CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
HOW could she possibly know that? I was starting to wonder if Beth was a witch herself. It was uncanny how she seemed to know everything about everyone.
“Why do you think she’s a witch?” I tried to play it cool, to not give away that Beth was right.
“I followed her when she went to the bathroom.” She played with her empty glass and avoided my eyes.
I flung the dishcloth down on the counter. “Why would you do that?” At first I’d thought Beth was really intuitive, but she wasn’t. She knew everything because she spied on everyone. Stuck her nose in everyone’s business. She wasn’t a witch or clairvoyant. She was nosy.
She shrugged. “I got a weird vibe from her. But anyway, she was mumbling something in the bathroom. Some sort of prayer to some god or maybe even Satan. Who knows?”
“The only god Nora prays to is the coffee god.” I laughed, trying to shrug off Beth’s accusation. “And how do you know she was praying? Maybe she was singing. Sometimes Jackson plays music in the kitchen.”
“You were just in there. You don’t remember if he had music on?” She looked at me now, trying to read my expression.
“I wasn’t really paying attention.” I picked up the dishcloth again and wiped the counter. “I’m kind of busy working, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Right.” She sat back on her stool. “What do I owe you?”
Finally. I took her bill from the pad in my back pocket and tossed it on the counter in front of her. Okay, so I wasn’t exactly being nice, but Beth was getting into things she didn’t have a right to.
“See you in school tomorrow.” She placed a five-dollar bill on the counter.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, baffled why she’d leave me a tip that was bigger than the actual check. Especially since I’d forgotten to buy her dessert.
Whatever. I was glad to be rid of her, and since Nora had managed to skip out on her bill again, I used Beth’s tip to cover it. As the night grew on, I started to feel weird. My energy level hit a low, and even though I wasn’t gasping for air, I felt like breathing was getting harder and harder. As soon as the last customer left, I texted Nora.
Something weird is happening to me. Might be time.
Gloria took the cash drawer and headed to the office. “Yell goodnight before you leave,” she said.
“Sure.” My cell vibrated in my hand.
On my way.
Great. Now I had to let Ethan know I wasn’t going home with him.
I walked into the kitchen. Ethan was washing dishes, which made me nearly fall over. “Whoa! Jackson, how did you pull this off? I didn’t think Ethan even knew what a sponge was for.”
“Ha ha,” Ethan said. “Cleanup is part of cooking. Or so Jackson tells me. Although I haven’t seen him do any dishes yet.”
“Why would I? That’s what I have my junior chef for.” He smiled and waggled his eyebrows at me. I assumed Jackson wasn’t even going to attempt hiring a new dishwasher since Gloria had fired the last two.
I walked over to Ethan and placed my hand on his back, but then I remembered I was feeling funny lately. I didn’t want to accidentally drain any more life from Ethan. I wasn’t sure how much time he really had left. I lowered my hand. “You going to be much longer?”
“Um…” He looked around at the stack of dishes. “Looks like a least half an hour. I still have a few other things to do after I finish with these.”
“Okay. Then do you mind if I go to Nora’s for a little while?”
He nearly dropped the dish he was washing. “You guys are hanging out?”
I shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”
“I’m just surprised. I know you said you worked things out, but I didn’t realize you were that close already.”
“She’s nice.”
“Was she here tonight?”
“Yeah. I tried to introduce you, but Jackson said you were in the walk-in refrigerator looking for something. Nora had to be somewhere so she couldn’t stick around and wait.”
“How are you two hanging out if she already has plans?” He looked at me skeptically.
“I guess it wasn’t anything big or time-consuming. So are you cool with it?”
“Yeah. Call me when you need a ride home.”
“I’m pretty sure she’ll drive me home, but I’ll call if I need you.” I kissed his cheek, just a light peck because my throat was starting to close up. “Bye.”
I practically ran out of there, yelling goodnight to Gloria. Nora was already waiting for me in the parking lot.
She gave me the once-over. “You don’t look anything like you did last time.”
“It feels different, but I can tell it’s happening. The air is almost too heavy to breathe.”
She backed out of her parking spot and turned onto the main road. After about ten minutes, we turned onto a dirt road.
“Where are we going?” I held onto the door for support as the car bounced on the uneven road.
“My house.”
“You brought the witch to your house?”
“I had a visitor earlier. This guy I know broke in and tried to use black magic on me. Luckily, I was too quick for him. I bound him in his own magic. He’s waiting for you.”
Waiting for me. That’s not really how I would’ve described it. “Does he know? About me?”
“Yes. Dylan must have told him.”
I felt queasy, and I wasn’t sure if I’d make it much farther.
“Don’t get all weak on me,” Nora said. “We both agreed this was the best option for now. The spell I need to put on a new necklace for you takes time. I can’t rush it or it won’t work right.”
“I know.” I gripped the seat as the tightness in my chest increased. I would’ve given just about anything for a little of that witch magic right about now.
“We’re here.” Nora pulled up to a house that was almost as broken-down as the cottage had been when we’d moved in. “As you can see, the witch you’re about to meet did a number on this place.”
“I’m sorry.” I wanted to say more, but I was too weak. I hated that Nora was put in the middle of all this. She was nice enough to try to help me, and all it had done was get her house pummeled by an evil witch.
She came around to my side of the car and took me by the arm. “Hands where I can see them.” She knew her touch was helping me, but if I got too close, got into position, I would kill her to save myself. I couldn’t stop the monster inside me when it took over.
She brought me up the front steps, which were a crumbled mess of cement pieces. I held onto the side of the house while she opened the door. She took my arm again and led me down a flight of steps to the basement. A guy was gagged and tied to a chair. But not with rope. Like Rebecca, he was held in place by magic, a swirling wind all around him.
He glared at me and shifted in his restraints. His muffled screams echoed in my ears. Nora brought me inches from him and placed my hand on his neck. I felt his warmth, and I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air. My other hand found his chest. His heart beat beneath my fingers, quickly at first, fueled by fear. Fear of me. I basked in the life that was filling me, along with the tingling of magic that accompanied it.
As his face twisted in pain, wrinkling with age, I felt my hair float up behind me like a sudden gust of wind was blowing it back. It was the magic. I was sure of it. He was more powerful than Rebecca had been. Every inch of me tingled with life, with power. Finally, he slumped forward, and I lost my hold on him. He was dead, and I could actually see a faint glow on my skin.
“Oh, my God,” Nora whispered. “His magic is inside you. All of it. I can sense it.”
“I can see it.” I held my arms out and watched the silver glow dance across my skin. “I’m not going to stay like this, am I? Ethan will notice this for sure.”