Witches Chronicles

Chapter 2:

Willow's pov

Layla’s car idled at the curb, the quiet hum of the engine filling the space between us as we sat in comfortable silence. The late afternoon sun cast a soft orange glow across the dashboard, and for a moment, I let myself sink into the familiarity of it all—Layla’s calm presence, the sound of cicadas in the distance, and the scent of her lavender air freshener.

But the peace didn’t last long. I felt her eyes on me, and when I turned to meet her gaze, her brow was furrowed in concern.

“You’ve been weird all day,” Layla said, cutting through the silence with her usual directness. She had a way of getting straight to the point, never one to dance around a topic. “What’s up? Something’s off.”

I wanted to shrug it off, but this was Layla—my best friend, the one person I always trusted. She’d been by my side through everything, from the messy breakup with Dan to every random panic attack or strange moment I couldn’t explain. If there was anyone I could be honest with, it was her.

“I don’t know, Layla,” I said, letting out a long breath as I fidgeted with the strap of my bag. “It’s just... this weird feeling I’ve had lately. And these... visions.”

Layla’s eyebrows shot up, her curiosity instantly piqued. “Visions? Like what? Are we talking creepy ‘ghost girl in the mirror’ vibes, or what?”

I laughed, but it was forced. “No, not ghosts. More like... flashes of things. Dark, strange things. I keep seeing a snake—like, right in front of me. It feels real when it happens, but when I blink, it’s gone. And it’s not just that. I’ve been having these dreams, too, and they’re all so... vivid.”

Layla kept her eyes on me as she pulled the car into park in front of my house. “You think it’s, like, stress or something? Maybe it has something to do with Dan?” She hesitated, watching me carefully. “You’ve been acting different ever since you guys broke up.”

I shook my head. “It’s not Dan. I mean, yeah, the breakup sucked, but it was never going to work out between us. He’s a great guy—he’s still a part of the group—but there just wasn’t that spark, you know? It wasn’t right.”

Layla nodded, though she still looked skeptical. “Okay, fair. But these visions... are you sure they’re not just stress messing with you? You’ve been through a lot lately.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, unsure how to put it into words. “It’s more than stress, Layla. I don’t know how to explain it, but something’s been off for a while now. My Grams has been acting stranger than usual, too.”

At that, Layla laughed. “Stranger than usual? Willow, your Grams has been telling us witch stories since we were kids. Half the time I wonder if it’s just sage in those herbs she burns or something a lot stronger.”

I smiled, grateful for her attempt to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to all of this. Something Grams wasn’t telling me.

“Yeah, maybe,” I muttered, though the unease still lingered. I knew my Grams was eccentric, but lately, her cryptic comments and intense stares had taken on a new level of weird. She’d been talking more and more about "preparing" me for something. But every time I asked her what that meant, she’d just smile that knowing smile of hers and change the subject.

“You’re overthinking,” Layla said, her tone softening as she reached over and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll figure this out. It’s probably just a phase or whatever, but if it gets worse, we’ll talk to someone, okay?”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure talking to someone would help. This felt like something deeper. Older. Something that no amount of therapy or conversations could fix.

“So,” Layla said, turning the conversation back to lighter territory, “you still up for the party tonight?”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “I could use the distraction.”

Layla grinned. “Good. We’ll meet at the Grill in an hour, then walk to the party together. Evie’s going to meet us there. And don’t worry, it’ll be fun. What’s the worst that could happen?”

I tried to laugh, but the uneasy feeling gnawed at me. As I opened the car door to get out, I shot her a grateful look. “Thanks for listening. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She waved me off with a smile. “Please, you’d be bored out of your mind without me. Go get ready. We’ll have a blast tonight. Promise.”

I gave her a small wave as I closed the door behind me and headed inside. The house was quiet, almost unnervingly so, but I was grateful for the silence. I tossed my bag onto the couch and made my way to the bathroom, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had been clinging to me all day.

The shower was hot, steam filling the small space as the water cascaded over my skin. For a few minutes, I just stood there, letting the heat relax my tense muscles. But as I closed my eyes, something shifted.

At first, it was just a flicker in my mind—a flash of dark scales sliding over smooth, wet ground. My breath caught in my throat, and when I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in the shower anymore. At least, I didn’t feel like I was.

I saw it again. The snake. This time, there were two, their bodies coiling and twisting together in a strange, hypnotic dance. The air felt thick, heavy with something I couldn’t name, and just as I tried to focus on the vision, I saw something else. Numbers—flashes of them, too fast for me to catch, but they seared themselves into my mind. Then, piercing blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to see straight through me.

I gasped, stumbling backward and grabbing the edge of the shower wall to steady myself. The vision faded, but the image of those blue eyes remained, burned into the back of my mind.

I turned off the water and stepped out, my hands trembling as I wrapped a towel around myself. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the foggy mirror and saw it—just for a split second—my eyes glowing faintly, like there was some hidden power behind them, flickering just beneath the surface. But when I blinked, the glow was gone.

What the hell is happening to me?

I stood there for a few moments longer, staring at myself in the mirror, but nothing else happened. Still, I felt... different. Changed, somehow.

Shaking my head, I tried to push the thoughts away and focus on getting ready. I needed to look normal, act normal. After all, it was just a party. I wasn’t going to let some weird visions ruin my night.

I picked out an outfit that felt right—something simple but cute. A dark, flowy top with delicate lace details, jeans that hugged my curves, and a pair of ankle boots. Casual, but with just enough edge to make me feel confident.

By the time I was dressed and ready, the sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the lawn as I stepped outside. The air had cooled slightly, and for a moment, I let myself relax in the soft breeze.

When I arrived at the Grill, Layla and Evie were already there, chatting with someone at the counter. As I walked closer, I realized it was Dan. Of course. I should’ve known he’d be here—he worked most nights now.

Dan glanced up and gave me an awkward smile as I approached. “Hey, Willow.”

“Hey, Dan,” I replied, trying to keep things light. I knew we were all still close, but that didn’t stop the awkwardness from settling in whenever we ran into each other. Breakups were messy, even when they were amicable.

Evie, ever the talker, broke the tension with her usual bluntness. “So, Dan, are you coming to the party later?”

He shook his head, wiping down the counter with a rag. “Nah, I’ve got to work late tonight. You guys have fun, though.”

The conversation lingered for a moment, awkwardness hanging in the air, before Layla nudged me gently. “We should get going,” she said with a knowing smile. “Don’t want to be late, right?”

“Right,” I agreed quickly, eager to escape the weird tension.

Dan gave us all a small wave as we left. “See you around.”

Once we were outside, Evie let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, that was awkward. But at least Dan won’t be at the party. It would’ve been weird with the new guy and all.”

I glanced over at her, catching the slight edge in her voice. There was something behind her words, a subtle hint of jealousy, maybe. “What do you mean?”

Evie shrugged, her lips curving into a smirk. “Come on, Willow. We all saw the way Jace was looking at you today. And the way you were looking at him.”

“I wasn’t—” I started, but Evie cut me off with a laugh.

“Please. We all saw it. And I don’t blame you. He’s hot. Just... maybe don’t make it too obvious tonight, okay?”

I rolled my eyes, but Layla was already steering the conversation away, as if sensing my discomfort. “Let’s just have fun tonight. No drama.”

“Agreed,” I said, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight would be anything but drama-free. As we walked toward the party, that strange energy I’d been feeling all day seemed to intensify, like the air was buzzing with something unseen.

I took a deep breath, pushing away the thoughts of visions and strange eyes. Tonight was just a party. Everything else could wait.

But deep down, I knew it wouldn’t. Something was coming for me, and I couldn’t avoid it forever.