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

Chapter 4.3

JOHN

As the driver pulled the car up my family's driveway, I was surprised by how much I wanted to be anywhere else but here. Even being back at Nathan's house in California facing another demon seemed like a better idea than what I was about to deal with.

What if Nathan told the Coven about me? I don't think he knew my name, but if he were to see me - it'd be game over, wouldn't it?

No, he's been masquerading as a witch. I had just as much- No, I had more to blackmail him with. He had much more to lose by being outed than I did. I stared at the home I'd grown up in and realized that it was no longer 'home' to me. There wasn't a place connected to that word anymore.

As the car came to a stop, the front door to the colonial style house opened. Frankie rushed down the front steps, her hair flying out behind her like a banner. Once I was free from the car, she slammed into me with a force that pushed the air from my lungs.

"You're okay," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I knew you had to be okay."

Wrapping my arms around her, I gave myself to the hug that I'd craved for months. "I'm okay," I whispered into her hair.

"Come on inside now, you two," Mom called from the top of the front steps. "No need to make a scene for the neighbors."

Frankie wrapped an arm around my waist, guiding me up the stairs and into the house. It was exactly the same. Even though I hadn't been here in months, it was still picture-perfect, as if 'Home and Garden' would be here any minute to shoot photographs for their latest issue.

Mom paused in the hallway, setting her purse down on the side table. "John, why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready soon."

I didn't say anything, only nodded and headed for the staircase. Nothing had changed. Dinner would be served at exactly six thirty, just as breakfast would be promptly at seven tomorrow morning.

As I got to the top of the stairs, I caught the harsh whispering tones of Mom and Frankie arguing downstairs. I couldn't make out what it was about, but I had a good guess.

My room was the first one on the left. The door was already open and the room was spotless. Martha, my family's housekeeper, had been here recently. I could smell the wood polish she used on the floors and furniture. The plants that littered most of the flat surfaces in my room were all still alive, and surprisingly, healthy. I probably had Frankie to thank for that.

My desk was to the left as I entered. My books on plants were opened, just as I'd left them. I couldn't believe it'd been so long.

A soft knock on the door made me turn. Frankie stood in the doorway, her arms crossed below her chest.

"I wanted to go with Mom, to be there when they found you, but she wouldn't let me." Frankie frowned. "She said it was too dangerous; like we're not evenly matched in power now or anything."

I smiled, but the ache growing in my heart. "You passed your Master's exam, then?"

She nodded. "About a month after... he took you..."

Turning away, I closed my eyes. If anyone would understand, Frankie would. She'd known how unhappy I'd been with the Coven. "He didn't 'take' me."

"What?" she whispered.

I glanced back at her, taking in her confused expression. "You know I was planning on leaving. That I didn't want to be a part of what the Coven was doing anymore."

"Yeah, but that doesn't have anything to do with the Necromancer taking you hostage!" She stepped further into my room, pushing the door closed behind her.

"That Necromancer..." I hesitated, her growing agitation stopping me. I'd almost said 'He's a friend of mine.' Which was as true a statement as ever. But something had changed. She had changed and it didn't seem safe to confide to her now. I shook my head. "Just forget it."

Frankie stared. "John, what's wrong? What did he do to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me, Frankie," I said, my voice rising. "Except show me that a lot of what the Coven has told us about them is lies!"

The silence stretched between us, like a great canyon that only grew by the second.

"You've been through a lot." Frankie took a step back, shaking her head. "You're not yourself. It's normal to be confused," she paused. "You should rest. You're safe now."

She left and I stared at the door, not understanding what just happened. I ran a hand through my hair. How could Frankie not even try to understand what I was saying? She'd felt the same as I did before I left, that some of the Coven's methods were too extreme.

I paced in the small space between my closet and a bed, fighting the pain that grew behind my eyes. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't trust myself not to give something important away by accident.

My eyes fell on my closet. The doors were covered in band posters, as it was the only space my mother would allow 'unframed art' in my room. I pushed the left one aside. My clothes hung just as they had. My old guitar in its case leaned against the wall on the far left, partially covering a large grated vent behind it. I pushed the case aside and worked the nails of my left hand under the edge of metal. The vent popped opened just as it always had for me.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I pushed it back in, closing the closet up again. I might be able to get out, just as I'd planned to before I'd run into Ezra at the warehouse. I just needed a little patience and luck. 

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I'm going to be taking a much-needed break from home for the next few weeks. While I'm hoping to keep up with updates and don't know if it will be possible. 

I'll be traveling to Japan to explore, brainstorm ideas for a new book, and to visit with my brother who lives near Mt. Fuji.  

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