“More than one person has been exhibiting odd behavior since making a wish” I pointed out.
“I became aware of that a little while ago,” Aunt Tillie hedged. “I think … um …maybe I made an error when I cast the spell. That’s why I came back here to reverse it.”
“And?”
“And I’m not sure the reversal spell will work because I can’t exactly remember how I cast the first spell.”
“But … didn’t you follow a spell recipe?” That was one of those Winchester witch rules we were never supposed to ignore. “You always said … .”
“I know what I said, little miss freakout,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “There might’ve been wine involved when I cast the first spell. It wasn’t something that was supposed to be ongoing. It was simply supposed to be a one and done.”
“Well, it definitely hasn’t turned out that way.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Aunt Tillie muttered. “There’s something else. I guess if I’m being honest I’ll own up to that, because … well … I’m a responsible person.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Landon said, exhaling heavily. “This is going to be all sorts of suck. I can already tell.”
“The spell took on another peculiar trait,” Aunt Tillie offered. “I designed it so when Margaret made her wish she’d get what she wanted for a bit and then it would turn.”
My blood ran cold. “Turn how?”
“Oh, you know.” Aunt Tillie swished her head from side to side, as if she was trying to evade a pesky fly. “You’d get what you’d want and then after a while you’d get a little more than you want.”
“I don’t understand what that means,” Landon interjected. “Did she just explain something?”
“I think she means that people will think they get what they want and then realize they should’ve been careful about what they wished for,” I suggested. “That’s why Nelson was having such a good time earlier today. He got what he wanted – a ton of girls throwing themselves all over him. By the time the evening hit, his wish morphed into everyone else being jealous because he stole all of the women in a certain age group.”
“Oh.” Landon rolled his neck until it cracked. “What does that mean for the Leerys?”
“I’m guessing it means that because she wished for things to go back to the way they were, they’ll land on a time in her life when things weren’t so good.”
“And what about Danielle and the Star Trek dude?” Chief Terry asked. “She’s not going to hurt him, is she?”
“I didn’t hear about that one,” Aunt Tillie admitted. “She managed to get her hands on a real celebrity? This won’t end well.”
“I’m more worried about the flying kid,” I said. “What happens if he starts crashing?”
“Wait … someone is flying?” Aunt Tillie looked impressed rather than embarrassed. “Even when I’m drunk I pack a powerful wallop. If I knew I could make people fly I would’ve cast this spell a long time ago. Is he wearing a cape?”
“Just a hoodie,” I replied, my annoyance bubbling up. “Aunt Tillie, how could you do this? The entire town could be affected by this time tomorrow.”
“The good news is that I tried to dump a reversal spell in there,” Aunt Tillie offered. “The bad news is that I don’t think it worked.”
“How is that even remotely good news?”
Aunt Tillie shrugged. “I can mark that mixture off my list and go on to the next one. It’s progress.”
“Oh, man!” I slapped my hand to my forehead, weariness overtaking me. “This is, like, the longest day ever.”
“You’re in big trouble,” Landon snapped, wagging a finger in Aunt Tillie’s face. “I’ll lock you up for this one.”
“I’ll help,” Chief Terry added.
“Oh, right.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “I can see that police report now. Senior citizen curses wishing well and boy flies. They’ll lock you up for being mentally unbalanced before I ever see the inside of a courtroom.”
Landon must’ve realized she spoke some truth because he lowered his voice. “You’re still in big trouble.”
“And all I heard was ‘wah, wah, wah.” Aunt Tillie made a face. “So … who wants to get some cake? I need to recharge my batteries, and I think cake is the only thing that will make that happen.”
Every single time we have to do something together I wish I were an only child. It’s nothing against you, of course, but I read that only children are happier and more successful. There would’ve been nothing holding me back if I were an only child. I … Twila, are you even listening to me? Yank the gum out of your hair and pay attention.
– Winnie Winchester, age 14, bossing around her sisters
Nine
“I don’t see why you’re giving me attitude. This isn’t my fault.”
Aunt Tillie hadn’t stopped talking from the moment Landon forced her into his Explorer. She rattled off a seemingly endless diatribe on why she was being persecuted and how ‘The Man’ was out to get her. I risked a few glances at Landon during the drive, found him stone-faced and grim, and worried that things would get worse before they got better.
“I’m sorry about this.” I kept my voice low even though Aunt Tillie kept talking in the back seat. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your weekend. I … am so sorry.”
Landon made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat as he reached over and grabbed my hand. “Don’t apologize for something you’re not responsible for. You didn’t do this. I hate it when you go all martyr on me.”
“I’m not being a martyr,” I corrected. “I might not have done this myself, but we all figured out that Aunt Tillie was up to something before we actually caught her in the act. She was acting weird and we should’ve realized it was a spell gone amok. Who else could’ve possibly done this?”
“I resent that,” Aunt Tillie sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is something that could’ve easily happened to any of you. You guys have done much worse.”
I balked. “What have I done that’s worse?”
“Don’t you remember when you were sixteen and you cursed Lila Stevens so her pants kept ripping whenever she bent over? She also made that terrible farting sound when it happened. Come to think of it, that was a good curse. Do you remember how you did it?”
I was mortified to be reminded of that. “Aunt Tillie,” I growled. “That was a long time ago … and it was nowhere near as bad as what you did.”
“Says you.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “Lila almost went crazy that week. She had that meltdown and tried to yank out your hair. She knew it was you, but couldn’t prove it. Good times,” she sighed over the reminiscence.
“I fail to see how Bay messing with a demented bully when she was in high school is the same as you cursing a wishing well and allowing people to fly,” Landon argued. “You’ve hurt innocent people. Bay went after a guilty person.”
“Oh, you’re only saying that because you’re sweet on her,” Aunt Tillie complained.
“I am sweet on her,” Landon agreed. “In fact, I’m so sweet on her there are times I wish I could go back in time and take care of the Lila situation myself. That has nothing to do with this particular spell.”
“If you agree to keep what I’ve done to yourself I’ll totally make it possible for you to go back in time and terrorize Lila,” Aunt Tillie offered.
Landon narrowed his eyes as he met Aunt Tillie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Don’t push me.”
“Oh, fine.” Aunt Tillie tsked as she offered a half-hearted wave. “I still maintain this isn’t my fault. It could’ve happened to anyone. It’s like when there’s a slick spot on the road. Is the innocent driver who hits it first responsible for the seventy-car pileup?”
“That depends,” Landon answered evenly. “Did the first driver cast a spell to cause the slick spot?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“That’s what I t
hought,” Landon grumbled, releasing my hand so he could vigorously rub the back of his head. “You make me tired. You know that, right? You make me so tired that my scalp itches.”
“That’s probably lice.”
“It’s not lice. Where would I get lice?”
“I heard the government has a special lice breeding program and they’re trying to infiltrate their enemies with mutant bugs,” Aunt Tillie replied. “Maybe they’re using you as a test case. You are ‘The Man,’ after all.”
“So very tired,” Landon muttered.
I shot him a sympathetic look. The weariness was back, pinching the area around his eyes and making him look older. Life was weighing heavily on him these days because we had so much going on. I was desperate to make things easier for him.
“Landon, why don’t you drop me off at the inn and head back to the guesthouse,” I suggested. “You can take a bath and go to bed early. I have a feeling this is going to take a family effort to correct, and I know you’re tired, so … you should get some rest.”
Landon’s expression was unreadable when he shifted his eyes to me. “Why are you handling me?”
“I’m not handling you,” I protested.
“She’d better not be handling you,” Aunt Tillie grumbled from the back seat. “If she’s handling you she’ll get lice, because they hop to your private parts. I read that in a magazine.”
“Be quiet back there,” Landon barked. “You’re in enough trouble.”
“Sheesh. Where did your sense of humor go? Did the lice eat it?”
“I can’t even look at you,” Landon groused, heaving out a sigh. His eyes were thoughtful as they roamed my face. I knew what I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t get a chance because he opened his mouth first. “Bay, we’re in this together. This is no different than the other crazy things we’ve been forced to overcome. We’ll get through this.”
I wasn’t convinced. “You’re so tired, though.”
“I’m not tired. We got ten hours of sleep last night. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“She’s not wrong,” Aunt Tillie said, resting her cheek against my seat as she leaned forward. “You do look a little tired. Maybe you should try getting more vitamin D. With the lack of sun this time of year many people suffer from a deficiency. I think you’re probably one of them. If you’re feeling drained and exhausted, that’s probably it.”
“Oh, well, as luck would have it I’m feeling irritated and annoyed,” Landon clarified. “I’m pretty sure that has something to do with you.”
“It could be the lice,” Aunt Tillie countered. “Maybe they ate your funny bone.”
“Stop talking about lice!”
“Boy, you’re crabby.” Aunt Tillie made a tsking sound as she shook her head. “Are you not getting enough sex? I’ve heard that people become crabby if they don’t get enough sex. Bay, you should get on that.”
“Oh, geez.” I slapped my hand to my forehead as Landon burst out in riotous chuckles. “I know how you feel when you say this family makes you tired. They make me tired, too.”
“At least we’re in this together.” Landon’s smile was genuine as he pulled into the driveway that led to The Overlook. “Now, together, we can tell your mother what Aunt Tillie has been up to and come up with a plan.”
Aunt Tillie’s face drained of color as she immediately started shaking her head. “You can’t snitch. That’s against the rules.”
“Oh, I’m totally going to snitch,” Landon countered. “We need help and we can’t get it without telling the other witches in this family what’s going on. We don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a better option than snitching,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “I forbid you to do this.”
“Oh, I’m going to do it.” Landon looked pleased with himself. “I think it’ll be the highlight of my day.”
“LET ME do the talking.”
Aunt Tillie was all business when we entered the inn, squaring her shoulders as she marched into the kitchen.
Mom, Marnie and Twila barely glanced up when we entered.
“Dinner is almost ready,” Mom announced. “We’re making a nice herb-roasted chicken with potatoes, and chocolate cake for dessert.”
“That sounds great.” I fixed Aunt Tillie with a pointed look. “Doesn’t that sound great, Aunt Tillie?”
“I would’ve preferred a good pork loin,” Aunt Tillie replied, not missing a beat. “I love a good pork loin, in fact.”
“Maybe tomorrow.” Mom was clearly distracted as she dumped potatoes in the roasting pan. “Where have you guys been? Thistle said you had to run to town to help Terry. I hope it wasn’t too serious.”
“It wasn’t the end of the world, but it has the potential to turn serious,” I clarified, my eyes never leaving Aunt Tillie’s face. “I think Aunt Tillie wants to comment on that part of it, though.”
“I’m good.” Aunt Tillie lifted her nose as she scanned the kitchen. “Is that coffee I smell? How fresh is it? It’s cold outside, and these old bones need to be warmed up.”
“You can have coffee in a second,” I said, grabbing her arm. “I believe you said you wanted to discuss something important with your nieces, right?”
“You must have an ear infection,” Aunt Tillie replied, blasé. “I never said anything of the sort.”
I narrowed my eyes, frustrated. “Aunt Tillie … .”
“What’s going on?” Mom asked. She sounded as weary as Landon looked. “Did something happen?”
“It did,” Aunt Tillie confirmed, bobbing her head. “Landon has lice. We need to wash his hair. I’m thinking it might be better to shave it off.”
Landon scowled. He loved his hair. It was something of a trademark, and I remained uncertain how he could get away with shoulder-length hair while serving as an FBI agent. He claimed it was because of his undercover duties, but he’d only been under cover twice since I met him – and after his most recent stint went awry, I had trouble believing he would opt to go that route again.
“You’re not cutting his hair,” I argued. “His hair is hot.”
“Thank you, sweetie.” Landon beamed as he grabbed a cookie from the tray on the counter. “You’re good for my ego.”
“You won’t think he’s hot if he gives you lice,” Aunt Tillie pointed out.
“He doesn’t have lice!”
“Don’t let her get to you,” Landon chided, his expression clouding over. “She’s trying to distract everyone from the real reason we’re in here. I won’t let her do that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Aunt Tillie sniffed. “I think you’re trying to distract everyone because you’ve become attached to your lice. That’s weird, by the way. I think you should be locked up.”
“Knock that off!” Landon was clearly at his limit. He planted his hands on his hips and glared at Aunt Tillie. “Tell them what you’ve done or I’ll do it for you.”
Despite being backed into a corner, Aunt Tillie remained oddly calm. “You’re such a snitch.”
“Oh, geez, what did you do now?” Mom asked, her hands buried in a chicken. I didn’t want to know what she was doing up there, but it was making me uncomfortable watching her work. “If you’ve threatened the guests or done something to Margaret Little I don’t even want to hear about it.”
“You heard her.” Aunt Tillie was smug. “She doesn’t want to hear about it.”
“You have to hear about it,” Landon countered. “We need your help to fix what she’s done.”
“I haven’t done anything,” Aunt Tillie argued. “Mistakes were made – I’m the first to admit that – but you’re overreacting. Everything is fine.”
“Oh, this is going to be bad. I can feel it.” Mom heaved a long-suffering sigh. There were times she thought of Aunt Tillie as another child. Unfortunately for her, Aunt Tillie was the child who refused to grow up and often grew more immature with age. “What did you do?”
“I
didn’t do anything,” Aunt Tillie answered. “They’re making things up as they go along. Whatever they say, it’s all lies.” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think the lice have crawled into his ear canal and are eating his brain.”
“Okay, I’m done.” Landon shook his head, frustrated. “Aunt Tillie cast a curse on the new wishing well. It was supposed to affect the first person who made a wish – who Aunt Tillie assumed would be Margaret Little – but now it’s backfired and half the people in town are reporting odd occurrences.”
Mom’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“So far most of the stuff has been minor,” I offered. “The Leerys had sex in the parking lot and mentioned heading to the greenhouse to take advantage of that locale for their next bout. Someone is flying over the property in a hoodie, as if he’s a really lazy superhero. Nelson Lyons has enchanted every girl in the senior class and enraged all of the boys in the process. Mrs. Little has suddenly become popular. Mr. Hyland apparently came into a bit of money and Danielle Simmons might be keeping a Star Trek actor prisoner in her house.”
Mom stilled, dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”
“What?” Aunt Tillie whined. “It’s not that bad.”
“You are in so much trouble,” Mom barked as she jerked her hands out of the chicken. “How could you do this?”
“And why haven’t you reversed the spell?” Marnie added, confused. “That should’ve been your first course of action.”
“I don’t understand why she would want to give Margaret Little her heart’s desire,” Twila added. “It seems to me the opposite would be true.”
“The wishes turn bad,” I supplied. “You start out getting everything you want and then they backfire on you.”
“Oh, well, that makes sense.” Twila made a clucking sound as she shook her head. “I’m really disappointed, Aunt Tillie. This is not how you raised us. You told us it was against the rules to do something like this … and then you turn around and do it yourself. Shame on you.”
Make A Witch Page 8