Page 3 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
I pick up. “What?”
“Seb! Baby! How…how are you?”
I roll my eyes again. It’s obvious he didn’t expect me to finally answer. “Yes, I got your voicemails. And no, I don’t want to give us another chance.”
“Aw, come on,” he whines quietly. “Didn’t you get my gift?”
“I did.” I sit up. “It will make for a great donation to the local homeless shelter.”
“Wha…what?” he sputters. “That thing was expensive! It, um, represents how sorry I am, and that I love you.”
“You have one day to come to our porch and take it back, then stay away from my house forever,” I say with a strong, curt tone I’m not used to. Maybe my new jade totem truly is giving me courage.
“But Seb, I made one mistake. I…I think you’re being unreasonable for not meeting with me. You owe me one afternoon, and after, I’ll resolve to not talk to you again.”
“I don’t owe you shit,” I hiss. “Kevin, I’m moving on, just like you wanted me to.”
“I never wanted you to!”
“All you did was disappear on me when I wanted to see you. Then on social media, I saw all the guys you were grindingon at clubs. Even if you didn’t fuck any of them, you still kept flip-flopping between being my number one fan and being a stranger.” I rub my eyebrow. “I’m not here for emotional inconsistency. So, you’re free, Kevin, like you’ve always wanted.”
“But…but…” he mumbles on the phone. “Look, I will admit, I found attention from others. But that’s only because I have needs, Seb! I need to be able to have sex with others!”
Trying to make me guilty: Narcissism 101. Standing up, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. “You know, the wild thing is I would have been willing to open up our relationship and have us sleep with other dudes.”
“Really?”
“But that requires consent and trust, concepts you know nothing about. And communication, something you only acknowledge when it suits you.” I shake my head and gaze at the jade totem, begging it to give me strength. “So, take your laptop bribe and leave me and my roommates alone. Thanks.”
“No…you know what… screw you, Seb!” He’s getting angry over the phone, and it only makes me grin. Right on schedule, the narcissist is lashing out when he’s not winning his emotional manipulation. “Keep the laptop, and you and your bitchy roommates can all share it when you end up lonely, ugly spinsters! You’ll come crawling back to me!”
I snicker. “Real classy, Kevin. Have the life you deserve. Goodbye.” After I shut off the phone, I take a deep breath and walk to my dresser. In the dark, all I can feel is my pulse pounding. I’ve never been that confrontational, but that felt so cathartic.
The totem before me almost shines in the darkness, so I pick it up. It’s smooth and cold, but for some reason, I think it gave me the strength to cut off that emotional deadweight. Maybe there is magic in it.
“No more boys, for now,” I say. “It’s time I love myself.”
I kiss the tiny jade lion and place it back down on the table. Then I crash into my bed, emotionally drained and ready to sleep.
Thirty minutes later, my tenuous slumber is interrupted by tremors in my bed. What a weird dream?wait, no, I’m awake. Wiping at my blurry eyes, I notice a green glow in my room. I shake my head to fully wake up. Is there a laser light show outside or something? What is going on?
Sitting up, I realize the glow isn’t coming from outside. Streaks of light and commotion are emanating from the dresser. “What the…?”
My totem! In a blink, the air shifts, and my totem erupts. The flashes of light aren’t fire. It’s…arcana! Wild, untamed, natural magic bursts from my tiny souvenir. I’m not the most skilled witch, but I don’t need a spell to detect this explosion of raw magic.
Before I can interpret what’s happening, my dresser breaks. Where the totem once was, I see a large dark figure. The person, no creature, is on two legs. My pulse rises in bewilderment?what is this?
“Grr…” The thing in the shadows growls at me and steps forward. It has big arms, large shoulders, and a dark, untamed mane of hair, but it’s definitely not human. When I notice its paw-hands, I see flecks of green arcana dripping off of each claw.
My throat goes dry in fear as it turns to me. The creature on two legs grumbles and steps closer. It’s almost cat-like, and I’m frozen in shock. He growls again, and my life flashes before my eyes; if I die, I’m going to miss my parents, even though they moved back to Mexico, and my fellow coven, my new family, here at Boysen House.
The beast looms over me in bed, then reaches forward. One claw strokes my cheek, but where I expected pain, he’s…gentle.I gaze into the emerald eyes of this beast. Something about him seems not animalistic. The way he gazes at me pierces my very soul. He gives off…human vibes?
Before I can react, my bedroom door on the opposite side of the room opens up. Lisbeth and Taina barge in, clad in their sleeping clothes. “What is going on?” Lisbeth’s words are halted when she sees the beast in the shadows.
I want to tell them to stop so I can discover what or who this thing is. Some strange instinct tells me there’s more to him than a giant, shadowy cat creature. But I can’t form any words before the magical monster leaps out of the window, breaking the glass and wall. From afar, he roars, and I can hear him pounce away, into the woods.
Autumn night air gusts in, and I stand up while Lisbeth and Taina gather at the broken wall. I carefully avoid the glass at my feet and look outside. “What…was that?” Taina asks. The three of us stare dumbfounded at the starry night sky. In the distance, trees sway, as if something large is rampaging through the woods. In all my years living as a witch, I’ve never seen or felt anything like that.
