The Babysitters Coven
Page 28
I woke up still dressed like Laurie Strode, a cardigan pattern embossed into my cheek. I had an Uber notification, alerting me to the fact that Jeffrey had given me a one-star review. I sighed and typed in his promised big tip anyway. Apparently, good customers did not ask their drivers to transport escaped mental patients.
I stood under the hot shower for about seven years. Pig was definitely sleeping in. She opened her eyes just enough to give me a death glare when I tried to nudge her off my laundry. I got dressed in my weekend casual, which was loosely dubbed “No Doubt roadie,” then went downstairs. I hadn’t heard Dad come home, but when I finally stumbled into the kitchen, coffee was made and I could tell he’d been at the crossword for a while, since he’d already rubbed one hole in the paper. He looked like crap, but since I looked like crap too, it certainly wasn’t my place to say anything.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said. “Eight letters across, meaning ‘a lot, by sea.’ ” His casual approach to the events of the night before caught me off guard, but I thought for a second. “Fourth letter t, fifth letter l,” he continued.
“Boatload,” I said. Dad licked the tip of the pencil, like he always did when he was satisfied, and filled the puzzle in.
I poured myself some coffee and sat down, waiting for details of what had happened to Mom the night before—details from the official version—or for Dad to bring up Brian. Instead he kept working on the crossword, slurping his coffee in a way I was sure was louder than necessary. Every once in a while, he even hummed. Finally he put his pencil down, pinching the bridge of his nose and knitting his eyebrows.
“You know, it’s crazy,” he said. “I feel so tired, even though I was in bed by ten last night.” I started to point out that this was most definitely not true, then decided to keep my mouth shut. He looked up at me and smiled. “I guess this is what they call getting old. Enjoy your youth while you can, all you kids and your crazy staying up until midnight.” He chuckled to himself.
“Can I see the paper?” I asked, wanting to see if Brian’s arrest had made the front page.
Dad shot me a look. “What side of the bed did you get up on today?” he asked. Then he made a big show of folding the paper in half and handing it to me dramatically. “Imagine that—my daughter being interested in the news.” I rolled my eyes in response.
There was nothing on the front, so I flipped to each page, scanning from top to bottom, yet still nothing. Brian was practically a celebrity. Football coach was right up there with mayor in Spring River. There was no way news of his arrest wouldn’t get coverage. I folded the paper and pushed it back toward Dad.
My phone dinged with a text from Janis.
U up?
mom wants me and this candy outta the house. I’ll come get u?
Huh. Janis was acting like everything was normal, but I still considered my words carefully before responding.
cool. How you feeling?
crazy night last night
The bubble popped up, then finally filled in.
IDK, maybe for you?
the most exciting thing that happened over here was my bro losing a tooth to a piece of caramel
omw
cool, c u soon
I stared at the phone for a second, and then looked up at Dad, who was now slicing a banana into his cornflakes. I was about to text Cassandra, then got a message from her first.
dion doesn’t remember last night
he’s even dumber than before
Wow. Had the Synod zapped the whole town? It was impressive, and chilling. Dad sat back down, his bowl clinking on the table. “So how was your night last night?” he asked.
“Oh, you know, just another night of babysitting,” I said, adding another pour to my coffee to warm it up. “How exciting can that be, really?”
I grabbed my stuff and went to wait for Janis on the porch, and my phone started buzzing as I was closing the door behind me. It was a local number I didn’t recognize, but I answered it as quickly as I could, thinking, hoping, that maybe it was Mom.
“Hello, Esme?” My heart started to slow at the male voice, then picked up again as soon as I realized what male.
“Brian,” I said. “Don’t worry. Cassandra and I were fine without you. How was jail?”
He groaned. “That place…The aesthetics alone. I mean, there were no aesthetics. But I digress. I’m calling because—”
“You were wrong AF and owe us, like, the world’s hugest, most heartfelt apology?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said, “I was wrong AF, and now I am sorry AF.”
“If that Portal used to be sealed,” I said, “it definitely is not now.”
“Yes, I know,” he said.
I took a deep breath. It wasn’t a question that I wanted to ask, but one I had to ask. And anyway, last night I’d flushed monsters, so I could ask the hard questions. “How much do you know about my mom, Brian?” I said. “Be one hundred percent honest with me.”
He paused for a second. “I only know what the Synod told me.”
“And that is?”
Another pause. “I’m not supposed to tell you. They thought it would be too upsetting to know the truth.”
I groaned. “Well, too late for that. I’m already upset.”
I heard a rustle of nylon through the phone. “There’s no mental illness,” he said finally. “Erebus cursed her. There are ways to remove the curse, but it’s…complicated.”
“I know we have to help her, Brian,” I said. “I have to help her.”
I looked down the street to see Janis rounding the corner.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
“Yep,” I said. I was about to hang up when he said my name again.
“One more thing—the Synod was able to take care of everything from last night, which extends to all of your and Cassandra’s magical activities over the past couple of weeks. All has been reversed.”
I stood on the sidewalk, the impact of that slowly washing over me. “So you mean I did not wreck the driver’s ed car?”
“You did not.”
I let out a little yelp.
“But you know what else that means?”
I swallowed. “I do not.”
“It means I’ll see you in gym. So we really should discuss indepen—”
“Crackle, hiss,” I said into the phone. “You’re breaking up. I think I’m losing service.”
I hung up on him right as Janis’s hubcaps scraped the curb.
Serious shout-outs go to:
Krista Marino, my patron saint of YA dreams coming true. This collaboration was ten years in the making, and I can’t thank you enough for your patience, insight, and sense of humor.
Kerry Sparks, my incredible agent. Thank you for seeing the potential in this book when it was just a rough sketch with a good boner joke, and for helping me clean up puke that one time in Portland.
Regina Flath, for lending your witchy ways to this cover.
The entire team at Delacorte Press—I still can’t believe I can sit with you. It’s such an honor.
Amy, for both your legal and your knitting expertise.
Mojo, for all the reservoir walks and lunch dates. May the gods of freelance forever favor us both.
Daria, our Russian witch, for bringing your care and creativity into our lives, and for attempting to tame the Underbeast.
Carolyn, for being my IRL Janis for the past twenty years, and to Witch Baby and bad 420 parties for bringing us together.
Poppy, for being the coolest big cousin a baby could ever hope to have. Anybody want a waffle cold?
Molly, my ride-or-die. Even if we weren’t sisters, you’d be my best friend.
Joe and Diane, for raising me in a house full of love, laughs,
and books. To say I really lucked out in the parent department is an understatement.
To the Arroyo boys. I love you more than all the stars in the sky and all the waves in the ocean. You’re the reason for it all.
And to Star Luz, we love you always. Shine on.
Kate Williams has written for Seventeen, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Urban Outfitters, Vans, Calvin Klein, and many other brands and magazines. She lives in California, but still calls Kansas home. The Babysitters Coven is her first novel. To read more about her work, go to heykatewilliams.com or follow @heykatewilliams on Twitter or Instagram.
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