Chapter 4

Valerie opened her mouth to begin telling Zelda and Hilda her story. Then she closed it. She tried again and shook her head. Then she coughed up more gunk.

"Just start wherever you're comfortable," Zelda coaxed, handing her a tissue and cup of tea.

Tears streamed down Valerie's pale cheeks. She gasped for breath, trying to calm down. She only succeeded in coughing.

Zelda stroked her dark hair. "It's okay, honey. We aren't going to hurt you or judge you. Calm down."

Zelda kept her hand on Valerie's back and that seemed to help calm her down. Zelda and Hilda's eyes met. They strongly suspected what had happened.

"Ok, I'm ready," Valerie said after a minute. Zelda and Hilda waited patiently. They knew not to rush her.

"My stepdad did that to my back," she began. "Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. At first it would be something like forgetting to turn the TV off. He would just hit me with his hand. Then he'd say I wasn't helping my mom enough and I'd get hit. One time, Mom said I didn't have to do the dishes that night because I had a big math test the next day. He got so mad at both of us. He said when he told me to do something, I had to do it. That's when he started hitting my back with a belt."

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky. Valerie looked outside, surprised. "Strange time of year for a thunderstorm isn't it? The sun's out."

The sisters exchanged glances. They tried to keep their anger in check around mortals but were unsuccessful this time.

"Keep going, honey," Zelda said encouragingly.

"Mom started staying away. I never saw him hit her, but he was always yelling at her. She would go to the bar and have a few drinks before coming home, which meant I was there with him more. He came into my room, and…." Valerie trailed off and began crying again. This time she was sobbing so hard she began to choke. Zelda held her until she calmed down. Another clap of thunder rolled by.

"It went on for a few weeks. Every little thing seemed to set him off. Then one night, he tried and couldn't. It was my birthday. I pushed him off and he actually got off. That's the night I ran away. I was lucky that night, but I knew it wouldn't last. I was sick of getting beaten and….you know…"

The loudest clap of thunder Valerie ever heard came crashing through. She jumped, startled.

"Where was your mother?" Hilda asked angrily. "Didn't she try to stop him?"

"Yeah, she tried but usually she couldn't. He'd push her away, say I deserved it. I don't think she knew about the other thing, though."

"He should be turned into a cockroach," Hilda said furiously. "C'mon, Zelly."

Zelda's scientific mind was in a whirl. "Valerie, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"When did you turn sixteen?"

"About a month ago. The day I ran away."

Hilda and Zelda looked at each other.

"It was so strange," Valerie continued. "He kept trying and trying but I kept pushing him off. And he couldn't do it. He didn't hit me that time either, but he tried. He got so mad he left. I decided then and there that was the last time he was going to hurt me. I packed some clothes and left. It was so weird though. After I was gone, I found a little travel bag with toiletries in it in my backpack. I wonder if my mom put it in there. I thought of sleeping in the school one night when I was in a church basement. Nobody was there at night, it's warm and had bathrooms. I picked the door with a hair pin."

Val stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I won't go back. If you call the police or my mom, I'll take off again. He isn't going to hurt me ever again. I'd rather keep eating out of thrash then go back."

Zelda took Valerie's thin, pale hand. "Don't worry about that, honey. We wouldn't do that to you."

"She's exhausted, Zelly," Hilda jumped in. "How about getting some real sleep, Val? You can use Sabrina's room."

"Our niece who's coming next week," Zelda explained. "You're sick and you need some rest. Sleep as long as you need."

"What are we going to do?" Hilda asked Zelda after Valerie went upstairs. "No wonder she ran away! We have to help her! And I still want to turn her stepfather into a cockroach!"

"No cockroaches!" Zelda said. "Did you hear what she said about him not being able to hurt her on her sixteenth birthday?"

Hilda stopped her rant. "Oh yes. I was just so angry about what happened to her I didn't process it. Do you think….?"

"And things appeared in her backpack when she needed them. And the truth spell didn't work on her. And she was able to pick the door locks with a bobby pin?" Zelda continued thoughtfully. "What does that sound like to you?"

Hilda sat down, stunned. Her sister was right. "Valerie is a witch!"