“Actually, there might be. “She took a deep breath. “I really don’t know for certain who my father is.”
She released her. “No, I didn’t think that you did.”
“Do you truly believe that David Andrews could be him?” asked Willow.
“The fact that your mother kept the necklace makes me believe that he was,” she replied. “But, who really knows? I wouldn’t dwell on it.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” said Willow. “I mean, if it was him, he was obviously a horrid man. Like you said.”
Meredith nodded. “Yes, but even so, your grandmother was obviously good to you, child. She was your mother and your father for many years. That’s what really matters.”
“Yes, she was,” replied Willow, raising her chin proudly. “Grams really was the best.”
“It sounds like it,” said Kala, putting her arm around Willow’s shoulder. “But, remember, now, you also have us. We’re family and nothing will ever change that. From now on, you can think of us as your sisters, and not just coven sisters.”
“Exactly. I mean, it’s just like with Adrianne – she may not have given birth to us, but she will always be our mother. And as Kala mentioned, I hope that you will also think of us as your sisters,” I said, really meaning it.
She grinned. “I’d really like that.”
Kala turned to look at Mark and sighed. “Well, one thing that’s for certain – Vivian really does have Bailey and Trixie.”
“Yes,” said Meredith. “But, don’t you worry, we’ll find them.”
“Do you think that Vivian would give up those two for Mark?” asked Kala. “A trade?”
“No,” said Meredith. “She doesn’t care what happens to anyone. What she wants is revenge.”
“Even if he’s Isadora’s son?” I asked.
“I doubt that really makes a difference,” said Tyler. “She is so bent on hurting Adrianne. I doubt she really cares what happens to Mark.”
“That’s true,” said Rebecca, who was near the cash register again. “Only one thing matters to her – revenge.” She slammed the register and frowned.
“What is it?” asked Tyler.
“I think we’ve been robbed,” she replied. “I don’t remember making any kind of deposit this week and there’s barely anything left in the till. Did you go to the bank?”
“No,” he replied, walking over to her.
“Oh, I should probably mention this –
Vivian stole some money from you,” said Willow. “I guess I forgot about it.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened. “She did?”
“Yes,” answered Willow. Her cheeks turned pink with shame. “And, I’m sorry… I took something from the store earlier, too. An owl.” She waved her wand over her hand and a small figurine appeared in her palm. It was an ornately painted barn owl.
Rebecca walked over. “I picked some of these up in Iowa a couple years ago. A friend of mine, Sera Meadows, makes them.”
“I’m really sorry,” said Willow, holding it out to her. “I just fell in love with it. Taking it wasn’t right, though. I need to work on that, I guess.”
Their eyes met. “You know what? Why don’t you just keep it,” said Rebecca, smiling warmly.
Willow stared at her in shock. “Really?”
“Yes. I mean, obviously, stealing is wrong, but I do want to give you something for saving Adrianne. You can keep the owl.”
“I really don’t want to be paid for saving Adrianne,” she said. “If anyone deserved to have a spell lifted, it was her. I’d rather pay you back myself with money that I’ve earned. I’ll get a job when this is over. I’ll pay you back. I promise.”
“A job, you say?” Rebecca turned to Tyler. “What do you think? Should we hire someone to work weekends, when it gets busy here?”
“Sure,” he replied, smiling. “She can help keep the shelves full and go through some of those boxes you have hidden in the back still.”
“Really?” asked Willow, her eyes sparkling. “You’d let me work here?”
“Really,” said Rebecca, turning back to Willow. “I would also like to travel to Budapest in a couple of weeks. There are some enchanted items that are up for sale and I’d like to visit a friend of mine. Once you’re trained in, you can help Tyler tend the shop while I’m gone.”
She squealed. “Wow – I’d love that! I’ve always wanted a job, but, obviously, I couldn’t do it before.”
“Good. Besides,” said Rebecca, turning to me, “I’m thinking Tyler would like a couple of nights off to spend time with Kendra.”
I grinned.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked, putting his arm around my shoulder.
She winked and then said. “Plus, I think that you should consider returning to college.”
“Oh, mom… that can wait,” said Tyler.
“Say that now and you’ll be saying it forever,” she replied. “Anyway, we’ll talk about it later.”
Just then, Clarice and Adrianne returned.
“What happened?” asked Meredith. “Did you find any of my girls?”
“Yes,” said Adrianne. “We spoke with Tara Parker. She’s going to round them up and meet us here in an hour.”
“Good,” said Meredith. “Now, as far as Vivian goes, what exactly is your plan?”
“As you know, we were planning on rescuing Bailey and Trixie,” replied Adrianne. “Tonight, after dark. That still stands.”
“What about Vivian?” she asked. “Will you confront her?”
“I’d like to avoid her altogether, if I could,” answered Adrianne.
“I think we need to do more than that,” said Meredith. “Otherwise, it will be a never-ending battle between you. You’ll always be looking over your shoulder and your daughters will not be safe until she’s really gone.”
“I agree,” said Clarice.
“Well, I’m not going to kill her,” said Adrianne, looking horrified.
“She tried killing you,” said Meredith. “More than once.”
“I don’t care,” said Adrianne. “Not only could I not kill her, but I refuse to use Black Magic.”
“Why don’t you just take her wand away?” asked Willow.
“None of us can touch it,” replied Clarice. “Only a witch who is worthy of that type of wand.”
“Yes,” said Adrianne. “A witch who has devoted her life to Black Magic.”
“My grandmother was able to touch the wand,” said Willow. “She’s the one who told me about them. Said she could use all three of them if needed. Maybe I could try?”
“Absolutely not,” said Clarice. “There were reasons that your grandmother could touch Penelope, and it’s quite obvious that it wouldn’t work for you.”
“Why?” asked Willow.
“Because of her condition,” she replied.
“Her schizophrenia?” said Willow.
“Yes,” said Clarice. “My mother mentioned that Margaritte could use either wand because they couldn’t read her correctly. She had more than one personality living inside of her.”
“Multiple personalities?” asked Willow. “I guess that I didn’t know about that.”
“I heard that when she was older, her sisters cast a spell on her that removed the other personalities. Or blocked them,” said Meredith. “So, she was able to function a little better.”
I thought about Margaritte and wondered how they were able to choose. “Which personality did they keep, then?” I asked. “I mean, if someone has multiple personalities, how could they have figured out which one belonged?”
“I believe that it was magic that determined which personality was the one that truly belonged,” said Clarice. “Not the sisters themselves.”
“Oh,” I said. “That’s pretty cool.”
“It certainly is,” replied Rebecca. “And that’s why I travel around the world to collect enchanted objects. Because everything about magic is cool.”
“Too bad you don’t have s
omething that could hold Vivian prisoner,” I replied. “Keep her from doing any more harm.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh!” She hurried toward the back room. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where you going, mom?” asked Tyler.
Rebecca turned around. “Last year, I picked up something from Canada. I think it might work!”
“What might work?” he asked.
She smiled. “The enchanted globe! I think that we can transport her inside and lock her away for good!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Here it is,” said Rebecca, unwrapping the velvet coverlet surrounding the object.
I stared in awe. It was some kind of snow-globe, but like nothing I’d ever seen before. The details were amazing and I couldn’t believe that anyone could fit so much into something that was the size of a softball.
“Here,” said Rebecca, holding a magnifying glass over it. “You can see inside of better.”
“Wow,” gasped Kala. “It looks so real!”
Inside of it was an intricately designed little town with a sign above that read “Winter Bliss.” There were trees, lights, cars, and even an ice-skating rink. As I peered into it more closely, I noticed dozens of realistic shops, a library, and even an elementary school with children playing behind it. The only thing it didn’t have was water, although snowflakes seemed to float and sparkle throughout the globe.
“It’s just so… beautiful,” I said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What’s that?” asked Kala, pointing to a small handle on the side.
“It plays music,” she replied, smiling. She turned the handle and the song “White Christmas” began to play.
“Wow, that is really neat,” said Willow.
“It’s one of my favorite purchases,” said Rebecca. “Anyway, we need to get Penelope away from Vivian and then transport her inside of the globe. From there, we can place some kind of ‘Entrapment’ spell, which should hold her.”
“It looks so… Charles Dickens-like,” said Kala, smiling. “Even the tiny little figures look so happy.”
“Doesn’t it though? Vivian will hate it there,” mused Rebecca. “All that snow and happiness. Well, it will serve her right for everything she’s done.”
“Can she really live inside of this thing?” I asked. “I mean, what about oxygen?”
“With magic, anything is possible,” said Tyler.
“Exactly,” said Rebecca. “When you’re inside of the globe, everything is real. The shops, the cars, everything.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Even the people?”
“Now that’s a little more complicated. From what I’ve been told, the people inside seem real, but you can’t communicate with them. Which is good, because Vivian can’t harm any of the beings that way. In fact, they won’t even notice her.”
“So, they look like people, but they really aren’t?” I asked, confused.
“They are forms of magical energy that imitate people. You can’t touch them. You can only observe what they are doing,” replied Rebecca.
“What about food and water?” asked Adrianne. “It that real or an illusion?”
“That’s different. Vivian will be able to eat and drink. She’ll be able to take a shower, see a movie, and even play a piano. The globe was created to hold someone while providing an endless supply of food, water and other necessities.”
“That sounds too good for her,” said Kala.
“I agree,” said Tyler.
“Hmm… I think we should put Mark there, too,” said Kala. “Because when he finds out what we’ve done, he won’t leave us alone. He’ll want revenge.”
Rebecca nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. Look what he’s already done. They deserve each other anyway.”
“Hey, even better – why don’t we put her entire coven in the globe?” asked Tyler.
“Yes,” said Meredith, smiling. “I think that’s a great idea. If you can pull it off. Obviously, they’ll attack us if we cage their leader.”
“Very true,” said Clarice. “I think it’s the only choice that we really have. It’s all or nothing.”
“I agree,” I replied. “That way we can also keep an eye on them.”
“I think we should place Mark in there right now. Make sure this thing even works before we face Vivian,” said Tyler.
“Oh, I know it will work,” replied Rebecca, walking over to the sofa. “But, I agree with you. Let’s get him out of our hair now, before he wakes up and causes any further harm.”
“Mom, do you know an ‘Entrapment’ spell?” asked Tyler. “I’ve never heard you talk about them.”
“I believe so,” she replied. “But, I’ll check with some of my spell books in the back to make sure I do it correctly.”
“Wait, I know a spell that is guaranteed to lock the portal from our world to the globe’s,” said Meredith. “We can also send others there without having to unlock it again.”
“Oh, so it will be like a doorway that locks from the outside?” asked Kala.
Meredith nodded. “Precisely. Once you’re in, you can’t get out.”
“Splendid,” said Rebecca. She turned to me. “As far as sending him there, I think you should do the honors. We need a very powerful wand to get him there without problems. I’m pretty certain that Chloe can handle it.”
“Okay,” I replied. “What spell do I use?”
“A simple ‘Transport’ spell,” said Rebecca, placing the globe onto the front counter. “Point your wand at him and say, ‘Transport this boy, Mark, to the Town of Winter Bliss.’ Then, once he’s inside, Meredith can do the rest.”
“Okay,” I replied, raising my wand.
“Wait!” said Adrianne, holding up a hand. She bit her lower lip. “I mean, should we really do this? He’s just a boy. He’s obviously been brainwashed and his actions are not entirely his fault.”
“Adrianne, it’s the only way,” said Clarice. “Besides, he’ll be with Vivian, who I don’t think he’ll want to live without anyway. He idolizes her.”
“I agree, mom. Mark will hunt us down and try to destroy our entire family if we don’t send him away. Look at what he did last time,” I added. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“I just feel so funny about this,” replied Adrianne, still looking skeptical. “We’re acting as judge and jury on a group of people without hearing them out. Maybe some of them aren’t even happy to be part of Vivian’s coven. We could be banishing innocent people to this globe.”
My eyes widened. “Innocent people? Mom, they all pretty much want us dead and are working with Vivian to make it happen.”
“She’s right, and Adrianne, this world that we’re sending them to,” said Rebecca. “It’s better than where they should all be going, which is a prison. I think they’re being shown mercy. They wouldn’t do the same for us.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“Go ahead, Kendra,” said Clarice.
I raised my wand and pointed it at Mark, who was still passed out on the sofa.
“I wish I could see the look on his face when he opens his eyes,” said Tyler with a smirk.
“I think what we’re doing is almost too good for him,” said Kala. “That town looks like paradise.”
“It certainly does,” said Rebecca. “But, it’s a paradise that one cannot leave. Obviously, it’s where they all belong. Now, go ahead, Kendra. Cast the spell.”
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “Transport this boy, Mark, to the Town of Winter Bliss,” I said, waving my wand at his unconscious form.
A burst of light shot out my wand and then surrounded him. Seconds later, he disappeared.
“Quickly, Meredith,” said Rebecca.
She pointed her wand at the globe. “Close the gateway to the Town of Winter Bliss. Forever seal it from our world, so that those who enter may not exit.”
Her wand zapped the globe and it began to glow br
ightly. Then, I heard a subtle noise that sounded almost like a click.
I smiled. “I guess it’s locked?”
“Yes,” said Meredith as the light began to recede. “It certainly is. From now on, anyone going in, will stay in.”
We all gathered around the globe and stared through the magnifying glass.
“There he is,” said Kala, pointing. “In the snow, by the ice-skating rink.”
I squinted. Sure enough, there was Mark lying in the snow.
“He’s waking up,” said Tyler, laughing. “This should be good.”
We watched as Mark raised his head, and looked around in confusion. Then he looked at all of us, staring down at him. Frightened, he scrambled to his feet and tried backing away.
“Can you hear me, Mark?” asked Clarice.
He didn’t answer.
“I don’t think he can hear us,” said Rebecca. “But, he can certainly see us.”
Kala blew him a kiss.
Mark’s face turned red with anger. He held up his fist and his lips began to move, obviously spouting out things that would have made my ears bleed. When we didn’t respond, he turned around and began running away, toward the town.
“One down,” said Tyler, taking a step back. “I hope we can get Vivian and the others inside so easily.”
Just then, there was a burst of light that filled the room. As it receded, I noticed that we were surrounded by witches. I felt a chill go up my spine when I noticed who was in the center of the group.
“What’s wrong?” asked Vivian, smirking at me. “Not happy to see mommy alive?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I raised my wand. “Not at all.”
“Vivian, what have you done with Bailey and Trixie?” asked Adrianne, raising her wand.
“Well, looky here. So, you pulled through,” said Vivian, with a sneer. “I guess that means that Willow has turned on me.”
“It’s more like ‘she’s seen the light’,” I answered.
Willow stepped forward. “Don’t you ever stop? I mean, you’re truly an evil woman,” she said, glaring at her. “I can’t believe how you’ve played me!”
Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport) Page 17