Page 35 of Echoes of the Banshee

The question everyone asks. “Why I don’t touch witches.”

“No. If you wanted people to know the reason, then everyone would know.”

I stare as she turns back to her page. Her arm an angry red as she writes in her notebook. I bend down and grab my binder from my bag. Start to do my homework. But I can’t.

“I was cursed. You can’t curse while being healed.” I hold her eye contact until she puts her arm on the table where I can reach it. My magic is already at the surface, having been waiting for her to say yes.

Her skin heals quickly. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

I look up at her and her eyes are staring in terror at her arm. I check it again, it’s completely healed. She begins to hyperventilate.

Her soul lights up as it contracts in fear.

What did I do?

“Are you okay?”

“Give me a second,” she stammers. Her eyes close and she breathes through her nose. After a long thirty seconds, she lets out a slow breath, then pulls on her jacket.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she snaps, turning her focus to her work.

I suppress the urge to ask questions. She let me sit in silence when I needed it. Pulling out my notebook, I start working on my math.

“How did you break it?” she asks after ten minutes of pretending to work.

“Hatred,” I tell her. “You?”

“Same.”

An hour passes where we don’t exchange a word. Best hour I’ve had all day. My phone rings and I send it to voicemail. He immediately calls again.

“Hello?” I answer. Thea looks up and I mouth sorry. She looks back at her work.

“Dude where are you?” Dylan asks.

“Still at the library.”

“You can finish your work tomorrow. Violet has asked me about you twice already.”

I’m about to ask who that is but see Thea’s eyes darting to her page.

“Fine. On my way.”

I hang up and start to pack my bag, then pause. “Can I leave this here?”

She looks over and nods. Goes back to her work.

“Sorry, they’re dragging me to this party, it’s for the soccer team, we have a game tomorrow and I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t go,” I explain. Feeling like a complete dick for ditching her, even though we didn’t have plans.

“Have fun.”

What the hell. “Do you want to come?”

She gives me a side-eyed glance. My stomach knots. “Well after that glowing recommendation you just gave. No.”

A grunt of laughter escapes me.