by Cassandra
Jessica huffed but said no more. She knew there was no use in arguing against her grandmother, no matter how badly she wanted to go with Chad and Roger.
Chapter Twelve
For the second night in a row, Jessica found herself spending the night at her grandmother’s house. This time, however, she accepted that it probably wasn’t wise to constantly ignore her parents’ calls and texts. If she wanted to prove that she was growing up and shouldn’t be treated like a child anymore, she was going to have to learn to fight her own battles. It wouldn’t pay to allow her grandma to take care of all her disputes for her.
She sat in the guest room after she’d finished her homework and reluctantly pulled her phone out and called home.
Her father answered after the first ring. “Jessica!”
“Hi, Dad.”
Even over the phone, she could hear his exasperated breathing. She could imagine him perfectly, sitting at the kitchen table with his eyes closed as he massaged his temple with one hand while he clutched the phone in the other. And her mother was no doubt right beside him, glaring at the phone while she muttered incessantly.
“Jessica, we are trying to be so patient with you, but—”
“I know, Dad,” she interrupted and cut off his oncoming lecture. “But it’s not my fault, I swear. There was…” She paused for a moment and sighed before she forced the words out. “Look, there was an imp in the house.”
“A who?”
“An imp. A little ugly troll-like flying fairy thing. Some low-level demon-wannabe.”
“Are you serious about this right now?”
“Yes, Dad. I am. Because it’s true. Fortunately, I called Chad and Roger. They brought me back to Grandma Ethel’s house so that she could help me. That thing—I killed it. Chad got rid of the body.”
“You killed—”
“The thing attacked me, Dad! I had no choice. It was in self-defense. I smacked it a few times with my history book, and knocked it out, and it stopped moving. That’s when I called Chad. That thing flooded the bathroom, not me. According to Chad, imps are troublemakers.”
Mark hesitated. “Hold on.”
Moments later, Theresa’s voice spoke on the other side of the line. Jessica assumed the imp talk was too much for her father, and he thought her mother would be better equipped to hear it. After all, the magic gene ran on her side of the family.
“Jessica? What is it?” Theresa snapped. “Explain yourself.”
“Mom, an imp was sent to the house by some girls at my school. It flooded the bathroom and attacked me, and I had to fight it off in self-defense. I called Chad and Roger, and now I’m back at Grandma Ethel’s. She said she’d call you soon to—” Jessica paused, suddenly reluctant to tell her mother that her grandmother had blamed the whole situation on her. That was something the old lady would have to relay on her own.
Jessica cleared her throat. “Grandma will call to tell you more about it.”
Her mother was so quiet on the other end that for a second, she thought she had hung up on her.
“Are you all right?” she asked after a long pause.
“I’m fine, Mom,” she said wearily. “Grandma has given me a…a voodoo doll. For imps, I mean. So I won’t be in danger next time around. But hopefully, there is no next time.”
Theresa sighed heavily. “Well, as long as your grandmother has everything under control. Where is she now?”
“Downstairs. I think she said she’s about to have company soon.”
“Oh, dear God—she’s not making you go to a coven meeting already, is she? It’s too soon.”
“No, I don’t think it’s a coven meeting.” Jessica chewed her bottom lip and hoped she was right and that it wasn’t one. In that was the case, she actually agreed with her mother. It was too soon for her to be included in something like that.
Hypocrite, much? Jessica thought to herself. How could she be so angry that Chad and Roger refused to take her along on their demon-hunt yet she too nervous to be included in a coven meeting? She didn’t even make sense to herself sometimes.
Sighing, she prepared to tell her mother goodnight, but Theresa spoke first.
“I really am sorry about all of this, Jess,” she lamented. “I can see now that I really should have told you about this stuff sooner. I can’t imagine how you must feel, having all of this sprung on you so suddenly. I feel like I’ve failed you. But I… I wanted you to have a normal life, that’s all.”
“Mom,” Jessica said surprised at the emotion that choked her. “You haven’t failed me. I get it. I really do. This is a lot to take in but I know that you only wanted me to be normal.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
She held the phone for a while longer after her mother had hung up. When she finally set the device down, she realized that Grace stood in the doorway.
“What?” she asked. She tried to ignore how strange it felt to talk to a cat and actually expect a response.
“If you are finished with your homework, come downstairs.” Grace’s voice drifted to the girl’s mind. The cat turned and slunk down the hall and out of sight.
Jessica could hear Grandma Ethel shuffle around downstairs in preparation for her guests. She made her way down and found her grandmother in the kitchen, placing the tea kettle on the stove and packing a tray full of cookies.
“Grandma, can’t you snap your fingers and have all of this stuff set up?”
The old lady raised her eyebrow. “Oh, so you think that because I’m a witch, I’m lazy and take the shortcut all the time?”
“No! I’m not saying that. I’m only saying…” Her voice trailed off because she no longer knew what she was trying to say.
“I refuse to turn into a fat, sloppy witch who won’t even bend down to change her own drawers. Besides, I need to move around and do housework every now and then. How else will I keep my girlish figure?” Ethel placed her hand on her hips and did a little wiggle.
Jessica laughed. “Okay, I see your point. Can I help you with anything?”
The doorbell rang. “You sure can. Go answer the door. The ladies are here. You’ll join us this evening, right?”
She pressed her lips together and knew this had to be a trick question. There was no way Grandma Ethel would let her stay holed up in the guest bedroom all evening. “Do I really have a choice?”
“Of course not.” Her grandmother chuckled. “Now, go get the door.”
Jessica hurried to the front of the house and stepped over several cats along the way. When she pulled the front door open, a gang of old ladies stood on the front porch. All of them carried bags of knitting supplies.
She groaned inwardly and knew it would be a long evening. Already, she tried to calculate in her head how long she would have to sit around and watch a bunch of old women knit before she could excuse herself. She could feign that she was tired and needed to rest for school the next day.
“Why, hello there, young lady,” the one closest to the door greeted her.
Jessica forced a wide smile. “Hi, everyone. Come on in. My grandma will be with you all in a second.”
She stepped aside to allow the old ladies to enter the house. One by one, they smiled and passed through the doorway. Some of them paused to pinch her cheeks or her nose along the way. By the time they had all entered, Jessica’s eyes teared from the pinches she had endured, and she fought the urge to cough from all the perfume they wore.
“Hello, ladies!” her grandmother’s cheerful voice said as Jessica closed the front door.
When she walked into the living room, the women were all hugging and greeting her grandma, their voices loud, shrill, and excited.
Somewhere off to the side, Jessica heard laughter. She turned her head and exchanged a glance with Grace the cat.
“I’m sure you’ll be entertained,” the cat purred.
Jessica huffed in response.
“So, Ethel, do we have a new initiate in our group
?” One of the women turned to Jessica and grinning widely. In a moment, the rest followed suit.
Ethel grinned in response. “I’m not sure she’s a new initiate, but she will join us this evening. Everyone, this is my granddaughter, Jessica.”
“Noooo!” someone screeched. “Not little Jessica? You mean the baby girl who used to run around here in her underpants, doing cartwheels and dancing to the music videos on the MTV station?”
Jessica tried hard not to groan.
“Yes,” Ethel announced proudly. “The one and only.”
“Why, she’s all grown up now.”
She stood there awkwardly as the old ladies gawked and marveled over how much she had grown. Honestly, she didn’t think she would ever understand why old people were always so surprised when kids grew up.
Despite the awkwardness, she tried hard to pay attention as her grandmother introduced all her friends by name, but the only name she managed to remember was Sharyl. She had been the one to almost pinch Jessica’s entire nose off. Unfortunately, she also happened to be the loudest and most vocal of the women.
“So, Ethel, why do we have the pleasure of this young beauty in our midst?” Sharyl asked. “Will she donate a pint of blood for the youth fountain spell we’re working on?”
Jessica’s eyes bulged in near horror. She turned her gaze to her grandmother to silently ask if she had heard correctly.
Ethel, along with all the other women, fell unnaturally silent. Suddenly, they all burst into simultaneous laughter.
“Oh, relax, Jessica!” Grandma Ethel giggled.
“I’m teasing, honey. Those youth spells don’t work. So enjoy it while you still have it,” Sharyl advised and pinched Jessica’s nose yet again.
“You ladies, sit down and make yourselves at home,” Grandma Ethel instructed as she headed toward the kitchen. When Jessica moved to follow her, she waved her away. “You sit down too.”
Reluctantly, she sat on the couch and was quickly sandwiched between two old women whose names she had already forgotten. She drummed her fingers on her knee while she tried to keep her expression polite, although she wanted nothing more than to dash upstairs and retire for the night.
The women pulled their knitting supplies from their bags and chatted amongst themselves.
Grace sat in the middle of the floor and her tail swished. The girl had a feeling that the cat had a good laugh at her expense. Perhaps she knew that as far as Jessica was concerned, it would have been more entertaining to watch paint dry than watch old women knit.
Grandma Ethel returned with the tea kettle and the tray of cookies, which she set on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She smirked at Jessica, her expression as mocking as Grace’s. “Jessica, darling,” she cooed, “don’t be shy. Dig in. Get yourself some yarn and a cup of tea.”
Though it was something she wouldn’t normally do, Jessica practically glared daggers at her grandmother. In return, the old woman laughed heartily, pulled up a chair, and joined her friends.
“What I wouldn’t give to be your age again,” one of the old ladies declared and stared fondly at Jessica. “What are you? About sixteen?”
“Seventeen.”
The old women gave a collective sigh.
Sharyl leaned in and wiggled her eyebrows. “Got a boyfriend?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Um…no…”
“Why not?” Sharyl exclaimed. “A pretty girl like you? There must be plenty of boys willing to play the role. Why, when I was your age—”
“Oh, this is a whole new generation, Sharyl,” Grandma Ethel interjected. Jessica shot her an appreciative nod. “Girls wait longer these days. She’ll go out into the world and be an independent woman before she worries about husbands, babies, and divorces.”
“I suppose you’re right,” the other woman admitted. “These new young women are a lot different than we were back in the day, aren’t they?”
“That’s not a bad thing,” another commented. “Imagine being young again and not engaged yet. No obligations. Absolute freedom. I envy you girls growing up in this day and age.”
“So, what does a young girl like yourself do for fun?” one of the ladies asked Jessica.
She shrugged. “I’m ashamed to say that my life hasn’t really been that exciting. I mainly go to school.”
“Not that exciting?” Grandma Ethel raised an eyebrow. She cleared her throat, straightened her back, and held her head up high. “I’ll have you all know that my granddaughter fought and killed an imp all on her own. With no formal training.”
Jessica gaped at her grandmother. Had she really said that out loud? Startled, she glanced around at the other women.
To her surprise, all of them gaped at her.
“Jessica, honey, all these women are like me,” Grandma Ethel confided with a wink. “They know what an imp is.”
Her mouth moved wordlessly. She glanced at the women again and saw them all in a whole new light.
Oh, my God, this is some kind of coven meeting.
“That is impressive,” Sharyl commented and paused her knitting. “But then again, Ethel has always been one of the brightest witches around. It should be no surprise to anyone that she’d have an exceptional granddaughter.”
“Very true,” another agreed. “But who sent an imp after you, sweetheart?”
She looked at her grandmother.
The old lady nodded. “It’s all right. You can tell them what’s going on.”
Jessica took a deep breath, not exactly pleased to have the spotlight on her but grateful that the discussion had shifted away from why she didn’t have a boyfriend. “Well,” she began, “I’ve had trouble with girls at my school.”
“So I guess some things never do change. Schools are still filled with bratty girls, eh?” one of the ladies lamented.
She nodded. “Yes. And these three in particular… Well, they like to give me a hard time because…” Her voice trailed off.
Ethel smirked. “They like to make fun of me. They tell everyone at the school that Jessica’s grandma is a witch.” She winked. “The nerve of them.”
The ladies laughed again. “Those poor girls don’t know who they’re messing with, do they?” asked Sharyl.
“Well, now that you’ve told us about them, they’ll really be in for it! Right, gals?” another woman announced. She looked a lot like Sharyl, and Jessica had a feeling they were probably sisters.
Carol. Was that her name?
“Let’s see,” mused yet another. “What can we do to get back at them?”
“I offered to teach Jessica a spell that would make them puke worms, but she declined. My granddaughter—a noble girl, she is. She gets it from her mother, not me.”
The women laughed again, and this time, Jessica joined in. Although she would never have expected to, she began to feel more relaxed around the women. Somehow, they successfully managed to ease the stress she’d felt ever since the imp attack.
“I’m sure those girls will get what’s coming to them in due time,” she ventured. “We have some hunters from Seventh Coven who have infiltrated the school. Right, Grandma? I’m not sure what they’re investigating, but I trust they know what they’re doing.”
“That’s right,” Ethel agreed. She resumed her knitting. “Two handsome young men are keeping watch on the school to find out what that mystery coven is up to. And keeping an eye out for Jessica too. I think these guys are fairly good at what they do. One is a top-notch demon hunter, if I do say so myself.”
One of the women nudged Jessica. “Two handsome lads looking after you, eh? That could end up working in your favor.”
Jessica grimaced and shook her head. “No. It’s not like that at all. I haven’t known them long, but they already feel like family.”
“Ahh. Well, that’s too bad. Don’t worry, though. There will be others.”
“Back to these girls, though.” Sharyl leaned forward again. “I know a funny little spell that’ll give them crabs. How abo
ut it? Betcha they won’t like the rumors that spread about them after that.”
Jessica almost choked, even though there was nothing in her mouth.
“Oh, that’s a good one!” one of the other women piped up. “That’ll teach them not to go around sending imps to people. Nasty little buggers.”
“Or we can knit something infused with an itching spell. Jessica, you take it to school and pretend to make nice with them. Give it to them as a peace offering!”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “No, thank you. I doubt a peace offering from me would be believable.”
“Oh well.” She sighed. “I tried.”
Her grandmother stood. “All right, ladies, we’re here for a good time, not only revenge talk. How about some music to brighten the mood?”
“Good idea, Ethel!” one of the ladies exclaimed. The others murmured their agreement.
Ethel waved her hand around in an elaborate gesture and music suddenly seemed to come from the house’s walls. The old ladies rocked in their seats and hummed along happily as they knitted. A few of them even got up to dance.
Sharyl, on the other hand, grimaced. “Ugggh! Another station, Ethel. Please.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I ought to use Betty’s idea of knitting something infused with an itching spell and send it to the assholes like him in the world.”
“Like who?”
“Like this fella singing this mess you’ve got us listening to.”
“Oh, Sharyl—what is this vendetta you have against men? Here you are pestering Jessica about needing a boyfriend, yet you think all men are assholes.”
“At her age, they’re not assholes yet. And besides, I don’t think all men are assholes. I simply hate these rock stars who sing country music.”
At that, Jessica laughed harder than she’d laughed in a long time.
Chapter Thirteen
“Does everything look like it’s back in place?” Debbie asked nervously and glanced around the attic. She, Patricia, and Marie had spent the better part of the past hour in their efforts to make sure everything was back in order after the havoc the imp had caused.
