The Boy Witch

Chapter 4

Who would have thought that an innocent walk in the park to escape his mother would have turned out like this? Miles was kicking himself. He was usually so careful when using his powers to not have anyone see him. How could he let this happen?

During his afternoon classes, Miles was restless, nervous, terrified. Other students noticed his nerves because the teasing only intensified. Normally, Miles could handle the comments on his less than masculine appearance, on his plain clothes, on his height, but then, his focus was elsewhere, on maintaining his composure. But he figured that even if he broke down from the bullying, his secret would still be safe from his peers. Well, most of them.

Miles managed to keep it together, until school was over. Then, he was shaking, and he could not help it. Every step filled with dread, Miles walked to the park, to the spot where he had found the bird the previous day. He sat by a tree and waited, though he could not sit still. He was completely terrified. What would Sam do? Reveal Miles to the authorities? Would they even believe him? Would he tell everybody at school? Miles did not need more reasons to be harassed.

Minutes passed, and Miles wondered if Sam had forgotten all about their meeting. He even allowed himself to feel a little bit of relief. But then, Miles heard footsteps in the distance, and when he looked up, he saw the tall, red-haired boy briskly walking towards him. Miles’ heart raced again. He regretted the mild comfort he had felt.

“Hey,” Sam called to Miles with a friendly tone. He finally reached the boy by the tree. “Sorry I’m late, I had to escape the basketball team.” His tone suggested he was not much of a fan of the basketball team, which confused Miles. Were they not his friends? After all, Sam was one of them.

“It’s okay,” Miles replied, his voice shaking like the rest of him. Sam looked exactly like all the boys who had bullied him and brutalized him. He must not be any different. And on top of it all, he knew Miles’ deepest secret.

“…What’s wrong?” Sam asked, confused, as he sat down by the tree next to the frightened boy. Miles’ demeanour was clearly distressed.

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?” Miles asked, almost irritated. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Yeah, I guess this must be pretty nerve-wracking,” Sam replied. He tried to remain casual. He wanted Miles to be comfortable. Sam knew he meant Miles no harm. He just had to convey it to the shorter boy.

“So… what do you want?” Miles pulled his legs up to his chest, making himself even smaller sitting besides the tall boy.

“Nothing. I’m just curious.” Sam was fascinated and he had a hard time hiding it. “You have superpowers. That’s amazing.”

“You’re not going to tell on me?” Miles asked, daring to relax a little bit.

“No, I can keep a secret,” Sam tried to be reassuring. He wanted Miles to be okay, but he also wanted to know more. “So, what are you? Like, a wizard? A superhero?” Sam had so many questions, it was difficult not to just rattle them one by one and overwhelm the shorter boy.

“I’m a witch…” Miles replied meekly.

“A witch? Isn’t that a term for girls?”

“No, it applies to boys, too.” But he did know that boy witches were rarer than girl witches. He had never met another boy witch. But then again, he had not met many witches at all. “But it’s true that witches are more often girls,” he admitted.

“A witch, like witch-burning witches?”

“Yeah…” Miles did not know much about witches’ history because his mother had not offered much information, but he did know the common knowledge that even non-witches would know.