Evelina and the Reef Hag (2 page)

What good was being a Water Witch if she couldn’t use her powers?

She flew down the hall, so distracted she almost trampled Lily to death.

“What happened?” Lily’s eyes grew as big as her spectacles. “What did you get? Cafeteria duty? Not garbage, I hope?”

“Nothing!” Evelina gave a nervous laugh, not quite believing it herself. “She didn’t say anything about music class.” But it was only a matter of time before Sister Mary Elephant caught up with her. Evelina grabbed Lily by the arm, steering her toward the library. “What are you doing for Christmas holidays?”

Henrietta burst from the second floor washroom like a buffalo ready to charge, blocking their path.

Evelina searched for some escape, but there was nowhere to go—not even a cliff near by to run her off.

“What are you doing,
Orph
?”

Evelina drew herself up to her full five foot nine inches. She’d grown another whole inch in the last six months, since she’d turned seventeen—a good five inches taller than Henrietta.

Lily took a step back. “We were just discussing Christmas holidays as a matter of fact.” Her voice held a nervous quiver, but she stood her ground, ever the polite diplomat. “What are your plans, Henrietta?”

“None of your business!” Henrietta planted her hands on her hips, jutting out her square chin. “Or your skinny, freak friend!”

Rage rushed over Evelina like a tsunami, but she managed to keep her temper in check. After all, we were here on a journey of compassion, as the Sisters preached. It was weak to give in to anger. So, she gritted her teeth while it throbbed in her ears. “Well, have a nice holiday, Henrietta.”

Evelina made to go around her.

Henrietta blocked her again. “What are you doin’ for the holidays? Hangin’ out at the soup kitchen? Hittin’ a few rummage sales?”

Evelina went hot from the tip of her toes to the end of her ponytail.

“Come on!” Lily grabbed her by the arm.

 
Evelina remained rooted to the spot. She’d tried to show compassion. She’d tried to do what the good Sisters said. But Henrietta had a way of getting under her skin—making her blood boil, until it spurted out her ears like lava, setting her on fire.

Right now that fire was raging out of control.

“There’s no crime in being poor or hungry.” Henrietta could certainly afford to miss a few meals. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe all that fat was turning rancid, affecting her brain, making her cruel and selfish. “You should come and help Sister Roberta at the shelter on Saturday. I’ve met some really nice people there.” The students of St. Cecelia’s volunteered at the shelter once a month, but Henrietta invariably came down with the trots or some other mysterious illness.

“I don’t need to give to charity.” Henrietta snarled. “I’ve got parents to do that for me. I’m not an
orph
like you!”

Evelina sucked in a sharp breath.

She silently counted to ten.

But it was too late.

Her blood started to bubble.

“What’s that?” She pointed behind Henrietta. “You’ve got something hanging out of your kilt.” Evelina made a swirling arc with her finger in the vicinity of Henrietta’s backside. “It looks like a piece of toilet paper or something.”

Henrietta’s black eyes narrowed. “Yeah, right!” But she looked just the same. Her mouth gaped when she spotted the long, white strip of toilet paper streaming from under her kilt. “What the…”

Evelina was almost as surprised as Henrietta.

The spell had been a complete leap of faith.

She couldn’t believe it!

It worked!

Henrietta pulled and pulled, but the toilet paper kept on coming.

She yanked harder and harder, and faster and faster.

“What is it?” She screeched. “Get it off me!”

She started to run.

Her screams echoed down the hall behind her.

At the same time class was getting out. The crowd in the hall spread wide to let her pass. Hoots of hilarity followed her crooked path.

Evelina couldn’t help but smile. Casting spells within the vicinity of mortals was strictly forbidden, but it was worth it, just this once, to see the look on Henrietta’s face.

Evelina didn’t hang around to gloat. Besides, curiosity was killing her. She grabbed Lily by the arm. “Have you ever heard of a place named St. Augusta?”

“No.” Lily sent her a startled glance. “But I’m going there for Christmas vacation.”

Joy filled Evelina’s heart. “You are?” She squealed, squeezing Lily by the arm. “So am I!”

“Really?” Lily’s chestnut eyes sparkled. “This can’t be a coincidence.”

“But I thought Flurries were only held during the summer?” Evelina’s brain raced for an explanation. The only possible reason for her and Lily to be headed to the same holiday destination was on Water Witch business. Their families had no other connection. But the Flurry was held in the summer? Maybe it had something to do with the warlocks? That was it! “It must be the Glaring.”

“The Warlock competition?” Lily’s mouth formed an O. “Of course! That’s why Mother packed her pith helmet. I questioned her, but she wouldn’t let anything slip. You know how she is.”

Evelina gave a sympathetic nod. Mrs. Huckabone was a hard case. She never broke the rules. Getting information from her would be impossible. At least Lily had tried. “Warlocks acted as security for us at the Flurry. It makes sense that we’ll serve a similar function at the Glaring.” But who knew. Novice Water Witches weren’t privy to much information concerning their future, only what they could pry out of their mentors the night before the first Flurry. Everything was kept hush, hush, information being slowly released by their councilors, like a line of bait. They had no idea it was a competition to determine the Diviner until it was well under way.

Which drove Evelina crazy.

If the Glaring was taking place in St. Augusta they needed to be prepared. She grabbed Lily by the arm. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“To the library.” Evelina tugged Lily along. “We’ve got some research to do.”

***

The
old Spanish
City
of St.
Augusta
bustled with tourists on Christmas vacation. Evelina hardly knew where to look first as she threaded her way down the crowded street. Her research hadn’t done it justice—what little she had time for after garbage duty. It was much more exotic in person.

She felt as though she’d stepped back in time.

Bushes covered with red and yellow hibiscus formed hedges, between colorful shops along the brick-lined streets. Palm trees swayed on tall trunks overhead. The smell of chocolate and candied pecans drifted out the door of every candy shop. Artists sat behind easels, painting portraits. A singer crooned a haunting ballad on the next corner, strumming a red guitar.

Evelina’s aunties, Mrs. Segal and Udora, promised to meet her at the pastry shop.

Now, all she had to do was find it without getting lost.

There were so many shops and so many people, it made Evelina’s head spin. She gazed down at the map in her hand, running her finger over the key. Flag shop, art gallery, pirate museum, tattoo parlor—pastry shop!

Perfect.

One street down, one corner over.

She picked up the pace.

Strange, the aunties hadn’t met her at the airport, or the bus station. But, maybe that was something only real families did. Maybe she was asking too much.

Water Witches were different—much different. It wasn’t like the aunties were her real parents. No doubt they were doing the best they could. Though she had to admit, she’d secretly hoped they’d pop her to St. Augusta. It would have been much more thrilling, arriving in a puff of smoke.

Truffles French Pastry

A purple sign, framed in gold, swung above the door of a white stone shop. It marked the end of her journey.

Evelina took a deep breath, then stepped inside.

The pastry shop bustled with activity. Customers visited at little round tables. She tried to find her aunts, but the place was packed, and she couldn’t see beyond the front tables. An elegant woman in white stood at the counter pointing down into the display case filled with cakes and confections of all shapes and sizes. Behind the counter, a short man wearing a tall mushroom hat and black apron filled a pink box for her. Another man headed for the door with a square cake box, wrapped in string, sealed with a gold sticker.

Evelina gazed around awestruck.

Soft colors and frills filled the place.

The aroma of coffee and chocolate mingled with the sweet smell of raspberries and the tangy scent of lemon.

Her belly rumbled. It had been a long day. She hadn’t eaten a crumb since breakfast.

“Evelina!” Mrs. Segal rushed from the back toward her, dark curls bobbing, sky blue eyes twinkling. “Welcome! Welcome!” Her aunt’s straw hat swung like a bell from its pink ribbon as she clasped Evelina to her chintz-clad bosom, matching her Capri pants to perfection. “I’m so happy you found us.” She beamed, then crushed Evelina to her bosom again.

“No thanks to you.” Aunt Udora rose from the wire-backed chair to extend her small hand in greeting. But then, everything about Udora was small. She couldn’t have stretched taller than four foot, nine inches, from her nutmeg pageboy, down the length of her beige sundress, to the sturdy sandals on her feet. Her sober expression softened to a half smile as she clasped Evelina’s hand. “Lovely to see you, my dear.”

 
“Come and sit down.” Mrs. Segal sailed back to the little round table. “You must try one of the
mille feuille
before we go. They really are exquisite.”

Evelina slid onto a chair opposite them, mouth watering at the sight of the pastries piled on the three tiered silver tray, some swirled with chocolate, some dusted with icing sugar, some heaped with fluffy whipped cream.

Mrs. Segal played hostess, serving them each a pastry on a gold-rimmed plate.

“Too flaky.” Udora declared, glaring down at the layered sweet as though it were a grenade.

“Too flaky? Ha!” Mrs. Segal’s sky blue eyes widened. “I think not,” she twittered. “How ridiculous! That is the point of pastry, is it not? You have the strangest notions.” She turned to Evelina. “She has the strangest notions. Too flaky indeed? I never heard such a thing. Did you?”

 
“You cannot eat something that falls to pieces before it reaches your mouth.” Udora sent Mrs. Segal a dour look. “Learn it!”

“You exaggerate.” Mrs. Segal gave a chortle. “She need only take a bite. For goodness sake, Udora! You are a pill. She is a pill. Isn’t she?”

Too flaky or not, Evelina was willing to take the chance. She was half starved. She lifted the pastry to her mouth and bit into it. The mixture of sweet icing and whipped cream melted with the flaky crust. Before she knew it she’d
scarfed
down three.

“Come along, my dear.” Mrs. Segal rose from her seat, brushing the pastry from her fingers. “We’d better hurry. After all, it’s your first time. No telling how it will affect you.”

Evelina swallowed down her last bite.

“First time?

She gazed from Mrs. Segal to Udora. Affect her? What did that mean? She’d just eaten some kind of enchanted pastry? What were they up to? She had a bad feeling about this. Why was it that they always thought to inform her after the fact?