Palindrome
Other Side

WILLIAM

I watched her go down in front of me, her legs giving in. In my dazed and confused state, she nearly hit the floor again before I got to her. Hannah`s body was limp in my hands, and I had to stagger my hunger- she felt like prey, warm and bloody. Her face was the only thing holding me back, pale, beautiful, so innocent. Right then, Belinda returned with an employee trailing her, he had a kit in his hands, and after I`d laid Hannah gently down on the floor, I helped him put a compress on her head. “Did you call the ambulance?” The man looked at us and frowned when we shook our heads in unison. “Well, go on then; she must be stitched together.” I glanced at Benjamin, waiting for him to say something to get us out of there, but his eyes were fixed on Hannah. Who could blame him? She was alluring. The exotic scent of magic was all around her, adding to the mystery. Her amber eyes were almost too big for her delicate, pale face. I had drowned in them already, drawn to her. She was a witch, that`s why, I told myself. I took my phone and started dialing, but then Hannah made a noise. A slight cough and the sound of her voice, thin but clear. “I`m ok. No need for a hospital.”

The man looked dubiously at the compress filled with blood. I suddenly realized Benjamin wasn’t staring at Hannah; he was staring at the blood. I nudged him with my elbow; he took a deep breath and held it. “Are you sure, miss? You`re bleeding.” Hannah glimpsed at the blood and then at my mouth, probably freaking out that I slipped and tasted her blood right before her. I heard her heart speed up, and blood rose in her cheeks. Hannah tried to stand, and I reached out my hand. I expected her to refuse my help; she had to fear our behavior. To my surprise, she took it immediately; she stumbled some when she was on her feet but didn’t fall again. I held on to her to ensure she was alright; that`s what I told myself. She looked at Belinda and Benjamin with fear, but when they locked with mine, there was only fire and confusion. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself offering her a ride. “I can drive you to the doctor`s office? He`s right; you do need stitches. I bet they can manage something like this here in town?” I directed my question to the man since Hannah seemed a bit lost. Maybe I should take her to the hospital? The man in the blue uniform packed up the first-aid kit and shrugged. “I guess so; they will at least be able to tell if she needs more help.”

He patted Hannah on her shoulder and told her to take care before he went to get a mop to wash up the blood with. I didn’t dare look at Benjamin and Belinda; they were furious that I`d volunteered to help her. I was doing this for us; we needed her help. Hundreds of years- thousands of years actually- of torturing witches had provided us with nothing. No wonder they hated us. No one had lived to tell the tale about what we wanted; they only knew they never came back once we got a witch. This idea that Lilith`s daughters and sons were disposable stuck with our beliefs, no matter what. No doubt a legacy from our highly patriarchal family. What our All-Father had done was what we should do. I hoped Father would listen to me when they arrived here.

“Is that ok with you?” I kept my voice down; her head had to hurt like a bitch. For a second, I wanted her to say no, and walk away from me and my curse so she would be safe, but the feeling passed and was soon overshadowed by my desire to be as near her as I could. I didn’t want to think deeper about what all this meant, these feelings she brought forward. We didn’t have tender feelings; we were proud and tough. Then she looked at me, and I couldn’t think of anything other than her soul hiding behind her eyes; I knew I was in trouble.

“That`ll do; they can stitch me up there; I don’t need to go to the hospital.” Her words took time; I almost forgot where we were and why. Benjamin put his arms in a cross and raised an eyebrow my way. Belinda had tears in her eyes; she was so mad. I tried to convey my words through my eyes that I had a plan. I needed her on my side; WE needed her on our side. This was all a part of the plan. I had to push aside all other feelings; what was I thinking, proposing to Father that I could charm a witch into giving us what we wanted? Stupid.

She was quiet in the car, holding the compress against her head so the bleeding would stop. I put on some music in the background to kill the awkwardness. Eva Cassidy`s beautiful voice sang about finally meeting her true love; perhaps it was the wrong song choice. “Ehm, could you guide me to the doctor`s office?” I hadn’t gotten around to taking the village tour yet. She opened her eyes and stared out of the window. “It`s just down the main road and second to the left when you`ve passed the school.” She turned her upper body my way and looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to put it. I smirked at her, pulling my cocky attitude around me like a cloak. “What?” She crunched her nose, contemplating. “What does magic smell like?” That was unexpected; maybe she`d changed her mind at the last second. I pretended to think about it before answering. “It`s hard to describe; magic has a distinct smell. Maybe with a hint of sulfur? And lavender.” Hannah looked surprised by my answer. “Is that how you knew I was a witch?” I adjusted my sunglasses; her eyes followed my movements. “That, and you give out a vibe, kinda like a ringing in our bones.” She sat still for a moment before speaking again. “Did you come here for me?” I wondered how truthful I should be; she probably wouldn’t help us if she knew the truth. “That was part of it, but mostly because Mother fell in love with the house.”

Hannah`s eyes widened at the statement before she smiled. My heart picked up speed at the sight; I felt my hands tighten around the wheel. “Not what I thought you would say.” Her voice was thin. I turned left, and she pointed silently to a two-story building on the right side. There was a parking lot right outside, and I asked her if she wanted me to come in with her. I thought she would say yes for a moment, but she shook her head and said no thanks. “I can get a taxi back; no need for you to wait for me.”

“Hannah, I`ll wait. I got nothing else to do; how long can it take?” Again, she surprised me by not arguing; she just nodded and exited the car. I watched her closely to see if she fell, but she seemed more stable now. When she was out of sight, I leaned back and breathed heavily. I was in deep shit.