by Zoe Arden
He glanced at the headline. "Yeah, I saw it this morning. So?"
"So?" she cried, incredulous. "So what is the Council on Magic and Human Affairs doing about this?"
"Why should they do anything?" Javyn asked. "No humans are involved. They're not the ones going missing."
She frowned at him. "Well, someone's got to do something."
"I'm sure that Zulabar is on top of it."
"Zulabar wouldn't know his head from an Oreo."
Javyn grunted a laugh. "Don't let him hear you say that. Kings have a funny way of demanding respect."
Kiya came down the stairs just then. She was wearing her paisley dress and powder pink lipstick. A red bow had been secured neatly in her hair.
"Where do you think you're going?" Meenah asked her daughter.
"Just out with some friends, Mama. I'm supposed to meet Tori and the others."
"Oh no. I don't think so. Not tonight."
"But Moooom," Kiya cried. "It's a study session. We have junior finals coming up before Christmas break."
Meenah licked her lips, thinking. "No," she said. "I'm sorry."
"Daaaad," Kiya whined, turning to her father now. "This is important. Mama doesn't understand because she never liked school. Not like you and me."
Meenah hated that Kiya thought she could play Javyn and her against each other like this. It was true that Meenah had hated school, but it was also true that she had done exceedingly well in it.
"Kiya, I already told you no."
Kiya ignored her mother completely and focused on the parent she knew she could flip to her side. Typical teenager. Javyn chuckled. He always found it amusing when Kiya behaved like a child. Meenah often had to remind him that Kiya was nearly seventeen. How amusing would it be when she was twenty? Or thirty? What husband would want a perpetual toddler as a life partner?
"Meenah," Javyn said, shrugging his shoulders as Kiya knelt by his side, giving him the puppy dog stare. He was always a sucker for the puppy dog stare.
"There is a killer on the loose!" Meenah exclaimed.
"Actually, there's no proof the two who are missing are even dead," Javyn said.
"That's right," Kiya chimed in. "We talked all about it in current events the other day. Ms. Wogan says it's more of a rumor than anything. That it's just a couple of guys who got up one morning and decided they hated their jobs and life so they left."
"And no one's seen or heard from them since?" Meenah asked. "Not even their families?"
Kiya shrugged.
"Come on, Mom. It's not even dark yet. Tori's house is just a few blocks away and once I'm there, I won't leave. Promise."
Meenah felt herself begin to cave and knew Kiya could sense it.
"We have so much studying to do." Now she turned her puppy dog stare on her mother.
Meenah heaved a sigh. "Fine."
Kiya jumped up from her father's side, grinning, and kissed her mother's cheek. She was already grabbing her purse and jacket when Meenah got a cold tickle at the back of her neck. December wasn't exactly cold in Heavenly Haven, but it wasn't quite as warm in their territory as it was in Sweetland Cove or Mistmoor Point. Meenah dismissed the tickle and focused on giving her daughter instructions.
"Walk directly to Tori's house. Do not talk to anyone. Do not go anywhere off the main road. Got it?"
"Yes, Mama."
"And text me when you get there."
"Of course."
Meenah felt a teensy bit better. Tori's house really wasn't far, and this was a safe neighborhood.
"Oh, and I'm taking these, all right?" Kiya asked, reaching for the box of a half dozen cupcakes from The Mystic Cupcake that Meenah had sent out for the other day. Eleanor's wolfhound was always a delight when he dropped them off. Meenah had set aside a doggy treat just for him.
"Those are for this weekend," Meenah said.
"We need some food to keep us going, Mama. You don't want us to starve our brains, do you?"
Meenah laughed and waved her arm toward the box. "Go on. I can always order more. I'm sure Rocky won't object to another treat or two."
Kiya grabbed them and ran. "Thanks!" she called. She was already at the edge of their lawn by the time Meenah got to the door. She felt the tickle at the back of her neck again but brushed it away and shut the door.
At the end of the block, once she was out of sight, Kiya turned left and made a beeline for Whisper Crossing. She didn't like lying to her parents, but they still treated her like she was a child.
"Peda cesura," she said softly and wiggled her nose. Her feet suddenly began to move faster. It almost felt like she was flying instead of running. It took her only twenty minutes to reach Whisper Crossing this way.
When her feet finally settled down, she was standing at the edge of the cemetery looking for Ekon. He was probably running late. Ekon was always running late. She pulled a compact from her purse and made sure her lipstick was still in place. Good thing I checked. Just look at that smudge. She reached for her lipstick and her fingers touched the red rose petals she had stuffed into her purse earlier this morning. A shiver ran up her spine.
Kiya didn't quite understand why she felt the need to hide the rose petals from her parents. Maybe it was because she knew how protective they were. Especially her mother. Would they have let her out of the house tonight if she'd told them? Definitely not. The petals had been lying at the foot of her bed when she woke up. As if someone had been standing there in the night. Watching her.
Kiya shivered.
She sent her mom a quick text to let her know she was all right and quickly reapplied her powder pink lipstick. She adjusted her red bow before focusing her attention on the rainbow shades of flowers and plants that were part of Whisper Crossing's drawing power. It was the one place on the island where all witches, warlocks, and other paranormals were welcome without question. Mostly because it was the one place on the island where you could find assorted plants and herbs that you couldn't get anywhere else.
Because of that, Kiya was surprised she was alone. Usually, there were a few witches hanging around, either from Sweetland or from Mistmoor. It unsettled her a bit, but the sun was still out and it warmed the December air around her. There was nothing to worry about. She'd been here many times before, usually with Ekon. She still didn't understand why her parents didn't like him. She knew all about his bad boy reputation, but he was really a sweetie pie.
He never laid a hand on her. Never talked unkindly toward her. And she was usually the one who had to instigate the kissing. Ekon would have been fine with holding hands all day and night. His one fault, as far as she could tell, was his chronic lateness. To everything. Always.
Kiya let out a sigh and stepped into the cemetery. Sara Sweetland's tombstone was just at the top of the hill. The white marble angel, with its long and flowing wings turned in on itself, always made her feel safe somehow.
"Hi," she said to the statue. She knew what most people said about it were rumors, but there was one rumor she'd always been curious to test for herself. She cleared her throat. "Sara bright, Sara bliss, Sara bring a boy to kiss."
There was a rustle just behind the statue. Sara's smile widened. "Oh, my roses, it worked! Ekon!" she cried, running behind the angel. But Ekon wasn't there. All she found was a terrible smell. A stench so bad it almost made her puke.
"Ew," she muttered, "what is that?" She began looking for the source of the stench. Just ahead, she saw a tombstone had fallen over. Something inside her told her to get away. Now. But the curiosity of a sixteen-year-old quickly won out.
The stench was even stronger next to the overturned grave, which looked as though it had been recently dug up from the inside out. But that was ridiculous.
She was still holding the cupcakes from Mystic Bakery. She held the box close to her nose, hoping to calm her growing nerves with the scent of butterscotch frosting and honey cream calming cake, but nothing could hide the stench she was faced with. A low gurgling noise sounded from beh
ind her. She began to shake. Don't turn around. But how could she not?
She spun to face the thing behind her.
"Oh, my roses," she said, her throat going dry. She dropped the cupcakes. They smashed unceremoniously to the ground. "Oh, no. It can't be."
She took a step backward and screamed.
Ekon was at the edge of Whisper Crossing, just coming into view of the cemetery, when he heard Kiya's cry.
"Kiya?" he called out, running now instead of walking. She sounded scared. Kiya was the only one in his territory who had ever taken the trouble to get to know him. Who ever saw anything beyond the kid from the wrong side of the tracks. If someone was hurting her, he would rip them to shreds
"Kiya?" he called again, losing track of where the scream had come from. He was almost positive it had come from the top of the hill. He ran past Sara Sweetland's angel, searching frantically.
"Kiya!" he called.
He stopped running when he saw the cupcakes. The box had been flattened as if a giant had stomped on it, but he would have recognized the Mystic logo anywhere. Beside the cupcakes lay a red bow. Kiya's red bow. He had bought it for her as a gift.
"Kiya?" he called one last time. But there was no answer. Kiya was gone.
* * *
CHAPTER ONE
The Pixie Punk Dance Hall was packed. The entire room had been trimmed to look like a Christmas store exploded inside it. Giant ornaments hung from the ceiling. Mini Christmas trees dotted each table. People were wearing elf hats and Santa costumes. Women were wrapped in garland.
The band stage had been set up to look like Santa's workshop. The red curtains that hid the backstage area had been trimmed with white faux fur.
It was a shame my father was missing everything. Then again, even if he'd been here, the effect would have been lost on him. If Eli Fortune was one thing, he was a homebody. Old movies in front of the television and a bowl of popcorn were more than enough to make him happy. Sometimes, I wondered what he'd be like if my mother were still alive. If Jon Pratt had never existed. Never taken her from us when I was just a baby.
I groaned to myself. What was I doing? Was I trying to ruin this dance? This was no time to think about the past. The present was what mattered. My mom was dead, but so was the man who'd killed her. Time to move on.
I shook my head, clearing it, as Damon spun me onto the dance floor. I wondered if Eleanor and Trixie were here yet. My aunts were both coming, even though Eleanor was the only one who had a date.
"You know, Ava, I'm like a good bottle of wine," Damon said, gently lifting my chin so I had to look into his sapphire eyes. "I get more interesting as the evening wears on. Especially once my fairy godmother shows up and turns me into Bigfoot."
I laughed.
"Soon you won't have to look at everyone but me for entertainment," Damon said. He was smiling, but I could tell I'd hurt his feelings a little by ignoring him. His brow crinkled slightly, and his dark hair kept falling across his forehead.
"I'm sorry," I told him. "I'm not being a very good date." This was probably why Damon and I had been stuck in the friendship rut for the last few months. I wasn't sure we'd ever get out of it if I didn't stop acting like a loon.
"I wouldn't say that." Damon pushed a lock of blond hair behind my ear. "I'm just anxious to get you in my arms." My cheeks burned as he pulled me tighter to him. I nuzzled my head against his chest and promised myself there would be no more marauding tonight.
"If I was the Wicked Witch of the East, I'd be melting right now," I told him.
He paused on the dance floor, his foot hanging in the air. "You don't really do that. Do you? Melt, I mean?"
"Of course not," I said, laughing. Though I realized I wasn't really sure. I'd only been a witch for a few months. Maybe I'd better get confirmation.
Note to self: do witches melt?
A half hour later, I'd lost count of all the slow songs Damon and I had shared. His shoulder had become my permanent pillow.
When I finally tore myself away from him long enough to look up, Eleanor and Sheriff Knoxx were dancing together a few feet away from us. Eleanor was dressed in a layered skirt of dark blues and bright purples with large gold hoop earrings. Her wavy blond locks hung loose around her shoulders. She looked like a gypsy. I waved to her, and she beamed at me.
Sheriff Knoxx looked happier than I'd ever seen him. I still couldn't believe he was part goblin. Looking at him, I'd never have known. He was dressed in a dark blue suit. I could still make out the outline of his gun behind the suit coat and imagined his sheriff's badge was pinned to his shirt. They were like his suit of armor. He didn't travel without them.
Another dancer bumped against the sheriff's leg. Sheriff Knoxx's face curled up into a weird mass of angry veins that bulged from everywhere. He looked as though he'd been tinted green.
Well, maybe I can see a little goblin.
"I've never met a witch like you," Damon said, drawing my attention back to him.
"A witch like me?" I laughed. "What about a woman like me? I'm both, you know."
"That's right," Damon said, snapping his fingers. "I forget that sometimes. I'm just a human. We do that."
"Forget?"
"That's right."
"So is that going to be your excuse for everything from now on?" I teased. "You forgot my birthday but..."
"I'm only human."
"Our anniversary?"
"Still just a human."
"I think I see how this is going," I giggled.
Damon's blue eyes drilled into me, reflecting back my own baby blues. It was a strange image. Like we were both sharing one set of pupils. My heart began to race as Damon drew closer.
The lights around us were dim. The music was soft. I could feel his hot, sweet breath blowing gently against me as we moved toward each other and... Damon kissed me. His lips were like warm butterscotch. I wanted the moment to last forever. It was perfect. Our first kiss. If you didn't count the one he had given me when he'd been poisoned with love potion cake. Since he didn't even remember that one, I was pretty sure it didn't count.
When the song ended, I lifted my head and saw Lucy smiling at me from the edge of the dance floor. I blushed as my new best friend—the only best friend I'd ever had, if I was honest—puckered her lips and began blowing little kisses in the air. It was very grade school. It was very Lucy.
Too bad Lucy didn't have a date. Not that she hadn't been asked. She was considered one of the prettiest, most popular witches in all of Sweetland Cove. Heck, in all of Heavenly Haven, for that matter. The whole island, whether you fell on the Sweetland Cove side or the Mistmoor Point one, agreed that Lucy Lockwood was better than your average witch.
She'd just grown a little leery of men after the whole fiasco with Polly and Slater, when he'd basically tried to kill every human in town and blame it on us witches.
Shoot! There I went again, dwelling on the past. Stop it! I told myself.
Suddenly the lights in the dance hall brightened. The wizards in charge took the stage and announced they were ready to declare the new Miss Snow Queen. My aunts had urged me to enter the contest, but I'd declined. I'd had enough attention since arriving in Sweetland, what with being a murder suspect last summer and all. I needed a break from all the attention.
There was a drum roll and then... "Miss Lucy Lockwood!" A round of applause ripped across the hall as Lucy took the stage. She was wearing a pale pink dress that glittered under the lights.
I saw Lucy's younger sister, Megan, standing at the back of the room, barely clapping. Her date, Conner Stevens, seemed to be cheering louder than anyone. Megan shot him a look, and I hoped he knew to settle down. Megan had a jealous streak in her.
"Thank you!" Lucy cried, taking the stage. Someone handed her a microphone.
"Speech! Speech!" the crowd chanted.
Lucy opened her mouth.
"I just want to say—"
Suddenly the lights went out. Not a sliver of light penetrated t
he dance hall.
"Oh, come on!" someone cried. "Let's get the lights back on."
There was a flicker, another flicker, and then the lights came back on, bringing a fresh round of cheers. Cries of "Speech! Speech!" resumed, along with a round of laughter. I turned my eyes back to the stage, ready for Lucy's speech. Only there was no one on stage to give a speech.
Lucy was gone.
"Where'd she go?" I asked Damon.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Do you see her?"
"No," I snapped. "That's why I asked you."
Eleanor and Trixie came running over to us, their blond hair, almost the same shade as mine, trailing behind them. Trixie was holding her punch cup, trying to sip it as she ran. Sheriff Knoxx was panting as he ran to keep up with Eleanor.
"Ava, what happened to Lucy?" Eleanor asked.
"No clue. She just disappeared."
"Maybe she went in the back to check her hair," Sheriff Knoxx offered. "Girls are always checking their hair."
"She wouldn't go check her hair just as she was about to give her acceptance speech," I said. Then I looked at Eleanor and Trixie. "Would she?"
Sheriff Knoxx had a point, I supposed. Lucy did like to look good. I pulled my Witchmobile cell out of my purse and dialed Lucy's number.
"Straight to voicemail," I told them, hanging up.
"She's gotta be around here somewhere," Trixie said.
"I'll check in back," I told them.
"Want me to go with you?" Damon asked.
"No, I think it's better if we split up."
"All right then," Sheriff Knoxx said, taking charge. "Fifteen minutes. Meet out front with or without Lucy."
With, I thought as I ran backstage. The band had picked up again and the crowd was dancing. No one seemed too concerned that Lucy had disappeared. It was a party. No one was concerned with anything much other than dancing and having a good time.
It was dark backstage. The ceiling lights gave just enough luminescence for me to see shadows in every nook and cranny.
"Lucy?" I called.
No answer. I turned a corner, heading down a hall that led to a bathroom and a couple of dressing rooms. The old Pixie Punk Dance Hall had been touted for decades as the place to hold big events, everything from rock concerts to weddings. I could see why. The backstage area was almost as huge as the rest of it. How was I supposed to find her in this?