“I feel like I just took a shower in steam,” I said in wonder. I touched my hair. “Except, my hair is dry and so is my skin.”
“You’re supposed to feel that way,” replied Adrianne. “It’s one of my favorite spells.”
“Cool, but why in the world are we wearing these?” asked Kala, looking down at herself in dismay. “Seriously? Black robes?”
I smiled. “These are the same robes that Vivian’s coven wears, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” replied Adrianne. “We need to sneak into her house.”
“What about that spell she had on her home? The one that blocked unwanted guests?” I asked.
“I think that both you and Willow will be able to get all of us past the spell,” said Clarice. She pulled out a small book from her purse and blew off the dust. “If I remember correctly, it says something about it in here.”
“What is that?” I asked as Clarice slipped on a pair of wire reading glasses.
Her eyes sparkled. “This was my mother’s spell book. She also kept a few notes in here about the bonding wands.”
“Really?” I asked, moving next to her. I looked down at the book as she opened it. The pages were worn and thin and the scribble on the paper was faded.
“Don’t get too excited,” she replied. “There isn’t much in here about your wand, but there is a great deal about Willow’s…” she wet the tip of her finger with her tongue and began going through the pages. “Here we go. I believe this mentions something about being able to side-track certain spells. Look,” she pointed.
“What?” I asked, unable to read the chicken-scratch.
Clarice squinted. “I believe it says that Juniper is immune to certain kinds of detection spells. Well, not in those exact words, but…”
“I already knew that,” said Willow, smiling. “Sorry, I should have mentioned it. It’s how I’ve been able to sneak around Meredith and her coven. None of them even know I’m around most of the time.”
“I was also invisible to Vivian’s radar last time we were at her house,” I said.
“It’s because the bonding wands are so powerful,” replied Adrianne.
“That’s cool,” replied Kala. “Can I have a bonding wand?”
“They are pretty hard to come by,” said Clarice. “I’ve only seen two other bonding wands in my lifetime, besides these.”
“How do I get one? Can I have Vivian’s, when we defeat her?” asked Kala.
“No! You certainly can’t have Vivian’s,” I said. “Hers was created for Black Magic.”
“I know,” replied my sister, looking surly. “It’s just not fair, though. I mean, we’re twins and I don’t even have a wand.”
“We’ll get you one,” replied Rebecca.
Kala turned to her. “What about a broom? Can I have a flying broom, too?”
“I’ll see what I can find,” said Rebecca, smiling in amusement.
My sister was about as excited as a child on Christmas. “Yes. This is totally awesome!” squealed Kala, clapping her hands together. “I’ve always wanted to fly.”
“Anyway, back to Juniper. She can neutralize certain spells and I believe that she might get us all into Vivian’s place secretly,” said Clarice.
“Does it say the words to the spell?” asked Adrianne, stepping closer. “Instructions of any kind?”
“No. No, it doesn’t really say,” said Clarice, frowning. She looked over at Willow. “Would you be able to make us all undetectable?”
“I think so, but I guess I don’t know for sure. I’ve only tried it on myself.”
“Do you know many spells, Willow?” asked Rebecca.
“Not really,” she replied. “Only a few.”
“What about Margaritte?” asked Clarice. “Did she teach you anything about the wand?”
“No. The spells that I do know, I kind of learned on my own, and by listening to other witches. I know how to make myself invisible and undetectable, I just don’t know if it would work on all of us.”
“Has Juniper ever communicated with you?” I asked.
“Not very much,” she replied. She shrugged. “I guess you could say that almost everything I’ve learned was through trial and error.”
I smiled. “Same with me. I still don’t know a lot, either.”
“Chloe has helped you quite a bit,” said Rebecca. “So, you’ve been lucky. She’s an excellent wand.”
“She is,” I replied. “I’m very grateful to have her in my possession.”
“Willow, maybe you could just ask Juniper if she’d make us all untraceable,” said Kala.
“I could try,” she replied.
“Hopefully she won’t be as surly as her sisters,” said Clarice.
I cringed, half-expecting Chloe to start yelling. Fortunately, she remained quiet.
Clarice closed the book. “Well, there you go. When we get to Vivian’s house, we’ll all be able to sneak inside without anyone knowing about it.”
“Yeah, but, what if it doesn’t work?” asked Kala. “Or, what if Juniper won’t do it?”
“Then I guess Willow and I will just have to sneak inside. Alone,” I said.
“I don’t know if I like that idea,” said Adrianne, frowning. “It’s too dangerous.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, but, what else can we do?”
“I’m not sure but there is no way that I’m sending you in without the rest of us. If anything happened to you,” she blinked back tears. “I just… no. We’ll figure something else out.”
“Your mom’s right, especially now that Vivian has her wand back,” said Tyler, walking out of the back room. “If it doesn’t work and we can’t go in together, then we scrap that plan.”
“Yes, I agree,” I replied. How could I argue with an Enchanter?
“Did you find a wand for me?” asked Kala.
“I think so,” he replied. “My mom will have to check it out. There’s a box, in the back, with a couple of wands. I’m not sure what kind they are, though.”
“I’ll go back and take a look,” said Rebecca.
Clarice scratched her head. “Back to Willow and Juniper – you have to remember that Juniper is the wand but Willow ultimately controls her. I am quite confident it can be done, if she wants it bad enough. Do you, Willow?”
“Yes. I guess so. As long as you promise to help remove my curse,” she answered.
I rolled my eyes. “You still don’t trust us?”
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I do. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just that Vivian also promised and then kept stringing me along.”
“Vivian is sick and twisted,” I said.
She sighed. “Yes, I agree there.”
“Willow, dear, don’t worry, we will help you,” said Adrianne. “In order to do that, however, we need the spell book that Vivian has.”
“I know,” she replied. “And, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure we get inside of her home. I promise.”
“Good,” said Adrianne. Her eyes softened. “We’re on your side, you know that?”
She nodded and smiled.
“We really are,” said Clarice, walking toward her. Before she could react, she threw her arms around Willow and hugged her. “And you’ll never be alone again. Not if I can help it.”
Willow slowly hugged her back and when Clarice finally released her, her brown eyes were misty.
“So, what’s the plan now?” I asked.
Adrianne cleared her throat. “We wait until it’s dark, and then head out.”
“We’re waiting for night?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes,” replied Adrianne. “It’s safer.”
“What about Bailey and Trixie?” asked Kala. “It won’t be dark for another seven or eight hours. If we wait that long, it might be too late!”
“Now, Kala, I’m not even sure where Bailey is,” said Adrianne. “And, as far as we know, Trixie is still enchanted and may not even need our help. If we can’t sneak in, then I definitely don’t want to
come crashing into Vivian’s house, in the middle of the day. It’s too risky. We’ll go there tonight, in the cover of darkness.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” replied Kala, grabbing a bottle of water from the counter. She opened the cap. “I mean, Bailey is a smart guy, right?”
“He seems like it,” I agreed.
“He’s extremely level-headed. He’ll be a lot more cautious this time around, entering Vivian’s house,” said Tyler.
“Speaking of which,” replied Adrianne, pointing her wand at Willow. “You’re going to need to blend in, too.”
With a wave of her wand, Willow was also dressed in the same robes as me and Kala.
“Thanks,” she said, touching the velvety material. “I’ve always wanted to wear one of these.”
“I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m getting ready to go to a Halloween party,” said Kala.
“I’ve never been to one,” replied Willow, smiling sadly.
Kala gasped. “Oh, my God, really? This year mom’s going to let us have one, aren’t you?”
Adrianne smiled. “We’ll see.”
“You have to know that Willow’s going to be living with us,” said Kala.
Willow’s eyebrows shot up.
Kala rushed over to her side. “We’ll invite all the hot guys from school and… hey! You’re going to go to school with us, aren’t you?”
“I… I don’t know,” replied Willow, looking confused.
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” said Adrianne. “Obviously, you should stay with us now.”
“Have you ever been to school before?” asked my sister.
Willow laughed. “Yes.”
“Sorry,” replied Kala, smiling sheepishly. “I figured you did, but I had to ask.”
“No worries. I haven’t been back to school for a few years, since my grandmother died, but I love to read and have spent a lot of time at the library.”
“You have a library card?” I asked.
She laughed again. “Yes. I got it back when I was in elementary school. But, I’ve had to sneak into the library to borrow the books, without using it. I bring them back,” she said quickly. “I don’t keep them.”
“Oh, I believe you,” replied Adrianne, smiling. “Well, it’s good that you like to read. I’m sure getting into school is going to be a little tricky, however. We might have to consider home-schooling.”
“Then she’ll miss out on the dances,” protested Kala. “The football games. The totally hot jocks.”
“It’s okay. Really,” said Willow, smiling shyly.
“Do they have some kind of teen witch school or anything?” I asked.
“No,” laughed Rebecca. “But wouldn’t that be so much easier?”
“Speaking of which,” said Kala. “Didn’t you mention something about finding me a wand, Rebecca?”
“That’s right. Come on back into the stock room, and we’ll see what we can find. Willow,” she turned to her and smiled, “you should come with us and look around. You might find something that catches your eye. I just received a shipment of crystals from South America that I heard are very powerful.”
Willow touched her necklace and nodded. “Okay. I’d like that.”
“I’ll help you guys poke around,” said Adrianne, as they started walking toward the back of the store. “I haven’t been surrounded by this many enchanted items in years. I feel like a kid in the candy store.”
Clarice picked up her purse and turned to me. “Since we have some extra time, I’m going back to Salem and see what’s happening there. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Okay,” I replied.
She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Keep an eye on Willow. I really want to trust her, but something tells me that we still need to be wary.”
“Sure,” I whispered.
She squeezed my shoulder. “Stay strong.”
I nodded.
“Are you teleporting?” asked Tyler.
“No, sir, I’m not. I’m going to use my broom this time.” She rubbed her hip. “Like I said before, every time I teleport, I regret it later.”
“Just be careful that nobody sees you,” said Tyler. “The town is buzzing this time of the day.”
She giggled. “But that’s the fun part, Tyler. Seeing them stop in their tracks as I wave from the clouds on my broom.”
He chuckled as she walked away. “She’s something else.”
“Yeah. I really like her. I’m so glad that we’re family. Before all of this, I thought it was just me, Kala, and mom.”
“You can learn a lot from Clarice.”
“I already have,” I replied.
His eyes moved to my dark robe. “So, you comfy in that thing?”
I looked down and nodded. “Actually, very.”
He leaned closer. “So, are you naked under that getup?” he asked.
I blushed and pushed him away. “Shut up.”
“It’s okay,” he said, smiling devilishly. “I already know the answer.
My jaw dropped. “You’re such a pig!”
He burst out laughing. “I’m just kidding!”
“Right,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Seriously, it’s made with some kind of special material and I can’t see anything.”
“But, you obviously tried.”
He leaned back against the counter. “I’m a guy. What can I say?”
“Always have an excuse,” I teased.
“And that surprises you?” he teased back.
I chuckled. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”
He suddenly became serious. “So, what do you think of Willow?”
I stared up at him. “I don’t know. What do you think? Is she lying to us again? About wanting to help.”
He folded his arms under his chest and sighed. “I’d like to say ‘no’, but even I can’t get a clear read on her.”
I sighed. “I guess we really don’t have much choice but to try and trust her. Like Clarice said.”
“Clarice said to trust her but to also keep an eye on her.”
“Oh, I will definitely do that,” I answered.
Just then, someone began pounding on the front door of the store.
“Crap,” said Tyler, moving toward it.
“Who is it?” I asked, following him.
He looked out the window and then began unlocking the door. “It’s a girl from school.”
“Megan,” I said, after he opened it.
“Hi, Kendra,” replied Megan, stepping inside. As usual, she was dressed in dark clothing and wore heavy Goth makeup. Today, her hair was done up in long brown dreadlocks and she had a new piercing under her lip, right above her chin. She turned to Tyler and smiled. “Tyler.”
“Hi,” he replied, relocking the door.
“Wow, this is a surprise,” I said as she turned back to me.
Her eyes lowered to my black robe. “It sure is. Looks like you’ve joined a witch’s coven.”
I laughed. “Looks like it, I know, but…”
“Have you spoken to your mom?” cut in Tyler.
Her smile fell. “Yes and it’s why I came, actually. I really want to help you guys.”
Chapter Seventeen
I stared at her in shock. “What?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I know that mom’s coven is scared to death of Vivian. They don’t want to stand against her. But, she doesn’t scare me.”
Tyler scowled. “Even though she’s a cold-blooded murderer who will probably plot against them at some point? They don’t want to help take care of her now?”
“That’s what I tried telling her. But she won’t disobey her coven leader, who, by the way, annoys the heck out of me. Talk about a self-centered old woman who lives with her twenty cats and stares at me like I’m a something on the bottom of her shoe.”
I snorted. “Nice, and you’re part of her coven?”
“Actually, I won’t be until I’m eighteen, which is n
ext spring,” she replied. “But, the truth is, I’d rather belong to a group that stands up to threats and isn’t afraid to help her sister witches, even if they’re not with the exact same coven. Mom’s coven has a bunch of old cronies who look like they’re ready to keel over and die at the drop of a broom. So, I don’t know. Maybe they shouldn’t get involved.”
“It’s really that bad?” I asked.
“You have no idea. Anyway, I’m here.” She opened up dark purple tote bag and pulled out a wand. “And ready to do whatever you need me to.” She looked around. “Where’s your mom, by the way?”
Skeptical, Tyler and I looked at each other.
“What?” she asked.
“Do you even know any spells?” asked Tyler.
“Of course I do. My mom’s been teaching me quite a bit. I can levitate, clean my room, and even teleport.”
“But, can you fight?” asked Tyler.
She pointed her wand toward him and smirked. “Want to test me?”
He sighed. “I’m not trying to be funny. Vivian, or one of her witches, may attack you. The question is – can you protect yourself?”
She nodded. “I can deflect most spells and,” she reached into her bag once again, and pulled out a whistle, “I can always use this.”
My eyebrows shot up. “A whistle? What’s that going to do?”
She raised it to her lips.
“Stop!” hollered Rebecca, rushing toward us from the back. “Don’t use that in here. It’s a Shrieker whistle. You could blow somebody’s eardrums out with that thing!”
Megan’s cheeks turned pink. “Sorry,” she replied, lowering it. “I guess I wasn’t sure exactly what it was going to do. I just know that it’s a defense mechanism.”
“Nobody told you?” asked Tyler incredulously.
“Well, I don’t know… I mean, my mother said that it could definitely save my life one day.”
“Yes,” said Rebecca. “It’s loud and can cause a lot of damage. I’d advise you to only use it when there are just enemies around and not friends, however.”
Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport) Page 11