It wasn’t even what she said that was off, but the way she said it. Overstoked, hyper, practically giggling — all very un-Beth.
After soccer practice one afternoon, Cam suggested they split a pie at PITS. By then she was sure something was up.
Her tall, gangly, curly-haired bud was beyond up for it. “Excellent. I mean, we can talk about you hangin’ at my house while my mom is away.”
Cam couldn’t take it anymore. “Bethie, what’s up? For real. You’ve been giving off this weird manic vibe lately.”
Beth had stopped dead in the doorway of the pizza place. She couldn’t look at Cam. Embarrassed, she allowed Cam to drag her to a booth. The minute they sat down, she blurted it all out.
“You know, don’t you?” her best friend forever said, looking miserable. “I knew I’d never be able to hide it from you.”
And suddenly, Cam did know. This time, only a slight headache ushered in the vision, a rhythmic throbbing in her temples. Then she heard and saw Beth’s mind.
In it was a picture of Emily … Emily swearing Beth to secrecy … about the birthday party.
Em was planning an at-home bash to end all bashes for the twins’ sweet sixteen.
To keep the party a surprise, she and Dave would tell Cam and Alex that their birthday gift was going to be dinner at a snazzy Boston restaurant — with Beth invited along. The restaurant was famous for its lavish Halloween costume party.
Beth’s job was to keep Cam and Alex away from home so that Emily would have a couple of days to whip Casa Barnes into party shape.
It was perfect. Beth’s mom was going to be in Chicago that whole week, Cam heard her friend telling Emily. So Beth would “plead” and Emily would “reluctantly allow” the twins to keep her company, to stay with Beth after school and overnight for a few crucial days before their birthday.
Beth’s job, besides providing a home away from home, was to keep Cam and Alex occupied. A shopping spree would work, Emily thought. Scouring Marble Bay for sumptuous costumes to wear to the dinner. Maybe a trip to the mall to pick out their own birthday gifts. A salon stopover to get their hair and makeup done for the bogus big night out. All charged to Emily’s plastic.
Beth was to get them home Saturday night at eight o’clock sharp when the three of them, Beth, Cam, and Alex, costumed to the max, would walk in on a radically stupendous surprise birthday bash — the details of which were blurry to Cam.
Candles burning. She could make those out. And little sparkling lights draped through tree branches. And … jack-o’-lanterns!
Jack-o’-lanterns?!
“Cami? Are you all right?” Beth was asking.
Are you serious? she wanted to shout. I can’t believe they’re doing it at home. Making it a Halloween party! As if she and Alex were going to have fun dunking for apples and carving pumpkins for their sweet sixteen. It was ridiculous, ludicrous, monstrous!
But Cam opened her eyes and nodded, though her head felt like a bobble-headed dashboard doll and every fiber of her being wanted to scream, No!
“S’nothing,” she’d murmured to Beth instead. “Just lack of sleep. Alex and I have been cramming … for the PSATs. So, that would be a no,” she said. “I mean, no, I didn’t… I don’t know what you think I’m supposed to know. I just felt like you were, you know, avoiding me.”
She hadn’t blown Beth’s secret… when she might have so easily. All she would have had to do was say, “Yup, you’re right, I know all about the surprise. Now here’s what I want you to do about the party.”
Instead, she’d opted to trust Beth and Emily. Which took all the courage she could muster.
Of course she’d filled Alex in the minute she got home from PITS. And she’d begged her sister to play along with the pitiful plan. “If I can grit my teeth and show for a trick-or-treat birthday debacle, you can, too,” Cam summarized. “Dropping out now would amount to cruel and unusual punishment for Dave and Emily, who’ve been so —”
“Get a grip and spare me the gratitude lecture.” Alex held up her hand like a traffic cop. “I know what I owe your folks. Besides, what else have I got to do this Saturday? I tapped into Cade’s head a week ago and even he’s in on the secret. He’s gonna tell me there’s an emergency, that he’s gotta work late at the law office all weekend. Anyway,” she added irritably, “it’s not like there’s a conflict. We haven’t heard word one from the itty-bitty Initiation committee, have we? Talk about a debacle.”
“Do you think it’s all some whack test or joke?” Cam had finally dared to ask.
“If it is,” Alex grumbled, “I can see how witches got a bad reputation.”
The mall was crowded. And it was only Thursday evening.
Cam, Alex, and Beth were surprised to see hordes of costumed toddlers gripping plastic pumpkins filled with candy in one hand and their mothers’ hands in the other.
Apparently, there was a Halloween party going on for children aged two to ten.
“I didn’t know. I swear.” Beth eyed the swarming Spider-Mans and Sponge Bobs, Harry Potters and Dora the Explorers with distress. “I didn’t know they’d be doing Halloween early. I just thought we could check the place out. You said you wanted to get a new outfit for your birthday —”
“Maybe I should get a costume,” Cam said, trying to keep the upset out of her voice.
“No prob,” Alex assured Beth, digging into her jacket pocket for change to drop into the approaching kids’ goody bags. “This place is loaded with inspiration —”
“Right,” Cam grumbled. “I’ll be Lilo and you can be Stitch.”
“Um, Cam —” Alex had grown rigid. She was standing stock-still in the middle of the mobbed mall aisle. “Look over there.” She signaled with her eyes. “That woman in costume —”
Cam followed her twin’s gaze. “Ileana!” she gasped. “And Boris!”
A beautiful blond was wading toward them through the Lilliputian throng. She was wearing a midnight-blue robe and carrying an orange cat.
“Ill what?” Beth asked, clueless.
Cam grabbed Alex’s hand. Alex grabbed her moon charm. “It’s either Ileana or another one of Uncle Thantos’s clones —”
“Right,” the gorgeous goddess sneered. “Like my fool of a father would really want two of me!”
“It’s really you!” A broad smile broke across Alex’s face.
They left Beth standing and staring and raced to their guardian witch. “What are you doing here?” Cam asked, stoked to see her.
“I thought Boris and I could score some easy candy,” Ileana teased. “Are you ready for your Initiation?”
“You mean, right now?” Alex asked, taken aback.
“Not now exactly. Midnight will do,” Ileana informed them. “You should be good to go”— she glanced at her watch —“in about five hours. That ought to be enough time for any last-minute arrangements.”
“Like what?” Cam asked. “We’ve read every book you lent us. We’ve been practicing magick for weeks now. I’ve got a backpack full of herbs. So what do we have to do? I mean, are we supposed to change our clothes, grab a toothbrush, or what?” A hint of annoyance had crept into Cam’s voice, the result, Alex thought, of weeks of hope and disappointment waiting for the Coventry call. “We don’t need five hours. What’s wrong with now?”
Ileana sighed. “Well, I thought I’d get in a little mainland shopping —”
“We’re ready,” Alex sided with her sister. “We’ve been hanging out all month, waiting to hear from you. Cam’s right. We might as well go now.”
“And what shall we do with your stunned friend?” Ileana asked.
Cam turned to see Beth coming toward them, smiling tentatively. “What are we going to tell her?” she asked Ileana.
“Sorry,” their guardian said. “We’re still in your Initiation month. I’m afraid I’m not allowed to help you.”
“Alex.” Cam turned to her sister. “What should we do? Will the Lethe spell work for —” Then it hit he
r. “Forty-eight hours?! But we can’t leave now,” Cam blurted. At Alex’s questioning look, she added, “The Initiation, Als. It takes forty-eight hours. Do the math. We’ll be gone on our birthday!”
“The party!” Alex got it. “Emily will crumble —”
“She’ll be devastated, destroyed!” Cam turned to Ileana. “This is so not fair! My mainland mom has this secret extravaganza planned for us. We can’t not show. She’s been working on it for weeks, maybe months!”
For a moment, their guardian looked sympathetic, even sad. “I know,” she said with a sigh. Then her features hardened. “I’m afraid it’s entirely your choice. Like everything you’ve done or ever will do, your choices, judgments, and decisions will determine your worth and usefulness.”
Cam looked at Alex, who shrugged. “I don’t want to freak Em out, either. Honestly, Cami, I… I actually like her. And Dave. And then there’s Dylan — he’s like my best Marble Bay bud. He’s like … a real brother —”
“But?” Cam’s panic turned to impatience.
“But I don’t know what’s right. I don’t know what to do,” Alex admitted. “I mean, we can’t be in two places at the same time —”
“Not unless Amaryllis shows up again,” Cam snorted sarcastically. Then, suddenly, she brightened. “Als, if we leave now, get to Coventry early, maybe we can leave early. I mean, it’s not even seven o’clock. If we can get back by seven on Saturday, we’re golden!”
“Hi.” Suddenly Beth was beside them, extending her hand to Ileana. “I’m Beth Fish, a friend of theirs.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” Ileana took Beth’s hand in both of hers. “I’m Ileana, Cam and Alex’s guardian witch.”
Alex couldn’t believe her ears. Cam gasped.
“Just kidding,” Ileana said. “I’m a friend of the family.”
“Right.” Beth grinned. “I knew I’d seen you before —”
Of course, Cam thought. Ileana’s main squeeze was Brice Stanley, movie star and secret warlock. Their guardian had been photographed more than once with the Hollywood hunk. But Beth hadn’t made the connection.
“Oh, that’s what you’re supposed to be. A witch. Neat costume.” The explanation had satisfied Beth. While she grilled Ileana about where she’d gotten her guardian witch outfit and such cool sandals and did the cat come with the costume, Alex and Cam tackled their issue.
And came to the same conclusion at the same time — Amaryllis.
It’ll work, Alex silently decreed.
It has to, Cam noted.
We just have to find a spell to get her here.
The Traveler, Cam reminded her twin.
It’s worth a try, Alex decided.
Oh, no. She’s a witch! Cam’s shoulders drooped. She won’t be allowed to help us.
Alex slumped just as Cam had. Then she perked up again like a plant dosed with Miracle-Gro. She’s not exactly a witch. Not totally. She hasn’t been initiated yet. She said so herself. She’s still a fledgling!
Does that matter? Cam asked.
Let’s find out, her sister decreed.
“Excuse us for a minute.” Cam snatched her twin’s hand. “We’ll be right back.”
“Bathroom break,” Alex said, flying after Cam.
“Why? Because you owe us!” Cam told the reluctant girl who was glaring at her with steely gray eyes.
“And anyway, you don’t want to be on the island when we arrive,” Alex pointed out. “Because that’s when Lord Thantos will know you lied to him.”
The spell had worked. Amaryllis, flustered and sputtering, had materialized in the dead-end corridor behind the rest rooms. Except for her pale yellow robe, their uncle’s lackey still looked like Alex — and then Cam. Still under the original spell, she kept changing back and forth between the two girls.
The Coventry fledgling was trapped. And she knew it. Which didn’t make her any less angry. “You’re both going to be gone! How am I supposed to be both of you at the same time?!”
“Good question,” Alex admitted. The trio stood surrounded by cardboard cartons and seasonal display pieces. The mall was preparing for Thanksgiving. Branches of fake autumn leaves, two nearly life-size cutouts of Pilgrims, a cornucopia, and a Godzilla-sized turkey with fanned-out tail feathers hid the twins and Amaryllis from sight.
“You could … um, wear a mask?” Cam suggested feebly. “It’s a costume party,” she reminded Alex, who was looking at her as if she had two heads.
“Hello. Excuse me,” Alex imitated Cam. “Her face isn’t the issue!”
“It was just a thought,” Cam snapped back. “Which is more than you had to offer.”
“Still at it, I see,” Amaryllis observed snidely. “Do you two ever stop? I mean, you can hardly stand to be in the same room —”
Alex and Cam exchanged glances. “That’ll work,” Alex announced.
Cam agreed. “Okay, you be me,” she told Amaryllis, “and if Beth or anyone else asks where Alex is, tell them she’s ticked off at you and sulking in her room or whatever —”
“Then you can say you’re going to get her. Disappear and come back as me,” Alex instructed. “Think she can pull it off for two whole days?” she asked her sister.
“She’s got to. What’s our option?”
“Hello. Still here!” Amaryllis waved at them indignantly. “Of course I can pull it off. I got you two going, didn’t I? Just remember, I only get to be in your skin for two more days,” she warned them. “If you’re not back by then, your pals, your ’rents, your entire world, will know you for what you are — witches.”
* * *
Cam and Alex raced back to where they’d left Ileana and Beth. They were sitting on a bench together, Ileana looking kicked back and comfortable, Beth stroking Boris, who was curled up in her lap.
“Ready to roll?” their guardian asked, not stirring from her languid position.
Excuse me, could you be any less discreet? Cam telegraphed, glancing over at Beth. But her friend didn’t look up, didn’t pause in her rhythmic caressing of the purring orange cat.
Ileana followed Cam’s gaze. “Her? Not to worry. Boris is on top of the situation.”
Alex studied Beth. “You put a spell on her.” She grinned at Ileana. “I thought you weren’t allowed to help us.”
“Do you see me helping you?” the laid-back witch asked.
It took them a minute. “Boris!” they guessed.
“He’s a very talented little beast,” Ileana affirmed, reaching over to rumple her pet’s silky fur. “Where most cats produce only allergies, Boris reeks spells. Lethe, forgetfulness, is one of his favorites. Beth will remember meeting me, but she won’t recall this conversation. Boris will keep your friend company until Thantos’s fledgling arrives.”
CHAPTER TEN
RETURN TO COVENTRY
Before their eyes were fully opened, Cam and Alex knew they were on Coventry Island. The air was crisp. They could hear waves splashing against the rocky shoreline. The scent of herbs from hundreds of lovingly tended gardens rode the breeze.
And there was another fragrance — a mingling of savory pine, sweet lavender, and spicy rosemary — that told them they were in the presence of their mother.
Miranda rushed to them, sweeping them together in her embrace — and startling them with an unexpected apology. “I’m not ready,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you this early.”
When she released them they saw what she’d meant. They were standing in the great room of Luna Soleil. The once-majestic cottage where they’d been born had fallen into ruin during their mother’s long absence. She’d been hidden away, hospitalized for more than a decade by their treacherous uncle. And for all that time, Miranda had grieved for her twin daughters, who, Thantos had convinced her, were dead.
But now … the skylight above them was repaired. The debris of broken glass, splintered boards, and crumbling walls had been cleaned up. Someone was restoring the house.
“I’d hoped to
have at least two rooms ready for you,” their mother said, clearly delighting in their surprise. “Do you mind sharing one for now?”
“It’s amazing,” Alex said, turning slowly to take in the changes.
“You did this?” Cam could scarcely believe her eyes.
“For you,” Miranda told them. “After your Initiation, this will be your home.”
The Traveler’s spell had left them woozy. But their mother’s words pierced through the haze.
“Do you mean we have to stay?” Cam blurted.
“We can’t,” Alex said decisively. “We’ve got to go back. Why didn’t anyone tell us —”
“I … I can’t answer your questions. You know that. I’m not permitted,” Miranda said with a sigh. “Only your Initiation Master can do that. Wait here. Rest. Explore the room I’ve readied for you. I’ll tell Rhianna you’re here.”
“Right after Initiation, I am so out of here,” Cam told Alex the minute their mother had gone. “And since everyone around here is always talking about ‘choices,’ no one can make me stay.”
“Ditto,” her twin said, walking slowly around the room, trying to remember how it had looked when they’d been there last. She hadn’t even realized there was a fireplace. Moldy old furniture had been piled in front of it. Now there it was, with logs stacked on the grate, ready for a cozy fire this chilly Coventry night.
The mahogany divan was gone, as was the bent-willow cradle they’d discovered on their last visit to Luna Soleil. A large new sofa with feathery soft cushions had taken their place. And the dangerously decrepit floorboards had been restored and now sported bright, beautifully woven rugs.
The door to the cellar, to the underground cave, had been replaced, too, Alex saw as Cam joined her. They stared at it together. The old weathered door was gone and so were the two-by-fours that had nailed it shut after Cam and Alex’s first hair-raising episode underground — with Sersee.
The first time they’d met the devious young witch she’d been jealous of them. She’d especially had it in for Cam — who, without knowing he “belonged” to Sersee, had fallen for Shane. And had been dumb enough to believe, for a little while, that the treacherous warlock loved her, too.
T*Witches: Destiny's Twins Page 8
