Cast a Spell

by Stacey Alabaster

  Of course.

  “Do you miss Swift Valley?” I asked Akiro as we walked up the gray steps towards the city’s largest museum. He was a country boy at heart, and even though it had been his decision to make the trip, he had made a huge effort by coming to see me. I stared up at him with affection. I saw the way he looked slightly uncomfortable with all the people walking and pushing around him. He must really like me . . . Maybe even love me. Neither of us had said the L word yet. But it was coming. I could feel it.

  We walked around the new traveling exhibit before we did anything else. I was fascinated as we read the plaques about the mummies and the ancient curses and rumors of paranormal intervention in getting the ancient burial sites prepared, and I was really getting into it—asking Akiro for his thoughts on it. “They worshiped cats because they believed they were gods. They believed in a lot of magical stuff.”

  But then he just rolled his eyes and said that it was all “a load of rubbish,” That wasn’t the reaction I had been hoping for. I got a little quiet after that, and by the time we were having our lunch in the overpriced cafeteria, Akiro had started to notice that something was up with me. When he asked what it was, I just shook my head and said that I was a little tired from all the coursework.

  Then he shocked me with a very direct question that I hadn’t seen coming. “Where do you see us?” he asked me, setting down his fork. “In three months’ time? Twelve months’ time? How about five years?”

  I hadn’t meant to stutter my answers back at him. It was just that I had felt put on the spot. And so, I quickly scarfed down my sausage roll to give me time to think about my answer. Maybe I should have been honest. Instead, I ended up answering what I thought he wanted me to say. “You know, I hope we are moving forward. Seeing more of each other as the months go on.” But clearly, I hadn’t said what he’d wanted to hear, because he became even more agitated with me.

  “Why are you holding back, Ruby?”

  I didn’t know what he was talking about at all.

  “I’m not . . . I just don’t get why we have to answer these questions right now when we are still getting to know each other.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “We have known each other for years,” he said.

  “But not in a dating capacity,” I replied quickly. “All this talk of five years in the future. Well, it’s a lot . . . it sounds like you are talking about marriage or something just as serious.”

  “No, I am not talking about marriage or trying to trap you into anything,” he said with frustration, and I realized that he was actually genuinely upset about something. “I want us to be moving forwards, like you said. But there is a block up with you, Ruby. It’s like trying to get through a steel door. I can’t open it.”

  I just stared down at my half-eaten sausage roll. “I’m sorry you feel like that. I don’t mean for you to,” I said meekly. I could hardly blame him for feeling like this, though.

  “Are you hiding something from me?” he asked, and there was this look in his eyes that was a little heartbreaking. Because deep down, he must have known.

  Here it was. My chance to come clean and tell him—Akiro, I am a witch. But he hated all things paranormal. That morning had just reinforced it. There was no good way to break that news. He would walk right out of the museum and probably never speak to me ever again. Worse. He might laugh at me. Mock me. Tell me that he hated me.

  I shook my head. “No. You have nothing to worry about.”

  He still looked sad. “So, you are telling me that I am being paranoid, is that it?”

  “No, not at all . . .”

  Gosh, I felt like the worst person.

  The worst witch.

  We went wandering through the bird exhibit, which was a little less controversial. But it wasn’t far from the Egypt collection, and when I saw a familiar brunette head, I looked up from the bird fossils and frowned.

  Savannah was here. Hmm.

  “I know that girl,” I said, standing out of the way a little so that she didn’t see me. “She is in the course with me.”

  Was I just imagining it, or did Akiro look disappointed that it wasn’t Maddie, but Savannah, when she turned around and started to head straight towards us?

  “Hello,” I said, trying to keep things light and friendly. No one knew that the two of us had been investigating the case together, and I didn’t want Akiro to know that, either.

  “I’m just here to check out the new ancient Egypt exhibit,” Savannah said.

  “Us, too,” I said. “This is my boyfriend, Akiro.” I hadn’t actually officially called him that out loud before to anyone else, only in my head, but it felt right. He said that it was a pleasure to meet Savannah.

  “Er, can you excuse me for a moment?” I said to Akiro. Something was telling me that Savannah was not really being honest. Maybe it was witch instinct. Maybe it was just plain old gut instinct. But something was up.

  “Are you really just here to look at the mummies?” I asked her.

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you?”

  Okay, now I was really intrigued.

  “What, is there some sort of lead here? Savannah, don’t keep me in the dark. We have to have each other’s backs on this case. If you actually become a detective in the real world, you will realize how important trust like this is.”

  I was waiting for her to snap back with, “I am a detective in the real world,” but she managed to bite her tongue on that one. She glanced around over her shoulders to make sure no one was listening.

  “This is apparently where John Cassidy works now.”

  What?!

  Surely that couldn’t have been right. I took a step closer to her.

  “How did you know that?”

  She looked a little smug as she pursed her lips. “When I saw you talking to Donna the other day, I got an idea. She was claiming innocence. But I knew that Donna must have known more than she was letting on. So I went back and pressed her on it. She said that John works here now, as a security guard. But I wasn’t supposed to let anyone know.”

  Darn. She was a good detective. I just wished that she would own it instead of weirdly pretending to be incompetent most of the time. She must have been really peeved off at having to repeat the course that she had already done and passed. Especially when she was already working in the field. Believe me, I knew the feeling.

  “So?” she said. “Want to come and scope it out with me? Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

  I sighed and told her I couldn’t. “My boyfriend is waiting for me. He’s come all the way from Swift Valley to visit me.”

  She pulled a face. “Where on Earth is that?”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” I said and left to go back to my waiting boyfriend, and told him I was all his for the rest of the visit to the museum. The entire time, I was keeping an eye out for John. But there was no sight of him. And I had to wonder if Donna had gotten her wires crossed. Or maybe she had just flat-out lied to Savannah to get her off the scent.

  When I left Akiro for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, I saw another familiar face and stopped in my tracks.

  Joe.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked me, looking a little flustered when he saw me outside the interactive science exhibit. He had definitely been looking around quite furtively just before that—trying to spot the same person that Savannah and I had been looking for.

  “A better question would be, what are you doing here?” The museum was a particularly popular spot that Saturday morning. Especially surprising given that there was also a comedy festival on in town and football season had started the week before. There were plenty of sporting and cultural events to attend, and yet everyone I personally knew just had a hankering to check out the new ancient Egypt display at the museum.

  But he stuck to the old party line, of course, and told me he had always been interested in ancient history. And I supposed the museum was nearby to the college, so if he n
eeded to pop in to do some grading or whatever over the course of the day, it would be easy. That good old plausible deniability again. No one was being honest

  Savannah had spotted me and came out of nowhere. And before she ever realized that Joe was right there, the words were out of her mouth, unable to be taken back or swallowed down. “I can’t see John anywhere. I think it is time to give up and maybe try a different tactic—” Oh, whoops. The horror was written all over her face as she realized Joe was standing right in front of me.

  “You’ve been investigating this case,” he said in a low voice. “In spite of strict instruction not to.”

  “What? We were just trying to find an old friend to say hello to! Savannah, back me up here—”

  But I realized that Savannah was no longer standing beside me. She had dashed off inside the science exhibit, into the darkness, saving herself while I landed in hot water.

  Joe was looking at me in heavy disappointment

  “Ruby, I have no choice but to let you go from the course.”

  “Hang on! That is not fair.”

  “Whoever said this line of work is fair?”

  When he stomped off, I realized that I was right next to a bunch of fossils that made a fearsome creature. The bones of the dinosaur were hovering over me. I glanced up, and I could see right into its jaw—like if it could lean down just a little bit, it would swallow me up completely.

  I glanced over and saw the canteen where Akiro was still waiting for me. But something else caught my eye. A sign that read “Original Gelato sold here.”

  6

  I dreamt that I was running through a field, racing after someone with heavy boots. They were quicker than me, taunting me with their speed and size. A head turned over the person’s shoulder, and I saw John Cassidy’s crinkled face staring back at me. Do you dare to follow? he seemed to be asking me as he ran into a forest. When I arrived breathless in the forest, I discovered that he was gone, and all the tree trunks were made of ice cream sticks. My eyes sprang open. I awoke and rubbed my forehead. I was confused—was this a message? Were my witch senses telling me something? I wasn’t sure. And I had woken up with a massive craving for ice cream.

  “Ice cream for breakfast?” Vicky asked in disbelief as I dug into a tub I’d bought from the supermarket. Mint. Almost like toothpaste early in the morning.

  “It’s the stress of studying,” I explained as I shoveled another spoonful into my mouth. “Need the sugar hit.”

  She sighed and flipped through her notebook from the course. “I know the feeling.” She made an “I am so stressed” face, and I nodded sympathetically.

  She was coming up top of the class, though. I didn’t know what she had to be so stressed about. I technically wasn’t even in the course any longer.

  But I had a plan to fix that. Vicky asked if I was coming with her, but I just shook my head and said I might have to skip class that day to catch up on my studies. She frowned in disapproval and said that didn’t sound like the best idea. Maybe not, but I needed to buy some time.

  “Want some ice cream?” I asked, even though the tub was almost empty. She just laughed and said to enjoy myself and that she’d see me if I ever got to class.

  I’d have to go on a diet when I got back to Swift Valley. Living on ice cream and sausage rolls wasn’t doing much for my figure.

  But that was not the most pressing matter on my mind that morning. I had the teeny tiny issue that I had been expelled from the PI course by Joe the Tyrant.

  I was thrown out. Joe was never going to listen to reason.

  There was only one thing that was going to help me stay in the course, and that was witchcraft. That day, I studied the spellbook I had brought in my luggage even more intensely than I had been studying my PI textbook. I’d finally decided on my exact plan of action. But it took me about twenty goes to memorize the words that I was going to need, and a few hours longer to grasp the courage I would need to perform the spell.

  By the time I had, the sun was setting over the Melbourne skyline. Class was out. But I needed to get back in. The spellbook in my hands was tingling, just asking to be used.

  Vicky and Maddie were hanging out together that night, going out to eat at a local café that was open late and then seeing a comedy show afterwards. I had been supposed to meet Akiro at a comedy show as well. He’d been visiting a cousin during the day and texted me that he couldn’t wait for our date that evening. But when the first half of the show was over, I told Akiro that I was feeling sleepy and needed to go back to the hotel a little early, but if he was enjoying himself at the show, then he should stay. Intermission was my chance to escape.

  I opened my spellbook the second I got back to the hotel room. “This is fine,” I said, justifying my decision to myself. “Actually, this will be a huge benefit to me!”

  You see—it wasn’t just the detective’s course that I needed to pass. I was another kind of student. An apprentice witch, if you will. One who still only had her learner’s permit and was looking for her full license. In a few weeks’ time, when I returned to Swift Valley, I would need to pass an exam that was just as important at the PI exam—because it was one that would prove that I was good enough to join the Swift Valley coven of witches.

  So I figured, why not kill two birds with one stone? Disremembrance spells were a part of the witch’s curriculum, and that was one I was going to have to perform in front of our leader, Geri. So, I figured I could get some practice in—and get myself back into Joe’s course at the same time.

  I had a photo of Joe that I had gotten from the ECL web page and brought it up on my laptop screen, making it full screen so that it was all there was to focus on. I realized that if Vicky walked in at that moment, it would look very suspicious—as though I had a crush on Joe or something. Actually, it would be even worse if Akiro walked in at that moment.

  I glanced at the time and realized I needed to hurry up.

  “Okay, focus, Ruby. You can do this.” The pressure was on, though—I felt like I had to do this.

  It was simple enough. In theory.

  All I needed to do was concentrate on the picture of Joe and say the magic words to make him forget that he had seen me in the museum the previous day. Once the spell was cast, his entire memory of the interaction would be erased. And I would be able to return to the classroom.

  I made triple sure that no one was in the hotel room and even ducked my head out into the hallway in case Vicky had changed her mind about the late-night comedy show and had decided to come back early.

  There was no one. Maybe I had been looking for an excuse not to go through with the plan. But I didn’t have one. So, I sat back down, took a deep breath, and stared at Joe’s head before saying the magic words.

  Not only would Joe not remember that he had thrown me off the course, he would forget that he had ever seen me at the museum. And he wouldn’t know that I was investigating the death of Eddie Ian.

  That was that. I was back in the course.

  The following morning, Joe eyed me strangely as I entered the classroom, and for a moment I was worried that the spell hadn’t worked. It was like he was trying to recall something from a dream. I paused for a moment, just in case he about to tell me to get out. He just shook his head and let me take my seat in the front of the classroom.

  “You seem a little nervous,” Savannah commented. “Everything okay?”

  “Ha. Of course it is. This is where I feel most at home, remember?” I asked, putting my backpack down. I sat a little too heavily down on my seat and knocked my jar of pens to the ground.

  Brett leaned over two seats and eyed me up and down. “Rough night?” he asked me with a raise of the eyebrows.

  Well, I hadn’t slept well. I’d been anxious about how well the spell had worked, and Akiro had gotten on the early train back to Swift Valley that morning. We’d barely even had a chance to see each other during his last day in Melbourne, and it had been clear from his gruff goodbye that h
e wasn’t very happy about that fact.

  So, yes, a bit of a rough one. And it was going to be another all-nighter that night. “Just a lot of coursework to keep up with,” I said with a bit of a shrug to show that it was no big deal.

  “I’ve fallen a bit behind myself,” Brett said with sympathy. “Maybe we can help each other out and study together.”

  “Sure,” I said with an easy smile and opened my textbook up to that day’s topic, which was a relatively easy one on how to keep track of expenses and how to bill clients. Vicky and Maddie wandered in late, and Joe gave them both a telling off about tardiness and warned them that next time, if they were that late, they would not be allowed to come into the classroom at all. Vicky kept her head down for the remainder of the class, and Maddie was unusually quiet during the morning.

  Brett and I ended up meeting at lunchtime and sharing notes that we had taken. He offered to let me look at the notes from the day before, given that I had missed class. “Thanks, Brett, you’re a real champ.” He smiled back and said that he was glad he could help out. I hadn’t paid him a lot of attention up till that point. I had a good look at him as I munched on my sausage roll—a hard habit to break. Brett had gone with a healthier choice of a salad from the canteen. He told me he was twenty-eight, but his hair was already going a little gray at the sides, and he had some lines underneath his eyes. “Before this, I worked in a call center, so there is no way this can be any more stressful than that.”

  I laughed. He was probably right. I’d never worked in a call center myself, but I had heard horror stories about them. As stressful as detective work could be, he had been through worse, I was sure.

  Brett had pushed his salad aside to focus on his notes. There were veins starting to bulge at the sides of his temples. I could see that he was struggling with the latest part of the course, even though it was a relatively simple part. He explained that as we got toward the middle of the course, it was all starting to get a bit real for him. “This will be a big change for me. I just hope that I can handle it.” He glanced over at me. “It can be dangerous, right?”