“Kara, wake up, it’s time for work!” a loud female voice shouted. “Kara!”
A sharp knock on the door… Without waiting for a reply, the head of the Bennett household pushed it open, strode over to the bed where I was sleeping so comfortably and carefree, and yanked off the blanket.
“Gran, come on, really?” I grumbled, brushing my long black hair out of my face.
“She’s got work to get to, and here she is, sleeping,” Grandma Bennett muttered as she flung open the window to let a sliver of light into the room. “If we keep skipping work because of hangovers, they won’t just cut off our utilities—they’ll take the house too.”
“Gran…” I croaked in protest, meeting her disapproving glare. “Fine, I’m getting up.”
Rose Bennett was a formidable woman, someone who’d faced immense challenges and always met them head-on with unwavering resolve. Her eyes radiated confidence, yet they also carried a profound sadness. Rose always looked as if every day were a celebration, regardless of her age, which she never shied away from owning. Perhaps that’s why her silver hair looked so luxurious, and her lips, always neatly lined with lipstick, were pressed together with quiet dignity.
I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to splash water on my sunburned face. My pale skin was red and irritated from too much sun. I tied my black hair into a messy ponytail as usual and threw on some less-than-clean clothes.
“When are we gonna run the washing machine?” I called out to Gran as she headed downstairs.
“When I start printing money.”
I rolled my eyes. Money was indeed tight. Once, our home had everything we needed, and things like utility bills were never a concern. The Bennett family didn’t even know how much we paid because the staff handled it all. But now, the house was damp, cold, and dark. Even though it was summer, years without proper heating had taken their toll—the house felt like it was dying.
I trudged downstairs, where a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of questionable coffee awaited me.
“What time did you get in last night?” Gran shot me a stern look.
“Three, I think,” I waved off the intrusive morning chat. “I don’t really remember.”
“Kara, when are you going to stop this?”
“What else am I supposed to do around here?” I took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. “Ugh, this is awful.”
“You’ve always been a bright girl. You used to brew potions so good, people lined up for them. Why are you drowning your talent in booze now?”
“Oh, not just booze. Mostly tequila,” I chuckled, wincing again at the coffee. “What’s the point of this gift if no one values it?”
“That’s no reason to ruin your life!”
“And what about my fiancé’s death? Is that a reason? Or getting kicked out of the Witchcraft Academy a month before graduation? And I can’t even re-enroll because we’ve got no money.”
I stood up abruptly, shoved my plate aside with a loud scrape, and stormed out of the kitchen. This conversation played on repeat, and it irritated me to no end.
On my way to work, passing by the same moldy, rundown cottages, I replayed Gran’s words in my head and knew she was right. I was a powerful witch, but Fate had dealt me a cruel hand and shattered my confidence.
I worked at a dingy little wine shop that wasn’t exactly popular. Most of the customers were drunks, just like the rest of the gloomy town of Willowend.
Hour one, hour two, hour three… I sold wine to men and women already half in the bag.
“That’ll be a hundred vuns,” I said, handing over two liters of wine to a woman in tattered clothes.
“Can I pay you later?” she pleaded, peering into her worn-out wallet where only a few vuns rattled around.
“Sorry, no credit here,” I replied, starting to pull the wine back across the counter.
The woman snatched the bottle and bolted. I could’ve stopped her easily, but not today. My head throbbed, my body ached, and I just didn’t want to be here.
“That’s coming out of your paycheck,” came the voice of my manager, emerging from his office.
A short, stocky man, he barely squeezed through the doorway.
“What?” I shot him a surprised look. Did this jerk see everything and not even bother to help?
“Put a hundred vuns in the register,” he nodded toward the cash machine.
I desperately wanted to fling a potion at him, turn him into a turkey, and then cook him into a stew. The thought alone made my mouth water. But I knew it would only spark more hatred toward me.
“Fine,” I sighed, calming myself down before asking, “Is today payday?”
The manager didn’t answer. He retreated to his office and returned a few minutes later, bumping the door with his shoulder—probably adding to the bruise he already had there.
“Here,” he said, slapping an envelope down. “I took out the hundred vuns.”
I opened it and counted the money. My paycheck was supposed to be eight thousand vuns. I worked without days off because this cheapskate refused to hire anyone else. Why would he, when Kara agrees to work under any conditions? In this town, hardly anyone wanted to hire a girl without a proper education.
“There’s only six thousand three hundred here,” I said, glaring at him angrily.
“That’s right. You were late sixteen days this month—I deducted that from your pay. Plus the hundred vuns for today’s shortfall,” he drawled the last word with a mocking tone.
“This is ridiculous,” I whispered, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t like it? Quit,” he snapped.
Without a word, I untied my company apron, stuffed the envelope into my bag, and stepped out from behind the counter.
“I quit,” I said calmly, heading for the door.
“No, I fired you!” he bellowed, spit flying from his mouth. “No one needs you! Who’s gonna hire you?”
I paused at the door and turned around.
“That’s right, put the apron back on and get behind the counter,” he smirked, tapping the bar triumphantly, thinking I’d changed my mind.
Shaking my head, I walked out.
Though I was now jobless, my heart felt lighter: I’d never have to see that shop again.
When I got home, Gran wasn’t there yet. No surprise—she was still at work. Her job was a bit better than mine had been: Rose Bennett, my grandmother, worked at the local community college.
I washed the dishes and started preparing dinner. My thoughts kept circling back to finding a new job. More and more, I considered leaving town, but that would require some serious cash.
“Chloe, she’s completely fallen apart,” Gran’s voice carried as she entered the house, talking on the phone. “You should see her… She came home drunk… No, you don’t get it. She’s ruining her life…”
Gran didn’t see me, but I heard every word. And it was obvious who she was talking about. Rose stepped into the kitchen and froze for a moment.
“I’ll call you back,” she said, hanging up. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I quit,” I replied flatly, glancing at her from under my brow. “Gran, I asked you not to discuss me with Mom.”
“What do you mean, you quit?” Gran set her bags on the table and stared at me in disbelief.
“Dinner’s ready,” I said, pulling a tray of potatoes—no meat—from the oven. “I didn’t move away from Mom just so she could hear all my news through you.”
Unfortunately, relationships in the Bennett family were complicated. Chloe Bennett, my mother, lived a thousand miles away from her daughter and her own mother. I loved Mom, but I couldn’t forgive her for keeping so much from me. Especially our family secret.
*vun - local currency.
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Visuals for this chapter.
Kara Bennett
Rose Bennett
The town of Willowend