The Time Witch - Part 15

Recap: Evangeline’s first meeting with the coven was a total disaster! The witch, Nixie, accused Evangeline of using magic without permission and clamped a bracelet onto her wrist. The bracelet glowed a sickly color, and when Nixie tried to put a second one on Evangeline’s other wrist, the Library Lady froze time and ran!

Short on time? Scan the story and just read the Bold parts to get the gist of the story. Then come back later and read the whole thing!

LINKS: The Beginning, Last Part (#14), Time Witch page

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Run! Run! Run!

The library door slammed open. It banged against the wall with a crack. The impact was strong enough to make the door close again, just from the momentum.

Not stopping for anything, Evangeline raced to the closet—her sanctuary—and shut herself inside. She sank to the floor, leaning against the wall. “Samuel,” she whispered, “are you here? It’s all falling apart.”

A knock sounded on the closet door. Evangeline jerked around in alarm, somehow containing a scream. She knew Samuel wouldn’t knock, but neither would the coven.

Another rap. Softer.

“What happened? What happened?” Danna’s anxious voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”

Someone on my side, Evangeline sighed. It calmed her nerves a bit. She could finally take a deep breath, releasing some of the tension clutching her chest—and a fear that the whole coven would descend on the library.

“Evangeline, please come out,” Danna said. “I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Lost track of time for a minute, you know. Are you okay? You ran in so fast! You were in the closet before I noticed.”

Not wanting to explain what had happened in the park, at least not yet, Evangeline didn’t get up. She couldn’t let Danna inside the closet. The tunnel had only ever opened for her, and she desperately needed it to open now.

“I’m okay. Watch the front door,” Evangeline begged, shocked to hear that Danna had lost time. Did I do that? She wasn’t ready to discover how she’d frozen time or how far it had stretched. “Please, I need a minute.”

“In the closet?” Danna sounded confused. “What happened in the park?”

“The coven.”

“I’m so sorry,” Danna whispered, sounding tortured.

“It’s not your fault.” Evangeline tried to comfort her friend—yes, truly a friend—but didn’t open the door. She had to face the tunnel.

“But I said the coven would be chill,” Danna fretted. “You know I’m on your side, right?”

“Of course.” Evangeline knew Danna wasn’t to blame. “You’re the only one in the present time on my side.”

Evangeline placed her hand on the door. The movement exposed the bracelet, and its sickly glow was less noticeable under the closet’s lighting. The intricate silver illustrated the work of a master craftsman. Whether the magic came before the bracelet was forged or after, Evangeline couldn’t tell, but without knowing its purpose, she found it hard to admire. It hadn’t stopped her from escaping the witches, but it wouldn’t come off.

“You met them in good faith,” Danna muttered, taking offense at the outcome. “Please, come out. We can talk and figure it all out together.”

Evangeline didn’t need to talk. She had to accept what seemed impossible and move on if she had any hope of fighting the coven. After tangling with them, they’d revealed an agenda to control magic. Whatever magic Evangeline had already sparked the coven’s ire. They were several steps ahead, and Evangeline had been playing catch up—and losing—without knowing it. Now I know, and it’s gotta change, she promised herself.

 “Are you going back to Samuel?” Danna asked, but talking through the door made her voice sound strained.

Evangeline shook the bracelet clamped around her wrist. “If I can.”

“Okay, I’ll stand watch,” Danna said, softly tapping the door.

Turning to the closet wall, Evangeline put both hands on the recessed wooden panel. The smooth surface tingled under her palms. It doesn’t do that for everyone, she thought. It gave her a bit of comfort. She pushed it, but nothing happened. Expecting it to pop open, she tried again, but it didn’t budge. She couldn’t even feel a draft.

“Danna?” she whispered, “are you still there?”

No answer.

“It’s just us,” Evangeline said to the wall. Closing her eyes, she tried to summon the flickering lights of the tunnel. Please, please, please.

Sensing nothing, she opened her eyes to examine the closet better. The wall appeared as solid as ever. Just a wall. She banged her fist on the panel. “I need to go to him now!” A rage she’d never felt before surged in her heart. She stood and faced the wall.

“Now!” she shouted, thrusting her hand at the sturdy wood. She would either break through the wall or break her hand trying.

Evangeline didn’t flinch or pull the punch. She put her whole body into the attack, and miraculously, her fist went into and through the wall. No wood splintered. No knuckles harmed. No little door, either. Instead, the familiar blue-green twinkling light scattered across the panel, allowing her fist to cross the magical barrier. 

She’d punched a smooth-edged hole into the wall, bridging that strange border between the closet and the tunnel. The familiar yet unique twinkling light tickled its way out of the fist-sized hole. The majority of the tunnel still remained hidden. 

“Samuel!” Evangeline called. “Are you there?”

Evangeline pulled her arm partway out of the hole to peek inside. The only thing visible were the aurora borealis lights. They pulsed, slowly twirling in a counter-clockwise direction. They appeared more solid than before, so she stuck her arm back into the hole—as far as it allowed—and grabbed at the light.

The colorful beams might have looked tangible, but she felt nothing. She assumed the blue-green aura went right around her fingers. The hole wasn’t big enough to put her arm in and see what was happening. 

On the verge of losing hope, Evangeline felt strong fingers touch her hand, holding it firmly. A sigh echoed from the hole, and the gap widened until the wooden panel faded. The grip remained, although she could not yet see the source. The swirling lights blocked the view. Their intensity stung, making her squint.

The tunnel beckoned with a soft buzzing, just like before. Evangeline bent a little, finding more headroom than the first time, and stepped inside, able to see a faint image of the world beyond. That part was different, too. It had a dizzying effect, keeping her from moving more than a foot forward. Her progress stalled. She remained in one spot, stuck in between, with the lights and buzzing.

“I’m here,” Samuel’s tender voice drifted to her. “I have your hand.”

She felt a gentle tug and inched farther into the tunnel, but an invisible resistance pressed back. She felt it all around her body. The very air held her from crossing over.

“Something’s wrong,” she told him. “Pull me!”

Another tug. Stronger. But she only gained a foot. It was far enough to see Samuel better, just not clearly. A gauze-like veil separated them.

Evangeline leaned her shoulder into it, inches away from breaking through. Almost, she told herself, but a painful spark shocked her other hand—the one with the bracelet. She glanced back toward the closet to see her arm extended parallel to the floor. Something unseen held it vertical, with the bracelet at the wood panel border. It would not pass that mark. Stubbornly, it remained in her world. She could slide it up and down, but not across that unseen threshold.

It’s not only the air holding me back; it’s the bracelet! Evangeline thought, shocked that she hadn’t even felt the bangle grounding her.

Samuel tugged again, and she gasped at the sudden pain. The bracelet shocked her. The sickly light sparked outward, sizzling with glee. 

“Stop!” Evangeline yelled.

The pressure from Samuel’s side eased, but he didn’t let go of her hand. 

“I can barely see you. What hinders your journey?” he asked, his voice filtered through the barrier, sounding distant.

“The coven,” Evangeline answered. “They were ready for me and have bounded me in this time. I’m so sorry.”

His only answer was a sensation. She could feel him cup her hand in both of his. The caress was gentle, yet she felt his strength. She let her fingers curl around his hand.

Turning to him, trying to see his features through the veil, she quickly thought about what she should and should not say. One thing stood out: she needed to warn him. “Samuel, I think it has something to do with the wedding pact and Adas Abernathy. I don’t have any facts, but beware of Lenora, Gordy, and their families… and that apothecary store. You can’t trust anyone.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Samuel said. He sounded like he could take care of anything.

Evangeline, however, heard something else. She heard a man saying he’d handle it, possibly cracking a few heads together. He might not have died when the skeleton came through the tunnel, but the wrong move could still get him killed. “No!” she shouted. “Stay as far away from them as possible. Stick with your family. Your brother, Charles.”

She could see Samuel’s head bow over her hand. “I’ll take care, lass. I be more worried for you.”

He had a way of making her feel better without really trying. She liked that about him. “You should be worried,” she tried to laugh. “I’m not who we think I am.”

“You are everything,” he said. “Listen to me, now. Find my family, whomever is left. I will leave you a message with them.”

“A message? You think it will actually survive until my time?” 

“Aye,” he said.

“What kind of message?” Evangeline suddenly felt like he wanted to pass her a note in class. 

“What kind of message should I leave?” His tone made it sound intimate.

With a start, Evangeline remembered something important. “Time pushes back.” She repeated Mabel’s words, realizing they made sense. The old woman wasn’t crazy or rude. Mabel had been waiting to hear the partner to that statement. “If someone told you that time pushes back, what would you say?”

“I would say… we push harder.” His voice held a defiant tone.

Evangeline squeezed his hand, finding comfort in being so close, even if he was still so far. “I’ll find a way to get to you. I promise.”

“I know you will.” He kissed her hand, then released it.

Evangeline stumbled back into the closet as if pulled, bumping into the door. She looked at the bracelet. “I hate you.”

As if it answered, the tunnel closed, and she was left staring at the wood paneling—once again solid, hiding the way back in time. “I hate you, too,” she told the wall.

It didn’t seem to mind.

Her wrist sporting the binding bracelet, however, throbbed. An ache crept through her whole body. Part fatigue, but part worry. She felt like a contestant on a twisted game show where everyone knew the rules but her.

“Well, that’s gonna change,” Evangeline whispered.

It had to be around one in the morning so she wouldn’t bust her way into the Covington-York mansion until daylight. No, she’d wait, festering, then descend on that household and make Mabel spill all the rules.

Next installment drops next Tuesday! Every Tuesday, until this magical mystery completely unfold!