The Coven: For fans of Vox, The Power and A Discovery of Witches by Lizzie Fry

Author:Lizzie Fry
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2021-02-24T13:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

Another night and day at the Gathering rolled around and Adelita still hadn’t made a decision on staying at the Gathering or leaving with Ethan, when Tansy expelled him. As Adelita joined the other witches for lunch in the Wellington Hotel, she noticed one of the witch cooks busying herself putting food cartons into an insulated bag to take to the sentries. She moved into the cook’s way and flashed her a broad smile.

‘I’ll take the food to the prisoners, if you like.’

The purple-haired cook seemed in two minds, especially as Tansy had appeared through the dining room doors. Before Adelita could plead her case to deliver the food to the men in the old police station, the High Witch merely nodded. Satisfied, the witch cook took three cartons of food out of her insulated bag and handed them, plus napkins and wooden forks, to Adelita.

‘Cheers,’ the cook said. ‘Could not be arsed to walk all the way up there, I tells ya.’

Adelita did not want to give Tansy any indication of what she was going to tell Ethan – she wasn’t entirely sure herself yet – and didn’t trust herself to meet Tansy’s eye or speak to her as she left the hotel. This was unfortunate, because it dawned on her she was not at all sure where the old police station was. She hesitated on the corner by a red phone box, looking down the harbour path.

‘You’re the American lady.’

Adelita turned to find a prepubescent girl of about ten, her puppy fat squeezed into a gingham dress that was too tight under the arms.

‘Yeah, I am. Who are you?’

‘I’m Jessie.’ The girl swayed side to side. She stood on one foot, the other tucked up into her dress like a flamingo.

‘Why aren’t you in there, with the other school kids?’

‘Don’t want to,’ Jessie scowled. ‘They’re a bunch of arseholes.’

‘I’m sure that’s not true.’

The little girl eyeballed her. ‘What would you know?’

Adelita considered the child’s words. She’d always gone off by herself like Jessie; even as a child she’d been an outsider. She’d told herself she was happier alone, but the reality was she didn’t want to be let down.

She smiled at the little girl. ‘You’re right. I don’t know much. But have you tried to get along with them?’

‘Yes … ’ Jessie’s defiant expression crumpled as she caught herself fibbing. ‘No.’

‘You have a great family here, kid.’ Adelita’s voice was soft. ‘We never know how much time we have with our loved ones. Don’t waste it.’

Jessie agreed to show Adelita where the old police station was. It was a five-minute walk away, past the inn, the community shop, the old tourist toilets and car park. Adelita would never have found it by herself. Situated next to the river mouth on the way into the village, it had been almost reclaimed by nature. The trees and vines had reached out and grasped the brickwork and its roof, so the building was almost perfectly camouflaged. She watched the little girl run off, towards some other kids down by the river.

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