Moon White: Color Me Enchanted with Bonus Content (15 page)

“I still have that brochure,” she says. “It’s in my purse. I actually called the woman, I think her name’s Willow or something. And I reserved your spot. She said I was lucky, because they only had two spots left.”

“Thanks,” I tell her.

Augustine laughs. “Willow even tried to talk me into coming.”

“Why don’t you?” I ask, thinking I wouldn’t mind having someone I know there.

She waves her hand. “No, I don’t want to infringe on this for you, Heather. It’s your experience. You need to do it on your own.”

“Well, thanks,” I tell her again. Then I get myself a bottle of juice and head upstairs to think about this. I suppose it’s a good thing she did this, but for some reason that I can’t even put my finger on, it
bugs me that she went so far in making all the arrangements. Maybe it’s just that I wish I’d done it myself. But then I remember what a shambles my life’s been the past few days. No wonder I forgot. I guess I really should be thankful that Augustine was on top of it, especially since I don’t really feel like I can get on top of anything at the moment.

Somehow I make it through the remainder of the week. I feel like I’m in survival mode, and I’m sure I must walk around school looking like a total grump. More and more, I don’t really care what people think of me. I’m sure everyone spends too much time worrying about what others think of them. The truth is, everyone is probably just thinking about themselves anyway.

By Saturday, I feel like I’m drained. Just trying to navigate the emotional minefield of my life is exhausting. But the more I think about it, the more certain I am that Liz is at the root of all my problems. She’s tried to speak to me several times, and finally I just had to tell her to knock it off.

“You are not my friend,” I said in a surprisingly calm voice on Thursday afternoon. “I have no reason to talk to you. Please leave me alone.”

She just sort of blinked and then turned and walked away. But after that, I couldn’t help but notice something. I’d catch her from the corner of my eye talking to someone — someone like Hudson or Chelsea or Kendall. I even spied her talking to Lucy on Friday at lunch and they both nodded. Liz was holding her hand over her mouth as if she thought that was discreet, then she glanced at me and quietly said something to Lucy, but I know she was talking about me. I think Liz has set out to totally ruin me.

On Saturday morning I drive up to North Bay. I probably would’ve gone to see Sienna, but I know she’s working. Once again
I’m on a mission. But Willow is not there today. There’s only silly Jamie, and she’s pretty useless. Even so, I feel desperate and I decide to give Jamie a try. I mean, what can it hurt? Maybe she knows of something in the back room.

“Uh, Jamie,” I say in a quiet voice. There are a couple of other shoppers here. “Do you know of anything that I can use against an enemy?”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Huh?” she says, looking at me suspiciously.

“Never mind,” I say, quickly turning away and walking over to the candle shelf. Why did I even bother?

I’m about ready to give up when I feel this nudge on my elbow. I turn to see a young woman with jet-black hair, the kind of black that you know has been dyed. Her eyes are outlined in black too — thick, sharp lines that make her look a little scary. She’s wearing a beat-up black leather jacket, which only adds to the drama. I’m guessing she’s older than me, probably in her twenties. I’m about to ask her if she wants something when I notice a black tattoo of a pentagram on her right hand. And suddenly I feel tongue-tied.

“Are you looking for something?” she says quietly.

“What?” I ask, unsure of what she means.

“I heard you asking the clerk about something for an enemy.”

“Oh.” I just shrug. “I was just joking.”

She peers into my eyes now. “I don’t think you were joking. But if you were, well, I won’t bug you.” Then she simply walks out of the store.

Now I feel like maybe I’ve missed a real opportunity. Maybe this girl really knows her stuff. Maybe she can help me. I quickly exit the store and look down the street, seeing her standing in front of a shop window.

“Excuse me,” I say as I go and stand next to her, looking in the window at the porcelain figurines of lighthouses. “I didn’t mean to sound rude, but I don’t know you and I’m really a beginner in all this, and I probably shouldn’t be trying to do a spell against an enemy yet.”

She turns and looks at me with those outlined eyes, just looks for several seconds, then says, “That’s right.”

Okay, now I don’t know what to say and I feel stupid. “Sorry to bother you,” I say, leaving.

“Wait,” she says, and I stop. “Want to get some coffee?”

So I agree and we go into a little coffee shop on the corner. We get our drinks and then sit down in a quiet corner. She gives me only her first name, which is Jane. So, feeling a little cautious, I only give my first name as well. I’m just not sure where she’s coming from — not sure if I should even trust her.

“Heather is a good name,” she says, blowing the steam off her espresso. And suddenly she lightens up and begins to talk just like an ordinary person. “I don’t know why I spoke to you like that in Willow’s shop,” she says. “I mean, it’s really none of my business. My boyfriend, Eric, says I’m always butting into things that I should stay out of. I suppose it’s because I’m slightly psychic. I feel for others, empathy, you know.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I probably felt sort of embarrassed for even asking about something like that in the first place. I mean, I know about the rule of harming none.”

“But you do know the next line don’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean in the Wiccan Rede.”

“What’s that?

“Well, you know the Threefold Law, right?”

“Of course. You mean the Rule of Three. I know it has several names, but it’s always the same meaning.”

“Mind the Threefold Law, you should, three times bad and three times good.”

I nod. “Yes, I know about that.”

“And you know the rest of it too?” she asks.
“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An it harm none, do what ye will. Blessed be to thee.”

“Yes, I’ve read that before too, but I haven’t memorized it yet.”

“Well, some interpret ‘do what ye will’ as ‘do what needs to be done.’ Sometimes we need to use our power to set things right. Sometimes you must take control of a situation before it gets out of hand, before someone, even you, gets hurt.”

“Yes,” I say with some enthusiasm. “I do feel like that in my situation.”

“That’s what I thought, Heather.”

So I open up, and like letting the cork out, the whole story comes tumbling out. I tell her all about Liz and all the things she’s done to upset my life.

“Wow, that is some bad karma.”

I nod and take a sip of Chai tea.

“And her dad is that guy who wants to destroy Yaquina Lake?”

“The same.”

“And your dad is trying to preserve it?”

“Yep.”

“Talk about the forces of good and evil colliding, Heather. No wonder you feel so beat up.”

“That’s exactly how I feel.” I just shake my head. “I really hoped that Willow would be in her shop today. I have another friend back in Westport, but she’s working today. I just wanted some help. It’s
like I’ve been in this horrible battle all week and I’m so tired of it.”

“But you’ve been practicing all week, right? You haven’t slacked off, have you?”

“Not at all. Last night I was up until one in the morning.”

“Good. Some novices just want to give up when things get tough. But that’s what separates the real ones from the fakes. And I sense that you’re real.”

I nod. “I’m serious about this. I mean, I’ve seen and experienced things that are totally amazing. I believe in it and I’ve experienced the power. I even signed up for Willow’s seminar next weekend. I wish it was this weekend instead.”

“Lucky you.” Jane lets out a frustrated sigh. “I wish I could go too, but there’s no way I could afford it. Besides, I work that weekend.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad for me. I’ve had lots more experience than you. And I’ve had some good teachers. I probably don’t really need to go. I just thought it would be cool.”

“Right.”

She leans forward now, looking intently into my eyes. “I want to help you, Heather. And your situation reminds me of something that really worked for me a couple of years ago.” Then she tells me about an abusive stepfather and how she put a curse on him. “A woman who’s been practicing for years gave it to me. A few weeks after I used it, my stepdad was fired from his job, got a horrible case of shingles, and it wasn’t long before he left my mom. She’s so much better off without him.”

“So it really worked?”

She nods solemnly.

“Wow.”

“I still have the recipe, but I swore never to give it to anyone.”

“Oh.” So I wonder why she is telling me about this. Just to rub it in?

“I could probably make it for you, but only if I’m absolutely positive that you’re really serious about everything you’ve just said. I mean, this isn’t something to toy around with, you know. It’s powerful.”

“I
am
serious,” I tell her, although to be perfectly honest, I’m not so sure this is a good idea.

She studies me for a long moment. I get the feeling she’s trying to discern whether or not I’m trustworthy. And for some reason this makes me want to convince her. But I just sit there, saying nothing.

“I suppose I could put it together for you. And I’ll need to buy some things.” One of her brows arches. “The thing is, I’m pretty broke right now.”

“How much do you need?”

“Thirty should do it.”

Okay, now I’m having some doubts as I get into my purse. I mean, how stupid is it to give a virtual stranger $30 to do something like this? Even so, I hand her a ten and a twenty.

She pockets the cash, then looks at the clock over the counter. “Can you meet me at Fletcher’s Cove at . . . say, two?”

“Sure,” I tell her, wondering if she’ll actually show up.

“Okay, see ya later.” And then she leaves, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be seeing her or my thirty bucks again. But I suppose it’s a relatively cheap lesson for a beginner like me. What a sucker! I don’t think I’ll be telling either Sienna or Willow about my little lapse of sense. I go out and look down the street for Jane, thinking maybe I could tell her I’ve changed my mind. But she’s nowhere to be seen. Big surprise there.

So I walk around awhile, then finally get into my car and start
driving toward home. But then I wonder, what if Jane is legit? What if she’s really concocting some special potion right this minute, really going to some trouble for me? And what if she makes the trip to Fletcher’s Cove and then I’m not even there? That doesn’t seem very nice on my part. Especially if she was really trusting me. I know how it feels to be betrayed. I don’t really want to put someone else through that. So after driving halfway home, even though I know it could be a waste of time and gas, I turn around and drive back toward North Bay. I exit at Fletcher’s Cove and park by some trash cans. Then I just sit in my car and wait. It’s only a few minutes, but it seems like hours before it’s finally two and then, just as I originally feared, no one shows up. I guess I really am a sucker.

I wait until exactly 2:07 and then, feeling like a complete idiot, I decide to give up and leave. But just as I turn the key in the ignition, I see an old red pickup come in on the other end of the pullout. Then Jane, still wearing her black leather coat, hops out of the passenger side and runs over to my window. Her dark hair is whipping in the wind, and she’s carrying something close to her chest.

“Sorry I’m late,” she says slightly breathlessly. “But Eric didn’t get off work until one, and I needed him to drive me here.” She hands me a small burlap bag along with an index card. “Whatever you do, do
not
open this bag, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now this is what you do,” and then she explains how I need to get a small item that’s been in contact with Liz. “It could be a piece of clothing, a snip of her hair, a pencil, whatever. Then you put this bag along with the item in another bag and you say the words on the card, then burn the card. After that you hide the bag somewhere where you know this girl will be, even if it’s only for a short time. But she must be within a yard of it.”

“Like where do I put it? And then what if she sees the bag and opens it? Or what if she figures it out?”

“I know, it’s tricky. You definitely don’t want her to open the bag. Can you slip it under her mattress? Or put it in her car?”

I frown. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I put it in my stepdad’s car, and it worked like a dream.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I say.

“And then you have to retrieve the bag and then bury it within a mile of where she lives.”

“Man, this is complicated.”

She frowns. “Did you expect something this big to be easy?”

“Well, no.”

“You don’t have to do it, Heather. You could just sit back and do nothing. Just passively wait until this girl manages to destroy your entire life.”

“No,” I say quickly. “I don’t want to do that.”

“It’s up to you.”

I nod. “I know you’re right. And I’ll figure out a way to do it. Thanks for doing this for me. I really do appreciate it.”

She smiles now and I see that she’s actually pretty in a witchy sort of way. “No problem,” she says. “We have to help each other, you know. We need to stick together.”

Then she runs back and gets into the pickup, waving from the open window, and they drive away. I set the burlap bag on the passenger seat and hope that it won’t hurt me before I have a chance to hide it somewhere. But even as I think this, I question whether I can really do this. I mean, doesn’t this break the Rule of Three? But then I consider what Jane said about stopping someone before they do more harm. I think that’s the case with Liz. She must be stopped. And perhaps this will even work to stop her dad. I can only hope.