"Can't we wait another few days before enrolling you in school?" I asked, bright and early the next morning.
Marley fixed me with her hard stare. "Mom, you’re supposed to be the one encouraging me to start school as soon as possible. Why would you want to put it off?"
The truth was that I wanted to enjoy the time with Marley in our new home. It was such a nice change from the dumpy apartment. Without a job at the moment, I also didn't have the stress of work on my shoulders. Of making ends meet. On the other hand, Marley did love school. It wasn't fair to deprive her of an education for my own selfish purposes.
"Fine," I said, relenting. "I'm ready when you are."
Marley gave PP3 a scratch behind the ears. "Let's go then."
I groaned. "At least we can walk. That's a nice change."
Marley's eyes shone. "It really is. I won't miss riding the bus one bit." She hooked the lead on the dog’s collar. "It will be great exercise for PP3. Maybe he’ll lose a few pounds."
I clapped my hands over the dog’s ears. "Marley Rose, don't be insensitive. He doesn't need to lose weight. He looks good just the way he is."
Marley rolled her eyes. "Mom, stop confusing yourself with the dog. We talked about this."
I slipped on my shoes and grabbed the keys to the cottage. "I guess the exercise will be good for me, too.”
We walked across the grounds of the estate until we reached the public sidewalk that led into town.
"My legs are tired," I complained. "How far did you say the walk is?"
Marley shook her head. "Your legs can't possibly be tired already. The distance to school is only 0.7 of a mile."
"Yes, but I have to walk back, too. That's…" I mentally calculated.
"1.4 miles, Mom," Marley finished for me.
"I was just about to say that," I said. Math had never been my strong suit.
Once I got over the initial shock of 1.4 miles a day, I realized that the walk itself was pleasant. I’d noticed upon arrival what a pretty town Starry Hollow was, but the walk to school confirmed it. In all honesty, it wouldn’t be a bad way to start each day. Even PP3 seemed excited by the prospect. He only barked once at a bird that had the audacity to land on the sidewalk in front of us. Beyond that, he seemed to be in a walking stupor. We were all high on Starry Hollow.
"There are so many places I want to go," Marley said. “It’s like the best outdoor mall in the world.”
Although it was far from a mall in appearance, I knew what she meant. The town seemed to have everything we could possibly want or need, as well as places we didn’t.
“What kind of store is Spellcaster’s?” Marley asked.
I peered at the window display from across the street. “Looks like they sell wands. I guess school supplies will take on a whole new meaning next year.”
We looked at each other and laughed. It was all so surreal.
“Can we go in Elixir?” she asked.
I gave the building the once-over. “Not until you’re twenty-one, or whatever the drinking age is. Elixir is a cocktail bar.”
Marley pointed excitedly to another shop a few doors down. “That place is called Quicksilver. They actually sell broomsticks!”
“I guess somebody has to,” I replied.
“Oh, Mom, I really want to see inside.”
"We live here now," I said. "There will be plenty of time to hit up every shop and examine every broomstick."
Marley glanced up at me. "Do you think we’ll be happy here?"
"You know as well as I do that happiness isn't a permanent condition," I said. "It's a temporary feeling. This too shall pass."
Her face fell. "I think that's what you’re supposed to say when things are rough, not when things are good."
I sighed. "In my experience, it's the other way around." I felt a little guilty for being negative around Marley, but I didn’t want her to grow up believing the world was an ideal place. As far as I was concerned, that was a dangerous precedent.
"I love that I can hear the ocean from here," Marley said.
She was right. Although there was no view from where we stood, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore carried inland. It was a surprisingly soothing sound.
"Can we go to that ice cream place after school?" Marley asked. She pointed to a Cedar-shake building with a sign that read Stars and Cones.
"We’ll see," I replied. "Maybe it’ll be your treat for surviving your first day of a new school."
Marley laughed. "Surviving? Mom, you forget that I'm the one who’s excited."
"I don't forget," I said. "I just don't understand it."
About twenty minutes later, we arrived at Starry Hollow Middle School. I blamed PP3 for the slow speed. The school was surprisingly attractive with breezeways and lots of open space.
We opened the double doors and stepped into the bright and airy corridor. A sign directed us to the administrative offices. Upon first glance, the woman behind the desk looked like your quintessential school secretary. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and she wore a frumpy floral blouse with a misguided bow. Then I noticed her wings.
Marley gasped. "Mom, she must be a fairy."
The woman glanced up sharply. "Can I help you?"
I stepped up to the counter. "Yes, I’m here to enroll my daughter in school. She's new in town."
The woman peered at us. "I have no paperwork for a new student."
"That's why I'm here," I said. "To fill out paperwork. If you'll just hand me the forms, I'll be out of your hair in a jiffy. I'm a master form-filler-inner."
The woman was not amused. "I can't simply allow the student to enroll without the appropriate paperwork."
"But that's why I'm here. To complete the appropriate paperwork." I felt the tension growing in my shoulders. Marley must have sensed it, too, because she pinched my arm.
"Mom, don't go Jersey on her,” she whispered. “Please."
I stuffed down any impulse to be difficult. For Marley's sake, I forced a smile. "I have a ten-year-old daughter who should be attending school here. If you would kindly tell me how to best facilitate this, I solemnly swear to follow your instructions to a T."
The woman's wings fluttered, seemingly in annoyance. "Do you have a passport or some type of identification?"
I whipped out my wallet and placed my driver’s license on the counter. The woman examined it closely.
"Do you have identification that shows your new address?"
"No," I said. "This whole thing sort of happened quickly and there hasn't been time…"
The woman slid the license back toward me. "Unless you have official documents that show your new Starry Hollow residence, I'm afraid I can't help you."
"But my license is New Jersey," I said. "Clearly, I’m not trying to sneak her into a better school district all the way from there. We live here now."
The fairy was unrelenting. "Be that as it may, I need proper identification and proper paperwork before I can admit a new student. Rules are rules.”
I felt Marley's fingers dig into my wrist. She really did not want me to make a scene in her new school. As much as it irked me, I understood and held my tongue.
"Okay," I said. “Then we’ll be back shortly with whatever you need."
As I turned to leave, the secretary called after us, “And next time, please leave your dog outside. Pets are not permitted inside the school. They upset the shifter children."
“Got it,” I called over my shoulder.
Marley shot me a wary look. “The shifter children?”
“I guess Starry Hollow has more than just werewolves,” I said, as though that was a perfectly reasonable statement to make.
Marley pushed open the school door. “Life has gotten really weird.”
“You’re telling me.” We stepped into the sunshine and I looked down at the scruffy Yorkie. "PP3, I don't think we’re in Kansas anymore."
Chapter Six
Aunt Hyacinth was less than pleased when I to
ld her about the kerfuffle at the middle school. We were in the main house in a room she dubbed the parlor room.
"Didn't you tell her your name?” Aunt Hyacinth asked. “Did she not know who you were?"
To call my aunt incensed was putting it mildly.
"I didn't have a chance," I said. "She shut me down. I gave her my license, but I guess she didn't really pay attention to my last name. She was too focused on the address."
"This is absurd," Aunt Hyacinth said. “This is why inheriting your mother’s coloring is problematic.” She rang her little silver bell until Simon appeared. “Simon, I'd like a starburst martini, please. Straight up."
A light alcoholic refreshment at…nine-thirty in the morning.
Simon returned with a drink on a silver tray in the blink of an eye. Talk about efficient.
"Thank you, Simon. I'm going to call the superintendent right now," Aunt Hyacinth said. “This simply cannot stand. It’s an affront to the whole family.”
"Please don't do that," Marley said. "I don't want to be known as a troublemaker when I haven't even started school yet."
Aunt Hyacinth looked down her nose at Marley. "Marley Rose, you don't seem to understand your position in this town. You do not wait for official documentation to enroll in school. Now that they’ve mentioned it, though, I will arrange for your passports. I should've gotten started on them already."
"Passports?" I queried.
“Paranormals use special passports," she said. “We’re not subject to the same jurisdictions as the human world."
That was good to know. I guess that explained why Marley and I couldn’t find the town on Google maps. We’d mapped the distance to school using a printed town map we found in the kitchen drawer.
Aunt Hyacinth rang the bell again and Simon appeared with a cell phone on a silver tray. She plucked the phone from the tray and he disappeared once more. They seemed to have some kind of crazy mental telepathy going on.
“Good morning, I'd like to speak to Stanley, please. This is Hyacinth Rose-Muldoon."
"Watch and learn," I whispered to Marley.
“Stanley, yes, a pleasure to hear your voice, too. Listen, my niece attempted to enroll her daughter in the middle school today and was rebuffed in a most demeaning fashion. I'd like that rectified immediately. This child is ridiculously intelligent and needs to be in school." She paused to listen to his reply. "Oh, well aren't you sweet? Yes, of course I'll come. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Give my regards to Hattie.” She clicked off the phone and set it back on the tray. "You are free to go back now, if you wish. I’ll have my driver take you."
"I think driving would be good," I said. "PP3 is a bit worn out from the walk earlier."
"I'll have someone return him to the cottage," Aunt Hyacinth said. "Would you like me to accompany you to the school, my dear, in case they give further difficulties?”
"No, that's okay," I said. "I'm usually pretty good at handling problems." Except when my daughter muzzled me. Now I had to have my estranged aunt do my dirty work. I didn't like that outcome.
"The car is waiting for you out front then," she said.
"Thank you, Aunt Hyacinth,” Marley said.
"Yes, thank you," I added quickly. I didn't want to seem ungrateful.
We returned to the school and I had a brief, shining moment where I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, returning to the store that had previously rejected her. I longed to walk up to the counter and say to the fairy, “Big mistake. Huge." But I didn't. Instead, I walked up to the counter and said, “We’re here to enroll my daughter in school today."
The same secretary fell over herself to assist us. "Yes, of course. I am so sorry about the earlier mix-up."
I didn't bother to point out that there was no mix-up.
"If you’ll just hand me the forms, I can get started on the paperwork," I said.
"Oh, that's all been taken care of," the secretary said. "My name is Darlene. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know."
Wow. Talk about a 180. "Thanks. I think we’re good for now."
"Marley will be joining Mr. Fuller's class. I have a student coming down now to escort her to the classroom."
Marley's excitement was palpable. Most kids would have been sick to their stomachs with nerves, but not Marley.
"What happens now?" I asked her. "Do I kiss you on the cheek and run out the door?”
"No kiss, but no running out the door either," Marley replied. "Knowing you, you'll knock someone over. Probably the principal."
She had a point. "Good luck today, sweetheart.”
She glared at me. "Don't call me sweetheart. It's demeaning."
"It's a term of endearment," I argued.
She gave me a gentle shove. "I'll see you at the end of the day."
I left the office and wandered down the corridor to the front door, resisting the urge to look back. Marley was so mature for her age. I had no idea where she got it from, certainly not from me.
I’d told the driver not to wait, so I walked home from the middle school, taking time to indulge my thoughts. If nothing else, I sorely needed the exercise after last night’s dinner.
I passed the rows of stores from this morning and crossed the road to head toward the residential area of town. There were so many trees here, which was surprising for a seaside town. I expected water, sand, and concrete, but Starry Hollow seemed to have a little bit of everything—trees, cliffs, a river. No wonder it was a sought-after tourist destination for paranormals.
I spotted a path to my right that led into the woods. I was pretty sure that Rose Cottage was in this general direction. If I could find a shortcut, that would make the walk to and from school easier. PP3 might enjoy a stroll through the forest every day. He wasn't a city dog exactly, but he certainly had minimal experience with woodland creatures.
The farther I walked, the less light there was. I was amazed how dark it could look at this time in the morning. Live oaks towered over me, the thick, twisted branches and Spanish moss creating a protective canopy overhead. It was so quiet in here, eerily quiet. The only sound I heard was the crunching of leaves and pebbles beneath my feet. I wondered how often anyone passed this way.
My body jerked at the slightest unexpected noise and I laughed at myself. Starry Hollow was a far cry from New Jersey. These woods were probably one of the safest places on the eastern seaboard. Seriously. This town was nothing short of magical. Literally. A beach. A forest. An enchanted cottage. Okay, so far it was just a cottage, but we were witches, after all. There was bound to be enchantment somewhere in that house.
I picked up the pace, eager to find my way back to the cottage. Prescott Peabody III was probably unhappy being left alone in a strange place for so long. It was one thing to hang out in the apartment all day. He was used to that environment. Although the cottage was a hundred times nicer, it was still foreign to him. It didn't have his usual places to curl up and snooze. Like Marley, though, I was confident that he would adjust.
Birdsong in the trees drew my attention skyward. When was the last time I listened to the sound of birds? I couldn't even remember. Although the change was sudden and bizarre, I was pleased for Marley—that I would be able to give her the magical childhood that she deserved. She was an amazing kid and I was so lucky to have her.
A flash of white on the ground ahead caught my eye. What was that? It looked like someone had left their laundry in the middle of the woods. Maybe teenagers came to party here at night. As I moved closer to investigate, my heart began to pound in my chest. This was not someone's laundry. This was a white dress.
I froze when I realized the horror of the situation. It wasn’t just a white dress.
Someone was wearing it.
I rushed forward and dropped to my knees. A young woman was sprawled on the ground in front of me, her face turned to the side.
"Are you okay?" I asked. What a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay. She was on the ground in the mi
ddle of the forest all by herself.
I turned her head toward me. Her skin was pale and her eyes were…open. I grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. The only time in my life I‘d done this was on a mannequin in health class in high school. I wasn't even good at it then. I was pretty sure the mannequin died because of my ineptitude.
I felt…nothing.
I touched her forehead, the way I did when I suspected Marley had a fever. The girl's skin was cold. So very cold. I had no way of knowing how long she’d been here, but she certainly wasn’t walking out. Not unless the dead walked around here, which suddenly seemed entirely possible.
I glanced helplessly around the forest. I wasn’t strong enough to carry her. I didn't even know how far I needed to go for help. I had only guessed that this was a shortcut to the cottage.
I gazed at her pretty face. I hated to leave her here, but I had no choice.
“I’ll be back with help," I told her. "I promise." I stood and began to run. I ran like a disgruntled car owner was chasing me. I leapt over fallen logs and grazed my bare legs on brambles. Finally, I reached a familiar sight.
Rose Cottage stood nestled in the trees ahead. I wasn't sure at what point I crossed over on to my family's property. I would have to ask where the border was. Of course, I didn’t need Rose Cottage. I needed someone in the main house to call the police. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a familiar figure in the distance.
"Florian," I called, waving my arms dramatically. He was in the field with…Was that a gun? He took aim at the sky and fired. What on earth was he shooting at? Something plunged to the earth. Whatever he was aiming for, he managed to hit it.
I raced across the open field, calling his name. When I got close enough, I realized that he was wearing earplugs. He removed them when he saw me.
“Ember," he said, scrutinizing me. "I thought you were at school with Marley.”
"I took the scenic route home," I said, panting. "I need help."
He didn't hesitate. "What can I do?"
"I need you to call the police."
His brow lifted. "The sheriff? Why?"
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