The Witch Collector Part I by Loretta Nyhan Page A

when they got back from the training center?”
    â€œNo one said anything,” I said, a feeling of dread taking hold in my belly. “My friends were the oldest kids in the coven. Everyone else was an adult—mostly our parents.”
    â€œThis was a new coven?” Miro asked, his forehead scrunched in thought.
    â€œYes,” I said, though the thought felt foreign to me. My coven was all I’d ever known. It never felt new, or old, or anything other than home.
    â€œDo you know anything else about what the transitioning process involves?” Shelley asked me.
    â€œNot . . . really.”
    â€œWell . . .” She opened her mouth to say more but changed her mind and looked to Miro for help.
    â€œThis is ridiculous,” Miro said. “Next thing she’ll have us explaining is where babies come from.” He turned away and walked toward the door. “I’m going to make sure Donna isn’t looking for us. We can’t go to anyone with this until we’re sure of what we’re really dealing with.”
    Shelley watched him leave.
    â€œDonna?” I asked.
    â€œMy mom. She owns this restaurant. By now she’s pretty wiped, so she usually spends an hour before bed watching TV.”
    I thought of my own mother, of the new lines on her face, of the deep bags under her eyes. I was worried about her. “Could you tell me what you know about the transition?”
    â€œYou’re really pretty clueless, huh?”
    â€œI guess so.”
    Shelley took a breath, squared her shoulders, and addressed me. “The first year is the worst—”
    â€œThe first year ?”
    â€œIt usually only takes two,” she said almost apologetically. “Miro and I are nearly done, or at least we think so.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    Shelley gestured to the pendant around her neck. She was careful not to touch it, grasping the bronze chain instead. I leaned forward, and up close I could see the smooth lines of her talisman, a bright crimson stone called red jasper. It complemented the golden hue of her skin.
    â€œI know I’m near the end because I feel like this is truly mine now, a part of me as natural as an arm or leg. Do you know what this talisman does?” she asked.
    â€œIt helps to direct your magic, like a conductor,” I said, grateful Gavin had at least explained that to me.
    Shelley looked like she felt relieved, too. “Exactly. In the beginning, it’s very hard to control your magic, and it’s impossible to predict how it’s going to affect you physically. What happened tonight was pretty intense. How many times did you use your gift?”
    The bird in the alley. The fireball. The priest’s phone. How many times had I opened the door to our apartment?
    â€œFive or six, I think.” And four different gifts, I neglected to add. I don’t know why I didn’t tell her. It scared me, and I needed to understand what was going on one step at a time.
    Shelley’s eyes widened. “With no talisman? Oh, Breeda. You could have died.”
    My head felt suddenly light, like all the blood had drained from it and was pooling at my feet.
    â€œI’m sorry. I don’t want to frighten you,” Shelley said quickly. “But you have nothing to guide you through this right now. You need to find your parents, or at least your coven leader. I don’t know why they haven’t explained these things to you, but they must have your family book. It’s basic self-preservation.”
    â€œI don’t even know where to begin to look!” I cried. “I don’t know what happened to them!”
    Shelley’s face softened, and she pressed one hand to my shoulder. “Why don’t you begin by telling me everything? We can figure out what to do once I understand what’s happened.”
    â€œI . . .” But I needed to think about what I could tell them. My parents