Mindy cringed apologetically. "Whoops. Sorry about that."
Andrew rubbed his head with one hand, the other still gripping the dashboard. "Do you even own a driver’s licence?"
"Of course I do," she retorted, looking as though the question was a direct blow to her integrity. "And stop changing the subject," she added quickly.
"Other than when Vera attacked Alexandria, and when Kat nearly killed her trying to protect Alexandria's power, no, nothing."
"Yes, she did happen to mention that incident." They drove in silence for a moment. "You know you can trust me, Andrew. If there's anything I should know, or something you want to ask me about, you can."
"Why did Alexandria's family abandon her when her parents died?"
"You mean why did I abandon her, when her parents died?"
Andrew nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's what I'm asking."
"Like I told Alexandria, we did it for her own protection. There are witches out there practising black magic that would kill her for her power, to possess it for themselves. Had she been living with Aradia or me, she would have been a sitting duck. There was no way we could have protected her, and if Alexandria had known that she had other family out there somewhere, she would have tried to track us down before she was powerful enough to protect herself. Trust me when I say it was safer for her this way. Safer for everyone. Her mother wanted it that way."
"I'm not sure Alexandria agrees. And what about the Barnabys? Do they know about all this, too?"
"The who?" Mindy asked, shooting Andrew a questioning look.
"You know, the Barnabys, Alexandria's guardians for the last few years," he said, returning her questioning look.
Mindy nodded sternly, then laughed off her confusion. "Silly me. Of course I know who the Barnabys are. Lovely old couple, truly lovely. And of course they know about all this, it's why they took her away from here. To keep her safe. And Alexandria will understand that too, when she learns how important she is, not only to the survival of her own Harvey witch bloodline and clan, but to the other clans that also rely on her for protection against those that practise black magic."
"Like the Bloodthorn Clan," Andrew interjected, nodding his head.
Mindy shot him a sideways glance. "What do you know about the Bloodthorn Clan?"
Andrew shrugged, cursing himself under his breath, remembering Alexandria telling him not to talk to anyone about what she had discovered in her mother's book. Not knowing who they could trust. "Alexandria mentioned it in passing the other day. She didn't elaborate. Why, who are they?"
"The Bloodthorn Clan want to control all the witch clans, and those they can't control, they endeavour to destroy, and usually succeed. Originally, there were seven clans. Today, only five remain. Only one of those clans practices black magic."
"The Bloodthorn Clan," Andrew repeated.
"Yes, the Bloodthorn Clan. With the power the Bloodthorn witches have stolen over the years, they are a force to be reckoned with. A force not to be underestimated in any way, shape, or form."
Andrew frowned, a chill running down his spine. "What exactly do you mean, shape or form?"
"With black magic and trickery, the Bloodthorn witches are masters of changing their shape and form at will. Animals, birds, bugs, people. Anything, really."
Andrew thought back to his last bus trip to Ferntree Falls, when he had first met Alexandria. He thought about the dream he'd had about Eden, and how, in the blink of an eye, Eden had transformed into an old woman, before changing again, into a dark cloud of black bats. Perhaps it hadn't been a dream at all. "I think I've met a Bloodthorn witch," he said, the blood draining from his face.
The car swerved on the road as Mindy swivelled in the driver’s seat to stare at him. "What did she look like?"
Andrew frowned, dropping his head, contemplating the question for a long moment. After a moment, he looked at Mindy and shook his head slowly. "I have absolutely no idea."
Mindy nodded, a worried look on her face. "Definitely a Bloodthorn witch, and a powerful one at that."
"How do you know?"
"The fact that you can't remember what she looks like, other than that she was old, is a pretty good indication."
"I think she was old... The more I think about her, the less I seem to be able to remember about her. How is that even possible?"
"Like I said, black magic and trickery. There isn't anything a Bloodthorn witch wouldn't do to—"
As Mindy turned onto Main Street, the wail of a police siren and flashing lights cut her off mid-sentence.
"Oh, goodness," she said. "I do love a man in uniform." She pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine, while quickly checking her appearance in the rear view mirror. She reached over to the back of the vehicle and snatched her bag off the seat. Digging into her handbag, she retrieved her peach lip-gloss and applied a fresh coat. Next she found a bottle of perfume, and gave it a quick squirt before leaning into the flowery mist floating in the vehicle.