to figure out what had just happened.
“Why don’t you go on home, Peach? I’m gonna call my tree guy.”
“Sure.” She blinked twice, as if she was still trying to process what had happened, and then flipped the dented umbrella up over her head. “Let me know what you want to do for Confessional on Saturday. I really think we should all … you know … get together.” Her voice shook a little bit, and I patted her shoulder.
“Everything’s okay,” I said, my voice soft and reassuring. “Go on home.”
“Okay.” She nodded like a child, and then held the battered umbrella over her head as she made her way next door, giving my oak tree a wide berth as she walked past it toward her house. A moment later, her front door shut and I heard a strange blurp sound, like a pop played backward on a sound system. I looked back to the walnuts, which were disappearing one by one, into quickly dissipating puffs of gray smoke.
Blurp-blurp-blurp. Gone.
I stood on my porch for a few minutes, breathing in and out, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It was magic, that much was obvious, but it wasn’t the kind of magic Betty and I had. This was malevolent, magic intended to harm, maim, or kill.
Possibly, intended to kill me.
I stood there for a moment, lost in thought, and had just started for the front door when something in the corner of my eye made me tense up. I twirled around, and there in the pool of streetlamp light at the end of our lane, stood a woman in a red dress, her ash-blond curls flowing freely around her face in the light breeze.
“Millie?” I whispered. There was no way she could have heard me, but still, she turned and disappeared from the light as soon as I spoke her name. I darted down my porch steps and ran down the road after her. Either she hadn’t been trying to elude me, or she wasn’t used to the bloodred spike heels she was wearing, but I caught up to her before she’d gone half a block.
“Mill!” I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me. “Mill, what’s…? Wow.”
Her eyes were made up dark and smoky, and the deep red lip stain brought out the fullness of her mouth. Even her nails were perfectly manicured in the same red. I looked at her again, squinting my eyes at her.
“Millie?”
She smiled sweetly, the same old Millie smile, and I recognized her again. “Yes, Liv, it’s me.”
“Oh my god.” I took a step back to survey her. “Holy crap, Mill.”
She gave a little half-twirl, like a shy little girl, and her dress swirled around her legs. “It was time for a change. Do you like it?”
Do I like it? I’d heard stories about women who’d lost a lot of weight and subsequently lost their friends through jealousy, and my mind went to that as I checked out Millie. There was no doubt; she was beautiful. The dress was perfect for her slightly thicker frame, and the little black shrug she wore over her shoulders added an extra sexy element to the outfit. She looked amazing. But did I like it?
No. I wanted to, but something in my gut just wouldn’t let me.
I met her eye and smiled. “You look incredible.”
She nodded, barely able to contain her exuberance. “I do, don’t I?”
“Yeah.” I hesitated a moment, then motioned back toward my street. “Hey, did you just see what I just saw over there?”
She blinked, twice. “What?”
“Um…” I wasn’t sure how to explain it in a way that wouldn’t sound completely insane if she hadn’t seen anything. “Peach, under the tree in front of my house. All the walnuts fell on her at once. It was … really weird.”
She worked her face into a frown, but there was a glint in her eye she couldn’t hide. Millie wasn’t a great liar anyway, but at the moment, she was even worse than usual.
“No,” she said, her voice going high with feigned innocence. “I didn’t see a thing.”
And that’s when it hit me; maybe Davina hadn’t unleashed just my magic. Maybe she was some kind of
“Why don’t you go on home, Peach? I’m gonna call my tree guy.”
“Sure.” She blinked twice, as if she was still trying to process what had happened, and then flipped the dented umbrella up over her head. “Let me know what you want to do for Confessional on Saturday. I really think we should all … you know … get together.” Her voice shook a little bit, and I patted her shoulder.
“Everything’s okay,” I said, my voice soft and reassuring. “Go on home.”
“Okay.” She nodded like a child, and then held the battered umbrella over her head as she made her way next door, giving my oak tree a wide berth as she walked past it toward her house. A moment later, her front door shut and I heard a strange blurp sound, like a pop played backward on a sound system. I looked back to the walnuts, which were disappearing one by one, into quickly dissipating puffs of gray smoke.
Blurp-blurp-blurp. Gone.
I stood on my porch for a few minutes, breathing in and out, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It was magic, that much was obvious, but it wasn’t the kind of magic Betty and I had. This was malevolent, magic intended to harm, maim, or kill.
Possibly, intended to kill me.
I stood there for a moment, lost in thought, and had just started for the front door when something in the corner of my eye made me tense up. I twirled around, and there in the pool of streetlamp light at the end of our lane, stood a woman in a red dress, her ash-blond curls flowing freely around her face in the light breeze.
“Millie?” I whispered. There was no way she could have heard me, but still, she turned and disappeared from the light as soon as I spoke her name. I darted down my porch steps and ran down the road after her. Either she hadn’t been trying to elude me, or she wasn’t used to the bloodred spike heels she was wearing, but I caught up to her before she’d gone half a block.
“Mill!” I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me. “Mill, what’s…? Wow.”
Her eyes were made up dark and smoky, and the deep red lip stain brought out the fullness of her mouth. Even her nails were perfectly manicured in the same red. I looked at her again, squinting my eyes at her.
“Millie?”
She smiled sweetly, the same old Millie smile, and I recognized her again. “Yes, Liv, it’s me.”
“Oh my god.” I took a step back to survey her. “Holy crap, Mill.”
She gave a little half-twirl, like a shy little girl, and her dress swirled around her legs. “It was time for a change. Do you like it?”
Do I like it? I’d heard stories about women who’d lost a lot of weight and subsequently lost their friends through jealousy, and my mind went to that as I checked out Millie. There was no doubt; she was beautiful. The dress was perfect for her slightly thicker frame, and the little black shrug she wore over her shoulders added an extra sexy element to the outfit. She looked amazing. But did I like it?
No. I wanted to, but something in my gut just wouldn’t let me.
I met her eye and smiled. “You look incredible.”
She nodded, barely able to contain her exuberance. “I do, don’t I?”
“Yeah.” I hesitated a moment, then motioned back toward my street. “Hey, did you just see what I just saw over there?”
She blinked, twice. “What?”
“Um…” I wasn’t sure how to explain it in a way that wouldn’t sound completely insane if she hadn’t seen anything. “Peach, under the tree in front of my house. All the walnuts fell on her at once. It was … really weird.”
She worked her face into a frown, but there was a glint in her eye she couldn’t hide. Millie wasn’t a great liar anyway, but at the moment, she was even worse than usual.
“No,” she said, her voice going high with feigned innocence. “I didn’t see a thing.”
And that’s when it hit me; maybe Davina hadn’t unleashed just my magic. Maybe she was some kind of
Similar Books
