A couple of days later, Sam retreated to his room, after serving the witches breakfast, with the cellphone which Felicity had handed to him. He had missed a call with his family, with all the drama at the witches’ mansion, and he figured they must be worried. He sat on his bed and dialed his dad’s number for a video call.
The phone rang a few times, and James picked up the call, with a concerned “Hello?” He sighed his relief when Sam returned his greeting with a smile. “Oh, thank God. We were so worried about you, Sam.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” the son replied. “It’s been pretty busy over here.”
James called for Dorothy and Tabitha to join him in the call, and the mother and daughter rushed over. They showed up on the phone screen and Dorothy expressed her relief.
“Sam, I’m so glad you called,” she said. “We miss you terribly.”
“I miss you, too,” Sam replied, the knot in his chest tightening, like it did with every phone call, reminding him of the devastating distance that separated them.
“We had hoped you would have called on your birthday,” his father added. “We missed you more than ever on that day.”
“It was a busy day,” Sam tried to explain. “I wasn’t able to call.”
“You seem really tired,” Dorothy posited, with a caring voice. “Do you want to tell us what happened?”
“It’s been… challenging,” Sam replied. “Mallory… Miles’ mother, she tried to hurt him.” He omitted his role in the altercation, not wanting to explain in detail. “She was burnt at the stake.”
His family adopted shocked expressions.
“She was… what?” James asked.
“That’s the witches’ justice,” Sam tried to explain.
“You mean they murdered somebody?!” Dorothy let out. “Where you there?”
“I was, to support Miles. He was inconsolable.” Sam would never forget the scene. The witches all wore their black robes, approaching the stake where Mallory was tied up ominously. The council stated the reasons for her fate, while Miles cried all the tears in his body, Sam holding him quietly. Millicent unceremoniously threw a lit match at the stake, which ignited dramatically. Mallory let out a sound that could be interpreted as a scream or a laugh. She did not seem too distraught by her destiny. She knew what she deserved. Miles could not look, covering his eyes with his hands, while Sam continued to hug him.
“Of course, they killed his mother,” Dorothy said, greatly offended.
“She deserved it,” Sam wanted to justify the witches’ actions, but he understood how they sounded to his family. “She killed her husband. She killed Miles, over and over. He’s still here thanks to his powers.”
“Why not call the police?” Tabitha asked with her little voice. She was horrified, too.
“It’s not that simple,” Sam replied, leaving his family dissatisfied.
“How’s Miles now?” James asked.
“He’ll be okay,” Sam answered. He tried to force a smile. “He and I… we’re together.”
His parents brightened up, even managing a smile.
“Sam, that’s wonderful,” Dorothy said. “Are you happy?”
“Yes, very much,” Sam smiled brightly through his fatigue. “I think things are going to go well from now on.” He was confident better days were ahead.
“…So,” Tabitha started, a little confused, “are you gay?”
James and Dorothy shot a look at their daughter, and Sam was taken aback by the question.
“Tabitha, what kind of question is that?” Dorothy asked. She turned suddenly to James’ phone and waved her hand. “Not that there would be anything wrong with that!”
YOU ARE READING
The Boy Witch
Teen Fiction*Completed story* Samuel is a typical jock, used to moving and changing schools often, and fitting right in like nothing happened. At this new school, Sam makes an unexpected friend, Miles, who might just become his first genuine friend. But Miles i...
