by Amy Boyles
I smiled back. “I think we’re about to head out of town.”
Brock glanced up. Dark clouds had swept across the sky. “It’s not soon enough.”
I nodded. “I think you’re right.”
Brock slipped into the room. The cool air suddenly stopped. The air warmed to the point where I pulled off my jacket. It was strange. Usually the temperature didn’t change so quickly. The wind had picked up, but it was hot, heavy, very different than what it had been in the past few minutes.
My skin prickled. I had an uneasy feeling about this. Deciding we needed to get out of Normal sooner rather than later, I went into the room.
“Is everyone ready?” I said.
A chorus of yeses assaulted me. I shot Roman a look. “The weather’s changing. I think we should go.”
“What about your car?” Roman said.
“We’ll pick it up on the way out of town.”
Roman, Reid and I piled into his SUV, while the grandmas and Sera rode with Brock. “Where’s my car, Reid?” I said.
“It’s downtown. I’ll show you.”
Brock followed us as we wove our way through town on the quiet Sunday morning. Church would be out soon, and in the meantime Normal slept.
Reid had left my car parked on the street. I was grateful that they didn’t have meters in this town. Otherwise I would’ve been in serious trouble. I’m sure the fines at this point would’ve been astronomical.
Anyway, I hopped into my car with Reid, leaving Roman alone. “We’ll follow you,” I said.
The air had warmed even more, and I rolled down the windows as we nosed out of town.
“The weather’s weird,” Reid said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m not crazy about it. It’s almost like the weather before a springtime tornado.”
Reid grimaced. “Don’t even say that. I am not interested in running into a tornado on my way out of town.”
I slugged her arm playfully. “I don’t think you have to worry about it. We should be fine.”
Our caravan drove from town. As we did so, I noticed the wind picking up even more. It assaulted my car to the point where the vehicle shook.
“Um, Dylan,” Reid said. “What’s going on?”
“Just the wind. Nothing to worry about.”
She sank into her seat. “I’m worried.”
I patted her hand. “It’s going to be fine.”
Rows of houses quickly disappeared. The trees that surrounded Normal gave way to open fields. The interstate was only a few minutes away. I glanced in my rearview mirror. Brock was close behind and Roman wasn’t too far ahead of me, but a horrible feeling knotted my stomach.
The wind strengthened. I watched Roman’s SUV shudder while my own trembled in a way I’d never experienced before.
“Maybe we should turn back,” Reid said.
“It’ll be fine,” I said.
I could see the interstate. It was only a hundred yards away or so. We were close to the turnoff.
Roman’s brake lights flared to life. His tires screeched to a halt against the tarmac. I jammed my foot down and swerved, jerking to a stop on the shoulder.
“What the heck?” I said.
“Holy crap,” Reid said.
“What?”
She pointed toward the sky. I peered through the window and gasped. A clot of spit clogged my throat, and I choked as I realized exactly what I was looking at.
There, on the road just ahead, stood a fierce whirling tornado. It gyrated, spinning down to a narrow funnel that penetrated the ground. The thing seemed to breathe as it twisted this way and that.
And it blocked our path out of town and onto the interstate.
I watched as Roman’s door opened. He jumped out and came over to me.
“What are you doing? You’re not supposed to get out of your car when there’s an active tornado,” I screeched.
He opened my door and took my arm. “Watch it.”
Fearing for my safety, but trusting Roman, I stepped out of the car. I heard other doors open as my family joined us on the side of the road.
I watched as the twister continued to gyrate but not move forward nor back.
As far as I knew, that was against the laws of physics. Tornadoes didn’t stand still; they moved right, left, forward or backward. They didn’t simply whirl in place.
I frowned. “What’s going on?” I said.
Grandma strode up to me. “What’s happening is that someone doesn’t want us to leave town.”
I whipped my head in her direction. “What are you talking about?”
Milly caned up beside her. “Hazel’s right. This isn’t a tornado made by anything natural. This is magic, and powerful magic at that.”
I grimaced. “So what are we going to do?”
Milly glared at it. She raised her hand and said, “Let’s blast it.”
FOURTEEN
Grandma raised her hands. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got, Milly.”
Milly growled. Growled. I’m not kidding. Like, she pulled back her lips, revealing teeth, and made animal sounds at the tornado.
’Cause you know, in the face of Mother Nature at her finest, that’s what I would’ve done, too.
Kidding. I never would’ve done that. Instead I would’ve beelined in the opposite direction and probably peed my pants along the way.
Ha.
My grandmas raised their palms. An ear-splitting crack filled the air. The tail of the twister yanked a pine tree as tall as a two-story building from the ground and hurled it over our heads.
Yep, I think I peed a little.
I cowered into Roman’s side. Grandma and Milly simply raised their hands higher. A stream of magic shot forth, flaring into the whirlwind. It wrapped around the funnel, tendrils of pink and blue creating a cotton candy–like outer coating on the thing.
I waited for it to evaporate. For it to disappear. Heck, for the dang thing to explode into a gazillion pieces.
But instead it grew.
The center swelled, eating up more ground. It lengthened, becoming taller. I shrank back.
“It’s not working,” I mumbled.
Roman turned to my grandmas. “You’re only fueling it. The magic isn’t ripping it apart. The thing is feeding off you,” he yelled.
My grandmothers stopped throwing power at it. The tornado lurched forward as if it were going to engulf us.
“Get back into town,” Milly yelled over the screeching wind. “We need to get off the road. Go back to the nearest gas station.”
We packed up into our cars. I abandoned mine off the side of the road. I wanted to feel safe, and the only way to do that was with Roman.
Reid and I jumped into his SUV. Roman did a three-point turn that kicked up enough dust to blanket a small village. The tornado simply loomed overhead as if it was watching us and waiting. I kept my gaze on the rearview mirror, making sure the thing wasn’t following us.
It did the exact opposite. As soon as we pitched toward Normal, the twister vanished.
I grabbed Roman’s arm. “It’s gone. Turn around. See if we can make it.”
Roman gritted his teeth. “It’s magic, Dylan. It won’t work.”
“Just try,” I pleaded. “For me. Try to make it.”
Roman cocked his head. Blond locks fell into his eyes. He shot me a tender look, sighed and said, “Okay.”
“What are we doing?” Reid said, sitting up in the back seat.
“We’re going for it,” I said.
Roman yanked the steering wheel. “Hold on.”
I gripped the oh-crap bar over the door as I was thrown toward him. The SUV performed a quick 180 turn, and he gunned the gas. We bolted back down the road, barreling toward the interstate ramp.
Before we got within fifty yards of it, the tornado sprang back from the ground. Tree leaves quaked and quivered as the twister revived. Now it was even taller. The message was clear—you cannot pass.
And as if to make it an even larg
er point, the tornado ate land until it reached my sedan. It sucked it into the funnel. It was the strangest thing. One moment my car sat abandoned on the side of the road. Next, it was being eaten by a twister.
Yet a moment later the thing vomited my car from its mouth. My vehicle landed on the other side of the highway, now a crumpled mess. Twisted metal and bent chrome was all that remained of my old clunker.
“Holy crap,” Reid said. “We’d better get the heck out of here. That thing means business.”
Roman whipped the vehicle around. He placed a hand on my thigh. “It’s okay.”
I sniffled. “Think I can claim that as an act of God on insurance?” I said.
Roman’s mouth formed a grim line. “I think you have no choice.”
We blazed down the road until we reached the nearest gas station, where my family was waiting for us. Of course, as soon as we got far enough away, the tornado once again disappeared.
It was as if the thing had a mind of its own.
We pulled alongside Brock.
Sera was the first to jump out. “Where’s your car?” she said to me.
I grimaced. “Oh. Well. The tornado destroyed it as a warning to us not to try to go around it.”
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Destroyed it?”
“Yeah,” Reid said. “It chewed it up and spit it out. Now the thing’s a mess of metal. Not pretty.”
I nodded. “Not at all.”
By this time my grandmothers were out of the car. “Everyone alive?” Milly said.
“Yes,” I said. But for some reason I didn’t like the fact that she asked us if we were all alive. That did not make me feel confident in their abilities.
“Why would you ask us if we’re alive?” Reid said.
I nodded. “Agreed. That’s a weird question.”
Grandma Hazel threw half of her gauzy scarf over her neck. “It’s not a strange question at all considering what we’re dealing with.”
Sera crossed her arms. “And what’s that?”
Grandma worried her bottom lip for a moment. “We’re dealing with dark magic. The kind that can create a natural force at will.”
Milly caned over. “Besides which, no one else experienced the tornado except for us. That was no coincidence. This is dark, evil magic. I know of only a few people experienced with this sort of thing.”
Reid smacked her lips. “Any of them live here?”
Grandma wiggled her silver-ringed fingers at us. “In fact, one does. Get it together, girls. If we’re going to get out of Normal, there’s a witch we need to see.”
I frowned. “And who’s that?”
Grandma narrowed her eyes to slits. “Her name’s Dot. She’s as batty as a bat and as harebrained as a hare.”
Sera’s eyes widened. “Oh. You mean the two of you are related?”
Grandma nodded. “We’re cousins.”
We arrived at a small cottage a few minutes later. Yes, the caravan was in full-fledged action minus my vehicle.
“I thought the worst of it was over,” I said to Roman.
“What’d you mean?” Reid chimed in.
I rolled my eyes. “I mean, all of you had been in jail, with Sera seriously under suspicion of murdering Maisie, who, let’s face it, was a nasty person. I felt like this town was sucking away my family, one of you at a time. I mean, first Sera and then y’all. If we hadn’t gotten you out, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“Gotten married,” Reid said. “Had kids.”
I shot her a dark look over my shoulder. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, it felt like everything was falling apart.”
Roman cocked his head toward me. The usual scents of him—pine mingled with leather—trickled up my nostrils. “Darlin’, you haven’t lost anyone.”
“Yeah, Dylan. You’re so melodramatic. We’re all here. Sera’s off the hook. Only, a giant tornado kept us from leaving.” She hooked her fingers in the handle and pushed open the door. “Now let’s go see if we can get out of this pickle.”
She exited, slamming the door behind her.
“Do you think I’m being silly?”
Roman shook his head. “You’re afraid, as all of us are, about losing those important to you. Losing them for the right reasons is one thing, but when it happens for the wrong ones, that’s when it’s hard to accept. Or to even understand. No one in this car is judging you. Over the past year or so you’ve faced a lot of unique challenges, and you’re about to start a new journey. One with me.”
Roman took my hand in his and kissed the inside of my palm. A moan of pleasure escaped my lips. “I know—and I couldn’t be happier because of it. It’s just… It always seems like a wad of trouble is going to hit my family. I’m afraid that one time we won’t escape.”
He raked his fingers through my hair. “If I’m around, you’ll escape.” Roman brushed his lips across mine.
I snuggled into him as best I could with the gearshift digging into my waist. “Thanks. Now let’s get out and see what this whole witch thing is about.”
We exited and walked to the front door, where Grandma was knocking. A moment later a pink-haired woman answered.
“Hazel Horton! What a surprise. I was just opening a bag of cookies. Can I offer some to you?”
Grandma clapped her hands. “Dot, that sounds wonderful. What we wouldn’t give for cookies fresh from the bag.”
Dot smiled widely. “Come in, everyone. Andie should be home soon. I think she’s bringing a chicken for lunch. I’ll just contact her and have her bring two.” She eyed Brock and Roman. “Maybe three. Those men look hungry.”
“I know we’ve got time for cookies,” Milly said. “A whole meal might be pushing it.”
“Why’s that?” Dot said, a look of surprise on her face.
Hazel worried her hands. “I’m afraid there’s a real magical problem on our hands.”
Dot glanced from left to right, as if to make sure no one was looking. “Come in,” she said, her tone hushed. “And tell me everything.”
A few minutes later we were squished into the front room. A toddler greeted us, bringing over a myriad of toys to present. Gabby, as I discovered her name was, kept Reid entertained most of the time.
“Something is trying to keep us here,” Grandma explained. “A physical manifestation of magic displayed itself only a few minutes ago. Before then, my granddaughters and myself were incarcerated in your town jail.”
“A bit melodramatic,” Reid mumbled.
“It’s true, Reid. We were all almost arrested, with the key to the lock thrown to the sharks for safekeeping.”
“None of that makes sense,” I said.
Grandma shook her head. “It doesn’t have to. You know what I mean.”
“There’s something strange going on,” Roman said. “Dark magic is at play.”
Brock nodded. “I’ve seen a lot of magic in my life, but never a tornado that kept us in a town.”
“You see, it all started with the death of a witch,” Sera said.
Dot took all of us in with a somber expression on her face. She brought a finger to her chin and tapped it in thought. “It all started with the death of a witch, you say. Possibly one of the new supernaturals that recently arrived in town?”
I nodded. “That’s what we understand.”
“And now you’re being forced to stay in Normal? Your attempt to leave was met with a physical barrier.”
We all nodded.
Dot frowned. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of anything like this before. Now, of course I’ve heard of one person being framed for a crime they didn’t do. But you were allowed out of jail, so the police don’t have the evidence they needed to keep you here. Hmm…and the cast of suspects—tell me about them.”
So I spent a good ten minutes explaining what I knew about Tina, Caroline and Daisy, highlighting the false pregnancy and the weird smaller tornado that destroyed Maisie’s house.
Dot’s frown deepened
. “This is even more strange. Why would you be any sort of target? It seems to me that the magic described is mysteriously dark and clearly attached to this dead woman, this Maisie. You need to find out who the killer is; then you’ll have the culprit of whoever is trying to keep you here.”
I nearly rolled my eyes. It was the same story over and over. We had to find the murderer. But on this one, I was pretty much burned-out. We’d investigated people, tracked them down. Now I was ready to leave.
But obviously someone else wasn’t ready for me to do that.
So we sat around with Dot, who kept tapping a finger to her chin in thought. Finally she spoke. “Hazel, I wish I had an idea of who’s doing this to you.”
“I thought you might still have your magic mirror,” Hazel said.
“Magic mirror?” Reid shot out. “You mean like in the fairy tales?”
Dot poked the air with authority in a gesture that reminded me all too much of my grandmother. “This is no fairy tale,” she said. “For centuries magic mirrors have been used by people to see the future.”
“Cool,” Reid said.
Dot nodded. “It can be cool, but these are not toys and the magic they encompass is not to be trifled with. The mirror can allow you to see if someone wishes harm on you as well. But alas, I got rid of mine years ago. Had a bad experience with it. But it sounds to me like using a magic mirror isn’t going to help you.”
“Why’s that?” I said.
Dot turned to me. She offered a kindly smile, one that reminded me of my grandmother. “Because whatever’s going on must be stopped by you. You must uncover who is doing the threatening. In order to do this, you’ll have to solve the mystery. You’re in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Right now you’re the mice.”
“Tell me about it,” grumbled Reid. “This is no fun.”
I flexed my fingers, itching to be gone from Normal.
Dot smiled again. “We’ll help you however we can. But you’ll need to solve this.”
Sera groaned. “We have businesses to run.”
I smacked my lips dramatically. “Then we’ll have to get going on it, won’t we? We’ve got to find this killer, and fast, and figure out how it’s connected to you.”