by Baker, Apryl
“That’s terrible, CJ,” she grinned at me. I smiled back. Maybe today wouldn’t turn out to be so bad after all. Mom and I hadn’t spent a lot of time together recently. I’d missed her.
“Oh, look at this!” I scooped up my favorite witch’s hat and put it on. “How do I look?”
“About twelve,” she laughed and donned a hat of her own. “Now, back to this kissing business. Are you and Jeff Parker dating?”
“Uh, definitely not.”
“He likes you, though.” Mom pulled out a jumbled mess of orange lights. “I told your father not to just throw these lights in here!”
“Just make Dad untangle them,” I told her and opened a container with more lights. She was right. Dad had made a mess of them. No way was I going to sit here all day and untangle these things.
“So who were you kissing on the porch Tuesday afternoon then?”
Huh? I dropped the tombstone I’d just picked up. How did Mom know about that?
“Mrs. Avery next door took great delight in telling me all about it.” Mom laughed at my shocked expression.
Damn that nosy old woman. I was sure it was all over town by now.
“It was nothing, Mom,” I hedged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Kissing a boy is nothing, CJ? Mrs. Avery said you were a bit involved for a minute.”
Damn, damn that nosy old biddy.
“Ethan Warren,” I told her reluctantly.
“Ethan’s back?” Mom paused. An expression of shock morphed into one of extreme excitement on her face. “When did he get back?”
“Back?” I asked, confused. “He’s been here before?”
She nodded.
“But he told me his mom wouldn’t let them visit.”
“No, she wouldn’t, but his father always made sure he and Ethan visited for at least a day every summer.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, CJ. I need to make a call.”
What the hell? I gaped after her rapidly retreating backside. Why did Ethan’s name cause her to get so worked up she looked ready to burst at the seams with excitement like a kid on Christmas morning? Oh, hell no. She was going to explain this. I started after her.
My foot tangled in a mess of lights and I fell. I landed face down in a pile of costumes. I pushed myself up with my good hand and froze. Something shiny and bright caught my attention. It was hidden underneath Grandma Bishop’s old Singer sewing machine. I crawled over and pulled it out. My mind froze up for a minute as it took in the box wrapped in metallic red paper sporting little happy birthday logos all across it.
Oh damn. It couldn’t be.
A card with my name on it was anchored under the silver ribbon. I ripped the card open and almost dropped it in shock.
Happy Birthday, Little Sister
Love Emily
I’d looked everywhere for this after the funeral. She’d tormented and teased me unmercifully about what she’d gotten me for my fifteenth birthday. I couldn’t believe I’d found it after all these years. I traced the words over and over, mindless of the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
I pulled the wrapping paper apart very gently, not wanting to lose even a piece of it, and uncovered a plain white shirt box. Inside, nestled in a bed of red tissue, lay Emily’s induction dress. Her silver locket rested on top of the sheer material. My hand shook as I picked it up. We’d searched for this locket after the accident. Dad had wanted to bury her with it. Now I knew why we couldn’t find it—she’d planned on giving it to me.
A whimper escaped as pain ripped through me. The old wound had never really healed and seeing this just made it bleed even more than usual. I opened the tiny clasp. Her face smiled up at me. Our hair lay twisted together over my own face. She’d worn it so she could have something of me with her at her ceremony, and now I would wear it to have a piece of her with me always.
After fastening the locket around my neck, I held up the dress. It shimmered and glowed even in the dusty confines of the attic like a thousand tiny lights glittered against it. It was beautiful.
I started to put it back in the box when a letter caught my attention. It was addressed to me.
Hey Little Sis,
Happy birthday! I am going to put this at the foot of your bed so you’ll see it as soon as you wake up. I can’t wait to see your expression. I’ve tortured you long enough.
This gown is very special. It really is the original gown worn by Sara Bishop. She was the Coven Mistress in Massachusetts and this gown has been worn by all her descendants. Grandma Bishop gave it to me when I was twelve and told me its history. Like you, I didn’t believe it then either, but it’s true, Cassie Jayne. This gown is a part of our heritage, our history, and it’s priceless for that reason. I know you’ll take good care of it and the responsibility that comes with it. It belongs to you, always has I think. No one else has ever been able to touch it without the aid of a spell. It burns to the touch. I could hold it, but not for long. When you were able to touch it, I knew then it was yours.
I have something very special planned for your induction ceremony. You and Kay always celebrate your birthdays together, but your induction into the Junior Coven should be about you and you alone. That is why I have planned Kay’s induction for the first Saturday in November. Yours will be on your birthday.
Before the Junior Coven leader can join the Coven, the next leader must be chosen and I choose you, Cassie Jayne. You are to be the next leader of the Junior Coven. Don’t be afraid. It’s scary, but amazing. I know you don’t believe in it now, but after your induction ceremony, all your doubts will be swept away. I promise. It’s who you are.
I love you so much, little sister, and am so very proud of you. Happy birthday!
Love,
Emily
Questions exploded into my mind. She’d planned to hand the Junior Coven over to me? It made no sense. Why would she warn me to stay away from it then? What had happened to change her mind? I thought back to the night that was forever burned into my memory. She’d been scared that night. She’d loved the Coven with her entire being. This proved it. So why, why had she told me not to go near it? What had she known about the Coven that I didn’t? What had scared her into making me promise to stay away from it?
A horrible thought pushed its way in. What if the Coven had something to do with her death? Oh, damn. My stomach clenched painfully. I knew I was right. I didn’t understand why, but I was right. Maybe her death hadn’t been an accident after all. Could that be why she’d warned me away from the Coven? Because they’d tried to kill her?
I’d promised her I’d stay away, but I couldn’t. She was my sister and I needed to find out if what had happened to her was really an accident or not.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered and folded the gown back into the box. “I have to know, Ems.”
I pulled out my phone and found Ethan’s number.
“Cassie,” he answered. I could hear the smile in his voice. My stomach flipped at the sound. He sounded like he’d just woken up. Images flooded my mind at that thought and I blushed to the roots of my hair.
“So what do I wear to an induction ceremony?” I asked him.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “You sound like you’ve been crying.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied. “I just found something that reminded me of Emily, that’s all.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really, but I will be. So, I’ll meet you in the park at seven?”
“I can pick you up.”
“No, I don’t want Dad to know I’m going. It’ll just upset him.”
“Okay,” he agreed with a sigh.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Did your dad ever bring you to visit you grandfather here when you were little?”
“No, I told you Mom wouldn’t let us visit. Granddad came to us.”
Who was lying? Ethan or Mom?
“Why?” he asked me.
“No reason,” I said. “So, what do I wear tonight?”
“Something nice.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at seven. Bye.”
I snapped the phone shut, my stomach clenched into knots. Mom said Ethan had been here before and Ethan denied it.
Who was lying to me and why?
Chapter Eight
I ended up choosing my cream colored dress with long, fitted sleeves. A pair of black, strappy Stuart Weitzman heels completed my ensemble. Thank the Fates Macy’s had opened at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte. My shoe obsession could now be supported with relative ease. Mostly. Now, if I could only get my parents to see my passion for shoes as the vital necessity it was, life would be good. I had my eye on the cutest pair of Chloe boots, but so far, no such luck on that front.
After I stuffed my dress and shoes in my back pack, I glanced at the clock. 6:15 p.m. I needed to get a move on if I wanted to be ready on time. Mom had already left to help set up, so all I needed to do was get past Dad. I found him propped up in his easy chair watching ESPN, a bowl of popcorn balanced precariously on his knee. He held a can of Coke in one hand and the remote in the other.
“Dad, I’m going out for a while. Do you need anything?”
Please don’t ask where I’m going, please don’t ask where I’m going, please…
“No, but I do need to talk to you.” He looked up from the TV and motioned for me to sit on the couch.
“Sure, Dad.” He’s not drunk, I reminded myself. Still, I sat as far from him as possible. I didn’t blame him for what had happened, but I was a little wary of him. Regret flared in his eyes and I felt guilty, but I couldn’t bring myself to move any closer.
“CJ, I need to apologize for what I did to you,” he said in a rough, scratchy voice. “There’s no excuse for it and I promise you, honey, it will never happen again. I didn’t mean to do it, Cassie Jayne.”
“I know, Daddy.”
“You’re all I have left, the most important thing in my life. I haven’t touched a drink since and I promise you, I won’t ever again. I love you too much to ever hurt you again. All I ever wanted was to keep you safe.”
To keep you safe. Words any parent might say, but in my dad’s voice, there was a whole world of implications. What did he know?
“Will you tell me the truth if I ask a question?”
“If I can.”
“Why is it so important to you that I stay away from the Coven?”
His golden eyes looked at me, shrewd and assessing. “The Coven is not always what it seems.”
“That’s not an answer.” Anger laced my words. My stomach started to hurt. He knew something, maybe everything, but wasn’t going to tell me. “Why did you flip out? What scared you so much it made you lose control?”
“I was drunk, and thinking about Emily. I don’t even remember what I said.”
His bottom lip quivered. Crap. At least I knew where I got it from.
“You’re lying.”
“It’s all I can tell you, CJ. Please, honey, just stay away from them. I don’t want to lose you too.”
“Lose me how?” I jumped up, frustrated. “You’re not making sense!”
He turned back to the TV. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you anything else. Won’t you just trust me?”
Trust me. There it was again. Ethan had said to trust him, too. Both of them were lying and it was really pissing me off.
“Fine. Whatever. I’m leaving.”
He nodded, focused on the sports announcer droning on in a monotone.
I made it to the front door.
“Where are you going, CJ?”
“Just out for a while. I have a date.”
It wasn’t lying, not really. I did have a date with Ethan.
“Don’t stay out too late.”
“That’s it?” I asked incredulously. “Don’t stay out too late?”
“I know the initiation is tonight, but you told me you wouldn’t go near the Coven and I trust you. No more insane accusations. Have a good time.”
Now I felt about as low as a piece of gum stuck to a brand new pair of Prada heels.
“Bye, Dad.” Sorry, I mouthed silently to his back and slipped out the front door.
I sighed in frustration as I jogged the short distance to Kay’s. He had to go and say he trusted me, didn’t he? It’s not like I’d lied, not really. I mean, I was going on a date. To the initiation. Crap, I’d lied to my dad. I hated lying.
The Martins were already gone to the Hall to get things ready for tonight, so I let myself in the back door. I did the one legged hop into the bathroom as I pulled my jeans and t-shirt off. Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed and ready. Thank the Fates I’d applied my makeup at home before I left. I’d have been so late otherwise. The only jewelry I wore was Emily’s locket.
My tennis shoes stayed on until I sat down on the park bench. Then they went into the backpack I hid in the bushes next to the bench. The strappy heels took some careful maneuvering, but I managed to wrestle them on. My watch told me it was 6:52. I was early, but Ethan was earlier. I saw him leaning against one of the trees watching me, a smile on his face.
I stopped breathing the minute my eyes found him. Dressed in black trousers, a red shirt, and a simple black jacket, he looked like some dark angel come to tempt me. His hair fell around his face haphazardly and his smile turned wicked when he pushed away from the tree and walked towards me.
He took a seat and leaned into me. “Breathe, Cassie Jayne,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes and forced air into my lungs. He knew exactly what he did to me. So unfair. I didn’t think I had nearly the same effect on him.
“You look very nice,” I managed to get out. He looked more than nice. In truth, he could have been on the cover of GQ Magazine and he was mine. My own personal M&M, I thought with a grin.
“Why are you grinning, Cassie?”
“No reason,” I said and blushed. No way in hell would I ever tell him his nickname.
“You’re blushing.” His eyes glinted with a wicked light. “Were you having indecent thoughts about me?”
“What…NO!” My face burned scarlet. I could feel the heat of it creep up my neck and into my scalp.
“Hmm…that’s a shame, Cassie Jayne Bishop,” he whispered into my ear.
“It is?” I swallowed at the feel of his warm breath against my ear.
“Yes.” His teeth grazed my earlobe and I shivered in response. “Do you want to know why?”
“Why?” I struggled to pay attention.
“Because I’ve been having indecent thoughts about you for days.” He trailed butterfly kisses along my jaw and then down the curve of my neck.
“You have?” I gasped. My breathing hitched into overdrive and my heart galloped out of control. I felt a little dizzy. How could he do this to me, I wondered? I’d been kissed many times before, but no one had ever had this kind of effect upon me before. Ethan could make me forget everything except him.
“Days,” he confirmed and pulled me to my feet. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“No.” His gray eyes grew darker and darker as he stared into my own. I could drown in those eyes.
His smile turned tender and his eyes flamed with an emotion I couldn’t define. “No? Well, let me say, Miss Bishop, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met in all my days.” His hand cupped my cheek. “My Cassie.”
His Cassie? My heart melted into a puddle at my feet.
His lips came down on mine in the softest, most gentle kiss I’d ever experienced. The truth struck me then and I stiffened up. I was falling in love with this boy. And that scared me.
“What’s wrong?” He pulled away to look at me.
“Nothing.” I took a shaky breath and buried my face in his shirt. “You make me feel things no one else ever has.”
“I should hope no one has ever made you feel like this,” he whispered into my hair and tightened his arms around me. �
��You’re mine, Cassie.”
“Yours?” I pulled away and looked up into his eyes. They glowed with warmth.
“Mine,” he nodded. “If you want to be.”
My brain screamed too soon, too soon, but my heart blocked out the words. Nothing made sense when it came to Ethan. Just the sound of his voice could stir a multitude of emotions within me. I’d only known him about a week, but I’d spent most of every minute of that time either with him or talking to him on the phone. He made me feel things that I’d never experienced and the thought of us being apart caused a physical pain within me.
He was also very good at dodging questions, and I knew he was keeping something from me. I had to wonder what he was hiding and sometimes, thinking about that scared me more than anything else did. But none of that mattered to me as I stared into eyes that gazed down at me with so much warmth.
Did I want to be his? I might be afraid. He was probably lying to me. But I wanted him.
“I do.”
His smile lit up his face. “Good to hear, Miss Bishop. Now, we’d best get going. We’re already late as it is.”
He turned us into the park and started walking.
“Shouldn’t we be going to the hall?” I asked, confused.
He laughed and pulled me into his side. “Not tonight, sweetheart.”
I frowned and let him lead me deeper into the woods behind the park.
Where the hell were we going?
Chapter Nine
The trees became thicker the farther in we walked, knitting overhead to block off any light from the moon. It should have been dark, but it wasn’t. I could see the path clearly in front of me. A soft light permeated the entire area, but I couldn’t find its source.
“What’s with the light?” I asked Ethan. “Where’s it coming from?”
He smiled. “Magic.”
I rolled my eyes.
The ground around me yielded no clues. I couldn’t so much as detect a wire anywhere. It was just a soft glow that covered the forest floor. The harder I looked, the more confused I became. Where was the stupid light coming from?