Shadow Witch (13 page)

“I could ride Sugar while you and Sammi and Leora sit in the carriage.”

“Give it up, Aiven,” Sammi said smugly. “Walking is good for you, anyway.” Sammi took Leora’s hand as they strolled across the grounds toward the road, and they swung their linked arms back and forth in wide arcs. Sammi glanced about the property and pursed her lips. “Where’s the playground, Mrs. Wallace?”

Evelyn gestured with one hand and said, “You’re looking at it. That big field next to the building.”

“But there aren’t any swings or anything. There’s only that picnic table under the tree.”

“The swings and other stuff will just have to wait. Rachel thinks we should build a gym, too, eventually, or at least a building the kids can run around in when the weather’s bad. I heard you get snow here sometimes in mid-winter.”

“Who’s Rachel?” Leora asked.

“She’s my daughter. Jamie’s mother.”

Her little freckled face grew thoughtful. “I never thought he had a mother.”

“Of course he does, silly,” Aiven said, walking several paces ahead of them. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“It is hard to imagine a powerful sorcerer with a family. I thought they lived by themselves and studied magic books late into the night.”

“Eddan did.” Aiven stooped to inspect something in the dirt, then stood and hurried on when they caught up to him. “Jamie told me that Eddan spent all his time in a stone tower and studied magic. But Jamie doesn’t want me to do that. He thinks I should go to school and learn about science and math and things like he did, because it shall make me a better wizard in the long run.”

“It’ll make you a better person all the way around, Aiven,” Mrs. Wallace added. “Besides, you may grow up to become something besides a wizard.”

“I am going to be a
wizard
,” he said firmly. “But I have to go to school first. Mrs. Tully said so.”

“And how about you, Leora? Why do you want to go to school?”

She didn’t answer immediately. She glanced at the ground and said, “My ma wants me to go. My pa doesn’t really want me to because he says it is a waste of time. He thinks I should be learning to cook and sew so that I can find a good husband, and there is nothing I can do with an education.”

“You could get a job,” Sammi said.

“There are not any for girls, except for being a wife. That’s what my pa says.”

Aiven turned and frowned. “That’s not true! Brinna has her very own shop. That’s her job.”

“There aren’t a lot of career opportunities here for women,” Mrs. Wallace said. “But there didn’t used to be where I’m from, either. When my mother was growing up, there were really only three, besides being a housewife. You could be a nurse or a teacher, or you could be a maid, which didn’t pay very well. Now, women can have just about any career they want, from being a lawyer to a soldier. But,” — she held up one finger — “it helps to have an education. It all starts with that.”

“But why go to the trouble if there aren’t any jobs for girls?” Leora said.

“Because the situation may change here, like it did for my mother back home. Jamie feels that it will. In fact, he wants to be part of the process. He thinks he can nudge things in the right direction and speed things along.” She pointed with her thumb back toward the school building. “And that’s going to help.”

By this time they were passing through the city gates, and Sammi said, “I want to go to school and be a teacher like Mrs. Sikes.”

“Good for you.” Evelyn turned to Leora. “If you could be anything in the world, what would that be?”

She looked at Evelyn and shrugged. Evelyn sighed and shook her head. “Okay, you kids need to stick close to me while we’re here. Let’s go see Brinna first, then we can take Leora to her mother.”

Evelyn led then through the small town, and Sammi’s eyes were wide the whole way, while Leora and Aiven seemed indifferent.

“So, what do you think, Sammi?” Mrs. Wallace said as they walked down the bustling main block at the heart of Rivershire. Shops, packed closely together, lined both sides of the street, and people were everywhere, on foot, on horseback, and riding in carriages, some of them grand four-wheel coaches with teams of matching black horses.

“It’s bigger than Bicksby.” Sammi nodded to Leora. “That’s where I’m from, and it’s only got a few little stores and a gas station, and they use the gas station for the post office, too.” She frowned and wrinkled her nose. “There’s only one traffic light, and no McDonalds or anything.”

“There are no traffic lights here,” Mrs. Wallace said. “And no fast food restaurants at all.” She stopped them in front of a shop. “That’s one of the things I like about it.” She opened the door and gestured for them to step inside. “This is it.”

“This is Brinna’s shop,” Aiven said as he passed her.

Leora followed him. “I know. I’ve been here before.”

Sammi went last with Evelyn, whose eyes were immediately drawn to something circling overhead. “A ceiling fan! And a light.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Brinna stepped from behind the long display counter that ran along one side of the store. She was a trim young woman, with light brown hair and a pretty, pleasant face. “John Paul bought it for me.”

“There’s an advantage to having a boyfriend who lives on Earth.” Evelyn chuckled and nodded approvingly. “It adds a lot to this place. It’s so much brighter now.”

“He could only afford to get one, because it requires solar panels, too. But it is enough, I think. People are coming in just to see it.” Brinna glanced up at the fan, then she seemed to notice Evelyn’s charges. “Hello, Aiven.” She smiled brightly at them. “This is a surprise, Leora. You haven’t been in here for a while.”

Leora answered with barely a nod. She and Sammi were busy inspecting the contents of the shop — the wooden toys, the clothing and hats, the cooking utensils, and more. Mrs. Wallace said, “Leora’s visiting the school today, so I brought her with us to get some lunch.”

“I don’t believe I know the other girl,” Brinna said.

“That’s Sammi. We brought her with us from Hendersonville. She’s staying with Fred for a few days.”

“Is she a friend of the family?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in a minute.” Evelyn turned to the kids and said, “Why don’t you guys look around for a few minutes while I talk to Brinna? If you’re good, I’ll buy each of you some candy when we leave.”

“Candy?” they said at once. Then they rushed to the case where the sweets were displayed, an angled shelf loaded with clear jars full of bright confections.

“Sammi is adorable,” Brinna said as they watched the kids survey the offerings. “Her eyes...they’re so big and dark.”

“She has dimples, too. She could put Melanie to shame.” Then Evelyn lowered her voice and explained Sammi’s situation to Brinna.

Brinna listened quietly with one hand on her cheek until Mrs. Wallace finished, then said, “That poor girl! What’s to become of her? Will someone take her in?”

“I think Lisa wants to,” Evelyn said, “but not Larry. Rachel and Carl are thinking about it, but it’s more complicated where we’re from. One of the families will have to become certified as foster parents, and that’s a lengthy procedure. Sammi is a good kid, though. I’ve spent a lot of time with her lately.”

Brinna turned to watch Sammi, who was still investigating the candy display. “She is so beautiful. Maybe I could take her.”

Evelyn frowned. “And look after a shop and a house by yourself?” She shook her head.

Just then, Sammi squealed, “M&Ms! Leora, Aiven, get those. They’re the best.” She looked over at Evelyn and grinned. “They have M&Ms on this world.”

Brinna laughed. “That’s because John Paul brought them to me.” She turned to Evelyn and said, “He bought a bunch of things for me in bulk at a place called Costco. Have you heard of it?”

“Certainly. What did you do about exchanging money, or did John Paul pay for it?”

“Oh, he can’t afford that, and I wouldn’t want him to pay for it. It’s my business, after all. I had to get a gold coin from the Rivershire bank, because that’s the easiest to exchange, but coming up with that much money wasn’t easy. I had to scrape up every spare copper I could find.” She smiled broadly. “But it was worth it! I have made my money back and then some. Not just on candy, but the other things he bought for me, like lipstick. You wouldn’t believe how popular that is now, since Fred and Melanie put some on those girls that bought love potions from them. I have sold out.”

“I’m afraid the girls here will never be the same. How about you? Did you keep any lipstick for yourself?”

Brinna reddened and cleared her throat. “I only wear it for John Paul.”

“How often do you see him?”

“Every weekend.” Then her face lit up. “But I have a telephone now! It is so amazing! We can talk whenever we want.”

“I bet he calls you every day.”

She seemed to redden more. “Um, sometimes twice.”

Evelyn laughed. “And still no engagement ring?”

“We have only been courting for seven weeks,” she said with a defensive look. “But I visited him at his home in Thibodaux last weekend. He says it is a modest house, but I think it is wonderful. It is right on the lake, and has a dock for fishing.”

“What about his parents? Did you meet them?”

“They are both dead. They were killed in a robbery, and that is why John Paul became a policeman.”

“I never knew that. Is he still looking for a job in Hendersonville?”

“He already interviewed with the police department there. He said he will miss fishing on the lake, but it will make it easier for him to see me if he moves.”

“Well, at least he has his priorities straight.” They both laughed. Evelyn paid for the candy and they left, with sincere pledges from the kids not to eat their M&Ms until after lunch.

Evelyn led them to the area of the market where the produce vendors sold their wares, mostly fruits and vegetables from the local farms. They found Leora’s mother there with her slat-sided wagon full of fruit, wedged between two others selling cabbages and celery. Leora begged her mother to let her stay at the school for a while longer, so she consented to pick Leora up on her way home.

Evelyn and the kids had lunch at the picnic table under the big tree by the school and then got back to their chores, Aiven assembling desks and the girls helping Mrs. Wallace sort supplies. After a while, Mrs. Wallace excused herself to the restroom, and Sammi heard a knock on the front door.

Aiven was sitting on the floor, struggling to fasten a leg to a desk. He looked up and said, “Can you see who that is?”

Sammi went to answer it, and waiting out front in the shade of the awning were two well-dressed men, one portly and the other thin and white-haired, with a pinched face like someone who’d eaten a lemon drop when they’d expected a cherry Lifesaver. Behind them was a glossy black carriage, with a matching top, hitched to a pair of black horses.

The portly man introduced himself as the mayor and his companion as a councilman, and asked to speak to Jamie. Sammi said he wasn’t in, but Mrs. Wallace was, and Sammi went to get her.

Mrs. Wallace frowned deeply when Sammi told her.

“What does that blowhard want, now?” Mrs. Wallace stomped to the front door, her fists clenched at her sides, while Sammi, Leora, and Aiven watched her go.

“Aiven, why is she mad at the mayor?” Leora asked.

“Because he keeps coming by to bother her. He really wants to talk to Jamie, but Jamie doesn’t stay here much.”

“What does the mayor want?”

“He and the other councilmen want more control over the school. They don’t have any at all, really, because it is outside of the city limits.”

“Just barely. I can see the south gates from the front door.”

“Jamie said it’s far enough, and he doesn’t want them to have any say so in how the school is run. He said they’ve had years to build their own school, and they didn’t bother to, so....” He shrugged and then looked in the direction of the door. “I wish I knew what they were saying right now.”

“Hold on,” Sammi said. “Maybe they’re still under the awning.” She faced the front of the building and concentrated, and her eyes went out of focus. Then she heard the voices.

“We’ve been over this a dozen, times, Mayor,” Mrs. Wallace said. “All major decisions about the school are made by Jamie.”

“But surely you have some influence over the young man,” the mayor said.

There was a slight pause, and then Mrs. Wallace answered, her tone exasperated, “I advise him, but he makes his own decisions.”

Sammi heard the other man’s voice, but not well enough to make the words out clearly. Then the mayor said, “When might we be able to speak with him? Does he keep regular hours?”

“Like I told you
last
time, he comes and goes, but he’s usually only here long enough to make a doorway for me to go back to Earth.”

“Yes...Earth.” He cleared his throat. “The
real
Earth, so he claims.”

“Look, I don’t care if you believe it’s Mars, but he’s not here, and I don’t know when he’ll be here for longer than sixty seconds. He’s
busy
.”

There was another pause before the mayor said, “Well, please have him come talk to us when he gets the chance. We meet every Monday and Wednesday morning around ten o’clock.”

“I’ll tell him, but I can’t promise you that he’ll come.”

“Very well. Good day, madam.”

Sammi’s eyes refocused to see Aiven and Leora gaping at her. “What just happened, Sammi?” Aiven asked.

“The mayor wants to talk to Jamie. Mrs. Wallace wasn’t making it easy for him.”

“You heard them? That’s so cool! Was that your magic?”

Sammi nodded, and Leora stared at her with her mouth open. The fair-haired girl said, “What magic?”

“She’s a witch. A Shadow Witch.”

“A...a witch? But you are so young.”

Sammi shrugged as Mrs. Wallace returned to the room, her face tight and her arms crossed.

“Mrs. Wallace!” Aiven said. “Sammi listened to you with her magic!”

“Tattletale!” Sammi said.

“What’s that mean?” Leora asked.

“Never mind, Leora,” Mrs. Wallace said, her eyes, already angry, became narrower as she looked at Sammi and put her hands on her hips. “Sammi, you know you’re not supposed to do that.”