by Cassandra
She groaned.
“There’s no time to worry about that now,” her grandmother reminded her. “Hurry and get yourself dressed now, darling.”
Jessica nodded, went into the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.
She stared at herself in the mirror and noted her wild hair and tired eyes. Her sleep had been restless, and when she finally had managed to fall into a deep slumber, it had been filled with the most unusual dreams.
The images that had left her tossing and turning throughout the night came back to her in snippets and she frowned,. Black cats. Glowing red eyes. Devil horns. Cemeteries.
Immediately before she woke, she had dreamt of being stuck in the body of a cat while she stared up into the sky. She had seen her grandmother fly past on a broom and laugh into the night.
And then a cat actually yelled at me to wake up, Jessica thought. She shook her head, still flabbergasted. It had been so much easier to think Chad had merely been messing with her when he claimed Grace could speak. She hadn’t at all been prepared to hear the familiar for herself.
Jessica bit her lip nervously as she stepped into the shower and focused on the reality that she had a long day ahead of her. Not only did she feel sleep-deprived from all the strange dreams she’d had, but she had stayed up late in an attempt to finish her homework. Sadly, she hadn’t quite succeeded.
Her stomach lurched uncomfortably at the thought of facing her history test at the end of the week.
She sighed, certain that her teachers would notice something was off about her when she sat through her classes. That wasn’t too much of a problem, but she could only hope they wouldn’t ask what was wrong. If they did, what could she possibly tell them?
“Sorry. The last twenty-four hours have been a little hectic for me, that’s all. I found out that my grandma is a witch and a couple of demon hunters have enlisted our help in…I don’t know, fighting demons, I guess. Don’t worry, though. I’ll finish my readings, I swear. But is it possible that I get an extension on my term paper?”
Jessica felt crazy even imagining the hypothetical conversation.
She stepped out of the shower, dressed, and headed downstairs.
Her jaw dropped when she found her grandmother in the kitchen setting the breakfast table.
“You quit looking at me like that,” she clucked over a plate full of pancakes meant for her granddaughter. “Since you felt so bamboozled last night, I decided to actually cook breakfast this morning. Besides, it’s too early to steal anyway. I haven’t had enough coffee yet.”
It wasn’t the pancakes that had Jessica’s attention. It was Grandma Ethel herself.
The old lady was dressed in a nice blouse and a neat skirt that swept the floor. She wore actual shoes instead of house slippers, and her hair, which usually hung down her sides in long braids, was brushed back into a neat and slick ponytail.
Try as she might, Jessica couldn’t remember ever seeing her grandmother look so well put-together. Heck, only a little while ago when she first woke and saw her standing in the hallway, Grandma Ethel had worn a long flannel nightgown and her hair had stood up on top of her head like someone had scared her.
“Grandma, you look amazing!” She wanted to add that she also looked twenty years younger but wasn’t sure her grandmother would take it as a compliment.
Ethel winked. “Gotta leave a good impression, especially after seeing the picture of your pastor friend.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
The smile slid off her face and she suddenly no longer felt quite as impressed by her grandmother’s appearance. “Eww,” she exclaimed involuntarily.
She took her seat at the kitchen table and tried to rekindle her appetite for the pancakes. The sight of them had been mouthwatering only a few seconds before. “So, what’s the agenda for today?” she asked in a desperate need to redirect her thoughts from her grandmother trying to catch Pastor Norman’s eye.
Is that even legal? she wondered.
“I already spoke with Chad this morning. He’s on his way to the school now, so hurry and eat. We all need to get there around the same time so we can go to the main office together. Don’t worry, you won’t have much to do. You simply sit there and nod whenever someone asks you a question. Got it?” Grandma Ethel asked and darted quickly from the kitchen with a can of cat food in her hand and several cats trailing behind her.
“Do I really need to be there at all?” Jessica asked as she poured maple syrup onto her pancakes. The thought of lying to the principal had been nerve-wracking enough the previous day, but now, it was even more so. To say she had cold feet was an understatement. She felt like she walked barefoot through a blizzard in Alaska.
The old woman returned to the kitchen and fixed her granddaughter with a stern gaze. “Honey-child, you already agreed to this. If there’s one thing I don’t tolerate, it’s people going back on their word.” The harshness of her voice was somewhat undercut by the fact that she accidentally poured food into the litter box.
“Uhm…Grandma?” Jessica ventured and gestured to the litter box. The cats around Ethel tilted their heads up at her.
“Dammit,” Grandma Ethel muttered when she realized her mistake. “Grace, why didn’t you say something?!” she yelled and darted out of the kitchen again.
Jessica shoveled in a mouthful of pancakes and poured herself a glass of orange juice. “I won’t go back on my word, just so you know!” she called. “I’m only wondering what purpose my physical presence will serve.”
She also thought that she could use any bit of extra time she could cobble together to catch up on homework and studying.
Saving the world from demons seemed important enough, but in her world, flunking a history test seemed almost as catastrophic as Armageddon.
Her grandmother reappeared, this time correctly holding the cats’ food bowl. “Because…if I’m there claiming Chad is my grandnephew, your being there will add to the illusion. We need you for credibility so the school won’t dig around for more information. Duh.”
Jessica sighed and continued to eat her breakfast, resigned to the fact that they wouldn’t let her wiggle her way out of this.
When she finished eating and cleared her plate, she stepped over the pile of cats in the middle of the floor that now scrapped over their kibble. Once she retrieved her backpack, she called out to her grandmother, “Ready!”
Grandma Ethel materialized behind her and now sported a pair of stylish sunglasses that she’d added to her outfit. “Well, let’s go meet up with our fellas, shall we?” She beamed and headed for the door with Jessica following nervously behind her.
“Grandma, where are you going? My school is that way,” Jessica asked when Ethel made a wrong turn.
“I know where your school is. I told you we’re meeting with Chad, Roger, and the pastor first.”
Sure enough, as she parked around the corner, Jessica noticed Chad’s car parked off to the side in what she guessed was an attempt to look inconspicuous. When he saw their vehicle approach, Chad emerged from his, together with Roger and, to her surprise, Pastor Norman.
“Good morning, ladies,” Chad greeted cheerfully.
“Hello.” Grandma Ethel spoke in an oddly formal voice. Jessica glanced sideways. Just as she suspected, her grandmother was focused on Pastor Norman.
Jessica had to fight to hold back a grimace. She didn’t get it. The pastor was an old man—not as old as her grandmother, but still up there. In his sixties, at least. His hair was noticeably gray and lines crinkled around his eyes every time he smiled or was in the middle of a long sermon. He also had something of a potbelly. What did her grandma see in him?
Then again, she supposed elderly eyes saw the world and the people in it in a completely different way than she did.
She shifted on her feet and felt warm despite the cold weather. On the one hand, she thought it was because she had ridden to school in a normal car with functioning heating. On the other, she was fairly certain it had more to do
with how paranoid she felt.
With a quick, furtive look, she glanced around, checking to see whether any of her classmates were near.
What would they think if they saw her standing there with her infamous grandmother, a pastor, and two random guys who weren’t from around here?
She could practically hear what those three girls from history class would say. “What’s going on over there, some kind of witches coven gathering?”
Jessica shuddered, dismayed to realize that it actually was a witches coven gathering.
“Hello, Jessica.” Pastor Norman greeted her with a warm smile, which snapped her out of her thoughts. He gave her a one-armed hug. “And you must be Jessica’s grandmother, Ms. Libbons?”
Her grandmother smiled widely. “Please, call me Ethel.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ethel.”
“Likewise, Pastor.”
Roger suppressed a laugh and Chad exchanged an awkward glance with Jessica.
He cleared his throat. “Well, shall we make our way inside?” he asked. “We need to get this over with so we don’t miss our classes.”
Jessica readjusted her backpack over her shoulder. “You sound way too excited about this, Chad.”
He laughed. “You don’t get it now, but you will soon. Mark my words. Once you finish high school and are thrown into the world of adulthood, you’ll look back and suddenly realize how fun and carefree this time of your life was.”
Pastor Norman chuckled. “And when you get to my age,” he confided, “you’ll realize how good you have it right now!”
“And when you reach my age,” Ethel interjected, “you’ll simply be glad you still got it!” She winked.
“Oh, my God,” Jessica moaned and quickened her pace to temporarily put some distance between herself and the group.
Jessica was pleased to find the school still largely unoccupied when they made their way inside. She had arrived earlier than she normally did and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, not many of her classmates would be around to witness the impending fiasco.
She knew it would be an interesting day by the way Grandma Ethel and Chad both stopped and looked around the school, their mouths agape, the second they stepped foot through the entrance.
“Not to show my age, but it’s been about seventy years since I was last inside a school, I think,” the old lady ventured.
“How is that possible? Didn’t you ever have to go to my mother’s school?” Jessica asked.
“Your grandfather dealt with that nonsense. The other mothers were worried I would cast a spell to make their husbands leave them. For me.”
Jessica cringed. “You really don’t always have to tell us everything, Grandma.”
“Oh, I don’t. You wouldn’t believe the half of it if I did.”
“I bet you have all kind of stories, don’t you Ms. Ethel?” Roger asked.
“Don’t encourage her,” Jessica warned.
“So regular schools really do look like this?” Chad said and looked at the lockers in awe. “It’s so like high school dramas on TV.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Now what is your problem? Like you said yesterday, it hasn’t been that long since you were in high school.”
“Well, I’ve never been in a non-magical school before,” he confessed at the precise moment when one of the school lunch ladies walked past and gave him an odd look.
“I seriously need you to not make that kind of confession out loud,” Jessica hissed irritably.
“Sorry!”
“The main office, Jessica?” Pastor Norman asked.
“Yes,” she answered and nodded gratefully. She was relieved that at least one of them behaved normally. “Follow me.”
She led them down the hall and around the nearest corner to where the main office was located. When she stepped inside, an office assistant looked up at her. “Uhm, hi,” Jessica began and glanced at her grandmother and Father Norman.
The woman stood behind the desk. “Hello, Pastor,” she blurted, bowing slightly, clearly surprised to see a pastor. She looked at Grandma Ethel, Chad, Roger, and Jessica. “How can I help you all?”
Ethel stepped forward. “We’re here to speak to the principal about enrolling my…nephew and my grandson here. They’re starting school today.”
“Oh yes!” the assistant exclaimed. “She did mention an appointment this morning. Hold on one moment, please.”
So far, so good.
Seconds later, the principal, Ms. Jones, and the school counselor, Mr. Anderson, came into view.
“Hello, Ms. Libbons,” Ms. Jones greeted her and extended her hand. “And Pastor. Please, come this way.”
They crowded into the principal’s office and positioned themselves around the desk before Ms. Jones while Mr. Anderson stood off to the side.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Grandma Ethel began in the oddly formal tone that Jessica was so unused to hearing. Gone was the old lady who had accidentally poured cat food into the litter box earlier that morning. “Especially after such short notice. It’s been a tragic few days for my grandson and nephew.”
Ms. Jones looked sympathetically at Grandma Ethel, and Jessica shifted on her feet. She chanced a glance at Chad and Roger and subsequently had to suppress the inappropriate urge to laugh. She could so easily tell that they tried to wear wide-eyed innocent expressions to make themselves look younger. Taking their cue from Grandma Ethel mentioning a tragic few days, Roger had stuck his bottom lip out. Chad looked dramatically off to the side as if in attempt to visibly look like he fought back tears.
Determined to not ruin the moment, Jessica looked away.
“You have become their legal guardian, correct?” Ms. Jones asked in a gentle voice.
Grandma Ethel nodded. “That’s right. I’m the next closest relative for them both.”
“I see.” The principal studied both Chad and Roger for what seemed a rather long moment.
Jessica’s heart stuttered. She was convinced that if Ms. Jones looked too closely at them, she would realize that they were obviously grown men. Then, all of them would be in trouble. She shifted uncomfortably again.
“How are they related?” Ms. Jones asked. She’d obviously noted the lack of resemblance between them.
“Well…” Ethel said. “They are cousins. All three of them.” She waved her hand at Chad, Roger, and Jessica. “Chad is my grandson, the son of my elder son.” She leaned forward and whispered, “The one who was killed in the crash with his wife.” She leaned back again. “And Roger here was adopted by my niece before she fell ill. I tell you—when it rains it pours!”
“I am so sorry. I can’t imagine what your family is going through.”
The old woman waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll be all right.” She sighed heavily. “Oh—and of course, my granddaughter Jessica here is already a student of yours.”
Jessica forced a smile.
Ms. Jones nodded. “Yes, Jessica is an excellent student. One of our best.” Smiling, she turned towards Chad and Roger. “I know you boys will be equally delightful.”
“Oh, they most certainly will!” Ethel agreed and turned to pinch Roger on the cheek since he was closest to her.
“If you have their paperwork ready, they’ll be all set,” Ms. Jones proclaimed. “After that, Mr. Anderson will take them to get class schedules.”
“Wonderful,” Ethel said.
It wasn’t until that moment that Jessica noticed how tightly her grandmother had clutched her purse. She watched as the old lady gazed at Pastor Norman as if to give him some sort of cue. He coughed a few times and redirected Ms. Jones’s and Mr. Anderson’s attention to him.
“Pardon me,” he apologized. “Anyway, thank you so much, Ms. Jones, for accepting these fine young men into this establishment.” He proceeded to give what sounded like a well-rehearsed spiel that successfully held the principal’s and the counselor’s attention.
Jessica, on the other hand, stared discreetly at he
r grandmother and noticed the way she fumbled around in her purse. Noticing her granddaughter watching, Grandma Ethel gave her a small wink.
No one else seemed to notice the flash of light inside her purse. Shortly thereafter, Grandma Ethel withdrew a stack of documents.
“Here you go,” she said calmly when Pastor Norman stopped speaking. She handed over what Jessica realized were birth certificates and guardianship forms. Fake, of course. Freshly made right there in her grandmother’s purse barely seconds ago.
The things magic can do, an astonished Jessica thought.
As Ms. Jones and Mr. Anderson read the documents, Grandma Ethel gave Pastor Norman an appreciative nod.
Ms. Jones keyed something into the computer before her and then looked at them with a smile. “Congratulations. You’re all set.” She stood and they all followed suit and exchanged handshakes.
Mr. Anderson finally stepped forward. “You gentleman can follow me to my office,” he said. “I’ll get your class schedules printed out. You come along too, Jessica. You don’t mind showing your cousins around to their classes for the day, right?”
She smiled. “No. Of course not.”
“Well, I guess we’ll be on our way then,” Grandma Ethel declared in a grandiose voice. She extended her arms, caught all three of them in a hug, and kissed each of their cheeks in turn. “Have a lovely day, my dearies.”
“Thanks, Grandma.” Jessica beamed.
Roger spoke at once. “Thanks, Auntie Ethel.”
Chad followed with a smirk. “See you, Gran.”
Pastor Norman beamed benignly at all of them. “Bless you, my children,” he intoned. “And remember, if you ever need me, I’m only a call away.”
Chad and Roger followed Mr. Anderson out of the office. Jessica was right behind them when Grandma Ethel suddenly placed an arm around her and whispered in her ear. “My goodness! I’ve never been a churchgoer in all my years, but I would have been if I knew that’s where all the hot guys hang out!” She giggled and watched Pastor Norman head for the door.
Jessica rubbed her forehead and sighed. “Grandma.”