The Witches Legacy

Chapter 9

CALLIE

Claude moves toward me, and I dodge, only to get my ass thrown back and hit a nearby tree. I slam into it hard and fall right on my ass with a groan.

Damn, this training session was more brutal than the last. I couldn't count how many times I have landed on my ass in the last few hours.

I scrunch up my nose, staring at the man. "Hey!" I muttered. "Supposed to be a training session, not trying to get one up on me."

Claude chuckled and walked over to me with his hand stretched out for me to take. I placed my hand in his and groaned. "Damn, that hurt," I said, looking at him.

"Well, you were meant to use your power," he said. "You are meant to stop that from happening."

Staring at him, I felt my stomach churn.

My power.

That was one thing that kept me from being with the rest of the witches. I had a rare kind of magic, and it was very unpredictable. Normally, Claude would never ask me to use my magic unless it was for training purposes, but today, I wasn't exactly feeling the spirit of using it.

The way I was feeling, I was having a hard time with my emotions, and sometimes my emotions would affect how my power is.

My eyes looked around until they landed on Claude, who stared back. "You okay?" he asked. "You don't seem to be focusing on training. It is like you are elsewhere today."

I let out a sigh. I didn't want to tell him about my council meeting earlier.

"Nothing," I said. "I'm just in the right headspace for this."

Claude stared at me for a moment. "Does this have to do with the meeting you went to earlier?" he asked, making me frown. "How did you know I had a meeting this morning?"

"Well, you know how this coven talks," he grumbled. His eyes stayed on me for a moment before he sighed. "How about we train tomorrow instead? We can ask Sienna to join in and maybe help with some new techniques to see if they can help you with your magic."

I said nothing, only giving him a slight nod.

As much as I would love to have my friend here, sometimes it was still hard to be myself around her.

Claude smiled and looked over at the gate to the garden. "Speak of the devil, and she appears," he said, nodding toward the gate. I looked over and spotted Sienna coming toward us with a smile.

"I will see you tomorrow," he said, walking past and giving Sienna a brief nod.

Sienna came over to me and grinned. "How did training go?" she asked. "I know I was supposed to be here, but we all had an assembly in school about the school emerging with the one in the pack. It is supposed to be amazing."

My heart sank, knowing that everyone else would go but me. I still had to wait.

I open my mouth to speak, only to spot Shadow approaching me. Knowing him, Phoebe must have kicked him out while she made us food. I sat down where we stood, and Sienna did the same.

Shadow approached us and plopped down by me, placing his head on my lap.

I looked at Sienna, who was looking at Shadow. "He seems to be getting big," she said, looking back at me. She stared for a moment before she spoke again. "Do you know if you can go to school with us in the pack?"

I stared at her and sighed. "I was at the council earlier," I muttered. "They are going to figure out what to do with me. But there is no word."

Sienna's face softened. "I hate that you have to go through this," she said, placing his hand on Shadow's paw and giving him a tap.

My eyes moved to Shadow, who looked up at me and grunted, which only made me let out a slight laugh. He hated it when she did that.

"So do I," I said. "I wish I could be normal and have the same magic as everyone else. I would love to feel normal and not the freak or a side project of the council members."

"Don't say stuff like that," Sienna said, making me look at her as she continued. "You are special."

I huff.

"Special," I muttered. "No one will talk to me. The only friend I have is you. Everyone thinks I am something that they trod in."

Anger swirled inside me, thinking about how the witches thought around her about me. Many times I have wanted to leave, but because of my age, it was hard.

"They fear the not knowing," Sienna said. "It doesn't help that the council has kept you hidden and kept you away from them all. You should have been in school with us, not being homeschooled by your aunt and grandmother."

I said nothing.

"You know there are some weirdos in school," Sienna said with a smile.

I look away, not feeling like talking about the other witches.

As on cue, Phoebe's voice echoes from the gate. "Callie!" she calls. "Dinner is ready."

Looking back at Sienna, I smiled. "Are you going to join us?" I asked.

Sienna smiled.

"I can't," she said. "I have to go shopping with my mother for school supplies."

We both got up and stood.

Sienna hugged me and pulled back, keeping her hands on my arms. "I will see you later tomorrow," she said. "Maybe we can do something."

I smiled.

"Sure," I said.

Sienna let go of me and looked at Phoebe, who smiled. I looked down to see Shadow standing next to me. His head nudged my side, letting me know he wanted food, too.

We all walked away and headed to the gate. Sienna waved goodbye and walked away while we headed back into the house.

When we got inside, I could smell beef casserole—my favorite. It was the only thing that could keep me warm in the winter. We went into the kitchen, where the table was set. There were only two place settings, not three.

Phoebe looked at me and smiled. "Sit and eat," she said, moving around the kitchen and grabbing a big bowl. I watched as she placed it on the floor and looked up at me with a smile. "I couldn't let him starve, could I?"

I stifle a chuckle, placing my hand over my mouth.

Shadow moved away from me and tucked into the bowl. Moving toward the table, I sat down and ate. Phoebe joined me and did the same.

There was no conversation for a few moments, but my curiosity got the best of me. "Where's grandmother?" I asked, making her stop and drop her spoon into the bowl. Her eyes met mine. "She won't be back until later this evening. She had some errands to do."

I stared at her. I knew when she lied, and this was one of them. Where the hell was my grandmother?

My mouth opens but closes when she speaks again. "How about we watch a film?" she asked, moving her head to the side. "I know today was weird for you. You can choose, and I will make the popcorn."

Phoebe glanced down and looked at Shadow. "Even the big fur ball can sit with us," she said, making Shadow look at her and grunt. He hated it when she called him names.

"Okay," I said. "But I want to wait until grandmother gets in."

Something about this has to do with what happened at the council meeting. It had to be. The council always did this when it came to me, dragging my grandmother into something. This time, I wanted to know the truth, and that would mean someone better tell me what was going on, or a screaming teenager would be the least of their worries.

My magic was rearing to go, and I could feel it brewing.

Phoebe said nothing but gave me a slight nod.

I needed to know what was going on. I wanted to know if I was going to be a normal witch or a caged one, because that's what I feel every damn time I am here. I want to be normal, or my normal, at least.