The Witches of Marble Falls

XIII

'That is a troubling dream,' was all Valerie could say as they ate their breakfast. Miss Clarke had agreed to drop Daphne and Hayden at the house after they were finished with their music program when school let out. Emilia wanted to stay home, she didn't feel nearly well enough to brave the halls of high school, but Valerie refused to let her lay about any longer.

'It wasn't just troubling, Val, it was terrifying. What Harvey said? He isn't buried anywhere? What does it mean?'

'I don't now, Emi. Maybe Professor Hale will be able to help. Aunt Agatha called this morning and said they are coming home, and Professor Hale is going to be accompanying them. Maybe they will have answers for you. Personally, I think you are just having a difficult time handling what is going on with Aunt Kittie, and what happened to you.' Valerie explained, putting her bowl in the sink and running hot water over it. She finished her coffee and turned the water off, facing her sister. 'Look, let's get through today and worry about dreams and empathy and everything else tonight, once we are no longer alone in this house.'

Emilia nodded, but she couldn't put the images out of her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the words that had been screamed at her in that hallway. It's the witch's fault.

***

Her mind was somewhere else throughout the entire day. She couldn't keep her thoughts on her classwork, and more than once her teachers called on her and she didn't know where they were or what they had said previously.

When the final bell sounded and the students filed out of their classrooms to their lockers, Emilia ducked around groups of her classmates until she was outside in the fresh air and mild sunlight. Valerie ran out behind her and stopped, hunched over, trying to catch her breath.

'What happened with you today? Your head wasn't here.' She asked between gasps. Emilia shook her head, turned her face to the sky, and closed her eyes, soaking in the smell of the lake and the mountains and trees. 'Fine, whatever. Let's get home and start make a snack for Daphne and Hayden. They'll be hungry.'

They walked away from the school, down the road, in silence. Emilia had no words, she was still focused on her dream and what it meant. Valerie chose not engage her, more for her own sake than her sister's.

No one was home when they unlocked the front door—the house had an eerie silence about it, as if it were in a bubble. There were no sounds from the garden, no birds, no insects, not even the distant roar of the falls seemed to pierce the house. There was a thickness in the air, and as Emilia moved from the front hall to the dining room, she choked on her own breath.

'It feels pretty humid in here.' Valerie noted, looking into the kitchen. She went to the sink and checked the tap, which was turned off. Shaking her head, she reached to open the kitchen window and screamed.

'Emilia, lock the front door!' Valerie called, racing to the back door. She jiggled the handle, making sure it was locked. Emilia ran to the front door and turned the bolt, hearing it click into place.

'What is going on, Valerie?' She called from the front hall. Her sister ran from the kitchen into the hall and put her finger to her mouth. She motioned for Emilia to follow her up the stairs, to their room, where she pointed at the window.

Below, in the side garden that ran the length of the house and had a path made of square stone slabs, there stood a man. He was in tattered clothing, faded by the sunlight and crusted with mud and sand. Emilia couldn't quite tell what colour his hair was, it was covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt. His hands were stuffed in his jacket pockets, and his face was still focused on the kitchen window.

'Who do you think he is? What do you think he wants?' She turned to Valerie, who shrugged her shoulders. When Emilia turned back to the window, she shrieked—the man had turned his face up to the window and was staring at her through the glass.