Preface

Most people are ordinary. They are blissful; they are seen as themselves, but with me, everyone jumps to conclusions. I am the Cauldron Keeper, Katrina. I live in your normal, average two- story American house. Many people of my kind consider me as an evil, dark demon, but I know I am not. I may be a Witch Wiccan, or whatever they want to call me, but I know I am good. I can prove it. I can be just as caring, and polite as the next person out there.
I do have a tendency to get a bit irritable, but that is because you bring it on yourself. I’m not going to randomly jump out and shout at you for something you didn’t do. Who does that anyway? But, back to the point; right now, we are focusing on me, and what I am about to tell you, because if you read carefully, you will unravel the truth behind my most important secret, and why I am deciding to tell you about it.






















Daytime Middrift

It is another depressing day. With all the walking around at my school, Daniel Harve High, and my aching feet afterwards- I swear how do you people stand to walk that much? I’m going to have to do some serious spell creating for this- I still go home to my relatives. My mother, Shelly, my father, John, my sister, Sarah, and my brother, Caleb, are always there when I get home, waiting for me to wait on them. It’s not that simple, even though I have been doing it for almost ninety- four years now. Why do we have to live for many years? If my brother ever asks me to clip his toenails again, I will just clip his toes off, and say “Oops, I slipped.” No, I won’t do that, even though I want to. Terribly.



As I walk into the massive living room, eyeing the red satin-like couch, closely resembling her hair, my mother greets me, and then orders me around, “Hello Katrina. Your list is right over there on the table. Get started right away. We have no time. We’re going out tonight. Iron my dress first. Go on! If you take any longer, there won’t be any party left to go to.” I pick up the list and stare at it. After a long, hatred glance, I’m absolutely pissed, probably from the fact that she mentioned she’s going to a party. I’ve had it, and it explodes out of my mouth like a nuclear bomb in Iraq:

“I am so tired of this! I do everything! You never do anything useful! I make the money, cook, clean, and go to school! What other choice do I have but to go and live with my friends?” Just as I blew off my raging steam, burning in my throat, on the tip of my tongue, my whole face, I begin to think about what I had just spouted off to her, and realize it is time for major changes, and I know exactly how I’m going to do it.

I have, in fact, been planning to do this for a while now, but I have been keeping it a secret. The Cauldron Keeper is always allowed to keep secrets, even from her family. And I keep many secrets from them, indeed I do. I maintain the most secret secrets of them all, and they will never know about it. I make sure they won’t.

“Live with your friends? I had no idea you had any friends.” Suddenly, my extremely annoying brother is beside my mother, lingering close to her side, as always. He is such a baby, even though he is almost twenty years old, and I am only eighteen. I’m really not eighteen years old though; I just have to tell people that, because they say I look eighteen.

“Actually, I do have friends. Remember Holly, and Ashley, and Amber? I talk about them all the time. Oh, wait, you will never know ‘em because you are a momma’s boy, and are too hardheaded!” I’m instantly trying to hurt his feelings, not caring if I am being too snobby. “You know what? I’m outta here! You can do your own filthy work from now on. I will not be your slave anymore.”

“Walk out this door, and see what will happen to you young lady!” My brainless father shouts at me as I stomp my way to my big waste of a room to pack as much of my things as I can carry. (which, by the way, is a pretty good lot)

“Like I care! Do you seriously believe I’m joking for one second? Man, sometimes I wonder if you even have a brain inside that huge head of yours!” I have been waiting for so many years to insult him, you don’t even know.

“Fine go ahead and ruin your life by staying with some person we don’t even know!” My mother is so obnoxious sometimes, it can get too unbearable.

I really hate to say it, ok… fine, I don’t. But she is driving me right on the edge, and she is bringing this on herself. (As I had explained to you earlier.)

“Exactly! You don’t even know ‘er, I do. I can go wherever I want, because as of right now, I disown you as my family.” I say to her in calm, but threatening voice. I am ready to leave from this pit of death, no matter what it takes; I’m out of here by tonight.

***
“Umm, Holly, can I stay at your place for a few days? Something has come up, and I have to leave my home right away.” I feel like I’m being too eager for her to give me a positive answer. Is Holly that dependable?

“Uhh, sure Katrina, what happened?” she is very concerned; I can hear the sincerity in her voice. I’ve always liked Holly; she is always there for me, and surprisingly, so is my sister, she truly likes me, for me. Holly and I have been best friends since the fourth grade, and ever since then, she’s saving my butt and right now, I need her to save it the most. I’ll admit it, I’m desperate.

“Well, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you when I get there. Give me about forty minutes? I’ll be there by daytime Middrift.” I’m right. I am too eager.

“Okay, sure, no problem, but what is daytime mid-whatever you call it? No, no, scratch that. You can explain that, too. Come on over whenever you feel like it. Plus, it will give me some time to set up a place for you to stay while you are here. Ooooo… I got it, how ‘bout the basement? You will have so much fun sleeping in a nest of cobwebs tonight.” I love it when she teases me. It helps me to get my mind off of things.

“Ha ha, very funny, Holly.” Actually, sleeping in a basement full of cobwebs sounded a hell of a lot better than staying here, wasting what is left of my life away.

As I grab my bag and race out the door, very anxious to get to where I am going, without my ex- family knowing where I am headed, I realize I don’t even have a license, let alone a freakin’ car! My parents would never let me get a drivers license, so that’s why I don’t have one right now. I guess I will just have to walk the five miles to Holly’s house. Oh joy!




















Keep Away… Far Away

While I’m walking to Holly’s, I feel very strange, like something is right on my heels this whole time, and I am too chicken to turn around and face it myself. I think the smell of dirty laundry is getting to me. I just happen to be walking past a Starbucks; I walk in with what money I have left over- from purchasing school books, and what not- and sit down to buy myself a warm, refreshing drink.

“Well, hello there darlin’.” The waitress welcomes me with a homely smile. It is so contagious, I can’t help but smile back. “What can I get for you at 9:30 p.m?” Sarcasm, just another way of saying, “you’re irritating me, so leave me the hell alone.”

How do I put this delicately? Well… I can’t, so I spit at her, “I’ll have a vanilla late with whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. Oh and, make it quick, I’m sort of in a hurry here.” The woman, who apparently is named Susan, glares at me with the worst expression I have seen in a long time.

But, as I sip my too-hot-to-cool-down drink, I sit here, taking my time, glaring back at her, while she counts the remainder of coins I’d deliberately changed instead of giving her dollar bills. (one of my “best revenge” spells.)

***
While I am leaving, without giving her any tip, either, I am really quiet all of a sudden. Now, I am positive something is following me, but what can it be? A robber? A murderer? Well, whatever it is, I am not scared of it. It’s probably a raccoon following my scent or something. I think it smells the hidden Starburst and Skittles I have in my purse.

Thinking, and walking, thinking, and walking. Crunch, crunch! I quickly spin around, dropping my bags, waiting for something to spring at me, but I am all set for action. I haven’t gotten into a big fix in about thirty-five years. Ever since then, I am always prepared for it to happen again, knowing it will happen again. I can truly feel it, scorching in my blood, day and night; I will wait… and wait… and wait.

I turn back around, pick up my belongings, and begin my normal, human-like pace.

Just then, I hear another noise, but it isn’t the sound of feet crushing sticks and leaves, it is more like a giggle. Wait… a giggle? Can raccoons seriously giggle? No. No, not humanly possible. Unless there is some new scientific reason that raccoons can snicker, and laugh and all that, it’s not possible.

I instantly halt right where I am, but as it turns out, I am right in the middle of the street. Just my luck. Knowing me, some gigantic hummer truck will come towing over me like road kill.

As I walk back to the corner where I had first heard the odd noises, I croak, “Keep away.” I struggle to find the most defensive words I can think of. Instead, I sputter out like an idiot, “Keep away… far away.” Yeah, nice threat Katrina, they’re probably shakin’ in their boots right now. I start to think mockingly, to myself.

After my “clever remark”, I hear the giggling again. Is it ever going to stop? I begin ignoring the childish snickers. I turn back around, and quicken my pace a little bit. I am only about five blocks away from Holly’s house. Almost there. My worries are going so make me psychotic one of these days, and I’m not going to be able to control it. I guess it’s genetic.

I am so close, I can practically smell Holly’s house from where I am standing, when two, painless pinky fingers jab into my sides, almost like fully dull knives. They don’t hurt me at all, but they do make me jump and literally, freak out. At least enough to where I end up crushing my big toe with one of my large suitcases.

“What the freakin’ crap!” I manage to screech aloud, and right as I do so, I spin around so fast, I feel like I’m tripping over my “untied shoelace.”

After clearing up all the freakishness that has been going on lately, I finally come to see Jarrod, Michael, and Ashley’s faces, bursting with laughter at my hilarious response, as they stand in front of me. I also think it is what I had said to them earlier. I am such a wimp.

“We got you good!” Michael points his unusually, rounded index finger at me, while trying to hold back a snort that is occurring deep in his throat. I used to have a crush on Michael, but I don’t suppose I still do. Even though he looks like a just-my-type, 6’6 man candy! I’ll only know if I still like him when I blush around him.

And once again, my embarrassment starts to wash over my face like someone is smothering me with a pillow. I blush once he flashes me the cutest smile I have ever seen on a boys’ face before. His teeth are so white, so shiny. Well, I do like a man with good hygiene. He is so down- to- earth, so confident, he makes me blush some more.

What? I can’t help myself!

I yearn to stand beside him, to cling to his hand, to stroke his cheek. I really, really like him, and I can’t hold back anymore. Everyone has to face their fears sometime or another.

“So, where ya goin’, Katrina? Why are you out this late? Do your parents know where you are?” Ashley questions me like I’d just committed a crime, or something absurd headed in that direction. Anyway, she is from New York, so she has that heavy accent like most of my other friends have from…from, oh well, that doesn’t matter right now.

“I’m stayin’ with Holly for a few days. My…” my jaw aches just to say the word, “family… and I got into a little mishap today, and I’m going to bunk with her for a while.”

I am trying so hard not to let the memories chase me back towards hatred and horror again. But, when I have my doubts, they always come true. Kind of like I made wish upon a random star in the sky, and I’m the lucky one who got my unwished wish.

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m really sorry, Kat.” Jarrod is the sweetest one out of our group. He will do anything for you, just as long as you are nice to him. He and Ashley are dating right now, and every other girl at our school is probably envying her at this very moment.

But not me, I’m not like those other girls; I’m different, sure, I have known that for almost eighty-five years now, but that’s not where I’m going with this. I like Michael. For some odd reason, I feel strangely comfortable around him, but I can’t put my finger on it. I am going to find out eventually, and I’m sure someone will find out, too. Then, I will be forced to take serious action against it. It’ll probably be from Amber, my other best friend since the fourth grade. I consider her one of my cousins.

“Well if you’ll get it started, we’ll get this joint jumpin’. Now come on! It’s gettin’ colder out here by the minute.” Michael looks so cute in the moonlight. The way it compliments his skin tone. I think I’m going to dream about him tonight.

Aww man! Am I doing it again? I really need to learn to control my over excessive daydreaming. You know, you really should warn me next time!

So, as I was saying. I think I’m almost, not quite, but almost in love with him. I’m just waiting for that day to come.