Mina’s gray eyes glanced down at her own t-shirt and then examined his.
“We’re corny now, and I’m a little ashamed.” Her face turned up to his. “You know my brother and cousins are totally going to give us crap for this.”
She zipped her hoodie closed covering the snug girly Superman T-shirt.
* * *
Max, Ben, and Charlie showed up for camping together. Mina saw them from the trees near the lake. The sprites were with her. All of her siblings were here except for the triplets, and she couldn’t deny it was nice to be outside of their house. It was toxic there. Dad was still rampaging between her and Erik. The triplets were on edge because of it and prone to tears. Dad wouldn’t have let them come, but Mom intervened again.
The campout was already crowded with people hanging lanterns, raking the sandy field, and placing torches. Her aunt Hilde had called and gotten Mom to agree that Hailey could bed down with Sarah and Mina. So, Mina was avoiding the tent where Sarah set up for both of them, putting herself between Mina and Hailey without a word.
A game of soccer had already started, but Peter—instead of playing—was looking up every time someone passed him. She would have placed a bet that he was looking for her, but she was hidden in the shadows of the orchard—only feet from where Max and the other guys were sitting in their camp chairs.
“Anyone seen the girls?” Ben asked.
“I guess we’re eating without them.” Charlie said, not even waiting for an answer.
It was only across a small meadow to where the food was loaded onto tables, so Mina could watch them overload their plates and then weave their way through a mass of even more cousins, cousins’ friends, and Aunts and Uncles.
“You seen Mina?” Peter asked from the darkness as the guys settled.
Mina watched Peter. He seemed…sad, and it made her feel like a little bit of a jerk. But only a little bit. She only had to remember for how long he’d known what she was and said nothing.
“Uh…” Max looked up from his mound of food. He shook his head.
Mina hadn’t given him all the details, but she was pretty sure he’d put most of the pieces together.
Peter looked down, shrugged, and stepped back into the trees alone.
“What’s going on with Pete?” Ben asked around a huge mouthful of potato salad..
Max shook his head, fiddling with baked beans. He didn’t attempt to explain even his suspicions, and Mina felt again that she’d placed her trust in the right person. She stood, snuck out of the trees and returned a few minutes later with her own plate of food, a soda under her arm, and Peter trailing her.
“Mina…” he called softly.
Mina waited, hoping that he would try to somehow justify things.
But he didn’t.
“What Peter?” Mina didn’t try to make it easier for him.
“I…” He glanced away, staring at the trees.
“You knew.” Mina didn’t disguise her anger.
And Peter didn’t disagree.
She hiccupped back an outburst, making herself stare into the fire.
Finally he breathed, “Mina…” He bit his lip, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Mina set her food on the chair and repeated, “No.” Her eyes were luminous in the star light, her voice quavered, but she wasn’t going to cry. Not now.
“No.” She said again. “We’re not, we’re not friends any more Petey. Not unless you can tell me why for real.”
“What the heck, Mina?” Ben demanded. Both Peter and Mina ignored Ben. Staring each other down, seeking through their memories and weighing them against the present.
“Mina, I wanted…”
“No you didn’t,” her voice was ice, sharp and cold. “Real friends, real family…they don’t leave someone to suffer alone, friendless, and confused.”
“If you would just…”
But she interrupted, “They explain. They help.” Mina picked up her plate, dumped it in the fire, and ran from the clearing. She didn’t want to see his face. Was he responsible for Sarah’s condition? She knew he wasn’t. She knew him better than that. But that didn’t mean she was feeling all forgivey.
She circled around though. She wanted to know what they’d say. If Peter would explain himself to Ben, Charlie, and Max.
The quiet in the clearing was suffocating.
“I…” Peter started.
“What’s up with Mina?” Ben asked taking another oversized bite.
“Leave it alone.” Peter growled, disappearing into the darkness, through the trees, and towards Mina.
“What the eff, man?” Ben asked Max. “It’s like a flippin’ soap opera around here.”
Ben took another bite of a hot dog followed quickly by a small mountain of potato salad on a fork. “I gotta tell ya, it’s creeping me out. Peter’s as laid back as they come, and Sarah who’s as chill as they come is acting all wonky. Hailey’s being nice. All we need is to find a couple of cousins making out, someone to get kidnapped, and some of the parents to have a drunken fight, and we can get on a reality TV show.”
Mina watched Max not reply. He had to have understood after the last few minutes, and she was being a hardcore creepster by sitting in the trees, lurking and eavesdropping. She made herself re-enter the clearing.
Ben and Charlie left after dessert, Ben still muttering about what was in the ‘air.’
Max was nice to her. In the tender way you are to someone who just got bad news. He didn’t reach for her hand or hug her, but the frame of his body said, I’m sorry.
Mina shrugged. It’s ok. She said silently.
He smiled. His dimple didn’t flash, but he wasn’t flirting now, and his empathy was all the more powerful for the cloud of compassion.
“I wanted to.” Peter said from behind them.
They jumped, but Peter carried on.
“My dad…he’s not that interested in that stuff, but Mom. You know how she is,” Peter said to Mina.
Mina waited, not giving him any encouragement.
He shoved his hands into his hair, “Mom only married dad cause he figured out he was a witch. Shes’s a shrew about it. And then she’s all weird cause of all those times we got in trouble in grade school. Like its your fault instead of mine.”
Peter looked at her, and she couldn’t help but remember what his mom was like. Pete’s mom was so awful, Mina’s siblings said their mom was channeling Peter’s whenever Vienna Roth got a little hardcore on them.
“As if I didn’t get into more trouble with Ben and as much with Hailey,” Peter scoffed. “Mom made me swear to never tell or she said we’d move. But, Meenz, living here, being around you guys was so important to me, I thought I’ll tell you later. When we’re older. When my mom can’t do anything. But I was too late.”
Mina rubbed her face. She could see it all, and she understood—dang it. Peter’s mom really was awful.
“If I’d have told you,” Peter said and a sudden fury overcame. He punched the tree, and Mina could hear the snap of one of his fingers, “we’d have moved.”
“Pete, your hand!” Mina ran forward, took it from him, but he wasn’t done being angry. Wasn’t done raging.
“My mom is crazy about the family. She feels like an outsider. She hates that it’s full of secrets and no one has the courage to stand up and tell everyone. But she says it’s not her place. Then she talks about how great her parents are, her siblings. Like it’s an effing competition and you can’t love one without not despising the other.”
Ben stepped into the clearing again. “Dude, did you just punch that tree?”
“Mina knows,” Peter said.
Mina gulped, still holding Peter’s hand, she looked at Ben.
Max didn’t say anything.
“What about you Ben? Why didn’t you help me?”
“Magic’s stupid. Can’t do much with it that you couldn’t do with freakin’ science. It’s a canker in our family. Half of us keeping secrets, you suf
fering cause you never turned it off like you should have. Peter being pushed into magic when all he wants is music. It’s a damn mess.” Ben kicked the same tree as Peter.
“Would you guys just stop! Pete, you’ve got to get your hand set.”
It hit him all of the sudden. “My hands…”
“Your music,” Mina said.
Peter was suddenly green.
“The ER Doctor Lopez. Tell him what you are. Ask him to help you.”
“I’ll take him.” Ben said, “That way your mom can blame me instead of Mina. Since its for sure she won’t blame you.”
Peter tried to force a laugh, but he failed.
* * *
When Peter and Ben had left, Mina got another plate and ate silently. It was just her and Max for a while, but Sarah, Charlie, and Hailey showed up before long.
“Peter and Ben left?” Sarah asked.
“Peter punched the tree and broke fingers.” Max explained.
The crackle of the campfire was the only sound for a moment.
“What an idiot,” Hailey scoffed, shaking her head and dropping into one of the vacant camp chairs.
“How bad is it?” Sarah sat next to Mina. Sarah’s eyes said that she knew more was going on than Peter having a tantrum.
“He thinks he broke two fingers,” Max answered for them again.
Mina closed her eyes. She didn’t want to feel guilty. It wasn’t her fault, but she did. If she’d just listened.
Except.
Mina clenched her teeth. These secrets. These lies between each other.
“Hey.” Hailey said. She held a plate full of s’mores ingredients. Mina hadn’t even realized that she’d gone.
Sarah skewered several marshmallows, declaring, “I will make the s’mores. Because I make the perfectest s’more’s on the planet.”
Hailey talked to Charlie about a movie. Mostly ignoring Mina and Max, but not quite. It was almost as if she wanted to reach, but she couldn’t.
Sarah skewered a marshmallow and roasted it over the fire. When finished, she placed a peanut butter cup on a graham cracker, topped it with the melting marshmallow and another graham cracker and handed it to Max.
“What did Mina do to make Peter so mad,” Hailey asked. Mina froze, but she realized the others assumed she’d slipped into sleep while she had been watching the stars.
“Pete’s her favorite cousin ever since you dumped her.” Sarah said. “Maybe he’s the one who did something.”
“I didn’t…” Hailey interrupted and then fell silent.
Silence descended punctuated with fake sleepy snuffles from Mina, the cracking of the fire wood, and laughter from the other camp fires.
“It wasn’t like that.” Hailey made it sound like a statement at first, but it ended as a question.
“It was.” Sarah said explicitly. “If Pete’s dumped her too, she’ll get over him too.”
Chapter 26
Mina woke with a shudder. Somewhere in the faking of sleep, she’d actually fallen asleep.
“I’m sorry.” Hailey said softly when Mina sat up. The moon was high; it was dark, and the campfires around were burning low. It hadn’t gotten so late that people weren’t still talking and laughing. A few were dancing near the lake.
“What?” Mina rubbed her face and looked around. Only Charlie, Hailey, and Max remained around the fire.
“I never should have…” Hailey didn’t finish her thought. Mina knew though that Hailey meant she was sorry that she’d abandoned Mina and her friendship. She had quit looking for a relationship with Hailey a long time ago, and this year had only reconfirmed that choice.
“I’m so sorry,” Hailey repeated.
Mina nodded as if it was ok. But they both knew it wasn’t. An apology out of the blue didn’t mean much. The four of them stared into the fire. For the first time, since Mina had come back to school with Hailey, there was a sense of…acceptance.
“Did that happen?” Zizi asked from Mina’s shoulder.
“I guezz.” Poppy said doubtfully. She and Hitch were curled together in a tree branch just over Mina’s head.
“Why iz she apologizing?” Hitch asked.
Mina could only shrug. She nodded at Hailey, but wasn’t going to say things were all right. They weren’t.
“She probably wantz something.” Poppy said, and it was Mina’s thought too.
How did she really feel if it wasn’t some ploy? Could Mina be ok with Hailey? Maybe? Or maybe she was just in shock. She’d never expected an apology.
Mina.
A soft voice. Still. Quiet. Mina watched Hailey’s lips, but they hadn’t moved. Mina looked into the orchard, remembered the beasts chasing her, and that feeling of being hunted instantly returned.
Mina.
It sent a chill through her. She looked at Max, but he was mesmerized by the flames. The voice was strong, echoing in her head. Powerful but quiet.
It wasn’t going to get louder to be heard.
She searched the trees. Nothing.
Mina.
“Do you hear that?” Mina asked looking to Max. He was the only one she was sure of.
Max paused, head tilted, then shook his head.
Mina looked towards the other two. They were holding hands, neither moved, both faces questioned.
“Are you…” Hailey started, but she stopped herself.
Mina didn’t even bother to acknowledge Hailey’s unfinished question. Mina’s heart raced. She stood, walking into the trees.
Nothing.
She took a few steps towards the lake. Nothing.
But it was something.
It was a chill in her spine. Goosebumps on her flesh. Fear in her heart.
“Poppy? Hitch?”
The sprites took to flight. Hailey’s eyes met Charlie’s meaningfully.
“What’s going on?” Hailey asked, but Mina ignored her cousin.
And then it struck Mina.
“Where’s Sarah?” she whirled, but she didn’t wait. She darted towards their tent.
“She went to the tent a while ago.” Hailey called after her.
“We did not potion.” Zizi gasped.
Instant nausea overcame Mina.
Poppy anchored herself in Mina’s hair, but Hitch and Zizi flew ahead.
Hitch came out of the tent as Mina arrived. He shook his head.
“Check Erik,” Mina pled, and Zizi disappeared.
Two hammocks swayed near Mina and Sarah’s tent. Sarah’s bag rested on one hammock. Mina’s bag was on the other.
Sarah’s blanket was abandoned in the dirt.
Mina picked it up and said softly, “Sarah,” knowing already that she wasn’t in the tent.
“She’s probably just hanging out with someone else,” Charlie said.
Mina turned. The others had followed her. Max wasn’t a surprise but why Hailey and Charlie?
Mina shook her head, looking to Max. She already knew what had happened. Sarah would never leave her snuggie in the dirt. She loved the stupid thing.
But Mina didn’t explain.
How do you explain a voice in your head, a certainty in your soul?
“Max…” Mina whispered, clutching at where her locket hung.
“Mina,” Charlie’s ever kind voice was concerned, “What’s the problem?”
He glanced towards Hailey who looked a little harassed, but Mina guessed her fear was too clear for Charlie to ignore even with Hailey irritated.
Even still, Mina didn’t respond. She took her locket and rushed into the tent.
She threw her coat over the hoodie she wore.
She was through the hammocks and into the trees as Max yelled, “Give me two minutes!”
He ran for his things.
Mina paced as she waited. Hailey was speaking, but Mina couldn’t hear her over the thudding of blood in her ears.
Charlie and Hailey whispered together, and then Charlie ran after Max.
Mina saw Max, followed by Charlie, race back across
the field. They were both carrying jackets, and Charlie had one for Hailey.
Max held a flashlight, but he didn’t turn it on as they stood in the maze of the orchard. Clouds covered the moon and darkness covered them like a cloak.
“What’s going on?” Hailey demanded. They were weaving through tents, avoiding fires and questions, seeing only the dark forms of the other campers.
Charlie and Hailey looked at Mina and Max as if they’d lost their minds. But Charlie was pulling a second flashlight from his pocket, while Hailey zipped up her coat and followed them into the woods.
Mina was controlled by an uncanny whisper. It pulled her towards the far path around the lake. The one that led deep into the National Forest and was rarely used.
“Mina,” Charlie called after her as she took on a slow jog, swerving only to avoid one of the adults checking the tents.
Mina didn’t pause for either of them. She whispered under her breath as she ran. Please God, please God, please God, please God. She ran past the fire where some aunts and uncles were murmuring.
“Where are you going?” one demanded.
“Snype hunting.” Max said when the others just waved.
“Idiots,” they scoffed, but no one protested.
Mina raced ahead, called on by that whisper and the way her heart beat Sa-rah, Sa-rah, Sa-rah. Yet, her certainty faded the deeper into the woods she went. She paused at the trailhead by the lake. The voice came again from deeper into the forest, farther down that path.
Mina.
The voice quivered, and her heart skipped a beat. Had she failed Sarah already? Was it for nothing?
Mina listened, muscles tense, ears reaching.
Nothing.
Mina’s stomach tightened.
“It’z time for the locket,” Hitch said.
“Erik is dancing on the beach with Felicity and her friends.” Zizi appeared out of the darkness from over the lake.
“What is going on?” Hailey demanded.
Mina looked up from the dirt, glanced around, and realized they were alone.
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