by Rose Pressey
“Why do you have eye of newt?” I asked.
“Well, you never know,” she said.
“There are all kinds of bottles of potions in here.”
How was I supposed to find the sparkle bottle? She had everything in here but the kitchen sink. Candy wrappers, used scraps of paper, crackers, etc.
“Is this a pickle?” I asked.
I pulled out the giant individually wrapped snack.
“You never know when you might get a craving for something.”
I quirked an eyebrow and stared at her.
“You or me?” I asked. “I don’t even like pickles.”
“Or ice cream,” she said.
“Okay, you’re not even making since right now,” I said as I shoved the pickleback into her bag. Finally, I spotted the pink sparkle and pulled out the bottle.
“Got it, now what?” I asked.
“I’ll recite the words and you toss the sparkle.”
My mother spoke the words as she drove. I was pretty sure this wasn’t the way that magic spells were supposed to be cast.
“Okay, now toss the sprinkles around the back of the car and that should make us invisible to them.”
“Where did you learn to do spells like this?” I asked as I sprinkled the sparkles around the back of the car.
The sprinkles immediately began to glow as they danced through the air. Annabelle laughed as we watched the magical animated dust shimmer and sparkle. It was almost hypnotizing.
“Oh, I have my ways,” my mother said.
Annabelle tossed her hands up. “Don’t put that stuff on me.”
“Oh, it won’t get you, honey, just the car. It won’t work on humans,” my mother said.
Except it did work on Annabelle. Right before my eyes Annabelle became invisible. Slowly her legs disappeared and then her torso. Next thing I knew, poof… the rest of her was gone.
I screamed out, “Annabelle, where are you?”
“Very funny, Hallie, I’m right here.”
“Oh, dear,” my mother said, looking in the rear-view mirror.
“You messed up the spell,” I said.
“What happened? What do you mean she messed up the spell?” Annabelle leaned forward from the backseat and looked in the rear-view mirror. She screamed. “Oh, my God. I can’t see myself. Where am I?”
“What did you do, Hallie?” my mother glanced in the rear-view mirror.
I stared at the bottle. “It’s your magic dust. Why do you assume I did something?”
My mother frowned.
“Okay, so I messed up somehow. You shouldn’t have let me touch it.”
“You have to do something. I don’t want to be invisible.” Annabelle’s voice was a high pitched screech.
"Don’t panic. The spell will wear off in just a few minutes and you’ll be back to normal,” my mother said. “It’s not even supposed to work on people.”
The last sentence she said under her breath.
“I sure hope you’re right,” Annabelle said.
“Me too.” I stared at Annabelle.
Surprisingly, after a few minutes Annabelle was back to normal. That was a relief. One less thing to panic about.
My mother steered around the curve practically on two wheels. We managed to lose sight of the black sedan for a moment and I released my pent-up breath. Up ahead was what looked like a driveway. It was almost covered from the overgrowth of trees.
I pointed. “Take a right on that drive. Maybe we can hide from them.”
It couldn’t be any worse than it was right now, right? My mother whipped the car down the gravel road with dust kicking up under the tires as she sped along. I hoped this didn’t end in a swamp. Annabelle was looking out the rear-view mirror for the sedan. Trees surrounded us on both sides of the road, making visibility difficult.
It looked as if this road went on forever, stretching out in front of us endlessly. The further we traveled, the narrower the road became. If we met another car coming from the opposite direction it would probably end in a crash.
That was when I spotted the old rundown-looking house up ahead. It looked as if it might fall in soon.
“Look, there’s a house. Maybe we could hide the car behind there and they wouldn’t find us. It doesn’t look like they’re going to come down this way.”
“Surely we won’t get away from them that easily, will we?” my mother asked.
“Usually, nothing is ever that easy,” Annabelle said.
My mother slowed down as we made it closer to the house.
“What should we do now?” my mother asked. “I don’t know if the road ends soon. I’d rather not keep going.”
We were almost in front of the house now.
“Yeah, I guess we can stop here, but drive around to the back of the house.”
The gravel led around to the back of the dilapidated structure. My mother pulled the car around back and stopped.
“We can wait here a while. Surely they won’t keep looking for us for long,” I said.
Although I had no idea how Monique had known I was headed this way to begin with. It was like she knew my every move before I even made it. If that was the case, then I expected her to show up here any time now. My mother shoved the car into park and cut the engine.
“I hope no one really does live here,” she said, peering up at the house. “They probably won’t like that we’re doing this.”
“They might make us stick around and clean up this place,” Annabelle said.
That was probably Annabelle’s wishful thinking. She was a complete neat freak and no doubt she wanted to clean the place.
Chapter 11
As we sat there, I felt eyes on us. When I looked at the back of the house, a man was standing in the doorway. He had a rifle in one hand. He had little hair left on his head. What remained had turned gray. He wore jeans with holes in them and a red flannel shirt. He was small in stature and I’d guess we might be the same height at five foot two.
“Looks like we have company,” I said.
Annabelle gasped.
My mother said, “Oh, dear.”
He opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. We had to choose between being shot by him or what Monique might do to us if we came out of hiding. This was a no-win situation. It didn’t look like we had time to get away from him anyway.
The man came up to the car and I rolled down the window. He motioned with the gun. “Get out now.”
We opened the car doors at the same time and stepped outside. Our hands were stretched up high pointing toward the sky.
“Please don’t let him shoot us. Please don’t let him shoot us,” Annabelle said under her breath.
“Just what exactly do you think you’re doing on my property?” he asked with a coarse voice.
My mother and Annabelle had stayed back a couple of steps. I guessed that meant I was the designated official spokesperson for our group. I supposed since I was the one who’d gotten us in this mess in the first place it was only appropriate.
With my hands still in the air, I explained, “We’re lost.”
Based upon his furrowed brow and narrowed dark eyes, I figured he didn’t believe my explanation or he didn’t really care. I wasn’t sure which.
“It clearly states there’s no trespassing. Can’t you read?” he asked, pointing toward the sign stuck to the rotted tree trunk.
Again, this was a no-win situation. It was a trick question. If I said no, then he would probably shoot me for being dumb.
“Okay, I’ll be honest with you. There was someone chasing us and we came back here to hide.”
“My nosy neighbors,” he mumbled.
I glanced at my mother and Annabelle. If he wanted to believe that then I would let him. It was probably too hard to explain otherwise. Just then the rain started pounding us. It was coming down with a vengeance.
“Why didn’t you say they were bothering you in the first place?” he said. “You need to come on in. Get out of the rain
and away from those wackos.”
What had his neighbors done? I was afraid to even find out. I wasn’t so sure we should go in his house, but what other choice did we have?
The man had the gun pointed kind of in our direction, but not quite as bad as before. He ushered us inside the old house. I was still afraid I would fall through the floor with each step. As we stepped through the door I scanned my surroundings. The place was full of a lot of stuff. Old furniture, newspapers, and just a lot of junk in general. Cobwebs filled in the corners of the room. Annabelle was looking around, probably for a broom and mop. She was already fidgeting and I noticed her straightening a stack of books on the table next to her. The man rushed past us toward the front door. He eased back the dirty old curtain and peeked outside.
“I can keep an eye out for you, ladies. In case the neighbors show up,” he said.
I had news for him. We were not planning on staying around for long. There would be no need for him to stand guard.
“Thanks,” I said halfheartedly.
“Would you like something to snack on? Maybe some pork rinds? I got some beer,” he said, gesturing toward the tiny kitchen.
“What a nice host,” my mother said with complete sincerity.
Sure, the sentiment was sweet, but the calorie count on the refreshments offered was out of control.
“As appetizing as that sounds, no, thank you,” I said.
“I am kind of thirsty,” my mother whispered.
I glared at her. “We really should be going. They’re probably gone by now since they didn’t find us.”
I wasn’t sure that I was convinced of that, and I was a little torn on whether we really should leave yet or not. I needed my magic back now. What if I gave it one more shot? Maybe I could clear a path for us to get out of here. A force field of sorts that would protect us all the way back to Enchantment Pointe. Since I figured I wouldn’t be able to get through to the New Orleans Coven we would probably be headed right back home.
Without my mother’s or Annabelle’s knowledge, I recited the words under my breath and waved my arms, focusing on the spell. Instantly, a big plume of smoke appeared and then flames ignited on the man’s living room floor. Annabelle and my mother screamed out. I panicked slightly, looking around for something to put out the flames.
“Do you have a fire extinguisher?” I asked.
My mother looked at me as if to say, “Yeah right.”
“What the…” He grabbed a blanket from the back of the recliner and tossed it over the fire.
The man stomped out the flames. My mother glared at me. Well, I guessed it was a glare since it was really hard to tell without her eyebrows for guidance. I had a feeling she knew what had started that fire.
“Is there any damage?” I asked, stepping closer to the spot on the floor.
He picked up the blanket. “Nope, it looks to be fine, but I don’t know what caused that.”
“Yeah, I wonder,” my mother said.
Well, at least now I knew that my magic was in fact gone. There was no denying it after that.
The man picked up the blanket and then grabbed his rifle again. The man ran back over to the front windows. “I thought I heard a noise,”’ he said. “It sounded like a car.”
We ran over and joined in beside him at the window. I pulled back the dirty old curtain that was full of holes. I could’ve just looked out one of the holes instead of moving the fabric back. I didn’t see another vehicle and I was beginning to think that possibly we had outsmarted Monique. That seemed unlikely, considering the number of them against us. Maybe it was time for us to leave.
“You were trying to cast a spell?” he asked. “It’s okay. I know. You’re not trying to hurt me, are you?”
He eyed his gun. I held my hands up in the air once again.
“No, of course not. I was trying a spell that would keep… the neighbors from getting us.”
He moved across the room to an old trunk. Did he have another weapon in there?
“I have just the thing for you. I found it years ago. Actually, I didn’t so much find it as this woman left it for me.”
He rummaged around in there for a moment and then pulled out an old book. He turned around and stretched the dusty and worn tome out toward me.
“You need this.”
I looked down at the book and then up at him. “What is it?”
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “A woman years ago gave the book to me. She said I would know when to use it. Up until now I never knew what she meant, but I get the feeling now that it’s meant for you.”
My hands tingled as soon as I touched the book. It was familiar and reminded me of the spellbook. The brown leather cover looked and felt the same. The raised texture along with the gold scroll patterns and intricate symbols made me feel as if I was holding the Book of Mystics. When I flipped the cover the pages were empty. Was this like the spellbook? I hadn’t been able to read it at first either. What was I supposed to do with it?
“You want me to have it?” I asked.
“I have no use for it,” he said.
“I couldn’t possibly take your book.” I pushed the book toward him.
He waved his hands. “No, you have to take it.”
My mom nudged me in the side. “Take the book, Halloween.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you are in my house, so I guess I’ll go ahead,” he said. “Who are you?”
“My name is Halloween LaVeau. I used to be the leader of the Underworld and now the new leader is looking for me.”
“Not my neighbors?” he asked.
“I don’t know who your neighbors are,” I said.
“If the leader’s looking for you then what did you do wrong? Maybe I shouldn’t have you in my house after all.” He eyed me up and down.
My mother placed her hands on her hips. “She’s the best leader the Underworld ever had and this new leader stole the spellbook from her.”
His eyes widened. “Really? I know what you need to do,” he said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You should make your own spells.”
“I already cast my own spells. They just don’t work. I’m bad at magic. I’m a bad witch,” I said.
“No, you should write new spells in the book I just gave you.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
He ran his hand through his hair. “I suppose you’ll figure out what to do with it. You write down your spells and I bet you they’ll work.”
I laughed and closed the cover. “I doubt that.”
“Well, if you’re Negative Nancy, then they definitely won’t work,” my mother said.
I clutched the book to my chest. “Thank you very much.”
He smiled with pride. “You’re welcome.”
Why would a woman leave this book with him? And why had she told him he would need it? Whatever the reason, it looked as if this book was mine now. He'd insisted, right? Maybe I would figure out what it meant and who had given it to him.
“My name is Raleigh,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Nice to meet you, Raleigh,” I said.
If we didn’t leave now, he might not ever let us out of there. When I caught Annabelle and my mother’s attention, I motioned with a tilt of my head toward the back door. He was still peering out the window and hadn’t even realized that we were almost to the back door. It looked like we were going to be able to slip out without him even realizing. Annabelle and my mother reached the door first. I was only a few steps away. That was when I turned back to look at him and bumped right into the chair. So close and yet so far.
He had so much sitting around, it was hard not to hit something. He whipped around and realized that we weren’t standing beside him anymore. The instant look on his face made me feel guilty. Like we should stay for dinner or something. I hated to think what he would offer for dinner with pork rinds as the afternoon snack.
“Where are you going?” Raleigh
asked as he closed the distance between us. At least he wasn’t pointing the gun at us anymore. “I don’t think it’s safe out there yet.”
“What is it about the neighbors?”
“It’s the woman mostly. She’s not nice,” he said.
“Where is the house? I asked.
He frowned. “I’m not sure. I just see them walking by here from time to time. They claim to live nearby.”
“Is there any houses nearby?” I asked.
“Not that I know about,” he said.
I waved my hand. “Oh, I think they’re gone now.”
Annabelle opened the door and stepped outside. My mother followed her. Great. Now they had left me alone in here.
“Thanks for helping us,” I said as I walked backward out of the house.
“Be safe.” Raleigh waved.
We hurried over to the car and jumped in. He waved as we backed up and headed out of there.
“Do you really think it’s safe to go back out there on the road?” Annabelle asked.
“It was that or have a sleepover at his house.”
“Hmm. I can’t decide which is worse.”
Soon we had made it back out to the gravel road. We paused at the end of the road. Luckily, no one was there waiting for us. Though I had no idea what would happen once we pulled out onto the road. I looked around to see if I spotted the woman he talked about. It didn’t look as if anyone would just be walking by this isolated place. It wasn’t like there were sidewalks or any kind of walking path. This place was remote and out of the way.
“Should I go now?” my mother asked.
I looked to the left and then to the right. “Sure, go now.”
We had to chance it. Monique couldn’t wait around for us all evening, right? She had other things to do, like being the leader of the entire Underworld. Why worry about me? My mother pulled out onto the road and then punched the gas.
“I hope we get out of here,” Annabelle said.
We made it to the main road and no cars were there. Where had they gone? Just then a car went by, but it was red and definitely not them. It seemed impossible that we had lost them. Where had they gone?
“I can’t believe they aren’t here. It almost seems like a setup. They could be hiding somewhere,” my mother said.
