Sinful Magic (Book 3 of the Ink series)

Chapter 6

I missed him. I wished everything could be normal so that I could call him my boyfriend. I wanted the boring part of life. Where we fought about simple things and maybe in the end we settled down and married. Those were supposed to be the fun things in life.

I didn't know where Slade was. I didn't know how he felt. And after almost two summers I realized I never knew anything about him at all.

How could you get into such a mess with someone you knew so little about?

I stared at the vegetables in the supermarket, poking at the cucumbers.

Dad tossed two heads of lettuce into the cart. "Earth to Hope."

I pushed the cart forward. "I think we should make dinner tonight, give Nona a break," he said picking up a tomato.

I shrugged. Two old ladies hurried by us casting the nastiest look at me. I could feel their eyes burning my skin with all the hostility they exuded. I ignored it and moved down the aisle.

The woman next to me took off in a hurry to get away from me. I groaned letting go of the cart.

"Maybe I should go wait in the car," I told Dad. "Seems to me there's a theme going on here."

He wasn't catching on. "I don't see anything unusual. Why don't you grab some hamburger?"

I headed off; of course he wouldn't feel what I did. He was known as the town drunk. I was the scary girl that fell in love with the bad boy in town, the girl who practiced black magic.

I turned the corner heading for the meats not happy to see Jesse and his friends. All fell silent the instant they laid eyes on me.

I held it together, and pretended not to notice them as I lifted some hamburger from the cooler.

"I didn't know witches ate meat," the short blonde said. She smiled.

I rolled my eyes. "How original."

Jesse watched, not saying a word.

"What's wrong? Nobody else left to lure to Henry Park and sacrifice?" she said.

I dropped the meat right there on the ground and stepped over it. "Do you want to take this outside?"

They all started laughing at me.

"Look the witch is getting angry," Jesse laughed. "And Slade isn't here to protect her."

I balled my fist ready to strike.

"Why don't you guys go find something else to do?" Hutch interrupted, he grabbed my fist and guided me away from the taunting and all the hard stares.

"What are you doing here?" I said. I found it odd he always showed up.

"How would you have explained that one?" he asked ignoring my question. "You throw some magic around and make those kids fear you; they toss you in a holding cell and try to charge you with something all over again?"

I shrugged. "Sounds fine by me."

Hutch held the door open for me. "Now you don't care anymore?"

I didn't know what I should care about. I hated Cherry, I hated the fact Slade left. And I didn't want to go back to school.

"I'm finding it really hard."

"Well, that doesn't sound like the Hope I know," he said. "What would make it easier?"

I crossed my arms, pondering his question. "I don't know anymore."

And I didn't.

I sat down on the store bench. That way Dad found me once he panicked and thought I went on a killing spree. "I don't feel like I belong anymore."

Hutch sat down.

I couldn't believe I admitted that to him. But I was in a bad place.

"Part of me says go back to college and forget that any of this even happened. Another part of me says stay here and wait for Slade to come back."

"At least the first choice has you doing something other than waiting for something that perhaps isn't meant to be," Hutch said.

I groaned. "Tell me how you really feel, Hutch." Way to shoot my hopes and dreams down I thought.

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. But I know a thing or two about covens," Hutch said. "I've been running away from what I did for a long time."

"Are you afraid it will sooner or later bite you in the ass?" Life was great at sneaking up on all of us.

"I've yet to find that out. So I must be doing something right," he said with a shrug. "My advice, forget about him and worry about you. Soon enough you'll have other things to worry about."

I stared at him confused. "If he thought I was in danger I don't think he would have left me here to fend for myself."

"That's not what I meant. Life happens, even when you're trying to run from it."

Dad came through the door of the shore store. "Alright, alright, let's get going. Say goodbye to your friend, we need to get home."

I stood up. "My keeper has summoned me. If you need me I will be chained to my grandmother's tower."

I waved to Hutch and followed my dad through the parking lot.