Rags to Witches

by Colleen Cross

  I couldn’t imagine anyone who wanted to go on a Las Vegas vacation with Aunt Pearl. None of her handful of friends lived nearby. It was none of my concern, I told myself. Some things I was better off not knowing.

  I settled in at the kitchen nook and spread out my wet dress to help it dry faster. I found it odd that my aunt hadn’t pushed her usual agenda of using my own magic to get to the interview. She had criticized my lack of practice but was still quick to offer me a ride.

  Aunt Pearl climbed up into the passenger seat and turned around in her seat. She motioned to the driver’s seat, occupied by the skinny gas station attendant. “I hired Wilt as my driver.”

  I had forgotten that Aunt Pearl didn’t drive. “What about your friend?”

  She dismissed me with a wave. “It’s a long drive in something this big. Besides, I’m rich. I can afford a chauffeur.”

  Still, it seemed bizarre that Wilt was along for the ride. It was better not to make a big deal out of things with Aunt Pearl because she was easily riled.

  I turned my thoughts back to my interview. I needed to somehow get back from Shady Creek, but I’d worry about that later.

  There’s nothing worse than a witch down on her luck. Except maybe a witch who got a little too lucky. Put the two of them together and anything could happen.

  Chapter 3

  “Buckle up.” Aunt Pearl fastened her seat belt and hollered. “Vegas baby, or bust!”

  We lurched forward and peeled out of the gas station parking lot. “Whoa. I never said—”

  My aunt turned around in her seat. “Relax, Cen. We’ll get you to your job interview.”

  I gripped the kitchenette table as Wilt made a sharp turn onto Main Street. Maybe I had a death wish or something. I couldn’t think of any other reason for riding with a maniac driver and an ornery witch sidekick.

  “We’re headed in the wrong direction!” Wilt and Aunt Pearl either ignored me or didn’t hear. Aside from the fact we weren’t headed to Shady Creek, Wilt’s driving was making me fear for my life.

  Yet here I was, seemingly powerless to help myself. Wilt reached the edge of town and headed up the winding road to The Westwick Corners Inn.

  “Why are we going home?” My family’s mansion had been converted to a boutique bed and breakfast that we operated mostly on the weekends. We also lived on the property, so now I was back where I started. Except without a car this time.

  Reaching my interview on time seemed less likely by the minute. I reached beside me for my purse, only to realize that I had left it on the passenger seat of my car.

  Mom waved as our RV pulled into the circular driveway. She climbed into the RV and dragged a large suitcase to the RV’s rear bed. She returned seconds later, gasping for breath. Then she collapsed in a heap on the opposite side of the kitchenette nook. “That was heavy.”

  “Mom? What’s going on? You can’t leave the Inn. We’ve got guests coming.” The Inn couldn’t function without Mom. She was chef, manager, and front desk clerk, all rolled into one. Aunt Pearl was officially the chief housekeeper, but she was completely unreliable. I usually played backup to Aunt Pearl, since she set her own unpredictable hours and pretty much answered to no one. She was a witch first, with her job at the Inn a distant second.

  I, on the other hand, seemed to be juggling a couple of jobs with little money to show for it. Working for myself or my family just wasn’t keeping me afloat financially or otherwise. If I wanted a future, I had to reconsider my options. The Shady Creek Tattler wasn’t exactly corporate America, but it was at least a step up from anything in tiny Westwick Corners.

  Aunt Pearl interrupted. “We’ve got urgent family business to take care of, Cen. We haven’t got all day, so stop all the questions and let Ruby catch her breath.”

  “What are you talking about? The Inn is our family business.”

  “I’ll explain later.” Aunt Pearl waved her arms impatiently. “We’ve got to get moving before it’s too late.”

  “Explain now.” I crossed my arms.

  “Sorry, but our mission is top secret. Everything’s on a need to know basis, and right now you don’t need to know anything. I’ll tell you when the time is right.” Aunt Pearl glanced at her watch, then turned towards the driver’s seat. “We’re behind schedule. Floor it, Wilt.”

  The G-force slammed me back in my seat as the RV accelerated.

  “Everything’s fine, Cen.” Mom glanced uncertainly at Aunt Pearl. “We don’t have any guests until Friday and I’m bored. I could use a road trip.”

  I frowned. Mom was a horrible liar. Aunt Pearl had obviously put her up to this. Whatever it was had to be pretty serious for Mom to abandon the Inn and leave town.

  “Huh?” Mom’s big suitcase made me all the more suspicious about the supposedly impromptu road trip. She had found time to pack, so the trip must have been preplanned.

  Mom ignored me. Instead she braced herself against the Arborite table as the RV hurtled down the steep hill that led off our property to the main road out of town.

  Mom seemed stressed, though she tried not to show it. “It’s nice to sit down. This RV is bigger than I thought.”

  “Where did you get the RV, Aunt Pearl?” Everyone seemed to be in on her scheme but me.

  No answer.

  “Aunt Pearl?”

  My aunt turned around and grimaced as she squeezed her nose with her thumb and index finger. “Geesh, Cendrine, you stink to high heaven.”

  “Don’t change the subject. It’s the gas. You were going to help me clean up, remember?”

  Aunt Pearl ignored me and opened the front passenger window.

  Mom nodded in agreement. She sat across from me in the kitchen nook. “No one’s going to hire you smelling like gas. It’s just as well you have to reschedule your interview.”

  “I am not rescheduling.” I opened the window, hoping the breeze would dissipate the gas fumes. Timing was tight, but I still had a chance of making the interview. All I had to do was remain silent and cooperative until I got dropped off in Shady Creek.

  I glanced around the RV and noticed a half-full bottle of water lying in the sink. I rose to grab it and teetered on my heels as the RV barreled down the hill. The RV screeched to a halt at the stop sign at the bottom of our driveway.

  Just as quickly Wilt stepped on the gas and tore around the corner. I recovered my balance and grabbed the water bottle. I had barely scrambled back to my seat when the RV skidded across to the wrong side of the road before swinging back on track. I unscrewed the cap and dabbed a small amount of water onto the front of my dress.

  Mom raised her brows. “It’s a bit early for that, don’t you think?”

  I frowned, puzzled by her comment until I recognized the odor. The bottle contained vodka, not water.

  Now I reeked of alcohol. I would never make it past security, let alone to Human Resources. I’d violate the drug and alcohol policy before I even got past the screening interview.

  I swore under my breath and turned to Mom. “I can’t go to the interview like this. Can you give me some special help?” That was our code word for magic. I braced myself for a lecture on neglecting my witchcraft lessons. Mom was usually more forgiving than Aunt Pearl, though both constantly criticized my lack of discipline. I had to admit I had different priorities. They were right about one thing, though. I couldn’t cast a spell if my life depended on it.

  “I don’t understand why you feel the need to leave Westwick Corners.” Mom shook her head, disappointed. “You’ve got full-time work at the Inn if you want it. You don’t need a reporter job in another town. Journalism isn’t your calling, Cen, and I don’t understand why you’re so ashamed of your heritage. You could have pretty much anything if you just practiced your witchcraft.”

  I remained silent. I couldn’t explain to two expert witches that I wanted the one thing witchcraft couldn’t give me—to fit in and just be a normal twenty-something woman, with a regular job and a normal family. I craved acceptance
, something you simply couldn’t cast with a spell. I wanted to be like everyone else. “I just want to live my own life. Magic causes more trouble than it’s worth sometimes.”

  “You’ve got so much natural talent, Cen.” Mom sighed. “You’re squandering your abilities. One day you’ll wake up and realize everything too late. I just don’t want you to regret it.”

  My shoulders sagged. Even Mom was on Aunt Pearl’s side. I was stuck. “Aunt Pearl didn’t really win the lottery, did she?” I was sure it was one of my aunt’s white lies. “She conjured it up.”

  Mom shook her head. “It’s real, Cen. Wilt even sold her the winning ticket at the gas station. That’s one reason she hired him as driver.”

  As if on cue Aunt Pearl turned in her seat. “He’s my lucky charm.”

  I jolted back in my seat as Wilt punched the gas pedal. “The lottery was last night. She hasn’t had time to cash the ticket, let alone shop for an RV.”

  “You know Pearl. She works fast.”

  Exactly what I was afraid of. Aunt Pearl could wreak havoc in a matter of minutes. I slid sideways on the bench seat and stomped my foot down to stop myself from falling into the aisle.

  The RV shuddered as it gained speed and fought the wind. I was crazy-scared, since we hadn’t even left the highway on-ramp yet.

  “Slow down!” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the Arborite table.

  Wilt ignored my pleas and we careened onto the highway.

  Within minutes a police siren blared behind us. The flashing lights reflected in the rear view mirror as Wilt lurched to a stop on the side of the road. I jolted back in my seat, relieved that we had been pulled over. The traffic stop had probably saved us from carnage on the Interstate.

  Mom’s face turned ghostly white. She cracked open the window and leaned out. She looked as though she might be sick.

  I turned around to say something to Wilt, but he was too busy cursing and rolling down his window to pay me any attention.

  I craned my neck to see the sheriff’s SUV parked behind the RV, angled out police-style.

  Great.

  Sheriff Tyler Gates was the last person I wanted to see right now. Not because I didn’t like him. In fact, I liked him a lot. Too much, in fact. I had broken off my wedding to another man because of him, only he didn’t know that. I wasn’t about to admit it, but it was the truth.

  “He’s at it again. I’m being persecuted.” Aunt Pearl didn’t like the sheriff one bit. I had no doubt that my law-breaking aunt was about to embarrass us all.

  Tyler and I had been secretly dating for the last few months, meeting in Shady Creek to avoid both gossip and interference from Aunt Pearl. She had successfully run every other sheriff out of town, and losing Tyler was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

  I slouched down in my seat, hoping Tyler wouldn’t notice me as he walked by the RV window.

  He immediately spotted me and smiled. I smiled back, and Mom gave a quick wave.

  Aunt Pearl muttered something from the front passenger seat.

  “Hello, Pearl.” Tyler peered in through the driver’s side window. He seemed to hold his own against my ornery aunt.

  Aunt Pearl grunted something under her breath. I suspected she had more up her sleeve than a conjured-up lottery win and a magical RV.

  I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t start an argument.

  Tyler’s gaze shifted to Mom and me. He nodded and smiled. For a split second I considered asking Tyler for a ride to Shady Creek, but just as quickly dismissed it. Aside from angering Aunt Pearl, it might reveal our secret relationship.

  “License and registration please.” Tyler Gates peered inside as he waited for the documents. “Going on vacation?”

  “We’re heading to Vegas,” Pearl said. “That against the law?”

  Tyler frowned as his eyes locked on mine.

  I shook my head. Nobody was going to Vegas, least of all me. Even if I missed my interview, I’d still make our date. Tyler and I were having dinner at a fancy new French restaurant in Shady Creek, far from prying eyes of friends and family. Until then, I didn’t want him to get close enough to see or smell my ruined dress. I’d shop for another dress right after my interview.

  A trace of a smile played on Tyler’s lips as he turned to Aunt Pearl. “No, but a broken taillight is. You’ll have to get that fixed.”

  “We’re heading to the shop right now, Officer,” Wilt said. “The part we need is in Shady Creek.”

  I relaxed at the mention of Shady Creek. Lately my timing always seemed a little off, just like it was for this interview. It was like fate had intervened or something. Maybe that was a good thing, since I’d rather not work at the Shady Creek Tattler. But I still needed to earn a living.

  I slid closer to the window to air out my eau du gasoline smell. My clothes had dried quickly in the summer heat. Other than the faint odor, there were no visible stains from the gasoline fiasco. Maybe things would work out after all.

  The sheriff let us off with a warning and Wilt promised to get the taillight fixed pronto.

  I refocused on the highway as we passed the highway sign informing us that we had reached the Shady Creek city limits. I felt a glimmer of hope as I checked my watch. We hadn’t been stopped as long as I thought. There was a small chance I might make my interview after all, thanks to Wilt’s excessive speed. Which, from Mom’s panicked expression, was freaking her out.

  It seemed odd that Mom was even on the trip since she hated any kind of traveling. She rarely even went to Shady Creek. Las Vegas might as well have been on another planet. Mom probably came along only because Aunt Pearl could find herself in a whole mess of trouble in Las Vegas.

  Suddenly the RV rocked and careened across the center line. The forest along the highway became a blur of green, brown and asphalt.

  I jerked my head around as we sped down the highway and passed the Shady Creek turnoff. “We just missed my exit.”

  Wilt turned around in his seat and the RV swerved into the oncoming lane.

  “Watch the road!” Mom’s knuckles turned white as she clenched the Arborite table. “You’re going to get us killed!”

  I screamed as I fell off the bench seat and into the aisle, sure we were about to die in a head-on collision. I rolled on the floor a few feet before I slammed into the kitchen cupboards.

  Just as suddenly the RV reversed course and returned to the lane. I rose to my feet just in time to see us narrowly miss a semi-trailer coming in the opposite direction. We were on the wrong side of a four-lane highway. Wilt was even less qualified as a driver than as a gas station attendant. The trip was quickly headed for disaster.

  I returned to my seat at the kitchen nook, breathless. I looked for my cell phone but came up empty. I swore when I realized that both my phone and the Shady Creek Tattler’s phone number were still in my purse on my car seat. It was now five minutes after my interview time and we were headed in the opposite direction.

  I had blown my chance. The newspaper wasn’t likely to hire a reporter who blew off interviews and didn’t even have the courtesy to call.

  I couldn’t even call Tyler. I might even be a no-show for our date. What would he think of me?

  Aunt Pearl turned around in her seat. “Cen, stop all your fussing. You don’t need that job. In fact, you never have to work another day in your life. I’ve got you covered. I won the lottery, remember?”

  “How much did you win, exactly?”

  My aunt dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “All you need to know is that I pay top dollar. You’ll have to pass probation, of course.”

  I sighed. Another excuse for Aunt Pearl to order me around. The lottery win was just another of her tales. I didn’t believe her outrageous story for a minute, and the last person I wanted to be beholden to was my wacky aunt. “Why the RV? You know WICCA rules prohibit magic just for the sake of it.”

  WICCA, or the Witches International Community Craft Association, had strict rules about the frivolous u
se of magic. Every spell needed a purpose, and flaunting magic indiscriminately was subject to a hefty fine. Aunt Pearl flaunted the rules with reckless abandon and always got away with it.

  It was also against the rules to talk openly about witchcraft, but by this point I was so fed up. I really didn’t care if Wilt heard me or not.

  “I am not breaking any rules,” Aunt Pearl snapped. “If you practiced your craft more, you’d know there are loopholes.”

  “Let’s not fight.” Mom turned to me. “You’re awfully testy, Cen. You really do need this vacation.”

  Aunt Pearl had apparently bewitched my neurotic Mom and turned her into a laid-back zombie. We were all being kidnapped, whether we knew it or not. All I took comfort from was that at least the RV wasn’t stolen. Sheriff Tyler Gates would have checked the plates when he pulled us over.

  We passed the next exit sign in a flash and I got the sense there was no turning back. I turned to Mom. “You’re letting her kidnap me?” Aside from missing the exit, we were gaining speed at an alarming rate. My pulse quickened as the RV once again shuddered against the wind force. I tightened my seat belt.

  “Now Cen, you know Pearl doesn’t intentionally break laws.” Mom’s words were completely at odds with her body language. The color drained from her face as she gripped the table edge. Mom was holding something back. “Only when absolutely necessary.”

  “It’s never necessary,” I protested. Aunt Pearl tended to act first and think later. I just wished she were more law-abiding and less of a troublemaker. But she’d already had plenty of run-ins with Sheriff Tyler Gates, and law enforcement outside Westwick Corners wasn’t nearly as forgiving.

  “I don’t care what the reason is. Turn this thing around and take me back.”

  “Not a chance, missy.” Aunt Pearl let out a whoop and waved her boney fist in the air. “Whoo-hoo! Vegas baby, here we come!”

  “Let me out and I’ll hitchhike back.”

  “You are not hitchhiking.” Mom wagged her finger. “You know how dangerous that is? I can’t let you do that.”

  “No.” Aunt Pearl rose from the passenger seat and joined us at the kitchen table. “You have to come with us and celebrate.”