These Lying Eyes

by Allen, Amanda A.

  Mina worked mindlessly. She didn’t want to examine her feelings. Her exhaustion, her fears, they overwhelmed her. She didn’t want to think about how Grandfather, always a favorite, knew she was a Seventh and hadn’t helped her.

  He’d done nothing.

  Her parents had done nothing.

  Mina had read enough to know that magic was wilder for a Seventh child. It was unruly and filled with unexpected gifts. Mina slid the last small box into the messenger bag. Her fingers swept the bottom of the chest, and she found a stray ring that she slipped onto a middle finger.

  It was only then that she thought.

  The hidden bench was huge. There had to have been 60 books—maybe more. Several smaller chests, knives in cases. Scrolls. A few jars. Grandfather’s messenger bag was no bigger than hers. She looked into the bag and saw the books perfectly arranged. She stared at Hitch. He shrugged.

  “It’z not like you didn’t know already he waz a witch too.”

  Mina held up her hand, and he pulled her to her feet. She left the bag on the ground, so she could drag it behind her and stumbled with the lightness of it. Hitch grabbed the front of her hoodie and pushed against her until she found her feet again.

  “I guess I thought he wasn’t practicing or something. I didn’t expect to find something so real, you know?” Mina placed the bag over her body slantways.

  “Yeah…” Hitch said.

  Mina gazed into the empty chest, running her fingers over the strap of the messenger bag. Was she really going to take all of this?

  But her conscience wasn’t strong enough to stop her—only strong enough to make her question it. Maybe if she hadn’t felt so abandoned by her family. They knew she was a Seventh, knew she couldn’t turn the magic off, but never explained. Maybe if that hadn’t happened, she’d have paused. Considered. Even left the items. But they’d left her to figure things out on her own, and she wasn’t going to leave behind a chestful of tools. Especially since they actually belonged to family who’d practiced their art. Admitted their art, their beliefs, their heritage.

  Mina took her stuffed bag from Zizi, placing it on the opposite shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the bite wound.

  She didn’t think she could drive with the bags pulling on her injury.

  But…

  Mina emptied both bags. Hers was made of woven seatbelts, brightly colored and sturdy. Grandfather’s was made of army-style canvas. Mina placed his bag inside of hers, pinning it with safety pins from the bathroom.

  Once they were doubled, she filled the combined bags with everything, dropped it over her good shoulder, and pushed away the knowledge that she was robbing her Grandmother.

  * * *

  Mina dropped onto the uncomfortable couch, staring at the wall rather than leaving. The feeling hadn’t left her, the grim one. And she didn’t want to go outside. But then the books on the shelves caught her eyes. She crossed to them, ran a finger over their spines. They were out of order.

  Entirely.

  “Do you see this?” she asked.

  The sprites looked at the shelves for several minutes before Zizi said, “That is not how the books were at the beach house.”

  Poppy’s breath caught, and she and Hitch flew closer. Poppy ran a hand over the book spines.

  “You’re right,” she said.

  “Grandmother is super anal about everything.” Mina pulled one of the books from the shelf. Whoever had put them back had tried. They were alphabetized by author. But, Grandmother organized by size. Precisely, spines to the edges of the shelf, tallest in the center.

  “Someone else has been going through your Grandmother’s things, I think.” Zizi said what each had recognized. It caused a shiver to jump from one to the other. Poppy glanced over her shoulder as if they were no longer alone in the cabin.

  But what did it mean? Could someone else in the family be looking for answers? Was someone else searching for the cache Mina now had?

  “We need to go.” Mina said. “Maybe that’s why I feel someone’s eyes. Someone else has come for this stuff.”

  The sprites looked at her, at each other. Concern was in their faces, and Mina knew they didn’t feel what she felt.

  “Something’s out there.” Mina said, hoping they’d trust her, uncertain of what to do if they didn’t.

  “She found the hidden stuff.” Poppy said, dropping to Mina’s shoulder.

  “She’z not a wimp.” Hitch landed, next to Poppy.

  “We need to sneak out then.” Zizi twitched the curtains, glancing out.

  “If it’z a person, they’ll know we’re going to the scooter,” Poppy said.

  “If it’s a family member, they’ll know who was here.” Mina added.

  “We’ll have to deal with that later.” Hitch said, “Let’s just get out.”

  Zizi re-wound her orange mane into a bun and tied it with a red string; Mina straightened her jacket, tightened her own knot of curls.

  “We need a distraction,” Hitch said. “And we need to move fast.”

  Zizi made the plan. Hitch found fault with it; Poppy threw in her suggestions, and they negotiated while Mina let them decide.

  With no wings, she was the problem. Plus, she couldn’t leave her brand new Vespa without bring the wrath of her parents upon her head. And then, even if she did leave the scooter, she simply wasn’t as fast as the sprites. She might have magic, but she’d never even touched it. Any abilities she had currently were only available if they were as easy as opening her eyes.

  Once the sprites decided upon the plan, Mina, Hitch, and Poppy made their way to the utility room next to the back door. They tried to act normally in case someone was peeking in the windows. Cleaning up. Turning out lights. Not jumping at every creak.

  Innocent, innocent.

  Hitch flipped the breaker.

  Zizi was at the front door. Mina and the others at the back.

  They began counting. Precisely opening both doors at the count of 100. Zizi, alone, left the front door. She held Mina’s cell phone, mimicking Mina’s voice.

  The others crept out the back.

  Hitch flew ahead while Poppy stayed with Mina, waiting for an all clear.

  When he waved them out, they crept along the side of the house, sticking to the shadows, letting the dirt of the flower beds mask Mina’s footsteps. Moving ever closer to her scooter, only from the unexpected direction, Mina held her breath.

  Was she just paranoid?

  Hitch disappeared. He was putting the key into the Vespa, so they’d be able to just turn it on and take off. He came back, with her helmet, and wings he was trying to keep silent.

  “Not sure if you infected me, but it’z creepy over there.”

  Poppy gestured, and Mina lifted both hands. Hitch wrapped himself around one wrist, Poppy the other.

  “One, two, three,” Poppy mouthed, and then the sprites flew straight up, lifting Mina off the ground.

  Just as Mina reached about 6 feet off the ground, Zizi screeched.

  Mina jerked and yelped.

  Hitch cursed.

  “Move it.” Poppy ordered. And the sprites rushed Mina over the yard dropping her onto the scooter. As soon as Mina was settled, Poppy disappeared towards Zizi, and Hitch turned the Vespa on.

  The engine didn’t catch.

  And then a low, cold growl drowned out all other noise. Mina fought a whimper and lost. Soft little hiccups escaped her as a pair of malevolent red eyes left the shadows by the lake and rushed towards her. They were followed by a second set, and then a third, and all of them were moving far too quickly.

  “Hitch…” she whispered. “Do you…Do you see that?”

  He only cursed.

  The eyes seemed to fly towards her, and she shrieked again, every instinct telling her to run. Those glowing orbs rocketed towards them, out of the trees, across the sand, into the orchard.

  Converging on the scooter, while she sat helpless, unable to turn it on, unable to fly away.

&nbs
p; She prayed. Hitch shouted a word in Zydekaune, and the engine caught.

  “Go, Mina!” He ordered, tapping the side of helmet. And then he flew towards those eyes.

  “Hitch…” she cried, but she peeled away from the cabin. “You’re the handicap Mina. You’re the one. Go, go, go.” The sprites couldn’t fly to safety until Mina was out of the way.

  The drive was long, the moon was covered, and her brand new Vespa’s headlight flickered, almost cowering from the darkness.

  Mina rushed on anyway, gunning the engine, chased by snarls.

  “They’ll be ok,” Mina told herself. “Please let them be ok.”

  Red eyes blocked the end of the drive.

  “No.” She yelled. The eyes leapt; Mina swerved, and the sleeve of her coat was imprisoned.

  She pulled at her hand, unable to see anything, but feeling the press of teeth even through her coat. The Vespa slipped away from her, and she fell.

  Her eyes caught a flash of stars and red, red eyes. She squeezed her eyes tight until she heard a war cry from Hitch.

  Small hands wrapped around her free wrist. And, Zizi snatched Mina free from the scooter, as Poppy pushed it upright, keeping it from crashing.

  At the same time, there was thwack and a yelp. The beast let go of her to turn on Hitch, holding a large branch. Mina dangled in the air above the wreck and saw the form of a very large dog leap for Hitch. A second joined the fray, but Hitch was winning.

  Zizi dropped Mina by the Vespa. Poppy helped her to balance it, and they sped away from the struggling form of her friends.

  He was winning, she thought. And if she didn’t leave, Hitch wouldn’t leave.

  “Now, Mina now!” Zizi flew past Mina’s shoulder, and she heard a snarl and then another yelp.

  “Go.” Poppy demanded.

  Mina let the Scooter loose, left her friends behind, and trusted in them.

  * * *

  Mina barely slowed for the turns in the road. She tried not to see glowing eyes at every curve of the desolate woods, but it felt like she couldn’t elude them. At least one was pacing her in the trees.

  Mina heard a yelp, glanced back, and saw the shadow in the woods stumble. Hitch or Zizi. Mina gunned the Vepsa, taking off, until she, finally, felt alone. Just to be sure, she and Poppy took random roads. She didn’t want to lead them, whatever they were, back to her family.

  Chapter 14

  It was easy, after their adventure, to sneak into her house. Like walking along the boardwalk in the brightness of the afternoon, Mina lackadaisically pushed the scooter from the end of the drive to hide the sound. She glanced at the house, but the lights were out. So, she climbed the trellis knowing already that her parents had no clue.

  She and Poppy were alone.

  “They’re all right,” Mina said.

  “Of course,” Poppy said, but both of their voices were filled with worry.

  Mina left the patio doors open, pacing in front of them.

  Minutes passed, and they felt like hours.

  “They’re all right,” Poppy repeated, from her perch on Mina’s shoulder.

  “Of course.” Mina agreed, walking back and forth, back and forth.

  A half-hour passed, an hour.

  Mina sat on the swing on the patio, Poppy was still on her shoulder.

  “You’re all right!” Poppy shouted, and she was off Mina’s shoulder and flying at Hitch before Mina could even find him in the dark.

  The two of them clung while Mina caught Zizi from the air and clutched her close.

  “Are you all right?” Mina asked.

  “We tried to follow them.” Zizi said, “But they lost us. It was like they were playing with us. Then we went back, cleaned up your foot prints and got your phone. And then we flew crazy paths to ensure we weren’t being followed.

  “I’m glad you’re ok.” Mina said before asking, “What were they?”

  “If I had to guess?”

  “Please.”

  “I’d guess bewitched animals.”

  “Who would do that?” Mina’s fingers began shaking as shock took over.

  “I do not know,” Zizi said, “but I imagine whoever placed the other spell on Sarah. Both of the spells are mean and difficult. There can’t be multiple witches casting spells on your family.”

  “So what do we do?” Poppy asked from under Hitch’s arm. They were linked, and Mina realized they’d crossed the relationship line recently. From friends to more. She wasn’t sure when…maybe when Poppy was getting better, but the sight of their twined fingers broke the hold the darkness had on Mina’s heart.

  “We need Grace.” Hitch said flatly. “Your Grandma can’t make a potion for thiz. We don’t know anyone, except Grace, who might be able to figure thiz out.”

  Mina picked up her phone and left Grace another message even though she had little hope that Grace would get it before she got back.

  “Grace,” she said, “Please call me. Stuff is happening. Weird stuff.”

  * * *

  They organized the books and other things as the days passed. At the top of Mina’s turret was a small door built into the wall. It led to a small cabinet with a door at the other side, linking her room to the attic. Mina and her friends stole the only key to those miniature doors, hid the witch stuff in the space between, and used the passage to the attic to search for information about Mina’s lost sisters.

  It took until the Thursday before Grace would return for Mina to find a box of her Mom’s high school stuff. To find three birth certificates. Letters between her mom and an adoptive couple. She’d given them up, and a sudden sympathy for that teen version of her mom overwhelmed Mina.

  Even still, Mina stole the birth certificates and everything else, making photo copies before returning her Mom’s secrets to their hiding place.

  But Mina followed up returning her Mom’s secrets by writing Grace a long, long email telling all about what was happening with Sarah—about all the episodes, about what the sprites had done to protect her for now. And as she did it, she wrote all about what she’d done. Taking the magic books, finding out about being a Seventh, describing what she’d revealed to Max—she confessed all of it.

  * * *

  “What are you doing this weekend?” Max asked. They were walking out of the school together. Mina sat on the bench—the one he found her on so many times, and he sat next to her. For the first time since they’d began mending their relationship he’d made the overture about time outside of school.

  “On Saturday I have to go to the family birthday party. We have this giant picnic for our grandparent’s anniversary, but now, since Grandpapa died, it is the Reiniger Family Birthday Party.”

  Max seemed a little disappointed, and she told herself not to read into it, reminded herself that she’d seen him chatting with that pretty cheerleader.

  “I expect to spend much of Saturday, after the party, and Sunday with someone who is going to teach me about the sprites and…other things. Maybe you want to crash both of those things?”

  She tried to say it casually, to pretend that she wasn’t always thinking of him when she wasn’t encompassed with witch stuff or worry for her sister. That if she only had the time, she’d be hovering under his window later that night, stalking him like a creepster and hoping that he cared enough to carry on with this insanity.

  “Smooth, Mina.” Hitch buzzed a laugh.

  But Max smiled at her, flashing his dimple, and simply saying, “I’d like that.”

  The next afternoon, Mina crossed the park, surrounded by family, and was grateful to have Max next to her. It was like his presence protected her from them. It was ridiculous she knew, but the truth was—the most likely witch to be doing a spell on their family was one of the ones in this park.

  Which meant that someone here, with their golden hair and same blood, was evil. For only someone evil would take her sister and make her a monster.

  Peter jogged across the park and stood awkwardly in front of them.r />
  “Hi,” his jocularity was forced, and Mina watched him eye Max. Watched Pete struggle for a way to pull her away and give her whatever nonsense story he’d concocted since the last time she’d talked to him.

  “I told Max.” Mina said it quietly, but clearly.

  And there was no question that each of them knew what Mina was talking about.

  “Mina…” Peter looked at Max and then back at Mina. “I don’t know what you’re…”

  Mina kicked him in the shin, sharp and hard.

  Peter jumped back, stared at them, before saying, “That’s super against the rules.”

  “Too bad no one told me the rules then. Too bad that everyone left me to struggle alone while they pranced around knowing what they were, never caring that I was certain I was insane.” Venom and hurt filled Mina’s voice; the sound of it was alien even to herself.

  She didn’t really think that Peter was the one who’d placed the spell. Beyond the guitar, he could barely tie his shoes. And he wasn’t, she thought, evil.

  Just without empathy.

  But then again, perhaps if their family wasn’t a pack of liars, Sarah and Mina would have the skills to protect each other a little better. And maybe Peter was a better actor than she’d have thought.

  “I’m sorry.” Peter said.

  Mina cocked her head before giving him a sarcastic, “Yeah.”

  “I…”

  But Mina moved past him. Her parents wouldn’t make her stay long. She told them about her “study” group with Grace, so Mina and Max were there only for dinner. And Mina was also there to see if anyone’s eyes lingered too long on Sarah. To see if anyone suddenly looked like a villain. Plotting against her sister. Rubbing their hands together and cackling.

  Something like that.

  There were mounds of food. Mina and Max ate quickly. The whole time, she looked her family over and saw, for the first time, the tattoo of a pentagram on Ben’s Dad’s arm. Uncle Mike grinned and laughed as Mina’s little sister Ams twirled in front of him until she fell down.

  Aunt Charlotte wore a ring that made Mina’s arms shiver. Athena, Hailey’s sister, watched Mina with cold eyes, but then again, they’d never been fans of each other.