teacher smiled as if she was breaking good news, "I'll put you in pairs for this assignment and have the list printed out on the board by tomorrow so get ready".  The bell saved the teacher from hearing the murmurs of the students. "Aliss, a word?"