Accidentally Evil (12 page)

Twenty-Two

T
he ceremony takes longer than it should. By the time the headmistress begins to wrap up, everyone's antsy and I'm ready to get back to our booth. Based on the piercing glares from the headmistress throughout the ceremony, it's probably in my best interest to stay out of her way. She has no reason to be mad at me, unless she thinks my little rant to Kendall included her precious Zena. Or maybe she's just trying to intimidate me in the hopes I'll give up and let Kendall rule the coven. If her own daughter can't be High Priestess, then Kendall's the next best thing. I'm pretty sure the headmistress would eat toad guts before supporting me as High Priestess.

When the crowd breaks up, we decide to head back to our booth. Cody walks beside me, and the rest follow
behind us. I feel self-conscious, like everyone is watching every single move we make.

“Well, that was interesting,” Cody says. “A lot different than our ceremonies.”

“Really? All of ours are pretty much the same. Almost identical, in fact. Change a chant here, add an element there, and voila! You have yourself a new ceremony. What are yours like?”

Cody's face is thoughtful. He finally settles on, “Darker.” I'm about to ask him more questions, when he points to his arm. “Can you fix this?”

“Sorry about that,” I tell him. “There's no stopping her when she's like that.” That's what will make beating her for High Priestess such a challenge.

I lead him back to the booth and stop when it comes into view. Sitting on the chairs where our tattoo customers should be sitting are Kendall and Zena.

Cody laughs. “Should I come back later?”

I shake my head. “No,” I say. I grab his hand and pull him toward the booth. I try to ignore the zing of nerves shooting straight from his hand to my heart. I shove the nerves down, determined to show Kendall she can't win this one.

Ivy walks up, puts her arm out to stop me. “I've got this,” she says.

I walk slowly with Cody while Ivy and the girls walk ahead. Neither one of us breaks the hand-hold. I guess it's a good sign he didn't yank free the first chance he got.

Ivy stops at the chairs. “Get up.”

Kendall and Zena keep talking, like Ivy isn't standing there.

Ivy puts her hands on her hips. I can practically hear her counting in her head.

“Get. Up.”

Kendall finally looks at Ivy. “Make me.”

“Oh no,” I say under my breath. I half-walk, half-run to Ivy, and my hand slips from Cody's grasp. When I get to Ivy, Cody is right beside me.

“That's enough,” I say to Kendall. I tip her chair forward so she has to get out.

Ivy says something to Zena under her breath. Whatever it is, it's scary enough to get Zena on her feet.

Cody doesn't make eye contact with either girl, and when they figure out he isn't going to, they stomp their way to the food booths. They laugh and talk about “the losers” (aka us) they're stuck with. There is so much I
want to say to Kendall, but getting into a fight with her now will only embarrass me in front of Cody. I decide to take the high road, as Dad says, and act like she doesn't bother me. I look forward to the day when I truly don't care about Kendall.

I motion to Cody to sit down, and I reach for the paint remover.

“Those two are a handful,” Cody remarks.

“That's one way of putting it,” I tell him, smiling. I redo his tattoo, and it looks better than the first time I did it.

“You've got some real talent,” Jo says.

I laugh. “Not hardly. Not like you, anyway.”

Jo shoos me away with her hands. “Why don't you go get something to eat? You've been working the booth since we first got here.”

“That sounds great,” Cody says. “I'm starving. Want to go?”

I look at Jo, and her eyes are saying,
What are you waiting for?

“I'll be back in a little bit,” I promise.

“Take your time,” Jo says. She looks at the row of empty seats. “It's not like we're busy.”

Everyone must have eaten before the ceremony, because we're practically the only ones there. I get a salad, and Cody gets the biggest hot dog I've ever seen. He leads us to a table on the edge of the food area.

There's some awkward silence, and I have to fill it.

“Can we talk about the rumor?” I ask. “The one you said we had to talk about in person?”

Cody looks at me for a few long seconds. Then he looks around to see who can hear us. But there's no one near and no excuse to stall.

“It's hard to explain,” he says.

“Try me.”

He smiles at me. “Well, all right, then. I guess I will. What exactly did you hear again?”

I tell him about the rumor floating around Dowling, about him becoming High Priest when he turns twenty-­one. While I tell him about the rumor, he nods, as if affirming each detail. With each nod my breathing ratchets up, my heart beats faster. When I'm done talking, he pops a chip into his mouth.

Then chews.

And chews.

And chews.

“Are you purposely dragging this out to test my patience?” I ask him.

He grins, still chewing. “Maybe,” he says after swallowing.

I'm about to reach across the table and shake him. “So . . . care to answer me now?”

“You already know the answer,” he says.

“If I knew the answer, I wouldn't be asking you.”

“Trust your instincts, Hallie. What does your gut say?”

My initial reaction to the rumor was that it's bogus. But now . . . now that I know High Priests and ­Priestesses are determined by lineage and power, it seems more believable. I think about Cody and how he's behaved tonight. No one is telling him what to do; it's the other way around. But what does that really mean?

I look across the table at him and wrestle with my own secret. If he tells me, do I have to tell him? “I'm not sure if it's the same—”

Jo drops onto the bench beside me and slaps her hands onto the table. She's been running, and she's out of breath. “You're not going to believe this.”

Dread's a heavy weight in my veins.

“What's wrong?” I ask. My voice is thin, and I hate
the way it sounds. If I'm going to fight to be the High Priestess, I need to dig up some confidence.

When she opens her mouth, the words tumble out. “I was washing the paintbrushes in the booth and heard ­Kendall telling Zena that she has a plan to take care of you.”

“What does that mean?” Cody asks. “What has to be taken care of?”

Neither one of us answers.

“Did she say when?” I ask.

“Tonight.”

“How?”

Jo looks at Cody.

“It's okay, Jo,” I say. “You can say it in front of him.”

She turns back to me. “She said they're going to burn you out.”

“Burn me out? What does that mean?”

I look to Cody, whose face has gone serious. I hardly recognize his voice when he speaks. “Kendall said she was going to do this? To Hallie? Tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“Who else heard this?” Cody asks.

Jo shrugs. “Just me.”

“And they didn't see you?” he asks.

I point to her ears. “Clairaudient.”

Cody nods in understanding. “Thanks, Jo.”

Realizing she's been dismissed, she walks back to the booth, looking over her shoulder at me several times. It's funny to watch Cody take charge. I have to get better at that. If I'm honest, it's kind of nice having someone around who seems to get what's happening. Because I'm lost.

“What's the story with those two? Why do they have it out for you?”

I hesitate. “I don't know.”

Am I allowed to tell him about the High Priestess stuff? Or is it against the rules? I mean, he did tell me about his thing. Kind of.

“I can't help you if I don't know what's going on.”

My first reaction is to tell him I don't need his help, but maybe I do. Maybe he knows what “burning” me out means. Surely one of my gifts can help me fight back.

I give Cody the short story of the quest for High Priestess. Cody nods while I talk, and I get the feeling he's memorizing every word I say.

When I finish, he takes a deep breath, then stands. “Come on.”

I grab our trash and look for a Dumpster.

“Really, Hallie?” he asks. “We're in the middle of something kind of serious, and you're looking for a trash can?”

My face burns red, and I drop the trash onto the nearest table.

“Where would she be?” he asks.

“Who?” I ask.

Cody gives me an exasperated look. “Hallie, focus. Kendall. Where would she be right now?”

I look around the grounds, at the dwindling groups still here. Most of the out-of-town covens have already left.

“There,” I say. I point at the stage, where Kendall and Zena are pretending to clean up.

He walks toward them with purpose, as if he can control them. Alone, they're formidable. Together, they're unbeatable.

“Wait. What's happening?” I ask. I grab his hand to stop his stride.

He stops walking but keeps his eyes on Kendall. “Burning you out means she's going to get rid of you.”

“Like get me expelled? She'd never be able to. I'm their best student.”

His eyes narrow, a mix of regret and anger. “No, Hallie. Something a lot more permanent than expulsion.”

Twenty-Three

I
swallow hard. I know Kendall doesn't like me, but would she really do something so drastic?

“How do you know so much?” I ask him.

“It's a long story.”

I roll my eyes, more than a little tired of being put off by Cody. My eyes follow his to where the girls stand. They're watching the grounds, looks of superior satisfaction on their faces.

“I need to handle this on my own,” I tell Cody.

He shakes his head. “No, you don't, Hallie. You can't. This is more than just mean-girl gossip.”

“You think I don't know that?” I pull my hand out of his. “Let me do this.”

I'll never be taken seriously if I can't fight my own battles.

Cody gets it, but he doesn't like it. “I'll be right here.”

I walk to the stage, think about what to say. Should I be mean and threatening? Or just, “Hey! I heard you wanted to burn me out. Let's talk.”

They watch me approach, the same satisfied grins on their faces, but I know there's malice behind their smiles.

“Hallie,” Kendall says when I get close.

I study her face, looking for some sign of goodness in her.

I ask the one question I really want the answer to. “Why don't you like me?”

She tilts her head and looks at me like I'm a puzzle she can't quite figure out.

“Are you serious?” Her face is the picture of incredulity.

I have to stop myself from laughing. “Yeah, I really am. I've never done anything to you. But since third grade you've dedicated yourself to tearing me down.”

A thin laugh escapes her lips. “Okaaaay, Hallie. I think you might be a little obsessed with me. I don't even
think
about you, much less ‘tear' you down.”

I look over to Cody, who's still watching us. He's no longer alone. One of his friends, Junior, and the first guy
I painted, Victor, are standing with him. Something like relief washes over me.

I take a deep breath, will my back to be ramrod straight. “And now you're mad at me about the High Priestess thing as if I applied for the job.”

A slow, sinister smile creeps onto her face. “Ah, you're finally thinking.”

“I don't understand why you're upset. It's not like I asked for this anyway. I just wanted to be a hedge witch.”

“Poor Hallie,” she sneers.

The chill in her words puts every nerve in my body on defense. My feet are telling me to run, but I know I have to face her about this. Might as well get it over with now.

Zena steps closer, her voice as menacing as I've ever heard.

“Understand this, Hallie. Dowling is too powerful a coven to be led by the likes of you—a Goody Two-shoes with overbearing parents and an unfortunate propensity for honesty.”

“All things I'm proud of.”

She laughs. “You would be.” She leans closer, almost whispering into my ear. “Let me tell you what's going to happen here. You are going to step aside and let Kendall take
her rightful place as the next High Priestess of the coven.”

Anger boils inside me. “Why would I do that? I have as much right to that spot as Kendall.”

“And then you're going to convince Cody that he belongs with Kendall.”

I shake my head. I can't believe this. “He doesn't even like her.”

“It really doesn't have anything to do with how he feels about her. This is about the continued partnership with Riley. Cody and Kendall are . . . destined to be together.”

Destined to be together.

My dream comes back to me in flashes.

This is it.

This is what I was dreaming about.

“What genius decided those two belong together?” I ask her. My voice sounds a thousand times braver than I feel.

“The only one who matters.” She points to herself. “My mom.”

Pointless. This is entirely, hopelessly pointless. Nothing I say will change anything. If I'm going to be High Priestess, it will have to be in spite of the headmistress, her daughter, and Kendall.

I glance back at Cody, who's now surrounded by Ivy, Dru, and Jo. Even Missy is there. Kendall's eyes follow mine. “They can't help you.”

“I don't need their help. I don't need anyone's help.”

Miss A's colorful figure quickly approaches. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she aims to stop me from saying something I'll regret. She's probably too late for that.

I end the conversation by walking back to my friends. With every step, my legs shake harder and faster until I think I may actually fall down.

Then a flash of fire shoots past me and everything slips into slow motion.

Cody rushes toward me.

I turn around.

Another flash of fire. A fireball, to be exact.

Coming from Kendall's hand.

I should duck or run or scream. But instinct takes over, and I hold up my hands to shield my face.

In that weird way that happens only in near-death experiences, time practically stops. I see every revolution of the fireball. An inch from my hand it bounces off and shoots back toward Kendall.

With Miss A directly behind her.

Kendall ducks, yanking Zena down with her.

But Miss A is too slow, and the flame catches her flowing dress. She slaps frantic arms at the fire, but it doesn't extinguish. Ivy runs to Miss A, Missy trailing her.

Kendall holds up her hand, and I know another fireball is coming.

I see the fireball leave her hand, like a movie in superslow motion.

I watch the fireball fly in Ivy's direction. But she isn't looking. I scream her name, she turns, and the fireball lands squarely in her stomach. She falls to the ground, smoke consuming her.

I look for my friends. Cody is running.

Running away.

That can't be right.

And then I see her.

Kendall.

Running to the front door. Zena trailing her.

And Cody is right behind them.

He grabs Kendall, and a man helps Cody by stopping Zena. I recognize him as the headmaster of Riley Academy.

I can't focus on them. I need to help Ivy.

My feet carry me faster than I thought possible. I
notice a crowd of girls circling Miss A, whose dress is flame-free thanks to Missy, who was able to turn it to ice, then melt it to douse the fire. Miss A is repeating the same thing over and over and over again. “I'm fine, girls. I'm fine.”

I push people out of the way to reach Ivy, and find her unconscious. The fireball is gone, but smoke hangs overhead. I shake Ivy lightly, call her name. I tap her cheeks like I've seen people do on television, but she doesn't budge. She doesn't wake up.

Fear, despair, anger . . . it collides inside me, and I begin crying. I should have protected Ivy. I should have been more careful. How could I have underestimated Kendall?

“Miss A!” I yell for our dorm mother, Dowling's best hedge witch. If anyone can help my best friend, it's her.

Miss A stumbles through the crowd, mindless of the burned dress hanging off her in strips. She cares only about helping Ivy.

I push everyone back. Ivy would be mad if she knew everyone was just standing around looking at her. “Go on,” I shout. “Go!”

Soon enough Jo and Dru have pushed everyone back
so that only Ivy, Miss A, Jo, Dru, Missy, and I are there. Miss A puts her hands on Ivy's stomach, begins chanting something low and soft and deep and healing.

She looks at me with a smile. “She's going to be all right, sugar. You need to calm down. She can feel your anxiety, remember?”

I nod, steady my breathing, and try to remember Miss A's power. I look in fear at my best friend lying on the ground in front of me, passed out and coughing.

Wait.

Coughing.

She's coughing!

“Ivy? Can you hear me?” I lean over her face and try to pull her eyes open with my fingers.

She slaps my hands away, and I nearly faint with relief.

I look to Miss A, who's still chanting, healing, smiling. She lifts Ivy's shirt, and all that remains of her fireball mishap is a red rash. “I told you she'd be okay.”

Ivy's eyes open, slowly and carefully. She focuses on me, and I swear it looks like she's glaring at me.

“I don't blame you for being mad at me,” I say. “I never should have confronted them like that. I wasn't thinking.”

“I don't care about that,” Ivy says.

I reach down and help her sit up. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see someone awake in my entire life.

“What I want to know,” she says, “is why you didn't tell me you had the gift of shielding.”