by Sarra Cannon
Friday's game against the Hornets was pretty much attended by the entire town. I did my best to stay in the moment, but my head wasn't really in it. I knew I couldn't afford to make Brooke too suspicious. I tried to concentrate, but what I was really thinking about was Officer Ellis all alone at the police station watching Jackson.
After the game, some of the other officers would probably join him, but during the game, he was alone. Making myself invisible again, even for a few minutes, would be tough. I needed to keep my head together.
The police department was a good two miles from the stadium, and I had hidden my bike in the trees across the road before school that morning. As we neared half-time, my stomach tightened into knots. If anyone on the squad found out what I was doing, I would be in some major trouble. I had to play this out perfectly.
When the buzzer went off announcing half-time, the football team retreated into the field house and the cheerleading squad followed close behind. Usually at half-time, the boosters had refreshments set up in the front room of the field house. I got Lark's attention and hung back from the crowd.
“Thanks for standing up for me yesterday,” I said. “The truth is, I'm really just exhausted. It's been crazy at home since Jackson was arrested. Ella Mae's been so busy, we're all having to do extra chores and stuff to make up for it. I think I might be coming down with something.”
“Aww, I totally understand,” she said.
“Could you do me a huge favor?”
“You know I'd do anything for you.”
“Cover for me during half-time. I want to go into the locker room and lay down for a few.”
“Sure,” she said. “You sure you don't want me to tell Mrs. King you aren't feeling well? She'd probably let you go home early. Or maybe she could even help heal you if you've got a fever or something.”
“No,” I said. “Please don't tell anyone. I'll be fine, I just need some peace and quiet for a few minutes.”
Lark gave me a big hug and promised to watch my back. As soon as she had disappeared inside the field house with the rest of the squad, I made a break for my bicycle.
Officer James Ellis was watching TV when I reached the doors of the police station. I went around back and sat down in the darkness, palms up. It took a few tries to get centered. The movement across my lower back was particularly distracting tonight, but eventually, I began to fade away.
Unfortunately, being invisible didn't mean I could walk through walls. I needed to get inside somehow, so I improvised. I picked up a rock from the parking lot and tossed it at the glass window in the front door. It wasn't hard enough to break anything, but I definitely got Ellis' attention. At first, he just sat up and stared at the door.
I threw a second rock, and this time he got up and came to investigate. He opened the door wide.
“Who's out here? Run along now before you get into some serious trouble,” he yelled.
Carefully, I slipped past him. I held my breath and pressed tight against the wall so he wouldn't feel me beside him. He turned in my direction and inhaled deeply. My heart skipped a beat, realizing he must have been able to smell me.
I moved quickly. While he was still at the door, I grabbed a set of keys off the wall and let myself into the back of the station house.
Jackson was alone. He sat on his bed with his back propped against the gray cinder-block wall. He was reading a book. He looked up as the door opened, then smiled.
“Hi, Harper.”
I dropped my glamour and cocked my head. “How did you know it was me?”
“I could see you,” he said.
“That's not possible. I was invisible.”
“And how exactly did you pull that off?” he said. “That's some pretty high level magic for a witch your age.”
I stepped toward the cell. I had been worried about how I was going to explain the whole invisibility thing, but apparently he was way ahead of me. “So you know about the witches?”
“I know a lot of things,” he said. “I've been in this town for a long time.”
My stomach tightened. I thought of the yearbook picture.
“How long?”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I found a picture in an old yearbook from 1993,” I said. “Jackson, it was you, wasn't it?”
He set his book on the mattress and walked over to the bars. “There's so much I want to tell you, but it would be useless.”
“Why?”
“Because of this.” He reached through the bars and took my hand. With his index finger, he traced the scar along my palm. “As long as they control you, they can wipe your memory any time they please. And as soon as anyone finds out we've talked, you can bet this conversation would be the first thing they erased from your mind.”
I suddenly felt heavy and helpless. “So how do I get out from under their control.”
Jackson let go of my hand and I immediately missed the warmth of his skin against mine. “There's a book,” he said. “On the third floor of Shadowford. Do you know the room I'm talking about.”
I nodded. “The library room.”
“In that room, there's a spell book called Memoria. It's full of different ways to manipulate memory and the way people remember certain events.”
“How do you know about that room?”
“I've been there before,” he said. “There's a potion in that book. It's called the Elixir of Kendria. You can find the ingredients for it inside the blue cabinet in my bedroom. Make the potion and drink it. It'll help you remember.”
I leaned my head against the cold steel bars. “I'm so tired of fighting for answers, Jackson.”
“The potion will make you see everything with new eyes, I promise you that. You just have to be patient. The answers will come.”
“If I do this, you'll tell me who you are? How you can live for so long without changing?”
He nodded. “But Harper, whatever you do, you cannot let Ella Mae or anyone else know that you were in my room or that you had access to that spell book. Don't take the book from the room either. You'll have to memorize the potion, or write it down.”
“Ella Mae isn't really your mother, is she?” It was something I'd been thinking about ever since I saw his picture in the yearbook.
Jackson shook his head. “No, she's a member of the Order. My keeper, in a way. She can be very dangerous. Promise me you'll be careful.”
“I promise,” I said. “But, what about you? What's going to happen to you?”
He looked around his sparse cell and lifted his hands into the air. “I have everything I need right here,” he said. “The Order has me in here to protect me, Harper, not to blame me. They know just as well as you do that I wasn't responsible for Morgyn's death.”
“Why would you need protection? Are you in danger?”
Jackson looked toward the door to the front of the station. A flash of panic crossed his features, then disappeared. “There's no time, Harper. Officer Ellis will be coming through those doors in a few minutes. There's a back door at the end of the hallway. You should go.”
I slipped my hand through the steel bars and touched his face. “I'm sorry about Morgyn,”I said. “I know you cared about her.”
Jackson took my hand and closed his eyes. “Thanks,” he said.
I pulled away, my heart aching to tell him how much I'd come to care for him, too. I opened my mouth to speak, then moved quickly toward the back door of the station.
Someone Is Always Watching
I made it back to the school with only moments to spare. Even though I'd only used the glamour for a few minutes, I felt drained and sick to my stomach. I dropped my bike to the ground and walked toward the field house. The second half of this game was going to be pure torture. I clutched my stomach in pain and leaned against the door to the field house, not wanting to go inside.
“I think a lot of people underestimate you, Harper.”
I swung around to find Mrs. King standing at the bottom of the
field house steps, watching me.
“Oh gosh, you scared me,” I said, out of breath. My heart was already racing from the bike ride, and now it sped up from fear.
“I don't want to see you get into any trouble,” she said. She climbed the stairs toward me, a serious expression on her face.
“I don't know what you mean.”
Mrs. King placed her hand on the small of my back. I could feel the demon writhe against my skin.
“Someone is always watching,” she said. “Especially when you're a recruit. I would hate to see you get mixed up with the wrong kind of people.”
My heart skipped and panic set in. Did she know I'd been to see Jackson?
“Are you saying this tattoo does more than just let me into the training room?” I asked.
Mrs. King looked around. “I'm saying that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. And you never know when the Order might be watching you.”
With that, she opened the doors to the field house and announced to the squad that it was time to get back into the stadium.
I doubled over against the metal railing and threw up.
Wondering If Anyone Would Notice
I sat on the bleachers for most of the second half. My body temperature went from freezing to burning up to freezing all over again. Mrs. King handed me a fuzzy blue blanket and a cup of hot chocolate when I started to shiver.
I begged my body to recover faster. Every little shiver or grimace of pain was a clue to anyone watching that I'd been doing some kind of forbidden magic beyond my level. Why didn't I think of the consequences earlier? I thought I was being all sneaky and undercover with my talks to Morgyn and Jackson, but now I wasn't so sure.
Mrs. King implied that the tattoo on my back was also used as some kind of tracking device. A way to monitor recruits. Nothing I did was private. Did any of the other girls know the Order was watching us? I made a mental note to question Lark about it later, but for now, I had more pressing questions on my mind.
If the Order was watching me, how the hell was I going to sneak up to the third floor library? Much less Jackson's bedroom? Just thinking about it made me want to throw up all over again. I pulled the blanket tighter against my body and begged my stomach to calm down.
Once the game was over, the PHS Demons were officially in the playoffs. Drake ran off the field and pulled me up into a hug.
“We did it!” he said, pumping his fist. “Let's go celebrate.”
Did he seriously not even notice that I'd been sitting on the sidelines for the past hour and a half? I had to stop myself from punching him in the face. He had to be one of the most selfish guys in the world. I don't know how I didn't see it before.
“I don't feel good,” I said. “That's why I sat out the entire second half. Didn't you notice?”
He frowned. “No. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it's not like I'm dying or anything,” I said. “But I think I'd rather just go home and get some rest.”
“Bummer. Foster invited us over to his house to go swimming. He's trying to get back into Brooke's good graces. I thought you might want to come.”
“It's freezing out,” I said, shivering.
“Indoor heated pool,” he said. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “With a hot tub.”
I shook my head. I couldn't take this anymore. The more time I spent around Drake, the more I began to despise him. The thought of hanging out with him in a hot tub made me feel even worse. “Listen, Drake—”
“Great game, son!” Drake's father came up behind him and give him a big pat on the back.
“Thanks, Dad!” Drake turned around and gave his dad a strong handshake.
Mrs. Ashworth was close behind. My heart rose into my throat, and I felt slightly dizzy.
“Yes, that was a great game, dear,” she said, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss Drake's cheek. “Exactly what I wanted to see tonight with so many recruiters in the stands.”
I stood by silently, wondering if anyone would notice if I made a run for it.
Then, Mrs. Ashworth turned to me, and I was stuck. “Harper, honey, what happened to you the second half? You looked miserable down there on the bleachers. Are you ill?”
I nodded. “I really think I should be heading home,” I said. “I might be coming down with something.”
Mrs. Ashworth studied me carefully. I felt my heart pound against my ribs like a frantic, caged bird. Could she tell I'd been doing magic?
“I'm sure all this training has been hard on you,” she said. “Maybe you should go home and rest. I hope you get to feeling better. We'd love to have you over to our house for dinner sometime soon, now.”
“Yes, ma'am,” I said. “Goodnight, Drake, good game.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “You want me to drive you home?”
“No,” I said, perhaps a bit too quickly. “I'm just going to catch the van home to Shadowford. I'd hate to get you sick, too.”
As soon as I could, I made my way back up to the parking lot and searched for the Shadowford van. I spotted Courtney coming out of the stadium gate and jogged to catch up with her, glad to be rid of the Ashworths.
Feel Better
“Courtney, wait up,” I called. A sharp pain shot through my side. I slowed to catch my breath.
“Hey, Harper,” she said. She stopped and waited for me. As usual, her stick straight blonde hair covered half her face. She wore a pair of tattered jeans and a black hoodie.
“Thanks,” I said. I doubled over slightly as a wave of nausea passed over me. Man, using magic got more and more dangerous to my health each time I used it. This time, I had only been invisible for ten minutes at most. Why was it affecting me so harshly?
“Are you all right?” Courtney rushed over and put her hand on my shoulder.
“I'll be okay,” I said. “I think maybe I ate something bad.”
She helped me to the van. The whole ride home, she kept looking over at me as if there was something she wanted to say to me. When I met her eyes, though, she just looked away.
Mary Anne sat quietly in the backseat. She had taken Morgyn Baker's death quite hard, retreating even further into her shell. For days after the dance, Mary Anne stayed in her room. She missed school and refused to eat. Several times, when I'd knocked on her door to ask her to come down for dinner, I'd heard her crying.
Tonight, she was silent and still. I was surprised she'd even gone to the game at all. Maybe Ella Mae made her come.
Whenever she was around, tension hung in the air. Even now, in the van, I felt her eyes on me. I wanted to ask her what her problem was, but since I knew she'd just lost a good friend, I figured she deserved a little space.
When we arrived home, Courtney helped me up the stairs and into my bedroom. I said goodnight and went to wash my face, but when I came out of the bathroom, she was still standing there.
“Oh, hey, I thought you'd gone to bed,” I said.
“Can I come in for a sec?”
I shrugged. I didn't really have time to sit and chat. Not when I was so close to getting my memories back. But I couldn't exactly tell her to leave. “Sure,” I said. “I probably won't be up too much longer, though.”
Courtney turned and stuck her head into the hallway, looked both ways, then closed us into my room. “You were using too much magic.”
She said it as a fact, not a question. I narrowed my eyes at her. What did she know about it? I didn't know whether I should trust her. I didn't answer her. Instead, I walked to my closet and pulled out some pajamas.
“I recognize the signs,” she said. She moved to sit on my bed. “Believe me, I've been there before. This one time, I tried to get my stereo to work without any electricity running to it. That knocked me out for a few hours.”
“You can do high level magic?” I asked. I forgot my pajamas and joined her on the bed.
“Some things,” she said. “Probably nothing like what you can do, but I play around some.”
As I loo
ked at her, I realized I didn't know that much about Courtney's past. How did she end up here at Shadowford? From what Morgyn told me, Shadowford was being used by the Order as a way to draw in orphaned girls like me and Agnes. They were looking for the Prima, but what were their intentions with the girls who turned out not to be the Prima? If they were so powerful, why weren't they recruited and trained? It didn't seem fair.
“What can you do?” I asked.
She looked around the room. Her eyes settled on something near my closet. I followed her gaze. The pajamas I discarded on the top of my dressing table floated toward us. I smiled.
“Where did you learn to do that?” My pj's landed beside me on the bed.
Courtney's face broke out in a smile, but she dipped her head to hide it. She shrugged, but I could tell she was glad to share her ability with me.
I touched her arm and got a slight shock of static electricity. “Oops,” I said. “Sorry.”
“It's okay,” she said. “Sometimes the air in a room gets charged with a little bit of electricity after magic is used.”
“I've noticed that before,” I said. “Actually, the first time I met Mrs. Shadowford, the door gave me a shock. She's a witch, too, isn't she?”
Courtney nodded.
I winced as another wave of pain shot through my abdomen.
Slowly, Courtney reached out to take my hands in hers. “There's something else I can do,” she said.
I looked up, curious.
“Close your eyes.”
I closed my eyes, unsure what to expect. At first, nothing happened. The house was quiet and still. The only sound was the sound of our breathing.
Then, Courtney's hands became burning hot. On instinct, I tried to pull away, but she held firm, refusing to let me go. My eyes flew open. I was frightened. Was she trying to hurt me?
“Shhh,” she whispered. “It'll be okay, I promise.”
The burning heat spread through my body like hot lava. My lower back screamed in pain. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Just when I didn't think I could take it anymore, an instant calm settled over me. My skin cooled and felt refreshed. Suddenly, my nausea was gone.