Wyrd: Book One of the Witch War Trilogy - WATTYS 2018 WINNER!

Chapter 1: Where Laina's Grandpa is acting STRANGE

Somewhere, tied to a post above a lit woodpile, a girl who looked remarkably like Laina struggled to get free. Her hair was blonder, long and platinum, but the dainty chin and stormy blue eyes were so similar to her own that Laina felt like she was looking in a mirror. There were medieval soldiers standing on the grassy knoll around the young child, some looking away in shame, others jeering as the logs were lit. Screams pierced through Laina's head and a sharp searing pain moved up the right side of her body as the image began to blur and dance. And then heat. Nothing but heat.

That was the first time Laina had dreamed of the strange girl in the strange land.

Although she knew the girl was nothing more than a figment spun of nightmare, Laina was thankful when she dreamed of the girl again. And then again and again as both she and the girl grew with each year. In Laina's mind, the burning had been the forging of a link that allowed her a window into the young woman's life. And so while Laina slept she watched over the witch, for the world she lived in was impossible, yet the girl felt very real indeed.

***

Present day, Huntsville, Ontario (Earth Fyi)

Laina looked down at Will's sleeping face with envy. He looked so deceptively angelic – a crescent of long lashes and a halo of blonde wisps surrounded his sweet face. Nobody would ever suspect him of being up to no good. She would have traded her eyes, always alive with mischief, for one's just like his, a cloudy green-gray without her tattletale twinkle.

Though he was Laina's twin, at almost eighteen he was tall, lanky and sprawled out across an entire queen-sized bed. Even horizontal, it was easy to guess he was nearly a foot taller than her diminutive 5'4.

She reached down and plugged his nose.

"Up, Whelp!" she chirped as he spluttered awake. "Up! I need your help. Grandpa's at it again."

"Damn... by the water where anyone could see?" He asked as he sat up and rubbed his face, his palm ironing out the pillow seam indent running down his cheek.

"Yup."

"Please tell me he's wearing..."

"Nope. He's as naked as the – "

Will cut her off. "Tell me this time there are no..."

"Frogs? I can't tell you that..."

Will stood up and pulled his hand through his hair, thinking. "We can't have the neighbours suspecting he's like mom. That we might be like mom." He let out a heavy sigh.

Mom. Kind, caring, CRAZY mom. Crazy ran in their family. Not the endearing crazy referred to by Laina's peers when they said, "my mom's absolutely nuts" or "my batty sister is dating Jeremy Figworth again." When Laina thought of crazy, it was something terrifying, hereditary, something that could steal away her loved ones and maybe her own sanity one day. Laina's mother wasn't endearingly nuts, no, she was the sort of off-your-rocker that got you locked in the looney bin for life.

The sentence waiting around every corner: severe schizophrenia with hallucinations, delusions, and the occasional catatonic state.

But their Grandpa had always been the rational, dependable one. After their mother had been found wandering the wilds of Muskoka with newborn twins in tow -- yelling about the end of the world and unseen enemies -- the Canadian officials had locked up the woman who had no idea who she was and had placed Laina and Will into the foster care system. They'd been separated, had bounced from foster home to foster home, until their grandfather had tracked them down. He'd searched for two whole years.

After that he'd raised them, fed them and loved them. He'd played the role of mom and dad and grandfather. He'd taken them to visit their mom weekly, always looking at her as if there were still hope. And up until three months ago, he'd shown no signs of cracking.

Will touched Laina's arm lightly, bringing her out of her reverie. "We'll have a firm discussion with him and send him to his room, sis."

"Can't we just, you know, bribe him with candy like we usually do?" She looked at him, pleading. She hated reprimanding Grandpa. He'd always disciplined them with a light touch.

Will shook his head. The consequences of Grandpa's antics could cost their family too much.

"But maybe we should get him help. Take him to the hospital."

Laina tried to keep her emotions in check but her voice wobbled on the word hospital. Will's arms wrapped around her instantly in a reassuring hug. "It'll be okay, Wish. We'll make sure grandpa's not getting worse. We'll keep an eye on him. I'll look into Alzheimer's and see if there are meds we can get him under the table. But we aren't letting them put him in an old people place. He'd hate that. And, then they'd separate us again. It's you and me, we can handle this together. Just a bit longer and then—"

"—we won't need to worry about different households and being apart. You're right."

"And Wish, if neighbors ask, he's going through a new age phase. Really interested in—"

"—Yoga and meditation and crystals right now," Laina finished.

Laina used the corner of her sleeve and pressed it against the edge of her eye. The air was dry, and it was making her eyes water. They were wasting time on sentiment and talking.

"Let's go," she told Will, remembering the urgency, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. "We need to get to him before he starts to..."

She looked back at Will, their eyes connecting just as their Grandfather started to chant loudly in what sounded like ... latin?

They began to run.

***

I so hope you enjoyed chapter 1 and that you'll continue reading. Is Will and Laina's grandfather nuts? Please vote.  Thank you!