The Witch's Pet

By Brian D. Burgess

Jessica was an ordinary high school girl and a serial breakup artist. That was until she met Cody, a boy claiming to be a familiar -- HER familiar because Jessica is far from normal. She's a witch.

Now Jessica has to figure out what she is supposed to do as a witch, balance her family and academic life as well as confront her feelings about Cody.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian D. Burgess
• Release date: Jan 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503006249

Brian D. Burgess

Brian Burgess is an independent author living in New York. Mainly, he writes young adult fiction set in both fantasy worlds and in modern times. His works include Dragon Spirit and Dragon Legacy from the Davie and the Order of Therion series and The Witch's Pet from the Witch's Lineage series.Visit Brian's page at https://briandburgess.wordpress.com/orhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7240097.Brian_Burgess

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The Witch’s Pet

Witch's Lineage

Copyright © 2014 by Brian Burgess

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, mechanical, electronic or by any other means without written permission from the author and publisher except in the case of brief quotations for the purposes of articles and reviews.

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1 - Jessica V Cody

Chapter 2 – What a Witch Wants

Chapter 3 – Lineage

Chapter 4 – A Slice of the Big Apple

Chapter 5 – Tardiness is Unacceptable

Chapter 6 – The Old Crone and the Failure

Chapter 7 – Seven Days and Seven Nights

Chapter 8 – The Odd Third Wheel

Chapter 9 – Helplessly Helped

Chapter 10 – The Big Brother He Never Was

Chapter 11 – Encounter of the Unwanted Kind

Chapter 12 – It's Not My Decision

Chapter 13 – Lori

Chapter 14 – Rescue and Revelation

Chapter 15 - Without a Watcher

Chapter 16 - A Step Down

Chapter 17 – Reunion

Chapter 18 – The Visitors in the Night

Chapter 19 – Blood Over Flowers

Chapter 20 – The Witch's Pet

Glossary

Chapter 1 – Jessica V Cody

According to Jessica, she was a normal girl. She lived in a normal house with her brother and father in a normal town in New Jersey. She had an ordinary life with ordinary worries that a high school senior girl of seventeen should have. She was an average student despite her teachers telling her if she applied herself, she could easily be at the top of her class. Against her father's will, she had a new boyfriend every month. Her type was the apathetic, good looking type. The boys were usually guitarists or jocks. Either way, she soon became bored with them and would dump them after only a week or two.

Jessica had just broken up with her latest boyfriend. It was a particularly nasty breakup. The guy was far too clingy and needy. She pitied him.

I said no, she shouted.

She was standing in the hallway outside her math class in between classes. Some of her classmates watched. It had been a common occurrence, but they watched anyway like vultures waiting for the fresh kill.

But, Billy, her freshly dumped boyfriend, stammered. He was the catch of a lifetime for most girls in the school. He was the star of the football team and a near perfect ten in looks, but that didn't matter to Jessica. The major drawback for her was that Billy was as intelligent as the locker he was leaning against.

No buts, Billy, She said coldly. It's not me, it's you. Think about it if you can. I don't like you anymore. Get lost. She slammed her locker shut and went into her math class. Billy tried to chase her, but the bell rang. He couldn't afford to be late when he was barely passing his classes as it was.

That was harsh, Jessica's best friend, Tory said. They made sure they took the same exact classes. Their teachers tried to separate them, so Jessica would sit behind Tory rather than right next to her. Most teachers gave up after a few weeks of trying to separate them.

Jessica and Tory had been friends since kindergarten. They were neighbors until Tory's family moved across town. They still spent a lot of time together though. If there was one person who understood Jessica, it was Tory.

Anything less, Jessica laughed, and that moron wouldn't understand.

He still didn't, Tory said.

Ladies, Mrs. McKinley, their math teacher boomed, if you don't mind, class has started. Pass your homework up to the front.

Tory took out her homework and passed it up. She turned around to get Jessica's.

You didn't do it? Tory mouthed silently so Mrs. McKinley didn't bother them. Jessica shook her head.

It was typical for her not to do her homework. She did all her classwork so she didn't understand why she had to do work at home. Her teachers always said that it was to reinforce what she learned in class, but she understood everything the first time, so even that argument was lost on her.

Grr, Tory grumbled, taking out a second copy of their assignment and putting Jessica's name on it. She handed it in as slyly as she could.

Jessica listen to Mrs. McKinley's boring lecture as much as she could. They had already learned about polynomial equations. Jessica didn't see why they had to listen to the same lecture over and over again, so she decided to sleep instead.

Jess, Tory kicked her desk.

What? Jessica exclaimed, picking her head up and looking around.

Class is over, Tory said, Let's go home.

Jessica stretched and yawned. She was surprised that the last bell didn't wake her. She put her books back into her bag and stood up. The two walked out of the class. Billy was waiting there for Jessica.

Please, he pleaded, but Jessica put her hand in his face and kept walking. He must have understood because he gave up and let her go. She put her bag into her locker and closed it tight.

What about your homework? Tory growled.

What homework? Jessica said.

How are you going to get into college if you don't pass your classes? Tory asked. She cared about her friend. She wanted them to go to the same college and get out of their town together.

Homework is only twenty percent of our grade, Jessica reasoned. I get perfect scores on all my tests, why worry about a measly twenty percent?

Because you could have a four-point-O if you wanted! Tory shouted. Here, she took out extra copies of their homework and handed it to Jessica. Tory made Jessica promise to complete it all. Reluctantly, Jessica agreed. She wouldn’t lie to her friend about anything, but she still wasn’t sure if she would do her homework.

They walked to the front of the building. Jessica hated walking through the crowd of people pouring out the main entrance toward the buses and cars that awaited them. She went out the side exit. There was a sign there that read 'do not use this door' but the two went through it anyway.

Oh no! Tory exclaimed. I have Tennis Club today. See you later, Tory said, sprinting back into the school. Do your homework! she said, slipping through the door.

Jessica's house was close to the school. She could take the bus there, but by the time it got there, she could be home and in her room sleeping. She walked off the campus and toward the side road that bypassed the main roads. She didn't want to walk through the crowds of moms doing after school shopping with their children.

As Jessica rounded the houses at the end of the side road and started walking between them. She spotted a boy leaning against a sign on the path that took her all the way to the street she lived on. He was about her age, but she had never seen him in school before. He looked like he was sleeping. He had long hair for a guy and it was bleached blond. The roots showed through the part on the top of his head.

Jessica walked past him. She tried not to wake him, but as she got near him he looked directly at her. His eyes were such a faint blue that they almost looked completely white. Jessica though that he looked gorgeous, even better looking than Billy.

Jessica, right? The boy said. His voice had already deepened. It reverberated in his wide chest. Jessica didn't know what to say. All she could do was nod. I'm Cody Edwards, the boy continued. I need you to come with me. The alarms went off in Jessica's head. She wished she hadn’t broken up with Billy. He would have walked her home and this boy wouldn’t have bothered her.

No, she screamed, running past him and into the path. It occurred to her how stupid it was to run into the woods when she was being chased by a strange boy who demanded she go with him.

She checked over her shoulder. He wasn’t chasing her. She slowed down and jogged, still checking over her shoulder frequently. When she was sure she wasn’t being followed by the strange boy, she slowed down to a walk.

She started thinking about the boy. His blue eyes were embedded in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about them. She was so lost in thought, that she walked directly into something head first. It was so sturdy that she thought it was a tree, but when she opened her eyes, she was looking down at a pair of shoes.

Sorry, she muttered, trying to walk around the person while rubbing the bump on her head.

Witch, the person hissed. It sounded like a snake attempting English.

Jessica spun around and looked into the creature's eyes. Two large red orbs gleamed back at her through a full body cloak and hood. It had gray, sickly skin and smelled like rotting flesh.

Jessica was too afraid to move. She was petrified, frozen in place. She willed her legs to move, but they wouldn’t so much as wobble. She tried to scream, but couldn't even do that.

Witch, the monster shrieked again, reaching for her face.

N-- no, Jessica finally forced out.

I found one, the monster delighted, grabbing Jessica by the throat. She dropped her papers and pocketbook as the monster lifted her off the ground.

The monster cut off her breath, shocking her back into control over her body. She clawed at the monster's arms, but it was too strong. She thought her life was over. She kicked and punched as hard as she could, but she couldn't even get it to loosen the its grip on her throat.

Her vision blurred. It started to go black with multicolored floaters dancing into her field of vision. The screams of delight from the monster started sounding like they were miles away. Just before she passed out completely, another voice called out. She fell to the ground with a thump.

Gasping for air, she pushed herself away from the monster. Her vision returned slowly. When it did, she looked up. The strange boy from before, Cody, was beating back the monster. Jessica thought he must be a black belt in some martial art. He punched and kicked gracefully.

I told you to come with me, he shouted at Jessica in between punches. You stupid girl, he added.

The monster kicked Cody in his most sensitive of places. He fell to his knees in agony. The monster scratched him on his back, leaving four long and bloody gashes. It set its sights back on Jessica. She grabbed a fallen branch to defend herself. She hit the monster in the face with it, but the branch broke on impact.

It was enough to give Cody time to recover. He picked up the broken part of the branch and jabbed it into the monster's back. It squealed and screamed in pain. Cody went to stab it again, but the monster kicked him and ran off.

Cody, still in terrible pain crawled over to Jessica. He glared at her with his faint blue eyes. Jessica looked into the boy's face. There were barely visible freckles around his high cheekbones. His bleach blond. hair, matted with leaves from the fight, covered his forehead. His gaze was stern, like she had caused all of this.

I told you to come with me, he repeated. This wouldn’t have happened if you listened. He tried to stand up, but the pain from the scratches on his back forced him back to the ground.

Let me look at that, Jessica said, standing up and trying to get a better look at the gashed on his back.

Don't touch me, he shouted, pulling away from her.

Screw you too, she said, turning away and walking toward her house.

That's not what I mean, He said, pulling himself into a seated position. It's poison. Wraiths leave poison that spreads through touch. Jessica looked back at him. He looked convincing. It was an absurd idea, but he looked like he was telling the truth.

Wraiths with poisonous fingertips, she scoffed, turning to continue to walk away.

I'm telling the truth, Cody said. Unless you can think of a better explanation.

She couldn't and she knew it. She knew whatever attacked her was a monster of some sort. It was shaped like a human, but reminded her of religious depictions of demons.

Will you be alright? she asked, concerned about leaving him there in the middle of the woods.

In a minute or two, he said. I built up an immunity to the poison.

Thank you for saving me, she said softly. She wanted to thank him, but didn't want him to hear her. If the woods weren’t so quiet it would have worked, but he heard. He smiled. It was only half a smile, but it was more than enough acknowledgment for Jessica.

Good bye, she said. She turned and started walking again. Cody sat there on the ground, watching her stride away. He didn't make any attempt to stop her or call her back. He just laughed at how ungrateful she was.

Jessica thought about Cody and the monster as she walked home. It was hard to think about anything else. One word stuck out in her mind.

Witch, she whispered to herself. Did it really call me that?

She tried to remember. She was absolutely certain that's what the creature called her. She shook her head, trying to forget the entire event. She emerged from the woods onto Willowbrook Road. She walked in between Tory's old house and her next door neighbor's. Mr. Stephenson waved at her as she crossed his lawn. She waved back.

She got onto the street and turned left. She looked down the hilly road. It was the type of neighborhood where everyone knew everyone else. The children all played together while the parents watched them from the windows. The grownups threw parties and invited the entire street over. It was a cozy little street.

Jessica turned into her own lawn. She walked toward her small, two story brick house. Her father's car wasn’t in the driveway, but it could have been in the garage. She saw movement behind the curtains in the den. It was too tall to be her brother, so she knew it had to be her father.

I'm home, she called as she walked through the front door.

How was your day? her father replied from the den off the entryway. He came around the corner, and stopped mid step. What happened? he yelled, pointing to the leaves in her hair and a scrape on her knee. Who did this to you!?

No one, Dad, she said. I tripped on a root in the trail. I'm fine.

Her father was a very protective man. Jessica's mother had passed away a year after her brother was born. After that, her father worked hard, but still did all the things that a mother needed to do. He cooked, cleaned and did his best to have all the important talks with Jessica and her brother, Eric.

You'd tell me if anyone ever put their hands on you, wouldn’t you? he asked, with his fatherly brown eyes peering into her mind like only a father's eyes could do.

Of course, Dad, she said. She kissed him on his cheek and went to her room.

It was a plain room. The walls were off-white with posters scattered about. She hadn't owned a stuffed animal since she was a little girl. There were no dolls, no games and nothing that screamed that it was a girl’s room. She preferred it that way. She wasn’t a tomboy, but she didn't identify with being a girly-girl either.

She walked through her room into her bathroom. She brushed the leaves out of her hair and started to wash off the dirt from her hands and knees. There was so much that she needed to shower. She noticed her skirt was ruined after she took it off. A large tear in the seam reached from the bottom to mid thigh.

She put her clothes into the laundry basket and got into the shower. Thoughts of the boy, Cody, and the wraith came back to her. She tried to stop thinking about it. Her neck still hurt from being squeezed. She showered quickly and got out, wrapping a towel around her body.

She looked at her neck in the mirror. Bruises had formed where the monster grabbed her. She was happy her father hadn’t seen them. If he had, he probably would have interrogated her brother Eric until he told her dad who her 'abusive boyfriend' was.

She put on a turtle neck shirt to cover her neck. It was a little warm for heavy attire, but she needed to hide the bruises. After she dressed, she laid down on her bed and relaxed. She reached for where she would normally put her bag, but it wasn’t there.

Shit, she cursed. She remembered that she dropped it in the woods. In it was her wallet, cell phone, keys and homework. She thought about going back to get it, but she was slightly afraid to go back into the woods alone. She decided to wait for Eric to get back from baseball practice. She would convince him to go with her.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. There were three quick taps on her bedroom door.

Dad? she called out.

Honey, there is a boy here for you, her father said. It was as much a warning as it was a statement. She had never invited her boyfriends over before. In fact, aside from Eric's friends, no boy ever came over. She decided after her first boyfriend that she would wait until after high school to ever introduce a boy to her father.

If it's Billy, tell him to get lost, she called through the door.

It's Cody, Cody responded. I have your bag and homework.

She opened her door. Cody was standing in front of her father. Her dad was looking at Cody like he was the plague. If it bothered the boy, he didn't let it show.

Thank you, she said, grabbing her purse and trying to close Cody out.

I wanted to know if you thought about what happened? Cody said.

What!? her father boomed. What happened to my daughter? I knew you didn't trip in the woods. He went on about crazy ideas.

Daddy, Jessica shouted. Nothing happened, She assured him, returning to a normal tone. Cody just wanted to know if I thought about his situation.

What situation is that? her father asked, the fire still in his eyes.

Cody confessed his love for another boy, Jessica lied. He wanted my advice, she pulled Cody into her room. Bye, daddy. she closed the door in her father's confused face. Cody started to protest, but Jessica covered his mouth until her father was out of earshot.

Why did you say that? Cody said after Jessica's father was back downstairs and couldn't overhear them.

Because you can't come into my house and start talking... she couldn't think of what Cody called the monster, whatever you called that thing... Are you nuts?

No, Cody said, defiant and defensive, you're the one acting crazy right now.

They looked at each other for a minute. Each was equally annoyed with the other. Cody was the first one to look away. He glanced around Jessica's room. She felt oddly exposed with a boy looking around her room. He spotted a picture of her mother. He picked it up and examined it closer.

You look just like her, he said.

Jessica didn't want to talk about her family, especially her mother. She was so young that she would have forgotten what her mother looked like if it wasn’t for that photo. She snatched the picture from him and put it back on her dresser.

I already thanked you, she said coldly, now you can leave.

I can't, he replied. Sitting down on her bed. She was getting more enraged by the second. She didn't allow her father to sit on her bed, why should some strange boy be permitted to do so?

Why not? She asked, pulling her covers out from under him. He stumbled forward, but didn't fall. He got the hint that he shouldn’t sit on her bed.

Because you're a witch and I'm your familiar, he stated plainly as though it was common sense.

Say what now? she asked, flipping her wet hair out of her face.

You're a witch and I'm your familiar, he repeated.

Do I look like I have green skin and fly around on a broomstick? she replied coldly.

Is that what you think a witch is? he laughed. Jessica didn't think she could get angrier, but somehow Cody's laugh made it so.

What's so funny? she shouted. She no longer cared if her father overheard them. When she didn't hear footsteps racing up to her room, she figured that he didn't hear anything.

It's just funny what average people think a witch is, he continued between laughs. Jessica was torn between admiring his deep and genuine laugh and hating him for laughing at her. When he finally stopped, he straightened up and finished explaining.

Witches aren’t green flying Halloween decorations, he said. And they're not going to point sticks at you and shout some ridiculous pseudo-Latin words and kill you. Real witches solve supernatural problems around the world.

Real supernatural, Jessica mocked. I wasn’t aware those two words even went together.

And I wasn’t aware that a witch could be so useless, he retorted. I doubt you could even help me with that wraith.

How am I supposed to do that? Jessica asked. She forgot that she didn't believe in what he was saying. He seemed so believable that she nearly believed every word.

Easy, he said, you find them, I kill them.

Like you did with that monster in the woods? she said antagonistically.

I was more concerned with protecting you, he retorted. A familiar is useless without his witch. If you had listened to me instead of running, I could have beaten it.

How did you know where I live? she asked. She desperately wanted to change the subject to anything but witches and familiars.

We are connected, he explained. I can always find you anywhere in the world.

She put her blanket back on her bed, trying to buy time to find any conversation that didn't involve witches. She knew if she asked Cody anything about his life it would lead back to the same topic. Giving up on changing the topic, she sat on her bed and chose silence over any conversation.

Cody stood silently. He waited patiently for her to speak. Jessica wondered how long he could stand there without talking. After nearly ten minutes, she knew he was determined. She grabbed a pencil and her assignments from her purse and started on her homework.

It was a new thing for her to do. She rarely did her homework and when she did, it was either on her way to school or between classes. She completed her assignments without using textbooks or her computer. I could have easily done this all along, she thought to herself when she finished in just a few minutes.

You're still here? she asked, turning back to Cody.

I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me, he said. His face was red with anger.

Fine, Jessica said, I'll listen if it'll get rid of you.

We need to go to the Coven, he said.

The what?

The Coven of Silver Aster, Cody explained. It's the coven of witches and familiars we belong to. He saw that she was still confused. It's where witches and their familiars go to learn and use their numbers to stay safe.

Why would I go anywhere with you? she asked, not particularly caring about what he had to say.

You can drop the act, Cody boomed, raising his voice for the first time. "If you were as bitchy as you pretend, you wouldn’t have