The Memory Witch by Heather Topham Wood Read Free Book Online Page A

“Can’t believe she’s making you sleep in that room. I heard it’s haunted by the spirits of a hundred dead witches.”
    My jaw grew slack and I stopped walking. I gave him a fearful look that quickly melted from my face once I saw the humor in his eyes. “Oh…you’re messing with me.”
    “Of course, I’m messing with you. You look so skittish, I couldn’t resist,” he admitted.
    I tried to smile and hoped it didn’t come out too frightened looking. Mason was Stella’s nephew, which instantly made him untrustworthy. However, if he were trying to be nice to me, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have an ally.
    “How big is the property?” Directly behind the house were two smaller buildings. One of the buildings looked like an oversized garage and the other appeared to be a cottage. I noted a densely populated forest to the back of the structures and a small pond to the right.
    “My aunt owns eleven acres. It seems even larger though because we back up to farmland on both sides of us,” he said.
    “And what do you do here?” I questioned. Stella had mentioned he was the caretaker, but I had no clue what that entailed.
    “A little bit of everything. My aunt likes her privacy, so she likes me to handle most things. I’m the resident handyman, landscaper, and accountant,” he said. His smirk at my questions led me to continue heading up the driveway. The hilly terrain left me winded as I hauled the suitcase to the door, but I guessed it offered up amazing views of the countryside.
    “Get moving, it’s almost midnight and we need to get an early start tomorrow,” Stella said before opening the crimson door. We entered the foyer and Stella switched on the hall light. Before we mad our way upstairs, I looked around and noticed a large living room. An ancient fireplace was situated against the far wall with the bricks blackened from years of use. The room was overfilled with a large couch, loveseat, and two recliners.
    Our footsteps were loud as we climbed the wooden steps of the decrepit stairway. I kept a firm grip on the banister on the way up in fear of crashing through the stairs. Stella and Mason made their way to a bedroom off of the second floor landing. I followed inside and took a glance around once Stella turned on a small lamp set upon the nightstand of the room.
    The bedroom was slightly bigger than my room back home. A single twin bed was covered with a white quilt and set between matching cherry nightstands. A six-drawer dresser with an attached mirror took up most of the far wall. A two-door closet looked large enough to accommodate anything I had brought. I was pleased to see a heavily draped window in the room. My room back home lacked a window and at times it made me feel claustrophobic.
    After Mason put down my suitcase, Stella gave me a stern look. “I expect complete concentration while you’re training. I’ll hold onto your phone and any other electronics you may have brought.”
    “What? I can’t have my phone. That’s crazy…”
    Stella interrupted my tantrum. “You can have them back on Sundays. That will be a free day for you.”
    I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. Wordlessly, I dug through my purse and handed over my cell phone. She eyed my laptop case on the floor. I picked it up and presented it to her as well. “I’ll knock on your door to wake you in the morning. We eat breakfast at seven each morning.” With a curt nod, she departed the room without another word.
    I sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. My phone and laptop were going to be my lifeline. I had rationalized that although I wouldn’t see Tanner or my mom, I would at least be in constant contact with them. A phone call once a week didn’t seem like enough to me.
    Mason went to follow her, but froze at the doorway. He turned to me and seemed to take a minute to decide on what to say. “Aunt Stella probably seems horrible to you…”
    I cut him off with a snort. “You think?”
    “But her bark is