“Where are you going? I’ll come with you,” I said, forgetting for the time being that I was still mad at her. The threat of danger can do that to you.
“No, Hadley. You stay here,” she said forcefully. “No need to bring you kids into this too.”
I wanted to argue with her, but she was already turning to leave. So I sighed and snagged her purse and coat off the chair and handed them to her. “Here. Go. I’ll close up.”
She looked at me, eyes wide with surprise before they softened into gratitude. “Thank you, Hadley.” I could tell she meant it.
She stood there a few seconds longer like she was debating what to do next. Then she took her things from my hands and started toward the door. “Don’t forget to lock up the back and turn off all the lights. Oh, and you know the alarm code. Just remember to use it on your way out,” she said, visibly scattered. I followed her to the door and before she reached it, she turned back and hugged me tightly. She planted a kiss on my cheek before pulling away. “Grab some money out of the tip jar and order something for dinner. And, Hadley, please be careful. Something’s going on here and I need to know that you’re going to be safe.”
Her eyes pleaded with me, and I got the feeling this was about more than just a typical case of overprotection. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Promise.”
“I love you, Hadley.”
The vibe was getting a little too serious for me, so I laughed nervously. “Back atcha. Now go! And wake me when you get home? I want to hear what happened.”
She gave me a little smile and a wave before disappearing out the door. I watched as it swung closed and stared at the wood for a few minutes afterward. But the door didn’t open again.
“Where was your mom going?” Sofia asked, still filling up jars. “Seemed like she was in a hurry or something.”
“Family emergency,” I said quietly. After a moment I turned to face my friend and forced a smile onto my face. No use in having her suspect anything was going on. And I certainly couldn’t tell her that trouble seemed to be a-brewing in the good old coven. “What do you say we hurry up and finish so we can go home?”
“Sure,” Sofia said, nodding. Then she gave me a sympathetic smile and took a step toward me. “You gonna be okay?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I said truthfully, turning away before she could see the worry reflected on my face.
Chapter Five
I dropped Sofia off at her house, and then headed back to mine. I knew I had things to do, but I couldn’t concentrate after what had happened back at the shop. Hell, I was surprised I was even able to make it home without running off the road, considering how fast my mind was spinning.
I slipped in the front door, locking it behind me. The house was silent except for the sound of my heels hitting the hardwood floor. The comfort I usually found in that familiar click-clacking didn’t do anything to make me feel better. With Mom out and Dad away on business, I was in for a quiet night.
Too quiet.
I listened for any foreign noises but didn’t hear anything. One thing was sure, hearing that all they’d found of the Glovers in their home was drops of blood had definitely put me on edge. Suddenly everything around me seemed creepy.
Way to jump on the paranoia train, Hadley.
Shaking my head, I took the stairs two at a time and didn’t stop until I was safely behind the door of my room. I hung my bag on the back of my chair and grabbed my laptop from where I’d left it on my desk. Flopping down onto my bed, I pried it open and waited for the screen to go from black to blue.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered to the computer, willing it to start. Finally it complied and I keyed in my password and then logged on to IM. A quick scan of my friends list showed what I’d hoped. I double clicked on user P-Diddy13 and then hit connect on the video chat.
A few agonizing seconds later, I was looking at a slightly blurry shot of Peter in what I could only guess was his bedroom. Behind him were posters of Harry Potter and Iron Man, exactly the kind of decorations you’d expect in the room of an eleven-year-old male witch. The funny thing was that Peter did sort of resemble a young Daniel Radcliffe, only minus the accent.
“Peter,” I said, letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “I just heard. Are you okay?”
What I really wanted to ask was “What’s going on?” but I didn’t want to be callous, so I swallowed my desire for answers for the time being and focused on the young boy on my screen. Upon closer inspection, I could now see that his eyes were rimmed with red as if he’d been crying.
“Hadley. I’ve been waiting for someone to come online all afternoon! Everyone’s been MIA for hours,” he exclaimed, sounding even younger than usual. Peter had never been particularly loud or gregarious, but at this moment he looked fragile. I instantly felt horrible for the kid and gave him a strained smile.
“Sorry, Pete, but I only just got home. My mom rushed out of Scents and Sensibility like her hair was on fire and barely told me what was going on. I had to lock up so I only just got back,” I said, all in one breath. I tried to bite my tongue, but I couldn’t hold it any longer. “Peter… what the heck happened?”
His eyes started to well up, and just when I thought they were going to spill over, he swallowed his tears bravely. “I don’t know,” he managed to get out before looking up at the ceiling. Maybe video chat hadn’t been the best idea after all.
“Mom said that when you got home, your parents were gone and it looked like someone else had been there?” I asked him softly, not wanting to push but desperately needing to hear it from him.
“Some of the furniture was turned over and there was water boiling on the stove. And there was blood,” he said in a whisper. My heart ached as a tear rolled down his cheek. He was trying so hard to be strong, but he was clearly terrified. He sniffed and then continued. “It wasn’t a lot, but it was definitely blood. Do you think they’re okay, Hadley? I mean, they could still be okay, right?”
I wanted so badly to reassure him, but I had a feeling we both knew the truth. That this could be serious and chances were his parents weren’t okay. But if he needed to hear a lie to get through the next few hours, I was going to give it to him. “I’m sure they’re fine, Peter,” I said, feeling incredibly helpless. “Besides, the rest of the coven is on top of it. If anyone can figure this whole thing out it’s the elders.”
I tried to put all my energy into helping him believe that what I was saying was true, and as my words crossed the web to him, I saw his face relax just a tiny bit. “Thanks, Hadley.”
“No problem, kid. You got someone there with you for the night?”
“My uncle’s on his way over and my neighbors are here now,” he said, looking over his shoulder and offscreen. I could hear another voice but couldn’t make out what the person was saying. When Peter turned back to me, he gave me a little smile. “I gotta go, but thanks for this. I feel a little better now.”
We said our good-byes and I waited until he’d closed the window and signed out to do the same. The stimulation of the past few hours was finally catching up with me and I was suddenly exhausted. Placing my computer beside me, I snuggled deeper into my pillows and closed my eyes as I went over the events of the afternoon.
Nothing like this had ever happened to anyone I knew. Not that I even knew what this was exactly. It was still possible that Peter’s mom had accidentally cut herself while chopping vegetables and his dad had rushed her to the hospital because she needed stitches.
And in their haste to get out of the house, they’d flipped over the furniture… .