Life's A Witch

Chapter Five

I dropped Sofia off at her house, and then headed back to mine. I knew I had things to do, but I couldn't concentrate after what had happened back at the shop. Hell, I was surprised I was even able to make it home without running off the road, considering how fast my mind was spinning.

I slipped in the front door, locking it behind me. The house was silent except for the sound of my heels hitting the hardwood floor. The comfort I usually found in that familiar click-clacking didn't do anything to make me feel better. With Mom out and Dad away on business, I was in for a quiet night.

Too quiet.

I listened for any foreign noises but didn't hear anything. One thing was sure, hearing that all they'd found of the Glovers in their home was drops of blood had definitely put me on edge. Suddenly everything around me seemed creepy.

Way to jump on the paranoia train, Hadley.

Shaking my head, I took the stairs two at a time and didn't stop until I was safely behind the door of my room. I hung my bag on the back of my chair and grabbed my laptop from where I'd left it on my desk. Flopping down onto my bed, I pried it open and waited for the screen to go from black to blue.

"Come on, come on," I muttered to the computer, willing it to start. Finally it complied and I keyed in my password and then logged on to IM. A quick scan of my friends list showed what I'd hoped. I double clicked on user P-Diddy13 and then hit connect on the video chat.

A few agonizing seconds later, I was looking at a slightly blurry shot of Peter in what I could only guess was his bedroom. Behind him were posters of Harry Potter and Iron Man, exactly the kind of decorations you'd expect in the room of an eleven-year-old male witch. The funny thing was that Peter did sort of resemble a young Daniel Radcliffe, only minus the accent.

"Peter," I said, letting out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "I just heard. Are you okay?"

What I really wanted to ask was "What's going on?" but I didn't want to be callous, so I swallowed my desire for answers for the time being and focused on the young boy on my screen. Upon closer inspection, I could now see that his eyes were rimmed with red as if he'd been crying.

"Hadley. I've been waiting for someone to come online all afternoon! Everyone's been MIA for hours," he exclaimed, sounding even younger than usual. Peter had never been particularly loud or gregarious, but at this moment he looked fragile. I instantly felt horrible for the kid and gave him a strained smile.

"Sorry, Pete, but I only just found out. My mom rushed out of Scents and Sensibility like her hair was on fire and barely told me what was going on. I had to lock up so I only just got home," I said, all in one breath. I tried to bite my tongue, but I couldn't hold it any longer. "Peter . . . what the heck happened?"

His eyes started to well up, and just when I thought they were going to spill over, he swallowed his tears bravely. "I don't know," he managed to get out before looking up at the ceiling. Maybe video chat hadn't been the best idea after all.

"Mom said that when you got home, your parents were gone and it looked like someone else had been there?" I asked him softly, not wanting to push but desperately needing to hear it from him.

"Some of the furniture was turned over and there was water boiling on the stove. And there was blood," he said in a whisper. My heart ached as a tear rolled down his cheek. He was trying so hard to be strong, but he was clearly terrified. He sniffed and then continued. "It wasn't a lot, but it was definitely blood. Do you think they're okay, Hadley? I mean, they could still be okay, right?"