Well, that’ wasn’t ominous at all, was it? I sat in the front seat of my father’s SUV, hoping he’d add something else to that statement.
But of course he didn’t.
We pulled into the school parking lot and I hopped out of the car, not even bothering to wait for my father. He was acting stranger than normal.
“So what are we doing for dinner?”
He smiled and leaned against the front bumper.
“That’s a good question. I’m assuming you don’t want to eat with Mrs. Marks again, since you don’t seem to stay long in her presence.”
“She doesn’t like me, Dad. I don’t care what you say or what Gwen says.”
“I know. I know. Depending on how long this takes, we can go out. You can pick if you like.”
I tried not to smile. “I take it you don’t cook.”
“I cook,” he scratched his head, “I just don’t have anywhere to cook.”
“You don’t think Alma would let you borrow her kitchen for an hour?”
He chuckled. “She would never let anyone borrow her kitchen.”
I leaned against the car next to him, facing in his direction. “She’s going to have to help me with the house.”
He sighed. “I don’t know, Cassie. If it’s as badly haunted as you…” he glanced at me, “let on, I don’t think we should move in there. I don’t want to worry about you. Especially after what happened there…”
“You know about the fire?”
He nodded. “It was in the news…”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t want to be worrying about you there, alone. With ghosts…”
“Dad, there are ghosts everywhere. Besides…”
“And this Ice Warlock business…” He shook his head. “I don’t like it…”
“Dad…”
“Are you sure you don’t want to move to the city with me?”
“I’ll be fine…”
The sound of a car pulling up, cut me off from finishing. I looked over and saw a common yellow taxi. I wasn’t really surprised, how else was Steven supposed to get here from the airport.
A tinge of anxiety burned in my chest. Steven came here for a reason and it was bad enough that he felt the need to fly all the way here.
When he stepped out of the cab, I looked him over. He looked haggard, a five o’clock shadow darkening his chin and face. His emerald eyes were shadowed and outlined with the dark circles that resembled bruises.
I didn’t know him until after my mother died. Everyone offered to take me in that night, the night she died, but I’d insisted that I needed to stay at the house.
So he stayed with me. We stayed up the whole night, waiting.
But she never came.
Steven’s Irish Springer spaniel, Murphy, hopped out after him. Steven walked purposefully over to me and before I could even get out a hello, he’d enveloped me into a tight embrace.
The dog whined at our feet. It was odd…everyone was acting…odd.
“Steven…”
He pulled back and looked me over, his hands resting on my shoulders.
YOU ARE READING
Banish Me
Teen FictionThere’s something different about Cass. Everyone in her hometown knew about it because they were like her too. She's a witch of the South, truth teller, and Daughter of the Earth. And she sees ghosts, not her favorite past time. After her mother's m...
