complicated.
As she sat on the bus, the mark on her wrist itched. She rubbed at it, still puzzled as to what it was. Looking at it, she thought it seemed bigger than she remembered, and peered more closely, but she was no nearer to working out why it wouldn’t come off or what it could be. Maybe Rose would know.
Callie felt a pang as she recalled the crazy things she’d been imagining about Rose and the rest of the coven that morning. She
knew
they were trying to look after her – what on earth had she been thinking? She was ashamed of herself.
***
Of course, the cinema was crammed with damp families escaping the haar, popcorn crunching underfoot like biodegradable gravel, but the film was bright and funny and Callie was in a good mood when she got off the bus in Pitmillie. She felt that her mind was her own again.
She had wondered briefly whether to tell Rose about what had been happening, but decided not to. Surely she ought to be able to deal with it herself? After all, this was
her
power and
her
problem. She wanted to solve it without everyone watching her.
No one was in when she got home, not even the cat. Callie checked her room and found, to her relief, that everything looked all right. In an effort to stay busy she examined the contents of the fridge, looking for clues to what supper was meant to be, and started to cook. It would be worth it just to see the look of astonishment on her mother’s face, she thought, as she chopped onions. And whatever had been intended, supper was definitely curry now.
When everything was bubbling away and the kitchen was full of the scents of spices, Callie went for a shower. The sun had broken through at last, and the upstairs of the house was flooded with light. She sensed the weather would be back to warm and sunny tomorrow.
She took her phone into the bathroom so she could listen to music and sang along happily in the shower until the moment when the water suddenly ran freezing cold. She leapt back with a scream.
“Stupid shower! Behave!” She turned the temperature control down then back up and stuck her hand cautiously into the water. Back to normal.
When it happened for a second and then a third time, she gave up. The thermostat must have gone or something.
She got dressed, went to check on the curry, and found the kitchen filled with steam and the hot tap full on.
Callie turned off the tap and stared at it. She must have turned it on without realising. At least it explained where all the hot water had disappeared to.
She knew it wasn’t quite enough of an explanation, but she was determined not to think about it too much.
“Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”
Callie gave a gasp and spun round to find her mother looking at the bubbling pots in astonishment.
“Don’t do that! You gave me a fright.”
“It’s amazing. You look like Callie, you sound like Callie – but you can cook.”
“Oh, ha ha. Very funny. If that’s the thanks I get for trying to be helpful…”
“It’s just the shock. I
am
grateful, honestly. You should do it more often.” Julia paused. “You
should
do it more often, you know. You’re in before Dad or me quite a lot, but it’s always me who has to cook.”
“Schoolwork? Remember? I’m meant to study.”
“You usually seem to be studying Facebook or iTunes when I get in.”
Callie opened her mouth to protest, but Julia held up her hands with a grimace.
“Sorry. Sorry. I don’t know why I reacted like that. Can we start again? Thanks for cooking. It smells really good.”
“No problem,” Callie replied a bit stiffly.
“When will it be ready?”
“About twenty minutes,” said Callie, distracted by a new text on her phone.
“Perfect.”
“I’m going over to the cottages to hang out with Josh this evening,” she said once she’d read it.
“Okay.”
***
Josh and Callie floated on their backs in the tiny octagonal swimming pool at East Neuk Cottages, trying to move as little as
As she sat on the bus, the mark on her wrist itched. She rubbed at it, still puzzled as to what it was. Looking at it, she thought it seemed bigger than she remembered, and peered more closely, but she was no nearer to working out why it wouldn’t come off or what it could be. Maybe Rose would know.
Callie felt a pang as she recalled the crazy things she’d been imagining about Rose and the rest of the coven that morning. She
knew
they were trying to look after her – what on earth had she been thinking? She was ashamed of herself.
***
Of course, the cinema was crammed with damp families escaping the haar, popcorn crunching underfoot like biodegradable gravel, but the film was bright and funny and Callie was in a good mood when she got off the bus in Pitmillie. She felt that her mind was her own again.
She had wondered briefly whether to tell Rose about what had been happening, but decided not to. Surely she ought to be able to deal with it herself? After all, this was
her
power and
her
problem. She wanted to solve it without everyone watching her.
No one was in when she got home, not even the cat. Callie checked her room and found, to her relief, that everything looked all right. In an effort to stay busy she examined the contents of the fridge, looking for clues to what supper was meant to be, and started to cook. It would be worth it just to see the look of astonishment on her mother’s face, she thought, as she chopped onions. And whatever had been intended, supper was definitely curry now.
When everything was bubbling away and the kitchen was full of the scents of spices, Callie went for a shower. The sun had broken through at last, and the upstairs of the house was flooded with light. She sensed the weather would be back to warm and sunny tomorrow.
She took her phone into the bathroom so she could listen to music and sang along happily in the shower until the moment when the water suddenly ran freezing cold. She leapt back with a scream.
“Stupid shower! Behave!” She turned the temperature control down then back up and stuck her hand cautiously into the water. Back to normal.
When it happened for a second and then a third time, she gave up. The thermostat must have gone or something.
She got dressed, went to check on the curry, and found the kitchen filled with steam and the hot tap full on.
Callie turned off the tap and stared at it. She must have turned it on without realising. At least it explained where all the hot water had disappeared to.
She knew it wasn’t quite enough of an explanation, but she was determined not to think about it too much.
“Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”
Callie gave a gasp and spun round to find her mother looking at the bubbling pots in astonishment.
“Don’t do that! You gave me a fright.”
“It’s amazing. You look like Callie, you sound like Callie – but you can cook.”
“Oh, ha ha. Very funny. If that’s the thanks I get for trying to be helpful…”
“It’s just the shock. I
am
grateful, honestly. You should do it more often.” Julia paused. “You
should
do it more often, you know. You’re in before Dad or me quite a lot, but it’s always me who has to cook.”
“Schoolwork? Remember? I’m meant to study.”
“You usually seem to be studying Facebook or iTunes when I get in.”
Callie opened her mouth to protest, but Julia held up her hands with a grimace.
“Sorry. Sorry. I don’t know why I reacted like that. Can we start again? Thanks for cooking. It smells really good.”
“No problem,” Callie replied a bit stiffly.
“When will it be ready?”
“About twenty minutes,” said Callie, distracted by a new text on her phone.
“Perfect.”
“I’m going over to the cottages to hang out with Josh this evening,” she said once she’d read it.
“Okay.”
***
Josh and Callie floated on their backs in the tiny octagonal swimming pool at East Neuk Cottages, trying to move as little as
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