By the time darkness enveloped the small community of
Tannersville
, Mercy
’s nerves were fried.
Gran was still unaccounted for and this was definitely creepy.
She kept pacing back and forth and peering out the windows as though this might has
ten Gran's return.
Mercy
tried to carry on as usual
,
though she
had the even creepier feeling that
someone was watching her. She did her homework and made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, but it was the first time since she had come to live with Gran that she had eaten alone.
She really didn’t want the sandwich, but felt compelled to eat it
because she knew it would please Gran
.
She washed her few dishes and put them away.
The house seemed ominously empty without Gran’s cheery chatter.
Mercy laid a fire in the fireplace and leaned against the mantle staring into the flames. She wasn’t cold, but the warmth of the fire offered some comfort.
Alistair
meowed and twined around her legs. She stretched down to rub his ears and saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly, but no one was there.
A chill skittered up her spine.
“Hello?” she called softly but her voice came back to mock her. Only the crackling of the fire
could be heard in the solitude.
Alistair
abandoned her and made his little mew of greeting
that
he usually saved for Gran. He walked toward the kitchen, his tail
curled
at the tip.
“Where are you off to, you silly cat?”
she called after him, b
ut he didn’t answer.
Not that she expected him to.
Mercy followed him into the kitchen. The fat black
feline
stretched up on his back
legs and pawed at the tabletop.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on alert as her gaze lit on a single sheet of paper sitting squarely in the center of the table. She hadn’t noticed it when she
did her homework or
ate her dinner
. And she was sure it wasn’t there
when she cleared her dishes. But somehow, a page with her grandmother’s handwriting sat right in the
big fat middle
.
Mercy
pulled out a chair and collapsed into it
before her rubbery knees gave way. She
star
ed
at her Gran’s familiar handwriting.
S
wallow
ing
hard
, she
tried to focus on the spidery letters before her.
Dearest Mercy,
I was called away and may not be back for some time. Please carry on in my absence. Do not tell anyone or they will send you to the
orpha
n’s home
and I will not be able to protect you
there
.
Rest
assured that I am watching over you.
I suggest you start
reading some of the books in
the library.
There are things you need to know.
Be on guard at all times because things are not as they seem.
Love, Gran
Mercy read the words over and over again. Her grandmother had left her on her own, and expected her to keep it a secret, for some reason she couldn’t fathom.
Why? Why? There must be something else.
Her fingers shook when
she
reached for the letter
.
The moment
she
touched the paper, she was filled with a warm feeling. Her fears evaporated and she felt her Gran’s presence. She clutched it to her chest and the warmth
enveloped her like an embrace.
Something weird was going on, but she had
no idea what it was. And, though Gran’s note was comforting, the cryptic message left her with more questions than answers. The loudest one screamed in her head.
Gran, where are you?
Mercy
changed into her pajamas
, but felt too anxious to
go to bed
. She read the letter over again, wondering what Gran was referring to as ‘the library’. She inspected the only books in the house and found two romance paperbacks, a dictionary, a couple of cookbooks
,
and a journal of some kind. She leafed through one of the romances and a heady perfume filled the room.
Sweet!
Gran must have pressed
one of her
scented hankie
s
between the pages. She sniffed it and a vision of Greg’s grinning face appeared in her head.
She sniffed again and heard his laugh
ter
.
Smiling, she closed the book.
There’s more to these romance novels than I thought.
The cookbook
s
w
ere
handwritten. No illustrations. Just words. Mercy put
them
aside and picked up the journal. She opened it carefully and saw it was filled with Gran’s handwriting. She started at the back. The last
entry was dated three days ago.
She read the single page, and the skin on the back of her neck tingled. Her grandmother’s words were like a slap in the face. It read
: Tell Mercy she’s
a witch and start her lessons.
She stared at the words, reading them over and over again.
I’m a witch?
What?
Mercy closed the journal and then opened it
again
. She read the
message
once more
, hoping that she had somehow misread. But no, the words screamed in front of her.
She’s
a witch
!
Her stomach seized up and she felt lightheaded. She t
ried to draw a breath…couldn’t.
What’s going on? Why has Gran abandoned me?
Why does she think I’m a witch?
Tears prickled her eyes
,
but she brushed them away.
Is this some kind of a joke?
I’m not
a witch
…
She carried the journal to her bed and climbed between the sheets. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Confused and anxious, she lay awake for some time, wishing Gran were home to comfort her.
When sleep finally overtook her, her brain was filled with dark and frighteningly real dreams.
~*~
CHAPTER TWO
The next day, Mercy got up and dressed for school. She
felt groggy and dull
,
but
brushed her hair to a high shine and pulled it
up
with
a scrunch
y
. She fed
Alistair
and the chickens before making
a slice of toast for herself.
Although she felt like a robot, moving through the familiar morning routine
,
it wasn’t the same without her grandmother’s stream of cheery chatter. S
he
completed her tasks and managed to
arrive a
t the end of the lane
ahead of
Kelli
.
Mrs. O’Grady, their neighbor called to her. “Hello, Mercy. I didn’t see Lavinia yesterday. Is she okay?”
Mercy nodded, and craned her neck to see
Kelli
’s
car
heading down the lane.
Come on!
“Because, I didn’t notice her working in the yard at all.” Mrs. O’Grady leaned over the picket fence. “I could make her some nice soup if she’s feeling under the weather.”
Her eyebrows were
raised and she looked worried.
“No, Ma’am. She’s fine. She went into the city early this morning.”
Mercy felt a twinge of conscious as she uttered the lie. But she remembered her grandmother’s instructio
n to keep her absence a secret.
Mrs.
O looked pointedly at the s
edan sitting under the carport.
Mercy felt a blush creeping up her neck. “Um…A friend picked her up really early.”
Kelli
’s car
was getting closer and slowed with a
squeal of brakes
. Mercy turned to give Mrs. O’Grady a finger wave before scrambling
into the car and closing the door harder than she intended
.
Felicity
was already sitting in her accustomed seat
in the back
with her cello beside her.
Felicity leaned forward. “
Is your
grandmother
still okay with Greg taking you to the dance, because you can always ride with Kel and me if she won't let you go on a car date?
”
Mercy turned in the seat to face her. “
Do what
?”
Kelli
snorted. “
Don't be ridiculous. Why would Mercy want to ride with us when she could be with Mister Fabulosity?"
She flashed
her
metallic grin. “
Just sayin’…
Let Mercy enjoy the moment.
”
Felicity made a grunting noise. "All I meant is...What if Greg tries something? I mean he has the cheerleaders falling at his feet. And Lindy Boyd has been throwing herself at him for ages. I mean, if she tosses her hair and jingles that damned charm bracelet one more time, I will absolutely puke."
Mercy digested everything Felicity had said. She couldn't find any reason why Greg would ask her to the dance instead of one of the cheerleaders.
Instead of Lindy Boyd
. Lindy was
attractive
enough when she wasn't sneering and making rude comments. And she was the Mayor's daughter, so she pretty much ruled
the
school the way her dad ruled the town.
It was just one more
unfair aspect of Mercy's life.
"Do you think Greg would try to...?"
Kel let out a snort of laughter. "He's a guy isn't he?"
"Yes, but..." She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it wasn't that.
Kelli
turned into the school parking lot. “Don’t worry. We’ll be there in case you need us.” She parked and swung her door open.
"I can teach you some karate moves." She mimed an exaggerated defensive
pose.
With
Kelli
’s dire warning ringing in her ears, Mercy climbed out of the car and tromped up the steps behind her best friends. She went to her locker and shoved her backpack inside, only taking her book and homework for first period. She closed her locker and ga
ve the combination lock a spin.
Lindy
and her friends were
huddled
together
in the crowded hallway
. She looked up to make a face
at Mercy as she squeezed past.
And then there was Greg.
He
flashed a grin. “Hey Mercy.” He looked great. His hair was still damp from the shower and he was wearing his dark blue
hoodie
. It was her favorite.
“Hey Greg.” Her voice came out a whisper. She smiled shyly and
went to her class,
slipp
ing
into her seat beside
Felicity
. She hoped Gran would return by the time she got home from school.
She got through each of her classes, but her mind was on
her grandmother
.
In Gym class,
Lindy
threw the basketball right at her. “Heads up,
Brainiac
!
Look where you’re going.” She laughed her
totally dumb
donkey bray laugh and her friends joined in
, Becca squawking like a goose and Amy making little clucking noises with her tongue
.
Mercy felt her
cheeks redden
. “You don’t have to be so mean!”
Lindy
made whining sounds, mocking her words. Becca snorted derisively and Amy just
smirk
ed.
“I hope you all get what you deserve
!
” Mercy tried not to cry, but tears filled her eyes. She took a deep breath, turning away before they rolled down her cheeks. The basketball bounced off her head as the entire class burst into laughter.
She
ran out of the gym and changed
back into
her
school clothes
. When the bell rang, she hurried to
homeroom,
her last class, embarrassed and angry, wishing she was far away.
Mostly wishing
Lindy
, Amy and Becca were far away.