Broken Spell

by Fabio Bueno

  “What? I… I don’t know,” Mona mumbles.

  Jane’s voice is stern. “Trust me. I’m your best chance. Stay here, and the Night sisters will get you. Or the other kind. Either way, your life is over.” She pauses and adds, “And I need your help too.”

  “Okay,” my sister replies in a timid voice, her eyes huge.

  No, Mona! I shouldn’t have told you about Jane. You’re pitying her. That was Jane’s plan! And I fell for it. I just gifted Mona to Jane.

  Jane kneels down next to the woman and injects her with a yellow liquid. “Don’t worry, Drake. It’s Forget. Told you I wouldn’t kill anyone. This is Scythe, a witch assassin. The one who stabbed me.”

  Then Jane approaches me and does something behind my back. Neither Yara nor Mona protest.

  Yara drags me away. I want to scream. Don’t let my sister go.

  It’s no use. Yara leaves me behind the bushes separating two houses. “Sorry, Drake. I wish I had brought a Dispel.”

  She kisses me on the lips and runs away.

  And I watch in horror as Mona climbs onto Jane’s bike and they disappear into the night.

  Chapter 41: Skye

  Connor bangs on my locked door. “Skye! Open it!”

  I hang up on Drake and take a deep breath. My mind needs to be sharp. I open the door.

  Connor barges in. “Did you feel the wave?”

  “Of course!”

  “I mean, where did it come from?”

  I have a split-second to decide. I need to gamble. “From the general direction of the hospital.”

  Connor lets out a loud gasp. “Are you sure? Think hard. Really hard.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He steps closer. “It’s not Brianna! The Sisters at the hospital might not have True Sight, but they’re close to Brianna’s room. They can tell the wave didn’t come from there. Where is the Singularity, Skye?”

  I’m afraid he might hit me, but he doesn’t threaten me in any way. It helps me to keep my voice down. “I don’t understand, Connor. Brianna is the one.”

  Vanessa pops her head in. She holds a cell to her ear. Her voice is tense when she talks to us, “They are saying the source is Greenwood, but not the hospital. One of ours recognized a Night Sister leaving her post near the hospital and moving west. We’ve sent two Sisters over there as scouts.”

  Connor tells her, “Okay. Keep me posted.”

  Vanessa goes downstairs.

  “So? Explain this to me.”

  “Do you think there might be a second Singularity?”

  He scoffs. “Of course there isn’t!”

  “How do we know? Maybe this is a new one. I mean, it’s possible.”

  His face darkens. His eyes narrow. “Skye, what are you hiding?”

  “Nothing.”

  He becomes strangely calm. Despite his anger, he sits down on the worn-out love seat in my room. He glares at me. “There’s only one Singularity, and you know it. Suppose there are two; what are the odds of the second one surfacing in the same town? You know that. And you lied to me. Your True Sight can pinpoint the direction, maybe even the distance, right? My parents study these things. Remember? Only you couldn’t have lied, because right now you’re under a Truth potion.” He leans forward. “Or are you?”

  I try to hold his stare, but my lips tremble.

  “If you somehow tried to neutralize the Truth potion, it means you intended to lie. In your official interview. Which tells me that you’ve been lying all along. So Skye, potion or not, this is the time to level with me. Who is the Singularity?”

  I shake my head.

  He looks at the floor. “Skye. You’re throwing your life away.”

  Chapter 42: Drake

  Yara left me in a weird position: on the side path between two houses, behind the bushes. At least I’m hidden from the street. My head is still facing the driveway, though. I see Scythe waking up, clearly lost. She looks around and frowns. Her hand goes to where Jane hit her and comes back with a little blood. She looks at her cell and shakes her head. At last, she climbs on her bike and rides away. Good. One less problem.

  Movement comes first to my numb fingertips. It’s like coming out of anesthesia after dental work. Soon, I can wiggle my toes. Then my hand responds. Next, my arms and legs. It takes me a while to roll around to a more comfortable position and to regain control of my muscles.

  I hate witch stuff.

  I need to find Mona right away. Jane might disappear with her for good. Or worse.

  Something pokes me near my butt. I reach into my pocket. A cell phone, not mine. Looks like a toy.

  Is that what Jane planted in my pocket before leaving? Why would she do that?

  I sit on the gravel path and flip open the cell. Its battery is full, and it has a single number in the memory. I dial it.

  “Yeah?”

  “Jane?”

  “Drake, did you leave the area already?” Her voice is muffled by the motorcycle’s noise.

  “No. Where’s Mona?”

  “With me. Can’t talk now. Leave this place. Remember where we kissed?”

  “What?”

  “Meet us there at nine. Don’t tell anyone. Make sure you’re not followed.”

  Jane hangs up.

  She said, “Meet us.” Mona will be there. Or Jane wants me to believe that.

  I need to leave. I test my legs, and they hold up. I wobble between the two houses to the backyard. It’s dark. I awkwardly climb the fence to the other side and come out a side street.

  The traffic looks normal, but then I notice some cars going way too slow. The drivers are looking at the people on the sidewalks. Looking for Mona.

  Just remain calm, Drake. You’re not a witch. They can’t tell.

  I go a couple of blocks east, then turn left. I’ll circle around to go back to Jeff’s. I need my car. I find it where I left it. When I get close, I see Pain inside. She’s looking at the road. I knock on the window, startling her.

  She opens the driver’s door for me, and I climb inside.

  “Where’s Mona?” she asks with an anxious voice, her hand grabbing my jacket.

  “Jane has her. But I think it’s okay.”

  “What?” Pain shakes me. “How is this okay?”

  “Pain, get a hold of yourself. Jane has her, but she told me to meet them tonight. Mona is safe.” I could add that we cannot do anything about it anyway, but I don’t. “Now, is the car working?”

  She lets go of my jacket. “Yes. Boulder’s father gave me the charger,” she says, pointing to an orange Black & Decker jump-starter on the backseat. “I left the car running for a while.”

  Praying silently, I turn the key. The Volvo sputters, but this time, the engine turns over.

  “Drake, how can you be sure Jane won’t harm Mona?”

  “I just know,” I lie. “I’m positive. Come on, we need to leave. I’ll drop you off and call you as soon as I get her back, okay?”

  ***

  The news announcer says nobody knows the source of the green light. City officials have discarded the possibility of terrorism, but will investigate the matter. Greenwood residents are interviewed on TV, saying they thought a radioactive leak had occurred. The TV shows a quick clip of videos uploaded to YouTube, but there’s nothing more than a flash of green light. The clinking sound isn’t as loud as I experienced it. The witches must be concerned about the Veil. I hope the covens are as influential as they say they are and make this go away soon.

  I call Yara.

  “Drake!” She sounds relieved. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. You?”

  “Got home okay. Nobody stopped me or anything. And Mona?”

  “Picking her up in a few.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll let you know when I know. Let’s meet and talk tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure. I get it.”

  “And Yara? Thank you. Really.”

  “My pleasure, gatinho.”

/>   I don’t know Portuguese, but I’m pretty sure what she means.

  When I’m about to leave to meet Jane, Sean calls.

  “Dude! Where are you? Have you heard?”

  “That Boulder woke up?”

  “Yes! Come on, man! Why aren’t you shouting?”

  “I am. Inside. I truly am.”

  “They’re doing some tests. Boulder’s responding. It’s too early to say, but it’s looking up. A long recovery period, but he’ll come through. We’ll be the three Musketeers again, huh?”

  “Awesome, Sean!” I’m so glad that this mess I put everybody through at least served its purpose.

  “So do you want to hang out? We need to celebrate. No beer, though. My vow is strong. Only sodas for me now.”

  “I need to pick up my sister.”

  “Always the boy scout, huh? Okay, but stop by tomorrow. Let’s go see Boulder together.”

  “Sure thing, Sean. I gotta go now.”

  ***

  I hang up. The only time Jane and I kissed was when she slipped me a Fancy Me potion. We were close to Priscilla’s house. The dark road is a great secluded place, actually. I drive there.

  My destination is not far from my house, but it feels like it takes forever to get there. What if I’m kidding myself? What if this is just another one of Jane’s elaborate plans?

  Right after I pass Priscilla’s house, I see three silhouettes: a motorcycle and two people.

  My heart beats fast; my hands sweat. Those two seconds between seeing the dark shapes and identifying them are the most anxiety-ridden of my life.

  But Jane comes through. Mona is right by her side.

  I stop the car in front of them and get out. The squeezing hug Mona gives me makes it all right.

  “Jane needs to talk to you,” my sister says. “I’ll wait in the car.”

  I give Mona my cell. “Call Pain. She’s dying to talk to you.”

  Jane and I walk a few steps away from our rides. I try not to look at her scarred face. She would resent me for staring.

  “I told you to trust me,” Jane says.

  I’m so happy to have Mona back that I can’t resist a little joke. “Well, you have a bit of a reputation.”

  “Drake!”

  “I’m kidding. Thank you, Jane. I mean it. To me, this makes up for everything in the past.”

  “It’s no big deal. I told you.”

  “Why didn’t you keep Mona? You two together could’ve gone ahead and tried to save him.”

  “Something tells me that I’m better off handing Mona over to you,” Jane says.

  “Your Intuition Charm?”

  “Maybe. But for practical reasons too. I release magical energy. Sooner or later, I’d attract the Night Sisters, and they would find Mona. Besides, I don’t need only Mona to find Jason. I need Skye too.”

  “Good luck with that. She’s pissed at me and won’t return my calls.”

  “Really?” A pause. “Well, at least she will not draw attention to Mona. Not having a Sister visiting your house is a big advantage now. If she comes back, keep her away from Mona. Use only the burner phone I gave you to call me. You have to decide what you’re going to do. The covens are closing in; they’ll find out who Mona is. We need to move fast.”

  “Or Mona and I could run,” I offer.

  “They’ll monitor anyone close to Skye and the other Sisters. If you run, everybody will know Mona is the one.”

  “Or if Brianna tells them.”

  Jane raises her eyebrows. “See? We should have killed her when we had the chance.”

  “I thought you wouldn’t murder anyone else.”

  “I said, ‘if I didn’t have to,’ remember? And I don’t think I do. I just saved your sister and brought her back to you. Can you do the same for my brother?”

  “I will.”

  “Promise?” Her stare burns into my eyes.

  I gaze right back at her damaged face. “I promise, Jane.”

  Chapter 43: Skye

  On our way to the airport, Connor looks at me, alert, as if I might break out of the town car at any moment.

  “What?” I ask.

  “How could you have lied to me? To your coven?”

  He doesn’t need to worry about the Veil. The driver’s a Knowing.

  “Connor, please.”

  “Here’s what’s going to happen now: we’ll wake up Brianna even if it kills her. Now that we know she’s not the Singularity, we’re not so concerned with her well-being anymore. A group of Healing Sisters will be summoned to make a commune ritual to wake her up.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “When Brianna wakes up, she will tell us who the real Singularity is. Why don’t you tell me the truth now before we get it from her anyway? It’ll lessen the punishment by the covens.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  His scowl almost hides his Allure. “I was so proud of you. I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

  Nothing I say will help my case, so I just look out the window.

  “I will still try to help you as much as I can.” His voice is not Connor’s usual one. It’s softer. Caring.

  What am I going to do? Wild scenarios run through my head. Run away. Break the Veil. Even ludicrous ones, like asking Yara to brew me a powerful Forget potion, erasing everything from the last few weeks from my memory.

  I have no strategy to face a Sister with a Truth Charm.

  Mona will be outed, and I’ll be the one doing it.

  And Drake. What am I going to do about Drake?

  ***

  The British Airways flight is delayed. Connor and I avoid eye contact while we wait in the security line. Sea-Tac airport is not too busy tonight.

  A familiar voice calls my name. “Skye!”

  Drake waves to me. He has just turned the corner close to the check-in desks. He is walking fast while motioning to me to get out of the line.

  Connor says, “I can’t allow you to—”

  “Connor, don’t even start. I’ll talk to him, and you can go to hell.”

  I step out of the security line. Connor follows me begrudgingly. He stays away from me, though.

  Drake meets me near a Starbucks. I lead him to two isolated chairs so we can have some privacy.

  “Are you all right? What’s going on?” he asks. “You didn’t return my calls. When Aunt Gemma finally picked up the phone, she told me you were going to England. With him.” He points to Connor.

  “Drake, you don’t understand. They don’t know about Mona, but they know I lied. I’m being shipped back to London to face the Mothers.”

  He’s ashen. “They don’t believe it’s Brianna anymore?”

  “The energy was so intense that they could tell the direction of the source. That’s why they sent Sisters to Boulder’s neighborhood.”

  “Skye, I had no idea—”

  “Listen. They will be monitoring everyone I talked to in Seattle. Like staking out, following, electronic surveillance, you name it. I can’t use a phone. Neither can you. Don’t talk to anyone on the phone. Even Mona and Pain must be careful.”

  Drake shifts about, agitated. “And you’re just leaving?”

  “I don’t have a choice. My coven summoned me.”

  He makes a dismissive gesture. “To hell with them. You’re not beholden to them.”

  “Actually, I am. Drake, I betrayed the people who loved me, who raised me. I may be banished from my coven.”

  “Oh, Skye…” He tries to hug me.

  “Don’t touch me!” My reaction is spontaneous and surprising even to myself.

  He’s taken aback. I might as well have slapped him.

  “I deserve this,” he says.

  “Why did you do that? Why did you put Mona in that situation?”

  “I couldn’t live with the thought that I could’ve done something and chose not to do it. For what it’s worth it, Mona did everything right, but she lost control at the end.” He gazes at hi
s feet. “We saved him, by the way.”

  “I’m happy for him. I really am. But now everything else is ruined. Mona is in danger again. Now I have to go. Do you know what you’ve done? All we did, all the lies, were for nothing. I deceived my friends, my Sisters, my mother, my coven. I was tortured. Jane almost killed me. And, in the end, it was all for nothing. You exposed Mona. Your own sister. You ruined it.”

  Drake looks at me again. His face is all tensed up, but he tries to keep his voice steady. “I see that. I’m truly sorry. Please understand that I needed to do it. Mona felt the same way. She knew the risks to herself, but neither of us though it would harm you.”

  “Now everybody, including the Night covens, will eventually know about Mona. Who she is, where she lives. The Veil might be broken. It almost was, with the green light and everything. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out it’s Mona. Our only hope is that they’re looking for someone who is about seventeen. But once they put it together like we did, she’s done for.”

  He takes a deep breath and straightens his back. “Let’s fix this. What can I do?”

  “You can’t do anything. Now I can’t do anything either.” My voice sounds weak.

  “Let me help you, Skye. I put you in this situation.”

  “It’s funny. You took pity on Jane because she was shunned. Now I may end up just like her. A rogue Sister. No one will ever teach me again, Drake. That’s it for me.”

  His eyes go wide. “No. Don’t think like that. We can fix it. We can figure it out, Skye. It’s not the end of the world.”

  “It is to me! It’s who I am. It’s all I am.”

  “But Skye, you’re so much more.”

  This throws me off. I look down. My hands can’t stop fidgeting.

  He puts his hand over mine. “I’m just saying we can beat this. The two of us, together.”

  I shake my head. “We already tried that, Drake. Look where it got us. Look where it got Mona. I feel for her. I’ll pray to the Goddess for her. I hope she turns out okay. Involving Mona is my only regret. Keep an eye on her; drive her everywhere.”