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#3 A new witch

I stay stunned in the middle of the park, completely at a loss. I keep looking around, confused. I don't understand what just happened. All the screams are gone, and even that strange impression that was haunting me has vanished. It's like I just woke up from some dream... a dream in which I've been very much awake the whole time. What the hell is wrong with me?

The two nurses that were running after me suddenly arrive and grab my arms.

"Where the heck are you running to! Go back to your room!" They yell in my ears.

I try to defend myself, get out of their grip, but they are stronger than me. Those damn women! They are holding on so strongly, it freaking hurts! I keep struggling. Won't those old hags let go! I'm just going to burn those damn...

"Hey, hey, easy, easy. Let go, ladies, please. I got it. It's alright, I got it."

In front of us, the guy I spotted earlier just arrived, and gently, he's taking the nurses' wrists of me. My hands aren't on fire, yet. There a slight smoke coming out of my fingers, though, and he's seen it too. He gives me a clear glance toward my hands.

"Don't give me that, miss little witch," he says. "No fire trick and I promise those ladies will leave us alone."

I nod, still a bit shaken up. For some reason, I have a hard time containing my fire, I'm too angry to stop shaking. The smoke disappears slowly, and as soon as the nurses retreat away from me, it gets easier for me to control myself. The redhead guy smiles.

"There we go. No need to get fired up."

"We have to get her back to her room," insists one of the nurses, as if I wasn't there.

"It's okay, I'll watch her," says the redhead. "She can't go much further anyway, right? She just stays a few minutes with me, gets some fresh air, and I'll make sure she goes back. It's fine..."

I can't believe it... They are actually listening to him and going back inside, despite their dubious glares. I'm confused, who is that guy? I'm rubbing my painful arm, in total disbelief. One of their nails really got me bleeding... I turn to the guy, unsure who I'm dealing with. He looks like a normal guy, but he clearly knew about my power, and there's something oddly familiar about him, too. I probably stare too much, because he shakes his head and chuckles.

"No need to make that look. You don't remember me, do you?"

"You do look familiar," I admit.

"I bet. I'm Benjamin Lewis, Bonnie is my twin sister."

"Oh!"

I can't believe I didn't realize earlier! This guy is Bonnie's male version, with red hair, big blue eyes, and even their little nose... I feel a bit relieved. Somehow, this guy being Bonnie's twin tells me I can trust him. That doesn't really explain why he defended me against the harpies from earlier, but he does have the attitude of a laid-back guy. He's wearing jeans and a simple shirt, too, that actually shows a little bit of a tattoo he's got on his torso. Is that a white circle? Benjamin takes out another cigarette with a little smile. Meanwhile, I'm just in that stupid hospital gown... I wish I had real, proper clothes on, for once. It looks like I'm wearing oversized pajamas like a child.

I suddenly remember his earlier stance.

"Wait, you said... I should remember you?" I say.

"Yeah, the fire. I was among the guys who took you out of there. Not that we helped a lot, but..."

"You mean when I was in... that fire?"

He nods.

"Yep. The whole barbecue... To be honest, when we heard there was still someone alive inside, I didn't believe it. We fought the fire like crazy to find you and get you out of here. You're lucky, little witch, because anyone else would be dead."

I feel a bit embarrassed. I never met anyone who was actually on the site of the accident itself. I've only heard a few things from the doctors, my sister, and whatever the nurses would whisper in the corridors. This guy could have died because of me... Is he a firefighter, then? He's tall, and with his broad shoulders and thin musculature, he probably could be one. He has a simple jacket as an ambulance staff for now, though.

"Thank you," I mumble.

"Don't thank me, as I said, I really didn't get to do much... You were half-conscious, we dragged you out and sent you here as soon as possible. ...So, want to tell me why you just made those two poor ladies run? You looked a bit lost earlier."

I sigh and look around again. I'm feeling like an idiot, now. I ran after something that wasn't there, as evidence shows. If they know I'm starting to hear voices, I'm never leaving this place. What can I say so he won't think I'm completely nuts?

"I just... needed some fresh air," I lie.

"That must have been quite the emergency," he chuckles.

"Well, I don't get much at all."

Benjamin's eyes get a bit more serious all of a sudden, and he nods.

"I know. Everyone is wary of you... The new witch. I heard your family is keeping you locked there."

"I feel like everyone but I know this kind of stuff. They are all walking on eggs, keeping me behind close doors and no one is telling me a thing..."

"Yeah... Well, you can't blame them. Silver City has some dark history with witches...."

What dark history? I thought I was the only witch in that city, that's what everyone's been telling me for days!

"There were other witches before me?" I ask.

He looks surprised, raising an eyebrow.

"No one told you a thing?"

"Well, I don't talk to that many people, the staff freaks out just by being in the same room... But I'm sure Bonnie never mentioned another witch," I state.

"Ah... It's... Bonnie doesn't really like talking about those things."

"Why?"

Ben sighs, looking a bit unsure and annoyed this time. His eyes wander elsewhere while he answers as if he couldn't bring himself to look me into the eye.

"A witch killed our older brother. She's still... not over it."

Oh, shit... Why? What happened? Bonnie never mentioned anything like that! I didn't think there was another witch before me here, let alone one who would commit murder! Their older brother was definitely a werewolf as well, right? Do witches and werewolves usually fight like this? I bite my lower lip.

"Can I ask... What happened?"

"He wasn't the only one who died. Over a couple of years ago, there was a war here in Silver City. A freaking big one, that involved werewolves, humans, vampires, and... witches."

"Even vampires? No one told me there were vampires..."

I can't believe it. It was already complicated for me to accept that this City is split between two species, werewolves, and humans, with me belonging to neither, but now, even vampires? What kind of crazy world am I waking up into? I feel like a drop lost in the ocean. My lost memories are not getting me anywhere, I'm learning everything, but there this sort of common knowledge that was left behind, telling me what is normal and what is not. I know what humans, werewolves, and vampires are, everyone does. I'm aware that at least two of those shouldn't even be able to get along.

"Well, they didn't belong to Silver City. They just tried to win against us. Humans and werewolves united together against the vampires."

"What about the witches, then? Were they on... the vampires' side, then?"

Damn it, do I belong to the bad side? I'm already friend with a werewolf and a human, why do I have to be a witch if our kinds are enemies? Is that why everyone fears me? If witches killed people in that war, why do they even bother keeping me alive at all?

Benjamin seems to regret a bit the topic he brought up. He scratches his chin, with a bit of hair growing back on it, looking a bit unsure.

"Yes and no... There were only two witches. One on our side, one on the other. They both died in that war, that's why you're the only living witch we know in Silver City at the moment."

"Oh..."

Well, that doesn't make things much better... I didn't imagine witches would fight against each other. I actually had somewhat decided that, even if those witches were on the vampire side, I would stay on the human and werewolves one, but I guess that solves the problem... It doesn't help me with who I am, or why I'm locked up here, though.

"So that's how you guys all knew I was a witch?" I ask.

"Yes and no. See, we had never seen a fire witch, but we know they exist; You were able to survive in a fire that would have killed a human or a werewolf ten times. And those marks..."

He points at my bandages, those which the earlier struggling kind of undid a little bit. It shows my remaining markings, a bit red and darker than before. I wrap it back quickly, as I don't like to have those exposed.

"What about them."

"We suspect it's a witch's markings. When witches use their powers too much, those marks appear on their bodies as a sign they are overdoing it."

"What? Really?"

He nods.

So my scars are some sort of spell? This is insane... I look down. I still remember the charcoal look of my legs, weeks ago, the first time I saw them. No sane doctor thought I could heal from that, those were the highest degree burn possible. The flesh was supposedly dead, yet it did start healing and regrowing by itself. Is that how they came to the conclusion that I was a witch? This healing ability of mine is certainly not normal... Even I can tell this much.

Benjamin is still smoking his cigarette, looking pretty calm. I'm not calm! I can't believe no one told me my markings were a symbol of witchcraft! I thought my ability to make fire was all they had as a proof to say I'm a witch, I didn't even suspect they had more clues than that... or even that there had been other witches before me.

"So, those two witches... They had that too?"

"We never witnessed them going as bad as yours, but yes. It can affect your internal organs too, so careful with fire, little witch."

"You said they weren't Fire witches," I say, ignoring his warning. "What were they?"

"One was a water witch, the other one was an earth witch. Very different than you, Mara, but the same markings and the same ability to play with their element. We all witnessed it. The two witches we knew about were already scaringly powerful with just water and dirt, so now that we have a young chick like you playing with fire, we are all kind of on our toes, waiting to see what is going to happen next."

So that's why... I mean, it doesn't explain everything, but at least I know why they are all so afraid. I'm not the first one, there were precedents. Those other witches were there before me and left quite an impression on the people of Silver City. This would explain a lot. I'm not just confined in my room, I'm under tight observation. The thermometer, the fact that I can't go out, my doctors, my psychiatrist, everyone watching my every move and trying to understand what happened. It's not just because I'm a freak: it's because of fear. Fear of what I can do... I glance down at my hands. I know this is dangerous, I get it. Even I have trouble controlling myself sometimes.

However, wouldn't it have just been easier to tell me all of this? I'm not an idiot! Why do I have to bump into Bonnie's twin to finally get some answers I've been asking for all this time!

"Why did no one tell me that earlier?" I exclaim, furious.

I'm getting so mad about all this. At the very least, Bonnie should have told me! She sees me every day, why wouldn't she give me that little bit of information right away? She knows how much I'm struggling with my lost memories! I bite my thumb, angry. This is ridiculous! This is about me, yet no one is giving me the slightest clue!

Benjamin sighs, pulling on his cigarette before answering me.

"This isn't just to annoy you, little witch. It's not just Bonnie and our family, almost every human or werewolf living here in Silver City has lost a friend or a family member in that war. It was a horrible war, okay? Some people are still dealing with its consequences, like how my sister is still unable to talk about it. The ones who created it and made the most damages were the witches. We just don't know how to deal with all of this, with you. It's not that simple."

I stay stunned. The witches actually caused that horrible war he's talking about...? The most damages, too? He can't mean they were the ones who killed most people, right? It can't be... I try to think but, no matter what, I don't understand.

"You said there were only two of them..." I mutter.

"Exactly. There were only two witches, but they were the roots of everything we went through. I won't get into the details, and I don't want to push it all on the witches, but those are the facts every one here in Silver City remembers: Witches are powerful and scary. They are not human or werewolf, we don't know that much about them. To be honest with you, we actually thought that your kind had died in that war and that we were done with witches. But you're there now. We have a new witch in town, playing around with fire and she already burned down a building before we could even know she was there. A fire witch in Silver City, after the earth and water ones. You're saying you feel trapped here and all, but how do you think people will react once you go out and your existence is made public?"

I... I don't know what to answer to that.

I can't even begin to imagine. It's... terrifying. This whole city isn't just split between humans and werewolves. All those people are traumatized by a war witches caused. Only two of them. If there were as many deaths as Benjamin said, and the witches were responsible for both... I'm probably a monster to them. They thought they were done with witches, probably ready to move on, but here I am.

Even worse, I revealed myself in the worst way possible, with that big fire. I know it made the evening news, for a whole building to go down in flames with one survivor...

"Don't worry," says Benjamin. "It doesn't mean all of Silver City really thinks witches are bad. At least, probably not the werewolves. There was one of them on our side, remember? It's just that we are... wary of witches. Especially the humans, who don't have much affinity with witches. This fight was mostly us against the vampires, but the humans had to participate anyway. Things are... tense, outside. You're not only confined here for people's safety, but also for your own. Until we figure things out."

He means until they can figure out what to do with me... How dangerous I really am. I take a deep breath. So far, I've barely been able to control myself whenever I get angry. Moreover, there is this voice, in the back of my mind, that comes up at unexpected times... No, I shouldn't think about it. As far as I know, this might just be my imagination, my own mind playing tricks.

I need to think of something else. I can feel some stares behind my back. I probably don't have much time left to ask questions before I'm dragged back into my room. To think Benjamin whom I just met is the first one to explain so many things to me... I think about his words again.

"When you said until we can figure out what's going on... Who is that we, exactly?" I ask.

Benjamin chuckles and raises his hand with the cigarette towards the building behind me.

"You know this facility is called the White Hospital, right? This Hospital belongs to the North Clan of werewolves of Silver City, the White Moon. That's why Bonnie and I work there, you're in werewolf territory, little witch. Your older sister made an agreement with the White Luna, for your protection."

"The White Luna? Isn't the Luna the other name for the... Queen of Werewolves?" I ask, remembering what Bonnie and Kelsi taught me only a few weeks ago about the hierarchy among werewolves. "You're telling me my older sister made a pact with someone that important for my sake?"

Benjamin starts laughing, shaking his head.

"Of course she's important, but she's not all-mighty! Moreover, the Earth Witch, which was the good witch, was a friend of the Luna. So of course, she's going to keep a close eye on you. She's a good friend of our family, actually."

"What's her name?"

"Selena. Selena Whitewood."

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