17. Leathers

I woke up around nine in a really good mood. I immediately turned some music loud and went to the kitchen to start breakfast while Luna disappeared out the back door. I was used to being alone in the morning if I didn't wake up before everyone else left for work, so Mark ended up scaring the living shit out of me when he suddenly appeared right behind me in the kitchen. I threw a full carton of eggs up in the air and he caught it clumsily, breaking a few.

"Whoa!" he said, raw egg dripping down his arm.

"Gross." I went for some paper towels and started cleaning up. "Thanks for the heart attack, bud."

"Any time," he joked as he cleaned himself up.

"Breakfast?" I offered.

"Please and thank you," he said. "Want me to make some coffee?"

"Fuck yes!" I sang as I danced around the kitchen.

He laughed. "Not that you need any. You seem very happy today."

I just smiled to myself and finished cooking. I'd been pretty happy lately, but even more so after... the experience. Even if I wasn't supposed to do it right now, fact was that I COULD do magic. I was more today than I had been yesterday, and I was super stoked to find out more.

"I didn't even know for sure you were back until last night," he said as we sat down to eat.

I felt bad. "I'm sorry," I said. "I've kind of been keeping to myself, aside from some work stuff here and there."

"Well, next time you better call a bitch," he replied. "How was touring?"

"It was pretty awesome. Gross at times, annoying on occasion, but still awesome."

"I think I've seen a video of every single performance you've done. You're a fucking animal on stage," he pointed his fork towards me as he spoke.

I touched mine to his. "Thank you."

He stared at me for a few seconds. "I don't think I've ever seen you so chill before. Who are you and what have you done with the real Liz Collins?!"

"I put a spell on her," I whispered conspiratorially. "Can't your girl just be happy? Damn, son."

He laughed and shook his head at me. "Everything going good with Seth?"

"I guess. How have you been?"

He glanced up again. "I've been fine, but let's go back to that "I guess"."

I was seriously dying to tell someone about what had happened last night, and this was a lead right into that. I leaned closer to him and lowered my voice. "Can you keep a secret?"

He considered for a moment. "Is it going to piss Seth off? Because then I don't want to know."

I rolled my eyes. "Not that kind of secret. So, I recently found this book... Hold on." I got up and went to my room, got my books and brought them back. "This one," I tapped my finger on the top one. "And I've been working on decoding it, because it's fucking crazy in there. But basically, the more I read into it, I realized that it's about me and that... well, basically, that I'm a witch."

He eyed me suspiciously as he started to flip through. "Witchcraft? I thought you were just joking."

"Mark," I said seriously. "It's real. Magic is real."

"I know."

My mouth popped open. "You know?"

"I used to hang with this chick in Aberdeen that practiced. Had a coven and everything," he told me without removing his eyes from the pages. "Pretty wild shit." He pointed to a section of text I'd transferred over. "I've read this before. There will arise a thrice-died daughter of December to bring the end of suffering," he quoted. His eyes met mine with understanding.

"That part is wrong." I think. "I've only died twice as far as I know."

He snickered. "As far as you know."

"So did you ever actually see this chick do magic?"

His eyes shifted to me. "She invited me to this party once where I saw some weird shit. Everybody was crazy drunk off this shit homemade wine, dancing naked and fucking each other like it was nothing." He looked down once again. "I may have seen some things."

"Tell me," I pushed.

"Misty - the girl I used to chill with - she was on top of me going at it and when I looked up she was like... it was like she was blurring. But of course everyone was so fucked up, it's hard to trust your eyes like that. I kind of brushed that off, but then I saw this woman by the fire, butt ass naked aside from a fucking goat head over hers. She was dancing and the fire looked like it was dancing with her, and then she stepped into it."

I hadn't realized my hand was on his arm until I was digging my nails into his skin. I quickly put my hand under my jaw.

"So once that happened, I was fucking out of there. I had to go through the woods to get to my car, and while I was walking I started to hear something following me. It finally catches up enough for me to see that it's her, goat head and all. She fucking chased me all the way back to my car."

I stared at him until he was good and uncomfortable. "How have we been friends this long and you've never told me this story?!"

"Hey, at least I told you that one story. About me standing up in the cafeteria at school and projectile shitting on the wall," he countered.

I started laughing so hard that it turned to tears. "Thank you... for adding chocolate shotgun to my vocabulary. You're forgiven."

"So. You're a witch now," he said once I'd finally calmed down and stopped laughing.

I shrugged. "It would appear so."

"Did you do a spell?"

"Yeah, check it." I snapped my fingers and produced a fireball.

"Wow!" he said before his forehead crumpled in confusion. "That's weird. Usually doing spells kind of drains you. Well, that's what it was like for Misty anyways."

"I don't feel drained at all." I flexed my teeny arm muscles. "I feel fucking pumped."

"I wouldn't try to take you."

"That's right," I smirked. "So, any way I can get in with this coven?"

"Why would you want to? Some of those girls are crazy, and not in the fun way that you are. Did you hear the story?!"

"I promised Seth I would find out more about magic and stuff." The loud rumble of thunder echoed my words double. "Please? Call your fuck buddy for me?" I gave him the pouty lip.

"I haven't talked to that girl in years. I'll give you her number, though," he said as he flipped through his phone. "But are you sure about this? They might try to sacrifice you or something."

I wasn't sure if he was joking. "Should I be scared of them?"

He raised his brows. "I don't trust them. If they realize how much power you have, they might want it for themselves. And the only way to get it..."

"Is blood," I finished for him. I swallowed a dry lump in my throat. "So maybe I'll figure something else out."

I wasn't trying to let a little nervousness dampen my day, so I brushed my fear aside and went back to my room for a moment. I reappeared with a bong full of dab.

"Oh-ho," he said before blasting a huge hit and passing to me.

I don't know exactly how it happened, but about an hour later we found ourselves with blankets tied on as capes and makeshift masks on our faces. We were running around the house shooting nerf guns at each other like two little kids. He had been hiding in the basement and I found him and blasted him twice before running back up the stairs with him on my tail. I dove behind the couch in the living room, shooting at him as I went down.

Then Seth came home. He took in the scene before him slowly, just smirking and shaking his head. I shot him right in the forehead with a dart and literally fell back to the floor laughing about it. He swiped Mark's gun and shot me in the ass with it three times. Then he scooped me up and sat both of us down on the couch.

"Why did I go to work today?" he asked. "Should've stayed home with you guys." He looked Mark over. "Whose underwear are those?"

Mark looked down at the briefs over his pants, a la Quailman. "I don't know, I kind of figured they were yours."

"Eeeewwww, they're Josh's!" I proclaimed.

He shrugged it off while I giggled.

"Are you on lunch or are you staying home?" I asked Seth, noticing the time.

"Just lunch," he sighed. "Unfortunately."

I got up and went to the kitchen to make him something. I was mid-sandwich when my manager called.

"Hey, Liz!" she greeted excitedly.

"Hey, M! How's it going?"

"I just got a call that is going to put a smile on your face, sweetheart. How does touring the summer with Marilyn Manson sound?!"

I swear, I could feel my pupils dilate. "Hold on just a moment, please." I ran outside and screamed so loud that an entire flock of birds vacated my backyard. I went back in and picked up the phone. "I'll have to think about it."

"I thought you might, but don't stall for long on this. It's a HUGE opportunity for you."

I frowned. I wanted to jump right onto it, but that's not how things worked when you were in a relationship with someone. Their thoughts had to count, too. "I won't. Stall, I mean. I'll get back to you soon, okay?"

"Okay, hun. I'll call the guys and see if they're all on board."

"Thanks, Moira."

"No problem. Talk to you soon."

"Promise," I said and hit end.

"Promise what?" Seth asked as I sat back down next to him. He started scarfing down his food before I could answer.

"Promise to call Moira soon and let her know if I'm willing to go on a huge tour this summer."

"Oh," he said, completely unenthusiastic. "So you're going?"

"I haven't decided," I muttered, annoyed.

"Tour with who?" Mark interjected.

"Motherfucking Marilyn Manson and Smashing Pumpkins," I answered.

"The fuck?!" he said. "How are you not sure if you want to go?! Talk about a no-brainer."

I laughed. "Tell him that!" I pointed the finger of blame at Seth.

"If you had a girlfriend, would you want her to go? Be away from you for a couple of months, have tons of guys hitting on her constantly and being weird as fuck to her all the time?" Seth asked Mark incredulously.

"Well, first off, I doubt I'll ever be in such a position. And second... can you go with her?"

"He doesn't like to," I said.

"It's boring," Seth said with a shrug. I suspected it was boring because he couldn't phase while he was with my band. Touring was pretty strictly scheduled and he just didn't have time to slip away from everyone.

"Well, I have to give an answer soon."

He glanced at the clock. "Can we talk about it later? I have to go. You coming with?" he asked Mark. "Your ride is ready."

I kind of wanted Mark to stay so I'd have somebody to hang out with, but as soon as they were out the door I had a new plan in action.

I showered, got ready and headed out to the pitiful little Forks Public Library with a list of books that seemed they might be helpful to me. I figured this might be easier if I had an actual library card, so I filled out all of the proper paperwork and brought them to the librarian.

"Oh!" she said when her eyes landed on my face. "Um, hi Liz."

I examined her roundish face and wide brown eyes, not registering having ever seen them before. "Hi."

"Oh, we, uh... I was at your house not long ago. There was a party. I guess you came in pretty late..." her eyes darted around nervously, trying their hardest not to meet my own even gaze.

"I remember now," I finally said. She'd been the one downstairs with Seth; the one I had chosen to ignore completely and to forget quickly, because what were the odds I would see her again? Apparently, not in my favor. Not in a town this small.

She started typing my info into their system. "So, how's Seth doing?"

"He's good."

"How's his mom?"

"... Good."

"He still working at Call's?"

I started to feel bristly. What the fuck business was it of hers where my man worked? "How do you know Seth?" I asked, easily keeping my cool.

"Well, uh," she giggled nervously. "We used to date actually. But we're just friends now."

"Really? You're friends? When's the last time you talked?"

She was catching my drift now. "Well, um, I guess at that party..."

"How long before that?"

Too scared to look at my face. "I... I didn't mean anything by it - "

"Oh, honey. I know." That was my mic drop moment, me smiling while she fucking squirmed. Bitch wasn't friends with my man. "Is that my card?"

She handed it to me and I strolled away.

I had to use a decrepit ass computer to find some of the titles that I had found online earlier. It took forever, and this library didn't have much that I was looking for.

I had originally planned on checking my books out and reading them in the comfort of my own home, but I wasn't into having another run in with the librarian. So, I opted to find a nice empty table to pour over the three books I could actually find in this place.

I searched for a free table and there wasn't one. Three strikes against this fucking place. I found the periodicals and sat right in the aisle with my books and notebooks, reading quickly and making notes of things that seemed important... which honestly wasn't much.

There was a ton of lore about witches and most of it was horrible. I already knew most of this stuff from reading about it in middle school. What I needed wasn't lore or folk legend, I needed something from some actual witches or people that knew real witches. Because, despite all the nastiness I was reading, I refused to believe that being a witch was inherently bad and I certainly didn't think that a bunch of scared idiots should decide that for me.

I was pretty deep into a book about the Wiccan faith when I noticed someone coming down the aisle. "Sorry," I said, gathering my things out of the floor so they could get by.

"Don't be," a girl with long, jet-black hair said. "I've been searching for you."

For the second time today, I looked a random girl over and decided I didn't know her. "You a fan or something?"

"Or something." Chick had some fucking crazy eyes and was sketching me out. "I'm not here for the singer, I'm here for the witch."

I couldn't remember the last time I felt so genuinely panicked.

"Leave her alone," another voice spoke up from behind me. I turned to see a very pretty, young blonde.

"We're trying to protect her," the first girl said.

"From what?" I snapped.

"The wolves," she answered, her voice malicious.

I clutched at my chest to see if my heart was still beating.

"No, Liz - " the blonde girl began.

I scooped all of my belongings up in mere seconds and dashed past her and out the door. I didn't bother with a seatbelt once inside my car, just turned the key and whipped out of my parking space. I peeked at my rearview on the way out and saw the raven-haired crazy one watching me intently from the doorway of the library.

I got about a mile closer to my home and pulled over to try to calm myself down. I couldn't even explain to myself why those two little words had been such a slap to the face, but that's definitely what it had felt like. It couldn't be right... Seth would never hurt me. Never.

I stepped outside to a foggy mist of rain and lit a smoke. My hands were shaking already, and when a car pulled up just feet from me my cigarette fell onto the ground. I looked over and sighed in relief.

"You okay, Liz?"

He leaned against my car beside me and I leaned my head against his shoulder for a second. "You owe me another cigarette."

He pulled two from a soft pack and lit them both before handing me one. "What are you doing out here?"

"Freezing. What are you?"

He smirked and pulled his jacket off to wrap around my shoulders. "I was coming back to hang with you. You weren't answering your phone."

"Oh," I said. It didn't feel like the same day to me and I had forgotten about our morning. "I'm scatter brained today."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Just... needed to look at the sky or something."

We stood there silent, our eyes studying the horizon as our bit of the world began to turn away from the sun. Mark's eyes met mine in the same second. "Want to go smoke up now?" he asked.