by Rose Pressey
Chapter Forty-Three
After a couple hours, my mother burst through the door with a look of determination in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Okay. I couldn’t find out what the rest of the spell calls for, but that is no excuse. You should at least give it a try.”
I climbed off the stool and stepped out from the counter. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”
There was no point in arguing with her. I might as well do the spell like she wanted and get on with it. It was getting dark and I needed to get home. A strange feeling enveloped me and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was different than anything I’d felt before. LaVeau Manor needed my protection… but protection from what? Mara?
My mother pulled the ingredients from the shelves and placed them in a bowl in the middle of the room. She pulled the book over and placed it in the middle of the floor.
Once she’d locked the door and flipped the sign to say Closed, she motioned for me to start. “Give it your best shot, dear.”
I wanted to laugh, but that would have just been mean. My mother grabbed my hand and motioned for Annabelle to join us.
“We’ll make a circle around the bowl in the middle of the room,” my mother said.
As I recited the words, the light show began. Blue and red lights swirled up from the floor and began to make a circle around us. But when it was halfway around, it just fizzled out and disappeared. I half-heartedly repeated the words on the pages, but nothing happened. It was no use.
Annabelle stood with us, holding my hand. I knew she had no idea what she was doing, but I gave her credit for trying. That was a lot more than a lot of friends would endure. I owed her for this.
My mother released my hand with a sigh. “At least you gave it a shot. No one can say that you didn’t try.”
I nodded. “You got that right. I think I should go home now. I think the place is calling to me.”
“Are Nicolas and Liam still there?” my mother asked with a wiggle of her eyebrow.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. They said they would stay and help me figure this out, but I just don’t know what to believe.”
“Just go with your heart,” my mother said.
“How am I going to get rid of the demon and Mara?” I asked around a sigh.
“I don’t know, honey, but we’ll think of something.” My mother smoothed down my frazzled hair. “Do you want some of my special conditioner?”
Leave to my mother to be worried about my frizzy hair at the moment.
“I’ll see you later.” I hugged my mother, then waved over my shoulder on the way out the door.
As soon as Annabelle and I jumped into my car, she asked, “What are you going to do now?”
“Well, since the party is in two days, I need to pick up some of the supplies that I ordered. I thought I’d grab dinner and go home after that. Like I said, something is calling me at the manor and I don’t know what it is.” The idea sent a chill down my spine.
I hoped it wasn’t the ghosts. I wanted them to go away just like Isabeau.
“Do you think this Mara person is there?” Apprehension colored Annabelle’s voice.
My stomach twisted into a knot at the thought. “I sure hope not. I think Liam or Nicolas would call me if she was. Well, that’s if they are still there.”
What if they were in on this with Mara? I’d just blindly trusted them. This could all be an act leading up to when she showed up.
“Do you want me to go with you? We could hang out downstairs in the parlor. Maybe watch a movie? We haven’t had a girls’ night in a long time… but no scary movies,” she warned with a wave of her finger.
“I’d really like that,” I said with a smile.
It was a big deal for Annabelle to be inside my house at night. She must really feel sorry for me.
After picking up the supplies for the party, we loaded them into the trunk, then decided to pick up a pizza and a bottle of wine.
On the way to the local pizza shop, Annabelle asked, “So what are you going to wear to the party?”
“Hmm. I hadn’t even thought about that.” I tapped my fingers nervously against the steering wheel.
What would I wear? I didn’t have anything formal other than my prom dress from ten years ago and an ugly teal bridesmaid dress from my cousin’s wedding last year. There was no way I could wear either one of those.
Annabelle clapped her hands together. “Okay. That does it. Before we pick up the food and go home I know where we have to go. There is the perfect dress for you at that boutique in town. I saw it in the window and thought it would look great on you.”
I hesitated. The light turned green and the car behind me honked.
“Do you think I should get a dress?” I asked, biting my lower lip.
“You just said you didn’t have one to wear.” Annabelle pointed at the green light.
The car honked again and I punched the gas.
“What are you going to wear?” I asked as I turned down the street toward the boutique.
“Me? I’m not coming to the party, am I?”
I glanced over at her. “What do you mean? Of course you’re coming to the party. Why wouldn’t you?”
“I thought it was only for witches… you know, members of the Coven.” Annabelle frowned.
“You’re my guest. Other witches bring guests who aren’t paranormals.” I made a right turn.
“I think I would feel out of place.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Oh, come on. I can’t have a big party at my place and not have my best friend there.”
She sighed. “Okay. You’ve convinced me. I have a beautiful green evening gown that I wore to my mother’s real estate award banquet last year.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that dress. It’s beautiful and the color looks great on you. So it’s settled. You’re coming to the party,” I said as I pulled the car into the parking space in front of the boutique.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You are going to love this dress,” she said as she got out of the car.
Bubble and Bunny Clothing Boutique always had the latest fashion. Most of the time I window-shopped. But as soon as I saw the dress in the window, I knew I had to have it. It practically called to me.
“How did you know I would love this?” I asked as we walked through the door.
“Hey, we’ve been friends for a long time. I know what you like.” Annabelle waved her freshly-manicured finger.
The interior of the store was just as hip as the clothing they sold. A soft lavender color covered the walls and the light hardwood floor shone under the abundance of track lighting. The red dress in the window was satin and fit tight through the bust and hips, then fanned out at the bottom. At the back was a small train.
After rushing into the dressing room, I slipped into the dress and it fit perfectly. I took that as a sign that it was meant to be. I stepped out from the room and spun around.
“It’s perfect. Nicolas and Liam will love it,” Annabelle said with glee.
“Oh no. I don’t want them to love it,” I said, avoiding her glare.
“Yeah, you don’t want them to love the dress as much as I hate chocolate,” she snorted.
After I paid for the dress, the woman wrapped it up in a box, placed it in the gift bag and I was on my way. I had second thoughts about eating that pizza though. I wanted to still be able to fit into my new dress. Annabelle loved chocolate and I knew she was right; I couldn’t wait to see Nicolas’ reaction when he saw the dress. It was just a coincidence that he said his favorite color was red.
We picked up a large pepperoni pizza and the wine and made our way back to the manor. The golden sunset was waning and the last, faint color of the day faded as we pulled into the driveway. The house was shadowy and inscrutable, appearing especially creepy. Annabelle’s apprehension filled the air.
“It won’t be nearly as spooky-looking
when I turn all the lights on,” I said.
I expected her to back out of our plan for movie night at any moment. But so far she was still game. I didn’t see the ghosts and for that small favor I was thankful.
“Where do you think the guys are?” Annabelle scanned the surroundings and shivered.
“I don’t know,” I said as I pulled the dress from the back seat of the car.
Annabelle grabbed the pizza and the wine. I’d get the party supplies later. There was a break in the rain and I wanted to get inside before the downpour started again.
“I was thinking,” I said as I unlocked the front door. “Do you think both men could be lying to me? Do you think they are in on this plan with this Mara woman?”
With any luck she’d tell me I was crazy and that I had nothing to worry about.
“What do you think?” Annabelle asked. “Do you feel like they are doing that to you?”
I glanced over at her. “Honestly? No, I don’t feel like they would do that.”
“Well, then there’s your answer,” Annabelle said.
Her expression didn’t instill much confidence though.
