“Sure,” I said. Hayden groaned.
We left her office. A door slammed ahead and a girl about ten entered the hallway. She saw us and stopped.
“Jorja, are you supposed to be painting, or skipping in the hallway?” Marguerite asked, her voice firm but kind.
“But I’m done, Ms. Marguerite. See?” She whipped a canvas from behind her and showed it off. It was a watercolor of a flower garden.
“It is beautiful,” Marguerite said. “Didn’t I tell you how precious and talented you are?”
“Yes you did. Can I go to the dining room for a snack?”
“Of course, dear.” Marguerite patted her arm. “I hope that beautiful painting will sit in my office.”
Jorja laughed. “No, it’s for the competition, but you can keep it afterwards.” Then she looked at me. “You are Celestia.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ve seen your picture in Ms. Marguerite’s office, and you draw just like me.”
“Run along and see the cook, sweetheart, then head to the lounge room. No eating in your room. Ask the cook to give you milk, too.”
“I will, Ms. Marguerite.”
I couldn’t explain my reaction, but watching her interact with that little girl filled me with resentment. Why couldn’t she love me like that when I was a little? She took us to the foyer and stopped. The place was deserted, except for Paula and her partner at the information desk.
“I’ll come and see you,” Marguerite said. “This is not a nice place to visit, so promise me you won’t come back.” I nodded. “Good girl. I’m happy you came to see me.” She hugged me again, then turned and hurried away. I blew out a breath and relaxed. I’d been tense since she hugged me.
Paula came around her desk and watched her until she disappeared around a bend. “Come with me.” She started toward the same hallway, but we didn’t move. She glanced back. “You used an outside portal to get here. If you create one out there, Mortals could see you. Come this way before someone sees us.”
We hurried after down a short hallway. Voices came from ahead. She cursed.
“In here.” She pushed open a door and ushered us inside.
I covered both Hayden and me with the cloak and listened, as the voices grew closer. We waited until they faded, then Paula led the way out of the room. We continued down the hallway, until she reached another door and opened it. She indicated we enter too. She turned on the lights. It was a large broom closet with cleaning paraphernalia on the shelves and the floor.
“There are few rooms in this place that are not protected by runes. This is one of them. Open a portal and go. She was right about one thing. This is no place for a normal person to visit, so never come back. These girls cannot be trusted.”
Hayden pulled out her artavus and got busy, but I studied Paula. “Why are you telling us this?”
“Just go.”
The portal opened into my bedroom. Hayden practically dragged me through.
“Why?” I asked from the other end of the portal.
“Because things are not what they seem here. You can’t trust anyone here, including her.” The portal closed.
CHAPTER 4. SOME ANSWERS
CELESTIA
“I knew your mother was fake,” Hayden said.
“First, she’s not my mother.” I threw my cloak on the bed, grabbed my laptop, and booted it up. “And second, I want to know more about that place.”
“Why?”
“To learn more about the residents. Like Paula said, they are dangerous. Anne Marie could have come from there and she’s living in Eirik’s home.” I was all about protecting Eirik. This new Marguerite worried me more than the old one. I’d known where I stood with the old one. She was poison. Mean. Borderline evil. Her Mother-of-the-Year routine was too smooth, too Jekyll and Hyde for me. What did she want?
I started an online search for SH, my innate urge to go against her wishes kicking in. That urge was like an itch. Got me in a lot of trouble with her when I was young.
“If SH has a website, they might have something on them.” And her too.
“Or you could just ask Mom.”
Like I could ever believe anything Tammy Ferrand said again. My mother destroyed my ability to trust people. To forgive people after they broke my trust was foreign to me. Tammy would have to do a whole lot more than talk before I could ever believe anything she said.
“I wish you’d talk to her, Celestia,” Hayden continued. “I know you have every reason not to trust her. Even I’m learning to trust her again after the things she kept from me.” She sighed when I continued to ignore her.
“Do you remember the drawings in her office?” I asked instead.
Hayden sighed, and I knew she was frustrated by my refusal to give her mother a chance. She didn’t understand. Actually, she should understand. She had to hide what she was from me for years because she didn’t know whom to trust.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I don’t understand how she got them, especially the ones I drew after she left.”
Hayden frowned. “Do you think she went through your garbage can to find them?”
I laughed. “I swear you have an evil mind.”
“Nah, too many detective movies. But you have to admit it’s creepy. Three weeks ago she hated your guts and called you the harbinger of death. Now she wants to drink lemonade and has your sketches on her wall. What is she planning? And if Anne Marie is working for her, what is their end game? Is she there to hurt Eirik or you? Tell him your suspicions and let him deal with them.”
I rolled my eyes. “I used to help Dad solve crime before I met Eirik, missy. I don’t need him holding my hand to solve this puzzle. He went through so much to find his sister, and he would be devastated if she is not real. This is the least I can do for him. Find answers.”
“Fine, there’s no point in talking to you once you make up your mind.” She started for the door. “I’m going to find something to eat. And FYI, it’s the least we can do for him. I owe him, too, for finding my mother.”
I tried different search engines, but I still couldn’t find Serenity House. I checked listings under retirement homes, health spas, nursing homes, and even psych wards, and came up blank. Frustrated, I grabbed my keys and left my room. Hayden’s head was inside the fridge when I found her in the kitchen.
“You have no food,” she said, closing the door.
“I haven’t shopped yet, I promised Dad I would this weekend. There are cold cuts in the drawer.” I laughed when she made a face. “Come on, I’ll buy you a chai latte and scones.”
“Now we’re talking.” She followed me outside. The second she sat in the car, her smile disappeared. “Where are we really going?”
“Starbucks, then my dad’s office.”
“Do I need to ask why?”
“To talk to officer Davies or Sullivan. I’ll keep Dad busy while you find out where they took Marguerite when she came to your store. Either she has a home here in town or she was staying with someone. She could still be living right here under our noses and using a portal to work.”
“Why do you want to know where she lives?”
“To talk to her neighbors. They could tell us if a girl fitting Anne Marie’s description lived with her until a month ago.”
“That actually makes sense.”
“Thank you.”
“Tell me about Vanaheim while we drive. I need something to remove the image of your mother being nice from my mind.”
I talked and answered her questions. She wanted details about everything. “You should try the meads in Vanaheim. They are fruity and taste so good. Because I drank too much in Ironwood, Eirik wouldn’t let me take more than a sip.”
“You were wasted?”
“A little. Their mead is potent. I met cute wolf cubs in Jötunheim. You’re going to love them. The little girl is so cute.” I didn’t tell her about healing her cut.
We pulled up outside our favorite coffee shop. We
got two refreshers—Cool Lime for me and Strawberry Acai for Hayden. I got Dad a mocha Frappuccino and scones before heading to the police station.
“Are you sure about this?” Hayden asked as we pulled into the parking lot.
I turned off the engine and stared at the gray and white Windfall Police Department building. It used to be an ugly tan color before Hurricane Katrina.
Hayden waved a hand in front of my face. “Earth to Celestia?”
I caught her wrist. “Yes. I heard you, and no, I’m not sure. But I have no choice.”
I grabbed the Starbucks cup and the box of Dad’s favorite scones and left the car. Hayden followed. A young officer was on duty and flashed us a beaming smile, his eyes lingering on Hayden. I didn’t recognize him.
“We are here to see—”
“The chief,” he finished. “I recognized you from the pictures on his desk. Nice T-shirt.”
I glanced down and smiled. The pithy Witch expressions on my printed tees always acted as an icebreaker. “Thanks. Can we see him?” I asked, and he dragged his eyes from Hayden to answer.
“Sure. Go right in. And you are?” he asked, his focus back on Hayden. A man acting stupid around her was nothing new.
“A friend of the family,” was all she said, and he started scratching himself as though he was covered in poison ivy.
“You put a whammy on him, didn’t you?”
“Yep. That’s what he gets for stripping me with his eyes.”
I laughed. “I would have made him strip and run down the street naked. You are too nice.” We reached the common room, where the officers’ desks were. “Sullivan’s out, but Davies is around. I can always tell by their desks—coffee and half-eaten donuts. Davies is probably in the break room.” Hayden nodded and started across the room. I watched officers look up to stare at her as she passed their desks, then duck their heads when she looked at them. Jeez. Some of them were old enough to be her grandfather.
“Howdy, Miss Celestia,” Officer Martinez said as I passed his desk. “You brought us a case?”
“Not today.” I answered a variation of the same question all the way to Dad’s office. Whenever I used to come to the station, it was always after I’d been in a trance and witnessed a crime. Sometimes I helped them solve a case and other times I stopped it.
Dad must have seen me coming because he opened the door before I reached it. A chuckle escaped him when he saw the box.
“Hey, kiddo. I hope that’s for me,” he said, grinning.
“It is, and before you ask, I didn’t have a vision and I’m not here on a case.” I showed him the cup of coffee.
He accepted the bribes, put them down on his desk, and surprised me with a hug. “I was sure you were going somewhere today,” he said from somewhere above my head. “Or should I not ask?”
“We did go, but I came home early.”
He waved me to a chair. Instead of sitting, he opened the box, removed a blueberry scone, and bit half of it off.
Dad had never been a hugger, but that changed after he almost lost me three times. That was how he saw the three incidents that had rendered me unconscious since I met Eirik. I was still surprised he’d not decided Eirik was bad for me. Maybe it was the visit to Hel, which we hadn’t discussed yet, or the fact that he never saw my last injuries. If he’d seen my injuries before Eirik healed me, he would have lost it.
“Not that I don’t mind the scones and the coffee, but to what do I owe this visit?”
“Can’t I visit you without an ulterior motive? I wasn’t exactly around for three weeks.”
“You are right, sweetheart.” He knew I was lying, but chose not to pursue it. He walked around the desk, took his seat, and leaned back as he munched on the scone. He hummed while I grinned. It was nice to see him so relaxed. “Do you think you’ll be ready to go back to school on Monday?”
“Yep.” I rested my elbows on the desk and watched him demolish another scone. “I asked Hayden to bring homework packets from my teachers tomorrow, so I can start working on them this weekend.”
“That’s good. Do you need money?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“You want to spend the weekend at Hayden’s?”
“No, Dad.”
“Eirik’s place?”
“Dad.”
“You can go. His parents assured me they’d make sure he behaves whenever you spend time over there.”
My jaw dropped. “Assured you? What did you tell them?”
“That you are my daughter and their son better treat you with respect or he’d have to deal with me. If he wants to make an honest girl out of you, he can ask for your hand in marriage when you are twenty-five. Until then, he keeps it in his pants.”
I covered my face. There was no way I was going to face the goddess and Baldur after this. A portal opened and Hayden appeared. She was already inside the car. She waved then the portal closed. Not sure about what to tell him without screaming, I stood and started for the door.
“Leaving already?” he asked.
I sighed and turned. “You just can’t go around telling people things like that and think it’s okay, Dad. How am I going face them? I’m never going back to Eljudnir after this.”
“Why can’t I tell them you deserve more? I’m your father and it’s my job to protect you whichever way I can, since I’m useless when it comes to magic and the way it affects you when you are in the astral plane. Looking out for you in this plane is the only thing I have.” He got up and walked around his desk. “Besides, I’ve been reading about these deities. They have many consorts and babies all over the place. That’s not what I want for my little girl.”
“Eirik is not like that.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” He pressed a kiss on my temple. “I’ll bring takeout for dinner.”
I studied his face and saw concern behind his easy smile. “You are not useless, Dad. Knowing you love me has pulled me out of tight spots in the astral plane before.” He paled, and I realized that was the wrong thing to say. “But you can’t go warning my boyfriends off.”
“How many are you planning on having?”
“Very many.” Only one, but he didn’t need to know that. I hurried out of the police station and yanked open the door of my car. Hayden wore a big grin.
“You won’t believe where she’s living.”
I slid behind the wheel and leaned back into my seat.
“Where’s ‘wow, Hayden, you are awesome.’ What is it?”
“My father told Eirik’s parents to keep an eye on us when I’m in Eljudnir and that he shouldn’t mess with me until he makes an honest woman out of me. Who says things like that in this day and age?” Hayden laughed, and I glared at her. “It’s not funny.”
“Actually, it was. I was there when he said it and you should have seen the look on Eirik’s face. The goddess was insulted that your father would have a problem with Eirik, but Baldur saved the day by smoothly reassuring your father that his son is an honorable man.”
“What? They were all there too?”
“Oh yeah. It was kind of cute and old-fashioned. Something I’d love my father, if I had one, to say to my boyfriend. Trudy and I sighed while Einmyria rolled her eyes.”
“Oh God. I’m never going to live this one down. Never. Poor Eirik.” I was beyond humiliated. I started the car. “So what’s Marguerite’s address?”
“Head toward your house.”
“My house? Why?”
“Because you are her neighbor. Davies said Marguerite stayed with the Moutons until last week. They were keeping an eye on her. According to them, she disappeared and they couldn’t explain how. She never left the house that day and there are no records showing she flew out of the state and no traffic cams caught her driving anywhere.”
“She went home through a portal.”
“Which makes me wonder how much the Moutons know about her. I bet Giselle’s mother was working with Marguerite. I can’t wait to hear what she s
ays. Also someone is about to be humiliated now that you are back.”
I hoped Mrs. Mouton wasn’t mixed up in Marguerite’s mess. She was the head of the America Witches Guild, and according to Eirik, the Guild didn’t approve of the way Immortals had treated Witches. I eased out of the parking lot, Hayden’s last sentence registering.
“Who’s about to be humiliated?”
“Giselle,” Hayden said, her unusual eyes gleaming.
“Why?”
“A lot has happened in the last three weeks. People have been asking me when you’ll be back. Even Giselle and her WAC girls wanted to know what happened to you. I can’t wait to see her face.”
“You’re still not making sense. Why is Giselle about to be humiliated?”
“According to the rumors at school, you skipped town because she and Eirik started dating.”
I stepped hard on the brakes and the car jerked to a stop. The driver behind us barely missed hitting us. He switched lanes and honked at us. I eased off the brakes.
“What?”
“Yep. I think she started the rumor, although she’s gone out of her way to deny it, which only makes people believe her. I can’t wait to see her face when she sees you.”
Giselle’s parents were probably the wealthiest family in Windfall and her mother could trace her ancestry to Madam Angelique de la Barthe, the supreme of a group of Witches who fled Salem during the Witch trials and settled in the bayou. While Madam Laveau gained notoriety in New Orleans, the new arrivals from Salem married the sons of the plantation owners in the surrounding counties and hid their gifts. We were surprised the Moutons hadn’t insisted our school be named Barthe High School. The family was the major contributor to the funds for the school. And now their daughter was claiming my man.
“She’s dating Eirik?” I asked when we pulled up outside the Moutons’ mansion.
Hayden laughed. “I knew that was eating you up. You’ve been quiet since I mentioned it. He must pick you up from school so you two can make out in front of everyone.”
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