“What's wrong?” she said, her smile fading.
“We’re being targeted,” I said.
“Targeted?” Destiny asked. “As in attacked?”
Darius handed her the letter and she read it.
In a bout of instant anger, she held up the letter in my face.
“See?” she asked. “I was right after all!”
“You're not right,” I said.
“They're going after us because we’re black,” Destiny said. “We better do something.”
“What do you suggest?” I asked, irritated.
A major, major fight was coming.
“We need to call this Jim guy,” Destiny said. “Maybe we can talk him out of the letter.”
“And let this cocksucker win?” Darius asked. “Seriously, sis, I'm disappointed in you right now.”
“Disappointed!” Destiny yelled. “You're disappointed in me for wanting to protect our family? Nice, Darius!”
“The moment you read that letter, you wanted to try to harmonize this shit,” Darius said. “This can’t be harmonized. It's—”
“What are you gonna do when these dream mages harmonize us into the ground?” Destiny asked.
“Both of you, stop,” I said. “This is my choice. It's not yours.”
“It's our choice too,” Darius said. “We live here and have to deal with the consequences. So don't tell us what we can and can't say.”
“The letter didn't come to you,” I said. “It came to me.”
“And maaaaaaybe if you hadn't tried to milk our fame, this guy wouldn't have latched on to you,” Destiny said. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
She threw herself into a chair at the table. Tears welled in her eyes.
“What are you crying for?” I asked.
“We could lose everything, Aisha!” Destiny cried. “Are you too hard-headed to see it?”
“Why do you gotta turn into a cry baby every time things go bad?” Darius asked.
“And why do you have to argue just for the sake of arguing?” I asked.
Darius’s face hardened.
“I'm trying to help your ass,” he said.
“Maybe I don't need help!” I cried.
“Oh, okay,” Darius said. “Tell me that the next time you get jumped.”
“Jumped?” Destiny asked. “Aisha, you were jumped?”
I said nothing. I looked away.
Destiny stood and slapped the table. She spoke slowly and angrily.
“You're telling me that someone attacked you AND you received a death threat, and you STILL don't understand what kind of shit we’re in?” she asked. “Really? Really?”
She threw her chair over.
“Go ahead and run away,” I said. “Run away and we’ll solve the problem.”
“I'm not running away,” she said. “I'm closing the shop.”
It was thirty minutes until opening.
We couldn't shut down or we’d lose several thousand dollars.
I chased her up the stairs.
“We’re not shutting down,” I said.
“Watch us,” Destiny said.
“And then how are we going to make money?” I asked as we stomped through the lobby.
“That's the problem!” Destiny said. “You're so clueless.”
A line of people had gathered outside the shop. They were waiting for us to open.
“Did you ever stop to think that the allegations are right?” Destiny asked. “We don't have licenses.”
“Because they're not required,” I said. “We talked to the attorney about this, remember?”
“And the unauthorized practice of medicine?” she asked.
“Oh, come on!” Darius shouted. “It's wizard tech. I go to school for this. You think I don't know what the boundaries are?”
“I can't believe you are even considering complying with his demands,” I said. “He wrote a threatening letter. That’s all it is. None of his allegations are correct. Grow a thick skin, Destiny.”
“I’ll show you a thick skin,” she said, opening the door.
She burst onto the front steps and cupped her hands to her mouth.
“Hey, people!” she said. “We’re closed for the night. Sorry. But go home!”
The customers groaned and began to disperse.
“Destiny!” I cried.
“And whatever you do, don’t believe what you read in the paper tomorrow!” she said.
I grabbed her by the collar, pulled her in the shop, and slammed the door.
“What the hell is your problem?” I asked.
“We’re closed until we deal with this Balthus guy,” Destiny said.
“Great job scaring the customers away,” Darius said.
“I’m done talking to you!” she said, pointing at him.
“I’m done talking to both of you,” I said.
Niecy leaned on the front counter, listening. She hadn’t said anything the whole time, and I’d almost forgotten she was there.
“You guys are doing exactly what the letter wants you to do,” she said.
“Which is?” I asked.
“Fight,” Niecy said. “Don’t you think this Balthus guy is smart? He wants to tear you apart before he attacks. It’ll make his job easier.”
I braced myself on the front counter, hardly able to breathe. Darius sat on the floor. Destiny rested her head against the door.
“Looks like he already succeeded,” Niecy said. “Y’all might as well just move out and shutter the doors.”
I didn’t know what to do. I was a hot nerve of emotions right now, ready to explode. My hands were sweating.
“What do we do?” Darius asked.
“I already told you what to do,” Destiny said. “But no one’s listening to me.”
“No one’s listening to you because you’re talking nonsense,” I said.
“Stop fightin’,” Niecy said. “How do y’all get anything done around here fightin’ like that? Damn.”
“Niecy’s right,” I said. “We can’t be divided.”
“Easy enough to say,” Destiny said.
“Here’s how I see it,” Niecy said, pacing around the lobby. “You gotta close the shop for a while. Y’all can’t even talk to each other right now, much less work together. Closing for a day or two ain’t gonna hurt you.”
She was probably right.
But I hated the idea of losing money.
But why was I so attached to the money?
Maybe because it never came in piles like it did now. I didn’t want to let it go. But I was starting to think that my attachment was causing more problems than solutions. After all, I’ve had far, far less customers coming through the door—and we survived just fine.
I felt a pang in my stomach as I realized that I had been greedy.
That was the real lesson here.
“Fine,” I said. “The shop’s closed. At least for tonight.”
Niecy gave me a high-five.
“Aisha’s coming around,” she said. “Now how about you two? You gonna sit there looking like solemn gargoyles, or are you gonna do something?”
“You need to shut up,” Destiny said.
Destiny started to say something else, but Niecy snapped her fingers and a pocket radio appeared in her hand. Yodeling music played. She turned the volume all the way up.
Destiny stopped.
Niecy turned the volume down. “That’s what I thought. Until everyone starts talking sense, I’m gonna turn this volume up. Destiny, why are you wanting to change the business all of a sudden? I thought you stood stronger than that.”
Destiny looked away.
“Darius, what do you think we should do?” Niecy asked.
“We gotta fight it,” Darius said. “The last thing I’m gonna do is sit here and bend over while that—”
Niecy turned the volume up, quieting Darius.
“I asked you what you wanted to do, not your opinion,” Niecy said. “Destiny! Are you going to answer
me or not?”
“You won’t let me talk, so what’s the point?” Destiny said, folding her arms.
Niecy said nothing.
Destiny sighed.
“Look: all I’m saying is that if that article goes live tomorrow, we’re gonna lose all of our customers forever,” Destiny said. “No one will ever want to visit us.”
“Says who?” I asked.
“Umm, says me,” Destiny said. “People are gonna believe what they want to believe.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean we’re never going to see another customer again,” I said.
“I’m just trying to protect what we have,” Destiny said.
“If we cave in to Balthus’s demands,” I said. “That will guarantee that we’ll lose what we have. How is that going to look? It will be an admission that he is right.”
Destiny clasped her hands together, looking down.
“I…guess I never thought of it that way,” she said.
“Looks like I was right,” Darius said. “It’s time to fight.”
“Fight who?” Niecy asked. “Balthus?”
Darius nodded.
“How?” Niecy asked. “What you gon’ do, go to his house and punch him in the nose?”
“We fight,” I said. “But we fight smart.”
“How?” Destiny asked.
“I haven’t figured it out yet,” I said.
Niecy pulled me in for a hug.
“I know you guys are going through a lot,” she said. “But I’m here for you. And if shit gets rough, I’ll conjure up a few weapons for you. Hate to remind you of this, but that timer is downstairs. You better do something with it.”
I hugged Niecy back. Then I jogged downstairs, where the timer had reached fifty minutes.
I grabbed my phone and called the number on the letter.
The phone rang.
An answering machine responded. A jovial but stern voice spoke.
“Miss Robinson, good evening! This is Jim. I am thrilled that you decided to do the right thing. At the beep, please leave a voicemail stating your intent to repeal your foolish business practices. I’ll return your call as soon as I am able. Bye!”
I waited for a moment as Destiny, Darius, and Niecy gathered around me, listening.
Beep.
“This is Aisha Robinson,” I said. “I got your letter, and I’m calling regarding complying with your allegations.”
I paused.
“My response,” I said, “is that you picked the wrong woman to mess with.”
I hung up.
The timer in the air exploded in a burst of magical light. Several orbs floated down, forming a message: Shame on you.
Then the orbs disappeared.
“It’s on now,” Darius said. “We’re at war.”
“Right,” I said, sighing. “Now we have to figure out what the hell we’re going to do next.”
8
We prepared the shop for battle as if it were our fortress.
Niecy put the pocket radio on the front counter, and Darius changed it to a hip hop station and cranked the volume up.
“Balthus sent some spies,” I said. “That means someone inspected the shop, and they got a good look at everything.”
Darius threw a fist into an open palm.
“Means we gotta think like a burglar,” he said. “We gotta set charms and reset all the locks.”
Niecy waved a hand. A set of golden deadbolts appeared in her hand, and she tossed them at Darius. Then she waved another hand, materializing a toolbox. She gave it to him.
Darius snapped his fingers, sending a glowing green javelin at the front door, knocking the lock clean out of the wood.
I slid to the door as Darius tossed me a lock. Together, we changed the lock, checking it to make sure it worked.
We set it snug in the door and tested it several times.
Nobody new was busting through this door.
We changed the locks on every window. Darius cast a tint spell, tinting the windows so no one could see inside, but we could see out.
Niecy generated several precious stones in her hands and tossed them out to us.
I caught a sound suppressant charm, a smooth, heavy jade stone that glowed in my hand. I passed through every room of the house holding it in front of me. I crossed paths with Niecy and Destiny, who held out charms of their own.
I did a second scan of the house, checking for any cameras or suspicious devices that anyone might have left. I didn’t find anything, and I looked everywhere. I felt better about that.
When I returned downstairs, Darius’s entire body was glowing. He held out his hands, producing a bright blue glyph that hovered in the air. He pointed, sending it to the front door. The glyph glowed three times before fading almost out of sight.
Darius produced more glyphs that he set in front of all the doors and windows.
An hour later, we collapsed into the chairs at the kitchen table. Destiny served us bowls of chicken noodle soup.
No one was breaking into our shop without us knowing about it. No one would be able to see in or eavesdrop.
“I feel a lot better now,” I said, sipping my soup. I couldn’t even taste it. Must have been the adrenaline running through me.
“If somebody wants to bust in, we’re gonna be ready for ‘em,” Darius said. “Those glyph charms will tie them up in a web.”
“First step accomplished,” I said.
“Next step: kick Balthus’s ass,” Darius said.
“You’re getting ahead,” I said. “We’ll have to see what that article says.”
“It won’t be good, we know that,” Darius said.
“We don’t know who we’re dealing with,” I said. “Not really.”
“We ought to pay him a visit, then,” Darius said. “I’m up for that.”
“No,” I said. “We’re outside of our comfort zone.”
It didn’t take me long to realize that.
If customers came into the shop, I could solve their problems. It was easy.
But ever since my last adventure, I learned to determine when I needed help.
And I needed help.
It was time for a little dark magic…
“We’re going to need help,” I said.
Darius smirked. “You’re crazy if you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”
Of course I was thinking of Harriet Shadow, my grandmother’s friend and somewhat of a guardian for me and my cousins.
Shadow freaked me out, but I owed her for helping me the last time I saw her.
If anyone knew who were dealing with, it was her.
“A’ight,” Destiny said. “Sounds like we’re finally gonna take her up on her offer. Damn shame too.”
I wasn’t exactly thrilled about asking Harriet for help again. But I didn’t have a choice.
I grabbed my coat, walking outside into the snow. My cousins followed me.
“Who is this Harriet?” Niecy asked.
“A shadow,” I said.
Niecy’s eyes widened.
“Y’all runnin’ with a shadow?” she asked. “I thought y’all knew better than that.”
“I don’t have boundaries anymore,” I said. “Cousin, if you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you wouldn’t either.”
“Call her already,” Darius said.
“Hold up,” Destiny said. “Are we sure we want to ask her for help? We already owe her one. Do we want to owe her again?”
“Technically, we owe her two,” I said.
I remembered the scholarship Destiny received to go to Lakeway University. An endowment in Harriet’s honor.
“If anything, this will give us a chance to learn more about Nana,” I said. “Apparently, Harriet has much to tell us.”
Destiny nodded. “Okay. A’ight.”
“This is a big deal for you,” I said, grinning. “Before today, if I even said her name, you twitched.”
“I care about protectin’ us,” Destiny said. “I’ll do w
hat I gotta do.”
“All right,” I said. “Here we go.”
I took a few steps into the snow.
I said her name.
The wind blew, dredging up old snow around us.
I waited.
Nothing.
“Maybe she’s off fighting demons?” Darius said. “It’s unusual for her not to show up right away.”
A cough drew our attention to the back of our lot, to a mound of snow and dirt.
Harriet lay in the snow. She wore her trademark business attire and white pearl necklace. Shadows swirled all over her body.
She rolled to her knees.
A knife was stuck in her side, and she clutched it, grimacing.
“I’m…glad you called,” she said, falling face-first into the snow.
9
I ran to Harriet’s side as she bled into the snow.
“What happened to you?” I asked.
Harriet, a consummate stoic, kept her composure.
“Bad fight,” she said.
I looked at her wound. The knife had barely missed her organs, and it didn't go through all the way; part of the blade was sticking out.
“Damn,” I said. “This isn't good.”
Darius ran to her.
“This is a hell of a way to meet,” he said.
Destiny and Niecy stood in the snow, watching quietly with concerned faces.
“The blade isn't charmed, is it?” Darius asked.
Harriet cupped her side gingerly.
“Not from what I can tell,” she said. “Hit me with a cooling spell, Darius. I'll rip it out myself.”
Darius looked at me.
“Do it!” Harriet barked.
Darius’s hands glowed and he spread them over Harriet. Her blood froze, and her skin cracked into ice around the knife blade.
Harriet grimaced. Then she wrapped her hands around the knife handle and pulled with all her might, screaming.
The knife tumbled into the snow. A fresh spurt of blood poured from her.
Niecy materialized bandages and gauze, and I applied pressure to Harriet as she lay back in the snow, breathing heavily.
Once we had her bandaged up, Darius cast a curing spell on her, stopping the bleeding. But she was still hurt pretty bad.
“Come on,” I said, hoisting her up. I smelled her floral perfume as I slipped an arm over my neck.
Darius and I carried her into the shop, downstairs past the kitchen and into the living room.
Evil Waking Page 4