The City of Witches Prologue & Chapter 1

A hooded figure sat in the back corner of the rowdy bar. Like a shadow in the night, he stayed perfectly still, in contrast to the obnoxious behavior of the drunks around him. He eyed the crowd with silent judgment, taking a sip from the frothy mug on the wooden table in front of him. 

Suddenly, another hooded man approached him. His rigid movements made it clear he was nervous as he sat opposite the first man. When a barmaid approached to take his order, he waved her away, turning his head to the other side as to not be seen. A few pieces of golden hair escaped his hood with the movement. 

“Are you afraid?” the first man asked. His voice was deep enough to make the words sound elegant, and his tone was that of bored curiosity. 

“No, of course not,” the second man said, his voice throaty and words fast. He pulled his hood down further and looked at his companion. “It would just look bad if I were to be seen here. My family’s lineage is that of some of the most highly renowned in my country.”

“So I’m told,” the first man sighed, taking another sip of his drink out of pure boredom. “Do you have the information I seek?”

“Yes!” the second man said excitedly loud, and then ducked his head and spoke quieter. “The girl has been located. We are sending people to her as we speak.”

The first man paused. He leaned back in his chair and simply gazed at his associate. “And the sister?”

“There are plans to secure them both.”

“Excellent,” the first man said, placing coins on the table before pushing his chair back.

“Wait!” the second one shouted, jutting hands out to stop the other from standing. It was lucky for him that the loudness of the bar drowned out his actions. “What shall we do about the other ones?”

“Ah yes,” the man said, sitting back down. He seemed completely at ease, the opposite of his partner. “Those. I will wait for them to come to me. Once we are all together we shall decide if they need to be rid of.” 

“And the queen?”

A sharp moment of silence passed before the first man spoke again.

“It is my hope that my queen will join me.”

No more words were spoken between the men that night. They dispersed from the ragged bar, seemingly unseen. Or so they thought. But a shadow in the corner slithered out of the bar, with a new purpose now that it knew the exchange of the two men.

---

Chapter One

My mother sighed. Everyone in the room looked at me with a mixture of sadness and shock. My oldest brother tilted his head slightly, as if to tell me he was sorry. My sister stood completely frozen. 

“Mi-jita,” my mother started. Her body slumped, as if her bones were too heavy for her to carry any longer, and the circles under her eyes looked like tattoos at this point. “Your power will come in, too.”

“No, it won’t!” I shouted around the hot tears stabbing at my eyes. I breathed in deep, but the breath was jagged, like dragging flesh over a bed of glass. It hurt. “It won’t! I’m not like the rest of you, I don’t even look like the rest of you! I look like mami Anza, like our ancestors that clutched rosaries and hung crucifixes and killed the gods we worship! I have their blood in my veins, not the blood of magic.”

“There is only one God,” my mother snapped, making the sign of the cross. But images of other gods painted her skin and our walls. 

“Well He didn’t give me powers!” I was full on crying now, 10 years old and unable to control my emotions. I looked at my sister through an ocean, and saw that she looked sad and guilty. But it wasn’t her fault she was a mestizo princess. She was just discovered to be the most powerful bruja known in our generation, and I couldn’t even light incense without triggering my asthma. 

“Your magic will come.” My older brother’s smooth voice was like a warm blanket wrapping me up to sleep. He walked across the room and placed a large hand on the top of my head before kissing my forehead. “Be happy for your sister now. Your time will come.”

I blinked a few times, staring at the wooden boards that held my sister’s bed above me. Of course that memory would be on my mind this morning. I sighed, not wanting to get out of bed, but knowing if I lingered any longer I’d make it to school after the first bell. I didn’t mind being late, but my younger siblings needed someone to walk them to school, and it wouldn’t be fair to make them late. 

The hallway was empty when I finally made my way to the bathroom. That meant my parents were already at work, and Emi was at class. The first thing I noticed in the bathroom was the note tacked to the mirror. It was Emi’s handwriting. I packed the twins lunch, it’s in the fridge. I left a surprise for you too! <3 Of course she did. When was she not doing something nice for every single person in the world?

I rolled my eyes as I shoved my toothbrush in my mouth and started brushing much too harshly. I knew I shouldn’t be annoyed with my sister; it’s not like she’s a bad person. If anything, I’m the bad person. I stay bitter towards my sister for something she can’t control and something I should be happy for her about. But I can’t help it. I caught my own blue eyes in the mirror and cursed them. 

I know I should be happy. I have blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair. I would go my whole life without experiencing racism, except for the times when I’m caught speaking Spanish in public. But even then I’m met with more confusion than hatred. But my siblings and parents never escape the eyes of oppression. Eyes that look just like mine. 

I spit in the sink and rushed out of the bathroom. I picked up yesterday’s still clean enough jeans and a t-shirt I still hadn’t had enough energy to fold and put away after washing. This was enough for today. 

“Cindi! Li! Let’s go!” I called, grabbing my bag as I stepped into a pair of beat up converse. I stumbled toward the front door of our apartment. The twins were already there and waiting. 

“Our lunch?” Cindi asked, staring at me through her thick rimmed glasses. 

“Crap!” I muttered, turning around and running back into the kitchen. I swung open the refrigerator door and saw three perfectly folded paper bags. I grabbed them all at once, crumpling them in the process. That was a perfect metaphor; my sister, immaculate and me, ruining everything. 

“Got it, let’s go,” I said, not stopping before walking out the door. I was already jogging down the steps when I heard my siblings slam the door behind themselves. 

I just barely got to school on time. At least the twins weren’t late; they still made it on time for breakfast. I, on the other hand, missed the breakfast bell, and now my stomach was talking more than the teacher in first period. I cringed as it made another loud growl, like thunder. Even the teacher glanced at me. The room echoed with snickers. The bell finally rang, and as I got up to beeline out of the room, my teacher called me back. 

“Here,” he said, handing me a granola bar. I took it slowly, staring at it like I’d never seen one before. “It’s not much, but eat it on the way to your next class. You sound really hungry…” Mr. Branwen stared at me with lifted brows. He looked like he was trying to figure me out, like he was waiting for me to explain myself. I felt like melting into a puddle right there. 

“I woke up too late for breakfast, and fell asleep too early for dinner last night.” It sounded dumb, but it was the truth. I’d been sleeping like crazy lately. 

Mr. Branwen sighed. “I want to not believe you, but I do. You’re a strange one, Lu. Here, let me write you a late slip. Eat that before you leave.” 

I took a nibble of the bar as I waited for my slip. Mr. Branwen pulled a sticky note off the stack and handed it to me, holding it out with one finger on the sticky part. I took it silently, awkwardly taking a huge bite of the granola bar. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was. Mr. Branwen laughed and returned my thank you nod with a smile. 

I stepped out of the room and dragged my feet towards my next class. The white tiles of the hallway floor seemed to glow right now with nobody around to block their gleam. I was looking down, still chewing when I heard the rough voice of a Spanish accent. 

“Oye, gringa!”

I looked up with a steel stare. Jayden Morales stared back at me. We’d been sworn enemies since I can remember. We’re the same age, and both our parents are involved in the magical world, so we’ve known each other basically since birth. And we’ve never gotten along. 

Where I’m all pasty pale, Jayden is anything but. His skin is darker than everyone in my family, and his hair is shaved down to an almost buzz except for a forest of curls at the top. His lips are full and heart shaped, and his cheekbones are wide and sharp. The only thing in contrast to the rest of his features are his eyes; they’re a dark green, like emerald, and every time I see them they’re angry.

“Don’t call me that.” The words slip off my tongue like a memorized prayer. We have this conversation every time. 

He licks his lips around a sinister smile. “Lo siento, blanca. Sometimes I just forget you’re supposed to be one of us.” I wondered what exactly he meant by “one of us”. 

I knew he was just trying to get a reaction from me. We kept walking towards my next class, staying on opposite sides of the hallway, like we were magnets glued to the lockers on each side. He looked at me through narrow eyes, with a sense of mischief, like he was a predator and I was a dumb ass giselle taking too long at a watering hole. 

“I’m not supposed to be. I am one of you.” We could even share ancestors, I wanted to say. But he wouldn’t listen. He hated that someone like me was so close in his circle. 

When we were still just kids, his dad was deported. It was super dramatic. Apparently government officials busted into his dad's job and took his dad right in front of them. And of course they all were white with light hair and light eyes...like me.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Jayden asked. He changed the subject instead of letting the situation escalate here at school. He still had trouble controlling his magic when he was angry; his mom has him in anger management classes three times a week because of it. 

“Shouldn’t you?” I shot back, to which Jayden just laughed. He never took school seriously. His powers were pretty strong and he knew he’d just end up doing something with them to make a profit and survive. Still, I didn’t think that was a free pass to slack off in school.

“What are we doing here?”

I looked up to see a teacher had materialized out of nowhere. I crumbled up the wrapper of my now eaten granola bar behind my back, and silently held up the late slip. Jayden disappeared into a bathroom, so it was just me and the teacher now. 

“Then get to class,” the teacher snapped, walking back into her classroom. 

I waited a few more seconds to see if Jayden would come back out. When he didn’t, I kept up toward my next class.

When the lunch bell finally rang, I couldn’t have been any happier. I felt like I was going to pass out, I was so hungry. I all but ran to my locker to grab my lunch money, but when I swung open the dingy metal door, I saw the crumpled brown paper bag I’d thrown into it this morning and paused. Emi’s surprise. Did I want it? After a moment of thinking, I grabbed it. Emi’s large brown eyes would get shiny with sadness if I didn’t come home excited about whatever this was. 

With the bag in hand, I walked into the lunch room and followed the same route to my table in the front, by the lines waiting for food. I put my stuff down next to my friends’ things, and joined them in line. 

“Why are you in line?” Jose asked, pointing to the brown paper bag that looked somehow out of place at our table. “Don’t you have lunch?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know what’s in there. Emi packed me a surprise.”

Maritza nodded. “So the birthday surprises begin.”

I rolled my eyes. Every year, my family gives out little things here and there throughout the whole month of our birthday. I don’t know how or when it started, but it’s been like that since I can remember. For those of us without full time jobs, we usually stick to things like cooking/baking or writing little notes, or - for those of us with powers - a little spell. Last year Emi made it rain rose petals in our room for a minute, which was really cool and fun to dance in. Our room smelled like roses for weeks, and she used the petals to make rose water for me that lasted forever. Those kinds of gifts always come with a bite back, though. I can never return the favor for her. 

“I’m surprised you’re getting surprises this year. Isn’t your sweet sixteen enough?” Jose said. His purple curls covered his eyes, and he brushed them to the side in frustration. Now that his hair was out of the way, I could see his glittery eyeshadow and smiled. I wish I could put that much effort into my appearance. 

Silently, I handed him an extra hair tie, and he widened his eyes at it, mouthing a silent thank you. “I haven’t gotten as many things this year,” I started, watching Jose pull his hair back into a small ponytail. “The twins read cards for me, and Emi gave me this. Elias hasn’t given me anything, and neither have my parents yet. The party is really preoccupying them.” 

“I can’t wait for your party,” Maritza said when we finally reached the lunch counter. “Your cousins are hot as hell, and I love seeing your great uncles drunk. They’re hilarious.” 

“I concur,” Jose said, giving me a wink. 

I just rolled my eyes. “It’s gross that you think any of my cousins are hot. And you shouldn’t be encouraging any of my uncle’s drinking habits. I’m pretty sure that’s what ruined most of their marriages.” 

Maritza shrugged, grabbing our pre-served lunches off the counter. “It’s still funny to see them drunkenly roast everyone in the room.”

I just shook my head. I knew my friends would be more excited for my party than I was. Usually when witches in our group turn 16, they have their Americanized coming of age grand event, but afterward in a secret ceremony they’re initiated into our coven. I wouldn’t have that ceremony. 

When we got back to our table, I stared at the crumbled bag in silence. It felt like a square off. But who would win, me or whatever magical thing Emi packed me?

“So, like, you gonna open that, or…?” Jose said, his sarcasm finally making an appearance today. 

I sighed, and grabbed the bag, reaching in to take out what was inside. It was an individually packaged slice of cheesecake with cherry filling topping. Emi had written a note at the top. Something sweet for my something sweet! Taste it and see how you feel. So there was magic in it. But she didn’t say what…

“Your sister is cheesy as hell, but I’m kind of jealous. She really loves you,” Maritza said, reading the note over my shoulder. 

I didn’t respond. Instead, I took a deep breath and opened the small plastic container. I was about to take a bite when suddenly I saw a hand reach over my shoulder and swipe some of the cheesecake on a finger. I looked back to see Jayden just as he stuck the finger in his mouth. His eyes lit up. 

“Ah,” he said, smirking at me. He could taste the magic, and he knew what kind it was. “I’m assuming Emi made that? Because it definitely wasn’t you.”

I breathed out sharply, and held the cake protectively closer to me. Before I couldn’t even stand to look at it, but now that Jayden was here I didn’t want anyone else to see it either. “Of course Emi made it. What kind of magic is it?”

Jayden’s smirk widened. “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know.”

“Dude, piss off,” Jose said, rolling his eyes. He was Jayden’s cousin, but they grew up more like brothers. That never stopped Jayden from messing with me, but he usually listened whenever Jose would tell him to stop.

“Fine.” Jayden laughed a little, and started walking away. “It’s a happiness spell,” he said, looking at me over his shoulder. His eyes weren’t as harsh then, but maybe that was the spell. 

The rest of the school day passed in a blur. I didn’t see Jayden again, and nothing else eventful happened. All my days were the same. Drop off my siblings, go to school, work harder than anyone else, pick up my siblings, come home and work hard again. I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped my lips at the thought of this. I really was as boring as my mom always criticized me for. 

Today, at least, was a little different. Emi showed up at the twins’ grade school just as we started walking home. She told us to wait and that mom was coming to get us. 

“Something happened,” Emi said. She kept her voice calm and even, and her vibe didn’t seem too off. But a little dent formed above the gap between her eyebrows, and I knew she was really worried. It must be bad. 

“What happened?” I asked, my heart already beginning to race with every wild scenario going through my head. “Is papi okay?”

“It’s not papi,” Cindi answered before Emi could. We both looked at her, and next to her, Li nodded. 

“Yeah, it’s mami Anza. Her body is missing.” 

“Her what?” I asked. 

Mami Anza was our great, great whatever grandmother. She was the reason I looked the way I did. Her lineage went straight to Spain. Allegedly, her Spanish family were royalty, and in some stories of our origin, people say that the native man she married was the next chief of the tribe he was from. But I call bs on all of that. 

She’s also the only one in our family tree without bruja powers. And now I guess I’m the second. 

“What do you mean her body is missing?” Emi asked, half sounding scared, half sounding like she didn’t believe them. 

“We saw an empty coffin,” Cindi said, blinking her light brown eyes in our direction. 

“And the grave marker said Constanza Pomar,” Li finished for her, pushing his glasses up. 

I forced myself not to shiver. Sometimes my little siblings could be so creepy. Especially since they see the same visions, and know the same things. They’re basically the same brain in two almost identical bodies. 

“Who would steal a body from the fifteen hundreds? What would that body even look like by now?” Emi asked, half to herself. 

No one answered, because just then mom pulled up. The tires of our old beat up minivan screeched to a halt, and the car jerked as my mom pressed the button to unlock all the doors. In the same instant, my eyes caught Jayden jogging towards us. 

“Get in!” mom shouted through the open passenger side window. None of us hesitated; when that woman yelled, our bodies were trained to instantly obey. I was the last to pile in, and before I closed the sliding door behind me Jayden jumped in. 

“Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Guerrero.” I noticed that Jayden was out of breath and sweating. He must have ran here from our high school. But why? It looks like the problem ran deeper than just our family.