The Witches of Snyder Farms (The Wicked Garden Series) Read Free Page B

gravy on to his fork. “She was the professor. And it was her story. Who am I to judge?” He took the final bite of his breakfast.
    By the looks on their faces, Eli judged that Gretchel and Ame were skeptical, but eager to hear more
    “So, your last name…” Gretchel asked. “Or, last names , I guess…?”
    “Right. Well, as far as the government’s concerned, Stewart’s my last name—like I said, it’s on my birth certificate. It’s actually my mother’s maiden name, though. My father’s last name—my true name—is a secret, and I’m afraid it’s going to have to stay that way until my father says otherwise.”
    Eli looked at Gretchel to see if it was safe to continue. She was glowering again, but silent.
    “You knew me as Eli Green, Gretchel, but I’ve also been Eli Smith, Eli Jones…. Sometimes, the aliases were fun. Mostly, they were an annoyance. And I hated being anything less than honest with you, Gretchel. But I had promised my parents that I would keep a low profile. My goal was always to move quickly and try to be as inconspicuous as possible.”
    Ame stood up to retrieve more coffee. “Sorry, dude, but with that crazy hair and those turquoise eyes, I suspect that you’ve always been pretty conspicuous. I’m thinking it would be hard to forget you.”
    “Not hard,” Gretchel whispered, “Impossible.” She reached out and gave Eli’s hand a squeeze. He was momentarily relieved, but quickly learning that he couldn’t expect this gentle mood to last.  
    “I’ve been hiding my identity most of my life because my mother is a tyrannical control freak, and my dad is a paradoxical paranoiac. They are both insane.” He quickly glanced at Gretchel. “Not that there is anything wrong with that.”
    Gretchel rolled her eyes.
    “In any case, it’s not as if anybody was looking for me—anybody who was a threat, I mean. Nobody knew that I existed as the person that I existed as, and it’s not as though it mattered anyway.”
    “You’re talking in circles again, Eli,” Gretchel said.
    “All right,” he said throwing his hands in the air. “Here’s the big secret: My mother is Diana Stewart. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She’s written several bestsellers. She does lecture tours. She’s basically the high priestess of transpersonal psychology.”
    “Yeah—”
    “Carry on, Eli,” Gretchel interrupted.
    “My grandparents—Diana’s parents—worked in LSD labs all over the world. Miranda Stewart—the late, great transpersonal psychologist of the 60s—was my grandmother. She knew Leary, Grof—all of them. So that’s the big secret. Well, half of it, anyway,” Eli mumbled.
    Gretchel considered this information for a moment. “As intrigued as I am by your mother’s occupation, and absolutely astonished that Miranda Stewart—whose work I deeply respect— was your grandmother, it doesn’t explain why would you would have kept your identity secret. No offense, but your mom is not that big of a deal. Self-help and spiritual mumbo-jumbo aren’t exactly radical. I mean, is the Spanish Inquisition after her or something? Are bogus gurus selling enlightenment and cosmic awakening being burned at the stake these days?”
    Ame, who had been listening intently to her mother, turned to see how Eli would counter this verbal attack.
    Eli simply stared at Gretchel with disappointment in his eyes. “Remember, when you did ‘shrooms on your birthday, Gretchel.”
    Ame’s eyes bugged and she could not suppress a crazy grin. Her mother ignored her—pointedly.
    “What was that about, if not enlightenment and cosmic awakening? You know what I think, Gretchel? I don’t think it’s that you don’t believe. I think it’s that you’re afraid you’re going to miss out, that the cosmic awakening will leave you behind.”
    Ame’s grin turned into a look of pure shock. She glanced at her mother and saw that Gretchel was giving Eli the death stare. 
    Ame pushed her chair back from the