Chapter 4

The Bet

“Are you sure it was Esfir? “ Mikki asked as we walked our daily route home. The sky was turning into a dim orange as evening was beginning to set in. I spotted some students making their way toward their homes. I wondered if any of them were witches just hiding in plain view and how many were just normal people, like me, completely unaware of what hid under their noses. Of course, I knew the answer. Every person that passed us, for some reason I couldn’t explain, felt normal. It was almost like what happened inside the gymnasium had awakened something in me, and, if I was honest with myself, it was starting to scare me. It was as if my body was tuning into the frequency of magic, getting a feel for it. But then again, perhaps it was all in my head. But I just didn’t feel any danger from them.

“I’m positive,” I repeated myself. There was no other explanation for Esfir showing up the same day that that strange voice, and now with the whole gymnasium accident, it was just too much of a coincidence to not be related somehow.

“Well,” she said, looking at the small rabbit toy she gave me, or what remained of it, for it had been destroyed as if it had been set on fire. “There’s certainly a very powerful witch hiding at the school.”

Her words brought back their faces, their distorted and beast-like faces that were hungry for something that wasn’t on any menu. It was as if all trace of their humanity had been stripped from them and replaced with something that belonged in nightmares; dark, malicious, depraved, monsters with no minds of their own, being controlled by something far worse.

“Do you know what kind of magic was used on the students? “ I asked as the light from the setting sun hit my mother’s necklace, making it shine a vibrant blue. I looked at the necklace, grabbing it; it felt warm, welcoming, almost like a child’s blanket covering me. There were many things I was ignorant of concerning the world I had been thrown into, and if I didn’t wise up, it would cost me my life and those around me. I had to know more.

“It was probably some kind of mind control spell combined with an Illusion spell for added effect,” she said casually.

I stopped, looking at her.

The wind caressed her blonde hair almost as if it was protecting her.

“Mind control, illusions?” I repeated, being more confused than ever.

“I’m sorry, Rey,” she said, letting out a faint chuckle,

“I forgot that all of this is new to you.”

“Yea,” I said, giving her a half-smile as we continued our walk.

“There are many types of magic and each has its own spells. Each spell is like a branch stemming from a much large tree, so to speak, and certain witches can combine spells to create much stronger spells.“

“I see, I see,” I said as I listened closely to her, caressing my chin, and imagining some kind of tree with branches extending outward from it, trying to conceptualize this magic system. It almost felt as if I was in some RPG game, and if my life wasn’t in danger, I might have enjoyed it. It was as if knowing more and more about magic was enticing me like some sort of lustful lover.

“Do you know how many spells there are ?” I asked, eagerly awaiting her answer, ready to write everything down in my mind. As if I was preparing myself for some sort of test that had no pass or fail—only do or die.

“Rey…” she said, stopping.

I looked back at her. The sun from behind hitting her back and making her glow like some sort of angel. She looked at me, her green eyes intensively looking at me.

“I’m sorry, but…” she said. “It’s better if you don’t’ know more about magic; it’s too dangerous.”

“Mikki,” I said, walking closer to her, our faces inches away. I could smell the sweet strawberry shampoo on her beautiful golden hair. “Can I ask you a question?” I asked.

I could feel the wind gathering around us. I could feel it trying to move my necklace, almost as if it was trying to steal it. Perhaps it was some witch using some sort of magic spell, or maybe it was just my overactive imagination.

I brushed those thoughts aside for now. I could feel Mikki’s emerald color green eyes staring at me. Her stare was not that of Mikki, my childhood friend, but that of Mikki, the witch.

“Yes, but,” she said, “I can’t promise you I’ll answer it.”

She was being stubborn again. I could feel it. She didn’t want me to know more about magic than what I already knew. Perhaps she was trying to protect me like some defenseless kid, which I was. But knowing more about magic was how I could protect myself.

“Can you not tell me because you don’t want to or because you can’t?” I asked, paying extra attention to her words, trying to decipher the secret code she was hiding within them. Trying to find the real truth between the words that came from her lips.

“Both,” she said, her voice firm and unwavering.

“I see,” I said, nodding at her. “Very well, I won’t pester you about it.”

For now, her answer was enough, and as a guest to their world, I was going to honor it. But, despite being an unwelcomed variable, and the least I knew, the better, according to them.

I still had a certain right to know. After all, it was my life on the line.

The rest of our walk was filled with bits of silence and chit chat regarding school, especially about the upcoming school dance, which no doubt would bring every guy gunning to ask her out. Remembering last year when every guy tried to beat me up for being her childhood friend. Not that it mattered, we were only friends and nothing more.

“I hope Nana prepared one of her special rice and steak combos for lunch,” I said as my stomach growled. “Because I could eat a cow right about now.”

I let out a faint laugh.

“If you want,” she said, fidgeting, “I c-can prepare you something to eat while you wait for lunch, a quick snack.”

I looked at her. “You know how to cook?” I said, taken back by her. I had never seen her cook in the eight years I knew her.

“Of course,” she said, looking at me, her expression serious.

I smiled at her, though it was more a worried smile than anything, I mean, who wouldn’t be worried about tasting someone’s food if they had never seen them cook before? Either way, I was still going to eat it, but I can’t lie; I was a bit scared.

“What!” she said, being annoyed,

“You don’t want food made by a beautiful girl like me,” she said, smiling at me playfully. “I’ll have you know that there are many guys that would kill for a chance to be able to eat food made by yours truly.”

“There would definitely be some killing involved, that’s for sure,” I bantered back.

“Hahaha very funny.”

She stopped, and looked at me, brushing her hair from her face,

“What do you say, Rey?” she asked. I looked at her; I didn’t know if this was punishment for trying to be so nosy earlier or if she really wanted to cook for me, but in that moment, I couldn’t say no to her, even if my stomach was apprehensive.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to give you more work, and I’m sure you’re already quite busy,”

“It’s fine; I can manage. Besides, I have a little magic on my side,” she said, blinking at me. And in that moment, I didn’t mind witches coming after me. For I was sure Mikki was going to finish their job.

“S-Sure, if you insist,” I said, giving in to her.

***

“NANA, WE’RE HOME!” I yelled as we entered the house. “Did you forget to put away an extra pair of your shoes, Mikki?” I asked, pointing at the pair of black dress shoes by the entrance.

“No,” she said as she took off her shoes. “Must be a student from the student council; I probably forgot something,”

“That’s unlike you,” I said as we walked toward the living room.

I couldn’t believe my eyes; in fact, I thought I was hallucinating. Perhaps I was still under the effects of an Illusion spell. That was the only explanation to me for her sitting down on the couch next to Evara.

“Be careful, Mikki,” I yelled. “She’s a witch.”

“He’s quite the energetic little one; please excuse him,” Evara said, smiling at me.

“It appears so,” Esfir said, taking a sip from a white-colored cup.

“Rey, have a seat, “ Evara said, giving gesturing at me to sit down.

“Master?” Mikki said, but Evara ignored her. Signaling us both to sit down.

“Now, now, everything will be explained shortly.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“So, you are a witch,” I let out as I walked toward the empty seat, facing her. My eyes stuck on her like an animal coming in contact with one of its predators, calculating its every move.

“I brought some snacks,” Ms. Hexa said as she walked into the living room, carrying a silver, round plate with cookies. She placed the plate down in the center where the coffee table was and looked at me. “It’s alright, Rey,” she said, smiling at me.

“It appears that both of you have already met,” Evara said, reaching for the plate and grabbing a cookie.

“Oh! We meet alright,” I said, looking at Esfir as she took another sip of her tea. Her expression was cold and aloof as if she didn’t have anything to do with bewitching all the students in the gymnasium to attack one another. It was one thing to try to attack me, but it was another to bring innocent people into it, and yes, that included even Dave.

“Master?” Mikki said, looking at Esfir briefly and then glancing at Evara. “Is she?”

“Ah! where are my manners,” Evara said, letting out a faint laugh. “This is Esfir Czarina Ivanov.”

“Ivanov,” Mikki said.

“I see.”

“I see,” I thought, once again feeling left out. I looked around the room, glancing at each witch that surrounded me. Nanna, Mikki , Evara, and now Esfir. I couldn’t help but feel a certain Deja-vu feeling washing over me.

“Where you the one that made all the students act that way in the gymnasium today?” I asked, staring her down. I didn’t know if she was an enemy or not, especially with the way Evara and Nana and now Mikki had their guards down. Feeling completely lost, which I hated.

“What if I was?” she said, her cold gray eyes looking at me, her expression telling me nothing. Despite looking like any normal girl in her school uniform, and her teddy bear book bag by her feet, there was something dangerous about her.

“What would a normal human like you do about it?” Her words came at me like daggers, hitting every inch of me. And she was right; what could I do? I was just a normal person.

“I-I…” I swallowed my saliva, feeling like some helpless baby standing before a….

“Answer me!” I said, trying to show her I meant business and that her words didn’t impact me.

“Rey…” Mikki said, placing her hand on my hand. “Esfir, were you the one responsible for the gymnasium? “Mikki said, but I just felt worse. Here I was, being defended by a girl, my pride—the little that I had—as a man taking a hit. I moved my hand away from hers. I wasn’t going to allow her to see me like some weak, little boy that needed defending.

She grabbed her tea from the table and took a sip. I could hear the liquid going down her throat, effortlessly, without a care in the world. The room was quiet for a brief moment that it felt like the silence was stretching into eternity. She placed her tea back down on the coffee table in front of us and looked at me, her gray eyes looking through me. And in that moment, I sort of admired her, even if it was for a brief moment. After all, she was only fourteen years old, two years younger than me, she looked more mature than me. Compared to her, I looked like some bratty kid lashing out.

“No, I wasn’t the one responsible for what happened this afternoon in the gymnasium,” she said, her words filling the room like a king addressing her subjects.

“I see,” I said, believing her and feeling relieved. “Now that we have cleared that misunderstanding, why don’t w—”

“But,” Esfir said, cutting Evara’s words, making me wonder just who Esfir was. After all, Evara was some Master Witch, whatever that meant. “Now that you know just how strong and dangerous magic is, why don’t you give me that which belongs to me?” she said, her cold gray eyes looking at me, or so I thought, but they were really looking at the blue necklace that hanged from my neck.

“Which that belonged to you? I’m sorry, I don’t follow,” I said, my hand moving toward my most prized procession.

“She’s talking about the necklace,” Evara said, taking a sip of her tea. I looked at her, her white-colored hair flowing from her back like a mane made of quills.

“I tell you, Nana, you have a gift when it comes to cooking.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“The necklace,” I said, holding it tightly in my hand that I felt it would leave its imprint on my hand.

“As I told you, Rey, Witches’ mementos are passed down from generation to generation,” Evara said as she indulged herself with another one of Nana’s cookies. If I weren’t in the middle of this, I would have loved to try them myself. “And it just so happens that that necklace you have hiding between your hands belonged to the Ivanov family at one point.”

“ I see,” I muttered, though I doubt anybody heard me. Nor did I care. The only thing I cared about was the necklace leaving its mark on me. The only thing I had of a mother I didn’t get to know.

“Though…” Evara said, licking her fingers. “The magic of many Witches has probably been mixed inside the memento, rendering any ownership claim invalid. Wouldn’t you agree, Esfir Czarina Ivanov?” Evara looked at Esfir. And in that moment, Evara looked much older than anyone sitting in the room, despite her youthful appearance.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone with the title of Master Witch,” Esfir said. “But…” she looked at me, noticing me holding my necklace like a baby that didn’t want to depart from their favorite toy. “If the original founding Magic is strong enough, it can overshadow all the rest.”

Her expression was cold and aloof. Not giving up any emotion she might have felt. And in that moment, I didn’t see some fourteen-year-old girl but a witch wise beyond her years.

“That is true,” Evara said, taking a bite from another cookie and placing her arm on the couch’s arm rest, resting her cheek on her hand. “Is the Ivanov family magic strong enough to still be noticeable after all those years? I wonder? ”

“You know the answer to that, dear friend,” a voice said that reminded e of the voice I heard at the gymnasium.

“Who said that?” I said, the mysterious voice spooking me. I looked around the room, trying to find the owner of it, but there was nobody besides us. Was this another Illusion spell? Was this the voice I had heard in the gymnasium?

“Ah! I wondered when you were going to show up,” Evara said, smiling at Esfir.

“I wanted to meet the boy, “ the voice answered; it was a high, almost cartoony.

“And?”

“He’s quite the…” the voice stopped.

“Esfir, dear?”

“Can you bring me up?”

“Yes, Master,” Esfir said, reaching for the teddy bear book bag that was by her feet. And it hit me like a slap, awakening me to the fact that I was no longer in my world but theirs. Esfir brought the teddy bear bag that was laying by her feet on her lap, and it began to expand as if life was being imbued to it. Expanding into the firm form of a teddy bear toy.

“Ah! Teddy, it’s been a while,” Evara said, smiling at the stuffed toy that was sitting on Esfir’s lap.

“It truly has, Evara, dear,” the stuffed toy said, jumping into Evara’s arms and sitting on her lap. “So, this must be Nana and Miki Hexa,” he said, bowing at them.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mikki and Nana said, bowing their heads at the talking stuffed toy. If anyone saw the scene that was unfolding before my eyes, they would have found it quite silly. Heck, it was silly to me.

“And you must be Rey,” he said, his black-colored eyes looking at me.

“I…” I said, looking at the talking light brown teddy bear toy sitting at arm’s length from me.

“Now, now, you have seen enough of our world to be surprised by my appearance.”

“Y-Yea, I guess I have,” I said, wondering how many weird things I would see about their magical world before I….

“Evara, a cookie, please,” Teddy said, extending his short, light brown arms at the plate filled with cookies.

“Here, dear,” Evara said, giving him a cookie.

“Now, kid,” he said, filling his mouth with a cookie that seemed too big for it , dropping crumbs on the couch.

“Teddy, sir,” Nana said, raising her eyebrow. “Can you be so kind and not make a mess.”

“Oh, sorry, dear,” Teddy said, blushing, which caught me by surprise. “But Evara is right; you do have a gift for food.”

I stared at him for a bit, feeling like I was in some kind of dream that I would wake from at any second. Just one big surreal dream I found myself in. Talking teddy bears, teachers with snakeheads, all of it felt so unreal, but it was real. All of it, and I had a feeling this was only the beginning.

“Anyway, where was I?” Teddy said, gesturing with his small hands for another cookie. “All we want is the necklace back, and we will be on our way, Rey.”

“I…” I said, still holding onto it. “How can I trust you?” I said, not meaning to. I mean, did it really matter? All I had to do was give them their necklace back, and I would probably go back to my normal, boring life. And they probably had some sort of spell that would make me forget everything that had happened up to this point.

“Well,” Teddy said, licking his toy-like paws. “It’s not really a matter of trusting us or not. It’s a matter of giving us back what belongs to us in the first place.”

His stare felt more real than him. It was like I was being looked at not by some stuffed teddy bear toy, but by something else.

“Still…” I said, trying to find another reason that would prevent me from parting ways from my mother’s necklace. “I don’t trust Esfir. I mean, how can I be sure she isn’t lying to me about what happened at the gymnasium?”

Esfir looked at me, and for the second time since I met her, there was a reaction from her. In the form of her gray eyes reducing their size as they looked at me.

“Well,” Teddy said, stuffing his face with another cookie,

“You can rest easy, for Esfir here is a summoner Witch, and the spell that was casted on the gymnasium was an Illusion spell.”

“What does that even mean?” I said, not knowing what any of that meant. I meant, sure, Mikki told me a bit about magic, but in the end, she stopped. Not wanting me to know more about magic for my safety.

He stopped eating and looked at me. His black eyes looked at me as if they were studying me, which I was growing tired of.

“I see,” he finally said, looking at Evara. “The boy knows nothing.”

“He’s just a normal kid,” Mikki said. “Isn’t that right, Rey?”

Mikki looked at me. Her green eyes felt like they were mocking me, or maybe that was just my imagination. I was growing tired of not knowing, growing tired of everything being a secret that I wasn’t allowed to know. I stood up from the couch. There was an anger in me that I couldn’t hold off.

“I may not know a lot about magic, but I know that I’m not giving up my necklace to some toy, Esfir, or anyone in this room,” I said, turning my hand into a fist.

‘Rey-” Nana and Mikki said,

“And no word from some stuffed toy is going to change my mind.”

I felt a hot flash all over my body.

“Stuffed toy…” Teddy repeated, standing up from Esfir’s lap.

“Oh, dear!” Evara said as she took another bite of the cookie in her hand.

“Stuffed toy! you say..” he growled, jumping into the table. And growing twice his size, crushing the table below him.

“STUFFED TOY!” he roared,

I was scared, I’m not going to lie, but I was more scared of losing the only thing I had of my mother. And I don’t know if it was my fear or what, but I could feel her standing right next to me and giving me courage.

“Seems like things have gotten out of hand,” Evara said,

“It appears so,” Esfir said, taking a sip of her cup, the two unfazed by what was happening. “Well, you heard the boy. He’s not going to give up the necklace. And dealing with three witches would be hard, even for you, Teddy.”

Teddy looked at Evara and then to Nana and Mikki, resting his eyes on me. His eyes were now a vibrant red.

“Esfir, dear,” he said, his voice was no longer that of some sweet, stuffed toy. It was deep, almost beast-like; it had a certain urgency, like a dog waiting to attack any moment.

“Don’t even think about it,” Evara said, looking at Esfir. Her eyes were sharp like daggers. Yet Teddy’s eyes never left my own, both staring down each other.

There was a silent that took the living room. I could feel the hotness within me beginning to subside.

“Very well,” Teddy said after some seconds had passed, and the thick aura that had fallen in the room disappearing, almost as if someone had opened the window. “Can’t risk Esfir here; how about this boy?” Teddy said. “Since you hold that necklace with such regard, are you willing to bet your life for it?”

“Rey,” Mikki said, standing up. “Don’t.”

“I-” I said, holding the necklace tightly. Nothing was going to separate me from it, not even death.

“Listen to your girlfriend here, Rey,” Teddy said, extending his paw, which now had three sharp claws.

“And give me the necklace, and you can go back to living your normal life again.”

I stared at his paws. His claws were a vibrant white, wondering how many of his enemies he had struck down with them. Just one word and I would go back to how everything was. The only thing I had to give up was my mother’s memento.

“Never, not even if death himself asks for it,” I said, firmly holding onto it. Feeling like any chance of returning my life to how it was; was now destroyed.

“Very well,” Teddy said, examining me and my resolve. He smiled. “One week from now, we’ll have a fight between us,” he said, smirking at me. “And if you can beat me, I’ll let you keep the necklace and not bother you again. What do you say?” He extended his paw toward my face, inches away from me, I could feel their coldness on my face.

“Very well,” I said, clasping his stuffed toy paw like a handshake.

“Esfir,” he said, returning to his original size. Esfir stood from her seat and bowed down before us.

“Thank you for the food, and I apologize for our mess,” she said, taking Teddy in her arms.

“See you in a week, Kid,” Teddy said, looking back at me as they walked out of the living room.

The doors closed and they were gone, and all that remained was a broken coffee table and crumbs of cookies on the floor.

“IDIOT!” Mikki yelled at me. “You could have gotten hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, sitting back down on the couch and feeling like some brat that just threw a fit. I felt embarrassed about how I had behaved, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t give up my mother’s necklace. Something in me was screaming at me to hold on to it.

“Master?” Mikki said, looking at Evara. “Is there any way to cancel this? “

“I’m afraid not, child, not after shaking Teddy’s paws. He’s a stickler for things like that. Even I would have trouble containing his fury.”

“Now, now,” Nana said as she cleaned the mess splattered all over the floor. “I’m sure Master has a plan, don’t you?” Nana looked at Evara.

“But of course I do, child,” Evara said, reaching for the only cookie spared from the damage