I glanced at Lowe to see what she made of Jackie’s idea. Given how upset she’d been that Bethel was leaving, I felt reasonably certain she’d be reluctant. Oh, boy, was I wrong.
“I think that’s an awesome idea,” she said. “We should totally do it. We should do it as soon as possible, probably in the next couple of days, because Bethel isn’t going to be gone that long and we definitely need to have stuff cleaned up before she comes back. I like it!”
“Seriously?” I asked. Then I stopped myself. Why was I being the killjoy here? There was no reason why we couldn’t have a party. Bethel hadn’t told us we weren’t allowed to have a party. Sure, it was more risky than, say, not having a party. But still, what was to stop us? I paused and considered Jackie’s suggestion. All my friends were looking at me, their eyes shining.
“If you’re okay with it, I guess we could have a party,” I said to Lowe, making her eyes brighten even more.
Gill walked past just then and said, “Party?”
“Yeah, we’re thinking of having one,” said Jackie. “You want to come?”
“Yes! I love a good party. We have them in school all the time,” he said.
“We’re having it at our cottage. My grandmother’s away for a few days, so we thought we’d take advantage,” I told him.
“That’s excellent. That’s how all the best parties start. You’ll enjoy it for sure,” he said. “But yeah. Let me know when it is and I’ll be sure to come along. I’ll bring a few of my friends, too. I know vampires especially like a good party.”
“Tell me that’s because it happens at night,” said Lowe.
“That’s definitely why,” said Kelly. “You ever walked downtown at night? It’s an awful lot of vampires,” said Kelly. “Anyhow, I’m in for a party. I’ll have to lie to my parents about where I’m going, but I’m used to that. I’ll bring Kyle, too, and he can probably bring a few friends. We’re already well on our way to having enough people to call it a party!”
“If you’re going to have a party,” Jackie said, “you have to do it right. Everyone’s going to be shocked that they’re going to Misdirect for a jam. Then they’re going to see the unicorns, and it’s going to be amazing. I’ll bring a few friends as well. Maybe a couple of my brothers will want to come along,” she mused. “We could play pin the tail on the donkey.”
My three companions continued to discuss the festivities, while I gradually got thoughtful. Jackie was making all sorts of suggestions for food and drink. She thought we should stick a slide out a second floor window and send drinks cascading down a sculpture and into glasses, but even Lowe thought that was a bit much. As usual, Kelly was the voice of reason. She offered to help with anything we needed, insisting that we should at least do some decorating. She also said that food was a must.
It was getting way out of hand, but there seemed to be no way to stop it. Besides, I kept imagining Quinn, who wouldn’t be attending in his official capacity. No, he would just be there as the guy I was with. I liked that so much I found myself smiling. Maybe I could sit on his lap. Maybe I could relax like everyone else!
This party might just be worth it after all.
“I’ve never had a party before,” I confessed. “My stepmother would never allow such a thing.”
“This isn’t going to be any normal kind of party. You haven’t had a party until you have a Twinkleford party,” said Jackie with conviction.
And so it was agreed.
Bethel was going to kill us if she found out.
Chapter Six
We agreed to have the evening festivities at the cottage as soon as possible. Jackie was worried about Lowe and me losing our nerve, but it seemed that the more Lowe thought about it the more excited she became. I continued to have mixed emotions about the whole thing, but I was at least looking forward to inviting Quinn over at a time when my grandmother wouldn’t be there lurking.
I decided to issue the invitation first thing the next morning. Knowing that Quinn got up early for work, I called him as soon as I was out of bed. The phone rang and rang, until I got so nervous I nearly hung up. I hated to leave voice messages. Eventually a muffled voice answered, “Hello?”
“Hey. Did I wake you up? It’s Jade,” I said. I hardly ever called him. Usually when we were together we just made plans for the next time we’d see each other. Still, why was I so nervous?
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
Now I felt like I wasn’t supposed to call him without some reason, or an excuse. I scuffed my foot on the floor and said, “Yeah, everything is fine. I actually, well . . .” I wasn’t sure how to start. I was hoping he’d ask me another question or give me some direction, but there was silence on the other end of the line.
Then Spunk appeared at my feet and stared at me as if I was doing life wrong. I glared down at the gray cat, silently wishing he’d go find a small rodent to play with. He was deriving far too much amusement from my embarrassment, as only a cat could. Trying to ignore the judgment emanating from my ankles, which I couldn’t understand anyhow, I said, “Actually, Lowe and I are going to have a few people over. I was wondering if you’d want to come.”
There was a long pause at the other end of the line. “You’re having a party?” I couldn’t tell from the tone of his voice what he thought of the idea.
“Some people are calling it a party,” I said. What was I doing?
“What would you call it?” he asked me dryly.
“I was thinking relaxed gathering among friends,” I muttered.
Spunk briefly closed his eyes.
“So you’re having a party tonight? Not a gathering, or just hanging out, but an actual party?” he said.
“Yeah, that’s what we’re doing,” I said. Might as well embrace the awkward, because the awkward was there to stay.
“Okay, I’d be happy to come,” he said. He didn’t ask any other questions. He didn’t wonder if Bethel would approve. I might live in my grandmother’s house, but I had all the appearances of being an adult. So, excellent. I had people fooled! Quinn had just agreed to come.
Then he said, “Actually, I have to work late tonight, so I’m not sure when I can get there. But I’ll definitely come when I’m out of work. Is that okay?” Now he sounded less certain about his plans. My heart squeezed.
I most definitely wanted him to come, and I assured him that it was fine for him to come after work. “We’re going to be staying up late. Whatever time you get here works.”
“Party until the early hours? Sounds good to me,” he laughed. “I hope the Twinkleford sheriff showing up doesn’t ruin the mood.”
I tossed my hair over my shoulder even though he couldn’t see the motion. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m sure by the time you get here nobody will even recognize you as a sheriff.”
“You’d be surprised. That’s how I’m always recognized,” he said.
“Great. See you tonight,” I said. I was the worst at getting off the phone.
“Sounds good. Have a good day. Oh, should I bring anything?” he asked.
I started to say yes. Then I said no. Then I started to say yes again. Lowe and I had done a lot of talking the day before about the food and drinks we wanted to offer our guests. I was pretty sure we were covered from that angle, mostly because Lowe planned to buy out an entire store.
“No, it will be good. Thanks anyway, and I’ll see you tonight,” I said. Then I hung up the phone before I could do yet another awkward thing.
I glared down at Spunk. “Must you? Sometimes it’s a good thing I can’t understand what you’re saying.” Without waiting for the cat’s reply, I turned away and headed for the kitchen.
“Is he coming?” Lowe asked. She was sitting at the table making a list, her multi-colored hair flowing forward as she wrote.
“He’s coming tonight,” I said.
“Of course he is,” she said with a grin.
“I’m glad Gill’s coming too,” I said. “I hope other people come.
Nobody even knows me in Twinkleford. They probably know Lowe, but she’s not exactly the most social person. It will be really awkward if we get all this food and stuff and no one comes.” Once Quinn had agreed to come, my anxiety had skyrocketed.
“People will come. First of all, this is a party, so they’ll come for that if nothing else. On top of that, everyone wants to see what this place looks like. People around here don’t often get to see a unicorn,” said Lowe. “I think it’s going to be a huge success. I’m very excited. I’m just a bit worried that Bethel is going to find out and bury us in unmarked graves.”
“She’d probably mark them so she’d know exactly where we were and could return to yell at us about the party from time to time,” I said, suddenly feeling gloomy.
Lowe rolled her eyes.
I sat down at the table and said, “No, but in all seriousness, I’m a bit worried about that too. What if she comes home tonight? What if she meant to tell us not to have a party and she just forgot?”
“She didn’t tell us that, even though she could have,” said Lowe.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” I said, trying to convince myself. “She’ll never know, anyhow. After the party we’re going to be spending a lot of time cleaning. Other than that, it shouldn’t be a big deal,” I said.
Lowe examined her list and said, “You’re right. I’m sure it’ll be fine. She probably knows we’re going to have a party or something. I’m sure she thinks we’re those kind of Rhinestones. The fun, awesome kind. Anyway, I have the list of everything we need. I’m not sure how we’re going to carry it all home, but we’ll figure it out. You have another Young Witches meeting today, right? Maybe I’ll go downtown with you and start shopping while you’re at the meeting. Once you finish, you can join me.”
Unlike the day before, there was no sign of a strange fog when I tended to the unicorns. After that was done and I’d gotten cleaned up, we headed for town.
The day was a bit warmer than it had been for the past couple, so we went out in just our coats, leaving our hats and gloves at home. I went straight to the Flying Dance Hall for my meeting, leaving Lowe to start the party shopping.
Hannah had taken the previous week off and let the rest of us have a break as well. At first I’d been glad about that, but now I was worried. What was she plotting? Hannah shouldn’t be left alone for long periods of time.
I entered the hall and passed the collection of crystal balls in the entryway. The two large red doors that opened into the dance hall were in front of me, and I stepped through them to see the usual row of chairs set out, and at the front a table with two chairs behind it. Those two seats were already occupied by Hannah and her accomplice Taylor, who were usually the last to arrive after having been dropped off in expensive-looking cars.
Today was not a usual day, apparently. Not only were Hannah and Taylor there before everyone else, they were sitting behind a desk.
And they were arguing.
With each other.
I stopped short.
They stopped their conversation short.
Hannah gazed at me with a look that said that if she could have killed me with her eyes, she would have. The conversation she’d been having with her best friend for life forever, which I had just interrupted, was obviously serious.
For a split second her burning eyes popped out of her head. I could see her breathing hard from all the way over by the double doors. Taylor was trying to give me a furious glare as well, but she wasn’t as practiced as Hannah. Maybe Taylor was an only child, while Hannah had siblings she’d spent years fighting with.
Slowly and awkwardly, I tried to back away. Maybe we could all just pretend that this had never happened. I bumped into the still-swinging door and nearly toppled over. Hannah closed her eyes in consternation. I was now so pathetic, she couldn’t even stoop to looking at me.
Then I was through the doors and on the other side, basking in my freedom. I leaned against the wall, breathing hard myself at this point.
I don’t know how long I stood there petrified, but Kelly was the first to find me.
“What happened? It looks like you just got yelled at,” she said sympathetically. She was wearing an old gray coat with a fraying bag slung over her shoulder. Her family didn’t have a lot of money, so they didn’t do a lot of shopping for new clothes.
“No,” I said, “I just saw Hannah. Her very essence can do that to me.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to get too close to her. I can see how that would be scary. Serves you right for being on time,” Kelly smiled.
It was true. I had actually been about five minutes early, but now other Young Witches were starting to trickle in. Once there were a few of us chatting in the hall, one of them said, “Why aren’t we in the dance hall by now? They are going to wonder where we are.”
Feeling that there was safety in numbers, we headed into the hall together. By this time Hannah was bent over the table organizing papers, and Taylor was standing still, gazing out a window. They looked entirely calm. There was no hint that they had just had a blazing argument.
We all found our seats and got comfortable. Jackie was the last to arrive, but Kelly and I had saved her a seat in the back.
She looked out of breath. “I should get paid more if I’m going to be this stressed,” she muttered.
We sat waiting for Hannah’s blond head to look up at the rest of us. The silence stretched. My friends and I exchanged looks.
Taylor finally sat down next to Hannah and stared at the table in front of her.
Finally Hannah looked up. She gave a bright smile, as if she hadn’t been keeping us all waiting. “Good morning. Thank you all for coming,” she said. “The busy time of year is ramping up. In the winter we have a lot more to do. Of course, everyone likes to relax in the summer. There’s sunshine to be enjoyed and trips to be taken. Not so in the winter. So, let’s get right down to it and give everyone their assignment. I’d like to meet again very soon so that we can discuss our projects. We might also be handing out more assignments at that time.”
Kelly and Jackie exchanged looks. “I already have more to do than I can handle,” Jackie muttered. I felt badly for her. With her mother in office as Twinkleford’s mayor, she was under a lot of pressure to work hard and be seen doing so.
“The first assignment I would like to hand out is to Jade Rhinestone,” said Hannah. “She has done so well on her other assignments that I would like to give her something different this week. Where is Jade?”
Her eyes were piercing holes in my face, so I was pretty sure she already knew where I was. I gave an awkward little wave and her eyes sharpened. “I’m right here,” I said.
“Yes, of course you are. I didn’t notice you there,” she said.
So she had decided to pretend that whatever I had walked in on before hadn’t really happened. Good, I had planned on doing so as well.
“Your assignment is to check all of the bird feeders in town. Don’t worry about asking permission. If they have a bird feeder on their property, they have already given their permission for someone to check them. They know that the Young Witches are in charge of such chores,” Hannah said.
I frowned. I felt certain that this assignment would be harder than it sounded.
“How many bird feeders are there in town?” I asked Kelly. Maybe there were something like ten thousand. Maybe it was a number far higher than I could ever actually check, and this assignment was Hannah’s idea of a joke. When I couldn’t complete the task, not only would she be angry at me, but some birds would be hungry as well. She would have to fill her own bird feeders. Can you imagine?
“I think there are only about twenty,” said Kelly. “She must be talking about the special birds; the ones that have wings like fairies, called Clear Sparkle Chicks. They’re rarely seen. I think we’re trying different special diets with them, and actually, I think the university is doing a study on it. I do wonder why she wants you check the feeders, though.”
“Yes, Jacqueline,” said Hannah.
“This bird feeder business interests me. I would like to help Jade. Kelly and I have worked with her before and I think it would make sense to keep the groups intact,” said Jackie.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. You and Kelly can help Jade,” said Hannah.
She said it in such a way that it sounded more like a punishment than anything else, but Jackie was satisfied and started to gather her things.
“The meeting isn’t over,” said Hannah sharply.
“I have a real job. I don’t even get lunch. I have to go,” said Jackie. Without another glance at Hannah she said goodbye to us and headed out.
Hannah scratched her ear delicately and then smiled prettily. She appeared to be thinking. “Okay, let’s move on. More assignments,” she said. “Simmer? Your turn,” she said.
As Hannah spoke, Taylor made marks on pieces of paper stacked in front of her. The meeting lasted for almost another hour, but nothing else happened that I thought was notable.
In the end, I decided that my assignment wasn’t the worst one. The worst assignment this time around was probably sorting through trash looking for old Mrs. Danforth’s missing crystal ball. That task had gone to a couple of Young Witches who had passed their examinations a few years ago.
After I grabbed my official notice assignment from Hannah, I was turning to go when Simmer stopped me. We had never actually had a conversation before, but if we saw each other around Twinkleford we would stop and greet one another.
The Rhinestone Witches Omnibus: Books 1-3 Page 49