by Isobel Bird
When she finished the apple, Kate tossed the core into the trees for the squirrels and birds. Then she packed up the rest of her stuff, shouldered her bag, and walked back to her bike. As she got on and began the ride home, she wondered what would happen next in her life. Something else she’d learned about magic was that it seldom worked exactly the way you expected it to. Sometimes it even seemed to be working completely contrary to the way you wanted it to. That could be frustrating, especially if, like Kate, you tended to be impatient. But she was trying to be more patient, and she’d seen many times how things that seemed hard or even impossible often turned out to have the greatest rewards. She hoped that this would be one of those times.
She then turned her thoughts to the Samhain ritual and, more specifically, the dance afterward. What was she going to go as? Picking a costume was always hard. She, Annie, and Cooper had gone to a dance once as the three good fairies from the movie Sleeping Beauty, and she had gone as a faerie princess to the Midsummer festivities a few months before. What would she be this time?
I think you need to get away from the whole faerie thing, she told herself as she pedaled. It’s time for something different. But what was that going to be? She could always ask Annie and Cooper what they were going as, and try to come up with some kind of theme, but she wanted to surprise them with something unexpected. She also wanted to choose something her parents might be impressed by.
A lot of ideas went through her head as she made her way back home, but none of them seemed quite right. Going as a witch would be sort of redundant, she thought, and all the other typical Halloween things like ghosts and vampires and stuff weren’t right either. She needed something special.
By the time she reached her house she still hadn’t thought of anything. As she rode her bike into the garage she was surprised to see that her father’s truck was parked in the driveway. He’d come home early from the store. Thinking about it, Kate had a moment of panic. Had he come back to tell her that he’d decided not to go to the ritual after all? He had seemed sort of hesitant when they’d talked. What if he’d gone to the store, thought about it some more, and changed his mind?
She parked her bike and walked into the house, her uneasiness growing. She’d been so relieved that things seemed to be working out. If they all fell apart now she would be devastated. She tried to prepare herself for the worst, but she knew that if it came she would probably just start to cry.
She heard voices in the kitchen. Her parents were in there. But what were they talking about? She paused, trying to determine the tone of their conversation. For a moment she thought they were fighting, but then she realized they were laughing. They sounded as if they were having a great time.
Her spirits lifted. If they were laughing, it couldn’t be too bad. But she still wondered what was going on. She walked into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. “What’s going on?”
She paused. Her parents were standing in the kitchen dressed in costumes. Her father had on a long shiny blue robe covered in silver stars, and there was a tall pointed hat on his head. He also had on a long white fake beard. Her mother was dressed in a black robe with a wide-brimmed black pointed hat. She had on a long black wig.
“How do you like them?” her father asked happily.
“Your father decided to pick up some costumes for us,” said her mother, twirling around in her robe. “He’s a wizard, and I’m a witch.”
“I see that,” said Kate, trying to remain calm.
“I thought I should at least try to get into the spirit of this thing,” said her father.
Kate smiled at him. She wanted to be supportive. After all, he was trying. But he couldn’t have picked out two worse costumes if he’d tried. She knew the real witches at the ritual would be horrified by the cartoon versions her parents were dressed as. But what could she say? She couldn’t tell her father that his well-meaning attempt was really kind of offensive.
“So, what do you think?” asked her father. Kate looked at her parents. They were both smiling back at her, waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath. “I think they’re great,” she said.
CHAPTER 14
“He kissed her good-bye?” Sasha said, amazed.
Annie nodded. She was sitting in the cafeteria with Sasha and Cooper. She had just finished telling them about her trip to San Francisco. She and her aunt had returned on Sunday evening, and this was the first chance she’d had to talk to her friends about the events of the weekend. At least some of the events. She hadn’t told them about Dixie, or about the ritual he’d come up with to help her parents’ ghosts pass to the other side. That would mean having to tell them the rest of the story, too, and she didn’t want to do that.
But she had told them about going to her old house and about meeting the Dunnings. Her friends were amazed that a famous author was living in her old house. They were also amazed by the fact that Mr. Dunning had taken Annie and her aunt out to dinner on Saturday night. But it was what Annie told them about the rest of the weekend that really had them talking.
On Saturday night, after the ritual, Mr. Dunning had taken Annie, Becka, and Aunt Sarah to a little French restaurant, where they’d had a delicious dinner. Annie still couldn’t quite believe that she was out with one of her favorite authors, or that he’d just helped her do a ritual, but Mr. Dunning had been so charming that she quickly forgot those things and just had a good time. Although Annie would have liked to ask Mr. Dunning about writing and about his books, she and Becka had spent most of the evening talking together, mainly because Mr. Dunning seemed really interested in talking with Aunt Sarah. He and Annie’s aunt had spent all night laughing and having a good time.
Annie wasn’t surprised to see that her aunt and Mr. Dunning hit it off. Aunt Sarah was smart and funny, and she was interested in all kinds of things. And so Annie wasn’t really surprised when, after dinner, Mr. Dunning suggested that they all have brunch together on Sunday before Aunt Sarah and Annie flew home.
But she was surprised when, at brunch, Mr. Dunning gave her a signed copy of the first book in the Changeling series. She’d opened it and looked at what he’d written on the title page: “For Annie. Magic brought us together. Here’s to a new friendship that I hope will continue for a long, long time. All the best, Grayson Dunning.” And she’d been even more surprised when, while saying their good-byes after brunch, Mr. Dunning had kissed her aunt and said, “I hope we get a chance to see each other again very soon,” and her aunt had responded, “I think I can arrange that.”
“What do you think it means?” Cooper asked Annie, bringing her thoughts back to the moment.
Annie shrugged. “I don’t know, really,” she said. “But I do know Aunt Sarah already had an E-mail from him this morning.”
Sasha sighed. “You guys are so dense,” she said. “It’s obvious what’s going on here. The two of them are hot for each other.”
“Your aunt and Grayson Dunning,” Cooper said. “Who would have thought?”
“What’s this Becka chick like?” asked Sasha. “Will she make a good stepsister/cousin-type thing?”
Annie laughed. “I don’t think I have to worry about that any time soon. But she’s great. I really like her.”
She thought about how nice Becka had been to her about the incident with the ghosts. She hadn’t asked a lot of questions, and she hadn’t treated Annie like she was crazy. She’d been really great. And during dinner they’d discovered that they had a lot of things in common.
“She reminds me a little of Cooper,” Annie said, thinking about Becka’s independent spirit. “But also a little of Kate, and a little of Sasha, and a little of me. She’s just kind of herself. I think you guys would like her.”
“You should have her come visit,” Cooper said. “I mean, if her dad is going to marry your aunt and all.”
Annie groaned. “Would you guys stop?” she said. “It was just a good-bye kiss.”
Sasha and
Cooper exchanged glances, then laughed meaningfully. Annie rolled her eyes and took a bite of her sandwich. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered just what was going on between Aunt Sarah and Grayson Dunning. Her aunt had dated a few men since Annie and Meg had moved in. She’d even been pretty serious about one. But she’d never been married, and Annie couldn’t quite imagine it. However, there was no denying that her aunt had been particularly cheery on the flight home, and several times since getting back, she’d mentioned how nice Grayson Dunning was.
How weird would that be? Annie asked herself. Her aunt married to a famous writer? And then Annie and Becka would be—what? Not stepsisters, really, since Aunt Sarah wasn’t Annie’s mother. But what other name would there be for it? And what would it be like having a sister her own age? She was used to being the oldest one. I guess it would be like having Cooper or Kate or Sasha as a sister, she thought.
She looked at her friends, who had moved on to talk about something else. They really were like sisters to her. She loved them the same way she loved Meg. Sometimes they made her crazy, but she didn’t know what she would do without them. They’d shared so many things since the beginning of their friendship. They’d fought, and cried, and laughed. Thinking about everything they’d gone through together, Annie realized that one of the greatest gifts she’d received from being involved in Wicca was the friendships she’d made.
Maybe, she thought, Becka and Grayson Dunning were another gift. After all, they’d come into her life because of her involvement in witchcraft. Sophia was always telling them that nothing happened by accident. She said that even the most random events always had a purpose, whether you recognized it right away or not. Perhaps there was more than one reason she had felt compelled to return to San Francisco and to her old home.
But the main reason, she knew, had been to help her parents. She understood that now. Her parents had been unhappy because they hadn’t been able to pass through the veil. Now, thanks to the ritual, they had. She felt good about that. She also still felt a little guilty, though. After all, if it hadn’t been for her actions, their spirits would never have been trapped in the first place. But at least she’d been able to help them. That was the important thing. Now that they were at rest she wouldn’t hear their voices calling to her anymore.
“Have you guys decided on costumes for the Samhain party?” Sasha asked, interrupting Annie’s musings.
“I was thinking of going as Kali,” Cooper said. “You know, the Hindu goddess of death. She wears a necklace of human skulls. I thought that would be cool.”
“What about you, Sasha?” asked Annie.
“I’m torn between Hecate and Isis,” she answered. “I don’t know which would be creepier.”
“I’ve seen Hecate,” replied Annie, thinking about her encounter with the Greek goddess. “She’s definitely creepy. But it would be hard to pull off the having-three-faces thing.”
“I know,” Sasha said. “Isis is much easier. Plus, she has really cool eye makeup.”
“Sounds like everyone is going the goddess route,” Annie said. “Maybe I should go as Diana, goddess of the hunt.”
“I don’t know,” Cooper remarked. “Given what happened when you messed around with Freya, maybe you should stay away from the goddess thing. How about just sticking a sheet over your head and going as a ghost?”
“Very funny,” said Annie. Cooper was right. But the thought of going as a ghost, especially after what she’d just been through with her parents’ ghosts, freaked her out. She’d have to think of something else.
“I’m going to see Tyler tonight,” Annie suddenly announced. “We’re going to this dance thing at the college. Whirling dervishes from Russia. Do you guys want to come?”
“Dance?” Sasha said. “Sorry, not my thing.”
“I can’t,” answered Cooper. “I’ve got too much homework.”
“I wish Kate could go,” said Annie. “Any word on how things are with her parents?”
“They’re coming to the Samhain ritual,” Cooper said.
Annie practically spit out the water she was drinking. “They’re what?” she said, sure that she hadn’t heard correctly.
“They’re coming to the Samhain ritual,” repeated Cooper.
“How did that happen?” Annie inquired.
Cooper shrugged. “Beats me,” she said. “I guess Kate talked them into it. If they aren’t too freaked out by it, she’s hoping they’ll let her come back to class.”
“That’s a gigantic if,” said Annie.
“It gets worse,” said Sasha. “They’re coming dressed as witches.”
“They are not,” Annie replied.
“They are,” said Sasha. “Kate’s horrified. But she doesn’t want to say anything because she doesn’t want them to back out.”
“Poor Kate,” Annie said, feeling sorry for her friend. She knew that, more than anything, Kate wanted to come back to the weekly Wicca study group. It sounded like this was her one and only chance to make that happen, and it wasn’t getting off to a good start. Annie knew that a lot of people would be upset if Mr. and Mrs. Morgan showed up looking like caricatures of what witches really were like.
“What’s she going to go as?” Annie asked Cooper.
“She says she’s going to go as someone who died of embarrassment,” replied Cooper. “I think she’s a little stressed.”
“I don’t blame her,” Annie said. “I thought she seemed a little bit bummed in class today. Now I know why.”
“Does she know you’re seeing Tyler tonight?” asked Sasha.
Annie nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Why?”
“Just curious,” Sasha answered. “She doesn’t mind you going out with her boyfriend?”
“We’re not going out going out,” said Annie, laughing. “We’re just hanging out. Besides, all he does is talk about her anyway. You know what a drama queen Kate is. She loves hearing about it.”
“Speaking of going out,” Cooper said, “have you heard about Brian?”
“Brian?” Annie said. “What about him?” She hadn’t given much thought to Brian since he’d unceremoniously dumped her a few weeks before.
Cooper looked at Sasha. “Shall we tell her?” she asked.
“Tell me what?” Annie said, wondering what they could be talking about.
“Brian is going out with someone,” Sasha said vaguely.
“Oh,” said Annie. The news was a surprise to her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she knew that if Brian couldn’t respect her interest in Wicca he wasn’t someone she wanted to date anyway. On the other hand, getting dumped just plain old sucked, no matter how much sense it made. Hearing that the guy who didn’t want to be with her wanted to be with someone else made her feel bad.
She looked at Sasha and Cooper, who were watching her carefully. “Okay,” she said. “I give. Who is it?”
“Sherrie,” Sasha said.
Annie’s eyes went wide. “What?” she exclaimed loudly. “He dumped me for that . . . that . . . that—” She didn’t know how to finish the sentence. There were so many choice things to call Sherrie, all of them nasty.
Sasha grinned. “Just kidding,” she said. “I thought if I shocked you you’d get over it faster.”
“I hate you,” Annie said sullenly. “So who is it really?”
“Alissa Coker,” Cooper said.
“Alissa Coker?” Annie said, wrinkling her nose. “Why would he want to go out with her?”
Like Brian, Alissa Coker was a senior. She was sort of pretty, Annie had to admit. But she was such a giggly ditz. Why would Brian, who seemed to be such an intelligent guy, want to spend time with someone who thought reading Seventeen magazine was the same as reading Shakespeare?
“There’s no accounting for taste,” remarked Sasha.
“Thanks a lot,” said Annie defensively. “He liked me once, remember?”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sasha said.
&n
bsp; “I can’t believe he’s dating Alissa Coker,” Annie replied. “Alissa Coker.” She said the girl’s last name as if she were saying the name of some kind of bug she’d just found crawling up her leg.
Lunch ended before they could discuss the horror that was Alissa Coker any further. For the rest of the day Annie was in a foul mood. Before lunch she’d had pretty neutral feelings about Alissa. Now that she knew the girl was dating Brian, she couldn’t stop thinking about her. Why would Brian choose Alissa over her? Just because Annie was into Wicca? That was a ridiculous reason, and thinking about it made Annie even madder.
She was still mad when she met Tyler at the Jasper College performing arts center for the dance recital later that night. He took one look at her face and said, “Who died?”
“No one,” Annie said. “But I’d like to.”
“Sounds serious,” said Tyler as they walked inside and found their seats.
“It’s not, really,” Annie told him. “It’s just this guy.”
Tyler groaned. “Guy trouble,” he said. “Usually I’m on the other end of that. Whatever this guy did, I feel sorry for him if he’s made you this mad.”
“Don’t you dare take his side,” Annie said, not really angry but pretending to be warning Tyler. “You guys are all the same.”
“Hey!” Tyler said.
Annie crossed her arms. “Okay,” she said. “Maybe you’re not. But tell me this—would you dump me to go out with a girl who thinks being environmentally aware means using biodegradable bleach to color her hair?”
Tyler looked at her for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said carefully. “Is she cuter than you?” He grinned.
