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“Eighteen.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Then you should be in school. Why aren’t you in school?”
“She helped me graduate early,” I answered. “I had only one final class this semester to graduate and the high school let me finish early once I got everything turned in.”
I had no doubt with extra pushing from Klara, but I was glad to be free.
She nodded and then I saw the light bulb go off over her head. “I need help. Got it. She sent me help who knows what I am and I won’t have to hide, and once I get to claiming my land, no one can get you here either.” She seemed to sit with that for a few more bites. “But why you? Do you know farming or greenhouses?”
“Um, no.”
“Food prep?”
“No.”
“Cooking?”
“Yeah, no,” I sighed, feeling about two inches tall. “I’m not smart, but I take direction well. I’m great at manual labor.”
Her lips twitched which I thought an odd reaction. “Whatever you say, ogre.” She chuckled quietly. “I’m so calling you that.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You’ll catch up.” She waved me off and glanced around. “Okay, so what’s her plan? I hire you as like a manager since you know about me and can help keep things on the DL if needed? I mean, what are you asking me for?”
I rolled my eyes when she looked at me. “I don’t know Thora much and Klara for just over a year. And I know enough that if they didn’t warn you and fill you in this is—”
“Their idea of a test for both of us,” she finished with a heavy sigh. “Me to deserve the help and asset they undoubtedly think you and for you to deserve a chance at what others don’t have and a home.” She shook her head. “It took all these years for me to get here, so of course they would think Gaia wants me to help someone not endure the same.”
“Hell if I know, and I’msorrythis is a surprise to you. I really didn’t know Klara planned on just dumping me on someone else.”
“Hey, that’s not how Klara rolls,” she defended. “I get you’re scared and confused, but don’t lash out. I was doing that the past several years, and I feel like an idiot now that Thora went way over on our deal with all of this.”
I let that settle a few more bites. “She really didn’t tell me much about you. What deal?”
“Being an empath—for lack of a better word—isn’t rare for a witch, but I don’t have clairsentience, which is the ability to psychically feel, that is to receive messages from emotions and feelings.
“We can all see auras, but my focus is sort of like an emotional echo. My ability differs from the basic witch model as they’re able to influence emotion and feelings, the state of a person.
“Like how Klara sucks up energy, I can push my own emotions out and make someone echo what they’ve felt before, not just my feelings.” She waited until I nodded that I got the idea at least. “So when Thora met this crazy teenager pushing her emotions around and getting echoes back as well, she saw the potential to do more than save me but save others.”
I slowly nodded, thinking I caught it. “So like there’s something going on in an area and you can go in and Professor X or Gene Grey people to calm down.”
She snorted. “I’m not that talented, kid.” She held up a finger for me to hold on. She went over to a box on another counter and grabbed a small jar from it. She slid it over to me before sitting back down. “Have a taste of that and you’ll get it better.”
I didn’t bother asking what would happen or why after living with Klara for a year, but it was just easier to do it. I glanced at the label, thinking Melon Me Out was a funny name for a jam.
Opening it up, I used my clean plastic knife to try it. It was good. Really fucking good. I checked the label and saw it was made with horned melon and papaya as the main ingredients.
I felt chill like there was nothing else on my mind or to worry about as I saw it was made with honey instead of the normal sugar. I didn’t know jams had lemon juice or apple in them if not made with pectin. That was cool. I’d have to look that up later.
“How do you feel, ogre?” she asked softly.
I blinked at her, having totally zoned out. Then I realized her question.
“Chill. Completely chill and not worried like after I got out of school early and could at least put that behind me, able to breathe for the moment. And just not freaking out yet for what came next because Klara promised she had an idea and Klara doesn’t lie.”
She bobbed her head. “Yeah, I have to be chill when I make that one. It’s hard sometimes and with all my own stress, and unfortunately I can’t use my own magic to get the right mood.” She scrunched her eyebrows together. “I wonder if pot would work. That would be awesome. That’s the hardest one to make sometimes.”
