by Zoe Arden
"Ava, run!" my father called. "I'll find you later." He waited until Detective Hudson was in sight then started running in the opposite direction from me.
"They're over here!" a voice shouted. Running footsteps clamored my way. I crouched back down, letting the cotton candy flowers conceal me.
A second later, Detective Hudson and about six other officers came into view.
"He went that way," one guy said and half of them took off in the direction my father had gone.
"The girl was just here," another man said. "I just saw her."
"Me, too," Detective Hudson growled. "I should have known better than to post a local dim-wizard like Deputy Winken outside Eli Fortune's cell."
In the background, at the edge of Detective Hudson's little group, I saw Otis Winken walking slowly with his head to the ground.
Detective Hudson seemed to be rambling now. "I'm beginning to wonder if maybe Eli really did kill all those men. Maybe he and that daughter of his were in on it together. Otherwise, why would he run? I promised him a fair trial. Didn't he believe me?"
Hudson actually sounded affronted at the idea my dad might not have taken him at his word.
"At least that bum butt sheriff will be gone come tomorrow morning."
The remaining officers laughed as they searched the area around me. Thankfully, my hiding bush wasn't the only one. There were at least a dozen similar bushes all around me.
"Turner. You check over there. I'll go this way." Officer Turner started checking the bushes to my right, slowly making his way toward me. I looked around, desperate for a way out. I pushed aside some leaves and realized Otis Winken was looking at me.
The deputy's lips were set tightly together, but his face remained impassive.
"Detective!" Winken shouted.
Oh no. Please no.
"What is it?" Detective Hudson asked.
"I saw her." He paused and I held my breath. If I had to, I'd make a run for it. "Just now. She went... that way," Winken finally said, tipping his head to the right. "Back toward the cemetery."
Detective Hudson looked around at his men. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
He led the charge as I lay hidden in my bush. Otis smiled then turned to follow.
I waited until they were out of sight before making my break. I rose from the bush, looking everywhere for my father and Lucy. Neither of them were to be found.
Maybe they got away.
I sure hoped so. But Lucy's car was right where we'd left it. I'd joked with her earlier about stealing her car if we got separated. I hoped she wouldn't hold it against me now that I was really going to do it. Detective Hudson wasn't after her. He was after me and my dad. And I didn't have any more time to spare searching for my father. I'd just have to hope he could hold his own.
The doors were unlocked. The keys weren't in the ignition, but I thought I remembered the correct procedure for producing a "move 'em or lose 'em" charm.
"Crankiacus felicius," I said. The car didn't start. "Shoot. Um... crankio felicius." Still nothing. I wondered if this was one of those times when I needed my wand.
"Crankium felix!" I cried. This time, the car started right up. I stepped on the gas and my head was thrown back against the seat as the car took off at two hundred miles an hour. I guess whatever spell Lucy had cast earlier to make it go faster was still in effect. I just hoped I didn't kill myself getting back to Sweetland.
"Hold on, Eleanor and Trixie. I'm on my way."
* * *
3 5
* * *
By the time I got to The Alchemic Stone, I was certain I was too late.
It was too quiet.
Too dark.
The moon, which had shone so brightly over Whisper Crossing, ceased to exist here. I had no idea how that was possible. It was the same sky.
I parked Lucy's car three blocks away so Polly wouldn't spot it. I had no idea whether she was waiting for me and I wasn't about to take chances.
Now that I thought about it, I had no idea what made me think Polly was even at the store. It was after nine. For all I knew, she could be at home in bed. I walked slowly down the street, keeping close to the walls of the buildings as I went so that I wasn't as visible. By the time I got to The Alchemic Stone, I could see a light on in the window.
"They're here," I whispered to myself. Now what?
I figured the best thing I had going for me was that she might not be expecting me. Surprise was a valuable tool. I crept up to the door and turned the knob. It wasn't locked.
I pushed the door open and peeked inside. The same dizzy spell I'd had the first time I was here hit me, but it lasted only for a second. When my mind cleared, I saw a vacant room.
Where were my aunts? Where was Polly?
I closed the door behind me and stepped inside. I was moving toward the beaded curtain when it suddenly pulled back and Polly walked into the room. She looked shocked to see me.
"Ava? What are you doing here?" Her uncertain expression quickly turned into a fake, wide smile. "I mean, I'm glad you stopped by. I'm just surprised to see you here." She was really laying it on thick. As if we'd actually been friends.
"You mean Slater didn't warn you to watch out for me?" I snapped.
"Slater? I have no idea what you're talking about." Polly squared her shoulders and stood as straight as possible, gaining a full inch of height. I hadn't realized she slouched so much.
"I think you know perfectly well what I'm talking about," I said. "Where are my aunts?"
"How should I know?" Her friendly demeanor was becoming steadily colder.
"I know about the necklace."
There was a long pause. I thought Polly was using the time to think of an excuse. Some way to deny what she'd done. She moved behind the counter, her hand trailing along the edge of the glass cases where so many stones and jewels were displayed. In a corner of the room stood a tall plant with broad purple leaves. The leaves seemed to move with us, as if they were listening to our conversation.
"You got me," she finally said. "I guess you're pretty upset about it, huh?"
My jaw dropped open. "Upset? Upset doesn't even begin to cut it. Enraged. Furious. Those words are a lot closer."
"I can understand that. What I can't understand is why you're still here. That darned heriotza necklace should have killed you by now. If you were a normal witch, you'd be dead long ago. Freak!" She spat the last word out at the same time she picked up a gemstone off the counter and flung it at me.
A bright burst of light flashed in front of me and when my vision cleared, Polly was an inch from my face.
"Septum compre!" she yelled. The plant that had been listening to us in the corner suddenly began to move. The giant purple leaves worked as feet and hands, pulling it along the ground as it inched toward us faster than I would have liked.
"What the..."
"If you'd have died like you were supposed to, you wouldn't have forced me into this position. You're just as daffy a witch as your mother."
The mention of my mother sent a fresh wave of anger over me.
"Kooky mioso!" I cried.
It was the only spell I'd learned that I could remember at the moment. I'd read about it in Witching Times. But I must have said it wrong. Because instead of shriveling up into a prune like I'd intended, Polly broke out in polka dots.
"What have you done?" she cried, looking at her hands as they filled with alternating shades of blue and yellow circles.
"Uhh..." I was so transfixed by what was happening to her that I forgot about the purple people eater coming toward me. Until one of its broad leaves touched my face.
"Aaahhhhh!" I screamed, trying to get away from it. Long purple vines came flooding out of its midsection, wrapping around me like a rope.
"Got you!" Polly shouted gleefully, though I was pleased to see she was having no luck stopping the polka dots.
I managed to wrench one hand free and found a wet, cushy spot at the end of one of its ten
drils. I pushed as hard as I could. The plant let out a wild scream and sent me flying from its grip. I landed hard against the glass counter.
"You dim-witch!" Polly cried. Her hand shot out and a ball of light flew from her fingertips. I ducked just in time, jealous that I had no idea how she'd done that.
A bowl with gleaming white sand sat atop the counter. I grabbed a handful and threw it at Polly. A mass of smoke began encircling her like a slowly forming tornado.
"Aaah!" Polly screamed.
The beaded curtain separating the back of the store suddenly flew open.
"Polly!" Anastasia cried. "What's happening?" She saw me and a look of terror landed in her eyes.
She looked from her daughter to me and in one quick swoop raised her hand high in the air and yelled something I couldn't quite follow. It sounded like, "Away ham sandwich!" I figured I'd probably misheard her. The entire room was engulfed in a misty pink glow that seemed to come out of the walls and ceiling.
The tornado disappeared. So did Polly's polka dots.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Polly cried.
"Saving your life," Anastasia said more calmly than I would have expected. "That tornado blossom could have killed you." She let out a loud, exasperated sigh and started pacing the floor.
"I should have stopped you the second I gazed into my crystal ball and saw what was happening."
"You mean you knew Polly was trying to kill me?" I cried.
Anastasia's face turned a dark red. "No. I only knew that Slater had killed and that Polly was somehow involved."
"How could you have lied like that?" I asked her.
"I'm sorry," she said, choking on her words. "I couldn't... I just couldn't turn her in."
"She's a killer!"
"She's my daughter!"
The tears overwhelmed her eyes, which fell in fast rivers down her cheeks. I refused to let myself feel sorry for her. She'd known what her daughter was doing with Slater and she'd said nothing.
"So you let me think Damon Tellinger was the one responsible for the deaths."
"You already thought that yourself. I just went with it.”
"I thought you were having an affair with Damon," I told Polly.
She laughed derisively. "Damon? He couldn't handle it when he found out what I was."
"You mean a witch?"
"A dark witch," Polly corrected maliciously. "And I'm good at it."
"Where are Eleanor and Trixie?" I yelled.
Polly shrugged. "Not here."
I looked at Anastasia, who was still crying. She was mumbling to herself.
"Slater did it. He led her astray. Polly would never have gone dark if it weren't for him."
"What about my aunts?" I demanded. "Where are they?"
Anastasia snapped out of her trance long enough to look at me with red-rimmed eyes. I couldn't help it. The emotional part of me cracked and empathy slipped in. I felt bad for her.
"I'm sorry, Ava. I don't know where they are. They were never here."
A business phone sat atop the counter. I grabbed it and dialed Eleanor's cell. Nothing. I tried the bakery next. It rang five times. I was about to hang up when someone answered.
"Aunt Eleanor?" I asked.
"No," a deep voice said.
"Slater," I gasped."
"I've got your aunts. If you want to see either of them alive again, I suggest you shut up and listen."
* * *
3 6
* * *
The Mystic Cupcake felt anything but mystic when I arrived. For the first time since arriving on Heavenly Haven, the air felt cold. The night sky looked... ordinary. It was that feeling—the feeling of normalcy—which shook me up more than anything. One thing Sweetland Cove was not... was normal.
I shivered as I reached for the door handle. Slater had said to come in through the front. He probably wanted a better view of the street to make sure I wasn't followed.
"Hello?" I called, opening the door and stepping inside.
"Hey, Ava," Slater said. Again, there was that tone of normalcy. As if he were greeting me at a Sunday baseball game instead of under such inauspicious circumstances.
"Come on in," he said. I noticed the black winter gloves he was wearing even though it felt hot inside the store.
I shut the door behind me and stepped slowly into the bakery I had come to think of as my second home. Eleanor and Trixie were nowhere to be found.
"Where are they?" I asked.
He made a series of tsking noises as he shook his head.
"Aren't you going to ask me how I am, too?"
I paused and sucked in a deep breath.
"Where are they?" I asked again.
"In back," Slater replied. He looked toward the door to the backroom as if he were waiting for me to take the lead.
"You're perfectly welcome to go back there and say hi. Oh, by the way, thanks for texting me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't asked me to go keep your aunts safe. I assure you, they are the safest they could possible be under the circumstances."
I kept my eyes on Slater as I made my way to the back.
"Eleanor...? Trixie...?"
I pushed the door open and terror filled me.
Eleanor and Trixie were sitting back to back, tied to a chair. It was the first time I had seen Eleanor's hair so unkempt. Trixie's own hair was an obnoxious shade of neon orange. I had no idea whether she'd done that to herself earlier in the day or if this was some kind of sick torture device Slater had used on her. They were grunting at me and gesticulating wildly with their heads.
"You taped their mouths shut?" I yelled.
"They wouldn't shut up," Slater said. "Not even for a minute."
He folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, and those ropes are enchanted. Dark magic. Not that weak white stuff you witches use. So Eleanor and Trixie aren't going anywhere."
On the baking table beside them, a single stem of boxie quill lay waiting. The purple stem looked like it had been sharpened to a fine point, ready to draw blood from whoever dared touch it.
A new noise, like a muffled mew, sailed through the room, followed by a muffled bark. I turned my head and realized Tootsie and Rocky sat collared and chained to a towel bar at the back of the room. Their mouths had also been taped shut and their paws were tied together.
"Tootsie! Rocky!" I said, running to them.
"They're perfectly safe," Slater said. "I wouldn't worry about them just now. Not when we've got this other issue to contend with."
"What other issue?" I asked.
Slater turned to grab something from a shelf and I could see a bite-sized hole in the back of his jeans. Whatever had happened, I was pretty sure that Rocky had taken a good-sized chomp out of him first.
"We have a problem, Ava," Slater said. "We need a solution."
I waited for him to continue, since he clearly enjoyed hearing himself speak.
"First, you need to go."
"I'm not going anywhere without my aunts."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You really are a dim-witch, aren't you?"
"At least I'm a witch, not some wannabe warlock poser!" I cried.
Slater's face reddened to the shade of Grenadine.
"Is that what you think?" he growled. "That I want to be one of you?"
Tootsie flopped onto her side and began rolling on the tiled floor. She looked like she was scratching herself. I wondered how long they'd been tied up here. And where was Snowball?
"Don't you know what your dad did?" Slater asked. "He killed my father!"
"And your dad killed my mom. At least my dad acted in self-defense."
"So did mine!"
"What are you talking about?" My head was throbbing.
"Your mother was the most powerful witch my father had ever encountered. She was using her powers to try and gain even more power. Because she was selfish. Just like you." He was walking the floor, circling my aunts like a vulture.
"My mother was a good witch
," I said. "Nothing you can say will change that."
Eleanor and Trixie were still struggling against their ropes.
"My father hated witches. The whole lot of you are nothing but trouble."
"So this whole thing is about revenge?" I asked.
"Revenge? Revenge is only a part of it. Don't you see? I'm picking up where my father left off. I'm going to rid the world of witches. Starting with Heavenly Haven. Starting with you."
I had no idea where my wand had come from. But Slater was suddenly pointing it right between my eyes.
"When I said you need to go, I meant you need to die."
"You can't get rid of all witches," I told him, stalling for time. "That's insane."
"I can if I show the world what evil creatures you are. That you're willing to kill anyone so long as it suits your purpose."
"Oh, roses," I muttered.
I finally understood. "You were trying to frame me for the murders because you wanted people to think there was a serial killer witch running rampant on the island. You wanted humans to think that."
"I thought I'd be able to get people worked up enough that they started asking questions. That those who didn't already know about witches would find out."
His eye was twitching.
"Too many of us already know, but we're supposed to pretend like we don't. We choose not to do anything about it. Well, not me. And not my father."
He rose the wand high in the air.
"How do you even know how to use that thing?" I asked him.
"Polly showed me. Why do you think I've been dating her?"
I gasped.
I thought you liked her."
"She's a witch. She has useful information, nothing more. When you arrived on the island and lost your wand, Damon found it. Who do you think he brought it straight to? Me! And I brought it to Polly."
"You mean he just gave it to you?"
"Of course not. I always loved Damon. But I had to have that wand. I didn't know if I'd ever get another chance like this again."
"And Brendan?"
"He was a wizard. I acted as though I liked him so I could learn from him."
