She closed her eyes for a long moment and inhaled. A brisk autumn breeze floated in through the diamond paneled windows. At least the all too staid Council allowed fresh air into the room. A miracle, considering their aversion to fresh ideas.
Jinx, the rotten little minx, meowed. A smug, taunting call to action.
Tessa dropped her satchel onto the table and cleared her throat. “Let’s call this meeting to order. I’m ready to get started.”
An elderly crone spoke to the group at large. “You see, this is exactly the problem. With her, it’s always I, I, I.” She shook her head, disapproval evident on her wrinkled face. “It proves we’ve made the right decision.”
Decision?
“But you haven’t read through my application,” Tessa protested. She glanced anxiously around the table. “It’s not fair to make a decision about this without hearing what I have to say.”
“Are you sure you want to talk to us about what’s fair?” this from the usually reticent Clarissa Goodbody. “What about that poor construction worker you left dangling from a crane?”
So they knew. Tessa clenched her jaw. Of course they did. She had no secrets in the small, interbred community. But if she could just get across the Atlantic she’d have breathing space.
“We’re getting very off topic here,” she said, neatly avoiding Clarissa’s question. “I would like to begin by--”
“We’re not getting off topic, my dear,” her Aunt Trudy interrupted. “We’re actually getting to the matter at hand. Have a seat, please.” She pointed to the only empty chair at the table.
Tessa didn’t want to sit. She wanted to talk. And not about her long list of perceived crimes either. But she did as she was bid. It seemed as if she was in enough trouble already.
Something wasn’t right. She’d attended these meetings for four years now. They were always boring. Excruciatingly so. But the atmosphere in the room today was different. It crackled with an energy that unnerved her. Something was about to change. Her instincts told her she was not going to like it either.
“Aunt Trudy, I came here today to present my application for appointment to the United Paranormal Council.”
“Yes, that is why you’ve come my dear, but that isn’t why we’re here.” Her smile was kind, almost pitying.
Tessa’s stomach turned over, her body reacting to what her mind still wasn’t grasping. Her throat was too dry to talk. She tapped her finger twice on her palm but the witch across from her shook her head.
“Let me, Tessa.” In a smooth practiced movement she waved her index finger in an intricate pattern.
A crystal goblet filled with ice water materialized in front of Tessa. She’d wanted wine. But water would do in a pinch. And if Tessa Von Hellengaard had ever felt in a pinch, it was now.
To read more...
Other books by this Author:
Witch Weigh
Witch Christmas
Mermaid Inc.
Maid for Love
Magic Wand Ranch Page 10