Leo's fingers intertwined with mine, and he looped them over me, pulling me to his side on the back porch swing. Our hands settled on the dip of my waist as I settled into his chest.
"Did you manage to talk to Coach?" he asked.
"No… I did speak to Tiffany, though," I replied.
"Oh?"
"Hm."
I thought it strange. The way she was speaking made it seem like the new healer had no luck in her predicament. The keyword 'might' kept ringing in my head. She had no faith in the healer's ability, and her wolf only spoke one word to me, which was after provoking.
I relayed my thoughts to Leo. I looked up, seeing his eyes shifting. He was thinking.
Crash.
The sound of glass breaking startled us both. Springing up, I spied the patio door half off its hinges. The glass plane smashed, and a sheepish Alex is holding a now broken door handle. The door had broken in two.
"Alex? Are you hurt?" I asked cautiously, gingerly stepping forward.
Alex was frozen in place. The door handle was shaking with his hand. All he held was an empty frame that once held glass. All he could do was nod slowly.
"What happened?" Leo asked behind me, looking at my brother.
"I – I don't know. I just pulled it… maybe a little too hard…?"
I turned my worried face away from him to Leo. Leo looked calm and, stepping over the threshold, took the empty door frame from Alex with both hands and leaned it onto the wall to check over my brother.
Crimson magic trailed from my hands, flooded the glass on the floor and snaked up the broken door. I whispered, "Restorignum."
The door reversed in time, fixing itself and stitching the glass back together; the plastic groaned as it reattached hinges to the doorway. The red faded to pink. The door was back and whole like nothing had ever happened.
Leo inspected the minor cuts on Alex's hand. Blood rushed and nearly poured from his hand, but the cuts were not severe.
"Soona." Leo's blue magic covered Alex's hand.
Alex was much calmer now. He whispered, "What's wrong with me?"
My shoulders relaxed, "Nothing, Alex. This is probably your body's way of preparing."
"Preparing for what?"
"I assume Enmagica."
"But." His face was confused, "We are fire witches… I should be hot, feverish, setting things on fire… Not breaking things."
I looked to Leo; I, too, thought the same thing.
"I don't know," I admitted, "Don't forget, this is the first time in a long while we've had a late bloomer," I said, stepping closer to him.
Alex shook his head and turned away. My heart panged in my chest, seeing my little brother hurting and ashamed. I blinked back tears as he climbed the stairs. Leo's hand rubbed my back soothingly.
_____________
Sooty came out of hiding from under the table. Jumping down, he weaved through my legs.
"Your mum said something about your grandma predicting Alex's late Enmagica…" Leo trailed off, "Maybe she put in other details?" he said, bending down to pick Sooty up.
The fluffy black cat relaxed and purred with the chin scratches, the pendant necklace still around his neck. Leo was right; perhaps Grandma Greenwood noted more than just a small prediction. I sprung up to kiss him on the cheek before going to the cupboard. I knew he was following me.
_____________
Whilst flicking through Grandma Greenwood's book, I noticed her predictions were not only detailed… but scarily correct.
She predicted down to the date my father died when I would meet Leo, the vampire chasing us, to the detailed encounter at the Abbey. The only thing she had gotten incorrect was Bristlecast's – instead calling her Blackspit.
I was stunned. Yet…
'Where is Alex's prediction?'
She seemed very methodical, having separate sections for each of us. I flipped towards the back. There, Alex's section popped up. I skim-read in my own world. His birthday, his weight. First tooth. What he would look like, and at the end of the page, I found it. The one sentence I was searching for:
Enmagica. He will be a late bloomer.
I turned the page to continue reading.
It was blank.
"What?" I murmured, bewildered.
"Hm?" Leo put Sooty on the table and leaned over.
I flicked back and forth as if, magically, it would return.
"Try a spell…?" Leo guessed.
I did. Revelora, any Irish spells, even the necklace. Nothing.
I inspected in between the pages, looking for a password. Instead, I found the ridged and torn edges. The pages had been ripped out.
Leo placed his hand on the page, "Restorigum?"
I held my breath, but the pages did not appear.
"Worth a try…" I sighed, "Well, we are on our own."
"Hm, your family loves keeping secrets."
I rolled my eyes, "Too damn much."
I did begin to wonder what was being hidden. Surely, the lack of explanation means that Alex's Enmagica goes smoothly. No news is good news…?
But a sinister uneasiness settled in my stomach. Was there a secret someone wanted to keep hidden?
I shook my head. If that were the case, most pages around the abbey and the witch would also be torn out.
I sighed and closed the book.
______________
"We need to talk about Bistlecast," Leo said, almost ominously.
We had returned to the outside swing, resuming our previous position. Leo no longer wished to call her 'Mother' or 'Morgan', instead opting for her working name.
"Go on," I encouraged.
"You know I don't like this," he stated, looking down at me.
"I know, but we have no choice now. We are stuck in a rut again," I said sadly.
His head fell onto the cushioned back, "Why must this be complicated? I wish we could just run…"
"Run?"
"Hm, leave it all behind and go. Not have to worry about you dying at any second,
"I want to grow old with you," he admitted, looking down at me and squeezing me closer.
His kiss dropped onto my head as my eyes watered. I buried my head into his shoulder.
I wished the same. I yearned for it. No worrying, no anxiety. I wanted to grow old with him. Knowing that it wouldn't be an option frightened me. I breathed to steady my swirling thoughts and uneasy feelings. His hand pulled away from mine, and he held me tightly. We were tired, frustrated, stressed, and… lost.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"Nah. It's okay. Thoughts going wild again…" I muttered into his shirt.
"Anyways," I said, pulling back slightly, "Bistlecast?"
It was his turn to sigh, "Hm. I hate to say it, but your right. We must see her… but it might take longer than a weekend. It's a long way to Scotland."
"Do you think a week? October half term?"
"Possibly… I will have to send her a letter," he groaned, pinching between his eyebrows.
"I don't mind doing it," I offered.
"No. I want to keep you safe… as far away from her as possible."
I kept silent, looking at his face, "Alright," I yielded for now.
"It might even have to be Christmas break…" he groaned again, putting a hand over his face and rubbing his eyes.
"At least we will have each other," I pointed out, leaning back into him.
He kissed my forehead and agreed, "We could make it a little trip before seeing her."
My eyes lit up at the thought.
"Scotland is beautiful when it snows," he smiled, "It would be even more beautiful with you there," Leo cheesed.
_______________
I pulled the thick blanket around us. We had shifted to the living room floor in front of the warm fire. I sat between his legs while he leaned closer to me. I balanced him by leaning back.
"Didn't you say something about calling a wolf?"
"Whoops!" I spoke.
I pulled out the little written note and my phone from under the blanket. Before it fell completely, Leo grabbed both sides and bear-hugged me close while I typed the number.
The number didn't ring long before Tiffany's voice came through the speaker.
"Hello?"