by Zoe Arden
It wasn't just the music that was different; it was the people. Otis had decided to turn this party into a costume ball. He hadn't seemed to realize that waiting until the last moment to announce it might cause problems for some people who didn't have costumes lying around. There were huge varieties in the costumes being worn. One woman was dressed like Mary Queen of Scots, in an elegant dress perfect for this type of event, while the man beside her was wearing a garbage bag. When someone asked him what he was supposed to be, he said he was a trashcan.
I was wearing a simple flapper's dress from the roaring twenties. I wasn't the only one, either. Lucy had adopted a similar dress, as had a few other women. Several men were wearing zoot suits or dressed like mobsters.
Trixie and Melbourne were dancing away, as was my dad and his date, Sadie. Trixie was dressed in a feathery, yellow dress and had told everyone she was a bird. Melbourne was dressed like his normal self except for a large cowboy hat with a wide brim. Dean Lampton stood in the background, leaning against a wall and watching everyone. He was not dressed up and he did not look happy.
Eleanor stood next to Sheriff Knoxx, who wore his sheriff's uniform and tapped his foot rhythmically to the beats but did not twirl Eleanor out onto the dance floor. She was wearing a fifties-style dress, the kind of thing you would have seen Lucille Ball in, and looked bored.
I knew the reason why Sheriff Knoxx wasn't dancing, though, because Colt had finally responded to one of my texts. He'd told me that he would be at the dance but he would only be there in the capacity of a security agent. Dean Lampton had ordered that all available agents be stationed both outside and inside the ballroom, including Sheriff Knoxx and his deputies. He was worried that MAPP might make another appearance.
Colt said he didn't want to talk to me or see me while he was here if it could be avoided. He'd only sent me the text as a courtesy warning. I thought it was rather amusing that he'd sent me a text saying he couldn't talk to me. It was a sign; if he had really wanted to avoid me, he never would have sent me the text in the first place.
I'd wasted no time compiling a love poem to send back to him. I stayed up all night before the ball thinking about it and finally settled on something cheesy but clear.
Roses are red,
Sad faces are blue,
I know I messed up,
But I still love you.
I hit send and waited anxiously for his reply but it never came. Now, at the ball, my eyes were drawn not to the multitude of decorations that adorned the place but the other side of the room where Colt was standing. A shooting star sailed over my head and I barely noticed. Although a lot of the ball had changed, the decorations had remained similar to the last one since they'd been such a huge hit. I felt like I'd seen it all before. There were much more interesting things to look at; like the way Colt's eyes shined under the starlight. Like Sheriff Knoxx; he was dressed to work, not to party.
The only thing I did take notice of was the cake Wilma and Polly had created. I had to admit, it was a masterpiece. It was a good two feet taller than the one we'd made, with alternating layers of gold and shimmering white. I had no idea how they'd done it but the cake appeared to actually be glowing, as if had been infused with some sort of incandescent light. The cake was not just tiered, either; it was topsy-turvy. Alternating layers seemed to be defying gravity. In fact, the whole cake looked as if it might take off at any moment like a hot air balloon about to float away.
To the side of the cake was a big bowl of homemade potato chip crumbles. Tadpole was digging into it like it was the best food he'd ever had. Otis stood nearby, contentedly stroking his fur and munching on his own piece of cake.
Edible stars and comets decorated the cake to match the ceiling. Occasionally, one of the stars went shooting off the cake toward the dance floor, where it promptly disappeared. I'd never seen anything like it. Neither had Eleanor; I could tell by the way she kept looking at it and pursing her lips. She was jealous.
"Any luck?" Lucy asked, coming up next to me.
"Luck?"
"With Colt," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh. No. He hasn't talked to me all night."
"Well, why don't you go and talk to him then?"
"Because he told me not to. He's working."
She looked at me like I'd just told her two plus two equaled five.
"Ava, you can't wait for him to come to you. You're the one who messed up, no offense."
"None taken."
"But that means you have to go to him then."
I bit my lip. Lucy gave me a shove in his direction and once I'd started toward him, my feet wouldn't stop. I caught a glimpse of Snowball running across the floor chasing Tootsie and had a flashback to the first ball. I had to remind myself that this time things would be different. Better. Though, in truth, I wasn't entirely sure I believed that.
"Hi," I said to Colt.
He stood staring at the wall in front of him. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to answer, then his voice came back soft but clear. "Hi." He looked at me sideways and I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes... was it love? Desire?
"Ava..." He let out a sigh. "I'm still mad at you but..."
"But?" I asked, not even trying to hide the excitement in my voice. "There's a but?"
"But I don't know how to hate you when you write such corny love poems." One corner of his mouth curled up. "I told myself that I wouldn't go talk to you tonight but that if you came to talk to me... I'd give us another chance."
If Lucy had been standing next to me right now I'd have kissed her. I'd have to tell her later what a love genius she was. She should be writing columns, not serving coffee.
I threw my arms around him and started planting kisses on his cheeks.
"Whoa," he said, pulling my arms from around his neck. "Hey, I'm still mad at you."
"But you forgive me," I said, kissing him again.
He softened but held his stance. “
Seriously, listen to me a for a minute. I need you to swear to me that nothing like that will ever happen again."
"It won't."
"And," he said, holding up a hand, "that you won't see Damon again." I hesitated. Damon was a tough one. I'd wanted to be friends with him. I'd hoped we could manage it somehow but I saw now that was impossible.
"If getting you back means I have to lose him, then I'm in. I'll do whatever it takes to let you know how much I love you."
The smile he'd been working on broke into a grin. "In that case, come here." This time when I fell into his arms he didn't push me away, he pulled me closer. He kissed me hard and I kissed him back, feeling happier than I had felt in days.
It should have been no surprise that it was this precise moment when Damon walked into the ball. He was alone. I groaned. "What is he doing here? He doesn't even live in Sweetland."
Damon was looking around the room. His eyes stopped on me and Colt and he started walking toward us. I felt Colt tense and wondered if I should just grab hold of his hand and run.
"Ava," Damon said in a hurried whisper. "I have to talk to you."
"No," I told him. "I've got nothing to say to you. I'm sorry but—"
"You don't understand. My mom's friends are here. I think—"
The lights dimmed just then. People oohed and ahhed as stars flashed across the ceiling. They thought it was part of the show. When the lights came back up, Bebe, Sally, and Vivian were standing on stage.
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CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
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"How'd they get past security?" I asked Colt as party guests began to realize what was happening. I heard several people exclaim, "Oh, no, not again." One person shouted, "Down with MAPP!"
"I don't know," Colt said, reaching for the superwand he had tucked beneath his blazer. It was like a regular wand times a hundred. Even if you were a powerful warlock, having
a wand like this meant you were unstoppable. Usually. If there was one thing I'd learned in my time as a witch, it was that nothing was ever certain. Superwands were only issued to agents in law enforcement, generally COMHA agents. I didn't think Sheriff Knoxx even had one.
"They must not have been recognized under those costumes," I said. Bebe, Sally, and Vivian were all wearing similar costumes—Phantom of the Opera style masks and black capes. Simple but effective. No one could see much of them until they pulled the masks up; they had blended right in.
Dean Lampton jumped up, shaking his finger at them. "You get down from there now!" he yelled, as if he really expected that to work. Maybe he did; he was just full enough of himself to think that people would bow to his commands. The women ignored him.
Sheriff Knoxx and several COMHA agents were moving toward the stage at lightning pace. Suddenly, Sheriff Knoxx went flying backward. He flew right into Eleanor, who'd been running along behind him. Everyone in the room gasped. How had three humans just managed to send a warlock with goblin blood flying across the room? Colt held his wand out toward the stage and was in the middle of muttering an incantation when suddenly the wand flew out of his hand.
I'd never seen him look so shocked before. It was as if he'd just found out the Easter Bunny was real. His eyes were wide and he was staring at the empty space where his wand used to be. "What the..." he muttered.
Everyone in the room looked at Sally. She was holding a wand out like it was the most natural thing in the world, an extension of her arm instead of what was, essentially, a long fiberglass stick.
"She's got a wand!" Trixie shouted, and then we realized it wasn't just Sally who had a wand. Bebe had one, too, although she looked far less natural with it than Sally did.
Sally stepped up to the microphone as COMHA agents realized that, despite being just a human, Sally was dangerous.
"Good evening," Sally said, smiling brightly. Her voice echoed menacingly around the room as she spoke, in complete contrast to the happy smile lighting up her face. "Please, come forward everyone."
I looked at Colt, who shrugged. We had no idea why she was beckoning us forward. Slowly, we realized that Sally wasn't beckoning us forward, she was calling out the rest of MAPP. It was not just her, Bebe, and Vivian who were here tonight. They were the only three on stage but what appeared to be every other MAPP member, except Renee, suddenly stepped forward and revealed themselves. They were all wearing capes and masks, though a few of their masks appeared to belong to superheroes rather than the Phantom of the Opera. They were all holding video cameras and smartphones.
"Now that we're all together and I have your attention, I wanted to let you know what I expect of each of you tonight if you want to live." She paused, letting her words sink in. "I want you all to use magic, as much magic as you can display. Conjure frogs from the air. Give your neighbor a pair of antlers. I don't care what it is as long as it's magical. We are going to live stream the event for the world. After tonight, there won't be any more debate on whether paranormals exist."
A small cheer rose up from the MAPP members, who appeared to already have their cameras rolling.
"You're crazy!" someone shouted out from the crowd.
"Genius is frequently mistaken for insanity," Sally said. "My mother was killed by a witch when I was a child. Now, I'm going to get justice, which was something Renee could never get when she was in charge."
Bebe shot her a look. "Renee is still head of MAPP," she said.
"Not after tonight. Renee would never have had the guts to do some of the things I've done. She's all talk. I'm all action. Would she have killed Randall? Would she have done anything to bring us to this point—the point of victory?"
"Y-You killed Randall?" Bebe asked, her face ashen.
Sally turned her head toward her. "I wasn't trying to kill him," she snapped. "It was the first time I'd used a wand. I got it off some COMHA agent I'd been following who set it down when he went to use the bathroom. Then I Googled a few spells. I hadn't even thought it would work. Not really." Her smile broadened. "Luckily, I was wrong."
I turned to Colt. "What COMHA agent? What's she talking about?"
He shrugged.
I took a closer look at the wand she was holding and realized it was no ordinary wand. It was a superwand. No wonder she'd killed Randall and almost killed Renee. Those wands were so powerful that even a human could use them and produce some sort of results.
"But I never even saw you with a wand until tonight," Bebe said, looking mystified.
Sally turned her wand over in her hand. "I don't need to tell you everything, do I?" she snapped. "Renee found that wand you're holding outside Ava Fortune's bakery. It wasn't as good as the one I already had, so I gave it to you to use tonight instead. You'll probably zap your finger off with it, though."
Bebe stared at the wand in her hand while Sally continued talking.
"When we were standing outside the bakery window looking in, you two were so engrossed in watching Renee confront that awful witch, Ava, that you weren't even paying attention to what I was doing. The wand was up my sleeve and all I had to do was slip the tip of it out and aim. Of course, I missed Renee entirely and killed Randall instead but everyone here is going to die tonight anyway, unless they do what I say, so what does it matter?"
A fast murmur ran across the room as people, both witches and MAPP members, turned to each other and asked, "What did she just say? Did she just admit to...? Did she try to kill Renee?"
"Renee was never an effective leader," Sally said, hearing the murmur. "Oh, she loved giving press conferences and getting her picture in the paper but she never really did anything to help MAPP. She doesn't even know what's going on around her most of the time. When she was arguing with Damon, her own son who has a long, sordid history with witches, by the way, all I had to do was climb to the top of the stairs, peek my head in, and zap her with the wand. Down she went. When she woke up, she didn't even realize I was the one who'd done it." She was shaking her head. "Next time, I'll make sure she's dead before I walk away."
I looked at Damon, whose face had turned white. He headed for the stage. "You tried to kill my mom," he screamed, lunging for her. "YOU did all this!"
Sally had been so wrapped up in her own speech she hadn't even noticed him running toward her until he knocked her over. Then, chaos broke out.
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CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT
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"Don't panic, everyone," Otis Winken said. Tadpole stood on his shoulder, nodding his agreement. It didn't seem to help.
Colt jumped up on stage just after Damon. Bebe let out an "eek!" and threw the wand she was holding at him instead of trying to conjure a spell, then took off running.
MAPP members scattered around the room videotaping everything. "Don't stop filming!" someone shouted.
"I'm uploading now!" shouted another.
"Keep streaming! Don't stop!" shouted a third.
Witches and wizards tried to get the cameras out of MAPP's hands but there were too many of them. The COMHA agents seemed to be having no better luck. They were knocking over tables, chairs, bar stools... anything and everything, trying to get to put a stop to things. Dean Lampton hovered in the background, furious. He was shouting obscenities and his face looked like he was about to explode.
"Grab them already!" one agent shouted to another, who pulled out his wand only to have it knocked from his hand by a MAPP woman who ran into him with her camera. The camera fell to the ground and cracked open with a loud splat.
Well, at least that's one camera down.
"Ava!" Colt shouted from the stage. "Stop her!" He'd run up there to tackle Sally and she'd kneed him pretty hard in the groin, which was just what she'd done with Damon. Colt pointed in her direction and I ran after her, while he and Damon writhed on the ground.
Sally was standi
ng on the floor now, holding the wand high over her head and muttering some sort of spell I didn't recognize. A sudden burst of bright yellow-white light shot out of the tip of the wand. It reminded me of sunlight and I suddenly remembered the streak of light that I'd seen in the bakery just before Randall died. She shot the wand upward again and this time, a blue light shot out of the tip and hail suddenly started raining down on everyone.
"Darn it!" she shouted. "That was supposed to be fire."
She looked so disappointed you'd have thought she'd just found out she'd flunked a test or gotten fired from her job. Trixie and Eleanor got to her before I could, just as she was raising her wand again. She saw them coming a second before they jumped at her and managed to step back. Eleanor and Trixie collided with each other and landed flat on their stomachs, like they'd been trying to belly flop into a pool instead of tackle a crazy person.
"Ha!" Sally shouted triumphantly. She didn't see Tadpole until it was too late.
He was standing on a high bar stool behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. When she spun around, he sprayed her. She screamed, which was a mistake. You never want to open your mouth when a skunk sprays. Her mouth began to drool. Her eyes were watering and I could tell she couldn't see. She dropped the wand she'd been holding and ran, blind, smack into a wall. She fell to the ground, unconscious, while the rest of the party ran for the doors before Tadpole could let loose with a second round.
* * *
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
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