Page 3 of How Not to Hex a Gentleman (Witches of Edinburgh)
Chapter Three
BENNETT
W hen I race into the nearly empty waiting room, my heart is in my throat. If something happened to?—
"Bennett!" Lana exclaims, launching herself into my arms. I catch the petite fifteen-year-old by the shoulders, giving her a once-over.
"Are you okay? Were you in an accident? What happened?"
Lana is my best friend's little sister and a walking hazard to herself—and everyone around her most of the time. When Nicholas is out of town, which he currently is, I'm the speed dial on Lana's phone for all of her after-school mishaps.
"I did have an accident!" Lana exclaims dramatically, raising her hand in front of her and moving some of the gauze away so I can see. "This is what I get for trying to cook at home. Never again!"
My eyes focus on the small cut below her pinky running down to her wrist. It can't be more than an inch and a half, but it's been bleeding. I exhale deeply, running a hand over my face. From the way she sounded on the phone and the abrupt disconnect I thought she lost a finger.
"Lana—"
"I know, how horrible! The nurse said I need stitches, so she's getting it all prepped. It might even leave a scar! Or worse! What if it got infected? I could've died."
"We don't live in the 1800s."
"So?"
I take another deep breath, trying to keep the smile off my face. This girl is such a handful, but she's lucky I adore her because if I didn't, this would be a huge problem.
"Lana, you need to work on your delivery. I was very worried."
"As you should be!" She nearly stomps her foot with outrage. "I could've bled out."
"No, you couldn't have." The nurse reappears, a patient look on her face, "As I explained to you already."
"But—"
"No buts." The nurse gives me a kind smile before motioning for Lana. "Let's get you stitched up."
"I'll be right here," I say, pulling out my phone as Lana is led away. This girl is a full-time responsibility. I dial her brother and he picks up on the second ring.
"What's the update on the disaster?" Nicholas asks by way of a greeting, and I chuckle.
"According to Lana she almost died from a cut on her hand. The nurse is patching her up now."
Nicholas exhales loudly, much like I did, and I can almost see him shaking his head. We met when I was first studying at the university and hit it off immediately. Originally from the states, he'd been in the UK for the majority of his life by the time I met him. When I moved up from the Borders for university, I didn't know anyone in town. Now, five years later, he's my best friend and the family I've been searching for most of my life. Lana was only nine when Nicholas brought me home with him for the Christmas holiday, back when he still tried to have some kind of relationship with his uncaring parents, and Lana took an instant liking to me. She dubbed me her "better" brother, since according to her, I was the fun one who actually played hide and seek with her when she wanted.
Truthfully, both Nicholas and Lana have helped with my ever-present longing for family and I'm willing to do my part as their honorary family member.
"Thanks, mate. You think she'll grow out of it?" Nicholas asks.
"I don't know," I reply honestly.
Most of Lana's hyper anxiety when it comes to these things came from her mother who is a hypochondriac and raised Lana to be the same. Every little thing sets them off and I know Lana is working through it, but it's a long process. The moment Nicholas could, he stepped in and became Lana's guardian. Not that their parents fought him on it; I think they were sort of glad to be rid of their kids. Nicholas and I bonded over our lack of parents.
"Thanks for being there," Nicholas says. "I should be back in two days at the most, but hopefully tomorrow. This professor is consistently too busy to see me."
"You think he's hiding?"
"Oh, I'm sure he is. If I didn't need his interview for the article I would've bailed already."
Nicholas is in the midst of his latest academic study. After graduation, he had no plans to leave Scotland or Edinburgh, because he fell in love with the city much like I have. So he stuck around to work for the university in various capacities. Lately, he's been teaching, and since he's between lectures at the moment, he's doing a study-article on Scottish lore—which is my expertise as well, with a bit of a different approach. Nicholas has a bad history when it comes to the "magical" aspect of Scottish lore—his mum really ruined that for him. So his articles are always simply the facts, while I kind of like the whimsy.
His current research is on the Stone of Destiny, a literal sandstone block used by Scotland for the inauguration of our kings until it was stolen by the English and used for their coronations. There was a full-on heist by some students in the fifties who stole the stone back from England and returned it to Scotland. Nicholas is trying to talk to someone who was around at that time and witnessed all the madness firsthand. Clearly, he's not having any luck.
"I'm not sure why he's being so tight-lipped about it. It's not like he's the one who stole the stone or was even old enough to do it. He was in high school! Barely."
"Are you angrily chugging glasses of water?" I ask when there's a pause in the rant and then Nicholas chuckles.
"You know me too well, mate." I can hear him put something—the glass, I assume—down and sigh again. "Seriously, I'm sorry you have to come running when Lana calls."
"I'm not," I reply honestly, even though I was in the middle of things when she did. I was also pretty rude not helping the girl with the suitcases, now that I think about it. The way Lana had panicked on the phone, though, I truly thought something was horribly wrong. "She's the little sister I never had."
"Or wanted. It's okay, you can be honest with me."
I chuckle, but I would never admit that because I've been alone for a lot of my life and I wouldn't trade Nicholas and Lana for anything. They saved me even before I knew I needed to be saved.
"I need you to do me a favor," Nicholas says out of nowhere and I focus immediately.
"Of course. What is it?"
"I need you—to have a little fun." I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. He's been harping on this for a while now. "Don't roll your eyes at me, man. You've become boring. You need to shake things up."
"What I need is for you to come back so we can celebrate your birthday proper, for once."
In the five years we've been friends we've yet to celebrate a birthday within the birthday month. It was his New Year's resolution this year, and we're still off to a rocky start.
"Perfect, then we can get you to loosen up a bit," Nicholas says as I shake my head. He thinks I'm too studious, and this is coming from someone who's fully into his articles and lectures day and night. I have been spending most of my time in books lately, so engrossed I've missed out on friends, but that's how it needs to be right now. If I'm to become an academic one day, I need all the knowledge I can gleam.
Granted, an academic wasn't my first choice. For the longest time, I wanted to be a museum curator. It would be quite glorious to research collections and design exhibits. It's the attention to detail and administrative tasks that give me a case of the hives. While I can meet deadlines, I definitely don't do it in an organized sort of way. Either way, a history degree gives me a step inside, but it doesn't leave me much room for extracurricular activities.
"I'm hanging up now," I say as Nicholas laughs.
We say our goodbyes and I turn to face the door Lana disappeared through.
Maybe there is something to Nicholas's assessment of my life, considering before Lana called I was pages deep in the latest volume of Highlands versus Lowlands. A wild Saturday night, as usual. I won't be admitting any of this out loud. Coming to study in Edinburgh and meeting Nicholas and Lana was a near miracle. My grandma raised me after my father checked out and my mother abandoned me before him, back when I was still in need of motherly love. She did the best she could, but I was mostly left to my own devices, as she was already sick by the time I was left on her doorstep and we just ended up stuck with each other. Then, my first year at the university, my grandma passed away.
Until I met Nicholas, I never thought family would be for me. I expected everyone to simply be going through the motions of life alone. I think a part of me is still that little boy who doesn't believe he deserves love and it's simply easier to be happy-go-lucky, but nothing deeper when it comes to relationships.
Clearly, Nicholas and Lana see past that and I'm grateful.
"All ready!" Lana announces, breaking through my thoughts as she steps out from the backroom, waving her bandaged hand at me.
"Come on, troublemaker. Let's get you home in one piece."
"And stop for ice cream?"
I chuckle. This girl is spoiled and I'm definitely an enabler.
"And stop for ice cream."
KENNEDY
"This is ridiculous," Parker mumbles from my right as Lily, the golden-haired third member of our little group, sighs to my left.
We were right, Lily also booked a one-bedroom apartment, and she's also an exchange student from America. Apparently, we're all here for a year to finish our studies before we decide on our next step. This apartment was sent to all of us as an option after we searched for university housing. According to the website, there are a lot of students who use short-term rentals while here for a year of study and we all had the same listing for a "single occupancy flat".
"How are they closed? I guess maybe letting agents just don't work on Saturdays here." Lily cups her hands over her face and tries to see into the office through the glass door, but it's just dark in there.
"Maybe they messed up and ran for the hills," Parker comments, leaning against the wall beside the glass, arms crossed over her puffy jacket. I pull my black long-line winter coat a little tighter across my body, as I stare out into the street. I should've grabbed my scarf.
"I doubt that's the case," I say, my attention on people passing by. It's barely four in the afternoon, but the sky is darkening already. Night comes early during this time of the year and I didn't even get to explore any of the city like I planned. My body and my mind are tired, and I'm resigned to not checking things off my list like I wanted to today. Except for the shower. I really want one of those.
"Okay," I turn to the girls, my mind spinning, "we have no options here but to see this through. The apartment has three separate bedrooms."
I checked before we left.
"So that means we can all lock ourselves in for the night, put a chair under the doorknob or something," I direct that at Parker, "and figure it out in the morning. It would be irrational to do anything else."
The girls look at me a bit strangely and then Parker cocks her head to the side.
"She looks so lifelike, don't you think?" she asks Lily, making the other girl chuckle.
"They don't make them like they used to," Lily replies and now Parker is cracking up.
"It must be the newest model," Parker says between laughs.
I roll my eyes, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "You're hilarious," I say, zero humor in my voice, "but someone needs to have a plan around here."
"I have a plan." Parker stands up straight, shooting me a grin. "Right now it involves some food because I've had nothing but airplane food in the last twenty hours and I must be fed."
"Before you turn into a monster?"
It's my turn to raise an eyebrow at her, but she's not offended, giving me one of her grins.
"So she does have a sense of humor. Good to know."
Ignoring the dig, I pull out my phone. "There are a few restaurants nearby…well, more than a few."
"What's that?" Lily asks over my shoulder, pointing to a little icon of a croissant nearby. The girls crowd around me, studying the map I pulled up on the app.
"A bakery," I reply, before clicking on it. There are several options that include savory as well as sweet.
"If we're voting," Lily says, looking over the menu, "I say we grab something and head to the apartment."
"That's my vote too," Parker says over my other shoulder before they both step back and look at me. I guess we're making decisions by votes then. I happen to agree; I too would like to be back at the apartment and hopefully taking that shower I've been dreaming about.
"Let's head to the bakery then."
It takes us no time at all to walk over to Princes Street. My eye is immediately drawn to the castle and I say a little "hi" in my head as if I'm greeting an old friend. There are even more people here, considering the number of stores and transportation options available—the Waverley Train Station is just on the other side of the street—and we weave in and out as we follow the map's instructions.
One word that comes to mind when I look out at the city is regal . It's brimming with history and pride. The buildings, all different heights, all stand closely together as if they're one big family. The weathered stone architecture, preserved over the centuries, is situated in the medieval street plan, making up the oldest part of Edinburgh. The city slopes and rises, with the castle perched on top of a rocky crag, where it is built on the remains of a volcano. These bits of information file in as we pass some of the world's first high-rises. Like a typical tourist, I gawk at it. It feels right somehow, to feel the cobblestones beneath my feet while being enveloped in the hustle and bustle of the narrow streets.
I glance up to stare at the castle once again, my heart happy at the sight. It looms over us, cast in the shadows of the setting sun. There's something incredibly charming about an old castle on a dormant volcano, overlooking her city. It's as if she's a proud parent, making sure her child is flourishing. There's a moment where I'm almost positive I see a few sparkles flitter in the space around the castle, but when I blink they're gone.
"You've been staring at that castle nonstop," Lily comments as we walk.
"Old things in general are kind of my thing." I shrug.
"Oh, I'm not judging," Lily says with a little wave of her hand. "I'm pretty obsessed with it too; there's just a look about you."
"A look?"
"Yes, it's kind of like you're in love," Parker comments.
I've never been in love before, but as I stare up at the castle I think that might be a fair assessment. So much of my life, and my academia, has been me figuring out how to be just a regular human and going going going nonstop. The constant fear instilled in me by my aunt regarding my magic hasn't left much room for anything but hard work and keeping to myself. Even after a few hours on the streets of Edinburgh there's a sense of home here I haven't felt before. Almost like maybe…just maybe, I can be myself here.
"Come on, dorks. Let's get some food and then we can stare up at the castle some more." Parker hooks her arms through the crook of my elbow, pulling me in the direction of the bakery. Surprised by her easy manner, I let her tug me along.
"You're taking this all so well," I comment, as I try to extract myself from her grip after a few steps. She grins but lets me go.
"I figure we're three women in a new city in a new country so it is our responsibility to the sisterhood of women to watch out for each other, which means the best we can do is go with the flow."
"Is that why you greeted me with a knife?" I ask, just as we step into the tiny bakery. Two pairs of eyes swivel in our direction and I give them what I hope is an innocent shrug. Parker isn't fazed.
"Hey, I thought you were breaking in and I have every right to defend myself. Hi there," she turns to the worker, not breaking her stride, her eyes scanning over the available options. "I will take a bacon and chicken Cornish pasty, please."
Lily chuckles, before ordering a traditional steak Cornish pasty and then looks at me expectedly. I guess Parker is right, this could be worse. I could've been stuck in an apartment with some shady characters. Although the jury is still out on these two. So far, all I know is that Parker is the pushy one and Lily is the quieter one, but I like them both. The weird part is that they don't quite seem like strangers, but that might just be my tired brain latching onto things.
My stomach grumbles and I glance over at the options in front of me. "I'll take the peppered Cornish pasty, please."