to disappear and making it impossible to easily remove the bracelet.
“We should send someone with her,” Amanda suggests.
“We’re all going,” Keller says, indicating our foursome.
“And we’d like Piper to come,” I say.
Piper’s eyes widen in surprise at my request.
“She’s been studying hard every night. To me, that deserves a day off, too. Especially since part of it was for physics.” I give a dramatic shudder.
Sarah looks at me a bit more closely as if she knows I’m up to something. But she must not sense anything negative because she nods. “You all go have fun, but be very careful and observant.”
We hurry from the room before Sarah changes her mind. After retrieving our coats, we head for the exit.
“I feel like we’re making a jail break,” I say as I hurry down the hallway holding Toni and Piper’s hands. But when we make it up the stairs and through the house above, I feel like our escape has taken us to the North Pole. When I open the front door of the house, I gasp. Snow blankets the landscape in all directions, at least six inches of it. The pine trees in the distance are coated like a scene from a nostalgic Christmas card. Luckily, the driveway is clear enough to navigate.
“Let’s take the Jeep,” Egan says and bounds off the porch.
Though it’s cloudy, it feels incredibly good to be outside. I breathe deeply as I head toward the Jeep.
Keller, Piper and I pile into the back while Toni sits up front with Egan. Once Egan starts the engine, he wastes no time flying down the driveway. Keller wraps my hand in his, and I lean against him.
When we reach Salem, Egan glances over his shoulder. “Where to first?”
“The herb shop,” I say. Toni gives me a knowing smile in the rearview mirror, knowing I have a reason beyond getting the Ending Book.
“What are you two up to?” Keller whispers in my ear.
“Nothing.” But I have to stifle a giggle.
When Egan pulls up in front of Wiccan Good Herbs, it feels like forever since we’ve been there. And suddenly I’m too nervous to move.
“What’s wrong?” Keller asks.
“What if he doesn’t want to see us? Me?” Rule and Adele had said they didn’t blame me for Fiona’s death, but they’ve had more time to think about it. What if they’ve changed their minds? Plus, now they’d seen death dealt by my hands. “I don’t think I can stand it if they hate me.”
Keller grasps my hand and squeezes. “I’m sure nothing’s changed, but there’s only one way to find out.”
I’m not sure I want to find out if I’ve lost Rule, one of the few friends I have, but I manage to force myself from the Jeep. I lead the way inside and am not surprised to see the front empty. I am surprised by how different everything looks, at least at first. Then I realize that the change in the arrangement of the front counter and displays and the completely new flooring make sense. It makes the shop seem like a different place than it was when Fiona was always here. If Adele hadn’t made the changes, I doubt she could have stepped foot back in here each day without falling apart.
There’s also a new security camera high up in a corner pointed at the front door. It’s a good idea, though I hate the reason behind its installation.
One thing that is the same is the curtain in the doorway separating the shopping area from the supply room. I hold my breath as I hear footsteps behind it. For a moment, I imagine how happy I’ll be to see Fiona step through that doorway. My heart breaks to think that she never will again.
When Adele appears, she halts when she sees us. My heart rate increases, and I get ready to flee the pain if she hates me. “Jax.” She looks beyond me to the others. “We didn’t know if we’d ever see you again.”
I can’t tell how she feels about our sudden appearance. “Is it okay that we’re here?”
She hesitates for a fraction of a second, a tinge of fear in her eyes, before coming more fully into the
“We should send someone with her,” Amanda suggests.
“We’re all going,” Keller says, indicating our foursome.
“And we’d like Piper to come,” I say.
Piper’s eyes widen in surprise at my request.
“She’s been studying hard every night. To me, that deserves a day off, too. Especially since part of it was for physics.” I give a dramatic shudder.
Sarah looks at me a bit more closely as if she knows I’m up to something. But she must not sense anything negative because she nods. “You all go have fun, but be very careful and observant.”
We hurry from the room before Sarah changes her mind. After retrieving our coats, we head for the exit.
“I feel like we’re making a jail break,” I say as I hurry down the hallway holding Toni and Piper’s hands. But when we make it up the stairs and through the house above, I feel like our escape has taken us to the North Pole. When I open the front door of the house, I gasp. Snow blankets the landscape in all directions, at least six inches of it. The pine trees in the distance are coated like a scene from a nostalgic Christmas card. Luckily, the driveway is clear enough to navigate.
“Let’s take the Jeep,” Egan says and bounds off the porch.
Though it’s cloudy, it feels incredibly good to be outside. I breathe deeply as I head toward the Jeep.
Keller, Piper and I pile into the back while Toni sits up front with Egan. Once Egan starts the engine, he wastes no time flying down the driveway. Keller wraps my hand in his, and I lean against him.
When we reach Salem, Egan glances over his shoulder. “Where to first?”
“The herb shop,” I say. Toni gives me a knowing smile in the rearview mirror, knowing I have a reason beyond getting the Ending Book.
“What are you two up to?” Keller whispers in my ear.
“Nothing.” But I have to stifle a giggle.
When Egan pulls up in front of Wiccan Good Herbs, it feels like forever since we’ve been there. And suddenly I’m too nervous to move.
“What’s wrong?” Keller asks.
“What if he doesn’t want to see us? Me?” Rule and Adele had said they didn’t blame me for Fiona’s death, but they’ve had more time to think about it. What if they’ve changed their minds? Plus, now they’d seen death dealt by my hands. “I don’t think I can stand it if they hate me.”
Keller grasps my hand and squeezes. “I’m sure nothing’s changed, but there’s only one way to find out.”
I’m not sure I want to find out if I’ve lost Rule, one of the few friends I have, but I manage to force myself from the Jeep. I lead the way inside and am not surprised to see the front empty. I am surprised by how different everything looks, at least at first. Then I realize that the change in the arrangement of the front counter and displays and the completely new flooring make sense. It makes the shop seem like a different place than it was when Fiona was always here. If Adele hadn’t made the changes, I doubt she could have stepped foot back in here each day without falling apart.
There’s also a new security camera high up in a corner pointed at the front door. It’s a good idea, though I hate the reason behind its installation.
One thing that is the same is the curtain in the doorway separating the shopping area from the supply room. I hold my breath as I hear footsteps behind it. For a moment, I imagine how happy I’ll be to see Fiona step through that doorway. My heart breaks to think that she never will again.
When Adele appears, she halts when she sees us. My heart rate increases, and I get ready to flee the pain if she hates me. “Jax.” She looks beyond me to the others. “We didn’t know if we’d ever see you again.”
I can’t tell how she feels about our sudden appearance. “Is it okay that we’re here?”
She hesitates for a fraction of a second, a tinge of fear in her eyes, before coming more fully into the
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