Water Witch by Amelia Bishop Read Free Book Online

again and hated myself for it.
    He returned my stare, a tender smile on his face.
    I looked away, not sure what else to ask him, and hid a yawn. “So if we’re really talking here, and this isn’t a vision, what does this mean?”
    He slid forward, to the edge of the mattress, and stood. “It means I should leave you to sleep, or your family will wonder why you are so tired tomorrow, and you will have to admit you stayed up late talking in your bed with a man they consider their enemy.”
    “Are you our enemy?”
    He shook his head, though I wasn’t sure if that meant “no” or if he couldn’t answer. He turned to the door, but before he took a step his body faded and disappeared, and I was alone in my room.
    ***
    I gasped and shot up, completely confused. My room was dark now, not the brightly lit room from my vision, and I was under my thin summer blanket, not atop it. I lay down and pulled the blanket up to my chin. Shit .
    Falling back asleep took a while.
    I realized that I was craving my chain. The comfort of knowing I’d not have any visions, along with the soft dull sensation of the spell, was something I had grown used to. I resisted the urge to wear it, and eventually fell into a fitful sleep filled with mildly sexual dreams about Salil.
     
    At the breakfast table my mother waited with barely concealed impatience for me to reveal any visions I’d had in the night. I considered lying, or glossing over some of the facts, to save myself the embarrassment of revealing my lack of skill, but the interaction with Salil was too important.
    “I dreamed of him. It was like we were in the same room, talking, for real. He touched me, and I could actually feel his hand.”
    I let her digest that as I poured myself some orange juice.
    “Start from the beginning. What were you attempting to see?”
    Here we go . “Well. I don’t really have much luck with that, so I just kept myself open.”
    Her mouth gaped for a moment, then shut, but she didn’t say anything.
    “I know, Mom. I’m working on it.” My face heated with shame.
    She shook her head. “I never should have made you that chain. Learning to deal with the gift of precognition is a struggle, but it is necessary. I thought I was protecting you, but I’ve hurt you.”
    “No, don’t think that way.” I sat up in my chair. “That chain has helped me more than you know. It wasn’t your fault I abused it. I’m going to do better from now on, okay?”
    She nodded and scooped some eggs onto my plate. “Okay. Well, tell me everything about what you did see, then.”
    “I was on my bed, sitting—”
    “Wait. Let me get Noni. She should hear this too.” She left through the side door to the garden, where Noni was no doubt watering and weeding already. I wasn’t sure if she ever actually slept.
    I explained everything, every detail I remembered, and tried to give them an impression of my feelings without revealing how attracted I’d been to Salil. They saw right through me.
    “You feel something for him.” My mother crossed her arms over her chest and pinned me with a classic mom look. Noni snorted and turned away to pour herself a coffee.
    “Maybe. I won’t act on it, don’t worry.”
    “I don’t trust him, Vinny. No one who sneaks into our home and steals our property is a good match for you.”
    “I know, Mom. I agree.”
    Noni said nothing, but squinted at me suspiciously. I cleared my dishes and drank the rest of my coffee in one gulp. “I’m going to go out for a while, for a walk on the beach.” I left without giving them an opportunity to ask any more questions.
    The beach soothed me. The lapping of water on stones lacked the power of waves crashing on a beach on the open ocean, but it held a familiarity and quiet comfort. I kept an eye out for Salil, and wondered if he was watching me. The shore was empty, though, so I found a quiet, open spot where I would be able to sit in the sun. Walking around the spot, I found five