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

Chapter 5.1

John

Pacing, back in my room, my hands itched for a cellphone. I needed to get word to the others quickly. A heavy weight grew in my chest with the thought that I might already be too late. No, I couldn't think like that. I wouldn't.

I came to a stop at the window and dropped my fingers into the soil of the potted plants on the sill. I took a deep breath and steadied myself on the earth energy they provided. It wasn't much, but it cleared my mind. I needed to focus on getting out of the house, away from my family. Then, I could work on getting word to Ezra.

With another deep breath, I pulled my hands from the planters and dusted the dirt off. Settling on the bed, I sat upright with my legs crossed. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand told me it was still early. Only nine in the evening. The house was quiet, but my family tended to be night-owls. I had a few more hours before I could try anything.

Resting my hands on my knees, I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing, and slipped into a meditative trance. The wards on the house were concerning. I needed to be sure that my leaving wouldn't trigger them, and if it did, then I'd need to be sure I could get away fast. There was no telling what they could have changed in my absence, and I wasn't going to take the chance.

The wards were a complicated weave of energy lines that wrapped around the house and the yard, not unlike the ones I'd created for Ezra's place earlier this summer. Those were a preschool drawing compared to this masterpiece that my parents had built together. I could see both their energies woven into the work, Mom's citrine hue and Dad's bright blue of a hot flame. There were markers in place for contingencies, each one would trigger the defenses and alert my parents. I took the time going through each, careful not to mess with them and just as careful not to miss any.

After all that work, I was surprised to learn that not a single thread was out of place. It was precisely the same as it'd been the last time I'd looked at it earlier this year. At least I had that going for me tonight. Now, I just had to slip out of the house without being seen.

When I came out of the trance state, I found the house silent. My door was closed, but a plate with a sandwich and some chips had been left on my desk. I'd been so deep in my meditation, that I hadn't heard whoever had come in and left it.

It was well after midnight, and the hallway was dark. The only sound was Dad snoring lightly from down the hall. I eased the door closed and locked it. Going straight for my closet, I pushed aside the hanging clothes and moved the guitar out of the way to kneel next to the vent, prying the cover free. I reached in for a backpack I'd stashed in there last year, cringing as my hand caught cobwebs.

The black bag was well worn and a little dusty from being hidden in the vent. I'd picked it up from a thrift store, along with a change of clothes in a style I normally wouldn't wear. A disguise. I'd stuffed the clothes in the bottom of the bag and then added more supplies on top, a spare wallet with some cash, and food that wouldn't go bad like trail mix, jerky, and packets of dried fruit.

I did a quick dig-through to make sure it was all still there. Looking around the room, I tried to think of anything else I needed. Spending the last six months with Ezra without a single thing of my own had been an eye-opening experience, but standing here now with all my stuff I had thought I'd missed, there wasn't a single thing I could think to take with me. It all belonged to a past life. None of it mattered now.

Zipping the backpack up, I slung it over my shoulders. I worked quickly to stuff a few of my pillows under the covers of my bed, hoping it might buy me a little extra time if someone were to check on me.

A picture pinned to the wall above the desk of me with my sisters caught my eye on the way to the door, causing me to pause. After a moment, I pulled the picture free and stuffed it in my back pocket.

I opened the door slowly and looked out into the hall again. It was still quiet and dark. Slipping out into the hallway, I pulled the door closed behind me. No need to invite curiosity. I managed to miss most of the creaky spots on the stairs out of habit, as I listened for anything out of place. The ticking sounds of the old grandfather clock in the living room echoed, and I faintly heard the dishwasher going in the kitchen.

What would be the best way out? I headed for the back door, thinking I could go over the garden wall without much fuss and the shed would help hide me from view in case someone were to glance out the window.

As I reached for the handle, a light blossomed behind me. I turned to find Chelle standing in the kitchen doorway, a flower of flame burning above her outstretched palm.

"Where are you going?" she asked in a harsh whisper, before looking back over her shoulder. Chelle stepped closer, making the shadows dance around us, throwing sharp lines.

"I'm leaving, I can't stay here like nothing's happened. I can't sit and watch all the pain that our family and the Coven creates anymore. "

Her eyes narrowed, flickering away before coming back to me. "We're protecting ourselves, John, and we're protecting those without magic as well. Can't you see that what we're doing is for the greater good!"

"We're murderers. We've slaughtered entire families - not because they threatened us, but because they have a different kind of power that we never took the time to understand. It's not right. We're not right." I shook my head. "We're not protecting anyone. We're killers with a mission."

Chelle's shoulders slumped as she frowned.

"I can't stay here," I repeated.

"Where will you go? How safe can you be without the Coven? Without someone to watch your back?"

"I've managed pretty well for the last few months. I'll be fine."

I turned back to the door, but the pain in Chelle's voice caught me by surprise as she replied.

"Mom and Dad will be upset if you leave again. Can't you stay? Can't you talk to them about it?"

I closed my eyes and tried to hold my heart together. I may have been closest with Frankie, but that didn't mean that I didn't care for my other sisters.

Looking back over my shoulder, I said, "Chelle, I can't."

Chelle let her fire go out, leaving only the moonlight streaming through the kitchen windows. She wiped impatiently at her face as first one tear escaped, then another, rolling down her cheeks.

"Tell Tasha and Frankie that I love them, okay? That goes for you, too. Just because I'm leaving, doesn't mean I love you any less."

Chelle rushed forward, throwing her arms around me. "Stay safe."

I gripped her tightly, took one last look at her and left.

Down off the deck, I crossed the yard as quickly and quietly as I could, heading for the corner of the garden wall behind the tool shed. I stepped up using an overturned planter, grabbed, and pulled myself up to pause briefly on top of the brick wall and look back at the house.

While I 'd been in the Half World with Ezra, and then with him at the Reinhardt house, I'd missed my family and everything here.

I still missed the way it used to be. And now, even though I'd been brought back, it was clear to me I'd outgrown this place.

What I told Chelle was the truth. I did still love them. They were my parents. My sisters. My family. But I didn't have to like what they did. I didn't have to stand by them while they did it. I jumped down and took off running down the back alley, heading for the park and the bus stop just beyond that.

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Camp NaNo was a horrible bust. I got a couple more chapters written in a very rough draft form, but I'm just going to keep picking at this scene by scene and post it as I can. Thank you all for being so patient with me!