“Thank you,” she said, relief washing over her.
She hung up and stared at the phone for a moment before putting it down. “You were right. Thank you. She’s okay and might even be able to go home tomorrow.”
Mal didn’t answer and Opal turned around. He was crouched down and he was picking up one of the tablets that she had dropped.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Just some vitamins my aunt has me taking,” she said.
“These aren’t vitamins,” he said, voice filling with horror.
“What do you mean?”
Mal looked up at her. “I’ve seen these before. She’s drugging you.”
15
“What do you mean she’s drugging me?” Opal asked, heart skipping a beat as his words sank in.
Mal showed her the tablets. “These aren’t vitamins. These look like prescription medications. The bigger one is an anti-depressant.”
“Why would she be giving those to me and lying about what they were?” Opal questioned, feeling more than a bit freaked out.
“Best case scenario is she was worried about your mental state and about the possibility of you getting overly depressed with all the changes happening in your life.”
“And the worst case scenario?”
“I can’t even begin to imagine,” he said.
That was okay, she could imagine enough for both of them. “I have to see her tomorrow. What on earth do I say?”
“Whatever you say, you don’t have to be alone when the time comes.”
Opal sat down at the table. She felt a bit dizzy. So many emotions had coursed through her in just a couple of short hours. Earlier that evening she’d been desperate for her aunt to wake up and come home. Now she was awake but Opal didn’t want her to come home. She needed answers and fast.
“We can go tonight if you need to,” Mal said as though reading her mind.
Opal nodded. “Yeah, I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight unless I know the truth.”
“It’s settled then. Let’s go.”
A few minutes later when they were parking at the hospital Opal had just about convinced herself that this was a terrible idea. As much as the uncertainty of it all was gnawing at her there was a part of her that didn’t want to know the truth.
“Visiting hours are over for the night,” she said, staring at the door.
“No one will even see us. Trust me.”
She was so tired. So much had happened just in the last few hours. It was hard to process it all. Too hard.
She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and it startled her.
“Opal, are you okay?” Mal asked.
She brushed at her wet cheeks. “I think it’s been a lot for one day,” she said. “It feels weird. I’m not crying, at least, I don’t feel like I’m crying. My eyes are just leaking.”
“You are very tired and a bit overwhelmed,” he said, voice gentle. “Maybe you’re right. It is too much for one day. You can deal with her tomorrow.”
Opal nodded, grateful that he understood.
The ride back to her house they passed in silence. Opal didn’t know what Mal was thinking but her own mind felt like a whirl of colors and shapes.
And shadows. So many shadows.
There were too many to count.
Not that she wanted to count them. She just wanted them to go away and never come back.
Things had been terrible after her mother disappeared. She didn’t know who had cried themselves to sleep more times, her or her dad. Still, there had been some consistencies. It was still her bed in her room in her house. Her dad was there, even if she was afraid something would happen to him, too. The friends that she’d had the day before it happened were the same friends she had after. If anything she saw more of her friends, their parents often inviting her to family outings. Looking back she wasn’t sure if they’d done that for her to distract her from her grief or to give her father a break.
Things were different now. For starters her father was for sure dead and not just missing. There was a terrible finality in that. Then every day since seemed to bring a new change. Not just small changes either but big, dramatic ones that altered her world more and more until here in this moment when she couldn’t even recognize it as her life anymore.
Your father’s heart did not betray him.
The words the old witch had said to her echoed suddenly around and around in her mind, like some endless loop. What could she have meant by that?
Opal shook her head. The crazy old woman couldn’t have meant anything. She didn’t know Opal let alone her father.
But she used magic, on me.
Mal pulled up to the curb in front of her house and she turned to him.
“The old witch who tried to hurt me, could she be the one who attacked my aunt?”
“I thought about it, but I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s capable of being that subtle.”
“Do you actually know her? Know who she is?”
“I know who she is. She’s a crazy old Trickster who for the most part is usually harmless. I can’t remember a story of her attacking someone in years. To tell you the truth that alone has me a little on edge. I’d like to know why she suddenly freaked out with you.”
“Do you think it has something to do with my father? I mean, she was talking about him while she had hold of me.”
“I don’t know. With her it could be some clear cut connection or it could be completely random. She went insane a few years ago and that can make her a bit unpredictable. It certainly makes her motives unclear.”
“How could she have known who my father was or anything about him, though? I mean, she doesn’t even know who I am.”
He winced. “The last part might not be true. Unfortunately people know you and I are dating.”
“Already? But, it’s only been such a short time.”
“Let’s just say that in the magic community gossip spreads faster than it does in high school.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. So, sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said.
“It kind of is. After all, I was the one who claimed to be your boyfriend on Monday at lunch.”
“Saving me from a very uncomfortable situation.”
“I could have told Seth to leave you alone and he would have listened. I didn’t have to handle it the way I did. It was selfish of me, really.”
“If you hadn’t been selfish then we might not be doing this now,” she said, leaning sideways to kiss him.
“Remind me to be selfish more often,” he said with a grin after she pulled away.
She glanced at the house which seemed hostile to her, looming silently there in the dark. “What now?” she asked.
“Now, I’ve got to put some protection spells on the house,” he said.
They got out of the car and she reluctantly followed him up the steps. This time he didn’t even bother pausing at the top; he just opened the door and walked inside.
“How do you put a protection spell on a house?” she asked as she moved past him.
“I’m going to start with the simplest ward which is often the most effective.”
He pulled a small Swiss army knife out of his pocket and flipped open a blade. He pricked the tip of his finger with it and blood bubbled up. He turned and pressed his finger to both sides of the door frame and then to the top. His lips moved as he did so, but she couldn’t hear the words he was saying. At last he seemed to finish and he closed the door.
“What was all that?” she asked.
“No other magic user can enter this house without my permission now.”
“Why your permission? I’m the one who lives here.”
“Yes, but you or your aunt could let someone in who seems to have a legitimate reason for being here without knowing they were a magic user. This way, if they try to get in and fail you’ll know why. And, I will be able to tell,” he added darkly.
“Okay. So, we should be all good, right?”
He shook his head. “Just because a person can’t get in doesn’t mean they can’t send things into the house.”
“Like, what, a bomb?”
He shook his head. “Not really the right style. Think more venomous snake.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’d prefer not to have to think that.”
“Which is why I’ve got more work to do,” he said. “This part will take some time.”
“What can I do?”
“Actually, nothing. I need to focus completely and unfortunately you are more than a little bit distracting.”
“I can be quiet,” she said, debating whether to take offense.
“No, I don’t mean that. I mean, seeing you, hearing your heartbeat, all of that causes me to think about you and I need to not be thinking about you.”
“You can hear my heartbeat? Do you have like super hearing or something?” she asked.
“No super hearing, just really, really in tune with anything having to do with you. It’s hard to explain.”
“Is it because of the ring?”
“No, but the ring does amplify it. Bottom line is, if I’m anywhere near you, all I’m thinking of is you.”
“Okay. How about I wait in the kitchen then?”
“Great. I’ll tackle that room last.”
Opal headed into the kitchen, grabbed herself some orange juice from the refrigerator and then sat down at the table. As soon as she did she realized that she was even more tired than she thought she was. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself from falling asleep in the chair. She checked her phone. It was almost midnight. It seemed like it should be later than that somehow.
Several minutes passed. She could hear Mal moving around, his footsteps seeming unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet house. She glanced down at the ruby ring on her finger. It seemed amazing that it could somehow help him hear her heartbeat. What must it have sounded like to him when it was racing faster and faster after the witch attacked her? She fiddled with the ring, twisting it around as she thought about all the revelations of the day.
Suddenly she heard pounding footsteps and Mal raced into the room, startling her.
“Opal! Are you okay?” he asked, skidding to a halt.
“Yes,” she choked out.
“Why did you-”
He broke off and strode up to her, eyes fixed on her hands. She glanced down and realized that she was holding the ring in her right hand. She had slid it off her finger while she was playing with it.
He pulled out a chair and sat down. He looked ashen.
“Opal, why did you take the ring off?” he whispered.
“I was just fiddling with it,” she said.
He reached out and took the ring from her and slid it back on her finger. “Please, don’t take it off ever. Not even for a second,” he said, his voice soft and pleading.
“But-”
“Never. Not when you shower or go swimming or play sports or anything. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded.
“Thank you. I’ve got to go finish.”
He stood up.
“How much longer?”
“Not long. I’ll be back down here to take care of this room in a couple of minutes.”
He left and was back in less than five minutes. As curious as she was to watch him do whatever it was he was doing it was hard to make herself go wait in the living room while he took care of the kitchen.
When he was done he joined her on the couch. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Still processing everything,” she admitted.
“I get that. It’s late. Is there anything else you need? If not, I should be heading home.”
She hesitated. Earlier she had told him there was no need to stay. That was when she didn’t know how long her aunt would be in the hospital and she had thought it a good idea to get used to the idea of being alone for at least a few nights. Her aunt would likely be coming home within a few hours, though, so there was no need to get used to living in the house alone.
Then there was the fact that she felt a prickle of fear at the thought of being alone in the dark, quiet house.
“If you wanted to stay, that would be okay,” she said. If she could have she would have rolled her eyes at herself. She was making it seem like she was granting him a favor instead of begging for his help.
“Good, I’ll sleep here on the couch,” he said, sounding almost as relieved as she was feeling.
Opal had weird dreams all night and in the morning she felt like a zombie as she moved from class to class. She didn’t feel quite awake and what little energy or attention she did have was spent thinking about the coming confrontation with her aunt.
The whole thought made her queasy and she kept wishing there was some way out of the whole thing. Even if she faked taking the medication, though, she wouldn’t be able to keep that up forever. Besides, she needed to know why her aunt was giving it to her and lying about it in the first place.
At last school was out and Mal drove her to the hospital. They agreed that he would wait outside while she went in alone. He gave her a quick kiss before she did so and resolutely she marched inside.
Opal took a deep breath before walking into the room. Her aunt was sitting up in bed already dressed and she turned to look at Opal with a smile. “Thank goodness, a familiar face,” she said, clearly relieved.
Opal forced herself to smile back even though that was the last thing she felt like doing at the moment. She wanted to confront her aunt about the fake vitamins but had decided it might be better to do that somewhere more private.
“Are you ready to go home?”
“Yes, please. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened but I’m sure all of this had to be terrifying for you.”
“A little bit,” Opal admitted.
Tanya nodded. Before she could say anything else a nurse came in with a wheelchair. “Time to get out of here,” the woman said cheerfully.
Her aunt got up and sat down in the chair. The nurse turned the chair around and led the way out of the room. Opal followed a step behind. Out in the hallway they headed toward the front of the building.
One of the doctors Opal recognized stopped just in front of them. “Glad to see you up and about,” he said to her aunt.
“Thank you,” Tanya told him.
“And young lady, please thank your fiancé for me again.”
“I will,” Opal said.
He kept walking.
“Fiancé?” Tanya asked, turning to look up at Opal.
“I’ll explain later.”
They made it to the parking lot. Mal was waiting there, leaning against his car. When he saw them he moved to open the back door. The nurse wheeled her aunt up to the car and Tanya got out and got into the car.
The nurse turned and left as Opal and Mal got into the car.
“Thank you for the ride,” Tanya said from the backseat.
“You’re welcome,” Mal replied.
He glanced at Opal who gave him a tight smile. “The doctor said thank you, by the way.”
Mal nodded.
“Um, is there something the two of you should be telling me?” Tanya asked, her voice tense.
“That first night at the hospital they were only letting family in your room. I told them Mal was my fiancé so that I didn’t have to be alone.”
“I see. Well, whatever you did for me, Mal, I’m grateful. You know, I’m still not entirely sure what did happen to me.”
“When I got back to the house I found you in the entryway unconscious. Do you remember what happened?” Opal asked.
“I remember, a few minutes after you left there was a knock on the door. I thought you’d forgotten your key. I went to open it and there was…” she drifted off.
“There was what?” Opal asked, turning around to look at her.
“I...I don’t know. I can’t remember. I opened the door and the next thing I remember w
as waking up in the hospital last night. A doctor told me I’d been exposed to some toxins of some sort. I don’t understand. What was he talking about?”
Opal turned and glanced at Mal who looked intensely uncomfortable. “We think you might have had a bad reaction to a chemical mixture,” he said.
“What chemical mixture?”
“We’re not sure,” Opal said.
“Wait, are you saying someone drugged me? That’s just crazy.”
“Yeah, because you can’t think of anyone who would do something like that,” Opal snapped, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. She turned back around in the seat to glare at her aunt.
“What is that supposed to...oh. Oh no,” Tanya said.
“That’s right,” Opal said, unable to control her anger any longer.
“Can we discuss this in private?”
“No, anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Mal.”
“Opal, I-”
Her aunt broke off suddenly. Her eyes went wide and suddenly she screamed.
16
There, standing in the middle of the road, arms upraised, was the witch that had attacked Opal at the hospital the night before. She braced herself, waiting for Mal to stomp on the brakes and swerve.
Instead she was thrown back in her seat as Mal floored it, sending the car hurtling toward the woman at frightening speed. In the back seat her aunt screamed again.
“Watch out!” Opal shouted.
She threw her arms up to shield her face and braced for the impact.
It never came. After several seconds she pulled her arms down and looked wildly around. There was no sign of the old woman.
“Where did she go?” she asked.
“She was never there, an illusion.”
“What? How? Why?”
“To make me swerve, lose control of the car,” Mal said softly, jaw clenched.
“How did you know?”
“I could tell,” he said, voice tightening up even more.
He didn’t know for sure, she realized. Her stomach twisted. He’d been willing to hit the old woman if he was wrong.
Now You See Me Page 14
