Chapter 8 - Clara contd...
1385 Words
I grabbed my coat and bag from the hall and flung open the front door. I heard Mom coming up behind me, but I didn’t care. I took off, racing down the road. They made Dad leave. They did this to me. I hate them. Tears stung my eyes as I ran. Every couple of seconds, I swiped my hand across my face, brushing them away.
I ran until I found myself at the park. It was quiet. The trees moved in the early evening breeze. The walk track was empty, except for an old man walking his dog. The lake felt like a calming balm over my broken heart. I slumped over the back of one of the park benches to catch my breath. I hadn’t realized I’d run so far. My phone rang relentlessly in my pocket, but I ignored it. I couldn’t face Mom or Grandma, not until I had everything clear in my own head. My legs shook as I tried to slow my breathing. The tears had stopped, the anger coursing through my veins extinguishing them. I sucked in a deep breath and took a seat on the bench, looking at the water.
I could walk out there and disappear. They’d never know. They probably wouldn’t even care.
I shook my head. Dark places weren’t going to help. I had to try and piece everything together. They’d lied to me for eleven years. Told me Dad left, fell in love with another woman. Mind you, they hadn’t divulged that piece of information until I was sixteen. Now I wondered if it were even true. What type of spell had my Grandma placed on me?
When my phone beeped in my pocket, I sighed and took it out. Ten missed calls from Mom and several voicemails.
“You want to talk now,” I scoffed, shoving it back into my pocket. “Well, you can wait until I’m ready. See how you like it.”
The park was too quiet. The birds no longer chirping, the swans that normally drifted along the lake nowhere to be seen. It matched my somber mood. My phone rang with Megan’s ringtone this time. I pulled it from my pocket.
“Where the hell are you? Your mom rang and she’s in a state.”
“Hey, Meg.”
“Don’t ‘Hey, Meg’ me, Clara. What’s going on?”
“I’m on my way to your place, but don’t tell anyone. I’ll explain when I get there. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Okay. See you in five.”
I hung up. I trusted Megan. She was about the only person I could trust at this stage. The park was close to her house, so I pushed myself up off the bench and started walking. My mind kept replaying what Grandma had said.
A protection spell… What did they have to protect me from? How was Dad involved?
Megan must have been watching because she opened the door as soon as I approached.
“What happened?” she said as I stepped inside.
Tears filled my eyes. “I don’t really know.”
“Come on,” she said, ushering me up the stairs. “Mom’s out. We can talk in peace.”
I trudged up the stairs. Megan would help sort out this mess. She’d always been the rational one of us.
“All right. Spill,” she said as she closed the bedroom door. “Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”
I sucked in a deep breath, sighed, and told her everything. When I was done, I saw her eyes widen.
Megan fumbled for words. “Holy… Holy crap. Your dad and…” Her brows furrowed. “Wait. I don’t get it. What does that have to do with your visions?”
“I don’t know.”
“Right. Well, let’s start with what we do know. Your grandma cast a spell on you when you were six, your father left, and now you’re having visions.”
“That’s about it.” I sighed and looked at Megan. “None of this makes any sense.”
My phone beeped, alerting me to another message.
Megan pointed to my pocket. “What has she said?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t listened to any of her messages. She’s probably trying to cover for Grandma, as usual.”
“I think we should listen to them, just in case.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
I pulled the phone from my pocket. Ten missed calls and six voicemails. I dialed my voicemail and put the phone on speaker. The first couple messages were Mom telling me to come home and talk. The fourth one had her begging, and the fifth was her blubbering on the phone. I should have felt guilty, but I was too angry.
“There’s nothing here.” I reached over to end the call.
She touched my hand. “No, wait. Let’s hear the last one. You never know.”
On this one, Mom’s voice was calmer, clearer.
“Clara, I’m sorry. We did it to protect you. Your father comes from a long line of dark warlocks. I didn’t know. I promise you. He was so distraught when Sarah died, the magic along with her. When you came along, he seemed to be happy again. Well, that’s what I thought anyway. He insisted on having you tested for magic right away. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to be a mom. You were so special.” I could almost hear the smile in her voice. “I went along with it, relieved when they found nothing. Your dad insisted on having you tested every year. He was moody and withdrawn and would spend hours trying to get you to do things. When your grandma started having visions about a darkness surrounding you, she came to me. She said there was something wrong and that you needed to be protected. You have to understand, Clara. You’re my daughter. I love you and would do anything to keep you safe. I told Grandma to cast the spell. A week later, your father was gone. He was the darkness. We did it to protect you. Now I’m not sure whether we made things worse.
“You need to come home, Clara. Please. You need to hear everything. Just call me back, okay? Let me know you’re all right. I love you, Clara.”
The voicemail ended. I sat there, stunned.
“Holy crap,” Megan whispered and reached for my hand. “This is serious, Clara. You need to call her back. Let her know you’re okay.”
“No,” I snapped.
“Well, at least text her.”
“Fine.” I typed a text to say I was okay and that I’d be spending the night at Megan’s. I sent it, then turned my phone off.
“What do you think?” I asked, watching Megan stand and pace around her room. She tapped her finger against her chin. Her little thinking trait.
“I’m not sure. I’m letting it all sink in.”
I snorted. “Me, too. My father…a dark warlock. That’s a lot to absorb.”
“Do you remember much about him? About him trying to teach you magic and stuff?”
“Not really.”
Megan continued pacing for a few minutes. Her phone chirped. “Crap. I totally forgot about tonight. We need to get ready.”
“Huh?”
“I set an alarm on my phone to let me know when to get ready.”
I laughed. It was a sudden outburst. “Only you.”
Megan grinned and the mood seemed to lift. She strolled over to the bed and took my hand. “How about we put all this aside right now and have a good night?”
Would I be able to forget?
She noticed the frown on my face. “Scott’s gonna be there.”
His face came into my head and I smiled. I could do this. I could set everything aside until tomorrow. I could deal with Mom, Grandma, and the whole mess with Dad then.
“Let’s do this,” I said, jumping to my feet.
- Writer
