by L. J. Smith
Chapter 23
“If we don’t initiate Scarlett into the Circle,” Adam said, “we’ll be much weaker when we’re fighting the hunters.”
The rain continued pouring down in sheets. Cassie watched it through the large bay window in Diana’s living room. It was better than staring down at the magenta ink of Scarlett’s name on Suzan’s family tree.
“We have to initiate her,” Melanie said. “Nothing matters more than defeating the hunters, especially after what they did to Suzan.”
“But we know she has ulterior motives and can’t be trusted,” Nick said. “Remember, she wanted Cassie’s place in the Circle so she could use our Circle’s power for her own agenda. She’d be as bad as initiating Black John himself.”
Melanie scoffed at Nick. “That’s an overstatement if I’ve ever heard one.”
Cassie wanted this conversation to stop. The sky outside had settled to a deep purple and the clouds rolled and shifted in ever-changing shapes. Cassie saw a heart and then a castle, and then nothing, just a sheet of gray. Her mind wandered and an image flashed into view: herself back at the Mission House on the brink of killing Scarlett. But this time she’d gone through with it. She completed the killing spell and Scarlett’s eyes had glassed over the way Suzan’s had up on the roof, and then she stiffened to a lifeless statue. Cassie imagined exactly what it would feel like for Scarlett to be gone forever—how the Circle would be free at last.
That’s it, Cassie thought. That was the solution. She would have to kill Scarlett. Then they could take their chances with another lost family member to be next in line for the Circle.
But then she shook the idea from her mind.
No, she told herself. Send light to that dark thought, and cast it away.
Cassie knew she had to fight off every evil intention the moment it appeared now, before it could really get to her and take hold.
“Cassie,” Adam said. “Are you okay? You’re as pale as a ghost.”
“I’m fine.” But the faintness of Cassie’s voice gave her away.
“See,” Melanie said. “Even Cassie is weaker now. I told you.”
“I’m not weaker,” Cassie shot back.
But Melanie was adamant. “Yes, you are. We all are.”
“Let’s just see about that.” Chris directed his attention to the bowl of fruit on Diana’s coffee table. “Who wants to see me levitate an apple?” he asked. But seconds passed and nothing happened. The apple didn’t move, and Chris grew more and more frustrated as the clock continued to tick.
Melanie crossed her arms over her chest, looking smug.
“Maybe if we both try,” Doug said, going to his brother’s side. He focused his attention on the fruit as well. With their combined powers, the apple began to shiver. It lifted from the bowl for a brief second, but then it dropped back down.
“Shoot.” Chris was breathless with fatigue. “We almost had it.”
“Thank you for proving just how powerless we are,” Nick said. He looked worriedly at Cassie. “We may actually be weaker than we were before you came to town.”
Cassie returned her gaze to the window and took a deep breath. It was becoming more and more clear that their only option wasn’t destroying Scarlett. It was going against all logic and asking her to join them.
“We can barely do the simplest everyday magic with an incomplete Circle,” Melanie said. “Let alone anything strong enough to fight off the hunters. I say we initiate Scarlett, defeat the hunters, and then figure out what to do with her later.”
“What do you mean, ‘figure out what to do with her later’?” Diana narrowed her eyes at Melanie. “Once she’s initiated, we’re bound to her. You know that. Using her and then betraying her would compromise the integrity of our Circle. Not to mention our self-respect.”
That’s probably what Scarlett will do to us, Cassie thought, but saying so would only make things worse. She stood up and took the center of the room.
“There is no good decision to make here,” she said. “Only a less bad one. As much as I hate to admit this, I think we do need Scarlett.”
Nick’s jaw tightened as he ground his teeth. “I don’t want her as a member,” he said. “There must be another option.”
“It’s Scarlett or no one,” Adam said, refusing to make eye contact with Nick as he addressed the group. “We don’t have to trust her, but I think we do have to initiate her. You know what they say about keeping your enemies close. Well, we can’t keep her much closer than in our Circle. At least she’ll be somewhere we can keep an eye on her.”
“Great,” Nick said. “So we can have a front-row seat as she takes control of us.”
“Now hold on.” Diana raised her arms to quiet both of them. “There are eleven of us and one Scarlett. What makes you so sure it’ll be that easy for her to take control of us?”
“Yeah,” Sean said. “One bad seed can’t spoil the bunch, otherwise Faye would have ruined our Circle long ago.”
Faye glared at Sean as Diana continued.
“My point is, we know what Scarlett is capable of, so we’re less likely to fall for any of her tricks. And don’t forget, we have the Master Tools back in our possession.”
Nick considered Diana’s argument for a few seconds before conceding. “Fine,” he said. “If Cassie’s willing to take a chance on Scarlett, then I’m with her.”
“Do we all agree, then?” Adam asked.
Nobody spoke out to disagree, which was as close to consensus as they were going to get.
“Good. It’s settled,” Adam said. “Cassie and I will take care of telling Scarlett the news and bringing her back to New Salem tomorrow.”
As the group started to split up and head home for the night, the full impact of the decision sunk in. Had she really agreed to bring the other girl Adam’s soul was connected to back into her life? The girl who had tried to kill her, and whom she had tried to kill? It was like restriking a dulled match just to see what would burn.
Cassie reached for Adam’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll catch up with you a little later,” she said. “I want to have a word with Diana.”
Adam kissed her on the lips without question, so she didn’t have to explain exactly why she wanted to speak to Diana. She didn’t have to justify her father’s Book of Shadows shoved deep into the bottom of her tote bag. She simply waited for everyone to trickle out of Diana’s house until it was just the two of them.
“I thought you left with Adam,” Diana said, when she realized Cassie had been lingering.
“Can we talk?” Cassie asked.
Diana nervously glanced around the living room even though they were alone, perhaps because she thought Cassie was going to ask her about Max. “Let’s go up to my bedroom,” she said, leading Cassie to the stairs.
It had been a long time since Cassie and Diana hung out on Diana’s bed sharing secrets. After only a few moments of sitting there, Cassie was overwhelmed with longing for those simpler times. Before Scarlett had entered their lives, and even further back, before Adam had become an issue between them.
Diana huddled close to Cassie and asked, “Do you think Suzan’s father knew about Laura Forsythe? Or that she’d had a daughter?”
“My guess is he never knew Scarlett existed,” Cassie said. “But even if he did, it’s ancient history now.”
Diana nodded. “It’s just so strange, how connected we all are, even when we don’t know it. And even when we don’t want to be.”
Cassie sensed Diana was referring to more than just their familial lines. “I get the feeling you’re thinking about Max,” she said. “And the silver cord.”
Diana got quiet and Cassie had the urge to tell her all about the cord between Adam and Scarlett. She wanted to cry about it on Diana’s shoulder until she delivered some typical words of Diana wisdom that would make it all better. Unfortunately, there were more pressing issues to deal with.
Cassie dug through her bag until she retrieved her father’s book. Sh
e held it out to Diana. “Will you hold on to this for me? To keep it away from me for a little while?”
Diana eyed the book carefully, and then gently accepted it from Cassie’s hands. “Of course. But why?”
Lines of worry creased Diana’s forehead as Cassie described how she had felt on the roof when she used dark magic against the hunters. Cassie also told her what had happened with Scarlett in Stockbridge.
“I went into a trance,” Cassie said. “And I almost killed Scarlett. I know it’s because of the book. It’s doing things to my mind.”
Diana nodded gravely. “Like Adam said, you’re bound to the book now. And we still don’t fully understand what that means.”
“But the worst part,” Cassie said, “is that it feels really good when I’m like that. It’s the most seductive pleasure—I can’t even describe it. And it’s only afterward, after I snap out of it, that I feel bad.” Cassie looked down, ashamed.
“Hey.” Diana put her arm around her. “We’ve all succumbed to temptation at one time or another. Even when we know it can be damaging.”
“But I’m afraid one of these days I’ll take it too far. What if I do something I can’t take back—or worse, what if I can’t get myself back? Every time it happens I feel like I’m going in deeper and deeper.”
“You don’t have to worry,” Diana said. “I’ll keep the book safe, and together we’ll keep you safe.”
Cassie felt better already. If there was anyone on earth who could be trusted with the book, it was Diana. But she still felt the need to give Diana a stern warning. “You have to let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens, do you understand? If you start feeling strange, or if it seems to be speaking to you.”
Diana nodded solemnly.
“If that happens, we’ll find something else to do with it,” Cassie said. “I don’t want you going through what I have.”
“Neither do I,” Diana said, trying to make light of the heavy situation. “Trust me. I’ve had my fair share of transgressions lately as it is.”
“And whatever you do,” Cassie said, “don’t let Faye know you have it. In fact, don’t let anybody know. Not even Adam.”
Diana hesitated but then agreed. “It’ll be our secret.”
Chapter 24
Adam and Cassie drove in nervous silence over the bridge toward the Mission House.
Small talk felt too trivial, and there was nothing left to be said about the benefits and disadvantages of bringing Scarlett back to New Salem. Better to mutely admire the scenery.
Cassie observed the sugar maples glowing red beneath the sun on both sides of the highway. They were tall, graceful trees, dignified almost—a vast change in landscape from the wharves and rocky beaches on the island. The Mission House wasn’t far now. As they drew closer, Cassie clung to an unvoiced hope—that Scarlett wouldn’t be at the house when they arrived. The Circle couldn’t initiate her until they found her. Prolonging the inevitable wasn’t a solution, Cassie knew, but a little more time might help her get used to the whole idea. Just because Cassie had convinced the Circle to take a chance on Scarlett didn’t mean she’d succeeded in convincing herself it was the best thing to do.
But Cassie’s secret hope deflated the moment the Mission House came into view. Scarlett was right out front, packing up a car, and she looked just about ready to head out on the road. Another hour and she would have been gone.
“We lucked out,” Adam said, and Cassie nodded.
Scarlett put her hands on her hips and curled her mouth into a smile when they came into view. The look she gave Cassie was sly and peculiar.
“She doesn’t seem very surprised to see us,” Cassie said. “Or very intimidated.”
They climbed out of Adam’s car awkwardly. Cassie had the distinct feeling her every gesture was being examined.
“I thought I might be seeing you again,” Scarlett said.
“Why is that?” Adam asked.
Scarlett chuckled in a rich, disturbing way. “Just a hunch.” She gestured to the house. “Come on inside.”
Cassie and Adam followed Scarlett back into the main room. She pictured Scarlett writhing in pain on the floor during their last encounter and could almost hear her begging for mercy.
Adam glanced at the chair he’d been tied to and chose to sit on the couch instead. Cassie remained standing.
“Strange things have been happening to my powers,” Scarlett said. “They’ve been unpredictable. There one minute, gone the next.” She made herself comfortable in the chair Adam was avoiding. “Is it happening to you, too?”
“It’s because Suzan died,” Cassie said. The moment those words left her mouth the truth behind them became real to her in a whole new way.
“Do you remember Suzan?” Adam asked.
Scarlett nodded. “The natural redhead, of course. How’d she die?”
“The hunters killed her,” Cassie said.
“Bummer.” Scarlett’s voice came out without much emotion. “But what does your friend’s death have to do with my powers?”
“Our Circle is now incomplete.” Adam inched up to the edge of the couch. “And the bind of the Circle means that you’re next in line for Suzan’s place.”
Scarlett had no reaction for a few seconds. “I don’t understand. How could it be me?”
“Your mother was Suzan’s aunt,” Cassie explained. “But nobody knew about her.”
The confusion in Scarlett’s eyes gradually progressed to surprise, and then delight. “I don’t believe it,” she said. “And to think I wasted so much time and energy trying to destroy you, Cassie.”
Cassie was stone-faced. “I can hardly believe it myself, but here we are.”
“And you’re willing to initiate me?” Scarlett asked.
“Our friend is dead,” Adam said. “And more of us are sure to die if we don’t do something. We’ll allow you into our Circle because we need your help to defeat the hunters. That’s the only reason.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Scarlett put her hand to her ear. “I couldn’t quite hear you. Did you say you needed me? That you need my help?”
Adam shot up from the couch. “You know what? Forget this. Cassie, let’s go.”
Scarlett also stood up and blocked Adam’s path to the door. “Relax a little. I’m just playing with you. The fact of the matter is you do need me. But I also need you. We all have something to gain from this.”
Scarlett directed her next words at Adam. “Undo that restraining spell, and I’m yours for the taking.”
Cassie felt the blood rise to her cheeks and went to Adam’s side. “First we set up some ground rules.”
Scarlett tossed her hair back and laughed. “You all love your rules, don’t you?”
“We don’t trust you.” Adam’s back was rigid and his voice was hard. “And we don’t like you. I want that to be clear. One wrong move, and we won’t hesitate to do worse than banish you from New Salem. You can bet we’ll be watching you.”
“Oh, I know you will, honey.” Scarlett pouted her dark red lips. “You in particular can hardly keep your eyes off me.”
Adam flinched and Cassie raised her arm to quiet him. “It’s okay,” she said. “I expected this.”
She stared at Scarlett for a moment with an expression of disgust. A murky voice from the depths of her mind whispered, Kill her
. But Cassie knew to ignore it, and she also understood that, for Adam’s sake, she had to appear confident they were doing the right thing by bringing Scarlett back to New Salem.
“Let’s reverse the spell,” she said to him. “That’s what we came here to do.”
Cassie showed no hesitation or doubt as she placed her hand on Scarlett’s forehead and began the process of disabling the restraining spell. But deep down inside she was terrified of what she was about to unleash on the Circle, and on her relationship.
As soon as they arrived back in New Salem, Cassie and Adam escorted Scarlett into the dark woods. Cassie steeled
herself against the dull throbbing in her gut, the urge to restrain Scarlett again and banish her not only from New Salem but from Adam, the Circle, and her life. But the rest of the group was already gathered, preparing for Scarlett’s initiation. There was no turning back now.
Diana was the first to come into view. She was dressed in her white shift and wore the Master diadem upon her head. In her hand was a dagger.
Scarlett stared at the blade of the dagger and at the moonlight shimmering on it. “I see we’re not wasting any time,” she said. “The situation must really be dire.”
“It is,” a husky voice behind her said.
Faye was wearing her black ceremonial shift and the leather garter around her leg. She held the silver bracelet out to Cassie. “Put this on,” she said.
Cassie was the only leader dressed in her regular clothes, but they would each wear one of the Master Tools.
Diana squared herself to Scarlett. Her long blond hair hung loose beneath the diadem and reflected the moon in such a way that it cast her face in an ethereal glow. “If you’re going to be a member of our Circle,” she said, “you have to act like one. This initiation is based on a set of promises.”
“You mean rules,” Scarlett murmured coolly.
“Yes, rules,” Diana replied. “For you and for us to follow.”
“Don’t even bother trying to talk to her like a human being,” Faye said. “She’ll never be one of us. Let’s just get this over with. Everyone step inside the circle.”
Scarlett smiled ingenuously and Cassie led her to her place just outside a gap in the circle that had been drawn into the ground.
Diana stood in the center and formally began the ceremony. She raised the silver dagger to the sky—the same dagger used in Cassie’s initiation—and asked, “Who challenges her?”
“I do,” Cassie said, at the same time as Faye.
Everyone’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two of them. “Faye, I’ve got this,” Cassie whispered, and then much louder, she repeated, “I do. I challenge Scarlett.”
