wicked witches 08.6 - a witch in time (8 page)

“There’s comfort in familiarity,” I offered.

“My Tillie says that when she wants to win an argument,” Calvin said. “I guess your Tillie does, too.”

“How do we wake her?” I asked. “When we find her, I mean, how do we wake her? We can’t even wake ourselves.”

“That’s because you’re not meant to leave yet,” Calvin replied. “When you’re meant to leave, you’ll know it. You have a job to do first.”

“Wake Aunt Tillie,” I surmised. “I don’t know how to do that, though. You have to help me.”

“I can’t help you,” Calvin said. “You have to do this one on your own. There’s a reason you’re the one she called here. I’m not sure she realized she was doing it. It doesn’t matter now. You have to do this now. There are no other options.”

“Do what?” I was beyond confused.

“Don’t let her stay here, Bay,” Calvin said, repeating a mantra that was starting to grow wearying. “It’s very important.”

“Okay,” I said. “Tell me where she is and I’ll figure out a way to wake her.”

“She’s right over there,” Calvin said, inclining his chin.

This time when I focused on the trees I could see her. She was hiding in the shadows, her face unreadable, but there she was. “Can she see us?”

“Of course.”

“Will she listen to me?”

“Of course not,” Calvin said. “You’re stronger than you know, Bay. I believe you can do what needs to be done if you set your mind to it. Rely on Captain Kirk here. He’ll help you. When your strength fails, his won’t. When his strength fails, yours won’t. That’s why you’re such a good match.”

“Like you and Aunt Tillie?” I had no idea why I asked the question.

“Exactly like us,” Calvin said. “Now go. She needs you.”

LANDON
remained close but let me take the lead as we moved toward Aunt Tillie, sticking his finger through my belt loop to make sure we weren’t separated. He was terrified of being jolted into separate memories. I didn’t think that would happen, but I couldn’t promise him that it wouldn’t so I let him be.

Aunt Tillie leveled her gaze at me when we approached. “What are you doing here, Bay?”

“You brought me here,” I said. “You brought both of us here. Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

“How did I bring you here?” Aunt Tillie looked legitimately puzzled.

“I don’t know for sure,” I said. “I think you did it subconsciously, because we were asleep in the hospital room with you. I know it hurt getting hit on the head, but you can go back now. The doctors have you on pain medication. It will be okay.”

“I’m good here.”

“But … you need to go home,” I argued. “I’m sure everyone is terrified waiting for you. We need you to wake up.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Bay,” Aunt Tillie said, focusing on Calvin. “You’re an adult now. Your mothers needed me when they were young, but they’re good. You guys never needed me. I think I’m going to stay here.”

I frowned. “No, you’re not.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Aunt Tillie said, snapping her eyes to me. “This is my mind. These are my memories. I want to stay here.”

“But … why?”

“Because it’s better here,” Aunt Tillie replied, shrugging. “Calvin is here. Ginger is here. You’ll be fine without me.”

“Don’t say that,” I hissed. “We’re not better off without you. We need you.”

“You have Landon,” Aunt Tillie said. “He’s your Calvin. You should understand what I’m telling you.”

I exchanged a brief look with Landon, but he didn’t have a solution either. “Aunt Tillie … .”

“Aunt Tillie, you need to go home with us,” Landon interjected. “Calvin told us to come get you. He says it’s not your time. He’ll still be here when it is your time. Until then, you’re needed at home.”

“This is my home now,” Aunt Tillie said, taking a step away. “You two need to wake up and get out of my mind. You’re giving me a migraine with all the arguing.”

“Did you break Landon’s code?” I asked, going for levity. I was desperate to keep her engaged in the conversation.

Aunt Tillie snorted. “Yeah. I can’t figure out how he became a Fed.”

“Hey! This isn’t about me,” Landon snapped. “You need to come with us.” He reached to grab Aunt Tillie’s arm with his free hand and missed. She was already gone, the spot in which she stood only seconds before now empty. “Where did she go?”

“Oh, no,” I muttered, the world tilting again. “Wherever it is, we’re going with her.”

“Hang on,” Landon said, pulling me tight against his chest. “It will be over soon.”

I knew he meant the trip to a new memory, but my worry was more important things would be over soon. We would only be left to sleep for so long before someone woke us. If that happened, would Aunt Tillie remain behind forever?

Crying isn’t good for anything. The only time you should cry is if you’re manipulating someone, lying, trying to get out of a ticket, pretending you’re upset when someone dies even though you really want to dance on their grave, someone cancels your favorite show, you stub your toe, someone steals your pot and wine, or when watching “E.T. The Extraterrestrial.” Those are the only times crying is acceptable.

– Aunt Tillie trying to get Clove to stop crying

Seven

Landon absorbed the bulk of the jolt when we landed this time, groaning under my added weight.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, running my hand down his cheek. “Did I break your back?”

Landon smirked. “I think I’ll survive,” he said, gingerly pushing me up so he could run his hand over his back. “I’m going to kill that woman once we get her to wake up, though. I think she’s doing it on purpose.”

“Still, let me see,” I said, digging my fingers into the tender spot at the base of his back and causing him to moan. “At least I know the way to your heart. If I wrapped myself in bacon and massaged you every day, I can pretty much guarantee you would never leave me.”

“The bacon and massages are just a bonus,” Landon clarified. “I won’t leave you because of you.”

I sighed as I sat behind him and rubbed, chuckling at his muted groans. I wasn’t sure where we were. We appeared to be on the ground again, but there was no sight of the house or of any Hemlock Cove – or Walkerville, for that matter – landmarks to give me an idea of where we landed. “What do you think about what Aunt Tillie said?”

“I don’t know,” Landon replied, his head hanging as I worked out the kinks in his sore muscles. “Oh, keep doing that. You’re right. I’m yours forever.”

I snickered. “All we’re missing is you doing that leg thing dogs do when you find their sweet spot.”

Landon half-heartedly jerked his leg. He was trying to bolster my spirits. I offered him a wan smile for the effort. “I’m worried,” I admitted. “I’ve never seen Aunt Tillie so … lost.”

“Bay, I don’t know what to tell you,” Landon said. “I think we’re here to make sure she goes back, but she’s fighting the effort. I can’t say I blame her.”

My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Why?”

“Calvin was the love of her life,” Landon answered. “She never got over losing him. He’s here. If I lost you … well … I don’t consider myself a defeatist, but I can’t say I wouldn’t want to stay with you if I found you after the fact.”

It was a sweet sentiment. It was also a little morbid. “Do you think about losing me often?”

Landon shrugged. “I worry you’re going to get in over your head,” he answered. “I like you just the way you are, but you find trouble all of the time. I would be lying if I said it didn’t worry me.”

“I worry about you the same way.”

“I know you do,” Landon said, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “That’s why I don’t press you on this stuff. We both chose our lives. We both chose to share our lives. Things aren’t going to change. We have to do the best we can with the lives we’ve chosen to live. That’s how it is for us.”

“I’ve never heard you this … calm … when talking about stuff like this.”

“That’s because I can’t help myself when you’re in danger,” Landon explained. “I’m always going to go out of my way to save you. I’m going to get angry when I think you’re doing something stupid. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It doesn’t mean I’m unhappy.”

“Are you happy?”

“Oh, I love it when we have deep conversations in a fantasy world. Have I ever told you that?”

“That wasn’t an answer,” I prodded. “If you’re unhappy … .”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Bay,” Landon warned. “I’m very happy. If I wasn’t happy, we wouldn’t be together. I’m not thrilled when you and your cousins run off into danger without thinking about the consequences, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”

“That’s a really nice thing to say.”

“Yes, well, I’m the best guy in the world,” Landon said, wrinkling his nose as I rolled my eyes. “Besides, Bay, how would I find another woman who magically smells and tastes like bacon from time to time? You’re a keeper.”

“Ha, ha,” I intoned, giving his back one more solid rub before pushing myself up on my knees and scanning the area. “I don’t recognize this place.”

“You don’t?” Landon cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Look again.”

I frowned. “Do you know where we are?”

“Yup.” Instead of telling me, Landon wrapped his arm around my waist while I scanned the unfamiliar terrain. I glanced down to find his head resting against my chest, his eyes pressed shut. He looked exhausted.

“Do you need a nap?”

“Bay, if I could find a way to crawl into bed with you and wait this out, I would,” Landon replied. “That’s not a possibility, though, so I’m just taking comfort in you for a few minutes before the next memory bonks us over the head.”

“Or back,” I said, earning a grin when he lifted his face.

“Or back,” Landon conceded. “I love you dearly, woman, but you can’t land on me again. You’re tiny, but that hurt.”

“You can land on me next time.”

“I would rather not kill you.”

“I don’t think we can die here,” I said, pursing my lips. I still couldn’t figure out where we were and it drove me crazy thinking Landon knew Hemlock Cove locations better than I did. “We’re not really here. Our minds are, but our bodies are still in the hospital. We’ll be okay.”

“I know we’ll be okay,” Landon said. “That doesn’t mean this doesn’t hurt. I don’t want to risk dying and testing your theory. Let’s try to stay out of imminent peril if we can help it.”

“Okay,” I said, running my fingers through his hair as he hugged me. “Landon?”

“Hmm?”

“You have to tell me where we are because otherwise I’ll have a nervous breakdown,” I said. “Seriously, I have no idea where we are. How can you recognize this place? It looks like a bunch of trees.”

“I’ve searched the property behind The Overlook for you a time or two,” Landon answered. “This is the spot below the incline that leads to the bluff. I recognize it, but there are more trees in this period.”

I jerked my head to the side, exhaling heavily when I realized he was right. “Oh, of course! I didn’t recognize the slope with that forested area. That was gone long before we popped into existence.”

“If you haven’t noticed, we’re moving in chronological order,” Landon supplied. “We saw Aunt Tillie as a small child first … then as a teenager … and then on her wedding day. When do you think we are now?”

“How should I know?”

“What’s out at the bluff, Bay?” Landon pressed

“Do you know something I don’t?” I asked. That didn’t seem possible, but he almost seemed resigned.

“I know what’s on the far side of the bluff,” Landon answered. “It was the first thing I noticed when you took me up there after we started dating. I pointed something out to you and you very reluctantly explained it to me. Do you remember what that was?”

I racked my brain. “I … don’t remember. I remember taking a walk with you. If you must know, though, my heart was pounding really hard because you were holding my hand and I thought we might do some kissing. That was long before we kissed on a regular basis.”

Landon snorted. “You’re so annoyingly cute sometimes,” he said. “I was nervous that night, too. I have no idea why, looking back on the situation. It was a great night. However, you took me to the bluff from this direction. You told me you guys rarely access the bluff from this direction for a reason. What was that reason?”

“Oh,” I intoned, realization dawning. “Grandma Ginger’s ashes were scattered on this side.”

“And you have a simple marker for her just on the other side of those trees,” Landon said. “I can’t remember anyone from your family coming out to this specific site other than that night. I’ve looked for you a few times – I’ve seen the marker on each occasion – but no one ever comes out here.”

“I think it makes people too sad.”

“Well, Aunt Tillie didn’t seem as if her head was in a good place when we saw her last,” Landon pointed out. “I think it’s entirely possible that triggered a sad memory. What’s sadder than Ginger dying?”

“Uncle Calvin dying.”

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Landon said. “Didn’t he live for several years after Ginger died?”

The timeline was murky in my head, but I knew Uncle Calvin lived long enough to see my mother and aunts marry, because he walked all of them down the aisle. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

“I have to redeem myself after you were right about us not time traveling,” Landon said. “I should’ve known that because the cut on your cheek is gone. That means we’re not really here, despite how much it hurts.”

“You weren’t wrong,” I clarified. “You were excited to think you might be in a
Star Trek
episode.”

Landon scowled. “Make all the fun you want, little missy,” he said. “I’m buying one of those short costume dresses and making you parade around in it while calling me ‘captain’ before everything is said and done.”

Sadly, that sounded more fun than horrible. “I want a blue one. I look terrible in red.”

Landon smirked. “Done,” he said, extending his hand. “Let’s go to a funeral, shall we?”

We were quiet as we made our way to the top of the bluff, being careful to skirt close to the trees so we didn’t intrude. Even though I knew Landon was right about the memory before we caught sight of a grieving Aunt Tillie, Uncle Calvin and the three nieces who would soon become their wards, my heart still rolled at the sight.