Witch Clans

Part 12

She finally got home, where her parents were waiting for her.

"Katie, sweetheart, is that you?"

Katie hung her jacket on the hangers in the hallway almost without even thinking about it.

"Yeah," she said in a hollow voice.

"Did you find the flour and icing sugar?" Heleana asked as she came in.

"Uh... yes, here..." Katie replied absently, holding out the bag.

Heleana was just starting to thank her and turn to the kitchen, when she caught her expression.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

Katie felt her eyes sting a little, fear gnawing at her chest like ice.

"I... I think I screwed up..." she said.

Heleana took her arm and looked to the living room.

"Kendall!" she called.

She led her to the sofa and sat her down.

"Hazel, why don't you go to your room?" Katie's father told his younger daughter.

Hazel eyed them all in confusion, and seemed both scared and upset that she was being shunned to the sight. But she got to her feet and left the room without a word. A small part of Katie felt bad, and tried to make a mental note to go talk to her later. When Hazel was safely out of the room and out of earshot, Katie's parents turned to her.

"What happened, Katie?" Her mother asked.

"... I... I'm not even sure myself..."

"Just start from the beginning. Take your time." her father said gently.

"... I was getting mum's ingredients... it took a while because the first shops I went to didn't have the right kind..."

She gulped.

"I... I used magic..."

Her parents froze.

"What?" her mother asked. "What do you mean?"

"I... I just... there were people, and..."

"It's okay. Just tell us what happened."

"I was coming back to the car down the main street," Katie said, not meeting her parents' eyes. "I was nearly at the car when I saw a boy I met at school across the street..."

Heleana's eyes widened.

"Please tell me you didn't..."

Katie frowned in confusion, then her eyes widened in indignation.

"No!" she cried. "Of course not! You know me better than that!"

"You're right, sorry..."

They were suggesting she had used a forbidden type of magic. The magic that forced feelings of affection on someone. Like a love potion.

"So what did happen?" Kendall asked.

"He was right under this rusty balcony with a flower box..." Katie said with difficulty. "And then... it fell... so... I just... without really planning to... I pushed it to the side..."

Her parents exchanged horrified looked.

"Don't look like that!" Katie moaned. "It's not like I killed someone..."

Katie's mother took her hand.

"No, of course not, darling..."

"But you know how dangerous it is to use magic in public..." her father pointed out.