Page 18 of Starlight Witch

Dabob Bay’s waters were as deep and mysterious as most of the water on the Olympic Peninsula. I drove over to the plant nursery, where there was a walkway down to the water. As I headed down the stairs, a seagull flew overhead, letting out a long piercing cry that reverberated through my body. I shaded my eyes as I watched it circle overhead, looking for food.

The tide was in, which meant that only the top row of logs was accessible, with the rest covered by the dark waters of the bay. The surface was silver gray, reflecting the diffused light that shone down through the clouds. The wind ruffled the surface, stirring the waves as they crested against the shore.

I settled on one of the logs that was still uncovered by the water.

The massive driftwood logs were tall timber, stripped of their bark by the ocean waves, and they floated into the shores, posing threats to beachcombers during the autumn and winter storms. The Pacific Ocean and its inlets and bays were dangerous places, tossing the fifty-foot trees around like matchsticks. People died if they weren’t careful.

Here, the wilds remained untamed, and the intricate balance between humans and the environment was a narrow one. The driftwood logs had been sanded by the county, and seasoned to prevent rot. They were then anchored into the rocky shore in rows, to provide a place for visitors to sit and watch the water.

As I settled on the nearest one, staring into the water, my phone sounded, announcing another text, but I didn’t even glance at the lock screen. It was probably Kyle again, and right now the last thing I wanted to do was to talk to him. At some point, I’d need to, and I’d need to ask why he had stopped Faron from remembering, but that time wasn’t right now. If I answered him, I’d say things I might regret.

I crossed my arms, leaning forward on my knees. “What do I do? What do I go from here?” I said out loud.

As I stared into the sky, the clouds twisted and turned as they stormed their way across the sky. My phone rang, and I let it go to voicemail, but it started to ring again a few minutes later. Worried that it might be Grams, I fished it out of my pocket and took a look at the caller ID. Kyle. He had called before, as well. I let it go to voicemail again. Then, before he could call again, I called Bree.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

She had barely gotten out the greeting when I burst out into a rant. “You’ll never believe what Kyle did this morning. I cannot stand this. I feel like I’m going nuts.”

“Give me a minute. Hold on.” There was silence as she put me on mute. I waited, watching the waves lap away at the shore. There were some days when it was tempting to walk into the water and keep going. To become one with the essence of Grandmother Ocean.

“I’m back. What happened?”

“I want to throttle Kyle.”

“What did he do?” Bree sounded worried.

“Do you have time to listen? Because it’s a doozy.”

“Of course. Tell me.”

“Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “First… No, I’m saving that news for afterward because I’d rather end on a good note. Okay, so I got a call from Kyle this morning. A text, actually. He wanted me to come over right away because Faron asked him to text me. So, of course I hurried over. Faron looked at me and…he started to remember, Bree. He pulled me into his arms and stared at me, and he was about to say something or kiss me—I don’t know which—but I could feel that he knew me.”

“How wonderful!” Bree clapped.

“Don’t get so excited. Not yet. Because before he could fully remember, Kyle interrupted. He absolutely destroyed Faron’s train of thought. And everything fell away. The memories faded from his eyes, as if the part of him that remembered me was dying. I’m so angry, Bree. I’m so furious. The next moment Faron got hit with a migraine and Kyle had to put him to bed. I stomped out. If Kyle hadn’t interrupted, Faron would have remembered us. I know it.”

“Why the hell would Kyle do that? What was his reasoning?”

I fell silent for a moment, staring at the waves. “I don’t know. He obviously doesn’t want Faron to remember about us.”

“Then why did Kyle invite you over? Wouldn’t that make it more likely?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. Faron asked him to invite me over. How could Kyle say no? So instead, he went along with it, but he sabotaged things. I want to thrash him.” I began to cry. “Why did he do this?”

“Did you ask him? Did you confront him about it?”

Tearfully, I shook my head. “No. He texted me but I can’t face answering him now. If I talk to him, I’m going to scream at him. And then he won’t talk to me at all. I feel like he’s holding his brother hostage. I know he’s not, I know it’s the coma and the aftereffects, but that’s what it feels like to me. I didn’t think Kyle wanted to be the King of the Olympic Wolf Pack, but now, I find myself questioning his integrity.”

“I see why. I honestly don’t know what to say. I don’t know Kyle well—only through you. Do you have any idea of why he would do this?”

“No. I honestly don’t. I wish I did. The truth is, I’m afraid that there’s more at play here than Kyle alone. I’m wondering if the Pack elders didn’t give him orders to get rid of me. And maybe this was the way to do it. All I know is that this hurts.”

“I know it does,” Bree said.

“I want Faron to remember me. I want him to remember everything, even if he chooses to walk away from me. I want him to have that choice. I want him healthy and whole again, and not sitting there looking so frail and frightened. Faron’s such a strong man, but right now I think he’s terrified about what’s happened to his brain. And I don’t know how to help. I tried helping by keeping my mouth shut, but look where that’s gotten me.”

Bree fell silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “You have to ask Kyle why he did it. And listen with your gut, not your heart. Listen to him with all your instincts, to find out if he’s telling you the truth. Your intuition won’t fail you.”

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