Page 4 of Magic in the Woods
I continued walking, the pail becoming heavier with every step.
Who was I kidding? I was tired, hungry, and a complete mess. The woods had bested me in a matter of hours. If I couldn’t provide for myself out here, what right did I have to march into the Coven and take it over? What would I do? Hold up my mother’s frozen body as proof of her defeat? Then expect all the witches to follow me?
This is all your fault, Mother.
I lowered the pail from my chest as soon as I was far enough away from the campsite and gave it a kick.
I winced. That only hurt my already stubbed toe, and meanwhile, my mother probably hadn’t even noticed.
CHAPTER THREE
Dafni
At first Inoticed the twinkle of lights, a few glimmers I thought might’ve been a mirage. The woods thinned as I walked, and after a few more flickers, I realized the lights were not a hallucination. I was walking towardsomething.
It was dark when my feet hit the gravel road that ran right up to a building with the wordsNo Barslit up in blue neon lights. The parking lot was full of cars, and several women stood smoking in front of the door.
I kept to the shadows, setting the pail next to me as I watched them. They were laughing together—they must’ve beenfriends.
I’d never had friends. Kleio and Elise had been kind, but they’d thought I was a kitten the entire time I’d been with them. They weren’t truly my friends.
The women outside the bar looked happy together, likethey enjoyed each other’s company. One even untwisted a strap on her friend’s shirt. Another one laughed at something a woman was saying while animatedly gesturing with her hands.
That would be nice…having friends.
A group of large men exited the bar. All the women went quiet as they stopped their conversations and turned to stare in their direction.
It was shocking how fast the men’s attention immediately went to the group of women. Whistles and low mutterings erupted from the group of men, and I watched as the women squeezed close together, moving as a group back into No Bars, away from the men. A few of the men laughed once the door closed behind them.
There was no way I was going to walk through those men to get to the front door.
I tucked myself back into the woods and snuck around to the back of the building.
A door was propped open, the smell of food wafting out from inside. It smelled so good—the spice of the meat they were cooking made my mouth water. My stomach no longer rumbled. Instead, it hurt, cramping from the lack of food.
I couldn’t focus on anything but that smell. I needed food. Maybe if I just looked inside, I could find something that was within arm’s reach. I could stick my hand inside the door and grab it quick—before anyone noticed. It’d been too long since I’d eaten. I’d been walking and burning through my magic. I didn’t know how far I had left to go or if there would be another restaurant along the way. There might not be another opportunity like this.
I didn’t have money to pay for a meal. This was stealing—it was against the rules, but I was desperate and hungry. I needed food if I was going to keep walking. If I could just grab something, anything, I’d be on my way.
Climbing the wooden steps up to the door, I let my eyes adjust to the light as I leaned in, assessing my surroundings. It was a kitchen, an empty kitchen. Food sizzled on the grill on the far side of the room and a large silver refrigerator hummed on the other side, but there were no people in sight. Perfect. A plastic bag of buns sat on the counter in the center of the room. It was farther than arm’s length, but that was all I’d need. It was perfect. I could just grab the bread bag and go.
I pushed the door open a little wider, just enough to where I could slide in sideways. I got my torso through the opening?—
Thunk.
The pail wouldn’t fit.
Gently, I set it on the top step outside the kitchen, my fingers stiff from being wrapped around the handle. I slid the rest of the way through the door, looking in either direction before I raced over to the counter, my hands wrapping around the bag and pulling the bread to my chest.
Food.I could smell the yeasty bread through the bag.
I turned, ready to leave as fast as I’d arrived.
“Damnit, Bill! Ice goes in the ice machine!”
The door that I’d just slipped through flew open, and a woman with the nameDorothystitched onto her shirt stood in the doorway. She was holding my pail in her hand.
“What in the world?” she yelled.
