Unbound by April Vine Page A

crunched the broken crockery with her heavy boots as she stepped over the toppled chair.
    “She’s answered the witch’s call, sisters mine. She’s answered the witch’s call. She’s answered the witch’s call. Oh dear, she’s answered the witch’s call,” Aunt Esmie kept repeating as the three sisters joined hands and formed a circle.
    Michelle folded her arms and tapped her foot in exasperation while the sisters whispered quietly to themselves. A thunderous shriek later and she had to dodge their outstretched arms, but with three of them advancing on her with glee in their eyes and maniacal smiles on their faces, she was soon trapped in their embrace.
    “Stop it. Stop it. I never wanted to be a witch, you know that. I hate it. I hate it.” Her protestations fell on deaf ears. Her aunts broke out into gay dance around the kitchen, raising their hands and humming songs she didn’t know or never paid attention to before. Is Aunt Esmie break dancing? Michelle shook her head to clear it. She didn’t want to get embroiled in their crazy antics. Who knew what she was susceptible to now with her witch powers in place?
    “Wait a minute. Was that the reason you did the spell on me in the first place?” Her accusation drowned in the sound of copper pots drumming against each other, the spoon drawer jingling, saucers flying in the air, fireflies spelling out her name. She lived in a madhouse and she missed it. The last few days spent as a wolf, every second trying to recollect her thoughts enough to open her mind, to accept the blood running through her had been agonizing. She didn’t think she could make it. That Mother Nature would not accept her. But every time her wolf’s gaze settled on Sebastian, always by her side, protecting her, feeding her, nuzzling her, she knew she had to try harder. His life depended on it. And now he lay in her bed, soundly asleep and perfectly human. As soon as he awoke, she’d cast a memory spell on him and for once and for all put an end to this sorry episode in both their lives.
    But when Henry poked his camel neck into the back door and crooned with her aunts, she’d had enough. A quick flick of her wrist silenced the pots and spoons. The saucers flew back into their place. She bundled up the fireflies and marched them to the bread bin.
    “And you, Henry, for Hecate’s sake, you’re a cat, not a camel. Live like one.” Henry shrank into his beige fur then emerged a fat black cat that wobbled to his seat at the coal stove, mumbling how he was probably too old to go around being something else.
    “Now, would you like to be gagged?”
    Her aunts shook their heads vigorously.
    “Good. Sit.” All three scrambled for the same one chair but soon righted themselves. “Now you will answer my questions without getting crazy, okay?”
    They nodded but nothing could bring her to erase the silly smiles on their faces. How she’d missed them. She licked her lips and began.
    “Are you insane?” All three sisters pointed to themselves. “I’m talking to all of you.”
    “Oh.” All together.
    “Is that the reason you did the spell on me in the first place? Because you wanted me to realize my witch heritage? If that is the case, then that’s the cheapest trick you’ve ever pulled. No, that isn’t the cheapest trick you ever pulled. Casting a spell on Sebastian, so that he would come after me and then change with me. Now that is your lowest, sneakiest, most horrible prank. What were you thinking?”
    “But we didn’t trick Sebastian.”
    “Really, that’s your answer. What grown man, with his whole life ahead of him, would opt to live as a wolf? Let me answer that for you. No man.”
    “But he loves you.”
    “Oh, Aunt Surtie. He doesn’t and no matter what magic you use on him, it’s all false. You just can’t go around exploiting magic to suit your own needs. Sebastian doesn’t love me and I’d rather die than have you make him love me. And besides, I don’t love