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

Chapter 4.2

John

Two of mother's guards boarded the plane before me. I followed them up the plane's little fold-up stairs and into the main cabin of the small private jet. It was one of three owned by the Coven. I knew that only as the child of two high-ranking officials since my Mom and Dad were always traveling for Coven business. It wasn't laid out like a commercial plane with the rows and rows of seats, but more like what you'd see a billionaire traveling around on in the movies. There was a long couch, a couple of small tables that had sets of four seats with each of them.

There was a man on board already, besides the pilot and single stewardess. He was standing in the back, out of the way, but I recognized him just fine. Dr. Knight was a spirit witch and my family's physician. Already, I didn't like where this was going.

"Hey, John," he said, as the two guards in front of me found seats.

I nodded at him and chose a seat over the wing by a window. Mom came on board then, followed by the rest of her guard. She took the place across from me, and, after the other guards had settled, Dr. Knight came up and joined us as well, sitting next to me. He set his bag on the table in front of him and opened it.

"This isn't necessary-" I started to say.

"Of course it is!" Mom said, settling into her seat. "We have to make sure you're okay. There's no telling what that... thing did to you."

I bit my cheek to keep from saying anything else. I just need to roll with what they wanted to do. Keep them focused on me.

Dr. Knight pulled out a stethoscope. "I'm only going to give you a quick look over. If everything looks good, we can hold off on bringing you down to the clinic for the other tests. How does that sound?"

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

The doctor reached up slowly to listen to my heart and lungs, asking me to take a couple of deep breaths. "That all sounds normal."

He set his stethoscope aside and pulled out a penlight, flashing it in my eyes. He looked in my ears, felt at my throat and neck. All the usual doctor examination stuff. His movements though, seemed exaggerated and slow as if he were dealing with someone who might be afraid or traumatized. I guess I was, in a way. But it wasn't the Necromancers that I was scared of. No, it was the 'family' I was going home to.

I kept my eyes on the window when I could. I didn't want to focus on the worry in my mother's features, or on the fact that we'd taken off and the plane was heading back home, away from Ezra and Hunter.

"Everything looks okay so far. The only real thing I'm concerned about is how much weight you've lost, and perhaps some malnutrition. Now, let's have a look at your power."

He reached up to place two fingers on my forehead. I pulled away, not wanting to be touched anymore. Also, there were too many other things a spirit witch could do while examining my power. Like reading my thoughts, or seeing any surface memories. Those were something I didn't need to share.

"My power is fine. He couldn't do anything with it, even if he had tried."

Dr. Knight studied me, pulling his hand back.

Mom sat forward, drawing my attention. "Tell me what happened. How did you get away? Why did he keep you so long?"

And the 'why aren't you dead' hung in the air between us unsaid. Mom's words sparked anger, but I fought not to snap back. I needed to be clear headed. I needed to keep my story simple and as close to the truth as possible.

"When the Necromancer was trying to leave, I don't think he meant to take me with him through the portal. He had let me go, told me-" I paused, glancing out at the clouds as I remembered that day. It seemed like it was ages ago. Everything had changed in a matter of minutes. "He'd told me to run. But then there was a blast. It knocked both of us out. When I came to, we were somewhere completely different. He said it was the Halfworld."

"The Halfworld," Mom said with disbelief, glancing at Dr. Knight.

"I didn't really think was at first, but it was so different. I'd never seen a place like it before. You wouldn't believe all the different plants, and I felt so much closer to my power." The strange look growing on my mother's face stopped me.

"Honey, the Halfworld is only a legend. It's not a real place."

"No, it's real. I saw it all. People live there. It's where the Summoners get their demons."

Mom gave Dr. Knight a pleading look, and I knew that I wasn't going to win this one. She wouldn't believe me.

"Let's just calm down; there's no need to get upset." Dr. Knight focused on me, concern in his eyes. "We're just trying to understand. Is that where you've been all this time? In the Halfworld?"

I looked back to the clouds. That wasn't such a bad idea to let them think that's where I was all this time.

"John, how did you get back?"

"The Necromancer brought me back."

"Did he try to hurt you? Did he-"

"He didn't do anything to me!" I shouted at them. Why was that such a hard concept to grasp?

They stared at me in shock, but Dr. Knight recovered first.

"Why don't we see if there's something for you to eat. Ellen, would you show me back to the galley?"

She nodded, "Sure."

Her voice didn't sound so sure. Thankfully, they stood and walked towards the small kitchen-like area in the back of the plane. I felt on edge and out of control. Who knew what they thought about this mess.

I shouldn't have texted Frankie last night. I shouldn't have answered her call. It was all my fault that they'd caught up with me, but the silver lining was at least it was just me they got, and not the others. Ezra and Avery were still safe. Hunter was able to escape

The thought that they could have caught him with me sent chills through my body. No, this was better. This way, it was just me they got. Maybe I could convince the Coven to stop or sabotage the Coven's plans from the inside somehow. Maybe once things calmed down, I could escape, like I'd originally planned to before I'd run into Ez earlier in the year. 

I glanced back at Mom, who stood whispering with the doctor in the back of the plane. Great, they were probably planning on having me committed. I really hoped they didn't want me to see one of the counselors about this. 

A few minutes later, Mom brought me a plate of food that I barely touched. The rest of the flight felt like it took forever. In reality, though, it was only an hour more.