Nellie bobbed his head. “We’re totally on board for that. Send her our way.”
“I think you should ask Max about that,” I supplied. “He might have something to say about bringing a powerful and bossy witch into our midst.”
“Who is Max?” Bay asked.
“He’s our ... leader,” I replied after a beat. “He owns the circus.”
“And he clearly knows that you do more than perform,” Bay mused, thoughtful. “I kind of like your setup. I always thought I wanted to travel when I was younger. Then I moved down to Detroit for a few years and realized I really wanted to be here.”
“I can see wanting to be here.” I meant it. “Your family is here, it’s quiet. You get to be witches in public.”
“Oh, don’t kid yourself about that.” She made a tsking sound with her tongue and I didn’t miss the dark look she shot toward the unicorn store. “Even in a town full of witches we’re not allowed to be ourselves. It’s okay. There are whispers. Everyone talks about us. Very few people know the truth.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Melissa asked, speaking for the first time. She’d spent the entire lunch period watching Bay with a curious expression I couldn’t quite identify. “I mean ... it doesn’t bother you to have to hide who you are?”
Bay smiled at the young woman, perhaps sensing her angst. “I’m happy with who I am ... for the most part. Life is never easy. It doesn’t matter if you think you have everything you could possibly need, you’ll still have problems.
“What matters is what you believe about yourself,” she continued. “I happen to think I’ve got it pretty good. I have cousins who I think of as sisters, a mother and aunts who cook for me all the time, my real father and the surrogate father who has never once let me down, and a boyfriend who — yes, may have a bit of a thing about bacon — but otherwise is pretty darned appealing.
“You can’t craft the perfect life,” she added. “You can live life to the best of your ability. That’s what I’m doing. It’s not easy ... or perfect. It’s never going to be easy or perfect, but it’s the life I want.”
“Oh, that was profound,” Raven drawled.
Instead of being offended by her tone, Bay chuckled. “I think you should spend time with Thistle. One of you might die in the process due to acute snark intoxication, but I bet it would be a funny interaction.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
BAY LEFT AFTER LUNCH. She had work of her own to do and said she wanted to run the runes by her family members. She promised to be in touch.
We weren’t yet open, so I had a gap in my schedule. I spent it with Luke and Melissa outside the ice cream shop.
“This is called Candy Cauldron Calamity,” Luke noted as he licked his cone. “It’s freaking awesome.” The ice cream was green, and so was his tongue. He didn’t seem to care, so I didn’t comment. Melissa was lost in thought.
“What’s up with you?” I asked, flicking her ear as I licked my cone. I opted for the Peachy Keen Potion flavor and wasn’t disappointed. “You’ve been quiet all afternoon.” In truth, she’d been quiet for weeks. I thought she would snap out of her funk on her own, but I was starting to wonder if she wouldn’t need a bit of a push. I was already dealing with Kade and his issues, so I wasn’t sure I had time to force Melissa to move forward instead of continuously looking back.
“I was just thinking about what Bay said,” Melissa admitted, her tongue a funny shade of lavender thanks to her Wicked Blue Brew cone. “Do you think people are happier on the road or settled?”
I wasn’t expecting the question, but in hindsight, I should’ve been. “I don’t know. I think I am settled. It’s simply in a home we move on a weekly basis.”
“That’s how I look at it,” Luke added. “I like moving around, seeing different things.”
“I thought that’s what I wanted,” Melissa offered. “Now I’m not so sure.”
The revelation caused my heart to ping. I’d grown attached to the girl rather quickly — which was often a mistake in this business because only certain personality types could adjust to the circus life — and if she opted to leave I would genuinely miss her. If that’s what she needed, though, I would willingly let her go.
“Don’t make any rash decisions,” I cautioned, choosing my words carefully. “Just a few months ago you were keen for the life we’re living.”
“Yes, but that was before ... well, before.”
“Before you were turned into a human Chucky doll and forced to attack us?” Luke asked.
I scorched him with a dark look. “Luke!”
He ignored me. “That wasn’t your fault, Melissa,” he continued. “Sure, you made some bad decisions, but we all do. I think your problem is that you’re embarrassed. You need to get past it. You don’t see me wallowing about that pesky little gambling problem I had, do you?”
Melissa slowly shook her head. “I don’t think it’s the same.”
“No? I brought danger to my friends. Poet could’ve been hurt multiple times during the course of our stay there. She saved me ... and put herself at risk to do it. She did the same for you.”
“You all did the same for me,” Melissa corrected. “You all could’ve died.”
“And there will be times we’ll be able to say the same for you when it comes to other members of this team.” Luke was rarely pragmatic, which made his tone all the more noticeable. “Don’t shut us out. That won’t help anyone. Tell us what you’re feeling and we’ll try to help. That’s how a family operates. Even Bay, who clearly has a crazy family, pretty much said the same thing.”
“I don’t know how I feel. That’s the problem.”
“So wait until you do know.” Luke finished his ice cream cone and dumped the wrapper before wiping off his hands and pointing toward the bus. “Come on. They’re going on a tour and I want to see what this town has to offer.”
I was surprised by the conversational shift. “We’re going on a bus tour?”
“That’s the only way to see everything.”
“I ... .” Hmm. Why not? He was right about seeing everything. We could’ve driven around on our own, but Margaret was on the bus and she would be able to point out important landmarks. “That sounds like a good idea.” I patted Melissa’s shoulder. “Come on. You’re still part of this group. It might do you some good to focus on something other than yourself.”
Melissa heaved out a sigh. “Fine. I never thought I’d be excited for a bus tour, though.”
That made two of us.
THE BUS WAS PACKED, but there was room for us to join the tour without upending anyone’s seating arrangements. Margaret seemed thrilled with the notion that we wanted to drink from her Hemlock Cove fountain. We picked seats toward the middle of the bus so we could hear her, but not so close that we’d make enticing conversation targets.
I recognized several faces on the bus, including the teenagers Landon and Terry had been looking for earlier in the day. They had sour expressions on their faces as they shared a seat and bent their heads together. I wondered if Landon found them, but it didn’t take long for me to suss out an answer.
“I think it’s complete and total crap,” Lizzy complained, looking out the window. “It’s none of their business the spells we want to do.”
“They’re just doing their jobs,” Kaley argued. “They probably guessed we’re strong witches and didn’t want to risk us doing something that could blow up the entire town.”
“We weren’t going to blow up the town. We knew what we were doing.”
“Yes, but they didn’t know that.”
“It was still stupid.” Lizzy folded her arms over her chest and stared out the window. “I thought this trip was going to be so much more fun. It’s like we’re surrounded by fifty parents. Who wants that? Now we’re going to have to start all over again.”
Luke, who had opted to sit in the seat across from me so Melissa wouldn’t be alone, shot me an amused look as he watched the foliage stre
am by. At the front of the bus, Margaret kept up a running commentary.
“This right here is The Overlook,” she announced, wrinkling her nose.
I recognized the name and moved closer to the window, smiling at the beautiful inn as we slowed to allow everyone a better look. The property was littered with trees — and a rather impressive bluff as a backdrop — and part of me ached to get out and visit that bluff. There was power there, I could feel it, and it called to me. Now wasn’t the time for an unscheduled stop, though.
“I hear they have the best food in the area,” a voice piped up from behind us. When I shifted to glance over my shoulder, I recognized one of the women from the game Luke and I played. It took me a moment to put a name with the face. Emily Wilde. That was her name. She didn’t seem happy to be on the tour, although mention of food perked her up.
“I’ve never eaten at The Overlook,” Margaret said stiffly. It was obviously difficult for her to hold her tongue. Her dislike of the Winchesters was obvious. As a festival bigwig, though, talking smack about business owners would be frowned upon. She was clearly struggling between her natural instincts and duty.
“But ... I heard they have dinner theater every night,” another woman offered, her attention rapt on the inn. “Supposedly they have a great witch who lives there and puts on a nightly show.”
I could just imagine the nightly show that Tillie put on. She probably got a charge out of messing with the guests. It made me wonder if I should take Bay up on her offer to have dinner with the family one evening. It might be worth it for the laughs alone.
“Yes, well, if you are the type who likes dinner theater then The Overlook is probably the place for you to visit,” Margaret said stiffly. “Personally, I prefer polite conversation rather than arguments. It’s better for digestion.”
“I like arguments,” the woman said, clearly missing Margaret’s annoyance. “We tried to stay at The Overlook, but it was already booked. I was so bummed out. That place is legendary.”
“I heard they have a pot field right on the grounds,” one woman offered.
“I heard they dance naked under the solstice moons,” another said.
“I heard the great-aunt curses everyone in the family to keep them in line,” yet another voice added.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as my gaze fell on the pretty greenhouse at the back of the property. It really was a lovely place. I never considered myself the sort to settle down, but I could see why Bay yearned to return after leaving home. She was rooted here, even though she didn’t initially realize it. Everything she needed was in one place, and that included companionship and love.
I couldn’t accept the quiet of Hemlock Cove forever, but it was certainly a nice place to visit.
“I don’t want to spend the entire tour talking about The Overlook,” Margaret complained, her eyes flashing. “The town is full of beautiful inns and wonderful people. I ... .” Whatever she was about to say died on her lips because there was a scuffle at the front of the bus as people jumped to their feet to better see out the window.
Curious despite myself, I slowly stood. Melissa, who had the seat next to me, was also on her feet.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her eyes widening as a ripple of power flicked over the bus. “What is that?”
I had a feeling I already knew, and when I tilted my head to the side for a better look over the shoulder of the woman standing in front of me I wasn’t disappointed.
There, in the center of the road, stood Tillie. She wore a different pair of leggings today. I was too far away to see the pattern, but I had a feeling they were selected to provide maximum outrage. Her combat helmet was firmly in place, although she was sans whistle. She also — wisely — opted to visit unarmed today.
“What is she doing?” Luke asked, squinting as Tillie extended her arm toward the bus and started making slashing motions with her fingers.
“She’s casting a spell on us,” someone screeched from the front of the bus. “Oh, man, she’s totally going to curse us. This is awesome!”
“She most certainly is not going to curse us,” Margaret snapped. “Just ignore her. She’s out here looking for attention.”
Her voice was largely drowned out by the excited tourists.
“Go,” Margaret shouted, slapping the driver on the shoulder. “Get out of here. We can’t stay behind and encourage Tillie’s ... madness.”
“I’m going,” the bus driver groused, turning the wheel as far as he could to avoid hitting the elderly woman in the street. “Don’t crowd me,” he barked at Margaret. “This is a hairy turn.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as the bus slowly eased past Tillie, who was still drawing symbols in the air. Because I was magical, I could see the trail of power she left behind, and it took everything I had not to dissolve into giggles.
Because she also was magical, Melissa recognized the bright power trails, too. “She’s drawing emoticons.”
I nodded. “Yes. Smiley faces ... weepy faces ... even a turd with a face.”
“Oh, I love a turd with a face,” Luke commented, grinning. He kept his hands on the front and back of the seat as he stared out the side window and winked at Tillie as we passed. Even though it was quick, I was certain she returned the wink. “I’m starting to see Nellie’s infatuation with her. She’s all kinds of awesome. I want to adopt her.”
I opened my mouth to comment about how fond of her I was becoming when I noticed Margaret had sidled down the center aisle and was standing close to us. The look on her face was murderous.
“I’m really enjoying the tour,” I said finally. I had no idea what else to say. “Where are we going next?”
Margaret scowled. “You have no idea how much I hate that woman.”
Oh, I had an idea. I also didn’t doubt that the feeling was mutual, which was why Tillie remained in the middle of the road drawing emoticons with her finger.
“Well ... at least she’s entertaining,” I offered.
“I’ll make her pay.”
Something told me that it would be the other way around, but I kept my mouth shut.
14
Fourteen
I walked through the fairgrounds before dinner. As Max’s second in command, it was my job to make sure everything was up and running. Our workers — even the irregular ones who dressed as clowns and ran the midway — knew what they were doing.
Things looked good, which was one less thing to worry about.
Despite the invitation to The Overlook, we opted to eat dinner as we normally would. There were several things I wanted to discuss with everyone, and that would be impossible in front of an audience.
“I hear you went on a tour this afternoon,” Max said as he joined us. It was rare for him to eat dinner with us during the week — he preferred dining alone in his trailer — so my antenna was up.
“We did,” I confirmed, handing the platter of corn ears to Kade before settling in the spot between Luke and him. “It was ... interesting.”
“I think you mean hilarious,” Luke corrected. He was still wound up from the afternoon tour, and he was talking the ears off anyone who would listen about the things we saw. “I want to adopt that old Winchester witch.”
“Hey!” Nellie extended a warning finger. “Who are you calling old? She’s in her prime. If she was a dwarf she’d still be cranking out babies.”
That was a frightening thought. “She’s not a dwarf,” I reminded him. “She is, however, massively entertaining.”
Luke didn’t give me a chance to continue, instead launching into a reenactment of what we’d seen on the road in front of The Overlook. Even though she was present for the event, Melissa giggled like a schoolgirl, which was nice to see.
“And you’re sure she was drawing emoticons?” Raven asked, knitting her eyebrows. “That’s ... weird.”
“I’m sure,” I confirmed. “She left a small trail of magic behind as she did it. Only paranormals wo
uld’ve seen what she was doing. She was clearly having a good time.”
“What’s an emoticon?” Max asked, confused.
I elbowed Kade. “You’re on.”
He made a face. “Why me?”
“Because he’s your father and I don’t know how to explain it.”
Kade moved his mouth, but no sound came out. Thankfully, Nixie swooped in — phone in hand — and demonstrated. When she was done, Max roared with laughter.
“Okay, that’s some funny stuff,” he said as he swiped the tears from his cheeks. “I kind of want to adopt her, too.”
Nellie brightened considerably. “I’ll ask her.”
I shot him a look. “She has a family here. She won’t want to leave them.”
“She has a boring family here,” he stressed. “They’re nowhere near as much fun as we are.”
I wasn’t so sure that was true. “She’s not going to leave them.” I was firm. “I don’t see why she can’t hang out with us a bit during the festival, though. She’s probably a lot of fun when there’s a crowd to mess with.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.” Max’s grin was easy, but I didn’t miss the furtive look he shot Kade, as if gauging his mood. Something was definitely up. “What else did you see?”
“Well, it was mostly a tour of various inns,” I replied, spearing a steak from the platter at the center of the table and transferring it to my plate. “I have a feeling they envisioned it as free advertising, but I did learn a few things.
“First, they have a place called Hollow Creek,” I continued. “I think it’s where Naida went the other night.”
“It is.” Naida nodded, solemn. “There’s magic fragments flying everywhere.”
“There is,” I agreed. “We were allowed out at the creek. It’s beautiful ... and peaceful ... and some very dark things have gone on there. I walked through at least three memory echoes while I was there, and all of them featured the Winchesters.”
“That’s interesting.” Max was sober as he considered the statement. “Do you think they conduct rituals there?”
Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7) Page 13
