The Opal Witch

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Road Trip

Travis snorted. "And suddenly things make so much more sense."

Punching him in the shoulder, Lux rolled her eyes. "Classic. You can do better than that."

"I don't want to waste my best material on you bitches. I like to save that for Sara Elizabeth's ratchet ass."

"Speaking of Sara Elizabeth. I literally almost peed on myself when you accused her of murder today."

They looked at Lux expectantly, but she had little more to tell them than they already knew. "Yeah, that might've been a little overdramatic, but everything just fit, you know. But now that we know a Bloodborn witch is here in town, we might catch her. Give the Bailey family some peace."

"I still don't trust that ho completely. Seems a little too neat of a story," Travis said. His words lacked their usual heat when discussing the cheerleader, and his expression was twisted with confusion. Almost as if, like Kitty, he couldn't believe Sara Elizabeth was growing on him.

"Travis... if she's the Bloodborn witch, then we have her exactly where we want her. Keep your friends close and all that. But I think Declan is right. It's time to give my Memaw a call."

"Can't believe the pushy old gal has been gone so long without checking in."

Lux's back pocket buzzed as soon as the words left his mouth. "Speak of the devil."

Pulling out the phone, she saw her grandmother's photo on the screen and turned it so her friends could see. In the dim light, she could see Travis pale.

"Is that one of her witchy powers? I take it back. I'd never really call her old."

"Hey Memaw. We were just talking about you. Let me tell you what Travis said."

"Boo, you whore."

Eyes widening, Lux listened to her grandmother. The conversation was short but full of revelations, but unlike the bomb dropped on her earlier, this news was exciting. Hanging up, she drew a deep breath before saying, "How do y'all feel about a road trip?"

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Fields of green and brown stripes whipped by as they drove down the winding road. Small ranch-style homes dotted the landscape. Flags, more Nascar than patriotic ones, fluttered from the edges of carports with drooping roofs. The occasional dog barked after them, but most refused to move from whatever corner of shade they'd discovered.

"Where exactly are we going? When you said road trip, I was thinking someplace fun. Like Memphis. Or New Orleans. Not forty-five minutes into the country."

Travis started griping as soon as Lux turned the car off the main highway and headed to the outskirts of town. Kitty didn't look too thrilled, but she just rolled her eyes and rested her forehead against the glass. The last time Lux checked in the rearview mirror, the girl was fast asleep.

"It should teach you to ask more questions before agreeing to things," Declan quipped, drawing Lux's gaze to him. She'd spent most of the trip pressed against the driver's side door to put more distance between the two of them. It didn't seem to make much difference, her magic still slipped from her grasp and reached for him. The heat in his gaze told her he was just as affected by it as she was.

Long freckled arms appeared between the front seats, followed by Travis's redhead. "Dude, for real though. Where are we going? If we hear banjos playing, I'm out."

"That's Georgia. This is Mississippi," Lux replied.

"Same difference," he scoffed.

"Someone gonna clue me in?" Declan asked.

Travis and Lux snickered. She reached over and patted his hand without thinking. Snatching it away, she said, "We forget about your hundred year pop culture gap. Just google Deliverance when we get home."

"Or don't," Travis warned, falling back against his seat. "I feel like I've been out here before. Wait, yeah. That house! We have pictures of it." The structure was typical of the Antebellum style, with a top balcony and towering white columns. Smaller than some Lux had seen over the years, it had been taken care of over the years, and towering oak trees lined the long driveway.

"The Brennans lived there when I was a child," Declan said, his voice wistful as the house faded into the horizon.

"They've lived there since before the Civil War." This time Travis spoke, but there was no mistaking the bitterness in his tone.

"And just how do you know this? I never took you for a history buff."

"Cause, my great-great... lots of greats grandmother was a Brennan. She was born in that house. I've only ever seen pictures; I guess I never paid attention to where it was located."

"So why don't you get to live in that fancy house?" Declan squirmed as if uncomfortable with the topic, and Lux zeroed in on him. "Do you know something?"

"It's Travis's story to tell."

A thoughtful expression crossed the redhead's face. "Man, you would've met her, huh? She was still alive when you were a kid?"

"Naomi Brennan was in her seventies when I went to sleep. Yes, I knew her. Though she lived in town and went by Naomi Percival."

Lux tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Y'all. Spill."

"It's really not anything big. Naomi fell for some dude, her daddy didn't like him, dude disappeared, Naomi ended up pregnant. Thus the line of Percivals was born. Apparently, her son went back to the house a few years later, but they wouldn't have anything to do with him. Left her and him out of the will. Haven't had anything to do with them since."

Declan muttered something under his breath, but Lux couldn't make it out. She made a left turn onto a road that was more gravel than pavement after years of neglect. "Oh, that house--"

An even grander antebellum home came into view. Double the size of the Brennan plantation, but with none of the tender care. Columns leaned dangerously, and weeds choked the flowerbeds. The few panes of glass remaining in the windows were broken.

"Dang," Travis whistled.

A dark look crossed Declan's face, his brown eyes shuttering. "That's the old Carrollton place."

"How come we don't know anyone by the name of Carrollton around here? Most of the families that lived in these old homes are still around," Lux stated, taking care as the car bounced over a pothole.

"The Carolltons were one of the most prominent families in the area, but after one of the daughters was murdered, they left the area. I think Naomi was good friends with both of the girls. Folks still talked about that story when I was a kid. The girl, Adrienne, was engaged to aman who was friends with Naomi's lover. Some people even whispered that one of them killed her, and that's why they all ran off."

Travis groaned. "I would find out that side of my family is suspected of murder. Makes sense."

Declan gave Travis a knowing look. "It really makes a lot more sense."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"We're here!" Lux shouted, leaning over the steering wheel to get a better look. A three-story house with balconies and sweeping staircases rose before them as she crested a hill. Bradford pears lined the driveway, and the gardens were a riot of well-manicured color. "Kitty, wake up!"

The girl sat up with a yawn and rubbed at a spot of drool on her cheek. "Where are we?"

Declan spoke first. "It looks just the same. Except for the fountain. That's new."

A strange sensation crept over Lux as she watched him. Moisture pooled in his eyes, but he turned away so she couldn't see the tears fall. He would've known exactly where they were headed once they passed the first home. He'd spent many years here as a child.

She swiveled in her seat so she could look at Travis and Kitty. "This was the Godelieve estate. It's where my Memaw grew up, and now--it's mine."