Freak of Nature (The Lost Witch Trilogy #1) (11 page)

Sarah’s eyes widened as she remembered all the times she had been running through the forest.
“Did the girl look like me?” she whispered, clearing her throat when her voice cracked.

Gretchen shook her head.
“It doesn’t work like that. When I dream, I become the girl. I can’t see myself; I can only feel the total terror and feelings of horror. But for some reason I know this witch is lost. She needs to be found and she needs to be protected. Zane is positive it’s you. He mentioned running with you through the forest the other day. I’m not sure though. Believe it or not, there are a few other witches in town. They’re all in their thirties and forties now, but there are other possibilities.”

Zane snorted and shook his head.
“You told me you felt young in your dream. You told me that when you ran you could feel your muscles sing and your long red hair whip your face as you turned to see what was chasing you. It has to be Sarah. She’s the only witch with red hair in town. I’ve checked. Why are you fighting the truth?” Zane demanded sounding irritated.

Gretchen threw her arms into the air, looking upset too.
“Because I don’t want it to be her! I was caught and I fell into darkness. I wasn’t helped or saved. I don’t want that to be Sarah. What if I can’t protect her? What then? What will happen to you now that you’re connected? Talk about darkness,” she muttered and walked back around the counter and grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge.

Zane frowned darkly and looked out the window.
“I’ll protect her mom. No one will hurt her. And no one will hurt me either,” he said, feeling Sarah stiffen in his arms.

Sarah pushed out of Zane’s arms and walked a few feet away.
“So what if I am the lost witch in your dream? What am I lost from? You started having the dreams before you came here. Are they still the same?”

Gretchen looked up at the celling considering.
“They have changed a little. Now when I’m the witch, I’m running with someone beside me. But the great light and the falling still happen every time. But to answer your question about being lost from something. That I don’t know for certain. But knowing a little of your background, I would have to guess that you’re either lost from your heritage or lost from your father.”

Sarah put her hands on her waist and looked down at her feet in thought.
“All of this has to be tied together somehow. Your mom getting Alzheimer’s, her dreams about the darkness, your dreams about me and then Lash and Jill. Maybe this has something to do with Lash’s dad?”

Zane sat back down on his chair but turned it to look at Sarah.
“Or it has something to do with Drake and your aunt. Maybe they tried to bind my grandma and it destroyed her mind instead of doing what they wanted it to,” he said darkly.

Sarah looked up and felt ill at the thought.
“I was just assuming they’re crazy occultists or something. But to actually harm someone in the hopes of gaining power, that’s just sick.”

Gretchen held up her hand.
“We’re just looking at all the possibilities right now Sarah. That’s why Zane is busy after school looking into all the leads we’ve come up with. But there is one lead we haven’t mentioned.”

Zane looked up at his mom warningly.
“Mom,
don’t
.”

Gretchen narrowed her eyes at her son and pushed the hair out of her eyes.
“You don’t think she should know? I disagree, Zane. She needs to be fully protected. Because if she’s not, then that leaves you open. Sarah, your father, Race Livingston, still lives in town. There’s a possibility that he might have gone dark.”

Sarah walked over to her chair and quickly sat down.
“You don’t know he’s my father Gretchen,” she whispered looking at her hands.

Gretchen walked over and patted her on the back.
“Zane found out yesterday that he is. It’s confirmed. He went through Race’s house and found the original birth certificate. His name is on it Sarah. The copy Zane found in your aunt’s files has been tampered with. Race is your father. And when Zane was in his house, he found a whole room covered with pictures of you. Some as recent as last week.”

Sarah winced and looked at Zane, reaching out for his hand.
“That scares me.”

Zane nodded his head. “Then you’re smart.
We don’t know for sure about your father, but until we do, you keep close to me and my mom and the store. No more running through the forest alone or sleeping in the tree house, okay?”

Sarah nodded her head emphatically and looked over her shoulder as a group of senior citizens came through the door.

Gretchen smiled and patted Sarah on the shoulder. “Time to work. But don’t worry about it all too much Sarah. We’re stronger now, all of us. We’ll figure it all out in time.”

Sarah sighed and stood up.
Zane pulled her in for a strong, warm hug and then leaned down and kissed her, ignoring the clucks of the older women milling around the store. When he pulled away, he held her face and looked down into her eyes. “We’ve got each other’s backs now Sarah. There’s nothing they can do. I want you to have dinner with us tonight. I want you to talk to my grandma. She might have a reaction to seeing you.”

Sarah nodded and leaned her head against his chest for a moment before pulling away.
“Okay, but please be careful. Promise?”

Zane grinned and pulled on a lock of her red hair before stepping back.
“I’ve got you to think of now. Of course I’ll be careful.”

Sarah watched Zane walk out of the store and felt sick to her stomach.
He hadn’t even told her where he was going.

“Miss?
Where are the books on romance?”

Sarah smiled and walked over to show the lady the right section.
The next three hours flew by as she stayed busy at the till or helped Gretchen serve at the Café. But in the back of her mind was the question, if Zane was out investigating on his own, who had his back?

Gretchen turned the sign to CLOSED and locked the front door.
She sighed tiredly and massaged her lower back before turning the front lights off.

“Business is getting better and better every day.
I’ve put an ad in the paper for an assistant manager. I can’t handle the baking and everything else too. I can’t believe how obsessed everyone is with my muffins. It’s almost as if they’ve got a little magic in them,” she said with a smile.

Sarah grinned and shook her head as she finished sweeping the floor.
She put the broom away and turned the lights off in the storeroom. “When will Zane be back do you think?”

Gretchen swished the worry away with her hand.
“Oh don’t worry about Zane Sarah. He’ll show up when he shows up. He always does. In the meantime, let’s head to the house and get dinner ready. I’ve got a pot roast in a crock pot with carrots and potatoes. I’m thinking peach cobbler for dessert. What do you say?” she said putting her arm around Sarah’s waist.

Sarah grinned at Gretchen and relaxed.
“That sounds amazing. And it’s been forever since I’ve seen Agnes.”

Gretchen let go of Sarah as they walked to the back of the store and out into the parking lot.
“Well, she’s changed quite a bit Sarah. Don’t be upset when you see her and she doesn’t recognize you,” she warned.

Sarah nodded sadly and got into Gretchen’s BMW.
They drove the three blocks to Agnes’ house which was on the outskirts of town. It was an older two story home with gables and white shutters. Sarah loved it.

Gretchen talked to Agnes’s nurse for a few minutes, so Sarah took the opportunity to look through the front room.
She walked slowly through the room, staring at the pictures covering the walls. She paused at a family picture and grinned when she saw Zane when he must have been maybe ten years old. Gretchen was standing behind Zane and his sisters next to a tall blond man who was grinning happily.

Gretchen came to stand beside her.
“That’s Bill. He died of a heart attack a few years ago. We found out his heart had a defect that no one ever knew about. He was a good man and he loved us,” she said fondly with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sarah could see now where Zane got his cheek bones and jaw structure from.
“Was he a witch like you and Zane?” she asked curiously.

Gretchen shook her head and laughed.
“No, Bill was as normal as they come. He knew I was a witch and that Zane was too. He didn’t care though. He thought it was wonderful. He had a very open mind,” she said wistfully.

Sarah frowned and followed Gretchen to the kitchen. “Wait, I thought Zane said witches aren’t attracted to non-witches.
He told me people are attracted to witches like moths are to porch lights but that porch lights aren’t attracted to the moths.”

Gretchen looked back and grinned at Sarah.
“Well, when I was in college and saw Bill for the first time, I knew this Porch light was a goner. He was a life guard at the beach and when I saw his six pack abs I couldn’t care less if he was a witch or an alien from another planet. He was mine,” she said with gleeful satisfaction.

Sarah grinned delightedly at hearing Gretchen’s love story.
“So Zane was just making it all up then, huh?”

Gretchen frowned and shook her head.
“Well, he’s different than me. I’m just an average witch. I’ve never had to deal with the energy or the power that he has to deal with. You’re the first girl he’s ever wanted to be serious with that’s for sure. Girls would come by the house and call him constantly but he always kept them at arm’s length. And then he meets you and you’re like him and he’s a goner. Zane could never imagine himself being with someone who’s normal. He’s always been very aware of his power and I think to him a non-witch was never an option. So for him, I think the porch light analogy fits.”

Sarah hummed in her throat but didn’t say anything.
She wondered if she could ever truly be attracted to someone who wasn’t like she was and immediately thought of Lash. Lash wasn’t a witch, but he emitted a dark charisma that was strangely compelling to her.

“Who’s here?”

Sarah and Gretchen turned around together to see Agnes standing in the doorway looking suspicious. “Who are you and why are you in my house?” she demanded in a fierce voice.

Gretchen walked over and bent down to look into her mother’s eyes.
“It’s me, mom. Gretchen. I’m just going to get dinner on the table and we can eat soon, okay? I brought you a friend to talk to. This is Sarah Hudson.”

Agnes looked around Gretchen’s shoulder and squinted at Sarah.
“Oh I know little Sarah.”

Gretchen turned around to stare at Sarah in shock.
“She doesn’t know me, but she knows you?” she asked in consternation.

Sarah shrugged uncomfortably and walked closer to Agnes.
“Hi Mrs. Adams. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing?” she asked reaching out to take her hand.

Agnes looked up into Sarah’s face and frowned.
“Oh you’ve got to run faster Sarah. You’ve got to run faster than you’ve ever run before. If he catches you he’ll never let you go.
Never
.”

Sarah’s mouth opened in shock and she blinked before turning to see an identical expression on Gretchen’s face.

“She um, has moments of clarity sometimes, but this is, . . . this is something else,” Gretchen said hesitantly.

Agnes took hold of Sarah’s hand and pulled on her. “Come sit down and talk to me child.
My legs are worn out from all the exercises that nurse makes me do. I feel like I’ve run a marathon. That lady there will make us dinner soon enough. Sometimes it tastes good and sometimes I might as well be eating saw dust but I’ll make sure you leave fed tonight.”

Sarah grinned at Gretchen’s offended expression but had no choice but to follow Agnes to the couch.

Sarah sat down and Agnes plopped down next to her a little too close for comfort. Sarah looked closely at Agnes and noticed the changes that had taken place in the two months since she’d seen her. Agnes was in her mid-sixties and had always been very stylish with long salt and pepper hair that’s she’d worn long and down to the middle of her back. She tended to wear sweater sets and plenty of jewelry. But now, Agnes was wearing a sweat suit and although of the finest quality and quite attractive, it just wasn’t the Agnes she was used to. Her makeup was bare to nothing and her eyes seemed dimmer as if a light had gone out. That was the saddest part.

She felt a great sadness well up in her heart and she reached out and laid her hand over Agnes’
s. “Oh Agnes. Who did this to you?” she whispered under her breath.

Agnes gasped and laid her own hand over Sarah’s. “That feels so strange,” she said, looking up into Sarah’s eyes.

Sarah looked back down at their hands and didn’t see anything strange about it, but she started to feel a light warming where their hands were connected.
Sarah looked up into Agnes’ face. “Who hurt you Agnes? Who took your memories?” she asked softly.

Agnes looked confused and shook her head back and forth.
“The light won’t come. I can’t find it anymore.”

Sarah felt the warmth grow and studied their hands.
She had healed people before. Maybe it was worth a try. She laid her other hand on the side of Agnes’s head and leaned in close, closing her eyes. She sent her energy out to Agnes and surrounded her and felt Agnes’s agitation seep away and a calm take over. She moved the energy deeper and moved in towards Agnes’s mind. She didn’t know what to do next, but went on instinct and opened her senses for anything that seemed off or out of place.

Sarah emptied everything out of her own mind and focused everything on Agnes and said clearly and firmly, “Come back Agnes.
Come back now.”

Agnes moaned loudly and leaned her head against Sarah’s.
The contact between their heads deepened the connection and Sarah felt a crack, like the crack in the window she’d made the other day. This crack was in Agnes’s mind as if someone had tried to break her open. She felt around the crack and pushed against it slightly. Agnes whimpered.

“What is going on here?” Sarah heard Gretchen say as if from a great distance but ignored her.
She sent more energy to the crack and tried to bring the edges together like she had Jill’s neck. It felt different though, more like something had been removed. She focused on cells and the fragile connections in the tissues pulling and pulling with her power.

Agnes made a sighing sound and leaned more heavily against Sarah, almost pushing her off the couch.
Sarah sent more soothing warmth towards Agnes’s core and then gave everything she had to the crack.

What seemed like hours later, she felt herself come to the end of the crack and pulled away from Agnes.
She still had her hands on Agnes so she felt the tremors run down her arms and into her torso.

She watched as Agnes slowly opened her eyes and blinked over and over again, bringing her face into focus.
“Sarah Hudson. What are you doing here? If Race finds out I’ve contacted you he’ll never forgive me,” she said in a rush of words.

Sarah frowned and let her hands drop from Agnes as she pulled back.
It hadn’t worked. Her mind was still gone.

Gretchen walked slowly towards her mother and knelt down beside her, resting her head on her knees.
“Oh Mom. If only it had worked,” she said, her voice shaking with unshed tears.

Agnes laid her hand on Gretchen’s hair and caressed her daughter’s head.
“Gretchen, what are you doing here sweetie? I thought you and Zane were coming for Christmas? Is everything okay?”

Gretchen slowly lifted her head, tears swimming in her eyes as she stared up in to her mother’s face.
She lifted a hand to Agnes’ cheek and cleared her throat before talking. “
Mom?
”

Agnes laughed and leaned down to hug her daughter.
“Of course it’s me. Who’d you think I was, Marilyn Monroe? Now come sit down and catch me up on everything. Where’s Zane? What’s that boy been up to?” she said patting the couch seat beside her.

Sarah and Gretchen exchanged hopeful looks and Sarah stood up.
“I’ll just go set the table,” she murmured as Gretchen rose up to sit on the couch, throwing her arms around her mother’s shoulders and laughing softly.

She walked out of the room wondering for the millionth time what it would have been like to have the love of a mother.

She puttered around the kitchen for fifteen minutes, looking through cabinets until she found what she was looking for.
She opened the lid to the crock pot and snagged a few carrots while she waited for either Zane to show up or for Gretchen and Agnes to come into the kitchen. As she munched on the carrots, she reached out with her mind for Zane. She couldn’t wait to tell him about Agnes. He’d be so excited to find out that his grandmother remembered him and his mother now.

She reached out with her mind, not knowing at what distance she could find him, but not having anything better to do than to try.
She sent pulses of energy out searching for the warmth that was solely Zane’s. She turned in all directions searching for some answering pulse of energy but met with nothing. She walked over to the window and looked out into the dark sky and tried one more time. She knew he was out there and she knew what he was doing was dangerous. Maybe he was just too busy to answer back? Or too far out?

She shrugged with a frown and looked at the crock pot again.
She felt like she was starving to death. If she didn’t have some of that roast soon, she was going to pass out from hunger.

She sat down and tapped her fingers on the table lazily as Gretchen walked into the kitchen followed by her mother.
Sarah slowly stood up, looking questioningly at Gretchen.

“Sarah, my mom seems to remember everything up until three months ago.
About a month before Zane and I moved here.”

Agnes moved around her daughter and came to stand in front of Sarah, looking worried.
“Child, you shouldn’t be here. If Race finds out I’ve made contact with you there’ll be hell to pay.”

Sarah frowned and felt angry all of a sudden.
“Why wouldn’t Race want you to talk to me?” she demanded, looking at Gretchen and seeing her look just as perplexed.

“Because he doesn’t want you to know you’re a witch.
He wants you to be safe. If anything were to happen to you like it what happened to Rachel, he would never forgive himself,” she muttered and sat down rubbing her head as if she had a head ache.

Sarah exchanged worried glances with Gretchen.
“Okay Agnes, I’ll go. I was just here to say hi to Zane. I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said and then looked towards the pot roast yearningly.

Gretchen looked at her helplessly but nodded.
She walked her to the front door and then put her arms around Sarah, hugging her tightly. “Thank you Sarah. Thank you so much. I knew there was a way to bring her back, I just didn’t know how. She’s tired and needs to rest now, but we’ll figure it all out. We’ll talk tomorrow okay?” she said, and opened the door for her, eager to get back to her mother.