Kala’s eyes widened. “Why? She was pure of heart, obviously.”
“So, you know about that?” smiled Rebecca.
“The wand told us,” I said.
She stared at the wand in amusement. “Ah… interesting. Your mother was never able to make it talk.”
“Another finicky wand?” I asked, thinking of Clarice’s.
She nodded. “I guess. Anyway, what did it say to you?”
I relayed my conversation with the wand and Rebecca’s eyes lit up. “I’m not even sure if Adrianne was aware of how dangerous the wand could be to a malevolent witch. You know, this might just work.”
“What?” asked Kala.
I turned to my sister, who obviously hadn’t gotten it yet. “If we can get Vivian to use the wand, it just might destroy her.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Might destroy her,” said Rebecca. “She’s already so powerful that the chances are pretty slim.”
“Well, I say we go for it anyway,” I said. “I mean, she has the spell book and you’ve pretty much stated that you can’t stop her yourself. Kala and I are new to all of this and don’t know the first thing about witchcraft. What other choice do we have?”
“Right now, none,” agreed Rebecca.
“Did you hear that?” whispered Kala. “I think someone’s outside.”
“Don’t worry, I think I know who this is,” said Rebecca as she walked over to the front door opened it. Standing on the other side was Trixie and a guy whose features were similar. Both of them had a soft glow about them that could only be described as… mystical.
“Trixie and Bailey,” beamed Rebecca, stepping back. “Come in, please.”
“We’ve come to help,” said Trixie, who looked just as breathtaking and ethereal as earlier.
Rebecca’s eyes lit up. “Do you know where Vivian has taken Tyler? Did you see anything?”
“I did,” replied Bailey. He was tall, with broad shoulders and longish blond hair. “I followed them. Vivian cast a spell on Tyler and he was knocked unconscious. I believe he’s still alive, though.”
Rebecca put her hand on her chest and sighed in relief. “Oh, thank God, I was so worried.”
“We’ll find them,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Rebecca.”
“With Vivian, it’s hard not to,” she said.
He nodded and turned toward us. “You must be Adrianne’s daughters?”
“Oh, God, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce you,” said Trixie, raising her hand. “This is my brother, Bailey.”
“Hi,” I said shyly. I had to admit, he was gorgeous, with his silvery blue eyes and perfectly sculpted features, but truthfully, all I could think about was Tyler and my mother. “I’m Kendra.”
We shook hands and then he turned to Kala whose own eyes were glazed over with adoration.
“You are clearly Kendra’s sister,” he said, smiling in amusement. Obviously, being fawned over was nothing new to him.
“Yes, I’m Kala,” she answered, her cheeks turning pink. “So… um, are you a witch or some kind of warlock?”
“No. I’m a Shape-shifter,” he answered, puffing his chest out a little.
“Oh, how… wonderful,” she gushed, fluttering her eyelashes. “That must be so exciting.”
He crossed his arms under his chest and nodded. “Well, yes, it certainly has its moments.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
“We don’t have much time,” interrupted Rebecca. “We need to find Tyler and stop the curse. Lead the way, Bailey.”
He dropped his arms. “We’ll need to teleport. They’re in New York.”
I raised my eyebrows. “New York?”
“Well, to tell you the truth… it makes perfect sense,” said Rebecca. “With her interest in the theater and her music. I guess I should have figured that out before.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Rebecca. She covers her tracks well,” said Trixie. “It wasn’t easy to follow either of them. It took Bailey a while before he actually found her real home in New York.”
“So, they don’t even live in Bayport?” I asked.
“They don’t have to,” said Bailey. “Vivan and Mark can teleport anywhere in the world.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling so vulnerable. How in the world was I going to help stop someone as powerful as Vivian? And right now our mother was dying and poor Tyler was at her mercy. My stomach tightened into a knot. “What do you think she wants with Tyler?”
Rebecca’s eyes darkened. “Revenge, for what his father did. I have a feeling she’ll torture him if we don’t get moving. Bailey?”
“Let’s move,” he said. “Join hands and we’ll teleport together.”
“You know how to teleport?” asked Kala, reaching quickly for his hand.
He nodded. “There are many things us Shape-shifters have learned throughout the years.”
“It also helps to have a mother and an aunt who are witches,” smirked Rebecca. “Right, nephew?”
He grinned.
I joined hands with Trixie and Rebecca.
“Now, she lives in Long Beach, right near the ocean. There’s a small wooded area behind her home and I’m going to aim for that,” said Bailey.
“Let’s go,” said Rebecca.
I closed my eyes, and within seconds, felt myself being sucked into the vortex. This time I kept my eyes closed and pictured Tyler’s face, praying we’d find him alive.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Get down,” whispered Bailey when we landed in the darkness next to a swimming pool behind a white colonial mansion.
“I think we missed the woods but found the party,” I said, staring at the impressive house in surprise. It was almost midnight, the place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and music flowed from somewhere inside.
“Definitely looks like a party,” whispered Trixie, as dozens of shadows moved behind the curtained windows of the house. “This could be very bad.”
“Or it might just make it easier for us to sneak inside,” said Bailey.
“Who has a swimming pool when your house faces the ocean?” whispered Kala, as we crouched down and moved towards a light blue cabana for cover.
“Vivian,” answered Rebecca. “The woman has an insatiable appetite for luxury when she isn’t trying to destroy those she hates.”
“It’s amazing how totally different two twin sisters could be,” said Kala. “Mom’s not a spender and would never treat herself to anything. She won’t even spend the money to get her hair cut.”
“But it always looks good,” I winked. “I think we now know why.”
“Oh…” smiled Kala, “that makes sense.”
“Okay, so here’s the plan,” interrupted Bailey. “Trixie and I will slip inside and look around.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to be that easy. Vivian is probably having some kind of celebration,” said Rebecca with a grim smile, “and I’m sure her guests aren’t the kind you’d want to mess around with. They’re probably part of her coven.”
“Oh crap,” I said, biting my lower lip. Dealing with Vivian was bad enough, but an entire coven of witches? It was too scary to imagine but too real to ignore. As far as I was concerned, things weren’t looking very good for the White-witch team.
“Don’t worry, Kendra,” said Bailey, with a reassuring smile. “Danger isn’t new to our world.”
Could he also read minds?
He took a step back and seconds later, appeared before us as a sleek, white cat.
“Oh!” gasped Kala, her eyes round.
“Splendid idea,” smiled Trixie. Then, in the blink of an eye, she changed into the form of a small gray mouse.
“Be careful,” whispered Rebecca, as they took off towards the house, both on four legs.
“What should we do now?” I whispered, shivering. The wind was cool and I was kicking myself for not wearing any kind of jacket.
She r
ubbed her forehead. “We’ll wait a bit for them to report back. If it takes too long, however, I’m going to try and find a way to get inside of the house.”
“You said that Vivian could sense if we were close or if someone was using magic. How come she doesn’t know we’re here right now?” I asked. “Especially after teleporting?”
“Fortunately for us, she lives by the ocean, which sometimes blocks a witch’s radar. If she knew we were here, I’m sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“Speaking of magic, can’t you just use yours now to get us inside?” asked Kala.
“Unfortunately, no. She has a spell around her house, blocking any unwanted… guests,” she said, closing her eyes. She raised her hands in the air and exhaled, slowly. “Try and see if you can feel it, too.”
I closed my eyes and raised my hands. “Uh, sorry, I’m not feeling anything.”
“I do,” whispered Kala.
I turned to her in surprise. “What does it feel like?”
Her forehead wrinkled in concentration. “Um, it just kind of makes my skin tingle. Almost feels like pin-prickles, I guess.”
“Yes,” said Rebecca. “Very good.”
“Why can’t I feel it?” I asked, closing my eyes to try again.
“Because of me,” stated my new wand, apparently in the chatting mood again.
I opened my eyes and stared at it in surprise. “You?”
“Yes. That menial spell of hers isn’t strong enough to keep you out, as long as you have me in your possession,” said the wand, in a smug tone.
“Awesome,” I grinned.
“Just thought I’d put my two cents in. Now, carry on,” said the wand.
“Wands aren’t much for small talk, are they?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.
“No” replied Rebecca. “Some never even speak at all; which can sometimes be a good thing.”
“I heard that, madam,” snapped the wand. “Not amusing.”
“I didn’t mean you, personally. What is your name, by the way?” she asked the wand.
The wand didn’t answer.
“See, they can be very stubborn,” whispered Rebecca.
“I’m not daft,” snapped the wand. “My name is Chloe. Now, if you’d like my advice, I would stop wasting precious time and send us into that house.”
Surprisingly, I agreed. “I’m with Chloe. Something tells me that Tyler’s time is running out, as well as our mother’s.”
Rebecca paled. “Okay, um…I just hate to send you in there alone…”
“She has me,” said Chloe. “Now, prepare for our ascent, child.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What?”
The next thing I knew, the wand began to glow and I soon found myself in a dark library.
“Stay still,” whispered Chloe.
Before I could ask her why, a dog began to growl.
I whipped my head around towards the sound and found myself staring into the eyes of a large Doberman Pincher.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Uh, nice puppy?” I squeaked.
The dog growled louder and then began baring its teeth.
“Chloe, a little help?”
“Casting spells is your department, dear. I’m your instrument, not your instructor.”
I raised the wand. “Uh…Go away?”
Nothing happened.
“Chloe?”
“Look, I can’t do this for you, and in order for the spell to work, you need to actually have faith that it will. Try harder, witch.”
Witch?
I pursed my lips. That’s right – I really was a witch, wasn’t I?
I took a deep breath, aimed the wand, and this time, put every ounce of faith in my command. “Depart!”
The dog turned around and bolted out of the room.
“Nice,” I smiled, nodding in approval.
“Quickly, we must locate the boy and the Shape-shifters.”
Crap.
“Are they all in trouble?”
“Yes,” said the wand. “I believe so. I sense a growing frenzy down below.”
“Shouldn’t we tell Rebecca? So she can help?”
“There’s no time. Prepare yourself.”
Before I could protest, she transported me into a dark hallway in another part of the house, where I could hear several voices emulating from a nearby room.
“I say we keep him and kill the girl,” snarled a woman with a deep, husky voice. “I’m sure we could find many uses for him.”
“Behave, Beldora!” chuckled another woman. “He’s much too young for you, anyway.”
“I’m only one-hundred and seven… besides, he’s a Shape-shifter – he’s probably a century older than me!”
“Calm down, ladies,” interrupted Vivian. “You can do whatever you’d like with these two. My concern is that they’re not here alone. We need to search the premises and destroy anyone not welcome. Now, we should go quickly.”
Crap.
A doorway down the hallway flew open and I quickly pointed the wand at myself and whispered. “Hide, Invisible, Conceal.”
The wand lit up and then disappeared, along with my arm, and hopefully – the rest of me.
The first two women who stepped out of the doorway stopped abruptly. Both wore black gothic-styled robes.
“Did you hear something?” asked the taller one with long, blonde hair and red-painted lips.
The other woman had dark hair pulled into a bun and piercing eyes that seemed to stare right through me from down the hallway. “I’m not sure.”
“Quit dawdling,” commanded Vivian, stepping around them. Her robe was made of red velvet, and obviously much more luxurious than the others. “We need to move quickly.”
“Yes, Vivian,” replied both women.
I watched in horror as ten other women, also dressed in black robes, stepped out of the room and began following Vivian, who was heading in my direction. All of the blood rushed to my ears.
Crap…crap…crap…
As they grew closer, I held my breath and pushed myself back against the wall, praying that they wouldn’t somehow sense me there.
“What about Tyler?” asked the blonde with the ruby-red lips. “Have you made a decision yet?”
A cruel smile spread across Vivian’s face as she passed me by. “I’m going to make sure his mother gets to watch him take his last breath, but not before I make them both suffer miserably.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As soon as the witches were gone, I rushed down the hallway and entered what appeared to be some kind of large gathering room. Three blue sofas along with six gold-colored chairs were arranged in a circle, and lying on the floor in the center, were Trixie and Bailey in their human forms.
“Oh, my God, what happened?” I asked, moving towards them.
“Spell,” replied Bailey in a hoarse voice.
Both of their faces were twisted in pain, and although I couldn’t see any restraints, it was obvious that they were somehow being subdued.
I raised the wand and started spouting off commands. “Release curse! Immunity! Remove Bonds!”
“You’re wasting your time,” sighed Chloe. “I can’t remove this curse.”
“Chloe? How can I help?” I whispered loudly. “They’re in horrible pain. How can we stop it?”
“Kill Vivian,” replied a familiar voice.
I turned around and found him hanging, in what appeared to be, some kind of human birdcage.
“Oh, thank God, Tyler!” I cried, rushing towards him. Thankfully, he appeared to be in good health and not suffering, like the Shape-shifters.
“Kendra? Is it really you? Where in the heck are you?” he asked, staring right past me.
“I’m invisible.” I touched his fingers through the cage. “Are you all right?”
He smiled grimly. “Oh, I’m peachy. These witches really know how to throw a shindig.”
I smiled. “I know you can’t see me, but…
I’m so happy to see you.” My lips began to tremble. “I thought she might have…”
His squeezed my fingers. “Hey, it’s okay. I haven’t been hurt, just made a little uncomfortable in this stupid cage. Nothing like Bailey and Trixie.” His face darkened. “She’s placed some kind of spell, rendering them helpless and obviously in a lot of pain.”
Just then, Mark stepped through the doorway. “Talking to yourself, vampire?” he asked with a smirk.
Tyler released my fingers and moved away. “Look who’s talking, witch.”
Mark scowled. “I’m a warlock, imbecile, and it would be wise to show me some respect if you’d like to live another hour.”
Tyler’s face grew serious and he stared at him with intensity.
Mark snorted. “Don’t even try it, Enchanter, mother has placed a spell on me, to protect me from your lame antics.”
Tyler sneered. “Need mother to protect you, huh?”
“Obviously, you do as well – otherwise you wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Why don’t you let me out of this cage and we’ll settle this like two guys instead of our mothers’… pets? Or don’t you believe you’re man enough?”
Mark’s eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t put me down if I let you. You’re a skinny little twerp who doesn’t know when to shut his hole.”
“Just what I thought, you’re scared of me,” chuckled Tyler, staring at his nails.
His face grew red and he clenched his fists at his side. “Screw you. I could take you with my hands tied behind my back.”
“Is that right?”
“Hey, I know what you’re doing, freak. You’re just trying to trick me into letting you out.”
“Even if you let me out, I’m surrounded by witches. That must make you feel safer, hiding behind the skirts of all of these women.”
“Shut up, douchebag!”
Tyler folded his arms across his chest. “Obviously, you can’t make me. Not by yourself.”
Mark’s eyes burned with hate. “That’s it. You want to fight? Fine. I’m not afraid of you! Your powers are dead here, Enchanter!” he spat, pulling out a long, skinny wand from his back pocket. He aimed it at the cage. “You want to use bare knuckles? Well, I’m down with that. Release!”
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