Something Witchy This Way Comes Read Online Free PDF

Mr. Linton asked me. “Or do you need more?”
    “I guess we should move on.” I released a nervous giggle. “And if a TV crew springs up and I find out it’s a joke, I’ll deal. What’s next?”
    “Let’s get any questions out of the way.” He leaned back in his chair. “Then we’ll see if we can draw out your special talent. What would you like to know?”
    My mind flooded with a million questions at once. “Why are some people witches and some aren’t? Is it hereditary?”
    “No one knows for sure.” She casually lifted her shoulder. “Science hasn’t been very helpful. Some believe that the mind and spirit are separate from the body. That the body comes into existence at conception but the spirit is already around. We bring our native abilities as spiritual beings to our earthly existence.”
    I grinned. “I like that.”
    Fawn returned my smile. “Me, too.”
    “You said the only error a Detector can make is to miss something that’s actually there. How is that possible? If it’s there, why wouldn’t you sense it?”
    Mr. Linton folded his arms over his chest. “We lead different lives. We all feel joy and we all suffer. Scientists know extreme stress affects memory, physical health, etc.It muddies the waters. We see these gifts more often in children that don’t come from broken homes, who haven’t been abused. Our searches usually come up empty at orphanages.”
    “I don’t get it. You mean the more screwed up they are, the harder it is to detect anything in them?”
    “Exactly,” he said. “Usually orphans have been through some kind of ordeal — abuse, death of their parents. The energy is different. They’re too mucked up by their demons or whatever you want to call them. Now and then we find someone later in their life who has escaped their past, re-invented themselves, risen above the things that haunted them. It happens.”
    “Not often though.” Fawn studied me. “As decades pass, the percentage of sorcerers in the population decreases. We’ve theorized that the more dependent people become on technology, the less they rely on themselves.”
    I inhaled and exhaled deeply. “So I’m a sorceress. A witch.”
    Fawn nodded. “Of course.”
    “Those surveillance photos…” I’d been about to ask if they knew who took them, because I figured they had to know. Since Hayden wasn’t present, they’d probably be more open about it. But a vision invaded my head of my home in the dark, our driveway and the curb. A little farther down the street, a red Porsche. Fawn. I tried to pick more images from her and Mr. Linton, but it was as if I’d been blocked. Alarm bells dinged in my head. “Why did you take the pictures and pass them off as someone else’s work? Is there really someone watching me?”
    “Yes.” Mr. Linton said. “But we couldn’t convince you of that without proof. We didn’t have any, so we manufactured it. Sorry but it was the only way. We couldn’t take a chance on anything happening to you.”
    Another lie. If they meant harm though, wouldn’t they just get on with it instead of recruiting Hayden to watch over me? And their explanations seemed plausible. Plus, Mr. Linton looked so sincere. The ice in my veins thawed. “One more question. You’re shielding your thoughts from me now. Can I do that?”
    Fawn blinked. “You… uhm…”
    “She’s startled because you’re learning everything quicker than we expected.” He tapped his fingers on the table and glanced away as though not sure what to do next.
    “Okay.” I scanned their faces, wondering if they planned to cough it up. “If I’m in danger, like you say, don’t you want me to be able to defend myself against them? If they’re like us, they’ll see into my thoughts and know about you two as well.”
    “You’re absolutely right. Don’t mind me. I’m not used to losing control of my pupils so soon.” She stared at me. “You shield your thoughts simply by willing it.”
    I squinted,