Chapter Twenty-Four
Clarice stayed with our mother while the rest of us quickly teleported to “Secrets.”
“So, what happens after we find this spell book? How are we supposed to get close enough to Vivian to perform it without her killing us first?” I asked, brushing the dust from my knees. I’d teleported with Tyler again, who obviously needed to work on his traveling skills, because we’d landed in a pile of discarded rags in the stockroom.
Rebecca raised her wand. “I’m going to keep her busy while you two recite the spell.”
Tyler’s face darkened. “Just be careful, mom.”
She pulled her hair back and tied it into a ponytail. “Listen, I’ve had to deal with Vivian before. I can handle myself.”
He sighed. “Yes, but Clarice told me that Vivian is already gaining power now that Adrianne is losing her own strength.”
Kala and I looked at each other. We’d already lost our father, and the thought of losing our mom was too horrible to even imagine.
“We’re going to park up the block and I’ll keep an eye out for trouble while you guys sneak back to the house. I don’t think Vivian will be hanging around, but you never know.”
“Okay, let’s get this over with before one of us chickens out,” I said, noticing how tense Kala was.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not talking about me, are you?”
“You do look pretty tense,” said Tyler.
“Wouldn’t you look tense, too,” she snapped, “if your mother was dying, and you’d already lost your dad?”
Seeing the stricken look on Tyler’s face, I winced.
“Believe it or not, I get it,” he said, in an even tone.
“No, I don’t think you really do,” she mumbled, staring out the window.
“Kala,” I said, “Tyler gets it more than anyone. Vivian already murdered his father.”
She stared at him in horror. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t…”
“It’s fine,” he interrupted. “Let’s just go and find her before she can hurt anyone else.”
We all piled into Clarice’s Buick, which was parked behind the store.
“Wouldn’t it be easier just to teleport?” asked Kala.
“No, she’ll sense it,” said Tyler.
“Why didn’t she show up at ‘Secrets’ then?” she asked.
“Because the shop is protected by one of my spells. Your house was, too, until Mark found out who you really were. Your mother told me that the house was only protected from Vivian, but not from Mark, because she wasn’t aware of him.”
“So, Mark can perform magic, too?” asked Kala.
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, he’s a warlock, and now that he is honing his powers, he’s potentially a very dangerous enemy.”
“Jeez,” I said, turning towards Kala. “And you thought he was cute.”
“He must have put a spell on me,” she muttered.
It was almost eight o’clock by the time we reached our neighborhood.
“I’m going first,” said Tyler, as Kala and I followed him out of the car. “I’ll send you a signal if I see any danger.”
“Maybe we should go through the back alley,” whispered Kala. “It’s less conspicuous.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “Tyler and I were attacked in the alley earlier. If she’s around, it won’t matter which way we go, she’ll figure it out.”
“Just keep your eyes on the trees,” said Tyler.
“Why?” asked Kala.
“Vivian uses birds to spy on people,” I answered. “Believe me, it’s pretty freaky.”
Tyler jogged down the street ahead of us and we crept through the darkness, both of us nervous and scared beyond belief.
“Is it just me, or do you feel like someone is watching us?” whispered Kala.
The hair on the back of my neck was standing straight up. “Oh, yeah. In fact, I feel like someone’s going to jump out of the bushes at any moment.”
She pointed. “Look, Tyler’s already made it to the door,” said Rebecca.
He turned to us and waved his arm, motioning us forward. We picked up our pace and quickly joined him on the porch.
“Door’s open,” he whispered. He pushed the door open slowly and we all stepped inside.
My eyes darted around the dark living room, the one I’d always felt so safe in. Even from where I was standing, the entire house seemed so quiet and normal, but the truth was, I was so frightened, I felt like throwing up. Every little sound freaked me out, from the furnace clicking on, to the tick-tock of our old grandfather clock.
“She said the trunk was in the attic,” I whispered.
“I’m going to cast a protection spell on your house while you’re in the attic,” said Rebecca, appearing out of the nowhere.
“Oh, my God, don’t do that,” I whispered loudly. “You scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry.” She raised her wand in the air. “Something told me it wouldn’t be wise to leave you children unattended. Now, this spell might not work, especially if Vivian has already casted a ‘Spell Blocker’, but it’s definitely worth a try.” She then raised her wand and began to chant under her breath. Seconds later, a blast of light shot out of her wand and lit the corners of the house up.
“Crap,” she said, as the light quickly died. “I don’t think it worked. We need to find that book as quickly as possible.”
“Okay, I’m going outside to watch the house and see if I can contact Trixie,” said Tyler, moving down the hallway and towards the back door.
“Let’s go,” said Rebecca, walking towards the stairs.
“What’s going on between you two?” whispered Kala as we followed Rebecca.
I looked at her. “I’m not sure yet.”
“He’s cute.”
I smiled. “Yes, very.”
“Is this your mom’s room?” asked Rebecca, stepping inside.
“Yes,” I answered. “The attic entrance is in her walk-in closet.”
Rebecca stepped over to the closet and opened the door. I noticed that the smell of my mother’s perfume still lingered in the air, and it was somewhat comforting.
“Have you ever been in the attic?” asked Rebecca, waving her wand up towards the entrance on the ceiling. It opened and a long white ladder materialized out of thin air.
“Uh, no, I don’t think Kala and I have ever been up there. We were always afraid there’d be mice or bats hiding inside.”
“Well, there very well could be,” said Rebecca, climbing the ladder. “But right now, we should be more frightened of Vivian.”
I couldn’t agree more.
I followed her up the ladder with Kala close behind. When I stuck my head inside of the opening, I couldn’t see much of anything in the darkness.
“Rebecca?” I whispered.
“Hold on.” She raised her wand. “Light and Sparkle.”
The next thing I knew, the attic began to light up and there was a whirlwind of movement all around. Moments later, there was a blast of light so bright, I had to cover my eyes. When it finally dimmed, I reopened my eyes and found the entire attic clean and organized.
“Nice. I wish I could do that,” I smiled, standing up.
“You’ll be able to soon enough,” promised Rebecca, as Kala pulled herself inside.
“Look,” I pointed towards the south corner of the attic, “that must be the trunk. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Yes, indeed,” said Rebecca as we moved towards it.
It was an old brown Victorian trunk with leather strap enclosures. I looked at Kala. “Um, remember, we have to say the words to open it.”
“Oh, okay. Michael, I love you?” said Kala.
The trunk didn’t even move.
“You have to say it with more feeling. Magic won’t work if you aren’t completely convinced that it will,” reminded Rebecca.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Michael, I love you.”
&nb
sp; “It’s working!” cried Kala.
I opened my eyes and watched as the trunk’s lid sparkled brightly and then popped open.
Kala squealed with delight. “You did it! I guess you’re a true believer.”
“After today, how could I not be?” I said, bending down to look inside.
There were several items in the trunk, including a wand, a broken broom, a few pieces of jewelry, and crystals. Right now, however, all of our attention was on the thick spell book at the bottom.
I picked up the old, leather-covered book and opened it up carefully.
“Be careful,” whispered Rebecca.
I nodded. The pages were old and worn, obviously hundreds of years old.
“Have you ever seen this before?” I asked her.
She bent down on one knee. “No, but I believe it was your grandmother’s. She was a very powerful witch.”
“I saw a picture of her once, but mom never really said much about her. She was very secretive about a lot of things, now that I think about it.”
“Well, it makes sense now, doesn’t it?” muttered Kala. “Mom’s a witch with many secrets.”
“Something’s amiss,” said Rebecca, standing up quickly. Her brows furrowed. “I think Tyler’s in danger. I’ll be right back.” She then raised her wand and disappeared.
“Let’s bring the book downstairs,” I said. “We’ll need to find that spell and figure out how we’re going to locate Vivian, too.”
A sudden bright flash of light blinded both of us. I winced and covered my eyes.
“Find me?” chuckled Vivian. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
My eyes snapped open and I stared in horror again at the woman who looked so much like our mother. She pointed her wand at us, but then suddenly appeared to have changed her mind. She smiled wickedly. “No… I think I’d rather have you around, so you can fully appreciate my powers, especially when your mother shrivels up and dies.”
“Why do you hate her so much?” I hollered, horrified that she could be so heartless. “You’re sisters! How can you be so cruel as to want her dead?”
Vivian’s blue eyes narrowed. “Why? I suppose you wouldn’t know. Your mother had many secrets and she probably wouldn’t have shared this kind of information with you. She wouldn’t want anyone to know what kind of a person she really was.”
“We didn’t even know she was a witch,” muttered Kala.
“But we know she was a good person, one with a heart of gold,” I said, raising my chin. Nobody was going to tell me otherwise.
Vivian snorted. “A heart of gold? No, she’s a deceitful, lying, little fool who should have never tried to cross me.”
I thought about this woman before me who’d killed Tyler’s father and now wanted to destroy our family. I glared at her. “How did she cross you?”
“Your loving mother,” she sneered, “took something that meant the world to me. She took it without regret and didn’t care what it would do to me. She was the one who forgot that we were sisters.”
“What did she take?” whispered Kala.
Vivian was suddenly distracted by the book in my arms. She pointed. “What’s that?”
“Um, nothing,” I replied, backing away.
“Give that to me, foolish girl,” she hollered. “I know exactly what that book is and it was my mother’s. It doesn’t belong to you!”
I glared at her. “Obviously it doesn’t belong to you, either. It’s my mother’s now.”
Vivian raised her wand and the book vanished out of my hands and appeared in hers. She smiled in satisfaction. “I always wondered what happened to this old thing.”
“Please,” I begged her. “Take your hex off of our mother and keep the book. You really can’t hate her that much?”
The look she gave me chilled me to the bone. “Oh, but I do.”
“Tell us then why, at the very least,” begged Kala.
She smiled bitterly. “Adrianne took something that could never be replaced. The man I loved with all of my heart. Michael.”
“Our father?” I gasped.
Her eyes filled with hate. “Yes, your father. I had Michael first but she stole him from me. And now,” she smiled coldly, “I’m stealing her life away from her and I want everyone to suffer the way I have all of these years!”
“Mark?” I whispered in horror. “Mark is our brother?”
She smirked. “He’s your half-brother, but only in blood.” She smiled and lowered her voice. “He hates you both as much as I hate Adrianne.”
Before I could respond, she clutched the spell book against her chest and disappeared with the only means we had to save our mother.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“What are we going to do?” cried Kala.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, horrified. “She has the book, obviously. I just don’t know.”
She grabbed my arm. “Let’s go find Rebecca.”
“Okay,” I said, bending down into the trunk again. “Let’s take mom’s wand with us. It might be of some help.”
“Good idea…oh, my God, what’s happening?” gasped Kala, as the wand began to radiate in my hand.
“I don’t know, but my fingers feel funny,” I said, staring at my hand, which was beginning to glow and tingle.
“Maybe you should put that wand down.”
“No,” replied woman’s voice.
It was coming from the wand!
Kala and I stared at each other in shock.
“Don’t be afraid, dear,” said the wand. “It’s just part of the bonding process.”
“Bonding process?” I squeaked.
“Yes,” answered the wand, sounding amused. “I have to make sure we are compatible.”
“Uh, what would happen if we weren’t?”
“If you tried casting a spell and we weren’t compatible, one of us would more than likely… perish.”
“What?” I gasped, wanting to get rid of it.
“Don’t let go of me, dear! You’ve passed the test and we are indeed compatible.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as my hand stopped glowing and the tingling receded. “Wow, you frightened me there for a minute.”
“Are all wands like you?” asked Kala.
“No. It just so happens that I was manifested in 1956 by Isadora Jenkins, a very powerful sorceress.”
“Was she a good witch or a bad witch?” I asked.
“She didn’t consider herself evil, but she did indeed practice the art of Black magic. Her sister, Fedora, on the other hand, practiced only White, and I was created as a gift for her.”
“Oh… so, you are a supposed to be used for White magic only?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“If I dabbled in Black magic, we wouldn’t be compatible, then?”
The wand hesitated and then spoke again. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. I am only compatible with those who would not use magic specifically for their own personal gain. Some witches who practice White magic are still… not so pure of heart.”
“Oh.”
Kala smiled. “That must mean you’re pure of heart.”
“I didn’t feel so pure yesterday when I was getting teased at school,” I said. “If I would have had a wand and a chance to get rid of Mark or Hailey Bates, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”
“May I say something?” asked the wand.
“Uh, certainly,” I said.
“Don’t confuse your temporary emotions, like humiliation or sadness, with hate, greed, or malevolence. Even those pure of heart fall victim to the emotions caused by others. Obviously, you are not capable of intentionally hurting others for personal gain. If you were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
I didn’t miss the meaning behind those words. If I was more like my aunt, I’d be dead.
“That’s it!” I cried. “We have to find Rebecca!”
“What?” asked Kala.
“I know how to s
top her,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest as I raced out of the attic and flew downstairs.
“Seriously?” asked Kala, following me.
“Yes, I just hope it works. Rebecca!”
Just then, Rebecca materialized, her face stricken with grief.
“What… what’s happened? Where’s Tyler?” I asked, afraid of her answer.
“I don’t know. I can’t find him anywhere,” she answered, tears in her eyes. “I think Vivian might have done something to him.”
My stomach clenched.
Not Tyler, too!
“Vivian was just here,” said Kala. “She has the spell book.”
“We have to find her,” said Rebecca. “Before she hurts Tyler and your mother…” She closed her eyes. “Before things get worse.”
“Do you know where she’d be?” I asked.
She waved her wand and her purse appeared, floating next to her waist. “I have something that might lead us to her,” she said, opening it up.
“What, a magical crystal ball?” asked Kala, looking hopeful.
She shook her head and pulled out a book. “No,” she said, showing us the cover. “Your school’s address book.”
I snorted. “What?”
“When I registered Tyler for school during the summer, they gave me one.”
Kala’s eyes widened. “Do you really seriously think Vivian would list theirs when she registered Mark last year?”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” she said, looking through the pages. “It’s a longshot, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“I know how to stop Vivian,” I said.
Rebecca looked at me in surprise. “What do you mean? How?”
I held up my mother’s wand. “Do you know about this wand?”
“I know it’s your mom’s,” she said. “And that it’s a very dangerous wand, one that you don’t want to mess around with.”
“Well, Kendra has bonded with the wand,” blurted my sister. “Or it bonded with her, whatever the case may be.”
“You have to be very careful with that thing,” warned Rebecca. “Your mother told me years ago that she didn’t even feel comfortable handling it. That’s why she used a different one most of the time.”
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