A Modern Witch Read online

  That made sense. Lauren looked over at the spinning boy and his parents sitting nearby. She dropped into her mind center and carefully reached out a light connection toward the boy.

  She could feel his frenetic joy as he spun. The air on his fingers, the heaviness of his head, the blur of colors. When he stumbled and fell, his entire being soaked in the pleasure of firm attachment to the ground. As that sensation faded, he bounded up to spin again.

  “It anchors him to the earth, the spinning,” she said.

  Tabitha looked surprised. “Tell me more about that.”

  “Well, when he spins, he likes the sensations it gives him—the wind and colors, the way the spinning pulls on his body.”

  Tabitha nodded. “That matches what I pick up from him.”

  “Then when he falls, he has this moment where he feels the ground under him really strongly. That’s his happiest moment. When that sensation of being anchored down starts to fade, he spins again.”

  Tabitha looked surprised. “You’re a sensory telepath as well as empath?”

  Jennie smiled. “She is, and very sensitive on both.”

  “Well, she’s figured out something I couldn’t.” Tabitha turned to Lauren. “My mind talents are primarily empathy, so I can catch his feelings. I don’t have telepathic gifts, so I can’t see the images or words or sensations that go along with the feelings.”

  Lauren tried to imagine what she’d get from the little boy’s mind if she could only read his feelings. “So you have to try to piece together the ‘why’ behind the feelings you pick up.”

  Tabitha looked pleased. “Exactly. In this case, I can sense his pleasure peaking right after he falls, but I thought it was from the falling, and that’s why he gets up to spin again.”

  “It could be.” Lauren shook her head slowly. “But I don’t think so. There’s this really clear moment, right after he falls, when he senses the ground under him. He gets up again when it fades—I think that’s why he spins. Does he spin a lot?”

  “Almost the entire time he’s awake,” Tabitha said.

  It was dizzying to even think about. Lauren looked at Jacob again. Suddenly what had seemed like fairly normal amusement for a small child took on new meaning.

  As he tumbled over into his mother’s lap, and then evaded her hug to bounce up and spin again, Tabitha’s earlier words came back to Lauren. Special needs could wreak havoc on families. How could you talk to a child who spun all day, or feed or cuddle him?

  Lauren slid one more time into Jacob’s mind and watched as he spun, fell, and got up again. This time she was even more sure.

  “He spins to attach himself to the ground. Almost as if he feels too light to stick otherwise.”

  Tabitha’s face lit up. “Too light. Bingo. Wait here.”

  She jumped up and disappeared into a door Lauren hadn’t noticed before. In seconds, she was back, bearing what appeared to be a life jacket.

  Since floating seemed like the opposite of what the boy needed, Lauren was puzzled. “Any idea what that is?” she asked Jennie.

  “Not a one, but Tabby is a genius at this. You gave her an important clue, and I think she has an idea now about how to help Jacob.”

  They both watched as Tabitha said a few words to Jacob’s parents. Then she knelt down and hugged the boy into her lap, sliding the jacket onto his shoulders and fastening the Velcro straps.

  Fascinated, Lauren dropped into connection with Jacob again. He was agitated—he didn’t like being held still. She was just about to call out when Tabitha finished attaching the vest and released Jacob. He bounced up and began to spin.

  Then Jacob stopped dead. Lauren felt his mind flood with wonder. He was attached. He was stuck to the ground. Slowly, he took small steps to see if the miracle would continue. It did. The joy in his mind was sunshine bright.

  Tabitha gently took his hand and guided him to his mother. His mama gathered him up and hugged him again, and this time, Jacob stayed. She rocked slowly and sang, tears streaming down her face.

  Jacob felt the motions, and the murmured words, and the tears dripping on his head. Soft warm arms held him, and a quiet sound beat steadily under his ear.

  When Tabitha walked back over to the pillows where Lauren and Jennie sat, she too had eyes full of tears.

  She reached a hand out to Lauren. “Thank you.”

  Lauren wiped her cheeks. “What is the vest you put on him? It worked like magic.”

  Tabitha laughed and sniffled. “No magic involved. It’s called a weighted vest. It adds about ten pounds to his body weight. When you said he felt too light, I thought it would work. Some children with sensory issues seem to need the extra weight to feel gravity the way you and I do. It isn’t something we had thought to try with him because we focused on the spinning, not the falling down.”

  “That is so cool. He’s feeling so content right now.”

  Tabitha reached in her pocket for a tissue and blew her nose. “Girl, you have no idea. Are you just monitoring him right now?” At Lauren’s nod, she continued. “Can you split your scan and look into his mother’s mind as well?”

  Lauren hadn’t tried exactly that before, but she could visualize how to do it. Dropping into mind center again, she branched a channel off her connection with the boy and reached out to his mom.

  Oh. Jacob’s sun-bright joy was anemic shadow next to his mama’s. She had not held her little boy like this since he had learned to walk, and then to spin. Years and years of the pain of loving a child you could not hold, a child you couldn’t really reach. Time could freeze now, in this moment.

  When Lauren gently pulled back from the minds of Jacob and his mom, her cheeks were wet again. Tabitha handed over a box of tissues. “She’s never been able to hold him?”

  “It’s not that unusual. Jacob is autistic, and some children on the autism spectrum have great difficulty with physical affection. Many don’t and are full of cuddles and hugs, but not all. We’ve been trying to meet Jacob’s sensory needs in other ways so he could stop spinning and have a better chance to interact with his family, but progress has been quite slow.”

  Tabitha blew her nose again. “I’ve been working with them for over a year. You’ve seen a small miracle today, Lauren. You helped create it. Jacob is well loved, but today he knows it.”

  Lauren shook her head. “I did so little. Will the vest keep helping him?”

  “Oh, yes. And we have weighted blankets for when he sleeps, and lap pillows that may work instead of the vest. There are also some therapies we can do that may decrease his need for the extra weighting.”

  Lauren looked over toward Jacob and his mother. He had gotten up now, but not to spin. He was walking slowly around the room, touching toys and furniture as he walked.

  “He’s exploring,” Tabitha said. “When he isn’t overwhelmed by the need to try to ground himself, he has the capacity to do other things, to learn and grow. The challenge with autistic children is that we have too many choices, too many possible therapies. Trial and error can take a long time. You’ve opened a big doorway for him.”

  Jennie blew her nose too. “Well, that wasn’t the job-shadowing experience I had in mind, but I think it will do. Lauren, it’s a beautiful thing you’ve done for that boy and his family. Look at him now.”

  Jacob and his father were sitting with a bin of blocks beside them. His father stacked three blocks, and then held one out to his son. Jacob watched, but didn’t move. His father added that block to the stack, and then held out another one. This time Jacob took the block, and added it to the top.

  Tabitha made a quiet sound of pleasure. “Jacob’s father is a builder. He made a set of blocks when his wife was pregnant. He has been waiting for this moment since the day his son was born.”

  She turned to Lauren. “It’s the everyday interactions that connect families. It’s not the blocks that matter; it’s the chance for a father to guide his son, to play with him and help him learn.”

  By now Laur
en was an old hand at feeling completely overwhelmed. “It sounds like you do wonderful work here and really make a difference. I’m glad I could help a little.”

  Tabitha shook her head and laughed. “I’ve completely overdone it, haven’t I? I really apologize. I didn’t expect so much to come of you diving into Jacob’s head, or I would have eased you in a little more slowly.”

  Jennie laughed. “You’ll note she would have done it anyway.”

  Tabitha grinned. “You know me well. I bug you all the time to come in so you can help read my kids, and clearly Lauren here is a lot stronger telepath than you are.”

  Jennie leaned over and spoke in a stage whisper. “Shh—she’s not supposed to figure that out for a while yet.”

  The two of them were a really unlikely pair. Jennie looked like anyone’s grandma, and Tabitha was young and the kind of beautiful that made grown men stutter. Appearances were obviously deceiving, in both cases.

  They were terrifying standards to live up to.

  Chapter 17

  Moira: Are you there, child?

  Lauren: I am, and I have a surprise for you. Do you see the little orange button on the right side that looks like a video camera? Click on that.

  “Oh, goodness—I can see you!”

  “I asked Nell to add video to our chat,” Lauren said. “It’s not the same as sitting in a room together, but I thought you might enjoy it all the same.” And so might I, she thought, looking at Moira’s comforting face.

  “Is it magic, then? Our Nell is an excellent spellcaster, although how she does it with this Internet is an eternal mystery to me.”

  Lauren laughed. “No magic at all, just a few lines of code. I think Ginia actually made the changes. She’s frighteningly good for an eight-year-old.”

  Moira sighed. “I miss watching Nell’s brood grow. I remember holding those three girls on my lap when they were only wee toddlers.”

  Lauren mentally slapped her forehead and sent a quick instant message to Nell’s house. “You’re close to Nell, then? I know Sophie spent summers with you.”

  “She did, and the daughter of my heart she is. But Nell is special to me as well. I was present at Aervyn’s birth. The girls were only three then, and we had such fun together.”

  “Well then, you’ll appreciate Aervyn’s latest stunt.” Lauren read Nell’s reply. Just let me tweak the code for a three-way—I’ll have the girls online in a few minutes.

  “Oh, I’ve already heard, lass. News travels very quickly in the witching world, especially when big magic is involved.”

  Lauren grimaced.

  Moira’s grin was a little devilish. “I’ve been getting lots of visits lately from people wanting to hear about this new young witch we found on the Internet, the one who channels for Aervyn.”

  Lovely. Add ‘Aervyn’s sidekick’ to her rapidly morphing identity. “I’m not sure I want to be fodder for witch gossip.”

  Moira’s giggles were those of a young girl, and impossible to resist. “Sweetling, you don’t have much choice at this point. We haven’t had a case of witch-powered flight in over two hundred years. That must have been quite the experience.”

  Lauren gave in and grinned. “It was unbelievable. I didn’t realize our physical bodies were really flying, which is probably a good thing, but even just thinking it was in my mind…”

  Moira reached out for the computer screen, and then looked a little affronted that she couldn’t actually touch Lauren. “Hold on to that joy, my dear. What a gift.”

  Nell’s new instant message pinged. The girls were ready.

  “Moira,” Lauren said, “I have another surprise for you.”

  “Auntie Moira!” Lauren could see three curly heads on one side of her screen, and a very astonished and delighted Moira on the other.

  Moira clapped her hands and tried once more to reach through the screen. “Now this must be magic, I’m thinking. Ginia, Shay, Mia, my lovelies!”

  Lots of giggles. “It’s not magic, Auntie, just computer code,” Ginia said. “I helped Mama write it.”

  “When you’re a witch as old as I am, dear girl, this is pure magic. Lauren, was this your idea?”

  Nell’s head popped into the screen with the girls. “It was—and I’m an idiot for not thinking of it sooner.”

  Moira’s lips quivered just a little. “It’s a very fine gift you’ve given me today, Lauren.”

  Lauren listened to the babble and smiled to herself. No magic needed—just good advice from her first mentor as a realtor. Find out what matters to people, and thank those who help you. Today, it felt solid to remember that not all good deeds required witchcraft.

  …

  Jamie walked into the kitchen where Lauren was frying a grilled cheese sandwich. Excellent—perhaps he could get food while he popped his question. “Smells awesome. Make me one?”

  Lauren jumped, which gave him some idea how distracted she was. Sneaking up on a mind witch was usually pretty difficult.

  “Sure,” she said. “Want onions?”

  “On a grilled cheese sandwich? Heathen.”

  Lauren smirked. “I take it that’s a no.”

  Jamie shrugged. “Well, I’ll eat it, but I have very low standards.” In some things, at least.

  Sometimes it was better to get right to the point, especially when it was making you a little bit crazy. Jamie took a deep breath. After he let this particular cat out of the bag, he was pretty damn sure there was no way to put it back in.

  “I need you to find me an apartment.”

  Lauren looked confused. “Why?”

  “You’re a realtor, aren’t you? I figured you’d have connections, someone who might know a place that’s available now.”

  Communications were still malfunctioning, judging by Lauren’s face. She spoke very slowly, as if doubting his IQ. “My connections are all in Chicago, Jamie. I don’t know anyone out here. Why do you want a new place, anyhow? This is a great house.”

  “It’s my parents’ house; I’m just house-sitting. They’ve been in Costa Rica for the last year with my brothers.”

  Lauren put the sandwiches on two plates and handed him one. “That’s awesome—what are they all doing in Costa Rica? I’ve always wanted to go there.”

  Dang it, could he not keep a simple conversation on track? “My brothers are doctors. They’re building a clinic. But I need you to find me an apartment, fast.”

  “Are your parents coming back sooner than you expected?”

  “No. I’m going to be in Chicago in two days, and it’s freaking cold there. If you don’t find me an apartment, I’ll probably freeze to death. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just something close to downtown.”

  Lauren sat down and shook her head, as if that might reboot something critical. “You want an apartment in Chicago.”

  For a mind witch, she seemed awfully dense. Then again, there was more than one way to communicate with a mind witch. He reached for Lauren’s hands and held her gaze. “Look.”

  Lauren looked. When she surfaced, her face was considerably paler and tears threatened. “Jamie. You need to tell her how you feel.”

  “I’m a guy, okay? I need some time. Which we won’t have if you two leave on Tuesday and Nat’s half a continent away. I figure if I come to Chicago for a bit, then we can take it one step at a time.”

  “You’ll move across the country for her, but you can’t say three little words?”

  Maybe the guy excuse wasn’t the right one. “Precog sucks, Lauren. It’s hard to just let things take their natural course when there are visions of the future flying around. Not to mention she’s spent the whole week surrounded by witches. I want us to figure out who we are for each other without all that in the mix.”

  “All that is already in the mix,” Lauren said. “She knows her own mind and heart better than anyone.”

  “Then help me out here, so I can be around while she figures it out. I don’t want to pressure her, so I want a place to live.
Month to month would be great. I can stay with Nash, but it’s hell trying to work at his place. Too many distractions.”

  “I think I know the perfect place—I’ll check with the landlord.” Lauren grinned. “Walking distance to Nat’s studio; you can take her 6 am class every morning.”

  Jamie groaned. “Can’t I just watch her? That’s a lot more fun than trying to turn myself into a pretzel.”

  “If you want to truly know Nat, take her classes. I’ll arrange the rental.”

  “Thanks. And one more thing.” Jamie waited until Lauren was paying full attention. “Don’t tell her. Please. It’s mine to do.”

  Lauren contemplated him for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. “I hope it works out for you two, Jamie—I really do. She’s my best friend in all the world, so I don’t say that lightly. I like you, and I think you’re good for her.”

  She paused. “Screw her up, and I’ll see just how much damage I can do with these new powers of mine.”

  Now didn’t seem like a good time to talk about the ethics of witching. Jamie chose an expedient alternative. “I have to go pick up Sophie at the airport. Want to come?”

  …

  Jennie watched Aervyn in her viewfinder, waiting for that moment when light and small-boy grin meshed. It came, and she clicked.

  Nell sat on the grass nearby, watching her youngest four play in Jamie’s back yard. “Thanks, Jennie. Today, it’s good to think of him as a little boy in a sandbox.”

  It was always harder to be those who loved. “A camera in my hand is always therapeutic. Today, I’ll capture your small boy.” And tomorrow, she thought, I’ll capture the witch.

  “Do you think they’re ready?”

  Jennie knew what Nell asked. “I do. Aervyn is young, but he’s been well trained. Jamie is wonderful with him.”

  Nell laughed. “He gets to let out his inner child.”

  “I suspect you’re right. But Jamie is also innately cautious in his magic when he works with others. He’s passed that on to Aervyn. Your son is very careful to keep others safe. We both know he had lots of power left in the tank when he flew us. It wasn’t nearly as daring on his part as it looked.”