Solitary Witchling

The sun peeked through the branches heavy with large green leaves on the old maple tree. The scattered rays made it seem like it was raining sunshine. A light, gentle mist of sunlight sprinkled down through the limbs.

Maddy chuckled to herself. “Your head needs to be clear for your lessons, Witchling Darcy.” She mimicked Professor Galt’s deep voice.

Sighing, she pulled her long hair from what was left of her ponytail. Everyone knew she was way beyond the age of a witchling. Maybe that was the real reason Maddy avoided large magical functions. To be labeled a witching at her age was embarrassing.

She sighed again and flipped the red hair behind her. Red hair. When someone says the color red you think red car, red apple—but red hair doesn’t mean red. It usually means something between carrot and rust. So why is it called red hair?

Never mind, Maddy. I suppose red is better than any alternative. Her hair wasn’t straight or wavy or naturally curly, it wasn’t even full of body—it was straight with an odd kinky section, like it wanted to be wavy but didn’t have the energy. No matter what she tried, it always looked messy.

You’re feeling quite down on yourself today, aren’t you, Ramada Darcy? Glancing up, she noticed the sunlight was no longer raining through the leaves.

“I can’t hide in my backyard forever.” She stood up and brushed off her jeans. Turning to face the aged bark on the tree, she grimaced, not wanting to go.

“I’m ready, tree.” She placed her palm against the bark and felt the familiar movement. “To Hidden Cove, please.” Without hesitation, Maddy stepped toward the tree—by the next step, she was in the hallway near the side entrance to Hidden Cove Academy. She glanced at her watch and hissed. “I’m late again.”

Knowing she had to reach the other end of the large building, she spun around the corner and jogged in the direction of the classrooms. Going a little too fast around the last corner, she slid to a stop and bounced right into the one person she’d hoped to avoid always.

“Witchling Darcy, do you know how dangerous it can be to run around? Especially running around in such an institute as Hidden Cove? One day you’re going to run right into a spell shield or slide into the middle of someone casting—”

“I’m sorry, Professor Galt. I realized I was late, well too late, and then I had to go back because I’d forgotten my wand—which turned out to be in my bag all the time—don’t you hate when that happens?” She took a deep breath, trying not to look down into the puffy eyes glaring up at her. “You search, not once but three times—”

The pudgy older woman raised her hand to stop her. Maddy stopped.

“You know—Ramada—we have to do your lessons after hours or when the general population of the institute is dismissed—”

She sighed. “I know, professor. I’m just — just tired of being...”

“Maddy. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten.”

She turned to see the tall blonde professor in the archway of the connecting hall. Professor Wist always looked more like a model than a spell professor. “I didn’t forget, just running a little late, again.”

Ginger Wist walked towards them. “Is there a problem, Professor Galt?”

The older woman wrinkled up her nose. “She was running through the halls like it was a racetrack.”

Ginger laughed. “I think Maddy is a bit old for scolding, don’t you think?”

Maddy tried not to grin. Everyone knew she was the same age as the blonde professor coming to her rescue once again.

Ginger grinned at her. “You can wait in the classroom, Maddy, I’ll be there shortly.”

Nodding, Maddy used her long legs to remove herself from Professor Galt’s glare. She stopped outside the door to Ginger’s classroom and listened. Their conversation echoed through the empty wooden halls.

“You really have to stop treating her like she’s a first-year witchling, Regina. She’s the same age as me, for the love of the Goddess!”

Maddy gave a thumbs up to no one and leaned against the door waiting for Regina’s reply. “I am well aware of how old Miss Darcy is, Ginger. I’ve known her since she was a girl of twelve and started her first year at Hidden Cove—”

Had she really been coming here for fifteen years? Maddy frowned. Maybe just another ten, and she’d reach coven status. She strained to hear more of what was being said.

“She was our brightest student, Ginger, it still bothers me we were never able to help her.”

Was that compassion she heard in her oldest professor’s voice? Ginger’s soft voice floated down the hallway.

“I know. I’ve read all the files, Regina. She was brilliant in all areas until she was fifteen when her mother passed on. The files clearly state her eyes changed from green to turquoise at that point stating obviously—”

“I’m well aware of what the files say, Ms. Wist. I wrote most of them. Her eye color shows that a curse has been placed on her. Why we haven’t been able to trace the origin is still a mystery—”

She stopped listening and stepped into the classroom. Her running shoes made soft claps against the floor, echoing through the room. She set her bag down on the desk and leaned against it. “That’s me. The twenty-seven-year-old cursed witchling...”

“Which you’re really getting quite good at working around Maddy.”

Maddy glanced over to find Ginger leaning against the door. “I know, but not good enough to lose the witching title or be safe to practice in populated areas.”

Ginger shrugged, “In my experience, you can have more fun in the unpopulated areas.”

“I’d be kicked out, and you’d be terminated if anyone ever found out what we really do in here,” Maddy laughed.

Ginger closed the door and grinned. “Only your abilities are hindered, not your maturity and intelligence. I refuse to teach you the schoolyard tricks that a normal young witching at your supposed level would learn.” She walked over and pulled a weathered volume from one of the shelves. “How did you do with the last volume I gave you?”

Maddy shrugged and pulled the loaned text out of her bag. “Okay. I didn’t have any problems reversing my thoughts and getting them to work out properly.” She frowned and set the book down. “I always make sure whiskers is nowhere to be found when I practice.”

Ginger flipped through the text. “How is Whiskers these days?”

Maddy pulled her hair back from her face. “She’s as indignant as always. She’s going to make me pay for that botched spell forever—even though she’s happy with the outcome.”

Ginger held out the text. “Cats can hold a grudge for a very long time. Can you blame her?”

Maddy took the old dusty book and browsed the contents page. “No, I guess not.” She tapped a finger on the page she held open. “These are several levels beyond advanced Ginger. Are you sure I can pull this off without blowing anything up?”

Ginger studied her for a moment. “I know you can. I’ve seen you do things no one else could ever manage. Working a spell or casting is ninety percent mindset and the desired outcome. No one else I know could ever achieve that while having to think of the exact opposite of that outcome.”

Maddy set the book down and pulled out her notebook. “Well as you know, it’s been a lot of trial and error—really, really heavy on the error part.”

Ginger rubbed the small scar on her neck that was barely visible now and took a deep breath. “I know, but I have faith in you.” She clasped her hands together and grinned. “Let’s try the illusion casting. I spent four hours today trying to teach thirteen-year-olds how to levitate small items, and I need something more interesting now.”

Maddy nodded as she flipped to the page. “Boys making skirt hems levitate?”

Ginger sighed. “Yes, and the skirt’s owner retaliated with a levitating book to the head.”

Maddy laughed. “I could never be a professor.”

Ginger went over and selected an empty clear dish. “I don’t know how I do it sometimes.” She picked up a few vials from her shelf and returned to the desk.

Maddy pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt. “Me either. Sometimes I’m happy that I’m backward, so the council can’t stick me in a job like yours.”

“Well, backward one, add the ingredients to this dish and show me some fantastic illusion to take me away from reality, please.” Ginger set the dish down and perched on the edge of a desk.

Maddy searched through the small bottles and selected one. Pulling the stopper out, she placed a few drops of the oil into the dish. “Let’s see what I can think of not to happen.”

~

She made it. She practically levitated back through the halls to get out of there as quickly and quietly as possible. She really didn’t need to see Professor Galt again today. Maddy was just about to go back through the door transport when her cell phone rang. She grinned at the number. “Hello, Ronnie.”

“Hey, Mad. I know you’re at school, but I just wanted to tell you I dropped off some kitty snacks for Whiskers. They’re in the fridge.”

Maddy grinned at the phone. “Thanks. It was on my list. Hey, I was going to check out the museum tomorrow, are you busy? They have the artifacts from Ireland and Scotland there this month.” She listened to Veronica’s moan on the other end.

“I have to help mother with the planning of the summer gala.”

“That’s three months away.”

Veronica snorted. “Oh, I know, but it has to be perfect and all that. You know Mother takes her position of Affairs ambassador too seriously.”

Maddy smirked. “Well, you have fun with that.”

“I won’t, and you know it. Take lots of pictures for me, hun.”

“Will do. Talk to you later.” Maddy tucked the phone back into her pocket and smirked. Poor Ronnie, stuck with a socialite mother. She missed her mother and father. It wasn’t often that both parents were selected to pass on to the high council. At least they hadn’t taken them both at the same time. If there was anything to be thankful for, that was it. The years following her mothers leaving would have been too hard for Maddy to cope with if she hadn’t had the broad shoulders of her Da to lean on. She’d have to give them a call tonight and see how the otherworldly realm was treating them.

Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on the wall panel. “Home, please.”

~

Slipping onto the back porch, she called out. “Whiskers, I’m home.” She looked around for her only companion. Of course, her cat had stopped coming to greet her years ago. She walked in the bathroom and glanced in the large clawfoot tub. The black cat was lying in it, just as she’d suspected. “Ronnie fill you up on fresh snacks?” The cat didn’t make any move to acknowledge her. She sat on the edge of the tub and looked down at the lounging creature. “Not in a social mood today?”

-Am I ever?

Maddy grinned. “No, I guess not.” She stood up. “I’ll be in the study if you feel the need for companionship.”

-Noted.

Maddy chuckled as she walked back out. Hearing her familiar’s thoughts wasn’t an uncommon event in her culture, but there were times she wished she couldn’t. There were times she wished she were normal and Whiskers was normal—what would her normal be like? Magic-less, and what fun would that be? She’d been using magic and spells for as far back as she could remember. Except maybe for those few months after her mother passed on, when they realized something had gone terribly wrong with her ability.

She walked into the study and stopped to take in the room. It was her favorite space on this earth, indoors. Maddy’s home may appear like a small cottage, but her study was castle worthy—that’s how her da had always described it. A large bookcase overflowing with knowledge covered the entire wall. A weathered cherry desk, covered in the clutter from her last work assignment. Her oversized comfy chair and triangular table—her favorite because, let’s face it, tables weren’t often triangular. Covering one other wall were shelves of bottles and glass containers of every sort, filled with all the herbs, plant matter, and a number of things she couldn’t place in a category—basically, everything a witch could ever ask for.

The room wasn’t brightly painted. It could have been called white at one time, but now it was a faded, unnameable shade. The surrounding wood cabinets and shelves made the color seem bright enough for Maddy’s taste. It wasn’t like anyone ever really saw inside the room. Well, other than Whiskers and maybe Ronnie every so often. Of course, Ronnie’s mother had come in once, looked shocked, and never stepped near it again. When Maddy had first started her lessons with Ginger, she’d also come to check out her workspace—only to inform Maddy that she was an old magic witch without all the new-age toys and props most their age used.

Supposedly, old magic was a rare and good thing; it meant most of your talent was natural and didn’t have to be forced. In Maddy’s case, hers was completely natural and completely cursed backward. She often wondered if she didn’t have two natural witch parents, both on the high council, if the community would have abandoned her completely.

Turning, she smiled at the two small cabinets on the wall just inside the study doorway. They were oak, a few feet wide and tall. When she opened one or both of the doors, there her parents would appear in the mirrors—to talk to her and, on the rare occasion, help her study.

It was odd that she could never see her parents in corporeal form again, yet they were still alive and well. In the magical culture she’d been born to, some older witches didn’t actually die, they passed on to the high council to fill functional positions, but to the rest of the world, her parents had passed on. It wasn’t her fault that most assumed that meant they’d passed on and died.

She ran her hand over one small door, then the other. She was proud that both her parents had been deemed worthy of a seat on the high council. They both had titles of sorts, that described in some way what they were charged with doing, but she preferred to just think of them as Da and Mama, anything beyond that didn’t really matter to her. Which, she supposed, made her a bad witch...ling.

Grinning, she hurried to the window, pulled the blind down, and turned quickly to rush back to the cabinets. Standing a few feet away, she leaned forward and flipped both open at the same time. She didn’t have to wait more than a moment, and her parents were there. The first time she’d done this, she expected the person on the other end to appear like mist, but in reality, it was like they were in the room with her.

“Mama.” She smiled at the most important woman in her world or her life, as she wasn’t technically in this world anymore.

Katherine Darcy flipped the long greying red hair from her shoulder. “Maddy, I was just thinking about you.”

Maddy grinned. “You know I always check in after visiting Hidden Cove.”

Gerald Darcy chuckled. “Sounds like you had another run-in with old Professor Galt.”

Maddy nodded. She leaned forward and swiveled each mirror inward slightly and then sat in the faded chair. “I was late, again.” She rolled her eyes. “I think she’s trying to drive me away so she doesn’t have to worry about me messing anything else up.”

Her parents, now able to see each other, smiled and sat down. It was completely ridiculous, really, that both of her parents were essentially in the same otherworldly place but only ever saw each other when Maddy called both at the same time.

Her mother smiled at her, one of those understanding mother smiles. “Regina still blames herself for not being able to reverse the curse placed on you, Maddy—”

Maddy waved her hand around in exasperation. “I know.” She grinned at her father and quickly hopped up to grab the old book from her bag. Spinning back around, she hugged the book. “Guess what Ginger and I did today, Da.”

Her father’s bright eyes smiled back at her. “I’m figuring with the age of that book, you’re holding things that most adult witches can’t even do.”

Maddy nodded and held the book up for both of them to see.

“That’s wonderful, Maddy. You had no problems?” Her mother leaned forward a bit in her chair.

Maddy shook her head. “Not one.”

Katherine clasped her hands in her lap. “I think it’s getting very close to that time when a review is called, Maddy.”

Maddy’s eyes warily studied her mother. “Let’s hope I don’t mess it up this time, Professor Galt still won’t let me anywhere near her office.”

Both of her parents laughed, being reminded of Maddy’s nerves during her last review—that had caused her to unshelve every book in the professor’s office while trying to levitate one to her.

She sat back down and smiled at the two people in the mirrors in front of her. This, Maddy thought, is a normal moment in my life.

Colin Gregor closed the door to his townhouse and turned to look at his car. He didn’t even feel like driving today.

Take a few weeks off and de-stress, wasn’t that what the doctor had told him? Of course, if he’d also explained how exactly one goes about this mind-numbing task, it would have helped. He stuffed his keys in his pocket and started towards the bus stop.

He’d spent three days of the doctor-ordered ten away from the lab, wandering around his home trying to find something he wanted to do. He still got up before dawn, he still checked his email while the coffee brewed, he still worked out for a half hour, and he was still dressed and ready to rush out the door by six thirty. Problem was, he had nowhere to rush to.

Colin stopped and let a few kids ride their bikes past him. They looked up at him like he was a giant. His six-foot four height probably made him seem like one.

He reached the bus station and stood there. He didn’t even have a destination in mind, just knew he couldn’t sit in the house a moment longer.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed and waited. As the bus pulled up, he glanced at the ad covering its entire length. The museum was displaying Scottish artifacts. Sounded as good as any place to spend trying to fill his day. It might be interesting to see what his ancestors had back then.

He stepped onto the bus and deposited his fare. He had to duck his head awkwardly to the side as he walked to the back of the bus. He preferred the back, having found out the hard way that his size frightened and intimidated others as he folded down into a seat beside someone.

~

Maddy snapped the picture and then read the plaque again. She was so glad she lived in the time she did. If that was what her Irish ancestors had to use for dishes, she shuddered looking at the roughly shaped dish. Maybe it just didn’t age well—on the other hand, it looked great for being four hundred years old.

Pulling the little map back out of her pocket, she unfolded it. Where should I go next: farming and agriculture, or Scotland in the 1600s? She turned and looked down the long corridor, then spun around slowly trying to decipher which direction to go. This, she thought with a smirk, is what happens when you spend your life secluded in the woods. You have no sense of direction. Holding the map back up, she started walking in the direction she hoped would lead her to where she wanted to be.

~

Colin came to a sudden stop as a tall redhead almost walked right into him. She had the map almost in her face as she walked mumbling to herself. In truth, he’d already noticed her wandering before she tried to run him down. A man his size appreciated a tall woman. He took a moment to watch the denim-clad legs walk away from him. He definitely appreciated those. Grinning, he turned. Having no set guidelines, he was fairly certain ogling a woman would not be against the rules of this de-stressing thing.

Surprisingly, he was actually enjoying looking at the exhibits. He’d lost track of how many hours he’d filled checking everything out and reading the history at each display. He hadn’t seen the redhead again, but overall, it was the most relaxing thing he’d done in longer than he could remember.

Glancing at his watch, he realized the doors would be closing in less than an hour. He’d done it. He’d spent an entire day not doing anything. Grinning to himself, he walked over to the last few display cases he had to look at.

Scottish vessels 1500-1800s. They’d come a long way, he thought briefly of his stainless-steel travel cup at home. Taking his time, he moved around to the other side of the displays. One caught his attention more than the others, moving over to it slowly, he stooped over to look at it. Amazingly smooth for the period it was crafted in. He glanced down at the plaque again. A Quaich for the late1600s. Believed to belong to descendants of the Picti King— Colin glanced through the glass case and found himself looking into the most fantastic blue-green eyes he’d ever seen. Even better, they belonged to the long-legged redhead.

He offered her what he liked to believe was his charming smile. She glanced at him at that moment, and he had to stop from holding a hand over his heart. He could have sworn it pounded dangerously hard for several beats. Was it his heart or the intriguing woman on the other side of the case that made him have to catch his breath? She looked at him a few seconds longer and smiled at him, before causing his day to plummet back to bland as she turned slowly and moved away. He watched her for a moment or two, okay he watched the ass hugged perfectly by her jeans and those legs. Sighing, he turned and headed for the side entrance deciding it was time to go home.

~

Hoping her cheeks weren’t red, Maddy let out a slow breath. He was god-like—a dark god— with that wavy black hair. She thought it was a perfect length that men should wear their hair. It wasn’t shaven or spiked, not scraggly either, just perfect. Beyond the fact that his shoulders were as wide as a doorway, he’d been bent over to see the display, making him her height. Which would make him taller than her five foot eleven. She sighed. That didn’t often happen in her not-so-normal world. As if it wasn’t bad enough having this red hair that was unmanageable, she had to be taller than most men too.

Moving over to the last piece, she stopped when her stomach cramped. Taking a deep breath, she waited. It came again, harder and more painful than the last one. Clenching a hand against her stomach, she turned back toward the outer exit and headed as quickly as she could manage in that direction.

A tingling went down her spine as she stepped outside, and the pain was gone. She knew that tingle. Magic. Did someone use magic on her? She glanced over her shoulder as she walked down the sidewalk toward the back of the building. She stopped by the bench and turned to look behind her. No one was following her.

Frowning, she turned around and spotted a man sitting on the bench, looking very pale. It was the dark god. “Excuse me. Are you all right? You look quite pale.” Dark brown, closer to black eyes studied her.

“I’m feeling a bit better now. My stomach just felt a little off for a few minutes.”

Maddy perched on the other end of the bench. “I understand. Maybe it’s the air inside—I wasn’t feeling right either until I stepped outside.”

“Did you eat anything at the cafeteria?”

Maddy shook her head. “No, why?”

He leaned back, still holding a hand lightly over his stomach. “I was worried it might be something from there.” He paused. “Whatever it was, it seems to have passed, and I feel fine now.” He sat there for a moment, trying to decide whether he should stay and continue talking to the woman that had caught his attention more than once today or head for home. He looked back over, she was watching the walkway. Just his luck, she probably wasn’t alone after all. “Are you waiting for someone?” Of course, she was, a woman that looked like her wouldn’t be unattached. Those eyes, which oddly seemed almost turquoise outdoors, turned back to him.

Maddy shook her head. “No, I thought—” She realized she’d been about to say the word magic to someone she knew nothing about. “Never mind.”

Her cell phone rang, and she began digging around in her bag. She pulled out the chiming phone and opened it.

“I’ll let you get that,” he said quietly and stood up. His stomach still felt okay. She smiled up at him as she talked to—most likely a man, he grimaced inside. So, taking that cue, he smiled back down at her and turned to head back down the walkway.

Maddy laughed at Veronica’s agonizing day of helping her mother choose centerpieces. “I can definitely say my day was much better, Ronnie.” She watched her dark god as he reached the corner of the building. He looked good from this angle too. She grinned, realizing she’d stopped listening to her friend on the other end of the phone. “Sorry, what?” He disappeared from her line of sight. “I was distracted.” Her stomach cramped again. What was this? “I’ll call you back, Ronnie.” She closed the phone and dropped it in her bag. The pains were getting worse. Trying to take a few breaths, she lifted her head. The man came back around the corner, gripping his stomach. Maddy frowned. Something was not right with this. As he bent over and rested his hands on his knees, her pains lessened and then were gone.

It can’t be. No—no—no—no! She sat back and closed her eyes, thinking for a moment. He’d looked through the case— she opened her eyes. She hadn’t been thinking anything except ‘wow’ when they’d had their little moment inside the museum. She breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been so afraid she’d messed up big time again and unintentionally done a spell that was affecting the two of them. She looked over to see him straightening slowly. He stood there with his hands on his hips as if waiting for something. Running a hand through that oh-so-nice hair, he shook his head and turned around again.

She held her breath and waited. One, two, three, he was out of sight again, four, five—she huffed out a breath as the pain sliced into her again. Not good! She watched the corner he’d gone around twice now, and sure enough, there he was again. Well crap! She thought as the pain faded once more.

Letting out a deep breath, she got up and quickly walked over to him. He was bent over again. She placed a hand on one very lick-ably muscular arm. “Hey. I think maybe you should come back over and sit down.”

He let out another slow breath and looked up at her. “I guess it wasn’t gone after all.”

Maddy shook her head. “Mine either. Come and have a seat. I’ve got some water maybe that will help.”

He nodded his head abruptly before straightening up slowly. “Thanks.”

They both walked slowly back to the bench and sat down. Maddy rummaged in her bag. She pulled out a bottle of water and held it out. “Here. It’s unopened.”

He took it. “Thanks again.” He took a few small sips. “So you said you weren’t feeling well either?”

Maddy nodded. “It comes in waves and then stops.” This was the truth. She couldn’t very well say whenever you leave my sight. Because witchy realm or not, that was a lame statement in any world.

“Huh.” He took another sip and then held out his hand. “I’m Colin, by the way. Colin Gregor.”

Maddy smiled and placed her hand in his. “Maddy Darcy.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, even though we seem to have been attacked by the same sporadic virus.”

She just smiled. Now what? How was she supposed to find out if what she suspected was right—without sounding like a complete lunatic? “Do you live around here, Colin?” It was the first dumb question she could think of.

Colin shook his head. “No. The other side of town, I caught the bus here.”

Maddy smiled again. “I guess the bus ride is out with the way you’re feeling now.”

Colin scowled. “Yes, which makes me wonder, what now?”

Maddy glanced at the treed area behind the building and the old maple. She couldn’t very well drag him through a portal. She looked back at him. “I’m only on the outskirts of town. Would you like to grab a cab with me there? I have a whole cupboard of herbal teas—maybe I can find one that will help.” Right after I talk to my mother through a mirror and tell her some nasty witch is playing a very uncool prank, she thought not calmly at all. She only knew she couldn’t let an unsuspecting stranger wander off.

Colin ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to sit through several hours of waiting at the clinic to get something to settle a cramping stomach. He certainly didn’t have any reason to rush home. “You know, I think I will come and try your tea.”

Maddy was shocked. That was too easy. “Great.” She smiled at him and got up.