Witch in Hiding (#1 in the Witches Trilogy) (EDITING)

Seven: You're Sick. Congratulations!

Vinni: The what?

Vera: When I was at the lake the other day this huge group of fish suddenly swam past. Like huge. Really really huge.

Well, this is what she gets for going out of town like that. No sister, but at least she's got exotic scenery. Lakes. I've got a pool and a couple of ponds, that's about it.

Vinni: Maybe they sensed their true calling

I can picture her giggling.

Vera: All hail the fish king?

I smile.

Vinni: Did you see where they went? Maybe there's an underwater kingdom.

Vera: They swam far away. Couldn't see.

At least her life is significantly less weird than mine (I'm still wondering if the Dora fireworks were a dream too)—I don't really think a mass exodus of fish is an indication of budding powers, unless she's turning into a fish whisperer, so I drop the subject. We chat until she has to go, and then someone else comes online.

Jess: Hey, how're you feeling?

Vinni: Been better. How's school?

Mel: You didn't miss anything. We're out soon, want us to come over?

Vinni: I might be contagious. Can ghosts and vampires get sick?

Mel: You know bats are one of the biggest carriers of diseases around?

Vinni: Great. So I'll get even sicker.

Jess: Vin, we were talking.

Vinni: Congrats!

Jess: Ha. We were talking about yesterday.

The centipede. I lock my phone and drop it onto the bedside table like it's burning hot.

There's something wrong about what happened yesterday. Logic tells me that the centipede suddenly changed course and went for death rather than Van. Something inside me tells me otherwise. The centipede died because someone made it. The centipede died because I made it. Because I told it to.

In my head.

Nonononononono. My nausea returns. I bury my head in my pillow and breathe in, breathe out. Wipe my mind of that train of thought.

The doorbell rings. Slowly, I lift my head. It rings again. Taking a deep breath, I swing my legs off the bed and make my way downstairs. The doorbell rings every now and then, patiently but perseveringly. Finally, I get to the door. Safety be damned, I open it without checking.

Raelynn stands on my doorstep. "Hey, Vin." She's carrying pizza and she hoists the box hopefully. "It's lunchtime, so I figured..."

I step aside. "Come in."

She follows me to the kitchen, where I collapse on a chair. "You look terrible," she observes. "Have you been using your powers lately?"

"I—what?"

She tilts her head. Her bob cut sways with the motion. "Oh, no one told you, did they?"

My head is fuzzy, but I still manage to process what she's implying. "You're a magical creature?"

She takes a thoughtful bite of pizza. "I control the weather. Among other things."

Undefinable powers. "You're a witch?" My heart leaps for a moment. Finally, not alone. Finally, someone who understands. Finally—

"I'm usually classified an elemental." Rae holds out her hand, palm up, and lightning starts to crackle across her skin. The movement is so natural and fluid, unlike my clunky attempts at telekinesis, that I'm taken aback. "But I'm the closest this town has to a witch, so I suppose we're in this together now, huh?"

My brain is moving at sluggishly slow speeds today. "Mom put you up to this, didn't she?"

She nods. "She said you needed a teacher."

"She knew about you?"

"It's a long story, with a lot of friends of friends of friends involved." She pauses. "Your mom has good intentions, Vin, and she really cares about you and your, uh, magical development, but honestly, she doesn't know anything. Oh, yeah, she's a magical creature, sure, but she's not powerful, and she's been out of it for so long she doesn't really understand most of it. I, on the other hand..." Raelynn runs her fingers through her hair. "I've spent all my life involved in this stuff. I know it better than almost anyone. Plus, I'm already your friend. Also, I'm a kickass Nerf gun shooter."

I have about a million questions about that monologue alone, but she doesn't let me deliver them. "Are you feeling well enough to move around a bit?"

I swallow my nausea. This Rae is different from the Rae at school—serious, focused, driven. And experienced. She knows her stuff. "Let's do this."