The Dark Witch, page 5
part #3 of Crimson Black Series
“Yes, the family is giving you a welcome home party since they couldn’t come and visit you in the hospital.” We walked towards the car at the far end of the full lot. “A few of your friends have visited. They have been helping out a lot especially with moving your things in the house.”
“Really?” It surprised me that my friends would go to such lengths after I escaped the countryside and traded it in for a fast-paced lifestyle in the city, which was different from the backwoods, farms, and the mountains. I haven’t even kept contact with them for almost a year because I focused more on the coven than anyone else in my life. “So, they still think of me even after everything.”
My mom opened the car door. “Well sweetie, when we get home, we can sort all that out.” She got into the car first and threw my bag in the back. I opened the passenger side and sunk my behind in the bucket seat, which had a linen scent from the air-fresheners clipped to the vents. “Do we need to stop and get you something to eat, before we hit the main highway?” she asked.
“No—I’m ok.” I answered. “I had a hefty breakfast earlier. I should be fine until we get closer to home.”
“Ok then.” My mom started the car. “Fasten-up! Home, here we come.”
Once my mother and I settled in the car we drove out of the hospital parking lot and our journey finally began on the long stretch of highway. We only hit a slight bit of traffic before meeting empty back roads through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania. Then from there we drove through the city of Philadelphia before reaching the Garden State Highway going towards the westside of New Jersey.
The scenery changed from concrete buildings and crowded streets to vast forests of trees and mountains. I opened the window, inhaling the clean, crisp countryside air. The townships became smaller the further we traveled up north. Fewer cars were on the road and there were more dives, and diner stops along the way. There were more trucks, vintage cars, and motorcycles on the road than an expensive luxury vehicles parked in the lots of roadside bars and convenience stores.
After another hour, we passed by our township before turning on the quiet road to my grandmother’s house. The windy roads were just as I remembered. Hard turns and a steep quarry before making a right up the mountain road. Around the corner, I became excited to see a front yard about the size of a football field, and the long stretch driveway that led to a large brick home in the distance. My mom turned the car onto the gravel path and drove up a hill along the rocky terrain and avoided deep holes.
Halfway up we passed by an old shack-sized cabin. I was in-shock to see it was still standing after being built fifty years ago while my grandfather was building the house. The front porch appeared to be in good condition as if it was recently repaired, what with the new stained boards on the porch and steps. “The shack looks less condemned than usual,” I commented.
“Your uncle decided to pick up a hammer for once and fix it after…” My mother paused, catching herself before saying the words, but I understood what she meant. “He wanted it ready before you arrived,” She glared at me. “Since he and I both know you used it as a hangout spot with Phyla and Maddox. I remember finding quite a large stash under the floorboards.”
I sunk deeper into the seat. “Uh… Us kids, right? We like to have fun.”
My mother’s glare became more intense. “Uh-huh—I see.”
The driveway led behind the house where I heard rock music playing loud from the tool shop. They parked cars and trucks in different areas of the driveway and on the grass by the field. We drove further in and parked in an open spot at the far end of the house by the three-door garage. The doors were all open, and my motorcycle was outside, mounted on the gravel and beside it, I noticed someone working on the engine. As my eyes focused on the person, I realized it was a familiar woman. I stepped out of the car and noticed her long dark, flowing hair, tied in a ponytail, and her toned body knelt on the gravel, cranking a torque wrench to tighten a bolt.
“Phyla!” She heard my voice and stood up automatically dropping the wrench. Her hazel eyes side-glanced in a defiant stance; her thin face and chiseled jaw was just as I remembered. Even her youth looked the same since adolescence, untouched by time. She remained relaxed with no emotion as her muscular frame took a few steps towards me before standing in place, her eyes stern, making me feel uneasy.
Suddenly, Phyla’s face curled up and turned into a playful grin. “Kristen...” She then raced towards me. Her arms enveloped around my waist and squeezed by lifting me until my feet couldn’t touch the ground. I groaned in pain from not being able to breathe with how strong her grip was around my ribs.
I knew Phyla was fit, yet I never realized how strong she was until the weight of her arms crushed me. “OMG—girl!” She expressed excitement and dropped me back to my feet. “Where have you been? Look at you.” She glanced down and poked my belly. “Girl… you have gotten soft.”
I giggled slightly from being ticklish as she kept poking non-stop until I grasped her wrist. “Come ‘on. You know perfectly well that tickles.”
“But look how squishy you’ve gotten.” She laughed, breaking my hold to keep on teasing me.
“Phyla—stop joking around,” Pharah stepped out of the garage, looking like a mirrored image of Phyla. They were identical twins with no flaws or physical differences to separate them. If I didn’t know them well, I would mistake their identities right on the spot. Phyla was the aggressive one who always has her eyebrows stern or raised. Pharah had a more pleasant demeanor, her face relaxed, always with a charming smile to share. Even her movements acted welcoming as she approached me for a hug. Her similarly toned arms were gentler to the touch as she embraced me. “We missed you, Kristen.” She then caressed my face, grazing her hand down my neck and over my shirt where the wound was. “Are you ok? We heard what happened.”
“Guys…I’m totally fine.” I glanced at both of them. “Sorry if I worried you and all.”
“You should’ve come back home if you felt that bad, girl.” Phyla commented. “We’re your family here.”
“What she intended to say is, we’re happy you’re still with us,” Pharah added. “You’re home now and this one over here has been a miserable hound without you. You can only imagine how we both reacted to the news. Maddox is here too.” My eyes brightened to his name. “He’s in the house helping your grandmother with the whole roasted duck in the oven.”
“Girl we have a feast for you tonight!” Phyla mentioned with eagerness since she loved my grandmother’s home-cooking.
It relieved me with how casual they were. I could tell that Phyla and Pharah hadn’t changed at all, the way they looked at me. Phyla wrapped her arm around my neck, acting the same as always, giving me hand signals, she wanted us to smoke later.
Pharah always figured out what her sister meant, whether we used words or hand gestures. She always perceived ahead of time what we were up to, mischievous or good. Either way, she liked to sit around with Maddox and us back-in-the-day when we would get drunk and high. But I understood she wanted to keep us safe and out of trouble with the law. Regardless of what we did, Pharah was always the nurturing one out of all of us, willing to help without even asking. She grabbed my bag from the car and nudged me and Phyla to follow her inside.
We all entered the house through the garage door, stepping into the living room, which steamed with roasted meat from the oven. The red oak wood floors cracked to our steps, walking across into the kitchen area. My grandmother was near the oven with Maddox, carving into the cooked duck. Her short blonde hair caught my eyes first, and she glanced up at me with welcoming blue eyes. Next to Maddox, she appeared short, fair, and thin compared to his broad, dark exterior.
“Hey, grandma! Maddox…” He looked different since the last time I saw him with more tattoos along his arms and was wearing his signature black tank-top so, I knew it was him. I noticed a new design on his neck that appeared raw as if he had it done a few days ago of a wolf-like skull. Ever since high school, he was always obsessed with the concept of the lone wolf. Having a wolf tattooed on his chest and tribal designs, spread across his shoulders and down his arm. He rushed up to me and collided with my body like a rock. I was impressed with how solid he’d become since getting into weight training with his adopted sister, Phyla. He picked me up even higher, squeezing my upper body, which felt like my ribs were being crushed by his strength.
“Ugh…” I moaned in pain. “You and Phyla will kill me one of these days... Please!” He finally dropped me, and I took in a large gulp of air.
“Pup…” Phyla head-locked him and forced his head under her chin. “Mind your strength more.”
“Sorry, sis.” He apologized with a smirk, knowing Phyla wasn’t serious. “I got carried away.”
“You two need to settle down,” Pharah ordered. “Maddox…” She eyed him with a stern glare. “Remember to calm yourself before you get too excited.” She was referring to his impulsive behavior. He gets excited and becomes too loud, and sometimes overexerts his actions, resorting to running around and having outbursts of random crazy dialogue like the mad hatter.
He fights back with a devious grin. “I… Behave….” His voice changed from a low tone to a high pitch. “Sis—you don’t have a soul.”
She ignored his rant and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Afterwards, Pharah walked over to my grandmother and helped with the rest of the dinner preparations for the evening. However, my grandmother remained silent in the kitchen. It was quite normal for her not to show the same kind of excitement as the others. I expected later, she would have serious words with me about everything. But until then, I enjoyed the company of my friends and endured the uneasiness that swirled in my mind.
What did she mean by follow the owl...?
CHAPTER 5
Home Among Friends
Part II
THE EVENING SHADOWS CREPT OVER THE PEAK of the mountain as I wandered outside in the summer’s evening warmth. There was a gentle wind, gusting in from the west. Phyla followed close by with Maddox at her tail, down to the field. The yard had large tire marks, tracked across the lawn and ended at the border of the estate. I followed the tire tracks made by the old blue tractor, and it led towards the forest. The tractor was large enough with the attachment to cut the wide fields within a day. Although, when I explored around the house earlier, I hadn’t noticed him at all. Either he was out in the woods or he had to rush out as usual to buy either a pack of smokes or a case of beer for the night.
As I continued my exploration, my legs wandered towards the vast forest, extending as far as the eye could see. There we came across a car graveyard along the border. The family, over the generations, had lined old rusted cars around the dirt ground, and they had become occupied with weeds and trees growing inside, splitting the leather seats. The sight of it made me feel at home in this world I’d forgotten. Even the ancient tree stood unharmed by weather and time. Its roots thicker than ever above the turf and its branches bloomed with greenery and life.
“We can have a race.” Phyla challenged.
“Nah,” I glanced back at her and Maddox. “I’m just remembering my childhood. It seems so long ago I imagined myself as a warrior, protecting the forest from any threats. This tree was my stronghold.” I skimmed my fingers across the rigid bark. “My family told me I had a vivid imagination, daydreaming about Elves and Werewolves, fighting together to protect the creatures that couldn’t fend for themselves. I used to even imagine Fairies and Pixies living in the branches.”
“Sounds like my type of place to be,” Maddox replied. “I would totally imagine myself as a Werewolf, running through the trails alone.”
“Oh, I would be an indestructible force to be reckoned with,” Phyla pretended to howl like a beast.
“You’re like that now,” Maddox added. “What would be the difference?”
“Quiet, pup! I know I’m awesome.” She quipped, her ego shining as bright as her grin. “But we are speaking for imaginary purposes. I would be the most frightening creature among the realms, no one would ever dare to challenge me or bring harm to my friends. You can’t have conflicts if you bring that much terror to the soul.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I snickered. “You have always been my shield and sword no matter what, and I admire how strong willed you are.”
Phyla embraced me in a hug. Maddox joined in for fun. Within their arms, they lifted a burden off my shoulders, and my past didn’t seem so depressing and resentful. They were my true family, not the coven. Not Angelica or anybody else in this forsaken world.
“I’m sorry, you guys.” Tears dropped from my eyes. “I messed up.”
Phyla rested her forehead on mine. “Hey, you don’t need to say anything, okay. We all understood you needed to get out of here and try to find yourself. Ever since we’ve known you, you’ve always seemed so lost. It’s like your mind wanders someplace else most of the time. Moving to the south, I’d hope you find whatever you were looking for out there.”
“Hope, huh… Come to think of it, I didn’t find what I was looking for at all,” I answered. “I still understand nothing about my life.”
“Tell us what happened.” Maddox pressed, not letting go.
When I gazed at them, it was difficult to tell them what was going on. About me being a Witch, about the Demons I saw, Claudia, the dreams, and that I was now cursed with this mark on my chest. “I lost myself for a while,” I decided to deceive them. “Home might be the best place right now until I get better. Plus, I want to be with you guys and maybe even revisit old roots here.”
“Smoke-up a little,” Maddox winked. “For old times’ sake.”
“I bought two quarters before coming here.” Phyla admitted. “Pharah is not aware of it though.”
“Yeah, sure,” I burst out laughing. “Your sister knows everything.”
“Sis doesn’t care about us getting blazed tonight,” Maddox nudged his elbow into my arm. “Come on… you wanna do it.”
“So much peer pressure.” I expressed in better spirits as my eyes brightened once again. “You know I’m on meds right.”
“The better the mix, right?” Phyla replied. “It’s not like we are gonna drink, warrior girl. You know you wanna let loose.” Her lips pecked my cheek and Maddox goofed around and bit the tip of my ear.
“Alright!” I jolted from them teasing me. “But keep your mouths to yourselves.”
“I can’t promise that,” Maddox confessed. “You know I have a teething issue.” He snapped his teeth next to my face. “I still definitely have a biting problem.”
“We’re well aware…” Phyla and I declared while laughing.
“Okay! Ground rules,” Phyla announced in mock seriousness. “If we need to bite, don’t break the skin. That’s the rule.”
“That’s not a rule,” I replied. “We’re not allowing this.”
Phyla’s mouth gently bit into my shoulder, so it wouldn’t hurt. “See, pup… Play nice with our chew toy.”
“You two…” I thought about it and gave up. “Fine! If you want to bite, go ahead.”
“Yay.” Maddox bit my other shoulder.
“This is totally a love bite,” Phyla hugged me gentler than earlier without crushing my ribs. “We love you.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I wonder what Pharah would think of this so-called love.”
“Pharah can join too,” she had a bogus smile. “… Nah…”
Our alone time together ended as Pharah’s voice yelled in the distance. “Time for dinner guys!”
“I guess that means everything is ready,” I was excited for dinner since they made all my favorites; roasted duck, baked with a side of potatoes, and caramelized carrots. My grandmother made her famous sauerkraut with chopped cabbage, barley, and chunks of bacon, simmered in beer and left to slow cook all day. For dessert, my aunt made a crisp apple pie, which I could detect by smelling the baked crust from outside. I imagine it would be served with vanilla ice cream after the main meal with coffee. Just visualizing all the food made my stomach churn with hunger since I’d only had Claudia’s pancakes all day.
Phyla’s final call for supper motivated me and the gang to get back to the house as soon as possible. We hurried, huddled together into the house, and climbed the steps to the second floor. We crossed through the open living room, which had tall glass windows, observing the front and side yard of the evergreen property. The sunlight beamed in, brightening the peach walls decorated with antique paintings of forests, city landscapes, and the sea. Around the corner, we met everyone in the dining area next to the bar and the extra kitchen.
My mother and father were at the far end of the long wooden table, draped with a crimson cloth, and all the plates and silverware set up on top. They organized the food dishes across the center with the duck as the primary attraction. My grandmother sat at the head of the dinner table in my grandfather’s chair as the family matriarch after his death two years ago. My aunt with her blonde locks fixed in a bun, wore a casual white blouse, and was seated on the left side, next to my grandmother. A vacant seat was waiting for me across from her where I used to sit during the holiday feasts. Pharah sat next to my aunt, her posture straight while watching me sit in the old wooden chair, which was solid as a rock against my tailbone. My face twisted, and Pharah snickered watching me. When I shifted it closer to the table, Phyla sat next to me along with Maddox.
At the last minute before starting dinner, my uncle appeared, hauling in a case of beer. His blue eyes and dirty blonde hair caught my attention as he plopped the bulky pack on the bar counter. “Hey, looks like I made it back on time.” He also set a bag of wine bottles and Vodka next to the beer. “They had a good deal on wine at the liquor store.”
