57)

First off, an incoming call from “Silvery moon.”, “Hi Adora, I’m guessing the neighbors had a noise complaint?”

Adora sounded concerned, and a little guarded. Sadly it seemed that even now she was still not entirely sure about me. “John, are you alright? Your grandchildren?”

“Yep. Just the girls establishing a pecking order.” That got a confused look on the aunts face that turned into an annoyed look as Sara smirked at her.

I could hear the look she would have been giving me. “…really?”

Oh right, don’t keep the new woman in my life in the dark. “Sorry, old habit. The kid’s aunt, the “fully trained” witch, stopped by and well...”

I glanced over at the witch who stared back at me as she crossed her arms. “Well I want to say this in the best way, since she’s looking right at me. I guess let’s just say her and Sara had a little confrontation over their aunt taking Sara’s wishes into account instead of treating her like she was just a little kid still.”

“And a rental car got caught up in it, no one was hurt, but I just realized it’s leaking oil all over my driveway and I really need to get some cardboard under it to soak it up. So gotta go, no need for the cops. You shouldn't come up here, gotto go, bye!”

I was really hoping here that Adora was as smart as she had shown herself to be. She was the one who had warned me about werewolves being susceptible to outer magic types using mind control spells. So mentioning the “Fully trained witch” should have been something she should pick up on.

Which would either keep her away, or have her camped out across the lake with a few friends with scoped rifles ready to take down the wicked witch. I didn’t really have enough of a feel for how she thinks to take a guess yet.

I glanced at the phone as it rang again and saw that it was my son trying to get through now. “Sara, I really do want to get some cardboard under the car, so you talk to your dad.” I tossed her the phone and headed off for the garage. “Ami, give you aunt a tour or something.”

I had more then enough room in my house to have stored all the moving boxes, but I was nervous about filling up a room with cardboard. You know, fire hazard and all. All it would take is just one spark. So everything had ended up torn down and folded up flat, then stacked up in one corner out in the cheaper to repair or replace if burned to ashes garage.

Since I ‘d had never drained out an entire oil pan onto cardboard. I decided to risk over estimating and grabbed a stack of about eight or so former boxes and headed back to the car.

Where the witch was still standing around outside listening to Ami excitedly telling her about the big fireplace in the attic ballroom. The aunt looked at me and narrowed her eyes in some look I couldn't read as I headed over and got down on my knees to look under the car.

The car had slid back far enough to hit up against the cement rim on the inner circle of the drive that turned it into a huge planter. Fortunately it looked like the car was only dripping some fresh looking oil. So the puddle wasn’t that big, or dark. Even if their wasn’t an affordable way to get the stain out of the cement, it wasn’t going to be too bad. Maybe I could just paint over it or something?

Sara wandered over. “Dad wants to talk to you” I grunted back at her. “Tell him everyone’s okay and I’ll call him back.” I slid the first bit of cardboard under the leak. The next piece on the stack had a shiny finish, maybe put it below the first sheet to stop anything that soaked though and keep the absorbent stuff on top?

I heard a sigh and then she was kicking me, not hard, more to make sure I was really listening. “He wants to talk to you’” Kick. “His dad who he just now finally got to meet.” Kick “Who just got put in danger because his other family came looking for his children.” Kick

Oh. I glanced up at the girl, and saw a look of… I don’t know. Something emotional I don’t think either of us could fit into one word. Family huh. I took the phone.

“Hi kiddo, I’m sure Sara filled you in. She’s being pretty insightful right now, and totally did a warrior princess thing. Complete with a dramatic slow closing of her fist.” Sara’s eyes went wide and her entire face flushed. I looked her in the eye and mouthed the word “Cardboard” and jerked my head at the car.”

She looked away from me and began kicking the entire stack under car. Sheesh. It probably only needed one or two more sheets to do the job. It’s like the girl thinks I’m made out of money.

I heard someone laughing in the background. “That’s great dad, but are you okay? Are you safe? I can’t get there in time to do anything, but if you can keep her there until it gets dark I got people, who owe me favors and can get there pretty soon after sunset.”

So, a vampire? The closet ones I knew of were from the Red’smart. “No I think she’s feeling pretty civil right now, and when I sit down with her I’ll call you, and you’re wife, and put you on speaker phone. Worst comes to worst, are the kids in any danger from your aunt or grandmother?”

“No… not in danger. But once her mother gets a hold of Ami, there is no way she will ever let her go. And Yuki’s grandfa… great grandfather will go to war over over her.”

“I don’t want my child’s legacy to be the blood of her family. Yuki’s or mine. And that includes yours.”

He sighed. “It’s… I just thought I was done with Endora and her madness...”

Wait. “Endora? Endora Caine? Who the hell is your grandmother, a bewitched fan goth girl. Really?”

Apparently I was a bit to loud since the aunt began yelling at me loud enough I could hear her over my son’s surprised laughter, as well as the whooping laugh of whoever was listening in.

“She was only allowed to read the bible when she was a kid, and she didn’t want to keep the name her father gave her, or his family name. And she picked it like two hundred years before that show.”

That gave me a pause. Two hundred years. How powerful was she… Ami could toss around a few hundred pounds of door frame out of the side of a house for over twenty feet. Untrained. But unless age weakened witches, and training helped…

I’m thinking, let’s not make Endora come looking for her grandchildren.

“Dad, you still there?”

Oh yeah, the kid. “Yeah, so I’m okay. We’re going to have a nice sit down and get everyone settled, then I’ll call you back in twenty minutes or so.”

“Got it, I’ll let you go.”

I sighed. Checked on the Job Sara did with the cardboard. Saw that it was good enough, if wasteful. Gave her a nod and tried for a pat on her head. She dodged, but was too worried about the situation to even bother glaring at me. Then I turned to the witch.

“Miss Caine, please come in.”