Free Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost Page A

break.
    I heard a yowl and looked up as Mercutio, who had been perched on the big awning, jumped off with legs outstretched. I gasped, thinking he was going to go splat on the ground, but, at the last second, he pulled his legs in and landed sure-footed. He spun instantly and darted under the awning, shaking vigorously to rid himself of as much water as he could.
    “Hey there,” I said.
    He hopped onto the seat of the rocking chair next to me and went to work on his fur with his tongue.
    “Is that really going to dry you?” I asked.
    He didn’t answer. Not in the mood to be interrupted, I guess. I leaned over and pressed a kiss onto his damp head.
    “We need help, Merc. Zach can’t help us unspell these people. You should have gotten Bryn. Only he was gone, wasn’t he? And you figured that Zach’s good in a fight, huh?” I nodded to myself. “It was good thinking. Only now we’ve got to get out of here and find some witch help. But which witch help?”
    I nodded at Zach, who was sitting in his patrol car, trying the radio. Water pounded the dirt.
    “I know you don’t like water. I’m not crazy about maybe getting struck by lightning either, Merc, but I’ve got to fix this. He said they’ve got a bad fever. What if their brains are cooked by the time I unspell them?
    Merc looked up at me, tilting his head at the thought.
    “You don’t have to come with me. But maybe you could, like, make a diversion or something, ’cause Zach and the sheriff aren’t just going to let me waltz off.”
    Merc licked his paw.
    “I’m pretty sure that Zach wouldn’t shoot you, but I can’t vouch for the sheriff, so don’t go too crazy. And whatever you do, when you run and hide, be kitty-quick. You get me?”
    He stared at me with those big eyes, and I wasn’t sure he did get me. He’s just a cat, I thought. What makes you think he can understand you? But he went and got Zach for me, I argued with myself. And he kept the burglar from getting me.
    Zach got out of his car, slammed the door, and then ran back to the building.
    “Radio’s dead. What the hell’s going on here?” he said as he walked back inside.
    “Now’s my chance!” I announced in a fierce whisper to Merc. I darted from my chair and ran headlong into the storm, not looking back.
    “Please don’t let a snake bite me, God,” I prayed. “You know I didn’t mean to make those people get sleeping sickness. It was an honest-to-goodness mistake. I couldn’t let Mrs. Barnaby’s zombie rip them to pieces. And how come You let people get raised from the dead anyway? Far as I can tell, the last time it worked right was Lazarus, and Doc Barnaby’s no Jesus Christ, I’ll tell You that.”
    Thunder cracked the earth, making me jump.
    “Not that I need to tell You that, Jesus being Your Son and all.” Wind and rain whipped my body. The last person I wanted to piss off was God. I could afford that like I could afford a Corvette.
    “And, You know, I’d be the last person to lecture You,” I hollered over the storm. “So I’m just going to be quiet right now.” I ran through the slippery field, squealing in pain as the grass slashed at my legs. “Only I’ll just point out that if a snake bites me, it would really slow me down. And I’d think I need to hurry up and save those people on account of their brains are cooking. Plus, I need to find our family locket before Edie’s immortal soul is destroyed. Okay, then. That’s all I wanted to say. Amen.”
    I ran like a bat out of hell, which I pretty much was, except for the bat part. Bloody rainwater ran down my calves from the grass scratches, but I was just glad I’d gotten past the snakes.
    I nearly jumped out of my skin when something moved on my car roof.
    “Damn it, Mercutio! You scared me to death.” I yanked my driver’s door open. “Get in.”
    He dropped down and leapt to his seat. I got in and slammed the door, shivering. He rose to his paws and shook, spraying me and the whole front