3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
I kill the engine and get out of my faded Ford Pinto, then open the trunk and take out the groceries I bought. Locking the car can't help but look around. He isn’t here. I reassure myself. After the incident in the bar, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being followed. That must be silly. He must be halfway across the country looking for another sucker witch to do the job for him.
"Grandma, I'm here," I call after opening the door.
"I'm in the living room. My favorite soap just started," she shouts.
I lock the door behind me and go through the small corridor leading to her flowery living room. My grandmother is obsessed with flowers. She doesn't see it that way, of course. She says they imbue her with calmness and balance her need to use her inner magic. I wish it worked on me too.
"I bought you some groceries that you were out of," I say and approach her. Bending slightly, I plant a deep kiss on her cheek before turning to the kitchen.
"Oh, my darling. Thank you so much. What would I do without you?"
"Lucky for you, you won't have to know." I laugh.
I arrange the groceries in the fridge before sitting next to her on the couch.
Grandma mutes the TV and turns her attention to me. "Are you okay, Hailey? You look like you haven't slept all night." My grandmother always did have the ability to notice the small details in everything related to me. She knows me better than anyone. Sometimes even better than I know myself.
After my shift at the bar, I couldn’t stop tossing and turning, and when I did finally fall asleep, I dreamt about the mysterious vampire.
"I'm fine." I stifle a yawn and force a smile.
"You know you can tell me anything, right? I'll always be by your side no matter what."
Warmth spreads in my chest at her words. She always has been the best listener, no matter what I share .
" I had a visit last night at the bar," I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. "From a vampire."
Grandma's pupils widen before she gets off the couch and rushes down the hall. I follow her. In the hallway, she turns to the stairs leading to the basement.
"Grandma, what are you doing?" I ask, confused, but she doesn't answer. Instead, she goes downstairs, and I follow.
Almost all the walls of my grandmother's basement are lined with bookshelves. Some were inherited, and some she acquired over the years.Except for the east wall. She turns there.
The east wall is filled with files and lined with herbs in vials that Grandma uses for her non-magic treatments. Where there aren't books, there are plants. As part of the Terra coven, we get the magic of nature, or so I’ve been told. I can't deny the peacefulness of its presence.
"It's so messy here." She starts fussing around, moving stuff on the shelves. "Do you drink the elixir like I instructed you?"
"Yeah, I do. Every day." I nod.
"Good, good."
"Grandma, talk to me. What are you looking for? "
"I had a protection herb that I intended to give you. I didn’t know you were involved with vampires. You should have told me sooner."
"Hey, stop for a second and look at me," I say, moving closer to her. She turns around, facing me. "I'm not involved with vampires. That's the first vampire I’ve ever seen. You know I don’t look for them. And I try to numb my senses as it is."
"What did he want?"
Taking a deep breath, I say, "He offered to get my magic back."
"Son of a bitch!" she curses loudly, making me snort. It's not unusual for her to curse, though her kind and smiley looks can be deceiving. That is until she opens her mouth.
"Listen for a second. If there is a chance that it will wo—"
"Hailey, stop!" she demands, her eyes laced with fear. "Promise me that no matter what, you won't agree to his offer or any other." I nod, feeling the need to comply to make her worry less. "Say it. Promise me you won't do it." Taking my hands in hers, she urges me to repeat her words.
"Do you think there is a chance to get our power back? Please, just tell me."
"I think even if there is, it's not worth pushing this. You know why our family is cursed. We can't change that. Believe me, I tried, and my mother tried, and her mother. We have to break this cycle."
"I didn’t know they tried. It wasn’t in the family books," I mumbled.
"They died trying, and I won't let you do that, you hear me?"
Nodding frantically, I feel the chances of getting my magic back fading as my promise hangs in the air like a thick wall, blocking me.
"I promise."