Enchanted, A Paranormal Romance / Fantasy (Forever Charmed) (31 page)

Ally looked at Steve and then back to Mandy, making the connection of what Mandy had been trying to ask. “Us? As in together?” Ally squeaked out. “No! I mean, no offense Steve, you’re a nice guy and all, but not my type.”

Steve laughed good-naturedly and said, “And vice versa!”

Ally acted mortified, exclaiming, “Hey!” but laughing along with Steve.

Mandy sucked in a deep breath of air. “So I don’t get it. Why’d I keep seeing you guys together and how’d you find me tonight?”

It was Ally’s turn to suck in a deep breath. “Well, when you and Steve started getting serious, I guess I got a little jealous. You didn’t seem to have any time for me. One day I decided to wait for you after school by your locker, just to try to talk things out with you. I was waiting on a bench a little ways away from your locker, that way I figured I had a good vantage point and would be able to see you guys coming. Only that day Lucas got to your locker before you. I saw him put in a flower and I saw you guys react to the flower. I thought it was a secret admirer thing and I guess I got super jealous at that point. Here you already had a good boyfriend and the hottest guy was leaving you roses in your locker. It didn’t seem fair. So I decided not to talk to you. But I kept watching because I was jealous and I guess curious. I would sit on the bench after school every day just watching to see if Lucas would do anything. I got suspicious when I saw him leave you a dead rose one day. So even though I was still insanely jealous of you and a bit mad, I was worried about you too. I started trying to sidle up with Lucas, just to find out what was happening,” Ally stopped, momentarily caught in the memory.

Mandy gasped. She felt ashamed of the way she had ignored Ally when all she was trying to be was a friend. “So after I got to know Lucas a little better I got even more suspicious. He was guarded at first, but he slowly began to let out real pieces of himself. I was over at his house a couple of times and caught a glimpse of some really weird stuff in his room, black magic books, black candles, weird looking herbs and stuff. It gave me a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach I knew I couldn’t ignore, only I didn’t know what to do. It’s not like I really had a case against Lucas. I was the only witness to the flowers, and so what if he liked to do a little dark reading? It was only when Lucas suddenly dumped me and started exclusively hanging out with you that I knew something was horribly wrong. I knew you weren’t the type of person to just ditch Steve like that. So I confided in Steve. I knew he’d listen and help,” Ally finished and looked at Steve.

Steve nodded. “After all I’d seen with you, I knew not to dismiss anything. If Ally said Lucas was no good and after you, I believed her whether or not it involved anything incredulous like black magic voodoo stuff. We knew we had to keep tabs on you, but we didn’t think it would be wise to go one on one. We let people think we were a couple just because it would appear normal if we were always together, and it was safer to spy together. We didn’t know what Lucas was capable of if he caught us, be we knew it wouldn’t be good. We figured it was safety in numbers. I’m sorry if we hurt you,” Steve said softly to Mandy.

Mandy shook her head. “No. I should be the one apologizing. Lucas threatened me, he threatened all of you. So I felt like I had to do what he said. I’m sorry. I should have talked to Nana or something, but I was scared,” Mandy wiped her eyes that were filling up again. “So how’d you know we were here tonight?”

“We were at the dance, trying to keep tabs on both of you,” Steve continued. “We knew he must have some ulterior motive. No offense, but we didn’t think he was interested in you for you. When you guys left, we left and we followed you from a distance. The rest is history,” Steve said shrugging.

“That was so brave of both of you. Thank you! But don’t ever be so stupid again! You both could have been killed!” Mandy scolded. Mandy felt the need to just feel both of them and stretched out her arms for a hug. All three awkwardly fell in on each other.

“Well, dearies, as touching as this is, we are going to need to get out of here, or people will be talking. You know how it is in a small town,” Nana chuckled and got up, heading towards the door. They had left the house and got to the mainland and back home before the authorities had shown up, finding Lucas’s body on the rocks and deciding that the boy must have been on some reckless or drunken teenage spree or prank and fallen to his untimely death.

The town ran its article and the people accepted it. Only a select few knew the truth and they had no desire to tell. Mandy was right anyway, no one in their right mind would believe the sensational story that had actually taken place on those rocky cliffs. Steve crumpled up the newspaper into a ball and flung it into the trash basket on the post across the sidewalk. “Score!” he shouted gleefully.

Ally and Mandy shook their heads at him the way a mother might to a rambunctious little boy. “I gotta get to work. I’ll catch up with you guys later!” Ally announced, rising from the bench. She gave a little wave and headed up towards the center of town and Nana’s flower shop. Mandy and Steve waved back, watching her go. “She’s a good friend. I’ve never had one before,” Mandy said softly, interlocking her fingers with Steve’s.

“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?” Steve feigned offense.

Mandy laughed. “You’re a good boyfriend, and I’ve never had one of those before either,” she admitted.

Steve smiled at her with admiration in his eyes. “Want to go for a walk?” he asked, pulling Mandy up off the bench as the same time.

Mandy went along willingly. They passed Ophelia’s little shop. The gate was down and locked in front of the storefront. A sign read, “Mission accomplished. Gone home.” Mandy and Steve smiled at this conspiratorially. They passed the Goldenrod restaurant, back open for business. After the incident, Lucas’s dad had issued a public apology on behalf of his family and more specifically, his ancestor, for any wrongdoing against Mary Nasson. Perhaps the townsfolk had taken pity on Lucas’s father after hearing of his loss, or perhaps it was morbid curiosity, or perhaps they just simply accepted his apology, but whatever it was the restaurant was thrumming with customers. The silver arms of the taffy machines were back at work in the window, pulling and stretching the decadent goo as it had always done and all seemed right with the town again. Its heart seemed to be beating again, and the sun was high in the sky casting a golden glow about York and its inhabitants. The air was warm and soft and everything that had once seemed so bleak and grey, seemed to shine and sparkle for Mandy. Everything was right with town, and everything was right with Mandy. She knew in that instant that she was where she was supposed to be, that her life had a purpose after all. She felt as if the golden sunshine had filled her up to brim and she wanted to taste that golden deliciousness forever. She squeezed Steve’s hand and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. She was home.

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