Free Blood Witch by Cate Tiernan Page A

from the outside hall filtered into the room.
    “If she wants him, she’s his type.”
    The bathroom door closed again, and air exploded from my lungs. I got to my feet, shaking with reaction. So Sky was manipulating Bree. They were definitely trying to get Matt and Robbie to leave our coven and join theirs. And Sky had her own place, where they were meeting. Did she live with Hunter? Was that who Raven thought was hot? Maybe. Then again, Raven thought most breathing males were hot. And they knew somebody named Thalia who was going to jump Robbie. For some reason, Bree had sounded less than thrilled by that idea—as she had about turning over my hair to Sky. But her reluctant tone was small consolation.
    I hated everything that I had just overheard. But more than that, now I was afraid.

10
    Magesight

    After school I wanted to talk to Cal about what I had overheard, but he was already gone. He’d left a note on my locker, saying he’d had to go home and meet with one of his mother’s friends. So for now I was on my own with my questions about Bree and Raven and their coven. Even Mary K. wasn’t coming home with me. As I was getting into Das Boot, she ran up to tell me she was going to Jaycee’s house.
    I nodded and waved, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile. I didn’t want to be alone. Too much was troubling me.
    Luckily Robbie sauntered over to the car. “What’s up?” he asked.
    I shielded my eyes from the pale November sunlight and looked at him. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should tell him what was on my mind. I decided not to. It was too complicated. Instead I merely said, “I was thinking about going to Butler’s Ferry park and gathering some pinecones and stuff for Thanksgiving.”
    Robbie thought for a moment. “Sounds cool,” he said. “Do you want some company?”
    “Absolutely,” I said, unlocking the passenger’s-side door.
    “So, do you have family coming in for Thanksgiving?” he asked.
    I nodded as I pulled out of the driveway, picking up speed on the open road. “My mom’s parents, my dad’s brother and his family. And then everyone who lives in town. We’re having dinner at our house this year.”
    “Yeah. We’re going to my aunt and uncle’s,” Robbie said without enthusiasm. “They’ll be yelling at the football game on TV, the food will suck, and then my dad and Uncle Stan will both get plastered and end up taking a swing at each other.”
    “Well, they do that every year,” I said, trying to inject some humor in a not-so-humorous situation. I’d heard about his from Robbie before, and it always made me sad. “So it’s almost, like, traditional.”
    He laughed as I turned onto Miltown Pike. “I guess you’re right. Tradition is a good thing. That’s something I’ve learned from Wicca.”
    Soon I was pulling into the empty Butler’s Ferry parking lot and cutting the engine. I retrieved a basket with a handle from the trunk. Despite the cold the sun was trying hard to shine, and it glittered off the leaves crumpling under our feet. The trees were bare and sculptural, the sky wide and a pale, bleached blue. The peace of the place began to steal over me, calm me down. I felt suddenly happy to be here with Robbie, whom I’d known for so long.
    “So are there any herbs or anything around this time of year?” Robbie asked.
    “Not a lot.” I shook my head. “I checked my field guide, and we might see some stuff, but I’m not counting on it. I’ll have to wait till spring. I’ll be able to collect plants in the wild then and also start my own garden.”
    “It’s weird that you’re so powerful in Wicca, isn’t it?” Robbie asked suddenly. But it wasn’t a mean or probing question.
    For a moment my breath stopped, and I thought about telling him everything that I had learned about myself in the past month. Robbie didn’t even know I was adopted. But I just couldn’t tell him. He’d been my friend for so long; he’d listened to me complain about my