Something like Voodoo

by Rebecca Hamilton

  She stepped back then. I was holding my breath, waiting for the ticking time bomb to explode or for her to turn on her heel and leave, having tormented us enough for one evening.

  That didn’t happen.

  Instead, she crouched down beside the altar and lifted Noah’s voodoo doll from where it had fallen.

  Immediately, my eyes searched the ground for the doll Hazel had given me. I spotted it about ten feet away and started inching toward it, careful for my shoes not to shuffle against the grainy floor and draw her attention.

  It was the wrong choice. I should have stopped her from going for Noah’s doll before going for my own. She stared down at it, gently smoothing its clothing and hair.

  “You’re selfish, Noah,” she said quietly. “If you cared about Emily, you wouldn’t be with her. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

  Now she peeked over her shoulder. The pain in Noah’s gaze made me want to reach out and tell him she was wrong – but those thoughts would have to keep. Right now, I needed to stop her.

  With a playful gleam in her eyes, she smirked as she took a few steps in Noah’s direction.

  “You should kill her,” she suggested. She flipped the knife in her hand, palming the blade and holding the handle out toward him. “It will all be over soon, and then things will be as they should.”

  Noah’s hand trembled at his side. Softly at first, then violently. “Don’t do this, Sarah.”

  She jutted the handle toward him again. “Take the knife, Noah,” she said through clenched teeth.

  His hand shot up and grabbed the handle. Sarah’s image flashed to her ancestor’s again, then back.

  “Kill her,” she whispered.

  My mind swam for a solution. All I could think about was getting my hands on Hazel’s doll. But now it was two against one – Sarah and Noah, who was trapped once more under Sarah’s influence. Before long, the other It Girls would find their way to us to join the massacre.

  I tamped down my unease about them and scrambled for the voodoo doll Hazel had given me as Noah unwillingly stalked after me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me back, lifting the knife. I kicked him hard in the shin. Sorry, Noah! If I could forgive him, he could forgive me.

  I dove for the doll, my forearms breaking my fall. Glass on the ground cut into my elbows. Finally. I had it.

  Within moments, though, Noah sat on top of me, pinning my arms over my head with one hand and holding the knife to my throat with the other.

  “Do it,” Sarah hissed. “Kill her!”

  I stared him straight in the eyes as his trembling hand brought the knife to my throat. He pressed down, the blade breaking skin. I swallowed hard and began the incantation I’d tried to memorize on the ride over:

  “Per elementum ego tardus vos…”

  By the elements I slow you…

  It wasn’t him I was slowing – it was Sarah. But by slowing her, her hold on him would loosen.

  A trickle of blood slid down my neck as Noah let go of my hand that wasn’t holding the doll. I reached into my jacket and pulled out a long piece of fabric, remembering I needed to wrap the doll with it, then repeat the incantation. I said the first lines again, this time wrapping the ribbon of cloth over the doll’s arms.

  “Per elementum ego tardus vos…”

  Sarah froze, turning slowly from the altar she was facing and toward me. Noah had released both of my hands now, making it easier to bind the doll.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she said, her voice deep and disturbing.

  Noah was standing over me now instead of sitting on top of me. His expression horrified, he dropped the knife. It fell to the ground with a clatter. He took a step back. I scrambled to put more distance between us and started with the next line.

  “Per lux lucis ego caecus vos…”

  By the light I blind you…

  I wrapped the fabric upwards, covering the doll’s eyes. Not until the ritual was complete would she be stopped. But this step would dampen her preternatural vision over us.

  To her credit, Sarah was ready to fight to the end. With a swoop of her arm, Noah flew across the room, his body pinned against the wall several feet above the floor.

  I was ready to speak the next words of the incantation when footsteps shuffled and crunched over glass. The shadowy forms of four people dominated the far corner of the room.

  But why four? There were only three other It Girls.

  They stepped closer, close enough for the moonlight to reveal their faces. Redheaded Kate Walcott was in the middle, springy curls bobbing about her shoulders. The Booth twins, who I didn’t care to tell apart, stood on either side of her.

  There was no mistaking their newest member. My heart sunk as I saw the thick, brown wavy hair and ’50s-style red glasses. The only thing missing was Heather’s smile, her big pretty teeth hidden behind her fear.

  Kate held Heather in place with a knife to her throat. She glared at me through narrowed eyes, as if daring me to make my next move.

  “See?” Sarah said giddily. “Me and my girls think of everything. Now be a smart girl and put down the doll.”

  I was so close. If I could just –

  “It only takes a moment to pull that blade across her throat,” Sarah said, this time the saccharine sweetness stripped from her voice. “Put. The. Doll. Down.”

  I had never been a good friend to Heather. Mostly because I didn’t know how to be, having never had a real friend before meeting her. But the truth was, I’d always cared about her, and I was pretty sure friends don’t let friends die.

  I glanced around, hoping for some kind of escape plan. Sarah used that opportunity to drop Noah from her hold, sending him crashing to the ground. His head fell back against the wall, then his body slouched forward. No! The air in my lungs stuck. As if I couldn’t breathe.

  I couldn’t help him and Heather both – and if I hadn’t befriended her, she wouldn’t be here. Everything that was happening was my fault – and for what? I’d been the worst friend ever, and still I wouldn’t be able to save Noah. My legs weakened. This is it, I realized. We’re all going to die here. Like the images warned.

  Just then I saw something I really didn’t want to see and at the same time had never been happier to see in my life.

  That something was a someone, and that someone was my dad.

  He was standing on the other side of the room, nearly obscured by the shadows.

  He stepped back so that the darkness swallowed him whole. I quickly let my gaze pan back to the It Girls, hoping they hadn’t noticed, too.

  “Hey!” I shouted, drawing their attention. “Do they know?” I asked Sarah, gesturing to the other It Girls. “Do they know you’re using them?”

  The twins didn’t flinch, but Kate’s head snapped in Sarah’s direction. Her grip on the knife at Heather’s neck loosened. She squeezed it again, tighter this time. “What’s she talking about, Sarah?”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Puh-lease, Kate. You’re too smart to fall for anything she says.”

  “It’s true,” I said, regaining Kate’s attention. “Tell her to show you her journal. It’s all in there!”

  Now Kate didn’t seem to know who to look at. Her gaze darted between Sarah and me. I took a step toward her. Hesitating, she held the knife out, then drew her arm back, returning it to Heather’s throat. She took a step back, forcing Heather to move with her.

  “You’re trying to turn us against each other,” Kate said, though she sounded unsure. “You’re trying to trick me.”

  I took another step toward her. “Did you know Sarah needs your power? That it’s why she uses you guys to do her dirty work?”

  “Sarah gave us our power,” one of the twins defended.

  “No, she didn’t. She only showed you how to use it.”

  Sarah let out a prima
l scream, shaking her head wildly in a way that made everyone freeze.

  “Stop it, Emily Bishop! Stop it with your lies!”

  “I’m not the one lying,” I growled.

  Sarah’s gaze cut to an unconscious Noah, then back toward her friends. “Okay, then,” she said, “if they’re really so powerful, let’s see them try to use their power against me.”

  Both twins shook their heads vehemently. Beside them, Kate froze up. Damn it. This wasn’t going to work. Not when they saw Sarah as their leader. They would remain devoted to her until she fell, even if they had their suspicions I was telling the truth. She had brainwashed them into believing they needed her. And I could see it in their eyes – they were afraid of her, too.

  “Last warning,” Sarah said to me. “Drop the doll.”

  “Fine. But if I do, you let Heather go. She has nothing to do with this.”

  “Agreed,” Sarah said coolly.

  “Okay,” I said slowly, throwing the doll into the shadows. Come on, Dad. I kept my eyes trained on Sarah. “There,” I said. “Now let her go.”

  Sarah laughed. “Leave first.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not leaving without Heather.”

  Kate pressed the knife harder into Heather’s skin. A pearl of blood trickled down her neck. The spot where Noah had cut me pulsed. If we survived this, we would have twin scars.

  “Take me instead,” I pleaded, closing the distance between us. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum stepped in front of Kate, blocking my access. “Let Heather and Noah go and do whatever you want with me.”

  Sarah cackled. “I don’t want you, Emily! No one has ever wanted you before you moved here, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why that would change now!”

  Dad, please hurry!

  “So get rid of me.” Desperation was creeping into my voice. “Then I won’t be in your way anymore, right?”

  God, if I die, watch over Heather and Noah and Dad.

  In three quick strides, Sarah crossed the room and punched me in the side of my back. I fell to my knees, pain throttling through every inch of my body. It took everything in me to stifle a whimper.

  “Go ahead, Kate,” Sarah said. “Let Heather go. A deal is a deal.”

  Heather ran to the corner of the room and tucked herself in a ball. I remained hunched on the floor, waiting for the sharp pain Sarah had inflicted to go away.

  It didn’t.

  I gave up on my dad. Maybe he couldn’t figure out Hazel’s spell. Or maybe it didn’t work for him because he had wronged Sarah. Or something.

  This was my fate. Whatever would be, would be. If I died here tonight, at least I could die knowing I’d saved my friend. It might be the only redeeming thing I’ve ever done.

  “Now what?” I asked, turning my attention back to Sarah.

  “You leave,” she commanded. “As you can see –” She waved her hand in Heather’s direction. “– I make good on my word. I promise Noah will go unharmed and you and your friends and family will stay safe so long as you leave right now. This offer has an expiration, so I suggest you hurry.”

  Maybe she didn’t want to kill me. Was she afraid of what that would do to the balance between my family and hers?

  “How can I trust you?” I asked. “You killed my mother.”

  Sarah pouted. “I never promised I wouldn’t kill her.” She paused, a maniacal grin parting her lips. “I always keep my promises. And now, I promise you that all of you will die tonight if you don’t –”

  With a loud gasp, she dropped to her knees. Her face pressed to the floor, as though a weight had fallen on her, too great for her to lift.

  “Enough games!” Sarah shouted from the ground, clutching her side. “Girls, end her. Now.”

  But they didn’t try to end me. Instead, they shrieked and ran to her side, trying to drag her toward the exit. Whatever. They wouldn’t get her out of the building before we finished what needed to be done.

  I half-sprinted, half-limped to my dad’s side to help him finish the ritual.

  “Per obscurum ego redimio vos,” we chanted together.

  By the darkness I bind you…

  We wrapped the rest of the doll until it was completely cocooned, same as Sarah’s magic would be.

  Never again could she use her words or actions against anyone else, not even Noah. While we couldn’t undo the ancestral curse, the incantation would stop her from controlling the Caldwells and using voodoo on anyone else. That would have to be enough for one lifetime.

  The calm in the room was sobering. It was over. It was finally over. I glanced over to where Noah was lying in a heap on the floor. “Dad, I have to…”

  “Go.” He waved me off. “Check on Noah. I’ll make sure Heather is all right.”

  When I reached Noah, he was stirring. He twisted on his side, staring up at me. “I wish we could see the stars.”

  I smiled down at him, remembering that night in his truck all too well. I repeated back to him the same words he’d said to me then: “We can imagine them.”

  He eased himself into a semi-upright position. “You’re okay,” he said, relief evident in his voice. “I didn’t kill you.”

  “Of course not, silly.” I blinked back tears. “How’s your shin?”

  He chuckled. “Hurts like a bitch, but I’ll take it. I don’t feel like my blood is on fire anymore, so it’s a fair trade.”

  She can’t hurt you ever again,” I promised.

  Instead of responding, he reached up and pulled my mouth to his. As much as I hated to do it, I broke the kiss first.

  “We have to go before the police get here,” I murmured against his lips. “Come on.”

  It wasn’t only the police I wanted to evade. This place still gave me the creeps. I wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

  After grabbing the journal, Hazel’s witchcraft doll, and the voodoo doll Sarah had made of Noah, I helped him wobble toward the exit. There, my dad stood with a trembling Heather. Dad and I helped Noah and Heather outside. Hazel, who apparently had been my dad’s ride here, was waiting in her car. We agreed for her to drive Heather home and have Dad ride with Noah and me.

  I tried talking to Heather, but in her shock, all she could say was “It’s okay” over and over again. I didn’t know if she was talking to me or to herself. Explanations and apologies would have to wait until tomorrow. Hazel would take care of her in the meantime.

  Dad and I helped Noah into the cab of the truck. Before we could hop in ourselves, my mother’s spirit appeared at our side.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, smiling serenely.

  “Mom!” My body froze. She was already fading. “Wait!” I reached out to grab her. “Mom! Don’t go!”

  But she was already gone. I whirled around, seeing tears in my dad’s eyes that matched my own.

  “Why did she say that? Why did she say thank you?”

  A warm breeze blew through the cold night. Dad’s shoulders heaved. “Because, Squirrel –” He wrapped his arm around me, his words faltering. “– now she didn’t die for nothing.”

  26

  WE ALL LIE

  Crazy to think that only a week ago we were facing down Sarah and the It Girls in a creepy asylum. Now we were all back at school, where everything was normal…ish.

  Sarah avoided eye contact with any of us. She walked the halls, looking empty and lost, while the It Girls’ enthusiasm for following her dwindled with each passing day.

  With Hazel’s help, we brought Heather up to speed on everything. Now she knew I wasn’t quite as crappy a friend as I had seemed. She also understood that Noah never intended to hurt her at the dance. In fact, our friendship was better than ever, and Heather and Noah were becoming fast friends, too.

  Best of all, he and I could be together. Finally. First, though, we needed to make sure N
oah’s family curse was truly a thing of the past. Which was why he and I were seated across from Hazel in her apartment, the voodoo doll Sarah had made of him lying on the coffee table between us.

  Hazel poked at it carefully. “You know, if Sarah hadn’t punched you in the back, you might have died,” she said. “That act restored the ancestral favor to you and your dad.”

  “Then yay for being punched in the spleen,” I snarked. “So…did it work? This is over now? She hasn’t been doing anything since.”

  Hazel grimaced. “Well, yes and no. Your binding spell stopped her from using the voodoo doll against anyone in Noah’s family, but it still doesn’t break the curse.”

  “What?” I leaned back, my palms on the table. “Why not?”

  Hazel set the doll down, her crystal blue eyes unblinking. “I told you two before – there’s only one way to end the curse, and you didn’t want to do it.”

  “Of course we didn’t –”

  Hazel held up her hands. “Emily, I’m not judging. I wouldn’t be able to kill someone, either.”

  Noah reached out for the doll, dragging it across the coffee table by its foot. “So this…this thing…can still hurt me?”

  Hazel shook her head, her raven-black hair swishing along her jawline. “Not unless it’s in the hands of the Williams family. Even then, it would have to be someone in the family other than Sarah. With that incantation, you were able to bind her powers.”

  She took the doll back and reached inside its hidden cavity to pull out a small piece of brown-stained cloth. “Blood,” she said, wrinkling her nose. With it were a few brown hairs. “And Noah’s hair.”

  “Noah’s blood?” I asked.

  She examined the doll carefully. “I would guess it’s the blood of his ancestors, but I can’t say for sure.”

  “I thought Sarah made the doll?”

  Hazel tilted her head. “Why would you think that?”

  I shrugged.

  She pursed her dark red lips. “The materials are too old, and for her to use the magic, she needed the heirloom. My only guess is she found it with the journal. Do you still have the journal?”