“What do you think happened back there?” Nicolas asked as he hurried through the streets toward the manor.
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I can’t figure it out. Do you think it had anything to do with Charlie?”
He nodded without looking over at me. “It’s possible.”
“Where do you think she went?” I asked.
“Where do you think she’s been?” he asked without answering my question.
“Maybe she went back to the manor,” I said.
“Maybe,” he said, but it didn’t sound as if he really believed it.
To be honest I didn’t believe it either. If she had ignored me at the gym, then she certainly wouldn’t go back to the manor. Maybe Charlie didn’t want to be an investigator any more. This could be her way of quitting the job. It certainly seemed as if she didn’t want to be found.
We finally arrived at the manor. I couldn’t stop worrying about what had happened at the gym. If the book didn’t give me answers then I didn’t know what I would do.
“There has to be a spell to reverse what is going on, right?” I asked Nicolas.
He attempted a smile, but it didn’t give me much confidence. He was probably right to be skeptical. I figured my odds were about ten percent. I wouldn’t give up just yet though. Nicolas pulled up in front of the house and I didn’t even wait for him to cut the engine off before I opened the car door.
After climbing out of the car, I ran to the door and inside the manor. I thought Nicolas was behind me, but I didn’t slow down long enough to find out for sure. As I raced up the stairs I began to lose some of my momentum. The climb was a rough one. But I finally made it to the second floor and down the hallway toward my bedroom. I assumed the footsteps behind me were Nicolas—at least I hoped they were. I didn’t think it would be Charlie, but what if it was?
I glanced over my shoulder. Just as I’d thought it wasn’t Charlie.
Nicolas was behind me now. I reached my bedroom door and pulled the key from my pocket. I’d forgotten that the necklace that Charlie had bought before she’d disappeared was in my pocket.
After unlocking the door, I stuffed the key back in my pocket and turned the knob. I was always paranoid that I wouldn’t be able to get the door unlocked and I would have to call a locksmith. l rushed over to the trunk and grabbed the book.
“Got it,” I said, holding the book up for Nicolas to see.
He was waiting just outside the door for me. I didn’t bother to shut the trunk as I tucked the book under my arm and raced back out the door. Nicolas followed me back down the stairs. I decided to take the book to the kitchen because more than likely if the book gave me a spell I would need herbs, spices, or the cauldron. We made a mad dash across the house to the kitchen and I plopped the big book down on the island counter.
Nicolas stood just behind me peering over my shoulder at the book. I normally liked to look at the book alone, but now was a different situation. I didn’t want to be in this predicament by myself. Although ultimately it was all up to me. It was just nice to know I had someone who cared and would stand with me. I flipped open the cover and slowly words began to appear.
“That’s amazing,” Nicolas said.
The list of spells was all that was showing up so far. I was hoping that the book would flip the pages to the correct spell. There had to be a correct spell. I wouldn’t allow myself to think otherwise.
“I’ll have to ask the book to give me the spell,” I said.
Nicolas nodded, giving me his silent nudge of confidence.
I released a deep breath and then said, “Something has gone wrong. Show me the way to make it right.” Nothing happened and my stomach turned. What would I do now? I was about to give up and close the cover when the pages started to slowly move. It was a little swoosh at first and then a page flipped. Then it was another one and another one.
Soon twenty or thirty pages had moved. The pages stopped and I peered down at the paper. It was in an unknown language at first, but then the words appeared to me in English.
“It’s the spell,” I said.
“What do you need? I can get it from the shelves.” Nicolas moved toward the plentiful shelf of spices.
“It looks like I just need some mint and bay leaves. I don’t even need the cauldron this time.”
Nicolas gathered the items and brought them to me. We made a good team. As I sprinkled the ingredients onto the little dish on the countertop, I called to the elements and then recited the words. Nicolas joined me and chanted the words too. I hoped that helped.
How would this spell lead me to the answer? Would it reverse the problem with the witches? I didn’t even know if a spell had been placed on the entire town of Enchantment Pointe. And I certainly figured that I wouldn’t be the one to fix the problem all on my own.
I finished the spell with a wave of my hand. “Now what?”
The pages turned and turned until finally flipping to the back. The book slammed shut. It had never done that before. Without warning, the book picked up from the counter and flew across the room.
I let out a little gasp. The book landed with a loud thud next to the back door. I raced over to the book. How had that happened? I reached down to pick up the book and when I glanced out the door window I noticed the message written in the clouds.
“Nicolas, you’ve got to see this,” I said.
He ran over. I was still in shock from seeing the book move on its own, but this was even more amazing. When he was standing beside me, I pointed out the window. The message was written in the sky with fluffy white clouds against the bright blue contrast.
The problem is on you.
“I don’t know what that means,” I said.
Nicolas continued to stare out the window, but didn’t offer a theory on what the message meant.
“Does that mean that the problem is all me?” I asked.
“No, it can’t mean that and if it does then it is all wrong,” he responded.
He knew that was the right answer to give, but was that the way he really felt? The message disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. Unfortunately, it hadn’t offered much help. If anything it was more of a problem.
“We’d better get back to the gym to see what’s going on,” Nicolas said, touching my arm and bringing me back to reality.
I nodded. “I’ll just take the book back up and meet you at the front door.”
I climbed the stairs once again with the book tightly under my arm. I would hold it even tighter now that I knew it could move on its own. My mind kept going over the message, trying to make sense of what it meant. After locking the book back in the trunk, I met Nicolas at the front door.
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out,” he said as he walked me to the car.
I supposed he’d read the look on my face. I had to figure it out because everyone was counting on me, including my mother and Annabelle, the two people I loved the most.
We made the drive back to the gym. I wasn’t in such a hurry to return because I knew what was waiting for me. And I would have to give everyone an answer. I had no clue how to fix this. I was letting them down. I was a failure.
As we drove through the streets of Enchantment Pointe, it was like a ghost town.
“This is freaking me out,” I said as we turned right at Mystical Drive.
Nicolas looked out the window. “It is kind of quiet compared to earlier.”
“Where is everyone?”
I was almost afraid to find out. When we pulled into the parking lot it was empty. We rushed to the door of the gym and I burst through the door.
Everyone was gone. The crowd had disappeared. No bake sale, no spellcasting, and no cauldron toss.
“Hallie, I’m over here,” my mother said.
On the opposite side of the gym my mother was sitting on a metal chair next to the exit door. Uncle Fitz was sitting in the chair next to her.
“Well, at least you haven’t lost your u
ncle too.” Nicolas pointed.
I ran over to them.
“What is happening?” I asked.
She waved her arms through the air. “Everyone left. They didn’t want to stay around if they couldn’t cast spells. They said it would be safer if they were home. Everyone is really freaked out that someone has taken the powers away. That maybe something bad is about to happen.”
I knew by the look on her face that she felt this way too.
Now that I thought of it, the vampires did think that witches were casting spells on them. Had they somehow found a way to get rid of the witches’ powers? How would that be possible?
“Okay, we need to try to stay calm,” Nicolas said, touching my mother’s shoulder.
She attempted a half-hearted smile.
“Where is Annabelle?” I asked.
My mother shook her head. “I haven’t seen her for quite some time. I figured she went home like everyone else.”
That was probably true, but I’d have to call her nonetheless. I wished that Jon was here so that he could stay with her. With all that was going on I didn’t think it was safe for her to be traveling around town. The vampires were obviously angry and the whole thing with Charlie had me paranoid too. I hadn’t seen Annabelle since before all the chaos erupted. I knew how she was scared of all this paranormal stuff and I hoped she wasn’t too freaked out.
“We should get out of here,” Nicolas said.
“Did you find Charlie?” Uncle Fitz asked.
I shook my head. “No, not yet.”
I hadn’t done much of anything. Charlie had gotten away and I had allowed all the magic in Enchantment Pointe to slip away. The terrifying thought hit me. What if it never came back? How would the witches cope with having no powers? I would be used to it because I had never had much powers to speak of in the past anyway, but not the others.
We left the gym and squeezed into my car.
“I will take you all back to your house, Mom. It will be safer there,” I said.
My mother twisted her hands together. “I don’t like the idea of you out on your own.”
“She has me, remember?” Nicolas said.
“Okay, I don’t like the idea of both of you out on your own.”
“We’ll be okay. I promise. We’re just going to find the board. We need to ask them questions about Charlie. That’s the only way to find her. She may hold the key to why this happened. After that I have to talk with the vampires.”
“Do you have to?” my mother asked.
“I’m afraid so,” I said as I pulled into her driveway.
She reluctantly climbed out from the backseat and Uncle Fitz followed her. He had been very quiet.
“You’ll call me as soon as you know something?” she asked.
“Of course, Mom.” I waved, but she didn’t take the hint and step away from the car.
“I take that back. Call me before you know something.”
I nodded and shifted the car into reverse. “I promise I will call you soon.”
“What do we know about the situation?” Nicolas asked as I pulled back onto the road.
“Well, Uncle Fitz said he lost his magic when he came to the manor.”
“Charlie was already there at that point,” Nicolas said.
I steered the wheel. “Yes. The witches were still doing magic at the festival.”
“Until we spotted Charlie,” Nicolas pointed out.
Chapter Seventeen
Nicolas had been right. The witches had been doing the magic and then it had stopped right after I’d spotted Charlie. But that didn’t mean she had anything to do with it, right? Maybe it was me? I had cast a spell when I was chasing her. Maybe it was my magic making everyone else bad. After all, Uncle Fitz had stopped having magic when he came to my place. At this point, I didn’t know if it was me or Charlie. Then I remembered watching Charlie’s eyes change when she’d looked at Uncle Fitz when she’d first seen him. I’d thought she was casting a spell. If that was true, then that would explain why he’d lost his powers. Therefore, Charlie’s presence at the festival would explain the loss of powers for the other witches too.
Nicolas and I were the only ones at LaVeau Manor. Darkness had settled over the area.
A noise caught my attention at the front door. Nicolas was in the kitchen, so I decided to check it out. When I stepped out the front door I spotted an envelope on the front steps. I looked around but didn’t see anyone. I stepped over and reached down to pick it up. Had someone dropped this?
It was a plain white envelope with my name written on the outside. If someone wanted to deliver me a message couldn’t they have sent an email or a text message? My fingers tingled as I held the paper. Someone had used magic while holding it.
I turned it over in my hands and unsealed the back. I was almost afraid to find out what it said. Something told me that it couldn’t be good news. Good news was something you received in person. A note like this was left because the person didn’t want to confront me.
Meet me at the Bubbling Cauldron tonight at 11.
It was signed Charlie.
Well, I hadn’t expected that. What did she want? Why was she hiding from us? There was only one way to find out. I had to go to the Cauldron.
After sharing the note with Nicolas, he was hesitant, but agreed to go and see what she wanted.
I hated that I had to go out tonight. I wanted nothing more than to linger in the tub, eat something I would regret later, and then go to bed. Instead, I was slipping into a dress and heels. Hey, this time I didn’t want to be underdressed for the Cauldron. Plus, I wanted Nicolas to know that I owned something other than jeans and t-shirts.
When I stepped into the parlor, he looked me up and down and then said, “Wow, you look amazing.”
I smiled. That was exactly what I’d wanted to hear. Nicolas escorted me to the door.
He leaned down and sniffed. “You smell like cookies.”
“I hope you like cookies,” I said as I stepped onto the porch.
“I devour cookies.”
My heart sped up when I looked at his handsome face. He held the car door open for me and I slipped into the passenger seat. I caught him checking out my legs, which was a good thing. When he slipped behind the wheel I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Just for being you,” I said, slipping back onto the leather seat.
A huge smile spread across his face as he started the ignition. We discussed the note on the ride there. I was grateful for the distraction because Nicolas looked handsome tonight and I found myself daydreaming about kissing him all over.
We pulled up to the street in a spot close to the door. It was as if someone had saved the spot for us. Nicolas opened the door for me and we stepped into the night air. It was an unusually warm night. It felt more like summer than late fall. At least that meant I didn’t have to worry about being cold inside the club. They always kept that place freezing.
The place was packed tonight and I didn’t know how we would ever find Charlie in the crowd. Music pulsed loudly through the building. People swayed to the music and laughed over drinks. I stepped over to the bar.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“Do you know if anyone came in here looking for me?” I yelled.
He shook his head. Being recognized around town had its advantages and disadvantages. Nicolas ordered a beer and I had white wine. At least we could look like we were having fun while there.
Nicolas handed me the glass. “We should take a look around.”
It was difficult to maneuver through the crowd with the drink in my hand. We circled the entire room, but still didn’t see her.
“I don’t see her,” I said.
Nicolas took a swig of his beer. “Me either.”
I looked at the time on my phone. We’d already been there an hour and the crowd was giving me a headache. Nicolas must have sensed this from me.
<
br /> “We should just leave. I don’t think she’s going to show up now.”
I placed my glass on the table. “You’re right. I don’t know why she didn’t show.”
We made our way through the crowd. When we’d almost reached the door a guy stumbled out in front of us. He looked at me and his eyes widened. “Hallie LaVeau.” I recognized him from high school. Will Braxton was always the one causing problems back then and it looked as if he hadn’t changed. “Wow, I can’t believe you came here.”
I scowled. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He stared at me. “What?”
“You said you couldn’t believe I came here. What does that mean?”
“Did I say that?” He stumbled on his feet again.
Nicolas gently guided him out of the way. “He’s obviously drunk.”
Nicolas held the door open for me and I stepped back into the night air. It was a little cooler than when we’d gone in, but still warm. There was something else in the air though.
“Do you feel that?” I asked.
Nicolas looked around and then at me. “Yes, I feel it.”
“It’s magic, isn’t it.”
He nodded.
Normally with a lot of witches in the space right behind us I would have expected to feel magic, but the Cauldron had a ban. Clearly no one would break that ban, right?
Before I had a chance to even think about that I was on the sidewalk, flat on my butt. Something had given me a blow that felt like I’d been shoved by a truck. It had knocked the wind out of me and I had never seen it coming. I looked around in a bit of a daze until I finally realized what had happened. I hadn’t been hit by a car—no, I had been hit by magic. I’d been right when I’d felt the magic in the air. Someone had come after me with a spell.
They’d been too much of a coward to do this face to face. Maybe that was because they knew that my powers weren’t so terrible anymore. The only way they could take me down was to hide under the cover of night.
Nicolas rushed to my side. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and attempted to get up. My legs were still a little shaky. Nicolas grabbed my elbow and helped me to my feet. I brushed off my dress and he handed me my purse that had been knocked out of my hands. I hated to see the look of worry on his face.
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