T*Witches 3: Seeing Is Deceiving

by H. B. Gilmour

  “Actually?” Alex owned her bad. “This time, Cam was skeptical girl. She knew something was rotten in the state of Cause-ville. I kept insisting she was overreacting.”

  Cam said thoughtfully, “How do you know so much about us?”

  “Lord Thantos knows everything. About you, your friends — and your family.”

  Cam and Alex shuddered in tandem.

  “I almost had you that day at the mall,” Shane said, “but then Beth showed up and you had that fight with her. I knew she was your best friend, so I revised the plan.”

  “You used her instead,” Cam said regretfully, “to get to me.”

  Alex reminded Cam, “He saved her instead.”

  “You do like her, a little?” Cam said tentatively. “It wasn’t all just a big act?”

  Shane fished a note out of his pocket and folded it in half. “Will you give her this when you see her? I never meant to hurt her. Beth is smart and caring. When she believes in something, there’s no stopping her.”

  Alex voiced what the twins were thinking. “Thantos. Would you stop at anything for him? Would you kill for him?”

  Shane’s gaze was sad and soulful. “I couldn’t have answered that question before tonight. Maybe. I don’t know. But being around the two of you changed everything. It reminded me of something. And it hit me hard.”

  “What’s that?” Cam asked.

  Shane ticked off the reasons on his fingers. “You didn’t grow up among us on Coventry Island. You didn’t even grow up together, or know you were witches. But instinctively, you saw a wrong and tried to right it. You did everything to save an innocent from harm. Even at the risk of your own lives. Seeing you two in action was like a kick in the butt. That’s what our kind do. And that’s not what Thantos was doing.”

  “What will you do now?” Cam asked quietly, basking in the glow of Shane’s heartfelt words.

  He stretched his long legs and got up. “Go home. To Coventry Island.”

  “But is it safe there? Didn’t you just make Thantos’s Most Wanted list?”

  “After tonight, I’m probably not safe anywhere,” Shane admitted. “But my family’s there, my friends. And the Unity Council. I’m honor-bound to report what happened tonight. Anyway, Coventry Island is where I belong.”

  Is it where we belong, too? Alex thought, but didn’t say aloud.

  She didn’t have to. Shane answered, “That’s a decision you will have to make for yourselves. When the time comes.”

  And then he was gone.

  The twins were too fried to go to school the next day. Cam straggled downstairs in the morning, telling her parents they both were grappling with “some stomach thing.” Neither Dave nor, surprisingly, Emily, pushed it.

  When they did get up, well after noon, the house was empty. Emily left a note saying she was at a client’s house, measuring for drapes.

  As soon as she showered and had breakfast, Cam e-mailed Beth, asking to hang out after school. I haven’t been the greatest friend, she wrote, but I know what happened last night. And I have a message from Shane. Meet me at Half Moon Cove at five — Bethie, I have a lot to tell you. Please.

  Next, she called Dave at the office for an update on Webb and Lizzie.

  Her dad sounded relieved to hear from her. “So you’re both feeling better?” he asked more than once.

  “We’re fine,” Cam assured him. “It’s been a kind of roller-coaster week — and it’s only halfway through.”

  “Well, I’m glad you called, princess,” Dave said. “We’ve had a hectic but pretty good morning. Is Alex there? I want you both to hear this.”

  Not only had Cecilia Webb been taken into custody, but the police, working off Lizzie’s information, were on the way to breaking open the entire scam. “Helping Hands is definitely a front for a ring of thieves,” Dave told them.

  “Led by Webb?” Cam guessed.

  “Led by Sam Rogers,” Dave corrected her, “husband of Belinda Rogers.”

  “Who happens to reside in the state penitentiary?” Alex guessed.

  There was a pause. Dave obviously wanted to know how Alex and Cam came by that info — but he never did ask. Instead, he told them, “Samuel Rogers is doing ten to fifteen years for robbery and endangering the welfare of a minor. He claimed he’d been set up by his cronies, who were just as guilty. His wife, Belinda — Ms. Webb, that is — knew she’d be next. So she was frantically trying to get enough money to run from the gang, and maybe start fresh. Anyway, the scheme was to keep on the move, luring at-risk kids into stealing for them, under the guise of doing good.”

  Cam was upset. “That’s horrible.”

  “So they’ve done this before, and no one got caught?” Alex said.

  “They chose their victims well,” Dave explained. “Only kids whose parents weren’t likely to investigate and put the brakes on. Pretty clever.”

  “And Lizzie, is she okay?” Cam asked.

  “Thanks to both of you, she’s off the hook, safe at home.”

  With no Helping Hands meeting or soccer practice to go to, Beth had come straight home from school. And to Cam’s relief, logged on and read the e-mail right away. Best of all, she agreed to meet at Half Moon Cove. Where, Cam hoped, they’d take the first steps toward patching their fractured friendship.

  “I wish I could tell her everything — the whole truth,” she fretted to Alex before she left.

  “You won’t have to. At the risk of going all ‘Sunday night TV movie’ on you, tell her what’s in your heart. That’ll be enough,” Als counseled. “Oh, and one more thing —”

  “Covered,” Cam said with a knowing smile. “One quart of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, two spoons.”

  “Two spoons? And they call you selfish!” Alex teased. “Yo, you’ve got a friendship to repair. Bounce!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  THE BITTERSWEET TRUTH

  Beth was waiting when Cam got there. Hungry for a download — and, to Cam’s relief, for ice cream, too. “About last night,” her friend started, holding her palm out for a spoon, “how could you know what happened? You weren’t even there.”

  “I actually was — later. And I always suspected that something was” — she poked Beth in the ribs — “pardon the expression, fishy … about Helping Hands, but it took a while before I figured out the real deal.”

  The bulletin that Helping Hands was a scam didn’t shock Beth, not after the rave. “Was that a surreal scene, or what?”

  Cam, spooning ice cream into her mouth, agreed. “Raves in our sleepy little hamlet. Who knew?”

  “The whole thing feels like one weird dream.” Beth shook her head. “I even dreamed that someone wanted to kill me. Over-the-top much?”

  Cam bit down on the spoon. And let it slide.

  But Beth remembered Thantos and Fredo. “Who were those people?”

  “They’re the bad guys, Bethie,” was all Cam had to say.

  Beth rushed on, “Bad guys — like Ms. Webb. I trusted her! I worked so hard for her. What a total lamebrain I was.”

  “You weren’t alone on the lamebrain train. At least one really cute guy was right there with you, if it makes you feel any better.”

  “Shane. Mr. Wright. Mr. Yeah, right,” Beth said sarcastically.

  Cam pulled Shane’s note out of her jeans pocket and handed it to Beth. “A message from the aforementioned Mr. Wright. I don’t know what he wrote, but he really is okay. You weren’t wrong to trust him.”

  Beth couldn’t hide a half-smile. Or the blush creeping up her neck. “Uh, I think I’ll open it later. First, tell me how you found out about the whole scam.”

  Cam dug deep into the creamy dessert. “It was a clever plan — full of half-truths. Sunshine House really is what they said it was. Unfortunately, you weren’t raising money for it.” When Cam told her about Lizzie, Beth was shocked. She hadn’t been asked to steal anything. So far.

  “So your mother’s necklace —”

  “Mom found it. S
he totally forgot she’d put it in the vault for safekeeping. She’s been a little frazzled lately. But now I understand why you thought I took it.”

  “I never should have doubted you, that’s so my bad. I know you, Elisabeth Ellen Fish, and you would never do that, no matter what.”

  “No matter what, huh? Who’d have thought I could be so easily tricked? I really believed we were doing something good, something important,” Beth said mournfully. “How stupid was I?”

  “Not stupid! Just hurting.”

  Beth searched Cam’s face. “You know?”

  “Sort of. I know bad stuff is happening at home.”

  Beth swallowed, fighting back tears.

  “And instead of being there for you, I totally turned my back. Butt-ugly truth alert…” Cam paused and sucked in her breath. “You were right. It never, for one second, occurred to me that it wasn’t about me, that you weren’t still just bummed about the Alex thing. I messed up. If you let me fix …?”

  A teardrop slid down Beth’s freckled cheek. “So you know about my parents?”

  Cam had brought tissues. “Some. Ready to hear more. If you want.”

  “They’re always fighting. It’s like if my mom says one thing, my dad contradicts it, even if it’s just some stupid small thing. And then my mom argues, or she’ll get all sulky and quiet. Or my dad walks out. Finally, yesterday they told me and Lauren they were having problems. They’re going to try some counseling thing. But if it doesn’t work” — Beth’s voice cracked — “they’ll probably separate.”

  Cam put her arm around Beth, who rested her frizzy head on Cam’s shoulder. “You must be so scared,” she said gently.

  “It’s like they’ve already decided. Like the counseling thing is just some sort of exercise.”

  “You never know,” Cam said evenly. “If they have a good therapist, it could work out. I know from my dad’s practice — they handle lots of divorce cases — that at least half the time, it actually does work out. Your parents have a lot of good years between them. A whole history, not to mention two extremely fabulous daughters. There are bumps in the road of all relationships.”

  “Even ours,” Beth conceded. “At least we’re sorta back on track.”

  “Sorta?! What’s this sorta stuff?” Cam playfully nudged Beth off her shoulder. “Friends —”

  “Till the end!” Luckily, Beth didn’t notice Cam shudder when they locked pinkies.

  While Cam was off mending fences, Alex was mending a song she’d started. She tinkered with Dylan’s guitar — which now really did feel like hers — trying out lyrics and chords. It was cool that the whole Helping Scams thing was busted, but Dave had not said anything about Ike. Had he still not heard, or had Ike responded and Dave not wanted to tell her?

  “Positive thoughts, send positive karma out there.” That’s what Amanda would say now. “It’ll come back to you.” Alex liked Amanda.

  “Face your fears head-on.” That’s probably what Sukari would say. “And make a plan.” She liked that girl, too.

  “Oh, just hire a good lawyer. You can buy your way out of having to go with the evil stepmonster.” Alex could practically hear Brianna in her head.

  The next sound she heard wasn’t in her head. The front door slammed so hard, it rocked the house — and not in a good way! The argument, apparently, had been in progress awhile.

  “How could you do that? Aside from everything else, you embarrassed me — I get a call at a client’s house, come to the principal’s office to get you!?”

  Emily. Offended and on the offense.

  “Sorry to mess up your day, but it’s no big deal.”

  Dylan. Guilty, sulky, defensive.

  Alex tensed. She knew the reason for their moods and their ’tudes.

  “What’s going on with you?” Emily was now pacing the kitchen. “It isn’t bad enough that you’re dropping out of everything. Now you’re smoking! What are you trying to prove?”

  Alex could hear Dylan slump into a chair. She pictured him propping his elbows up on the table, head down, running his hands through his hair. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. So what if I’m sick of basketball? And everyone smokes, so I tried a couple of lousy cigarettes. I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just being me.”

  Alex ached. She’d failed him. She’d caught him smoking at school a few days ago and made him stop. But she wasn’t in school today. And he’d gotten caught.

  “Being you? Listen to me, Dylan Michael Barnes. You don’t smoke. And that’s all there is to it.”

  “You don’t even know me,” Dylan whined.

  Emily gritted her teeth. “All I have to know is this. Nicotine is a drug. And as long as you’re under this roof, you will not smoke. Now, go to your room. You’re grounded.”

  “For how long?”

  “Indefinitely!”

  Alex heard Dylan drag himself up the stairs. And she knew better than to go down to the kitchen, where Emily would be fuming. But she couldn’t help it. Her sister had dared her to break into Emily’s head. Well, this seemed like the primo moment. Okay, Ems was freaking — with good reason! But Alex needed to know, did Emily blame her?

  She found Dylan’s mom on the phone with Dave, asking if he could come home now. She didn’t tell him why, but hung up, apparently satisfied that he was on his way.

  “Hi,” Alex tried to sound casual.

  Emily was startled. “What are you doing — oh, I forgot you were home today.” Tense, she asked if she and Cam were feeling better, but what Alex heard was not concern for her health. I just bet this is her influence. He’s done nothing but defy me since she got here. And now this!

  “You’re wrong,” Alex said. “For one thing, I had nothing to do with Dylan’s decision. He doesn’t confide in me, and even if he did, I wouldn’t tell him to drop out of sports. No matter what you think, I’m not turning your son against you.”

  Emily brushed away her bangs, flustered. “How did you …? I’m not blaming you.”

  “But that’s what you’re thinking. It’s written all over your face,” Alex improvised.

  Emily whirled on her, her voice loud now. “Tell me you didn’t know he was smoking!”

  “I did know that. But —”

  Dylan came flying down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen. He’d heard. “Mom! Wait. This is bogus. Be mad at me all you want, but you’re wrong about Alex.”

  Emily’s eyebrows arched. “You don’t need to protect her.”

  “Mom!” Dylan was more upset now than he’d been before. “You don’t understand! Alex tried to make me stop. When she found out I was smoking, dude, she went medieval on me. She follows me everywhere at school — she’s like the butt police. She’s totally in my face. It’s like this obsession with her.”

  Her mother! Oh, my god, her mother died of cancer. I wonder if it was — Emily’s hand flew to her mouth.

  Quietly, Alex told her, “Lung cancer. It was lung cancer. And yes, she was addicted to cigarettes.”

  Dylan awkwardly wrapped his arms around Alex. “Sorry for playing the dead-mother card that first day when you went postal on me. That was totally out of line.”

  Tears welled up in Emily’s swimming-pool-blue eyes. Alex heard her thinking, I thought I was trying to be a good mother, to accept her. But look what I did — just because she’s different from us, and sarcastic, I assumed she was a bad influence on him. Out loud, she said, “Alex, I’m so sorry.”

  Cam and her dad ended up getting home at the same time, walking in on Emily sobbing quietly and Dylan hugging Alex.

  “Is this a very special episode of 7th Heaven?” Dave quipped. “Tell me it’s nothing worse.”

  Emily, wiping away tears, explained everything.

  Dave went into default lawyer mode. “Any other witnesses?” He looked at Alex, who shook her head. And his son, who said, “Mom pretty much got it all.”

  “Okay, then,” he said, adjusting his bifocals on the bridge of his nose. />
  “I’ve made my decision. A) Dylan. You’re not smoking. That’s nonnegotiable. And B) We’re a family. We make mistakes, we misjudge one another, and sometimes say hurtful things. But in the end, we do what’s right for one another. Thank you, Alex, for trying to do that.”

  Cam asked the question Alex was afraid to. “What about Isaac Fielding? Is the hearing set up?”

  Dave’s face brightened. “Postponed. Indefinitely. He hasn’t responded to our letters, faxes, or e-mails, either through his lawyer or on his own. So for now, we keep moving forward.”

  “Dude, I like the sound of that.” Dylan joked, “I’ll get started building the cupboard below the staircase —”

  Alex kicked Dylan. “I’ll get started waving my magic wand every time I even think you’re thinking about a cigarette. I am gonna be in your face, Dudley.”

  “I’m counting on it, Harry.”

  Emily laughed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I guess I’ll have to read the book.”

  “Great idea! Do that instead of cooking.” Ooops. The words came flying out of Cam before she realized she’d said it aloud. She quickly backpedaled. “I mean, you know, it’s not like you have to cook every night.”

  Emily grinned sheepishly. “It’s pretty… suckola, isn’t that your word?”

  Cam put her arms around her mom.

  Alex stood there, inches from them, rolling her eyes at the sappy moment. Suddenly, Emily and Cam, as if they’d had the same idea at the exact same time, reached out to her.

  Reluctantly, Alex stepped into their embrace and joined the hug fest.

  Emily pulled away only to say, “Grab a chair. This kitchen table fits our family — of five. Perfectly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  UNDER THE

  SACRED TREE

  There was a place, the highest point in Mariner’s Park, where Cam had been going for many years. The park itself was in the center of the historic district of town, and the spot, one Cam had claimed a long time ago. Or had it claimed her? She’d been almost magnetically drawn to it, though it wasn’t more than a scraggly patch of green under an ancient elm tree. Sitting under it gave her a dazzling, unobstructed view of the Marble Bay harbor. And she liked to gaze out at the boats, at the water. Cam had never told anyone about going there. It was her place to write, to think, to daydream, to plot, sometimes even to cry.