House of Ivy & Sorrow

by kindle@abovethetreeline. com

  Before I lose my hand entirely, I force the rest of the spell out as fast as I can. The bubble gets hotter and hotter, until it’s all melting steam. When it’s gone, I pull back my hand, which is burned so bad there’s blood at my knuckles.

  But Kat comes first. I put my head to her chest so I can hear her heartbeat. It’s there, but she’s not breathing.

  I never did learn CPR, but I have to at least try. I open Kat’s mouth and put mine to hers. Her chest rises as I breathe out, and I wait for her to cough and sputter back to life like they do in the movies.

  Except she doesn’t.

  As I breathe into her mouth again, my panic intensifies to the point that I can barely get air myself. I promised to protect her, and I’ve already failed. I should have never let her do the binding. This is what happens when normal people get caught up in magic.

  She can’t die. I need her.

  “Wake up!” I scream despite being mute, shaking her because I don’t know what else to do. “You’re supposed to wake up!”

  She coughs, and black water spews from her mouth as if she gulped down a whole lake of it. I hold her up, and she keeps going until I worry a lung will come out next. When she’s spent, she says, “I really thought I was going to die.”

  Tears break free as I wrap my arms around her. She almost did. I don’t know if she understands how close it was.

  “How did you stop it?” she asks.

  I point to the table, where the orchids look like charred husks.

  “My mom’s gonna kill me.” She looks at me, and I’m surprised to find her smiling.

  “I guess it doesn’t really matter.” She leans her head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Jo.”

  I squeeze her arm once, and then hold out my burned hand, which looks even worse now. Her eyes go wide. “Holy crap. What do you need? Ice?”

  I nod.

  Once she gets that, she cleans up the black water. I feel awful that she’s doing it all, seeing as she’s the one who almost died, but my hand still feels like it’s on fire.

  How did this happen? I write on the fridge’s whiteboard.

  Kat looks me in the eye, her fear washing over me. “It was a letter in the mail. I swear it looked totally normal, but the picture inside . . .” She points to the counter, where a shiny photo reflects the fluorescent lights. “I touched it, and that’s when the bubble came.”

  From here, I can tell there’s no darkness left on the image, but I still approach it warily. Another cursed picture. If I had any doubt that this was related to our hunters, it’s gone now. I look down, and my friends stare back at me. This was taken the day we ate outside under the tree. Gwen is in the sun, chatting with Adam and looking like a freaking goddess. Kat’s sipping her drink, staring at the sky. There’s a big black X over her face.

  The threat couldn’t be any clearer.

  But there’s something that might help, except it’s as horrible as it is helpful—Winn is looking at the camera, his eyes locked in suspicion, while he holds me possessively. My oblivious smile looks silly, and I hate myself for not noticing whoever took this picture. Winn clearly did.

  I turn the photo over, and chills run down my spine as I read: I spy with my little eye . . . a girl who has a lot to lose.

  My breaths come fast and short as I process this simple little line. Whoever wrote it is pure evil. They can’t get through the magical barriers around the town and my house, so instead they hit me at my weakest point: the people I care about. It feels like they’re telling me to surrender now before it gets worse.

  Kat stands next to me. “Don’t worry. We’ll get them first.”

  I force a nod and write, We need to tell Nana.

  “Right. Just let me change.” She heads for her room, and I follow closely behind. No leaving her alone. Ever.

  I run my thumb back and forth over the picture as I wait outside her door. How will I protect them all? It seemed overwhelming enough to worry about Kat, but everyone I know? If the evil is this close, there’s no telling when or who it’ll attack.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Kat says when she emerges, now wearing a purple-and-green striped shirt.

  We head downstairs and out the front door, only to find another problem standing right in front of us—Gwen. She puts her hands on her hips, her anger crystal clear. “Sick, huh?”

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  EIGHTEEN

  When Gwen first talked to me in elementary school, I was sure I was a charity case. She was such a pretty, outgoing little girl. Everyone loved her. Everyone wanted to be her friend. Boys and girls alike would flock around her at recess, hoping she’d choose them to play with. She hopped from crowd to crowd, as if she were trying on friends and none were good enough. Then in third grade, after my mom died, she sat down next to me and Kat at lunch.

  “Can I eat with you?”

  “Sure,” I said. She was Gwendolyn Lee, after all. No one rejected Gwendolyn Lee.

  Kat swallowed her sandwich bite, eyeing Gwen. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  Gwen shook her head. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because everyone else would,” I said. It was true. A girl like her shouldn’t be with outcasts like us. It had to be a dare. Or some punishment for losing a bet.

  Gwen frowned. “I just wanted to sit with you.”

  “We don’t need you,” Kat said. “We don’t care about being cool or popular.”

  “I know.” Gwen sighed, like even at eight years old she understood how the world worked. She understood that everyone else was trying to get somewhere by being her friend, and all she wanted was people who really cared about her.

  So we let her stay, and she’s never left. In fact, she might value our friendship the most. That’s why, as she stares at us with hurt eyes, I want bury myself in a grave.

  “Funny thing, Jo,” Gwen says as I hide my burnt hand behind my back. “I was coming here to grab Kat so we could storm your house with get-well treats and good gossip, whether your grandma liked it or not. But here you are.”

  “Gwen . . .” Kat glances at me like she knows what’s coming.

  Gwen points at her. “You, shut up.” Then she turns on me. “So you’re too sick to see me, but you can come all the way to Kat’s house to hang out with her?”

  I stare at the ground, wishing I could say something. But no, all I can do is let her think what she thinks, which is closer to the truth than I want it to be.

  “I made her,” Kat says. “She had some of my notes . . .”

  Gwen holds up her hands. “Whatever. You think I can’t see what’s going on here? I always knew you two were closer, but I thought you’d at least wait until graduation to cut me out.”

  “What?” Kat takes a few steps forward. “Gwen, that is so not what’s going—”

  “Then explain those necklaces!” She points to Kat’s charms, the ones to help her fingernail heal. “We’ve begged Jo for those, and she’s always said her Nana only makes them for family!”

  Kat grabs them, her desperate eyes on me, as if I’ll have a good explanation. It does look bad. Even if I had a voice, I still wouldn’t have a reply.

  “You guys are totally shutting me out, and after all we’ve been through I think that’s a pretty shitty thing to do.” She stomps back to her truck while both of us watch helplessly. As she drives off, my throat tickles.

  “Perfect,” I say. “Now I get my voice back.”

  “We could go after her,” Kat says.

  I shake my head. “We don’t have time. Nana needs to know about this, and then we have to find Winn.” I hold out the picture. “He had to have seen who took this, which means he could describe the person.”

  “Good point.”

  I sigh. “Too bad it doesn’t help me know which person they’ll attack next. You’d think they would have gone for Winn first, since he saw. B
ut it’s like they knew somehow that you were bound to me, and therefore most important.”

  Her eyes go wide. “You think?”

  “Yeah. We’ll have to figure out how to protect everyone after I get more info from Winn.” We speed-walk in the direction of my house.

  “Nana!” I yell once we get back. “Nana!”

  “She’s gone.” My dad emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. By the way he stares, I know he can see again. I feel like a dork for blushing, but he hasn’t seen me since he found out the truth. Somehow, it’s like the first time he’s truly looking at me. “You got your voice back.”

  “Yup. And you can see.”

  He smiles. “The house looks a lot nicer than I imagined. It sounded on the brink of collapsing.”

  “She likes to talk back. I imagine her as my cranky old aunt.” I point toward the apothecary. “Did you say Nana left? She hardly ever leaves.”

  “She took Maggie to fortify the barriers around town again. They had a whole bag of bones and some bottles of snakeskins.”

  “Good.” I’m glad Nana already knows what happened and is doing what she can to protect my friends. As long as Gwen doesn’t leave Willow’s End or get a horrible letter in the mail, hopefully she’s safe for now. “A dog skeleton, to sound warnings. And snakeskins to poison magical trespassers.”

  “Did something happen?” he asks. I hold out the picture for him, and he inspects it with this funny half frown. “So that’s your boyfriend? The one from the pizza place?”

  “Uhhh, kind of?” Cue awkward silence. It keeps smacking me across the face like this—the whole “I have a father” thing. “He’s not my boyfriend. At least not yet. I don’t know. We’re just dating.”

  “Okay.” He hands the picture back, not seeming convinced. “Whatever it is, it’s fine. I guess. As long as you aren’t, uh, never mind. None of my business.”

  “Yeah . . .” I can’t look at him, positive he’s implying what I think he’s implying. “That’s not really the point right now.”

  “But he has his arm—”

  I point to the big X on Kat’s head. “Whoever put that curse on you? They tried to kill Kat, and—”

  “Your hand!” He takes my wrist, inspecting the red skin. “Is this how you saved her?”

  I wince at his touch. “Part of it.”

  “That’s what Dorothea must have meant. Come to the kitchen.” He disappears, and I start to wonder if either of us will ever finish a thought without interrupting the other. But once I see what’s on the table, I smile. Nana set out a balm for my hand and extra charms for my bracelet. He pulls out the chair for me. “Seems like your grandmother knows everything.”

  “Almost.” I sit, putting my hand in the bowl. The creamy mixture is cool and soothing. It smells like roses, though that’s only to cover up what’s really in it. My guess is some kind of blend of animal innards and healing herbs. “Look at the back of that picture.”

  He flips it over, and as he reads his mouth gapes. “Jo . . .”

  “I know.” I stare at my hand, my whole soul feeling sick and tired. “It’s like whoever is doing this is . . . having fun. I have to protect everyone in this picture before it’s too late. Nana has the rest of town covered, but my friends need even more.”

  “What do we do?” Kat puts her chin in her hands and glowers. “I wish I could help. What’s the point of being here if I can’t help?”

  “Kat . . .” I wish I could give her an answer. “Do you know Billy’s address, by chance? Winn mentioned they were studying there tonight, but he’s way outside town.”

  She shakes her head. “Ugh, I’m so useless.”

  “Don’t say that. I’d hate to be doing this on my own right now.” I pull out my phone with my good hand and call Winn. As it rings, my heart pounds faster and faster. Please, please pick up. It can’t be too late.

  “Hey,” he says, and I can hear the gorgeous smile that goes with it. “Are you feeling better? Say you’re feeling better.”

  Despite all my concerns, I grin like a fool. So relieved. “I’m feeling better.”

  “Good, I’ll come get you, then.”

  “Are you sure? You’re at Billy’s, right?”

  “Very sure. And I was just about to leave for his house, so perfect timing.”

  I laugh. “Awesome. I kind of need to beg Billy to read my paper—he did such a good job with Kat’s, and I am way behind on my stuff now.”

  “See you in twenty?”

  “Perfect. Thanks, Winn.” I shut the phone, a plan already clicking into place. “Kat, you’re about to be very useful, more useful than you probably want to be.”

  Her brow furrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I give her my best cackle.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  NINETEEN

  “It’s simple,” I say to Kat as I paint the potion onto her palm. There’s no way we could pull off giving Winn and Billy some kind of charm necklace, so I figure the best bet is to put the protection spell right into them. It won’t be permanent, but it should ward off most bad magic and reduce the effects of anything truly horrible for at least a day. “All you have to do is touch him on the skin, and the spell will transfer. He won’t even notice. Just don’t touch anything before, or it’ll get the spell instead.”

  Kat gnaws on her lip as I cover her fingers with the clear liquid. She doesn’t daintily bite—no, she chews to the point you wonder if she’ll start bleeding. “I don’t know, Jo. I’m not a flirter; I can’t touch him.”

  “Yes, you can!” I laugh. Kat never gives herself enough credit. She may be shy, but she is beautiful in her own right. Punk beautiful, with her heavy bangs and porcelain skin. “You totally had a vibe going with him the other day at lunch, and he’s all thin and hipster. You’d look good together.”

  She stares at her hands. “I don’t want to date Billy.”

  “I’m not asking you to date him—I’m only saying you could if you wanted. One touch on the arm does not a relationship make.”

  She sighs. “I guess this is what I get for wanting to be helpful.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Winn honks his horn, and I jump. “Better go.”

  I certainly don’t mind scooting in right next to Winn when we get in his truck. As he wraps an arm around me, I press my hand into his forearm. The spell transfers, and I feel a little more at ease. Then I notice the ends of his hair are wet. Oh, for the love, he just showered. “You didn’t have to get all cleaned up to study.”

  He laughs. “Actually, I did. I was out in the fields testing soil and compost. You and Kat would have opted to sit in the truck bed if I came straight from that.”

  I tilt my head to look up at him. “You test the soil?”

  “Any good farmer does. If the pH levels are bad, it can damage the crop. Or sometimes there will be too much of a particular chemical, so you need to plant a crop that’ll balance the levels out. We rotate our fields all the time.”

  “Huh.”

  “Huh?” He pokes me. “Having grown up around a bunch of farmers, I thought you’d know this stuff!”

  “Hello?” Kat says. “Jo and I live in town, and Gwen pretends she doesn’t live on a farm. I’ve never even touched a tractor, nor do I plan to.”

  “Exactly,” I say. “I have Nana’s bug legacy to uphold, Gwen dreams of being a stylist, and Kat has her poetry.”

  “Poetry?” Winn leans forward to look at her. “You write poetry?”

  She folds her arms. “I plead the fifth.”

  He glances at me, and I hold up my hands. “Hey, that’s all I know. Kat doesn’t show her poems to anyone.”

  We turn down Billy’s dirt driveway, bouncing at each deep hole left from the winter snows. His house has its charms. The porch stretches all the way around, big and roomy. It’s a nice shade of blue, with
navy shutters. As we get out, I text Gwen in hopes that I can get her here so I can keep her safe.

  We’re @ Billy’s if you wanna come. We want you to.

  Sry for what happened.

  Winn rings the doorbell. “Texting Gwen?”

  “Yeah. I think she’s mad at me, though.” Sure enough, her text says it all:

  No thx. Too tired to play 3rd wheel tonight.

  I show her answer to Kat.

  “Ouch,” she says.

  “I know, right?” I sigh. Gwen won’t let this one slide, and I have no idea how to make it up to her. I need to before our hunters hurt her.

  Winn rings the doorbell again, which is when I realize we’ve been on the porch longer than the average wait for someone to answer the door. My heart speeds up, the thought of Billy hurt or dead suddenly at the forefront of my mind.

  “Did you tell him we were coming?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I called him.” Winn knocks a few times. “Sometimes he can be a little spacey, though.”

  “Really?”

  Winn smiles like he’s remembering something funny. “Guy’s in his own world half the time, but it’s always entertaining.”

  Honestly, I don’t know much about Billy, except that he’s Winn’s friend and his parents are some of the few people around who don’t grow corn. They have apple orchards. Every mother and grandmother in the area waits anxiously to buy them for fall pies. Well, minus Nana. She’s a horrible baker, which is strange considering she mixes precise, nefarious potions all the time.

  “Maybe you should call him again?” Kat asks.

  Winn frowns. “His car is right there. He has to be here.”

  We all knock at once until my knuckles hurt.

  Just when I think I’ll have to bust the door down and save another person from death, Billy answers. His hair is the usual perfect mess, but he’s breathing hard, and his face glistens with sweat. “Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the music.”