Prelude to a Witch, Amanda Lee [ebook reader web txt] 📗

“Willa is the youngest sister,” Caroline noted. “You guys often play without her. She tattles because that’s the only way she can be included sometimes.”

“Don’t kid yourself,” Tillie said drolly. “She tattles because she thinks it’ll help her win. I have news for her. I’m going to win. I’m smarter than she is.”

Caroline felt weary. The thought of having to watch Tillie and Willa battle it out for decades weighed heavy on her. “Don’t you think you could at least try for your mother?”

“It’s like you don’t know me at all,” Tillie groused. “She’s evil. She won’t get better, no matter what you say about her growing out of it. You have to see that too.”

Caroline studied her wild child. “She’s still your sister. You’re stuck with her for life.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like her,” Tillie insisted. “Blood only goes so far. Ginger and I will be together until the end. Once Willa is an adult, she can go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants ... as long as it’s nowhere near me.”

Caroline studied Tillie’s face and then shook her head. “I think you’ll change your mind.”

“I won’t.” Tillie looked to the window. “I’m going to rule the world one day. Willa won’t be part of that world.”

Despite herself, Caroline couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. “You’re going to rule the world?”

“I am.” Tillie bobbed her head. “I’ll be good at it, too.”

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about you sacrificing your ego on the altar of a man,” Caroline muttered.

“Definitely not,” Tillie agreed, her lips curving. “I’m going to be awesome when it’s my turn to rule.”

“I hope you’re right. There’s nothing worse than a non-benevolent ruler.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means you’re going to be a fair and just ruler,” Caroline explained.

Tillie made a face. “That’s not going to happen. I’m going to make people cry, and I’m going to start with Willa.”

Caroline sighed at the circular nature of the conversation. “How about you at least try to get along with Willa for me? Can you do that?”

“No.”

“Either try or you won’t get any pie.”

Tillie worked her jaw. “That’s blackmail,” she said finally. “I don’t like blackmail.”

“You like it when you’re the blackmailer,” Caroline pointed out.

“Then it’s fun.”

Caroline allowed Tillie to see her frustration. “You might very well rule the world one day, but you won’t always get your way. You need to learn to deal with disappointment.”

“That sounds like no fun at all.”

“You still need to learn.” Caroline lowered her voice. “There will come a time when you have a decision to make regarding Willa. I’m still hopeful you’ll make the right one.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then you’ll have to live with it.”

Tillie waited but her mother added nothing. “That’s it? You’re saying my punishment for getting my own way is having to live with getting my own way?”

“Oh, good grief,” Caroline muttered. “You only see what you want to see.”

“I do,” Tillie agreed. “I see that I’m going to win and Willa is going to lose. I’m going to laugh and she’s going to cry.” Tillie’s smile went feral. “I’m going to dance and she’s going to pout in a corner.”

“I believe we’re already living in that world,” Ginger offered.

“True.” Tillie extended her hand. “One day, Willa will realize this is my world and I’m only allowing her to visit. One day, I’ll make her cry buckets.”

Caroline considered sending Tillie up to her room without supper to shut her up but ultimately opted against it. Tillie’s spirit was the one thing that would always keep her afloat. “You might change your mind one day.”

“Oh, I definitely won’t.” Tillie was firm. “Willa will be my enemy until the end. Eventually, I will take her down ... and I’m going to throw a party when it happens.”

“Good to know.”

“There will be wine.”

“I’m sure there will.”

“And dancing on the bluff.”

“Keep looking forward to that.”

“Oh, I will.” Tillie bowed low in front of her mother, offering a bit of theatrical flair to the conversation. “I’m the queen and Willa is the jester. It’s always going to be that way. Just you wait.”

1

One

Present Day

“There’s only one way to do this if we want to survive.” Aunt Tillie was grave as her gaze bounced between my face and those of my cousins Thistle and Clove. “We must be quick. We must be precise. We must be bold.”

Thistle, her hair a bright shade of red that reminded me of autumn leaves, rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. “We must be lazy,” she said. “That’s what you’re getting at.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being lazy,” Aunt Tillie snapped as she straightened. “In fact, I wholeheartedly support laziness. Do you want to know why? I’ll tell you why. We’re witches. We need to save our strength for the big battles, the ones that save lives. We don’t need to be wasting our energy on crap like this.” She gestured toward the old campground we’d frequented as children. “Goddess help us, this place is a hole.”

I shot her a dirty look and moved closer to one of the old cabins. It was empty now, the most recent overnight guest taking off after we stripped her of power. The building was dilapidated, collapsing and surrounded by trash. I, Bay Winchester, was trying to be responsible ... at least mostly.

“It’s not a hole,” I argued, pinning her with a dark look. “It’s a great piece of property. It just needs a little work.”

“It is a great property,” Clove said as she moved to the shade and sank into one of the canvas camping chairs we’d brought along, her needs pressing on all of us. She was largely pregnant. Like ... close. She could go into labor now and the baby would survive. She still had a few weeks left before she was ready to pop, but we’d started watching her with the careful eyes of expectant aunts who were