by Wendy Wang
"She can do that?" Scott said.
"Yes. It's not permanent or anything, but, absolutely, she could clip his magic wings, so to speak, if he does not follow the rules,” Charlie said.
"When does she want to start?" Scott asked.
"This afternoon," Charlie said warily. She cringed and waited for his response.
"Fine," Scott said.
"Really?" Charlie asked.
"Contrary to what you may believe, I am not an unreasonable human being,” Scott said.
"Well, I'm not going to argue with you,” Charlie said. "Is it okay if she picks him up from school?"
"Sure. If he's going to eat dinner with her or you, I would appreciate a text to let me know,” Scott said. "That way I can let my housekeeper Cora know."
"Why don't you plan on it then," Charlie said. "He can just have supper with me and Evangeline, and I'll bring him home after."
"Okay. Just make sure he does his homework, too. He can't slack on schoolwork,” Scott said.
"Agreed," Charlie said. "Thank you. I appreciate your…" A sly grin crossed her lips. "Reasonableness."
"You're very funny, Charlie. I'll see you later."
"See you later," Charlie said.
She quickly ended the call and jotted off the text to Evangeline. Evan would be thrilled.
"You know, if I talked to my ex the way you talk to yours, I’d probably still be married," Will said.
"That really doesn't put you in a good light, Will,” Charlie teased. "And there's nothing wrong with being a little bit amicable with your ex. Especially when there's a child involved."
She quickly composed another text — this one to Evan.
I know what you did.
Who dis?
Very funny, young man. Are you trying to make me change my mind?
No, ma'am. Change your mind about what?
Evangeline is going to pick you up at 3 PM sharp in front of school. You can work with her for 2 hours on a spell to help you with your game on Sat. Then you have to do your homework. I should be home around 6 and the 3 of us will have dinner."
OMG thank you so much! You are the best mom ever.
You need to make sure that you listen to everything Evangeline says. And any rules she sets you follow them. Do you understand?
Yes ma'am.
If you break the rules Evan, I will make sure she binds up your magic until you are 30 yrs old.
She can do that?
Maybe not that long. But with a little help from the coven, she could
bind your talents for a period of time.
Okay. I promise I'll be good.
Good. Have fun. Listen to what Evangeline says. And be careful. I love you.
Love you too mom.
Charlie tucked her phone into her bag and shook out her hand. Her arm ached a little from the contact with the reaper’s scythe.
"You're a good mom. Reminds me a little bit of my dad,” Will said.
“Thank you.” Charlie wrapped her hand around her forearm and rubbed it. A chill traveled up her arm, and she shivered.
“Charlie?” Tom asked, his gaze on her arm and the way she held it. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. My arm’s a little cold and achy.” She glanced around for an air-conditioning vent but found none.
“Your shirt’s torn,” Tom said, reaching for her arm. Charlie noticed Will studying them and turned more toward Tom to try and block Will’s negative energy.
Tom gently took her wrist and pushed up her sleeve. The grim look on his face worried her.
“Does this hurt?” He barely grazed the skin of her forearm, and she almost jumped out of her skin from the icy, hot pain. Instinctively, she jerked her arm away from him and cradled it against her chest. Tom steadied his gaze on her, paralyzing her.
“Charlie, did the reaper’s blade touch you?”
“I…” She tried to remember. It had all happened so fast. “I don’t know. Maybe. I remember you stepping in front of me, and the scythe slicing through you and…” Her eyes widened and she took in a sharp breath. “And an icy pain.”
“Oh, my love,” Tom muttered. “We have to get you back to the DOL.”
Charlie hugged her arm tighter. “Why? What’s happening to me?”
Tom’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down — a human reaction. Something he must’ve picked up along the way. It was the small things like this that made her sometimes forget what a dangerous creature he actually was.
“Tom, tell me,” she said, fighting the flutter of panic spreading through her chest.
“A reaper’s blade is deadly to a human being.”
“I don’t understand.” Charlie’s ears buzzed and her heart drummed against her ribs so hard she thought it might beat out of her chest. “What are you trying to say?”
“She’s dying. Right?” Will’s matter-of-fact twang cut through the cloud of smog building in her brain.
“Stop it,” she snapped, directing her comment to Will. “Just stop it. I know you don’t like him—“
“Charlie, he’s right,” Tom said, his voice so gentle it made her heart break a little. “But… there may be a way to stop it. We need to talk to Ben.”
Will grabbed the check from the corner of the table and rose to his feet. “I’m driving.”
Tom nodded and helped Charlie to her feet.
Chapter 11
Sometimes, Evan thought he would burst because he couldn't talk about being a witch. Not even to his best friend. It was one of the rules his mom set. He knew it was more for his good than anything else, but man, it was hard.
"Hey Ev."
"Hey, Connor," Evan said.
"You're not walking home?"
"Not today. My aunt’s picking me up.”
"Cool. Can I copy your Algebra homework?"
“You know, Connor, you need to learn the stuff on your own," Evan said.
"Yeah, I know. You're right. Can I copy?"
Evan scowled. "Fine."
"Cool," Connor said and waved. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Evan said.
Evan sat on the bench near the front doors of Daniel Island Preparatory School. He couldn't believe his luck. Somehow his aunt had convinced his mom to let her teach him magic. Evangeline had even offered a spell to help his team win their game Saturday. He wasn't quite sure how powerful Evangeline was. His mom had never really explained that to him.
He flipped through the spell book on his lap. There were only two ingredients needed for the potion he had discovered that would grant all drinkers of it the luckiest day of their lives. He would ask about it when she came to pick him up.
Evangeline was one of the few adults he knew who wouldn’t lie to him. She seemed so open to teaching him; maybe she would help him get the ingredients. Then, he could make the potion and hand it out to his teammates before the game to ensure their win. They would be unstoppable. The championship would be in their pocket.
“Hey, Evan," a familiar voice said. Evan turned to find Rachel Klein standing nearby. He quickly closed the spell book and shoved it into his backpack before looking her in the eye and smiling. "Hey, Rach. How’s it going?”
Her long, straight, brown hair hung in a sheet. She flipped her hair over her shoulders and sat down next to Evan on the bench. She shrugged in her Rachel way – mostly nonchalant, like she couldn’t care less. Evan knew her, had known her since kindergarten, and there was nothing nonchalant in anything Rachel Klein did. She might look cool and put together on the outside, but he’d seen her cry behind the gym after Wyatt French told her she had a big nose and no boy would ever find her attractive.
She wasn’t exactly popular, but she wasn’t unpopular either, not that Evan cared about any of that stuff. He didn’t. He didn’t have to. He was a rich kid from an old family, and he knew it. Knew that it protected him. Knew it gave him plenty of street cred to befriend whoever he wanted in the school.
Once upon a time, Rachel’s mom had
been friends with his mom, but since The Divorce, (which is how he always thought of his parent’s split), things had been different with Rachel. They were still friends, but they didn’t see each other as much. And then, middle school happened. They rarely had the same classes.
"How come you’re not walking home?” Rachel asked.
"My aunt is picking me up.”
"Lita?” Rachel asked, with surprise in her voice.
“No," Evan said. He almost never saw his dad's sister and her husband, except maybe at holidays at his grandmother’s house. "My Aunt Evangeline. Actually, she's really my mom's aunt, but she’s still my aunt, too, I guess,” he said.
"So she’s your great aunt.”
“Right,” he said.
“Cool." Rachel tucked her long dark hair behind her ears. "Are you getting psyched about the game Saturday?"
"Oh, yeah. We’re gonna win,” Evan said. "My aunt’s going to help me."
Rachel gave him a questioning expression. "Is she like a basketball coach or something?"
"More like a…“ He tried to think of some cool name for her. He remembered something he’d heard his dad’s ex-girlfriend say. “More like a life coach. She's really good at helping you get your head straight. You know what I mean?"
"Sure," Rachel said.
In the distance, a small white truck appeared and made its way toward the circular drop-off in front of the school. He stood up and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "I gotta go. See ya later.”
Rachel gave him an awkward smile. He hadn’t even noticed that she had new braces on her teeth. “See you tomorrow.”
“Sure. Tomorrow.” He headed toward the curb and gave Rachel one last wave before he climbed into the cab of his aunt’s truck.
“Hey, Evan," Evangeline said.
"Hey,” he said, trying not to sound too excited.
“I’m so glad we’re getting to spend some time together.”
“Yeah, me too,“ he said. “I'm really glad you called my mom."
“Me too," she said. "This is a real treat.”
Evangeline’s sharp blue eyes looked past him, her stare landing on Rachel.
“Does your friend need a ride?”
“No. Her mom is…” He thought about the best way to say it so as not to upset his aunt. Rachel’s mom could be flakey and forgetful. “I’m sure her mom is on her way.”
“Maybe we should check with her. Just in case.” Evangeline shifted her gaze to him. He squirmed beneath the weight of it.
“I’ve known her since kindergarten. Her mom’s late sometimes, but she never forgets.”
“Maybe we should wait with her,” Evangeline suggested.
“Are you…“ Evan hesitated. Being a witch meant trusting your intuition. He’d done it his whole life without even realizing he was doing it. Maybe his aunt sensed something about Rachel. “Is she… okay?”
Evangeline’s gaze shifted back to Rachel, and a wide smile brightened his aunt’s face. “Oh yes, she’s fine. But the mama in me doesn’t like to see a child standing out there all alone. Makes my danger alarm go off. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at his friend sitting on the bench, entranced by the phone in her hand. A worried frown marred her young face, and for a second, his heart skipped a beat. Her mother wasn’t coming. He didn’t know how he knew that. He just knew it. He rolled down the window.
“Hey, Rach? You need a ride home?”
She glanced up from her phone with a strange expression on her face. She rose from the bench and slung her backpack over her shoulder. When she approached the window, a relieved smile crossed her lips.
“How do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Come to my rescue,” she said.
Evan’s cheeks heated. “I do?”
“Yeah, you do. My mom just bailed on me. She’s in Columbia with her latest boyfriend. Told me to take an Uber home.” Her usual nonchalance dissipated just long enough for disgust to slip into her voice. “Whatever. A ride would be great. Thank you.”
Evangeline waved and said, “You can think of me as your Uber today. Hi, I’m Evangeline, Evan’s aunt.”
“I’m Rachel. Are you sure it’s no trouble?”
“Absolutely, sure.” Evangeline nudged Evan’s arm. “Honey, why don’t you move to the jump seat in the back and let Rachel sit up front.”
Evan nodded. “Sure thing.”
Once Rachel was buckled into the front seat, Evangeline put the truck in gear.
“I need to pick up a few things before we head home,” Evangeline said as she made her way toward I-526.
“Sure thing,” Evan said. A buzz of excitement filled his belly. He pulled two books from his backpack, his Algebra book and the spell book Ben had given him. He placed the spell book inside the Algebra book so his aunt couldn’t see it, then flipped to the dog-eared page with the potion he was counting on to help him and the team win the game.
If Evangeline was taking them to the shop he thought she was, he would need to find a way to secretly get the two things he needed for the potion. He figured it would be easy to slip away for just a minute and discreetly buy the items. He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and checked his cash levels. His dad had given him his allowance on Sunday. So far, he’d only spent $5 on two tickets to the dance Saturday night, which left him $40 for the rest of the weekend. Hopefully, it would be enough to cover any ingredients he needed and also enough for pizza with the team after the game. He hated asking his mom for money. She just didn’t have a whole lot extra to give. He would find a way to make it stretch, even if it meant going into the safe in his dad’s office and pulling a twenty out of the emergency fund envelope his dad kept there.
Evan sat on the edge of his seat, feeling like a rebel perched between the two front seats. The old truck had no working seatbelt for the jump seat. A linen sachet bag hung from the rearview mirror, and Evan wondered what was inside.
“So, Rachel, what’s your favorite subject?” Evangeline asked. “Mine was always home economics. I don’t know that they even teach that anymore, do they?”
“No, ma’am, they don’t.” Rachel glanced at Evan. He shrugged. “I like history. I think it’s really interesting. The past. Where we came from. As human beings, I mean.”
“There’s a lot to be learned from the past.”
“I think so, too,” Rachel said.
“So,” Evangeline hesitated. She gave Rachel a side-eyed glance and turned on her blinker. “Is your mother coming home tonight?”
Rachel shifted in her seat, and her dark blue nails scraped across the fabric when she closed her fingers into a tight fist.
“Uh-huh, probably.”
“But you’re not sure?” Evangeline asked.
“Sometimes she doesn’t. It just all depends on how much she’s drinking,” Rachel said bluntly. An energy Evan had never felt before filled the space around Rachel and spilled over onto him. He sat back in his seat and held his hand to his chest. It didn’t hurt exactly — it was more of an ache. A heartache. Was this what his mom meant when she said she could feel someone else’s heart aching? It wrapped around him, making it hard to breathe for a minute.
“Evan? You all right?” Evangeline asked. He looked up and realized she had parked her truck on the street.
“I’m fine,” he muttered. “Just ready to stretch my legs.”
Evangeline’s eyes narrowed, and he could feel her looking at him, trying to determine if he was lying or not. She smiled and nodded. “Let’s go then.”
The three of them hopped out of the car, and Evangeline led them into a shop with a small gem-shaped sign of a cut amethyst.
“Evangeline, are we at the right place?” Evan whispered to her once they were inside. “This doesn’t look like the place Ben took me and my mom to.”
“I know, sweetie,” Evangeline said. “I wanted to get some basic supplies.”
“Wow,” Rachel said, looking around at the g
eodes on a large display shelf at the front of the shop. “This is amazing.”
“Yes, it is.” Evangeline sidled up next to her.
“Evangeline!” A woman approached them. Her dark gray eyes, pronounced nose, and black clothing reminded Evan of the crows his mother sometimes fed behind her house. When he asked why she fed them, she’d told him she’d made a deal with them. She’d give them food they liked — peanuts, dog kibble, egg yolks, and fruit, and they’d keep an eye on her house for her and warn her of any danger. He’d thought she was a little crazy for saying such things, but somehow, looking at this woman with her sleek black hair and nearly black eyes, he wasn’t so sure.
“Hi, Magda,” Evangeline said. “I need a few supplies.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place.” Her red lips drew up into a bow. “Who do you have here?”
“This is my grand-nephew, Evan, and his friend, Rachel.”
“You must be Charlie’s son.” Magda took a step closer to him. “You look so much like her.”
“Thanks?” Evan glanced at Evangeline for support.
“Magda’s an old family friend, Evan. She’s known your mom since she was younger than you.”
“Oh, right,” Evan said.
“I was hoping that maybe Diana could show Rachel around the shop.”
The two women exchanged a glance, and Evan sensed something pass between them. He hadn’t honed his talents enough to pick up on what the two women were doing, but he knew enough to keep his mouth shut.
“Of course. Would you like to get a lesson on jewelry-making, Rachel?”
Rachel’s eyes widened and she looked to Evan. He gave her a nod.
“Sure. That’d be great,” Rachel said.
“Come with me. We’re going to find you the perfect crystal beads.”
Magda ushered Rachel toward the woman standing behind the counter near the back of the store.
“That should keep her distracted while we shop,” Evangeline explained. “And Diana makes some of the best protection jewelry in the state. Which should keep your girlfriend safe.” She winked at Evan.
He opened his mouth to protest, to say Rachel wasn’t really his girlfriend, but some part of him didn’t want to argue. He wondered what Rachel would say if she really knew what was going on here. Really knew that he and his aunt were witches, and places like this one had back rooms full of supplies for spells and magic potions that ran the gamut.