Secret Supernaturals: The Witch

Rising Suspicion

- ALTHEA -

It took a good 30 minutes before I was able to calm myself enough to be able to go downstairs. I made my way down to the lower floor as quietly as I could. There were too many steps on our massive wooden staircase, and I took my time going down the flight of them. Our house was huge, so much so that I still find myself lost in it sometimes even though I grew up here. It was as if everything changed locations every once in a while.

All the lights were open in the foyer when I finally made it down the steps. My mom had a fear of the darkness, and it definitely showed in the way our house was built and designed. There were floor-to-ceiling windows to let the sunlight in during the day and so many lights everywhere for when the night came.

The glaring brightness was so intense that I felt like angels were gonna pop out of nowhere. Speaking of angels, do they even exist on earth? And if they did, does that mean other ‘supernatural’ creatures exist too? What if I knew someone who was more than a human and didn’t even realize it? Oh gosh, am I going crazy?

I shook the frantic thoughts out of my head as I reached the final step. This was messing me up so much, it was seriously alarming. My head started pounding, a sign that a major headache was to come. I scurried over to the switch to turn some of the lights off but something else caught my attention.

Through one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, shrouded in the darkness, two figures were huddled together. I tiptoed closer to the glass, trying to see their faces. They were facing each other in deep discussion, so focused that I was tempted to knock on the glass to see if they’d get frightened or not even notice at all.

“It’s Mr. Williams and Ms. Davis.” Cassandra’s voice cut through the silence, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. She was inches away from me and was laughing at my probably hilariously scared expression.

“Why’d you have to sneak up on me like that?” I was clutching at my chest, trying to keep my breathing steady and back to normal.

“Oh, you mean the same thing you were about to do to poor Mr. Williams and Ms. Davis just a few seconds ago?" I looked back out and found both of them staring back up at us. It was still too dark, but I could see their faces now. Ms. Davis lifted up her hand and waved at us happily, and I smiled in return. I turned back to my best friend, who was still laughing lightly behind me.

“I wasn’t sneaking around in my own house, I just wanted to make sure it was them.” The switch was already close to where I was so I reached over to close some of the lights. Cass chuckled one last time before motioning towards the direction of the dining area.

“Uhuh, sure. Come on, I think you’re just hungry. Let’s eat!”

We walked together to the dining area, but my mind was still on the two people outside. It was already late, and they would usually be gone by now. They only stay during the weekdays now and would leave before dark on Fridays to go back to their own homes. Ms. Davis already taught me how to cook dishes so I don’t starve or have to go out to eat. Mr. Williams checks the security system to make sure that everything was set before he leaves and keeps his phone on him for the rest of the weekend in case I call him when something goes wrong. It wasn’t the first time they were leaving me on my own, so why would it be any different now?

“You okay?” she asked me before sitting down. I didn’t trust my voice not to give me away, so I nodded instead. She didn’t look convinced but ultimately decided to drop it as she received a message from her phone. I sat down in my usual spot and looked out the window. None of the lights outside were open and it sent some chills down my spine. Our house was always so bright, and the gloominess was so foreign that it unsettled me so much. The more I looked outside, the more my imagination ran wild. It felt like there was someone in the distance watching me and waiting for the perfect time to strike, it was driving me crazy.

I sighed deeply, shook off the paranoia, and decided to focus on more positive things. Across from me, Cass had her eyebrows knitted together but decided not to ask anything else. Instead, she got up and uncovered the metal dish between us.

Pasta was on the menu tonight, and the smell made my stomach grumble even though I didn’t feel hungry. Cass heard the mini complaint and leaned over to take my plate. She started piling up strands into some lopsided sort of 5-star restaurant presentation before presenting it to me proudly. I gladly accepted it and pretended to inspect it before setting it down.

The food was a welcome distraction, but I still couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.

“Just curious. What do you think they’re talking about out there?” I asked her. Cass could always sense when something was wrong, and I wanted her insights so I knew whether or not I was being overly dramatic.

“You sound like you’re being nosy and honestly, I’m so proud.” She flashed me a grin, proceeded to fill up her own plate, and take her seat. This girl could eat so much, I wondered where it all went after she was done.

“I think curious is the better term.” We went silent for a minute, with me being lost in my own thoughts and Cass stuffing herself with food happily.

“Maybe they weren’t talking at all and you interrupted them.” She said after a while, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. That statement was so unexpected that I forgot what we were talking about momentarily.

“Your train of thought is always so… interesting. Now, please stop.”

“Hey! If they’re two consenting adults, why would it be an issue?” Her shoulders were shaking from laughing at her own words and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. I was thankful to have someone I could trust, someone who understood but didn’t think twice about telling me what they really thought, and someone who could make things lighter whenever it was needed.

“But in all seriousness, before you lose your appetite, I’m just trying to make you laugh a bit. You might be overthinking it. I know you have some worries but let’s just wait for them to explain or something.” She gave my hand a quick squeeze and we went back to eating our food.

We were done eating when Mr. Williams finally came back inside alone. He hovered over the entryway to the dining area, his shoulders stiff and his face unreadable. When he saw us, a smile immediately took over his blank face.

“So, are you girls finished with your weekend planning? Any outside plans?” He asked us.

“Nope, we’ll be staying here all weekend. Right, Thea?” Cass replied as she picked up her plate. I initially had no plans other than homework and scrolling through my phone alone all weekend. Now that Cass is here, we’d still do them, but we’ll be able to do it together rather than on our own. I nodded in agreement and copied her moves before Mr. Williams stopped both of us.

“You girls can leave those, Agnes is about to come in.” We ignored him and continued to stack all the dishes together. We were about to carry them back to the kitchen when Ms. Davis walked in. She saw us and clicked her tongue, heading over to take the dishes from our hands.

“This is my job, girls. Go watch something on your phone, or talk about boys, or whatever teenage girls like doing these days.” I reached over to take the dishes back, but she moved away and frowned in disapproval. “Enjoy your weekend while I’m still on duty.” she winked and walked away.

Cass linked her arm through mine, and we just let Ms. Davis to do her thing. Mr. Williams was still standing by the entrance, we greeted him a good night and moved past him quietly, Cass and I already reached the stairs when Mr, Williams spoke up again.

“By the way, your dad called Ms. Thea. He requested Ms. Agnes and me to stay for the weekend to make sure you girls don’t cause any trouble. They also informed me that they’ll be taking longer than expected.”

My suspicion came back, in more intense waves this time around. If mom and dad were going to take longer than expected, they would’ve told me themselves, they would’ve called to assure me.

“Okay. Did anything happen?”

“Sadly, they didn’t say anything else other than what I told you. I’ll tell you if they call again.” he offered a sympathetic smile and I nodded silently. The situation was very suspicious, but I decided not to ask anything else. I no longer had any energy to deal with anything at the moment. Everything was exhausting, and I needed some rest before I passed out from exhaustion. Cass squeezed my hand again and led me upstairs back to my room.

I don’t know what they’re hiding from me and I may not know about it any time soon, but that didn’t matter.

I’m going to find out what it was regardless.