Free Winter of Discontent (Four Seasons Book 1) by T.S. Harvey

witches. Centuries ago when there were wars between rival covens, the losing parties were often subject to having both hands cut off at the wrist. It was seen as a sign of great strength if your line could live within the boundaries of another coven with them powerless to stop you.
     
    I sat there for just a few minutes; it didn’t take long before I knew what she was doing and where she was going next. I left quickly when I realised she’d be passing the girls’ locker room in just a few moments. I didn’t have time to decide what I’d say, so when she turned the corner I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
    ‘Hi.’
    Could I have been any more pathetic ? I just stood looking at her, waiting and hoping she’d respond well.
    Hope was pretty overrated really. I worked that out when she snapped, ‘Go to hell!’ and stormed off into the locker room.
    I wouldn’t be deterred though. When I’d looked to ‘see’ where she was going, I also learnt where she’d be tomorrow morning; the cross-country trials.
     
    The following morning I was up and out early. I didn’t want to have to lie to Dad and Jared about where I was going so figured it was best to get out before they got up. I’d decided to sign up for the trials and just follow her around the course until she relented. She’d have to talk to me – I was determined she would.
    When I got there Coach Allen was more than a little surprised to see me.
    ‘You’re kidding me, Zauber. You know this is six miles, over rough ground?’
    ‘Yeah I … erm … I figured I should do more exercise.’
    Coach just shook his head in disbelief and pointed me to registration.
    Sarah arrived about ten minutes later. Dressed in gray leggings and a blue-gray T-shirt, hair tied in a plait, with just a hint of make-up. She looked fantastic. Boy, did I have it bad.
    I was determined to say something a little more than ‘hi’ this time. I would be clear, confident and charming. As she got closer, I moved into view. I steadied my nerves; I wasn’t used to feeling unsure of myself. I took a deep breath and spoke my well-rehearsed lines.
    ‘Hi.’
    Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Well, you fucked that up good and proper, Erik, I cursed to myself.
    Sarah stopped just short of me. I braced myself for another slap. I deserved it after what I’d done so I wouldn’t react.
    ‘What are you doing here?’
    This threw me for a moment. Her tone wasn’t warm and friendly but it was a huge improvement on “Go to hell”.
    ‘We need to talk,’ I said, when I finally found my voice.
    ‘Yeah? Well, not here, we don’t,’ she said firmly, as she walked past me and over to registration.
    ‘OK, then where?’
    ‘I’ll wait for you at the finish line. We can go and talk then.’
    ‘But the boys leave first. I’ll wait for you.’ I grinned.
    ‘Yeah? We’ll see.’
    I swear I saw a hint of a smile. In fact, I prayed I saw a hint of a smile.
    As I set off on the six-mile hike, it hit me. If I finish this course before any of the boys, or many of the girls for that matter, it would destroy my ‘geek status’. The problem was though, after what Sarah had said about waiting for me at the finish line, I’d started to feel really competitive. I know it was stupid, I know I shouldn’t have done it, but just this once I listened to what I wanted to do instead of what I should do.
    I’d started off slowly behind the pack of main runners; we’d covered less than a quarter of a mile when I heard the klaxon go for the girls to start. I knew Sarah was a strong runner and would catch up with the back markers in the boys’ pack, so I held back and waited. Crazy really.
    I knew that, if I wanted to, I could not only beat the whole lot of them but also be home in time for breakfast with Dad and Jared. But that wasn’t a good idea. Good ideas, however, were not making an appearance this morning.
    It would be about halfway round when Sarah caught up to me. She glanced