Chapter 6

• She shrugged and walked out of the kitchen. Whiskers got up from where she’d stretched out on the floor and prowled up to her.
• You’ve been cursed again? Talk about bad luck.
• Maddy glared down at the cat. “Not right now Whiskers. I’m working really hard at not freaking right out.” She glanced behind her to see Colin was still following her.
• I’m coming too, this I have to see.
• Ignoring the cat she stepped out into the yard. It was longer than the distance of the walkway behind the museum, so it should work. Of course she’d have proven herself a lunatic if nothing happened. Turning she looked at him standing on the back step. “Stay right there and I’ll start walking towards the tree line.”
• “And then what?” He didn’t even try to keep the sarcastic disbelief out of his voice.
• “Just wait.” Maddy started slowly walking toward the back of her property, glancing back every few feet to make sure he was still there.
• Colin glanced down at the cat that had sat down beside him again. “She’s a bit odd.” He said quietly to the animal. The cat looked up at him and then back at Maddy.
• Maddy had lost count of how many steps she’d taken, trying to figure out what she’d do if nothing happened. She was more than half way down the yard when her stomach cramped lightly. Drat! Taking three more long strides, she caught her breath when the pain sliced into her. First instinct told her to back up, but she had to know—
• Turning slowly, she looked back to where she’d left Colin standing. He too was gripping his stomach, watching her. She took four quick steps back toward him and felt the pain fade to nothing again. He cocked his head and watched her as she backed up slowly again—until the pain was back in an instant. Stepping back to the painless distance she sat down on the grass and put her head into her hands.
• Now what? She sat there with her eyes closed, trying to logically think of what to do next when the pains sliced into her again. She jerked her head and looked at Colin to find he’d walked to the side of the house and was now standing there bent over. Crap! She crawled several feet toward the house and the pains left again. Flopping on her back she covered her eyes with her arms. She needed to talk to Ginger; she’d know a counter spell or something
• She heard him walking in her direction, it sounded like he was talking to himself—or cursing. When she moved one arm he was standing there glaring down at her. “Sorry I was right,” she said softly. Whiskers appeared beside her and without one nasty or haughty thought stretched out beside her so her head was across Maddy’s hip. Running a hand over her friend’s furry head she looked back up at him. His facial expressions were changing so rapidly, she didn’t even want to ponder a guess at what was flying through his mind. “Might as well sit, I have some figuring out to do.”
• Colin sat down a few feet from her and studied her. “So, if you’re a—I can’t believe I’m going to say this, witch or whatever, then undo this.”
• Maddy frowned. “I’m more of a witchling, a full-fledged witch.” Did she really have to pour out her whole miserable existence to a man she didn’t know? “There’s been a few—hiccups in my abilities—”
• He leaned closer and looked at her. “Did you do this to us?” She shook her head and from the upset expression on her face, she didn’t want this anymore than he did. “Define hiccups.”
• Maddy bit her lip. “Well—I sometimes don’t always get the, uh, desired outcome to my castings.”
• His eyebrows shot up. “Desired outcome? You’re telling me you can’t then?”
• Maddy leaned up on her elbows. “I didn’t say that, I know I can or would at least like to.”
• Colin ran a hand through his hair. He had gone from looking mildly confused to stressed and tense.
• “Okay, so what do you mean by desired outcome?” He had no idea what he was asking, then again before today magic and witches were something from cartoons and movies. Whiskers sat up straight beside Maddy and looked down at her.
• Maddy sighed, “Whiskers was, is, actually my pretty normal sized house cat.”
• You make me sound boring?
• She flicked a quick look to the offended animal. “Someone, a long time ago put some sort of blocking curse on me—no one’s ever been able to figure out who, so it couldn’t be reversed— anyways, the abbreviated version, when I do a spell the opposite, or at the very least, wildest, version of what I want happens.” She glanced at the cat beside her and then back to him. “Whiskers wanted, and yes before you think I’m any stranger, I can hear her thoughts—she wanted to be a bit bigger, so she could jump to higher locations and—.”
• “You turned her into a panther?”
• “Yeah,” she sighed again. “The elders have all tried to reverse it, but there’s something stopping them. Popular consensus is Whiskers was an actual large cat in a past life and this is her true form which is why she doesn’t change back.”
• Colin blew out a long breath. “Could any of this get any bloody weirder?” He rubbed a hand over his face and tried to think while completely confused and astonished at the same time. “I’ll calculate all of that later. What has to be done to fix whatever is happening to us—and if you didn’t do this, then who did?”
• Maddy sat up and looked over at him. “I have no idea, to both.” She stood up and looked down at him, “but I know who will have answers.” She turned to walk toward the house and stopped when she realized he hadn’t gotten up. “Um, I think you should follow me. I don’t know the exact distance before those pains come back, but I’m figuring it’s roughly sixty feet or so.”
• Colin got up and shook his head in disbelief. “So, you’re saying we have to remain within sixty feet of each other or those knives in my gut come back?
• Maddy started walking again. “I think so, and to be honest I’ve had enough of those pains for one day or I’d suggest we experiment further and figure out all the facts.”
• He caught up and kept stride with her. “No, I’d rather avoid them again if at all possible.” When they reached the steps again he paused. “Do you think its safe sitting on the steps? I really need a few moments alone right now.”
• Maddy turned in the door and looked down the steps at him. “I think we’re safe, I’m just going to go to the study and it’s only about fifteen feet from here.” She would have smiled to reassure him, but in truth she wasn’t feeling very confident right now. Turning, she walked into the other room. She couldn’t do this, already she was trying to live her life with one curse, one that had ruined her chances of ever doing anything of value in her own community. Dealing with another one, an insane one, well this might break her completely.