B*witch

by Paige McKenzie

  “Not exactly.”

  Binx reached for her stuffed Pikachu and hugged it to her chest. Then she told Ridley about the events of the day, starting with the meeting in Mrs. Feathers’s office and ending with the stuff about the Jessup family… and about Gofflesby, too. (Greta had texted her about Iris’s weird visions and also Gofflesby’s un-Gofflesby-like behavior.)

  When she’d finished, Ridley was shaking her head in disbelief.

  “Penelope’s boyfriend?”

  “We don’t know anything for sure. Ms. O’Shea and her coven think someone in the Jessup family might be the leader of this new Antima group, but so far there’s no proof.”

  “Aaaaand… if they’re right, does it mean that’s the person who killed Penelope? Someone in Colter’s family, or maybe even Colter himself? Because she was a witch?”

  “Well, except that whoever killed her was a witch. Which means they can’t be Antima. Or can they? No, there’s no way.”

  Ridley’s lip trembled. She lowered her head so that her chin was resting on Eevee’s fluffy brown ears.

  “I know. It’s a total mess,” Binx acknowledged.

  “Did you guys see Colter at school today?”

  “He wasn’t in school.”

  “Huh. So what’s next, then?”

  Binx crossed and uncrossed her legs. “Yeah, so the two covens are going to, like, keep working together. Hurray. Div, Mira, and Aysha are going to this political fund-raising thing at the Jessups’ house tomorrow night. It’s for Mira’s dad, who’s running for mayor or whatever. Our coven plus the newb recruit will keep trying to figure out how magic ties into all this and whether there are any other witches in town we don’t know about. I’m also going to find out what I can online—about the Antima, about the Jessups, et cetera, et cetera.”

  Binx didn’t mention her genealogy app project for ShadowKnight or even ShadowKnight himself. She’d broken her promise of confidentiality to tell Greta about him, but that had obviously been a huge mistake. She also didn’t mention Div’s phone call on Thursday, inviting her to join her coven. Binx was so not ready to talk about that, much less think about it.

  Although, to be honest, she had thought about it a tiny bit. Once or twice, just for a microsecond, when Greta was being annoying.

  “… and let me know what I can do to help,” Ridley was saying.

  “Are you sure Penelope didn’t mention getting a shadow message?”

  Ridley bit her lip and nodded.

  “Maybe we should ask her parents if she got one.”

  “She wouldn’t have told her parents. Her parents didn’t know she was a witch, remember?”

  “Hmm. True. Maybe we could search her backpack, then?”

  “How would we get our hands on her backpack?”

  “I don’t know. Lemme think. Hey, didn’t you use alata to make Brandon’s beer can grow wings and fly back into his car and hit him on the head? Because he super-deserved that? Couldn’t you use it to make Penelope’s backpack grow wings and fly out of her house?”

  “Um, yeah… that sounds risky. Plus insane.”

  “Yeah, but it might work. We should try it.”

  “Let’s see what Greta says.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Greta.”

  Ridley cocked her head. “Is something going on between you two?”

  “What? Nah. She bugs me sometimes, that’s all. Doesn’t she bug you sometimes?”

  “Not really. I think she’s a great coven leader. Also, you should cut her some slack right now. She almost lost her familiar.” Ridley stood up and wandered over to the window, still clutching the stuffed Eevee. She parted the pink beaded curtains and stared out at the view. “Speaking of pets… did you guys get a new dog? You didn’t tell me.”

  “What?”

  “It’s pooping in your fancy Japanese garden. You should teach it not to do that, otherwise it’s going to—”

  Binx didn’t hear the rest of the sentence. She jumped to her feet, ran up to the window, and pressed her face to the glass.

  And there was the dirt-colored puppy, squatting next to the Buddha statue with an earnest expression on its little face.

  “Bad dog!” Binx shouted. And smiled.

  Something pinged on her computer. At the same moment, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

  Ridley wandered over to Binx’s desk. “Who’s ShadowKnight? Is he your secret boyfriend?”

  Binx spun away from the window. Ridley was staring at something on the computer screen.

  “Wow, a new boyfriend and a new puppy. That’s not like you. Did you trade identities with another Binx Kato?” Ridley teased her.

  Binx ran over to her computer. On the screen was a videochat request from ShadowKnight. She then glanced at her phone; the request had come in through both devices.

  “Nope, he’s not my secret boyfriend. No way. He’s just some gamer. He keeps bugging me for Witchworld hacks.”

  The videochat request continued blinking on the screen, and her phone continued vibrating.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Ridley asked.

  “No! He’s annoying. Just go away!” Binx yelled at the screen as she hit the ignore icon. “Uxie, end call!”

  “The call has been ended,” Uxie announced.

  Binx tugged on Ridley’s arm. “Come on, let’s go outside so you can meet the puppy. I think I’m going to adopt it and make it my familiar. How does that work, anyway? Is there a familiar-izing spell in C-Squared’s book?”

  “It doesn’t really work like that.…”

  As they left the room, Binx glanced back at her computer screen and saw to her relief that ShadowKnight had given up. She would have to call him back later, when she was alone.

  ShadowKnight. Div. The invite to Div’s coven…

  Binx’s head felt as though it would burst with all the secrets she was keeping.

  25

  VIP

  Witches are born that way, although the ability can skip generations.

  Some witches may spend their entire lives not knowing that they are witches.

  Some witches may spend their entire lives regretting that they are witches.

  (FROM THE GOOD BOOK OF MAGIC AND MENTALISM BY CALLIXTA CROWE)

  “Your names, please.”

  Mira poked her head out of the driver-side window of her Miata and smiled charmingly at the security guard. “I’m Mira Jahani. This party is for my dad, Neal Jahani. And these are my friends, Divinity Florescu and Aysha Rodriguez. We’re on the guest list.”

  “Right, I see your names here. Go on through.”

  Div watched with interest as he spoke quietly into a headset, then pressed a button to open the gates. She wondered why the Jessups had a security guard. Mira proceeded onto a driveway flanked by two lines of glowing paper lanterns.

  “You told me the Jessups were rich, but you didn’t tell me they were that rich,” Aysha said.

  “Yeah, they kind of are. But they don’t act super-rich, if you know what I mean.”

  “How is having a security guard and electronic gates not acting superrich? Also, that house,” Aysha added, pointing.

  Just ahead of them, past a grove of pine trees and at the end of an enormous front lawn, was a large Victorian mansion. An estate. A line of BMWs and Mercedes and other luxury cars were lined up in a semicircular driveway.

  “What kind of party is this?” Aysha asked, leaning forward and resting her chin on the back of the driver-side seat.

  “I told you. It’s a fund-raiser for my dad’s mayoral campaign, so Mr. Jessup probably invited all his super-richest friends. To, you know, raise funds.”

  “Huh. Must be nice,” Aysha remarked.

  Gazing out the window, Div wondered why Mr. Jessup hadn’t canceled the party in light of his son’s girlfriend’s death. But maybe political fund-raisers didn’t work like that? Div herself had little interest in politics, except maybe national politics because of the new (and Antima sympathizing) president.
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br />   As they neared the house, she noticed a large marble fountain inside the semicircular driveway, ringed by neatly trimmed rosebushes. In the center of the fountain was a statue of a winged angel, wearing a crown of stars.

  When they reached the front of the line of cars, a valet opened the doors for them and took the keys from Mira. The three witches proceeded inside and found themselves in a huge, beautifully decorated entryway. An ornately carved wooden staircase rose up to the second-floor landing. A crystal chandelier glittered overhead. Gold-framed paintings, mostly portraits, covered the walls. A big vase of dark pink Asiatic lilies sat atop an antique table, giving off their heady scent. A dozen or so guests milled around, sipping champagne and eating canapés. From somewhere in the house, a jazz band played and a woman sang: “Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered am I…”

  Two twentysomething women with iPads greeted Div and her friends. “Hello, welcome! Could I get your names?” one of them said.

  Mira gave her the information, and the other woman handed the girls some name tags. As Aysha pinned hers on, she whispered to Mira: “Do we have to pay? It’s a fund-raiser, right?”

  “We don’t have to pay; my dad took care of that,” Mira whispered back. “Otherwise, it’s a hundred dollars per person, can you believe it? They’re expecting about a hundred people, which means like ten thousand dollars total. Mr. Jessup donated the food, drinks, music, decorations, staff… all of it. So it’s pure profit for my dad’s campaign.”

  Div considered this. Ten thousand dollars… that was a lot of money. So probably, the Jessups wouldn’t have wanted to cancel the evening and risk losing that amount, even with a recent tragedy like the death of their son’s girlfriend.

  She reached up to pet Prada, then remembered that she wasn’t there. Div felt a brief pang; she missed her familiar’s presence. Although she would never admit it to anyone, Prada always gave her an extra jolt of courage, especially in uncertain and potentially high-risk situations (such as walking into the home of a possible Antima leader). But ever since the disappearance of Gofflesby, brief as it was, Div had been too nervous to bring Prada out of the house. Right now, Prada was in her cage under a heat lamp and under a special protective spell that Div had dug up in Crowe’s book last night and tweaked to her satisfaction. (She reminded herself to teach it to Mira and Aysha for their familiars… and maybe Greta, too, although Greta was not likely to take advice from her. She could offer it to Ridley; that might help to win her trust? As far as she knew, Binx didn’t have a familiar, and neither did the annoying Iris girl.)

  Mira led Div and Aysha to a large living room, which was jam-packed with people. Conversations and laughter rose in the air, mingling with the music from the jazz band, which was playing another Cole Porter song. (Div’s father, who lived in Bucharest, was a major Cole Porter fan.) A JAHANI FOR MAYOR banner was draped across one wall, and there were clusters of red, white, and blue balloons everywhere.

  Div scanned the crowd. She didn’t see Orion or Brandon or Axel. Maybe they hadn’t arrived yet. She made a mental note to look for the three who’d posted hate videos on Whatznow: Sarabeth Lash and Keemo Malifa and Essie Tranh.

  After a moment, Div spotted Mira’s dad holding court with a small group of men. Div had been to Mira’s house many times since they first became friends; she’d met Mr. Jahani but didn’t know him that well. She also recognized Mrs. Jahani, who was speaking separately with half a dozen women.

  Mira’s brother, Nick, who was a freshman at the university, stood near the fireplace with two other guys. One of them was Colter… and the other one must be his brother, Hunter? They looked alike and had the same broad build. They both had wavy hair, although Colter’s was blond and Hunter’s was brown.

  “Come on, there’s Colter,” Div said, steering Mira and Aysha toward the fireplace. “Mira, you know what to do.”

  “Yup. Got it!” Mira plucked a canapé from a passing server and ate it in one quick bite. “Mmm, you guys have to try these! They’re like little caviar and cucumber sandwiches!”

  “We’re not here to eat, we’re here on business,” Div said under her breath.

  “Uh-huh, right. Sorry.”

  They wove their way through the crowd and joined the three guys at the fireplace. They were all drinking champagne.

  “Colter!” Mira went up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I am so, so sorry.”

  Looking startled, Colter hugged her back while carefully balancing his champagne glass in one hand. “Thanks, Mira. Thank you, that’s really nice of you.”

  Div scrutinized Colter. His chiseled face was pale, and his eyes were red, as though he’d been crying… or not sleeping… or both. Otherwise, he was his usual crazy-hot self. Tonight, he was wearing a navy blazer, white button-down, and khakis; the preppy outfit suited him.

  “Hey, ladies,” Nick said, waving to the three girls.

  Mira turned to Hunter. “Hunter, these are my friends Div and Aysha. Div and Aysha, this is Colter’s brother, Hunter.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Hunter said, smiling at Aysha and Div. His smile lingered on Div.

  Div knew what that smile meant. She was accustomed to seeing it, and she knew just how to use it.

  She swept her hair over her shoulder and moved closer to Hunter. “Great party. It’s so generous of your family to do this for Mira’s dad.”

  “Dad and Mr. Jahani go back a long way. So, Div… that’s a cool name, by the way. Do you go to school with Mira?”

  Div wrinkled her nose. “Yes, although I can’t wait to graduate and start living my life. What about you?”

  “I’m a pre-med at the university.”

  “That is amazing,” Div said, putting her hand on his arm.

  Hunter’s eyes flicked to her hand and then back up to her face. “Yeah, I’m pretty passionate about medicine.”

  “And I’ve decided to major in political science, thanks for asking,” Nick said jokingly. “I’m thinking about law school down the line and then maybe politics, like our future mayor over there.” He nodded in the direction of his dad. “You know, saving the world and all that good stuff.”

  “No one cares, Nicky,” Mira teased him.

  “No one’s listening to you, Meerkat,” Nick teased back.

  “Your family must be super-upset about Penelope,” Aysha said to Colter and Hunter.

  Hunter glanced at Colter briefly. “Yeah, of course. It’s terrible. But we were also pretty shocked to find out that she was a…” He hesitated.

  “A witch?” Aysha finished for him.

  “Yeah. We had no idea.”

  Colter’s face flushed beet-red. “I told you before, Hunter. I don’t believe that,” he said emphatically. He gestured with his glass, and champagne spilled out. “She’s a… she was a really sweet girl. A really good person. There’s no way she would have been involved in that kind of criminal activity.”

  Criminal activity? Div tried to keep her expression neutral, even as fury boiled inside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aysha curling her hands into fists and then forcing them to relax.

  “People do keep secrets. Maybe she was too ashamed to tell you?” Mira said to Colter.

  “I still don’t believe it.”

  “Well, believe it, bro,” Hunter said gently. “I’m sorry she’s gone, though. I know you really cared about her.”

  Mira hooked her arm through Colter’s. “You need to let your friends help you move on. We’re here for you.”

  “Boys!”

  A middle-aged man strolled up to their group. He wore a red, white, and blue tie with his navy suit. Gray peppered his short blond hair. “There’s some folks I want you to meet, from the chamber of commerce; they want us to help organize a charity softball game. Hey there, pretty Mira,” he said, kissing her cheek and squeezing her shoulder. What a lech, Div thought in disgust. “We’ve all missed you around here. You need to come around for dinner sometime. And who are these other beauties? Friends of y
ours? Welcome, welcome. I’m Jared Jessup, but please call me Jared… Mr. Jessup is my father’s name, you know what I mean?” He chuckled.

  Div shook Mr. Jessup’s hand quickly, before he had a chance to kiss her on the cheek or squeeze her shoulder. (Aysha busied herself tying her shoelace.)

  “We were just talking about Penelope,” Div told him with a heavy sigh.

  Mr. Jessup sighed, too, and shook his head slowly. “Real shame. She seemed like… well, like one of us. Who knew that she was involved in all that satanic mumbo jumbo?”

  Aysha’s hands curled into fists again.

  “I don’t think—” she began, but Div cut her off.

  “Yes, you never know about people. I mean, it’s against the law. Don’t these witches understand that? Sorry, Colter,” Div added quickly. “I liked Penelope, too. But I have really strong opinions about this whole witch thing.”

  She waited a beat and carefully watched Colter’s reaction—and Hunter’s and Mr. Jessup’s, too.

  “You’re a smart girl, Div. She’s a smart girl,” Mr. Jessup told his sons.

  Colter said nothing and downed his champagne. Hunter was staring at Div with renewed interest. Was he assessing her as a potential Antima member? “Where are my manners? Can I get you something to drink, Div? And you, too, Mira and Aysha?”

  “Absolutely!” Mira said cheerfully.

  “Love it!” Aysha replied through clenched teeth.

  “Thanks, Hunter,” Div said silkily. He gave her that smile again… the smile that told her that he would be asking her for her number before the party was over.

  This little operation was going very well so far.

  Except for the fact that Div was really, really tempted to kill the three Jessup men with her bare hands.

  Div wandered down the hallway, along an ornate runner that had colorful depictions of exotic birds and flowers woven into it. From the living room, she could hear Mr. Jahani giving his speech, talking about the economy and jobs and taxes while the crowd cheered and clapped and shouted his name.