“I’m still not completely feeling myself and seeing that welcome basket on the front porch didn’t help matters,” I said, ignoring Ellsy’s suggestion. I was going to let Logan handle that. “Logan, can you grab some of the cedarwood oil out of the pantry? The diffuser is on the counter. I think we could all use some healing compounds right now,” I said. Not to mention the un-hexing properties I mused. “I’m gonna go upstairs and change. I’ll be back down in a minute to make us some different teas that will hopefully get us sorted a little better.”
“No hurry, dear,” my aunt’s voice was weary.
Logan was already in the pantry searching for the cedarwood oil as I darted down the hall. If Logan and I really were going to go somewhere for a little while, I would need to make a list of the oils and incenses that I’d want to take with me. Granted, if we were in the middle of the forest, I’d have plenty at my fingertips, but the way things had been going, we needed to go out there already prepared.
I was rummaging through my drawers trying to find my University of Washington sweatshirt, when I found one of my old plane ticket stubs. I started to throw the ticket aside, and something caught my eye. The confirmation code began with “AS” followed by a long line of numbers, exactly like what was in my mom’s planner. Pulling the sweatshirt over my head as I headed back downstairs to tell Logan, excitement began running through my body with the thought that I might be one step closer to figuring things out about my mom.
Logan was back in the pantry and his mom and my aunt were no longer in the kitchen. He was staring at shelf upon shelf of dried herbs, tinctures, and oils that we had organized so well.
“Logan,” I said with my voice low. “I think I figured out what the random letter-number code was in the planner. Check it out.” I shoved my old plane ticket in front of him.
“Nice one,” he said, a smile spreading across his lips.
I backed up quickly realizing how close I had gotten to him and how hard it was for me to be that close without my mind wandering.
“Let’s go to the study and see what’s up. I think you might have figured it out,” he said in amazement.
“I wonder where she was planning on going, or having me go?” I whispered as we walked to the study.
“We’ll find out shortly.”
I flipped the light on in the study and went over to the desk. My head started pounding again, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of what happened at my receiving ceremony or this plane ticket.
I plopped down in the chair, and Logan came up behind. He leaned over me as I began flipping the pages in the planner. He was just close enough where I could smell the soap he was using. It was one of my favorites that I made, a sweet grass and avocado blend, but it smelled extremely delightful on him. I leaned closer to the desk, and his breath hovered on my skin creating a distraction I didn’t think I could handle. As he scanned each of the pages along with me, I started to squirm a little bit, hoping that he would get the clue. It pained me to be the girl full of mixed messages, but I’d never be able to forgive myself if I didn’t find my mom because I got caught up in a summer fling.
“Here it is!” I exclaimed, pointing at the code.
“Good job, Triss. I don’t think I would have figured that one out no matter how hard I tried. Do you want to call Alaska Air and find out the information, or do you want me to?” he asked.
“I’ll try first.” He was still leaning over me, and his energy was almost breaking me down. “Hey, can you go get me chamomile tea while I call? Would you mind dropping a little skullcap in there too? I think I need some sort of calming aid.”
His face fell a little on the realization that I was sending him away briefly.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied.
“Are we going to tell anybody about this?” I asked as he was leaving.
He spun around quickly, and his eyes were gloomy.
“I think from this moment on, what we find out needs to stay between us two. I don’t think anyone would give us credit for putting things together and would dismiss it as quickly as it came,” his voice was solemn.
“Even your mom?” My heart fell a little.
“Especially her,” he said quietly, and he took off down the hall.
I reached for the phone and dialed the customer service number that was on the back of my old ticket. I hadn’t even figured out my story when a female’s voice from their customer service department answered the phone.
“Hi,” I responded, “my name is Veronica Spires, and I need to find out the refund policy on a ticket I bought.”
Thankfully, they didn’t ask anything too tricky as I pretended to be my mother. The customer service representative was very helpful as we covered all the stipulations of the ticket my mom had purchased and even happened to mention not only the main flight’s destination, but also the shuttle flight’s rules that were connected to this ticket. I scrawled down all the information I could and couldn’t wait to hang up on her now that I had gotten what I wanted.
Logan brought in the tea for me and had an energy drink for himself.
“So it was one plane ticket to JFK and then a shuttle flight to Saranac Lake,” I said.
“One plane ticket, huh?” he asked, setting down my tea.
“You don’t think she was planning on leaving me, do you?” I didn’t wait for a response. “When I was to meet her at the beach there was something she wanted to tell me, and it’s been bothering me ever since. I figured it had to do with something going on with me and graduating or the receiving ceremony, but now I don’t think so.” As soon as I spoke the words, I wished I could get them back.
“Triss, if she was going to leave, it would have been to protect you, not for any other reason. If she knew something was going to happen, I could see her wanting things on her terms, but I think we are jumping ahead of ourselves right now.”
I moved my head too quickly to nod, and the throbbing started again.
“Thanks for this,” I said, pointing at the tea, trying not to let myself crumple in a ball and give up. “Now I just have to figure out where Saranac Lake is.”
“It sounds familiar, but I don’t know where it is,” he replied, grabbing his iPhone and punching it in.
“Well, what does it say?” I asked impatiently.
Logan looked up from his phone, his eyes filled with apprehension and uncertainty.
“It’s near Lake Placid,” he whispered, his eyes darkening with every second that passed by.
“Is that supposed to tell me something? It looks like it’s certainly having an impact on you,” I said.
My phone buzzed and Jenny’s text appeared, asking how the ceremony went.
“Who is it?” Logan asked.
“It’s Jenny. She asked how the ceremony went,” I said, suddenly finding the humor in the horrors that kept presenting themselves to me.
“That’s a loaded question,” Logan replied.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I said, shaking my head and placing my phone back down. The text back could wait.
“Is your mom really leaving tomorrow?” I asked.
“I think I persuaded her not to change her plans while you were upstairs. I told her it would be a good thing for her to try to recoup back at home, and that we might even land out there this summer if things continue to worsen.”
“You don’t have any plans for that, do you?”
He avoided my question. “The problem was a few days ago we had a goal to find out what happened to your mom. Now we are dealing with protecting you and still trying to find out what happened to your mom. It complicates things exponentially.”
“That it does,” I agreed, sitting back in the chair thankful that we had the desk between us once more.
Silence filled our space, and I heard the voices from my aunt and Ellsy in the other room coming to life.
“It pains me to vanish on everyone who I hold dear,” I whispered.
“They’ll know it’s for the b
est. The less they know, the more they’ll be protected.” He squinted at me or maybe beyond me. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at.
“When do you think we should leave?”
“Tomorrow.” His gaze not breaking away, he reached across the desk bringing his hand to mine.
I gasped.
“We’ve got to,” he replied. “I think we should try getting into that library as well.”
“That seems kind of dangerous. I wonder if I can even get in,” I replied.
“Well, the priestess finished the spell. They may not want you in, but your hair was added to the mixture, so I think you’ll be able to pass through the door,” he replied.
“How will I find everything?” I muttered to myself. “But what’s got to be done has gotta be done.”
He nodded.
“What time’s your mom’s flight?” I asked.
“Early afternoon.”
“We need to leave early so we can get to the cottage before it’s dark. It’s hard to find even in the daylight. The road always gets overgrown in the spring, and I’m not that familiar.” My nerves were beginning to take over. The thought of being alone, just us two, in the woods started to frighten me more than the idea of facing whatever or whoever was after me. Leaving everything I loved behind for who knows how long didn’t seem like such a great idea any longer.
“We have to get her to the airport two hours before the flight, so I think the timing will be just fine,” he replied gently, knowing he was about to lose me on this idea.
“What am I going to tell my aunt?”
“I’ll take care of it. Truthfully, she’s gonna have a hunch. We already talked about going to the cottage, but for her own safety, I’ll imply someplace else to her. That way if she’s hexed upon, or asked to divulge information, she won’t be able to. I know they’re thinking that you shouldn’t be here either. They just don’t want to make that decision themselves,” he replied flatly.
“Speaking of that, I’ve got to go take care of that begonia. How long do you think we’ll have to be out there?” I asked, my mouth completely dry.
“I have no idea,” he said, letting go of my hand.
“What about supplies?” I asked.
“We’ll take as much as we can, but it’s not like we can’t go in to town when we run out of things, Triss.” He was in the take-charge mode again.
“The chamomile tea was delicious, but I think it’s time I give us all a little something with some punch,” I said, popping up from my chair.
“Triss! Get down!” Logan yelled.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I fell flat against the floor, hitting my chin with a thud.
“What’s going on?” I screamed at the same time I heard a loud thump on the window.
He was on the floor, crawling toward me, and I looked behind me over at the window where I saw flames shooting up from one of the shrubs.
“I don’t understand!” I whispered, as he pulled me through the study.
My aunt and Ellsy came running down the hall.
“Are you okay?” my aunt asked as I stood up.
“I’ve got to go put that out. I can’t let the house catch on fire,” I hollered, running toward the front door.
“No, Triss!” Logan yelled, following right behind me.
I didn’t care what was waiting for me outside. I wasn’t going to lose the place my mom and I called home. I wasn’t going to be scared away. The fury was like nothing I’d ever felt before. What was going on in my world?
I swung open the door to see some members from the Witch Avenue Coven yelling and screaming at me. Logan darted by me to go take care of the fire in the bushes. Ellsy and my aunt stepped outside, placing their hands on me for support.
“Get out of here!” a yell came at me.
“You’re bringing nothing but trouble to our coven,” another one yelled.
“You aren’t welcome,” a voice I recognized spoke, “ever.” The crowd parted and Kyle, who was just at the receiving ceremony with me stood in front of me, staring me down.
The anger was filling every part of my body, but I wasn’t going to give them what they wanted. I knew Logan could probably take care of them all in one fell swoop, and I wasn’t speaking in terms of magic, but he was better than that and so was I.
Logan had put out the fire in the bush and came to stand next to me. His eyes were blazing, but I wanted to handle this. I took a step forward.
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” I spoke to the group. “It’s always interesting to see what fear does to people. My mom constantly told me that you’d find out the true character of someone when they are faced with difficulties. Some rise above it all, and others get lost along the way. I’m glad you all made it obvious to me which bucket you fell in. It makes my decisions that much easier. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have absolutely no interest in your games, and you don’t have to lose any night’s sleep over whether I’ll be back to the Witch Avenue Coven. I decided the moment not one of you stepped forward to help today at the ceremony that I no longer belonged with what you represented. I think once I find my mom, she’ll agree. Now please get off of my property before I call the authorities.”
There was so much more I wanted to say. I wanted to scream at them all and let them know that they were cowards, and that they should have been helping me find my mom not bury her. But it would fall on deaf ears because they didn’t care. I hoped someday that the complexion of the Witch Avenue Order would change, but right now it wasn’t anything that I wanted to be associated with. I had no idea if they were part of my mom’s disappearance or not. I hoped not, but nothing seemed right in the world I knew and loved. I turned around and followed Ellsy and my aunt inside, with Logan staying behind a footstep to see me in. I thought I heard him uttering something, but when I turned around to look at him, silence fell and his lips were not moving, but his eyes were filled with an evil rascality that filled me with joy.
He closed the door, and my aunt and Ellsy went scurrying to the kitchen, undoubtedly to calm each other down and figure out how best to handle things. Little did they know, Logan and I already knew what we were up to.
“You didn’t cast a spell on them, did you?” I whispered, trying to squash down my delight.
He bent down to my ear and gently moved my hair back, his finger gliding lightly to my shoulder.
“Of course not,” he murmured, and the feeling that was getting more and more difficult to ignore spread through my system. I stood back to admonish him, but his heavenly blue eyes were filled with such mischief that I couldn’t do it. Instead, he pulled me to the front window to look out at the group disbanding.
“What did you do?” I squealed, unable to hide my giddiness.
“Nothing dangerous, just a little fun,” he laughed. “For us, anyway.”
Outside I saw the same group of people who were only minutes before throwing insults and threats and lighting our vegetation on fire, completely naked scattering to their cars as fast as they could make it. It wasn’t a pretty sight, yet it was one of the most spectacular events that I had ever seen. I could get used to this part of magic that Logan seemed adept at providing. I fell on my knees with laughter, and Logan followed, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing me tight.
“Do you approve, Miss Spires?” His voice sent chills through me, and I let myself enjoy it this one time.
“More than you could ever know.” My laughter finally subsiding, I allowed myself to be held by Logan as I watched the cars speed away in several different directions. We weren’t supposed to do spells on unwilling participants unless there was a reason like protecting oneself or prohibiting something dangerous, but I couldn’t see how this one time would hurt anything. They deserved it.
“Things never change,” I said slyly.
“Okay for you to say it, huh?” Logan asked, letting his arms relax around me.
“Remember when we were at recess and that girl pushed me down to the gro
und at the tetherball station, and you swooped in all superhero like and bonked her on the head with the tetherball?” I asked, trying to ignore the desire that was swirling deep inside me.
“Yeah? he asked.
“Well, she deserved it too, and I’m not sure I ever told you thank you.” I spun around on my knees, not realizing just how close that made us. His lips were only inches from mine, and I never meant for it to happen.
“Triss,” his voice low and his lips moving slowly as he spoke every word, “you are very welcome.”
His finger traced my arm gently as he brought me in close, and I shut my eyes to regroup only to feel the softness of his lips touch down on mine. I was overwhelmed with the emotions that his hand trailing along my spine left in its wake. Backing away, I was paralyzed with fear. I was leading him on, leading myself on, really, and I didn’t think I could go through losing him because he would certainly realize that I’m a mess. It wouldn’t be fair to him or myself. I pulled back quickly.
“Triss,” he breathed, touching my chin softly, “don’t overthink things. Don’t become a part of the Anima Sola.”
His voice stirred all the emotions up that I was fighting to keep down. Things were so natural, but it wasn’t the time.
“What if I’m not enough?” I whispered.
“You’re more than enough. You’re everything. You’re trying to keep those walls up, Triss, but I won’t let you become a Lonely Soul,” his breath floating over my skin, my soul yearning for his.
He slowly tipped my chin up, his lips finding mine once more, and I was completely at his mercy. The electricity racing between us was intensifying with every new kiss shared between us. His mouth parted gently on mine as I wrapped my hand around his neck, momentarily allowing myself to drift away from the grief I’d been swallowed up in, not wanting the innocence of this moment to ever leave. In this world, everything was the way it should be. But I knew this world didn’t truly exist, and once his lips left mine, the bubble would burst and I’d be dropped back into my harsh reality once more.
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 14