“Okay then. Your family, my family, the Lightwoods, the Bishops…they’re all families that have been in Woods Crossing for a very long time. And they’re also…witches.”
My eyes went wide. I blinked a few times, wondering if I’d just hallucinated.
“I’m sorry, did you just say witches?”
Theresa looked around the diner furtively, then back to me. “Yes. Your grandmother was a witch. Your father and mother, too.”
I felt my mouth drop open. “You mean to tell me that my dad, my mom…everyone I’m related to is a witch?”
She held up her hands, glancing around the diner again.
“Not so loud. But yes, your family is descended from the Black line, a long and powerful line of witches. That stuff in the apothecary? It’s all potion ingredients. I needed the chameleon for a potion. Your grandma was good at potions, and witches for miles around would come to her shop. It’s the best stock of ingredients in the whole state.”
I stared down at my plate, trying to absorb what she was saying.
“You really expect me to believe there are witches in the world?”
“I can prove it, if you like.”
Whatever answer I thought she’d give, it certainly wasn’t that. I folded my arms, setting my jaw.
“Go for it.”
Theresa pushed up her sleeves and looked down into her milkshake. She withdrew a short piece of wood from her purse, looking once more around the diner. Deeming it safe, she waved the stick over the cup.
Closing her eyes, she gave the wand a little flick upwards, and the milkshake began to change slowly from brown to white.
My body reacted by scooting back, but the high back of the booth seat stopped me. I pointed at the ice cream, my whole hand shaking.
“How…how did you do that?” I wavered.
Theresa calmly stowed her stick back in her purse. “I’m a witch. That’s how. I changed it to vanilla. Want to try it?”
Too numb with shock, I just shook my head. She shrugged and took a sip, then wrinkled her nose.
“I’ve never been very good at transfiguration magic.”
Taking out the stick once more, she waved it over the cup and the ice cream turned back to chocolate.
My head spun as I watched her calmly eating her burger as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Had she really changed her shake from one flavor to another? Or was she messing with me?
The more I looked at her, though, the more I couldn’t see her doing that. She’d been bold to push past me into the back of the shop yesterday, but I’d never have known about the existence of the apothecary if she hadn’t.
What if someone else came in looking for Mushroom Juice or Cheetah Toenails or something else like that? At least now I was prepared for such an eventuality.
As my heart rate slowed, I realized too that the existence of magic could explain a lot. The unusual cat, for instance, had definitely talked to me. Nothing else could explain that.
“But how…when did this all start?”
Theresa regarded me evenly, one eyebrow raised. “When did your family start being witches?”
I shrugged helplessly, at a total loss for words. My mouth couldn’t keep up with my racing thoughts. Theresa gave a wry chuckle.
“Real witches aren’t made, honey. They’re born. The Blacks are one of the longest living witch bloodlines in the world, but they’re quickly dying out.”
I frowned. “We’re dying out?”
Her mouth twisted to the side. “Maybe dying out isn’t the right phrase. Your family is losing touch with their magic. Nobody in your generation even knows they’re witches, apparently. And that is a mistake.”
With a jolt, I remembered my dad’s reluctance to talk about anything to do with his family. Could this be the reason why? Did he hate magic for some reason?
“Why do you say that?”
She gazed down at the table, once more tracing a fry through a puddle of ketchup. “Because it means you’re not safe, Sage.”
My heart resumed its pounding. “Not safe from what, exactly?”
Theresa pursed her lips. “Remember how I talked about lots of different witch families in town? There are people who don’t like the members of the Black Family, who worked hard to drive them all out of Woods Crossing years ago. If they learn that you’re living here now…”
“What did I ever do to anyone? All I did was inherit the shop and grandma’s house!”
Theresa closed her eyes and nodded. “I agree. It’s ridiculous that you should have to worry about something like this when you’re already trying to start a business and sort out your inheritance. But I think it would be a good idea to try to develop your powers, just in case.”
I stared at her shrewdly as I chewed my burger.
“Anyway, it would be good to test you at some point to see where your talents lie. All witches can perform all types of magic, but most have one or two types that they’re really good with. For instance, your grandma had a gift with potions, hence the apothecary. She sold ingredients as well as the potions themselves.”
“What other types of magic are there?”
