Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 2.3

John

Easing myself down onto my air mattress, I stared at the ceiling. What would Frankie do? What would she say to me right now?

She'd have some freakishly supportive and sweet encouragement, but for the life of me, I was having trouble remembering what her voice sounded like.

I reached over and grabbed my phone from the stack of books I used as a nightstand. I powered it on and opened the photos app, flipping through until I came to the one of me and Frankie at her birthday dinner. We'd gone out with Mom and our sisters, but Dad couldn't make it, as usual. Frankie had pulled her highlighted hair back into a cute braid that was nearly impossible to do without a touch of air magic. She was always so fashionable.

My fingers itched to call her, my heart aching for a chance to hear her voice. Frankie had been my rock, my anchor through all the rough patches with my parents, all the times Dad had pushed me to be something I wasn't.

I focused on her picture. How had she felt when Ezra had 'kidnapped' me? Would she realize that it hadn't been true? Frankie had known I'd thought about leaving, but would she believe I'd actually left of my own will with Ezra?

A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts and was followed by Ezra's voice. "John?"

I tossed the phone under my pillow and sat up. "Yeah?"

He opened the door and stepped in. "There's some tacos left on the stove."

"Thanks, I'll grab some in a bit," I hedged. I wasn't really hungry, but I didn't want him to think I was ungrateful.

Ezra took a deep breath, stuffing his hands into his front pockets. "Are you alright? Avery and I are kinda worried about you."

His question surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have. I hadn't exactly been myself lately.

I almost lied, the 'I'm fine' hovering on my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to. "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do now."

"I thought you wanted to stay here," Ezra said, leaning back against the door frame.

"It's not that I'm not appreciative of what you and Avery have done for me. I am! But," I turned, looking across the bare room, "I can't stay here forever, right? I can't hide from my family for the rest of my life. They'll find me."

Ezra glanced down at his feet for a moment before focusing on me again. "John, you're not a prisoner here. You've saved my life more than once; the least I can do is offer you is a safe place to sleep-"

"But that's it! They will find me here, they'll see that I've stayed here by choice. I don't want to cause more trouble for you."

Ezra pushed away from the door. "That's not possible. You may be a Witch, but you're one of us now. Your troubles are our troubles. Whatever you have to face, whether it's your family or the other Witches, we'll face it together."

I looked down at my feet, burying the sudden emotion that welled in me.

"Besides," he continued. "I'm sure there's a place or two they wouldn't think to look for you, right? Maybe we can figure something out."

Ezra turned to leave but stopped. "Would you do me a favor tomorrow and go grab a few things from town? Avery is supposed to call me when she's ready to come back, so I don't want to leave."

"Sure," I said, thinking it would be good to get out for a bit, maybe clear my head.

"Thanks, I'll make a list for you." Ezra left, shutting the door behind him.

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AHH-- running late as usual. Such is my life! Anyway, thanks for reading! I love reading your comments, so leave me one as a Holiday gift if you have a minute! <3 

Happy Holidays to everyone! <3 Every one of you mean the world to me, and I could not continue this journey without you.