Bethel sniffed. At first I thought those complications might be the Rhinestone side of my family, then I remembered that my dad was married to a designer-clad viper.
“You look good too,” I said. It felt funny to use my voice.
“Can we talk for a few minutes? I know you don’t have much time today,” he said.
“Sure. I’ll just get some tea,” I said, going over to the pot. My grandmother showed no signs of leaving.
“Bethel, don’t you have anywhere else to be right now?” I asked her.
She glared at me. “Certainly not. You’ll have to order me away.”
“Go away for a bit, please,” I said immediately, softening my demand at the end.
Bethel glared over my shoulder at my dad, but she didn’t argue. Instead she grabbed her hat and garden sheers and did a couple of snip-snips before she left the kitchen.
Dad gave an sigh of relief once she was gone.
“That woman could scare the cats away from the mice if she wanted to,” he sighed.
“Especially these cats who are here to protect the unicorns,” I said, reaching down to scratch Tiger’s ears.
Dad eyed Tiger. “I think I remember that one. He was here . . . when I used to come around before.”
He reached a hand out to the cat, but Tiger promptly hissed. Dad pulled his hand back in surprise.
“I’ve never heard Tiger hiss before,” I said. But the animal went back to purring the second he had put Dad in his place.
“The cats never took to me,” said Dad.
“Maybe they’d have felt better about you if you hadn’t broken Mom’s heart,” I said.
“Can we talk about that? I need to apologize to you,” he said.
I waited as I sat across from him., but he clearly didn’t know where to begin.
At last he said, “You mother was the brightest light in the world. When we met, I thought everything would be fine. But Twinkleford has a way of grinding witches and paranormals down. Eventually, things were no longer fun, but at first I didn’t care that things seemed to be getting bad.”
“What made you care?” I asked him.
“You,” he said, meeting my eyes. “I thought I was doing the right thing when I took you away. Whenever I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did, and in the end I decided that the best thing for it was simply to take you to a different life. I thought I was giving you a good shot. I didn’t think your mother deserved . . .” He paused when he could see that I was getting uncomfortable.
“I convinced myself that your mother was a bad influence and a danger to you. I thought I could marry a different woman and simply replace her. It took me a long time, too long, to figure out that no one would replace your mother,” he said.
“Especially not Blossom,” I said dryly.
He gave me a rueful smile. “I have a lot to apologize for. I hope you know how sorry I am, even if you can’t forgive me. I was young.” He bit his lip.
“I’m not sure how to forgive you,” I said. “Mom . . . I want nothing more than to meet her.”
He nodded. “I get that it might take time. I won’t ask you to come home with me. I see now that you need to fully understand who you are. To do that you need to know both sides of your family.”
“Even if that means getting to know Bethel?” I asked crookedly.
“Even then,” said Dad, though he sounded a bit strangled.
“Was it hard for you to come back here?” I asked.
“It’s never going to be hard for me to go where you are,” he said. “I wanted to come sooner, but I wasn’t sure Bethel would let me see you.”
“And there was Bailey’s wedding to consider,” I added.
Dad rolled his eyes, and my gleeful inner child did a happy dance. He had always been very careful not to judge anything Bailey wanted or did. Now his veneer of tolerance for my stepsister had finally started to crack.
Weddings pushed a lot of people over the edge. In my young life, I might not have made it that far yet, but I’d heard stories. A gathering meant to bring families together as often as not set them at each other’s throats. There was no stress like a wedding stress.
“All I’m saying is that someday I hope you can forgive me,” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Anything? Ever? I desperately wanted to know,” I asked softly.
Dad ran his fingers through his hair. I might have the aqua eyes of the Rhinestones, but I’d gotten my long, thin fingers from my father.
“Honestly, I was determined not to. I’d like to say that I thought about it or that I came close from time to time, but I didn’t. When I found out that your mother was getting out of prison after all those years, my biggest fear was that she would find you. I didn’t want her life to have anything to do with yours. You can see now why what’s happened is so hard for me,” he added.
“Sorry this is so hard for you,” I said, with a flash of annoyance. “It was also probably hard for Mom to have her daughter and the love of her life disappear on her while she was in prison,” I added through gritted teeth.
Dad winced. “Sorry, kid, but you know what I mean. I was always trying to do the right thing and I failed miserably. If I had really thought about it, I would have known that sooner or later you would wind up here. The Rhinestones are a close family. I just wish your mom was here to see it.”
Something truly shocking struck me at that moment, which was that I didn’t think he knew about Ethel. I mean, he hadn’t mentioned her, and you would have thought that if he had a daughter he’d never met he’d be a lot less calm than he was now. After what he’d just said about Blossom not replacing my mom, there was no way he could think that Bailey would replace his daughter. That wasn’t how families worked. One member could never be replaced with another.
After some quick consideration, I decided that if he didn’t know about my younger sister, I couldn’t tell him. That wasn’t my place, and especially not this weekend. I had too much to do, and Ethel had enough to worry about. Besides, he’d probably just take it as a sign that he’d been right all along to keep me away from my mom.
The only trouble was that he definitely hadn’t been.
In my humble opinion.
“Thanks for coming, Dad. I’ll think about everything you’ve said,” I told him at last.
He stared at me, clearly not wanting the conversation to end on such sour note. As for me, I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel just yet. Until I knew what to do, I decided it was best not to feel anything at all. The debutant weekend had to be my main focus until it was over.
Having been in this world for some time, I knew that this was officially the biggest weekend of my life. I had found that I liked being in Twinkleford. The place was wonderfully crazy, with all its different kinds of paranormals. It felt like family in a way that I had never experienced before.
If I managed to pass my examinations, I might also just gain a sister.
In light of all of that, I wanted my dad to leave. I wasn’t ready to face him yet. I was glad he had come, but this was about all I could handle right now.
“I was hoping to get your forgiveness. At least let me wish you luck,” he said.
He reached out to hug me and I let him, but the anger was still simmering inside me. Mom had never gotten to hug me when I was an adult. She had wanted to, but Dad had ensured that it didn’t happen, and now it never could.
“If you go through with this, you’ll be a witch. You’ll have accomplished something difficult and wonderful. I want you to know that I’ll be very proud of you,” he informed me.
“Thanks, Dad. Thanks for coming,” I said. “I know this isn’t how you wanted this to go, but I hope you understand that I just need some space. This has been about the biggest change you could possibly imagine: going from being a normal girl, even if I was living in a treehouse, to a magical town with a family I didn’t know existed. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Of course.
Just don’t let those Carlisles push you around. The Rhinestones are every bit as talented as they are. Just because they think they run the world doesn’t mean they actually do,” he said.
He lingered a little while longer, obviously having a hard time leaving, but eventually he left the house. I stood on the stoop and watched him disappear down the road.
Lucky stuck her head out the window and watched him go. The pixies and the fairies were doing tactical maneuvers around the tomato plants. Spunk was lounging in the sun.
“Was that who I thought it was?” she called over.
I nodded.
She gave me a sympathetic look. “The man never did have any sense of timing.”
Bethel appeared at my arm. If she’d been a dragon, she would have been breathing red flames out her nostrils right about then.
“Let’s forget about him,” she said. “We have bigger problems at the moment than a crazy family. Everyone has that. Not everyone has a make-or-break debutant competition to get through.”
“You can say that again,” I muttered.
My grandmother rolled her eyes. “Don’t be impertinent with me, young lady. Now, let’s get inside. We have a lot of getting ready to do.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
In the human world, there are times during the year when friends and family gather together to celebrate. There are town parades, birthdays, and important holidays. Sometimes there are summer fairs and carnivals.
In Twinkleford, getting ready for the biggest day in a would-be witch’s life meant a bunch of people crowding into her room early in the morning to wake her up.
By the time I was ready, with Lowe, Bethel, Kyra, and Kayla all banding together to make me look presentable, I had a feeling that the weekend was all of those celebratory events rolled into one.
Lisa even came over to do my makeup. Kyra had decided at the last minute that she didn’t trust me to do it myself.
She was right about that.
The entire time I was wrestling my way into the purple suit, or bullying the fancy shoes onto my feet, Tiger and Spunk kept me company. Other cats came in and out, as if they were patrols relieving each other, but those two stayed the whole time.
“You look splendid,” sighed Kayla at last, stepping back to admire her work.
They had several bags that were still unopened, which, Lowe informed me in a whisper, contained the cape, hat, and shoes that would be mine should I become a witch. I tried not to stare at them too much. I would have loved to see inside, but that would have to wait until I passed the examinations.
“How do you feel? Don’t be worried. It really won’t be so bad. It’ll be over before you know it,” Lisa assured me, leaning over into my face to apply the final touches of makeup. She was wearing a low-cut top that from this angle showed an awful lot of her. I tried to look somewhere else, but she was very close.
When Lisa finished, she leaned back. “Robin will be here soon,” she said. “I’d best get going. We’re going as each other’s dates to the ball later, just like when I went to pass my own examinations.”
I frowned at her. “You take dates?”
“Sure. Usually new witches have a male escort to walk them down the steps. It’s an antiquated way of doing things, but no one wants to get rid of it. Women like to be presented on the arm of a handsome fellow,” she explained.
“Have fun with Robin. I’m sure we’ll see you after,” said Lowe.
Lisa winked at me before she disappeared, but my heart was hammering in my chest. I glared at Bethel, who was busy folding and re-folding the T-shirt I’d been wearing.
“You never said anything about needing a guy to present me! I don’t have anyone! Even if I do pass, I’ll look like a total fool!”
Bethel sighed, while Kyra and Kayla stood on either side of her looking frightfully worried.
Part of me warned against feeling too betrayed, since I knew that Bethel had gone about this whole thing to save the family. It wasn’t just about me and my embarrassment, it was about the Rhinestone heritage.
But the other part of me felt as if there was a giant hole in my stomach.
“How can it be allowed to walk out alone?” I demanded.
Bethel fidgeted.
“We’d like to know, too,” said Lowe, bracing her hands on her hips and glaring at our grandmother. She had been quiet while we’d gotten ready, but I knew she felt for me and wished she could do more. Lowe felt like a failure for not being ready to take the witch examinations this year herself.
“Oh, very well. Yes, I knew you’d need a man to escort you. The only trouble was, there wasn’t one available. Ethel’s date, Floyd, has moved away. I asked him to come back, but he said he couldn’t. I guess being associated with the Rhinestones devastated whatever reputation he had left. Oddly enough, he was upset about it, and promised to stay far away and never help the family again.
“Well, I moved on from him and asked several others. No one said yes. Oh, they made excuses, but I knew the real reason was that we are social pariahs. Do you know, I actually think there are some people around here who would be happy if we were kicked out of the coven?” she demanded.
“No way,” said Kayla.
“Utterly shocking,” said Lowe dryly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.
“What would you have done?” she countered.
“I don’t know! Anything! If I can’t walk down the staircase alone, then how am I supposed to pass my examinations? What’s the point?” I was nearly yelling. Despair was starting to overwhelm me. I was going to look like an idiot.
“Usually escorts for the ball are years in the making,” said Kyra quietly. “I wish you had told us. We could have tried to help find someone suitable who was free. I don’t know who, though.”
She glanced at Kayla, who shrugged and looked away. “You’re right. There aren’t a lot who are suitable,” Kayla muttered.
“What about Gill?” I suddenly asked, looking desperately at Lowe. She went pink from cheeks to the tips of her ears.
“What about him?” she mumbled.
“Would he be free to escort me?” I was getting hopeful and excited. Maybe all wasn’t lost.
“He’s escorting Jackie. I was worried someone awful would snare him into it, then he’d fall in love with her and be married by next spring,” Lowe explained.
All of us just looked at her, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. “Stop judging me!”
“I doubt that would happen,” Bethel assured her. “Good that you took precautions against it, though.”
Lowe still refused to look up.
“Fine. If he’s taken, forget it. I won’t even go to the ball!” I sat back and tried to cross my arms. The purple suit was just a little too tight, and I couldn’t quite manage it.
Kyra and Kayla cried out in protest at my statement.
“Look, I figured it out. I didn’t tell you, because there was no need,” explained Bethel.
It would be hard to say whether the reaction to this pronouncement was more like a pin dropping or a bomb going off. Why hadn’t she said so in the first place?
I didn’t think I would ever understand my grandmother.
After initial looks of astonishment, everyone quieted down and waited expectantly. I tried to keep my frustration in check until Bethel explained herself.
“Stop fidgeting,” said Lowe, taking the T-shirt away from her.
Bethel sat on the edge of the bed. “Like I said, I went hunting for a suitor to escort you. It’s not as if I stopped before I found one.”
My mouth dropped open so abruptly that Kyra tapped my chin. She didn’t want me to spoil my makeup.
“You found me someone?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. The best kind of someone. He has never escorted anyone before and is very much sought after in all regards. At least most regards. He will do you proud. You’ll make a beautiful pair.”
She had ba
rely finished when four women bellowed at the exact same moment, “Who is it?”
Bethel glanced around us. “Quinn Merchant, obviously. He owed me, which is exactly what I told him. He has put my family through a lot, and I informed him that I wasn’t going to stand for it. The best way for him to find Ethel is if her family stays in the coven. Otherwise we might leave, and he wouldn’t like that, now, would he? Eventually he agreed to escort you. Don’t mind the limp. I don’t think it’ll be so bad that you can’t enjoy a dance together.”
I didn’t think she had a clue how shocked I was as the words just kept tumbling out of her.
By the time everyone turned out to see me off, my emotions were a jumble. I didn’t know what to think about the fact that Quinn had agreed to be my escort. Part of me wanted to be angry with Bethel and with him, but another part was excited. In fact, the thought of entering the ball on his arm made me feel warm and happy all over.
If only I could understand why! In the end I decided that it was probably because my nerves were at war with each other, but that I also couldn’t worry about it.
When I caught sight of everyone waiting for me, my mood shifted. It was as if all the beetles, unicorns, cats, witches, and the rest were going to a funeral. Even the pixies and fairies had stopped their war for a moment to see me off, while the cats had lined up along the old fence post as if this was a solemn occasion. Everyone looked somber.
I turned to Bethel. “You aren’t going to start packing to move the moment I leave, are you?” When Bethel frowned as if she was wondering how I had guessed the truth, I felt the tightness in my chest worsening. None of them thought I could do this. My cousin had already given up, and even my grandmother was expecting us to be kicked out this afternoon.
“Are you coming with me?” I asked Bethel.
She shook her head.
“This is a journey you have to make alone,” she said.
On my way to the trolley, I noticed lots of paranormals coming outside and preparing for the major event that was taking place today. This weekend was a huge celebration, because the continuation of the coven was a big deal. I wished I could relax and celebrate with all the townsfolk.
Pointy Hats and Witchy Cats Page 19