A Witches Heart by Lisa Marie McDonagh (best short novels of all time .txt) 📕

/> I listened, the song wasn't what I usually listened to, but I liked it. "What's the name of the song?" 
"'Good Girls Go Bad' by Cobra Starship." 
"Hmmm," I listened some more, the song was really predictable, so I sang the chorus while Bri sang the whole song. "...She was so shy till I drove her wild. I make them good girls go bad. I make them good girls go bad. I was hanging in the corner with my five best friends, I heard that you were trouble, but I couldn't resist. I make them good girls go bad. I make them good girls go..." We laughed as we finished the rest of the song. "I'll admit," I said," that was good, but I still like country better." 
"Don't worry," Bri laughed, "I still have time to covert you." 
"Don't hold your breath." 
When got back to my house, Sabrina had to leave, so we said our goodbyes and I went into the house to do my homework. I had just finished the phone rang. I sprinted over to the phone, hoping it was Daren. "Hello?" I answered, breathless.  
A female voice that I didn't recognize spoke into the receiver. "You'll stay away from Daren if you know what's good for you." 
I shuddered; the voice- and the threat- scared me a little. "Who-who is this?" I demanded.  
There was a malevolent sounding laugh and the line went dead.

Chapter 15 
Katheren: 
The phone call-even though I hate to admit it- freaked me out so much that I had nightmares all night. Then, the next morning when my alarm went off, I screeched and fell off of the bed. Hm, Daren was right, that hurt! 
To my day even worse, when I looked out my balcony door, I saw it was snowing. Ugh! This was going to be a very long day. 
Finally, I was ready for school, I even had extra time. I grabbed my book and just as I sat down, just then someone knocked at the door. My heart was hammering in my chest as I slowly walked over to the door to open it hesitantly. 
"Good morning Kates," Daren crooned.  
I beamed at him and opened the door all the way. "'Morning Daren," I said then leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek, but as I was pulling away, I froze. 
You'll stay away form Daren if you know what's good for you. 
Daren grabbed my hands and twinned his fingers through mine before brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. "Is something wrong?" he asked, worried.  
I forced myself to relax, to forget about it. "No," I lied, "everything's fine." Maybe I just imagined that call last night. I mean I was tired... 
He stared at my face for a long moment. "You're lying." 
I sighed. "But you're here," I told him, thinking that telling semi-truths was much better than lying, "so I'll be fine." 
He smiled slightly. "Would you like a ride to school today? Because that was my initiative for coming over this morning."  
"Sure." My voice broke.  
"I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised looking into my eyes. God I hope he is right. 
The ride to school was mostly quiet because I was mostly asleep. I'm pretty sure that Daren would have just drove me home when he noticed this, but he didn't argue too much when I said that I wouldn't allow him just to skip because I was a little tired. "Are you sure that you are alright?" 
I groaned. "I'm fine." Daren didn't see entirely convinced, but he grabbed my hand wordlessly and led me to our first class, geometry.
Daren: 
Katheren didn't look fine. If you looked close enough, you could see that her eyes were almost bloodshot and she was pale under her slowly fading California tan. I was so aggravated that she was hiding something from me; it was eating at me so badly that I could hardly hold still.  
About halfway through Mrs. Brooks' boring monologue on statistics, Katheren raised her hand urgently. "May I go to the bathroom," she asked. 
Mrs. Brooks wasn't even able to answer before she ran out of the room. "Oh my," the older women said looking alarmed. "Could someone please go check up on her?" 
I volunteered and headed out into the hallway to look for Katheren. I went to the closest bathroom and knocked on the door. "Kates, are you in there?" 
I heard a faint groan and then something that resembled 'go away'.  
I looked at both ends of the hall, when I saw no one there; I snuck into the girl's bathroom to myself to check up on her. 
What I saw caused my throat to close. Katheren was lying on the floor of one of the stalls and the room smelt like puke. I knelt down beside her and put my hand on her forehead, unlike this morning when she was shivering, her head was burning. 
"We need to get you to the nurse." 
She groaned, "I can't move." 
I picked her up easily and carried her slowly- so I didn't rock her too much that she got sick again- to the main building. After I had dropped her of at the office, I went back to the math room to get our backpacks and went back to the nurse. She told me to take Katheren home. 
It was probably quite funny to see me carrying two book bags and a girl bridal style, but it worked. 
"Put me down, I can walk." I looked down at Katheren, her face was even paler and she had one hand clamped over her mouth, the other was clutching my shirt.  
"Not going to happen Kates," I told her. Then I realized something. Shit! How am I going to get the car door open when if I move my arms, I will drop her? Luckily, Katheren figured out my dilemma and opened the door for me and I laid her down in the backseat. 
"Don't take me home," she begged weakly. "I don't want my aunt to worry, she leaves like an hour after school ends and doesn't get home until I leave for school, so please let's just keep this on the down-low." 
I nodded and headed towards my house. Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about the backpacks now, so it took me a much shorter time to carry her in. I put her down on the couch in the living room, and then went into the kitchen to get a wet washrag and a large plastic bowl. 
I set the bowl on the floor next to her in case she couldn't reach the bathroom in time, then laid the washcloth across her forehead to get the fever down, and draped a blanket over her when I realized she was shivering. 
I sat on the floor next to her after I was sure that I had everything that she needed. I felt something warm in my hair and my eyes fluttered shut. I looked back at her. "What are you doing?" I asked her smirking. 
She tried to shrug. "Nothing." 
Some how, she looked even worse than before, she looked like she was dying. In addition to being unnaturally pale, her cheeks were also gaunt and her hand was shaking as she ran it through my hair. Then I realized something was off. Her eyes. They weren't their normal jade; they were almost all black, not all black as in a dilated pupil, but as in someone was using a spell on her. 
"Shit! Do you have your mother's necklace on?" 
"No," her feeble voice sounded confused. "It's in the front pocket of my backpack, I didn't want to wear it, but I always have it with me." 
"Stay," I told her unnecessarily then sprinted out to my car. I frantically grabbed out the crystal heart and ran back inside. I pressed it into her hand. "Put it on. Now." 
The second that it was clasped around her neck, the silver chain- well actually it was the protection spell within the necklace- started to glow green. Katheren looked better almost instantly. She looked less dead and more like someone who was terminally sick, the spell was activated too late, it wasn't going to be enough. If I didn't do something very soon, she would be killed. 
I went into the dinning room, got our 'livre de sorts' and sat down in front of the couch. She looked back at me worriedly, but thankfully she was still conscious. "Trust me," I said and the clouds in her eyes cleared. I flipped through the worn pages as fast as I possibly could before I found what I was looking for- a counter spell. 
I bit my lip, it was more complicated than any of the spells that I had done in front of Katheren before. Those were all one word spells, this spell was one page.  
But it had to be done. I took a deep breath and started chanting in French. When I was done, I looked up to see her eyes closed and it didn't look like she was breathing. 
No! Please no! This can't be happening!  

 
Chapter 16 
Katheren: 
"Katheren, no," I heard someone sob. It was weird, here, encased in a soft golden light, everything was peaceful, so warm, the cry was so full of anguish, it shocked me. "No, you can't leave no, no! I love you, don't- don't leave me." 
What was wrong? Who was that person? Why were they in so much pain? 
"Kates, please!" Oh, it was Daren. But what was wrong? All I could see was a gold light, but the more I focused on his face, the more the light faded. 
Finally, I was able to open my eyes. Daren had his arms around me and his face was hidden in my chest. I felt something tear inside me to see him like that. I tired to speak, but it didn't work so I put my hand over his. His hand flipped over to grab mine roughly. When he spoke, it was muffled. "Why did you leave me?" His voice broke on the last word. 
I opened my mouth but nothing came out, I cleared my throat and tried again. "I didn't try. What happened?" 
"What happened was a warlock attacked you and I couldn't save you, it's my fault you're dead." 
Dead? I'm not dead; at least I didn't feel dead. Wait, he still thinks that I am dead! "If I am dead, then how am I talking to you?" I said gently. 
"Because my subconscious wants to torture me even more-" 
"Daren, look at me." 
"No!" His voice broke again. "I won't be able to bear seeing you like that." 
"Daren. Look. At. Me." 
Slowly, reluctantly, he lifted his face to look into my eyes. "Katheren!" His face was glowing; it almost looked like he was going to start crying again. But then he frowned, "Am I dreaming or crazy or something?" 
"Hmm, not sure, you tell me," I murmured then bent down to kiss him. I gasped and he leaned away, alarmed. "I'm f-" 
"Do not say 'fine', the last tie that you said that, I was seconds away from losing you." 
"Then I'm alright. Just really...sore? I guess that would describe it," I said, then groaned, something was really annoying me.  
"What?" 
"Calm down. It's just really aggravating to look down at you to talk to you went I am used to looking up at you. Come sit up here." I slowly sat up into a sitting position- I was a little dizzy- and patted the now vacant seat. 
He deliberated for a second then got up off of the floor to sit where I had indicated. Daren took the pillow that