The Lost Witch

Chapter twenty-three

Puff's Diner was bustling with activity when Paige arrived. Young mothers with strollers and what looked like a soccer team on the way to their match. She couldn't see Kendall yet so Paige waited in the long line and ordered a coffee and half a dozen donuts. There was a booth free in the corner which Paige abruptly took possession of while she waited for Kendall to arrive.

Paige's coffee arrived just as Kendall did, who only ordered a strawberry smoothie. Taking a sip, Paige quickly pushed the steaming mug away and tore into a donut as the coffee cooled down.

"How are you feeling?" Paige asked with urgent intensity, leaning across the booth as Kendall took one of the glazed donuts on the plate.

Kendall didn't meet Paige's eyes, her attention focused solely on the donut in her hands. She turned the sugary treat in her hands a few times before she spoke. "Fine. I guess, considering everything that happened." Her eyes raised and met Paige. "Did the detectives speak to you?"

Paige sagged into the booth with a nod. "They're persistent bastards." They were becoming a serious complication.

"It's kinda their job." Kendall's fingers got to work tearing the donut into pieces before placing one on her tongue. Her tone was almost as weary as the expression that masked her face. Dark circles, almost like bruises, danced beneath her eyes.

"You look tired."

Kendall gave up with the donut and let the pieces fall back onto the plate. She wasn't that hungry anyway. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"That makes two of us."

Kendall seemed relieved to know she wasn't the only one suffering from a case of insomnia. She couldn't seem to get her mind to shut down last night for more than a few minutes. Her small smile thinned with Paige's next words.

"What did you tell the detectives?"

Kendall's eyes narrowed on her. They were almost like angry voids of melted chocolate. "Not much," she admitted in a tight voice. "I didn't really know what to tell them." She glanced around worriedly, as if she was afraid the detectives were nearby and would catch her in a lie. Paige never had a problem lying to those in authority, in fact it gave her a warm tingling sensation, but Kendall wasn't like Paige. She had morals. Respect for those in positions of authority. Then her angry eyes were back on Paige. "What should I have told them?"

Paige tried not to get irritated with her show of anger. She deserved it, after all. Kendall's car was wrecked, she spent days in the hospital and now detectives were knocking on her door. If the roles were reversed, Paige would be pissed too. Kendall is actually showing marvellous restraint, but she didn't have the same behavioural issues Paige was plagued with.

"I didn't tell them much either," Paige said, choosing not to directly answer Kendall's question. "They're suspicious. They know we're hiding something."

Kendall almost shot across the booth. "We are!" she hissed. "I saw . . . I saw . . ." A distant look engulfed her eyes as memories floated to the surface. "I saw someone . . . something stop my car. I hit someone."

Paige searched her face. There was definitely grief there, and something else. Maybe pain. She wasn't certain. "No," Paige lightly said, as Kendall's face contorted with emotions. "Someone hit us, Kendall."

The pain flashed to awareness. "Aaron?" She tried to decipher the wave of emotions that flashed through her body, but there was just too many to truly keep track with. She leaned heavily against the table, her hands on either side of her face. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Paige muttered. "I don't know what he wants."

Kendall's eyes met Paige, but her face remained trapped beneath her fingers. She didn't have much strength to keep herself upright. "He wants you," she whispered.