by Rose Pressey
“I found the book,” I said, holding the book up.
“That’s a relief,” he said. “I can help you with the spell.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather do this myself, if you don’t mind.” I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
He stared for a beat, then nodded. “Okay, yeah. Let me know if you need anything.”
When Nicolas had disappeared out of sight, I flipped through the pages until I had the correct spell. If this didn’t work I would be completely screwed. What would the Coven say about this mistake? They’d have to revise the ‘what not to do’ pamphlet.
I pulled all the ingredients together, dumped them in the cauldron and recited the words faster than ever. This had to be some kind of record for fastest-performed spells. After I was finished and nothing had happened, panic set in.
The click-clack of my shoes rang in my head as I ran to the bathroom down the hall. My stomach was twisted into a knot. I eased the door open and shut my eyes. Slowly, I opened them and said, “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”
My own reflection stared back at me. Thank goodness that nightmare was over. One thing I’d noticed though: other witches weren’t calling to complain that I’d messed up their spells while performing mine. That was definitely not a coincidence.
***
I woke the next morning to my phone ringing. Without opening my eyes, I fumbled for the phone on the nightstand.
“Halloween, we have a serious problem.” My mother had never sounded so freaked out, even when I’d eliminated her eyebrows.
I opened my eyes and sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“The Coven wants to speak with you.” She rushed her words.
Uh-oh. “What do they want?” I asked innocently.
“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” she asked with resolve.
“I have no idea.” I tried to keep my voice casual.
“Halloween, your lying has never worked on me. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on.” She had that tone I’d heard so many times when I was young. Why was I still hearing that tone as an adult?
I wasn’t ready to have this conversation right now. This was something I needed to tell her in person. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and slid my feet into my slippers. Had the Coven told her the truth? Did the Coven know that I’d improved my magic by leaps and bounds?
“I guess I’ve been messing up my spells more than usual,” I said.
“Oh, Halloween. What are we going to do? They may make you stop the magic this time.” Disappointment sounded in my mother’s voice.
I highly doubted that. I knew what they wanted to discuss, but how did they know that my magic had improved?
“Don’t be surprised if you get a visit from the Coven,” my mother said.
“What? You mean they’re coming here?” I sat up in bed.
What would I tell them when they saw Isabeau? I knew they’d see her because she couldn’t mind her own business.
“Do you need me to come over and talk with them when they arrive?” she asked.
I threw the covers off and jumped up. “No, no. I’ll come by the store later, okay?”
I didn’t want my mother to see Isabeau again either. The more she saw her, the more Isabeau would open her big mouth. For heaven’s sakes, this got crazier by the minute.
“Listen, I have to make breakfast for my guests. I’ll call you soon,” I said while pulling clothing from my closet.
“Please be careful, Halloween,” she said around a sigh.
What was that supposed to mean?
“I will,” I said and hurried off the phone.
I’d just gotten dressed and locked my bedroom when the doorbell rang. Yeah, I still didn’t trust my guests not to take the book. My heart told me that I was supposed to trust Nicolas, but my mind said no. I wouldn’t let my guard down.
The doorbell rang loudly through the house. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I made my way down the stairs. I never thought I’d say this, but I was hoping it was the ghosts at the door again and not a Coven member.
When I peeked out the hole in the door, I knew I hadn’t gotten that lucky. It wasn’t a ghost and I recognized the woman on the other side of the door right away. Misty Middleton and I had gone to high school together and now she was queen supreme in the Coven. I had no choice but to answer the door. I knew she wouldn’t go away.
The massive door squeaked as I opened it just a little. “Hi, Misty.”
“I guess you know why I’m here.”
“Would you like to come in?” I asked.
I spotted the ghosts over her shoulder and wanted to get her inside before they approached.
“Your spells have been going awfully smoothly lately.” She regarded me with a strange curiosity.
I shrugged, pretending that it was no big deal. “I guess a little.”
Misty had long, straight brown hair that was shiny like she’d finished it off with a clear coat. She wore a black skirt, a black blouse and black heels which made her tower over me. She was tall without them, but now she was the Empire State Building and I was a one-story cottage.
“Please come into the parlor.” I gestured.
“Thank you,” she said as she scoped out the foyer.
What was she looking for? Misty followed me into the living room. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
I had to be a good hostess. I might be nervous, but that was no reason to be impolite.
“No, I’m good. Thank you. This is such a beautiful home,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.
I knew by her tone that she wished the small talk was over.
“Thank you,” I said, wishing she’d get to the point of her visit.
“It must get lonely staying here all alone?”
I picked at the edge of the wingback chair. “Well, it’s okay. I don’t mind much.”
Footsteps echoed from upstairs. I stopped and met her gaze. I could tell her about my bed-and-breakfast guests, but I really hoped Isabeau stayed upstairs. She was trouble and I didn’t trust her not to run her mouth about what had happened.
Misty glanced up toward the ceiling, then looked at me for an answer.
“I guess you’re aware that I’m running the place as a bed-and-breakfast?” I asked pushing the conversation along.
“You have guests already?” she asked with shock.
I’d let that comment slip. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I was just getting ready to make breakfast. You are out awfully early this morning.”
She settled onto the deep red cushions of the chair and crossed her legs. “I do apologize for my timing, but I felt this was urgent.”
She couldn’t wait to let me know she was on to me. I needed her to get to the point and then leave.
“So what is so urgent that you needed to speak with me?” I wanted her to just cut to the chase.
Her mouth curved into a smile. Whether it was a friendly or pitying gesture I wasn’t sure. “What are you doing differently?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your spells don’t suck now,” she said frankly.
Well, I had wanted her to get to the point.
I shrugged, trying to act innocent. “I guess I’ve just been practicing and it’s finally paying off.”
She studied my face for a few seconds. “That’s it?”
“You know what they say, practice makes perfect.” I plastered the best fake smile on my face that I could muster. “Is that all that you wanted?”
She walked around the room, taking in every detail. Misty ran her finger along the edge of books on the shelves, but remained quiet.
Sweat beaded on my forehead and it wasn’t even hot in the room. Did she know about the spell books? She had to, right? That was something the Coven should definitely know about. But if she knew, then why didn’t she just come out and say so?
“Well, whatever you’re doing y
ou should keep it up. Your magic before was absolutely horrendous.”
I stared at her. “Yes, I’m aware.”
She folded her hands together and placed them her on her lap. “Halloween, I’m going to stop the charade right now. We know about the book.”
Chapter Thirty
I froze. Should I continue to act as if I didn’t know what she meant, or should I come clean about what I knew?
I tilted my eyebrow up in mock surprise. “What are you talking about?” I asked innocently.
The beginning of a smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “The Book of Mystic Magic. We know it’s here. We know you have it.”
I stared for a moment, but her gaze didn’t leave mine. There was no way out of this. I would have to tell the truth.
I waved my hand through the air casually. “I may have found a book or two here. But they are mine and you can’t have them.”
She held her hands up. “Trust me, I don’t want them.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I thought everyone wanted the powers that came with the book.
“Where did you find them?” she asked.
“They were hidden in various places around the house.”
Her face lit up with excitement. For someone who didn’t want the books, she sure had a lot of questions.
Her tight skirt confined her movements as she leaned forward in the chair. “Well, this is certainly a turn of events for you. I told everyone right away that you couldn’t possibly have performed magic that well without some other type of intervention.”
Her words stung. Maybe I should have tried harder to be better at the magic. Then I could have proven everyone wrong.
“Has anything strange happened since you got the new powers?” She looked at me expectantly.
“Strange?” I choked out.
She quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, have any of the spells been odd? Because there is one special skill that comes with the powers.”
I thought I knew which special skill she was talking about. And the proof that I had that special skill was walking around in high heels upstairs and stuffing her face with cupcakes. “What type of special skill?” I asked.
I wasn’t about to give away any details unless I absolutely had to.
“This is something that only a few witches know about, but your new powers allow you to reanimate the dead. Not to mention the many other powers that you probably only dreamed about having.”
Now she was just being snarky. Plus, I had to pretend that I was shocked at the news about the reanimating. I widened my eyes and attempted my best Oscar-worthy performance.
“What do you mean reanimating?” I tried to conceal my nervousness.
“I mean you can make the dead living again. I’m not sure about all of the details. Like I don’t know how long they stay reanimated, but it’s true.” She waved her hands through the air. “The Coven is buzzing about the news.”
Wow. I was the talk of the Coven and for once it wasn’t because I’d screwed up a spell.
“I know why the book was hidden here.” She smiled slyly.
“You do? How do you know?” My eyes widened.
“Your great-aunt was a part of the Coven. We knew she was friends with the last leader and there was a rumor that she’d hidden the books for her.”
“But why would she do that?” I ran my hand through my hair.
She shrugged. “That I don’t have an answer for.”
“Well, obviously she didn’t tell me anything because I didn’t even know about the book or this Underworld thing,” I said.
“Maybe she meant for you to find it. She had to know you would when she left you the house.” Her voice turned serious.
Aunt Maddy was eccentric but why would she be involved? She had said I was supposed to take my place in the world. But how would she know I would ever find the book? It was probably just a coincidence.
“My mother didn’t mention any of this.” I said.
“She doesn’t know either. You’ll probably want to tell her before she finds out from some of the other members,” Misty said.
This news might really send my mother over the edge.
“There’s something else too…” She hesitated.
“There’s more?” I asked.
Misty looked straight at me and said, “You now possess the power of earth, air, water, and fire. No witch holds all four without the power of the book.”
“What is the power of earth, air, fire, and water?” I asked in a shaky voice. For a witch I didn’t know much about the rules.
She leaned back in her chair. “The ultimate powers. You control who can perform magic.”
This was all too much to take in. And I wasn’t sure I believed her. I had noticed that she was looking at me entirely differently now. It was as if I was someone worthy of her friendship now. Like I hadn’t been in the past. I didn’t need fair-weather friends.
“I’m sure the other Coven members will want to talk with you about all of this.”
“I’m sure they will,” I said drily.
She fingered more of the books, then finally looked at me. “The Coven is extremely happy with your improved skills.”
I hadn’t expected that comment.
“We’d love it if you’d host the annual Halloween Ball here at LaVeau Manor. What better location than this gorgeous place?”
My eyes were probably the size of saucers. “You want me to host the party?” I asked.
She nodded with a smile. “Yes, with your newfound skills, I know you’ll be a perfect hostess. It was planned for the community center, but let’s face it, that place is ugly.”
What was the catch? There had to be one. I couldn’t deny that I was excited about the prospect though. It had always been a dream of mine. Now I would be hosting the ball that all the witches attended. It was the event they talked about all year. So they finally wanted me to be one of them? Would I no longer be an outcast? But did I really want to be a part of their snobby club? It wasn’t like I could say no though. It would break my mother’s heart if I turned them down.
She studied my face for a reaction. “What do you say? Won’t it be fabulous here? It’ll be gorgeous with the dim lighting and lots of candles. Of course the Coven will pay for the catering.” Misty pushed to her feet and walked the length of the room, her heels echoing across the floor.
I was still had a loss for words, but I finally managed to say, “Sure, I’d love to host the Halloween Ball.”
She smiled. “Fantastic. I’ll let everyone know. Well, I’d better let you get to work. The ball is in two days.” She strolled across the room. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
Two days? That was a lot of work to get done in such a short time, even for witches.
Chapter Thirty-One
When we reached the foyer, I wanted to shove her back into the living room. Isabeau had just stepped off the bottom step and was staring right at Misty. I continued on toward the front door. Maybe if I ignored her she wouldn’t speak to Misty.
“Oh hello, I’m Isabeau,” she said with her sweet southern voice flowing like honey from her lips.
When I turned around, Isabeau was sticking her hand out toward Misty. So much for ignoring her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Isabeau. What a beautiful name.” Misty took in Isabeau’s full appearance.
Isabeau beamed and looked at me, then back to Misty. “Thank you. It’s been in my family for years.”
“You must be a guest here?” Misty asked.
Isabeau looked at me, then back at Misty again. “You could say that. Halloween and I are old friends.” She plastered a fake smile on her face. “Aren’t we, Halloween?”
“Oh really? Are you from around here?” Misty frowned. “You look so familiar.”
Isabeau waved off the question with a flick of her wrist. “Oh, I lived here a long time ago, but not recently.”
She quirked an eyebrow questioningly. “Did you go to Enchantment Pointe High?”
Misty was so snoopy. Why didn’t she just drop the topic? And Isabeau wasn’t helping matters either.
“My Great-Aunt Maddy and Isabeau’s mother knew each other. Isabeau hasn’t lived in Enchantment Pointe since she was a child. Isn’t that right, Isabeau?” I glared at Isabeau.