Dark Spell Read Free Page A

you’re not a freak – unless you think the four of us are freaks?”
    “Dangerous ground, Bessie,” called Isobel from the sink, as she and Barbara dropped the pretence that they weren’t listening avidly to what was going on.
    “Forget about
Meg and Mog
and
The Wizard of Oz,”
said Rose, “and it might be a bit easier to believe. Real witches aren’t anything like that. They’re just normal people, like us.”
    Callie looked dubious.
    “But you’re old. Witches are old. I’m young. I can’t be a witch.”
    Rose saw Bessie gathering herself to take offence.
    “We were actually the same age as you, once,” she said hurriedly. “And we were witches then too.”
    “You need to forget everything you’ve ever read about witches,” said Isobel.
    “Or seen in films,” added Barbara.
    Bessie glanced round the kitchen. “In fact, I think it’s about time that Barbara and Isobel and I went home.”

    ***
    A few minutes later, Rose and Callie sat alone at the kitchen table.
    “This isn’t some sort of crazy old-person joke?” Callie asked, hoping against hope.
    “No, dear,” replied Rose, carefully ignoring the insulting part of the question. “But you already know that, don’t you? You’ve noticed things happening.”
    Callie nodded, looking miserable, then blurted out, “I think I broke someone’s arm at school.”
    Rose waited quietly for the story to tumble out. When it reached its end, she said, “You didn’t break the girl’s arm. You didn’t even
mean
to make her fall. This doesn’t make you a bad person, Callie, but it does show you why it’s important that we train you to use your power, otherwise things like that will just keep happening. I know this has been a shock. You need time to take it in properly, then we’ll start your training.”
    “What about George? Does he know what I am?” She paused as a thought occurred to her. “Does he know that
you’re
a witch?”
    “Well, he knows most things that go on in this house, but it’s easier for everyone if he doesn’t have to admit to it. Of course he knows what I am, but we don’t discuss it. I think he’ll have a fair idea about you too, even though I sent him off to Fife Ness to keep him out of the way just now.”
    “And Mum and Dad – how am I going to keep things secret from them?”
    “Ah.” Rose looked uncomfortable. “I don’t thinkyour father’s likely to notice. His mind doesn’t work that way. Julia’s another thing.”
    “She’s not…?”
    “Goodness, no.”
    “Does she know about you?”
    Rose nodded. “And disapproves of me thoroughly because of it. We’ll have to tell her of course, but not just yet. Wait until you’ve got used to the idea.”
    “When I’m about your age, then?”
    They both laughed, a bit shakily.
    ***
    Callie logged on to Facebook and stared at the screen. Nothing new. She’d been hoping that there might be a message from Josh – he should be back from his ski trip by now – but obviously he was far too busy having a real life. Unless he’d broken both arms and couldn’t type. Nothing from any of her other so-called friends either.
    It was probably just as well there was nothing from Josh. She might have been tempted to tell him what was going on.
    Yeah, that would work well…
    HI JOSH, HOW ARE YOU? BY THE WAY, DID I MENTION I’M A WITCH? THAT’S RIGHT, I REALLY AM A FREAK.
    It was a few days since Rose’s kitchen table had burst into flames, and Callie was still battling with herself over whether to believe what Rose had told her.
    On the one hand, it couldn’t be true, because there were no such things as witches – not now, at least,although she’d discovered last summer that one of her ancestors, a girl called Agnes Blair, had supposedly been a witch. But on the other hand, it explained so much.
    She’d been trying to ignore the tingling, and the accompanying feeling that she was some sort of human kettle coming to the boil, for months now. It had all started