Through the thin walls, she heard Olivia's side of the conversation.
“Shit, twice in one night, Jack? Where are you? I’ll be right down.” Olivia let out an exasperated breath. “Then why the hell are you calling me at this fucking hour if you’re not almost dead?”
Silence.
“…Shit, was she really that right for you?”
Zoe wished she could hear the answer to that question.
“…She’s my friend, Jack, and some kind of remote cousin. She already has some serious emotional issues from childhood. I really don’t want her to get hurt.”
Wow. That was way too personal.Emotional issues?Zoe was going to give Olivia a piece of her mind in the morning. Her cousin made her sound like some kind of basket case. For all the crap she’d gone through as a kid, Zoe figured she was pretty fucking normal. At least she wasn’t making shit up about witches and solstice.
Maybe it was time to pack up and go back to New York.Screw these guys.
She missed some of what was said next because Olivia had taken her voice down yet another notch.
“…And I will collect. I mean it. Don’t mess with her. Ah huh. I know. G’night.”
As soon as Olivia settled down, Zoe reached for her phone and whispered, “Call Nan.”
The phone rang with that odd international ring, and then she heard Nan’s voice. “Hey. What’re you doing up so late?”
“You got a minute?”
“Sure, just a sec. Getting ready for work. London office expects me there by nine, but it’s just a short walk. So what’s up?”
“Are you sitting?”
“No…but I can put the seat of the john down.”
“Do it.”
A clatter was followed by a chuckle. “Okay, I’m sitting.”
“I think I’m a witch.” Even as it came out of Zoe’s mouth, the words sounded downright insane.
There was a silence, which might just have been the connection, then a little giggle. “Not always. Just when you’re PMS-ing and even then–”
“Not bitch. I said witch.” Zoe tried to keep her voice to a hiss.
“Which one? Glinda or the wicked one?” Nan laughed so hysterically the phone distorted.
“Stop. This isn’t funny. I’m not joking.”
Her tone changed and the laughing stopped. “You’re serious? What kind of shit were you into tonight? We’ve talked about the hard stuff–”
“Nothing. I promise. There’s some weird shit going on here. And tonight something happened…”
Nan’s voice grew tighter. “What’s going on with you?”
Zoe tried to explain, but on the re-telling, it sounded even more surreal than when it happened. How does one explain the impossible?
“Listen. I know you’re staying with your cousin who really believes she is a witch, and don’t get mad, but you’re in a vulnerable place right now.”
“I’m not vulnerable. I hate it when you say that.” Zoe sat up and stared out the window. The fog had lifted, the half-moon was bright, and the beach sand glistened like snow.
“Okay, let me put it this way. You’re dealing with being abused as a kid. Something you’ve kept secret for years. Psychology books say it’s a bad place to be. You’ll give me that much?”
