After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1) (18 page)

The house is still
until 7:30 when Xavier lightly raps on
Cian’s
and
Brianna’s doors. Fortunately for them, their bedrooms are on the first floor
while the master suite, Selene’s room, is on the second floor, making it easy
to sneak out without her hearing. Xavier slowly opens the sliding glass door to
the back deck and after they are all out, he silently pulls it closed behind
them. Putting his finger to his lips, he reminds them not to speak until they
are off the property.

Xavier hopes that
Selene won’t come down to check to make sure the doors are locked or set the
alarm. Even though they all have a key to the front door, the alarm beeps every
time the door opens. If the back door is locked when they get home, they’ll
know Selene came downstairs at some point and probably set the alarm. If she did that,
then they will be screwed. They will be stuck outside all night, since she
refuses to give them the alarm code for this exact reason. They can only hope
that she is already asleep and will stay that way for the rest of the night.

“Maybe we should have
put a spell on her,” Cian whispers as they walk on the back roads to the
school.

“Maybe we should have
put something in her wine to knock her out,” Brianna responds.

“Too bad we couldn’t do
either,” Xavier says. “If we would’ve even
tried
to cast a spell she would’ve known before the first words were out of our
mouths. And, really, Brianna, what do we have that we could possibly put in her
wine?”

Brianna shrugs her
shoulders and leaves the sarcastic question unanswered. “Does anyone else think
it’s weird that we are meeting the Alexanders tonight?” she asks.

“I’m glad we are,” Cian
answers. “I feel like we have a lot to sort out, but at the same time I am
curious about how they are getting out. I wonder where we’re going to talk, since
Liam certainly won’t be excited about them spending time with us again anytime
soon.”

“They probably have
something figured out,” Xavier says, thinking again about how quick Liam was to
get in his face. “They’ve lived here their whole lives… I’m sure they know
all the best places to hide from Liam.”

At the school, they
walk up to the front steps and sit down waiting for Chloe to pick them up. It’s
strange being at the school after hours — everything seems much darker than it
should be. “Wouldn’t you think there would be lights on somewhere?” Brianna asks
as she looks around the desolate school grounds.

“Don’t worry,
Bri
. Nothing will happen to you — we’ve got your back,”
Cian replies. Though he won’t admit it, he feels just as unnerved as his
sister. The school grounds are totally, completely pitch black. No lights were left
on inside the building and although there are lights in the parking lot, none
of them are lit. In hindsight, maybe this wasn’t the best place to meet them,
he thinks as he looks around.

Fortunately, they don’t
have to wait long before headlights pull into the driveway where parents pick
up their kids. It is so completely dark that they can’t make out the vehicle or
see who is driving. The headlights flash once and then go dark. “That’s got to
be them,” Cian says, looking at his watch. “It’s 8:00, on the dot.”

“Let’s go,” Xavier agrees.
He stands up and makes his way toward the parked car sitting idling in the
driveway, with Brianna and Cian at his side.

Even though they have
made this walk twice a day, every day this week going in and out of school,
Brianna notices how everything seems much more threatening and intimidating at
night. A bush that she barely notices during the day now looks like someone
crouched down, waiting to pounce on her as she walks past. She steps closer to
Xavier and Cian, then notices movement at the corner of the building. She gasps
out loud, but before she can say anything she makes out the US flag, which for
some reason is flying at half-mast tonight. She can’t shake the feeling that
something bad is about to happen, but her feet keep moving her toward the
parked car in the driveway.

Cian and Xavier don’t
pay any attention to Brianna’s fear; it’s obvious her nerves are getting the
best of her. Only when they get closer to the vehicle, do they recognize the
jeep. They hesitate only for a moment before realizing, of course, Chloe would
be driving the jeep. She would have easier access to those keys since her dad probably
took away her car keys. They are completely surprised when they open the door
and the interior light brings them face to face with Liam.

“Expecting someone
else?” he asks when he sees the shocked looks on their faces. He can’t hold
back his grin and hopes that it made him look friendly rather than maniacal.
The last thing he needs is for them to bolt. Chloe would be pissed.

“Driving privileges
were temporarily revoked so I told Chloe that I would come pick you tonight,”
Liam says.

Too stunned to say
anything, Xavier, Brianna, and Cian look at each other and then climb into the
jeep completely unprepared for whatever is about to go down.

“So, does your Aunt
Selene know that you are meeting my kids tonight or am I an accessory?” Liam
asks, already knowing the answer to the question. Without thinking, Brianna
chuckles and replies, “She wouldn’t let us out of the house if she knew we were
meeting you.” Unsurprised at her honesty, Liam looks in the rearview mirror at
Brianna, and asks “Oh? And why is that?”

Xavier shakes his head
at his sister and in case she missed it and before she can answer he says, “Look,
we’re not sure why Chloe wanted to meet us tonight, but we don’t want any
trouble, Chief Alexander.”

Liam glances over at
Xavier and knows that somehow he needs to fix this with him. He’s just a kid
for God’s sake and has had enough difficulty in his life. Liam doesn’t need to add
to it. Liam suspects that he is only acting defensively because Liam cornered him
earlier. Attempting to make peace, he says, “I think it’s time you all start
calling me Liam.”

They all nod, totally
surprised and somewhat wary of Liam’s sudden and unexpected friendliness. Liam
looks at Xavier next to him and Brianna and Cian in the backseat. He hopes that
whatever Chloe sees in them, she is right. Liam knows he is putting his whole
family in danger bringing these kids up to the house.

Chloe paces anxiously
awaiting her dad’s return. She can’t help but feel bad for Cian, Xavier, and
Brianna. She knows they are going to be shocked when they see Liam in the jeep.
She was going to text Cian to tell him, but Rowan and Kaiden convinced her not
to in case it alerted their aunt. She just hoped that her dad didn’t say or do
anything to start things off on the wrong foot or worse, make them decide not
to come.

When they got home from
GG Peter’s, Chloe took a quick nap while they waited for Liam to return to the
house. She has started noticing that if she wakes up before going into a deeper
sleep, she has a vision of what she thinks is the future. This time she woke up
in a cold sweat terrified of what she saw in her dream. She called out for Rowan
and Kaiden. When they finally came into her room, they were shocked by how pale
their sister was. Chloe refused to tell them what she saw until the whole
family was together so when Liam finally got home they all sat down in the
kitchen to talk.

Chloe, still shaken by
her dream, starts off by saying, “We need to bring the Silvans here.”

“What?” Liam asks,
shocked that Chloe would even suggest it after everything that happened that
day.

“Not Selene. In fact,
Selene should never come to this house. Never. Something bad is going to happen
when she does come here and the only way we can prepare for it is to make sure
Cian, Brianna, and especially Xavier are on our side. Dad, I know this is going
to sound crazy, but I just had a dream and for whatever reason, I know that
they need to come here, now. Tonight.”

Liam looks at Chloe and
knows that he has to go along with whatever she says. He looks at his dad and
granddad. They nod their heads in agreement. “Okay. Call them.”

“I don’t think that’s a
good idea if you don’t want Selene finding out,” Marcus says.

“I agree. I’ll text
Cian and hopefully he will be somewhere where he can read it alone.” She waits
anxiously for a full three minutes for his response. When she finally gets it,
she smiles at her family and says, “He agreed to meet us tonight. I need to
pick them up at the school at 8:00.”

Liam stops her and says
that he will go to town to pick them up. Alone. He reasons that Selene could
have discovered the plan and set up some kind of trap. “After last night, it’s obvious that she won’t
hesitate to go after you three. At least I can scope out the scene and will be
prepared if anything happens.”

Chloe doesn’t argue
with her dad and she certainly does not want to run into Selene Silvan anytime
soon, especially after the dream she just had.

“So what’s the plan?”
Rowan asks.

“We tell them the
truth,” Chloe says. “We tell them everything we know.”

Peter, Marcus, and Liam
are about to protest when Chloe holds up her hand and says, “Please, hear me
out before you say anything.” They agree and she explains to everyone that her
abilities are getting stronger. She tells them about her naps that give her
glimpses of the future. GG Peter interrupts and says, “It’s a sort of
meditation — you quiet your mind enough to see.”

“Yes, I agree that is
what’s happening,” Chloe says, “but I think it is becoming stronger because of
Cian Silvan. You know we have a couple of classes together, that we strangely
enough have been partnered up in and,” she blushes and pauses knowing that this
won’t go over well, “We’ve been texting each other since the first day we met.”

She looks around at the
surprised looks on her family’s faces. Before anyone can say anything, she
says, “I’m sorry, Ro and I’m sorry, Kaiden. I know we said we would tell each other
everything, but it’s all been happening so fast and it’s all innocent really.
We’re just getting to know each other better. We haven’t talked about being
witches or anything… well, until today, at the library.”

Before anyone says
anything, she continues, “I don’t want to get off track, but you have to know
that I think my abilities are getting stronger because I am communicating with
another witch — a full blown, practicing witch.”

Liam looks at Rowan and
Kaiden and then asks, “Have you noticed anything different about yourselves?”

They both shake their
heads and Rowan says, “
But,
we
have not been talking to the Silvans, other than today at the
library, right, Kaiden?” Kaiden nods his head in agreement.

Chloe hears the hurt in
Rowan’s voice, and drops her eyes from her. She feels bad that she kept a
secret this big from her sister, especially since they have just started getting
along again. Rather than acknowledging her sister’s comment, Chloe continues,
“As you know, I was doing research long before we found out that we are
witches. I learned that witches are stronger when around other witches or in a
coven, which is why I think my abilities are getting stronger. I was thinking
that if we bring Xavier, Cian, and Brianna into our fold, into our lives, maybe
it would help both Kaiden and Rowan’s abilities to manifest. I’m hoping that by
telling them the truth, we will be able to convince them to side with us when
this thing with Selene goes down.”

“What thing with
Selene?” Rowan asks.

Chloe shakes her head,
“I honestly don’t know yet, but I know that something is going to happen and
it’s going to happen soon. I haven’t actually seen it, but I can feel a…
dark energy… and I know she is the source of it.”

“Not to sound stupid,”
Kaiden says, “But, if being around witches makes us stronger, then wouldn’t it
be smart to spend time around Selene, too? Since they are witches, she has to
be one too, right, and she’s a lot older, so…”

GG Peter interrupts and
emphatically says, “No! NO!” They all look up, surprised at how vehemently he
answers Kaiden’s question.

“No,” Chloe continues a
little more calmly than her great grandfather, “You are right that Selene
probably is a witch, and we all know that something is off about her, but I
think I have it figured out. I think Selene is practicing black magic. I think you
were right, Dad. I don’t think her intentions are pure and although I haven’t
quite figured out what she wants, I do know that she is going after it the
wrong way.”

Peter is surprised at
how much Chloe knows, but rather than say anything about it he pinches himself as
a reminder to keep his damn mouth shut.

Liam sees where Chloe
is going so he asks, “Is it safe to assume you don’t think the kids are
practicing black magic?”

Chloe pauses before
answering, trying to figure out how to explain something she can only sense. “I
am sure of Cian and Brianna, but Xavier… I’m not sure of.”

“So why wouldn’t we
just invite Cian and Brianna up to the house and not Xavier?” Kaiden asks.

“Because of me,” Rowan
says, surprised. “It’s because of me, isn’t it, Chloe? He has to come here
because you think he will be the one to draw out my abilities?”

Chloe looks at her
sister and nods. “Yes, Rowan. But that’s only a part of it,” she says quickly so
that Rowan doesn’t think too hard about it. “I also think that Xavier is being
…” she pauses to find the right word and finally settles on “corrupted.
Yeah, I think Selene is corrupting Xavier, encouraging him to practice black
magic. I think that right now he is standing on the precipice and could fall
either way. I think we, but more specifically, you, Rowan, can save him.”

“No pressure or
anything,” Rowan responds sarcastically.

“Okay, well, I think
it’s worth a shot,” Marcus says. Liam nods his head in agreement and asks,
“When you talked to them at the library, did they actually admit to being
witches?”