I feel sick to my stomach. Absolutely nauseated, like I’m about to lose the two bites of toast and jam that I had for breakfast.
“So,” I say, wiping my eyes again. “This... this is really it?”
Chris doesn’t speak.
I suddenly want desperately for him to hug me. I want him to step forward, wrap his strong, basketball captain arms around me, and squeeze me until this hollow, nauseated feeling goes away. I want him to kiss the top of my head, and hold me upright so that I no longer feel like the earth is tilted under my feet.
I know all of that is impossible.
Instead of stepping forward to hug me, Chris steps back. It’s just an inch, but his point is clear. Our discussion is over.
“I need to get ready for work,” he says, his voice tight and small. “I’m—I think I’m going to be late.”
“Oh, sorry,” I say awkwardly. I reach beneath my glasses, and wipe at my eyes before tears can spill over my lids.
“No,” he says. “Don’t be sorry. We needed to talk.”
I step backwards too, away from him and towards my apartment. “I have a ton of stuff to do today too,” I say.
“Okay,” Chris says. “I’ll—I guess I’ll see you soon?”
“I’ll be at the bonfire dance tonight,” I say. “Will you?” I wipe at my eyes again, and try to take a breath. It’s a struggle.
“Yeah. I’ll be on shift,” he says.
“I’ll see you there,” I manage to say. My voice is rushed, the words come out barely a whisper.
I turn and hightail it back to my apartment. I’m about to start crying out some loud, messy tears and I’d prefer it if Chris doesn’t see or hear them.
I yank open my door and close it behind me as if I’m being chased by a swarm of angry locusts. I press my back into the door, and then slide down it, slowly, inch by inch, as tears start to stream from my eyes.
I let my head fall into my hands, pull off my glasses, and I start crying.
Soon, I feel Turkey brushing against my legs. “Penelope?”
I sob even louder.
“I’m guessing, from the looks of things, that your conversation with Christopher didn’t go well?”
I manage to lift my head. “Being an adult sucks!” I say, before dissolving into another crying jag.
Chapter Twelve
It takes about an hour for my cat to talk me off of my emotional ledge. He patiently therapizes me until I’m wiping my eyes and saying, “You’re right, Turkey. You’re right.... This is for the best. This is a good thing.”
“It is,” he agrees.
“I can live through this,” I say. “I’m going to be fine. In fact, I’m going to be better because of it.”
“Good girl,” Turkey says. “There you go.”
With great effort, I push myself up off of the floor. My morning has been draining already, and it’s only ten am!
I need some coffee.
I refresh my cup, and then eye my cold, abandoned pieces of toast.
Sure, they’re not as appealing as they were two hours ago, but I’m famished from all that crying, so I lift one up and start to eat.
I polish it off in a few giant, very unladylike bites, and move on to the second. Then I down a banana.
I’m not great at keeping fruits and veggies stocked, but I usually have a banana or two lying around.
The hit of potassium does my body good. Along with the caffeine and toast, I’m starting to feel ready to face the rest of the day.
I know it’s going to be a busy one.
Even though my break up with Chris still has me feeling raw, I also feel surprisingly clear-headed.
Turkey was right, the messy state of my relationship was taking up a lot of my energy.
I feel like I just cleared up some serious bandwidth.
I refill my coffee cup for the third time, and then open up my emails. I know they’re from my coven sisters, and I’m excited to see what they say.
I’m anxious to see them at our emergency meeting, and tell them everything I’ve discovered.
The first message is from Marley.
To: Knitting Circle
From: Marley
Subject: Banishing Spell and Emergency Meeting
Hey gang!
I just finished practicing the Banishing Spell last night. It did not go well. I tried banishing the dust bunnies in my van. I moved my hands in the wrong direction—I got clockwise and counterclockwise mixed up—and the dust in my van multiplied! I’m talking big time.
Cora, can I borrow your vacuum?
Hope you all had better luck than me! Are we still on for our emergency meeting today? How about four? Penny, any new leads on the case?
Love and unicorn kisses,
Marley
To: Knitting Circle
From: Cora
Subject: Banishing Spell and Emergency Meeting
Greetings all,
Marley, you are more than welcome to come over and borrow a vacuum cleaner. I have several. My little hand-held one might be the best option for you.
I also practiced the Banishing Spell last night. I tried to banish a small pile of summer clothes that I no longer wear. I figure since the seasons are changing, it would be a great time to clean up my closet space and make room for winter clothes.
But after I cast the spell, I went out into the kitchen and the clothes were strewn all over every surface! There was a pink tank top hanging off of the sink faucet and a pair of white capris on the kitchen table! I even found one of my wooden soled platform sandals in the freezer, next to my Lean Cuisines.
Needless to say, I think I need a bit more practice. Maybe my intention wasn’t strong enough? Or could it be a focus issue? I did start to think about what I was going to prepare for dinner, midway through reciting that ridiculous poem.
I think we should meet earlier than four. The sooner we come up with a plan to deal with these werewolves, the better. How about noon. All in favor?
Cora
To: Knitting Circle
From: Annie
Subject: Banishing Spell and Emergency Meeting
Noon sounds good to me. I’ll be sure to have help at the cafe, so that I can join in on the fun.
My Banishing Spell did not go well either. You’ll find out why when you see me.
Annie
To: Knitting Circle
From: Marley
Subject: Banishing Spell and Emergency Meeting
Cora, thanks for the vacuum. It’s working great!
I can be there by noon.
Penny, what about you?
Marley
I sip my coffee and then begin typing my response. I tell the ladies that noon works, and then apologize for not practicing the Banishing Spell. I finish off by informing them that I have a lot of news to tell them.
After sending the email, I compose a text to Silas, asking him to meet me at the cafe at one. Then I go into the bathroom to try to make my hair look respectable.
It’s seriously a lost cause.
I try flattening it with some Moroccan oil that Marley gave me, but that only makes it look greasy. Next I try pulling it into pigtails, but it’s too short. The only way I can tie it back is in four separate little pigtails, and I’m sure you can imagine how ridiculous that looks.
I finally give up and fish a knit cap out of my closet. I can’t make this haircut look good, so I might as well cover it up.
By eleven a.m., I’m ready to take on the day... whatever it may hold.
Because I now know that Zeke may target me, I make sure that I’ve got my gun in my bag. Then I say goodbye to Turkey, throw on a puffy vest, and head out the door.
It’s eleven thirty by the time I reach the cafe. When I walk in through the cafe doors, I see Annie standing behind the counters.
She’s wearing a scarf around her head, and her face looks... odd. Different, somehow.
“Annie!” I say, approaching the counter. She’s placing slices of ste
aming hot coffee cake onto a platter.
“Penny!” she says. “Dear! You’re early! Just in time for a piece of coffee cake, too.” She serves up a piece of cake. As she hands it to me, I study her face.
Now I know what’s different. It’s her eyebrows. They’re painted on.
In addition, I don’t see any hair poking out from under her scarf. Annie never wears a scarf over her poof of white hair. Why today?
“You look different,” I say to Annie, after thanking her for the cake.
Annie reaches up and pats her head. “I know,” she says. “It was that darn Banishing Spell. I tried banishing my white hair. I wanted to go back to being a blonde.”
She shakes her head. “It was vain of me. I suppose I got what I deserved.”
“What did you get?” I ask.
Annie looks around the cafe and I follow her gaze. There are a few customers sitting at tables around the room. They’re all focused on their food, the newspaper, or each other. No one is watching us.
Annie reaches up for the scarf, and then sweeps it off of her head. She’s completely bald!
My eyebrows fly upwards.
“Ha!” I say, and then immediately feel bad about it.
Annie looks absolutely mortified. Her head is as shiny and smooth as a billiard ball.
“Annie!” I cry. “Your hair! It’s gone!”
“I banished my white hair,” Annie said. “I thought that would mean that I’d have my beautiful, long blonde hair back. No such luck.”
“I’d say not!” I say. I’m smiling. I can’t help it. If you saw her, you’d have trouble not laughing, too. I’m sorry, but she looks funny.
Annie frowns as I laugh, so I cover my mouth to stifle the giggles. “I’m sorry, Annie,” I say. “It’s just, this is all so ridiculous. Marley and her dust... Cora and her sandal in the freezer... and now you!”
I want Annie to laugh along with me, but she’s not.
So, to make things even, I reach up for my hat. I yank it off, releasing my curly, frizzy mop of hair.
“Oh!” Annie says, surprised.
Then, to my delight, she dissolves into laughter.
I dissolve into a fit too. My sides begin to ache.
Between giggles, Annie manages to speak. “I guess we both have new hairstyles,” she says. “What happened to you? Did you have a run in with a weed whacker?”
“Annie!” I say, feigning upset. Really, though, she can make fun of my hair all she wants. What’s important to me is that we’re laughing together.
When Cora and Marley walk into the cafe, Annie and I have each donned our respective headdresses, but we’re both giggly as all get out.
“What’s gotten into you two?” Cora asks. Then, studying Annie’s face, she says, “Annie, have you done something with your eyebrows?”
“I banished them!” Annie says with a laugh.
Marley is too busy staring at me to look at Annie’s brows. “Penny, you look different. Is your hair tied up under your hat?”
I shake my head. “I’ll show you soon. But first, I’ve got to tell you guys what happened to me last night.”
It felt great to release some tension with Annie, but now that the entire Terra Coven is present, I’m anxious to get down to business. The night’s festivities will start up soon, and I want us to be prepared.
If Silas is to be believed, Zeke might very well be on the prowl tonight. We don’t have much time.
Chapter Thirteen
Annie passes over the cashier duties to her nephew, and then the four of us witches-in-training migrate towards the back of the cafe to a deserted, out of the way table.
As soon as we sit, I speak in a hushed voice. “You guys won’t believe the night that I had.”
“Did you have mixed results with your Banishing Spell, too?” Cora says.
“‘Mixed; Ha!” Marley says. “I wouldn’t call an inch of dust ‘mixed’ results. I’d—”
“Guys,” I say, interrupting Marley. I look around the room. No one appears to be listening to us, but I lean in over the table and speak in a hushed voice anyways. “I went up Never Summer Peak, and tracked down one of the werewolves.”
“What!?” Marley cries out loudly. Then she covers her mouth and says in an exaggerated whisper, “You’re kidding!”
Annie and Cora gasp, too.
Cora speaks in an admonishing tone. “By yourself? Penny, that’s dangerous!”
“I had my gun,” I say.
“How did you find him?” Annie asks. “What happened? Did you fight?”
I shake my head. “No, nothing like that,” I say. “Dawson mentioned that Raul wanted a map of Never Summer Peak, so I had an idea that the Tenebris wolf might be there. I hiked up, spotted a campfire, and went over to say hello.” I shrug. “He served me s'mores and cider, and we chatted.”
I feel pretty cool saying this. My coven sisters look at me with admiration. They’re silent, so I take the opportunity to continue.
“He was actually a really nice guy. And handsome, too.” As I say this, I turn to Cora and look at her meaningfully. “He had some good information to share.”
“About Raul’s death?” Annie asks.
I nod. “He said that by the time he entered Raul’s room, he saw the guy in the trench coat—you know, the one who turned into a Lux wolf?—lift a knife up into the air and then plunge it into Raul’s already dead body.”
All of the ladies groan.
Cora shakes her head. “Penny,” she says. “If you could be a little less explicit, that would be very much appreciated.”
I throw my hands up in the air with exasperation. “We’re talking about murder here! I’m just telling you the facts!”
Cora purses her lips. “Still,” she says. “We all know that Raul died. You don’t have to go into so much detail.”
Annie interjects. “Cora, dear, maybe she does. Penny, that might be important. You say that Raul was already dead when this Tenebris wolf saw—”
“Silas,” I say. “His name is Silas.”
Annie nods. “Raul was already dead when this Tenebris wolf, Silas, saw what he saw?”
I nod.
Annie continues. “Therefore, we do not know that the Lux wolf—”
“Zeke,” I supply.
“Good. We do not know that the Lux wolf, Zeke, actually killed Raul.”
We all sit with this for a moment.
I’m thinking over Annie’s statement. I think we’re all digesting it. I wish I was also digesting food —perhaps some sugary baked good—but our table is abnormally sparse. For the first time in the history of our knitting circle, we’re all gathered without the usual refreshments or knitting projects.
I guess it’s because this is an emergency meeting. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
After turning over Annie’s statement in my mind a few more times, I speak. “Annie’s right. What Silas witnessed doesn’t exactly mean that Zeke killed Raul. But, Zeke did have a lot of motive. The Tenebris wolves and the Lux wolves have a long history of fighting over land. Both clans were trying to stake claims in land around Hillcrest. By killing Raul, Zeke would prove he was dominant. Silas said that the Lux wolves stick knives into bodies kind of like the early explorers stuck flags into the ground.”
There are groans all around the table.
“Penny, you’re being so gruesome!” Cora says.
“Well, that’s what Silas told me. His words,” I say. “I’m just repeating it.”
“It must be kind of cool,” Marley says.
“I’ve been doing some research into werewolf culture,” Cora says. “I found one of Doctor Max Shire’s books on the subject.”
Due to the flush of her cheeks, I have a suspicion as to what book she discovered.
“‘The Curse that turned into Love?’” I guess.
She nods primly, and then shifts in her seat.
“I heard that it’s quite a steamy story,” I say.
“I wouldn’
t know,” Cora says, lifting her chin. “I approached it from a research perspective. I wanted information—not to indulge in the most beautiful love story I’ve ever—” she stops short, and then continues abruptly. “I mean, yes, there’s a story there, but I just wanted the facts.”
“Sure,” I say, mischievously. “Wait ‘til you meet Silas, Cora. You might have your own love story between witch and werewolf on your hands.” I give her a wink.
She ignores my goading. “As I was saying,” she says. “From my research I learned that it takes effort for a werewolf to change form. Most of the time, they take the shape of a human. Many years ago, when the original werewolf was cursed, he changed into wolf form involuntarily, at inopportune moments.”
“Like the full moon?” guesses Marley.
“Exactly,” Cora says. “He couldn’t help it. That was why it was such a curse. One moment he’d be at the bar, enjoying a mug of ale with the guys, and then the next moment he’d be sprouting hair and stumbling around on all fours. It was embarrassing.”
I nod. I know a thing or two about embarrassing. “Sounds like it,” I say, empathetically.
Cora continues. “Then, over the years, werewolves started evolving. They learned to control their abilities, and shapeshift when they wanted to. If it’s not a full moon, it takes effort for them to morph into wolf-form, but it can be done.”
“Silas was saying that it’s nice when he’s sleeping out in the woods,” I say. “His fur keeps him warm. I’d imagine that it also makes traveling easy.”
Cora nods. She likes her role as our coven werewolf expert. “That’s correct,” she says. “Max’s book goes into that in quite a lot of detail. Werewolves have evolved so much that they can actually maintain their shape for hours... for a whole night, for example. Inexperienced wolves might lose the shape halfway through the night. It takes quite a bit of effort to get to the point where they can maintain it. And when they die, they morph back into human form almost instantly.”
“It sounds like staying fit, for humans,” says Marley. “It takes a lot of effort, and when you stop putting the effort in, you lose all of the progress you’ve made.”
The Case of the Banishing Spell Page 14
