Half Lies Read Free Page A

He told me about his mum, dad, and brother (who all sound normal) and the music he likes (no bands I’d heard of) and that he plays the guitar. I stayed until closing time again and he walked me to my car. It was another perfect afternoon, and was made even more perfect when he asked me to go to the cinema with him on Saturday. Five days away—seems like forever!
     
    27th February, 2013
    Everything is so unfair!!!!
    I’m not allowed to go to Tampa. Seriously not allowed. And it’s not even because I took the car without permission.
    TAMPA IS WHITE WITCH TERRITORY.
    I know this because this morning we had visitors—Skylar (the local Black Witch head honcho) and her son Aiden. I think Aiden is a little older than Gab. He didn’t say much but just stood in the doorway to the kitchen, leaning against the wall, arms folded. It seems that Aiden and Gab met by chance yesterday and Aiden realized that Gab was a witch. He and Skylar came over to explain how things work here. She said, “It’s a little stricter than in France, but not as bad as Britain.” (But then nowhere’s as bad as that.) The Black Witch community in this part of Florida is apparently small in numbers but has a large territory covering smaller towns and vast areas of countryside. The White Witches have city areas, Tampa being the main one, and they have a much bigger community. Skylar said that the Black Witches stick to their “historical lands” and the White Witches to theirs.
    Gab said, “Sounds a lot like how things work in France, so how is it stricter?”
    “If a Black Witch is caught on White Witch land, they’re punished and sent back.”
    “Punished how?” Gab asked.
    Skylar held up her left hand and the index finger was missing. “A finger is taken. When I was younger it was a sign of coming of age: a Black Witch would go into the center of Tampa, be seen, be chased, and hopefully get away, though there are a number of us with only nine fingers. Some Black Witches would do it on their seventeenth birthday; some would do it when they’d found their Gifts. Some did it at both stages. Some,” she said, looking round at Aiden, “did it more.” Aiden grinned, but I noticed that he still had all his fingers.
    Gab asked, “The Whites can tell that we’re Black Witches?”
    “There are a number on both sides who can identify witches by their appearance; we can tell from the way people move and behave. Aiden is particularly good at spotting it.”
    Aiden said, “There are some Whites who are good at sensing it too and we each make sure we know who is who. There are nearly five hundred Whites in Tampa and it’s hard to keep track of who they all are, but I do my best.”
    “So you go onto their land to spy?” I asked.
    “Sometimes. But not so often now; they know me too well. My main job is to catch them when they come over here.”
    “And do they come?”
    “Yes. They like to show how brave they are by spending the night on our land. We have a much bigger area than they do, and there are only about a hundred and fifty Black Witches so it’s easier for Whites to find quiet spots. There’s a small group of Half Bloods—half Blacks—that I use to patrol our territory. They know the White Witches by sight. Half Bloods are always good at knowing who’s who; they have their own network and can travel freely on both sides.”
    “We can trust the Half Bloods?”
    “I trust the ones who work for me.”
    Skylar added, “We treat Half Bloods with respect, but they have their own community. They’re not true witches.”
    “What do you do if you catch a White Witch?” I asked.
    Aiden answered, “We scar their faces. It helps us identify them in future, but I’ve never known one to come back.”
    • • •
    After Skylar and Aiden left, Gab asked me if I’d been to Tampa in the car. I told him I just drove to the beach, on our land.
    He said, “I wish you wouldn’t lie to me, Michèle.”
    But really I don’t see the problem