Fire Spell (4 page)

My grandmother had given me my ring when I turned sixteen. I couldn’t imagine her giving me anything more precious. “What’s in here?” I placed the box on the kitchen table. I didn’t think I could look inside.

“She told me it was ‘girl stuff’.” He chuckled.

It made me laugh too. That sounded like my grandmother. Even at eighty-four, she had been a spitfire. I returned to the sink and the pile of dishes, trying to steady the tears and sniffling. I decided I would go through the box later when I could handle it. That was four years ago.

I laid the top stack of photos on the floor next to me. There were two journals. I remembered the first one that I had tucked the photo with Leo into. I opened the inside covers. Each one was dated: 1948-1949 and 1949-1950. I calculated how old my grandmother would have been during the time the journals were written. In 1949, she would have been twenty-three. I smiled. What was my grandmother like in her twenties? I wondered if she embraced her magic or denied it like I tried to as a teen.

Under the stack of journals was a wooden box. The sides were smooth, but I noticed a circle carved into the top. I tried to open it, but it was sealed with a spell.

Hmm. “Open.” I pointed to the lid, but the glitter fell to the floor, and the box didn’t budge. I concentrated harder. “Open.” I used my palm this time. The floor sparkled with the useless spell. It wasn’t working.

I ran my fingers along the seam and traced the corners. My grandmother had sealed this for a reason, and knowing her, it was going to take a few spell combinations to get into it. I rubbed the top with my right hand and noticed my ring was the same size as the round carving. I chewed my bottom lip while wiggling the sapphire stone off my hand. Was this possible?

I placed the ring into the circular groove. It fit perfectly. I closed my eyes and held both palms over the box. “Open,” I urged the lid.

The spell swirled around the ring forming a mini-cyclone. The ring began to spin and then stopped. I heard a click and the lid popped.

I could almost hear my pulse thumping in my veins. I was nervous and excited. I lifted the lid. I gasped. Lying in the middle of the box was a bottle that glowed with a glittery liquid. I picked it up and held it up to examine closer. Etched on the front was an L. My grandmother had never seemed more mysterious and interesting than in this moment. I had no idea what the bottle was, but I felt like I was holding something magically important in my palm.

C
OOPER’S BARK
shook me. I almost dropped the bottle. I didn’t know how long I had been staring at it. The shimmering crystals floating inside were hypnotizing. I traced my fingers over the L, wondering what it stood for. Lily? Leo? Love? I placed it in my lap. I pressed the box’s lid open on its hinges, exposing gold leaves woven together in a circle. I didn’t know how long the box had been closed before I inherited it, but the leaves looked freshly painted. They reminded me of the crowns worn in Greek mythology books.

There was a chance my grandmother had provided answers in her journals. My father had told me she wanted me to have them, but it still felt like I was invading her privacy. I opened the first one in the set labeled 1948-1949. I wish I had been better at journaling. The only time I seemed to be consistent with it was in between boyfriends.

I turned the page, ready to hear my grandmother’s twenty-three-old voice in the entries. It was blank. I thumbed to the next page. Nothing. I picked up the other journal, flipping through the worn pages, desperate to find pencil, ink, anything with her handwriting on it. I didn’t understand. Why did she give me blank journals? And why were they dated on the covers as if they were written in succession when obviously they were empty?

Just when I thought I was going to reconnect with her again, the hope crumbled. I tried not to let the sorrow overwhelm me, but I hadn’t realized how much grief I was holding on to until the chance to learn more about her slipped away.

I placed the bottle in the box, retrieved my ring, and stacked everything how I found it. Everything that is except for the picture of her and Leo. I walked over to my desk and leaned it against my lamp. There was more to the sparkly bottle and the journals, but I needed a break. I slipped on my sneakers and headed outside to play with Cooper. Maybe some fresh air and a round of tennis ball would clear my head and ease my heavy heart.

That night after I set the house security alarm and checked all the doors twice, I curled up under my fluffy duvet with a new book. It was earlier than my usual bedtime, but I had been looking forward to cracking the spine on this book all day.

I glanced at the ceiling and cast a brilliant star scene. “Twinkle.” Reading under the stars was an added bonus. I smiled when I heard Cooper start to snore. He always slept next to me in his plaid bed.

I found Cassiopeia first, then Virgo. Next, I searched for the Lion. Another one of my favorites.
Leo
. I sprang out of bed. I knew how to read the journals. I rushed up the stairs to my office and turned on the lamp. My grandmother and Leo’s picture rested on the desk.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it earlier. If the box was spelled close, the journals were also spelled, only they were invisible. I opened the first journal, placed it in my lap, and waved my hands over top.

“Betray,” I whispered. I always thought this was an odd spell to call. Betrayal seemed like such a nasty word. If there were words on the page, this spell should call them forward.

I opened my eyes, waiting to see if the spell worked. Nothing.
Dammit.
My grandmother had locked this in secret security mode. Holly or Ian might know how to reveal the words, but I felt like this was something between Gigi and me. It was my problem to figure out how to reveal the words.

I picked up the wooden box and placed my ring into the center divot. As the particles from the spell began to swirl, my chest tightened. I had an idea for the bottle of elixir. As soon as the lid popped, I scooped it up and removed the cork. I tipped the bottle, careful only to drop a small amount on my finger. It felt thick and sticky like honey and glowed with whirling colors. I dabbed the drop on my palm and ran my hands together, making sure I covered the mixture from the tips of my fingers to the top of my wrist.

I held my hand over the journal. “Betray,” I called. My hands glowed from the elixir. I closed my eyes and whispered the spell again.

I squeezed my eyes together, afraid it hadn’t worked, but when I opened them, I looked at the journal. It was heavy, thick, and full of words. My grandmother’s words. I turned to the first page and read.

November 18, 1948

Charleston is more charming than I expected. It seems I will have to attend parties every Saturday and tea every Tuesday, but the girls are sweet and the boys are handsome. This place will do until it’s time.

November 22, 1948

I attended my first meeting and I am apprehensive about my task. It will take strong magic to rid the world of this evil. I worry I don’t have the strength in my spells to do what is expected.

November 27, 1948

I practiced all night until my eyes were red and my neck was sore. I don’t think it’s coming to me any easier. Something is missing from my energy.

December 10, 1948

The council has decided I should continue with my practice. There is no one else who can summon the spell, and I am the only hope. I try not to let the weight burden my sleep or my thoughts, but it is all I can think about.

December 25, 1948

It is Christmas and I have never been alone on the holiday. I spoke to Mother and Father briefly. They said Sullen’s Grove is festive and alive with good cheer. They have trusted me to represent the family in our crusade, and I must keep my chin up and not dwell on the loneliness that fills me tonight. Perhaps by next holiday we will all have reason to smile.

December 31, 1948

I’ve never danced so much in my life. It was wonderful, dare I say magical. I feel like a regular girl, giggling and silly, but oh, I let him kiss me. Kiss me and we met at the Charleston New Year’s Eve Ball tonight! Oh, but he did have the most delicious lips. He’s handsome and beautiful, and I could dance like that every night. He said he would call on me tomorrow. Until then, I’m going to dream of him and fall asleep with his name on my lips.

I blinked. Was she talking about Leo? I felt like I had read something extremely personal of my grandmother’s, but reminded myself she wanted me to have these journals. After all, our ring could open the box. Surely, she would have had the journals destroyed if she didn’t want me to see them. Through all of the conversations we had, I never knew she lived in Charleston or had met a man named Leo. I encountered mysteries every day, but my heart hurt with the realization that maybe one of the biggest ones had been in the person I had always felt so close to.

We were the same. I had always thought she understood me, and we had shared everything. Suddenly, I felt like I didn’t know anything about her.

I flipped the page for the next entry.

January 15, 1949

Leo told me he loves me. I think we’ve felt it since the night we met. I know without him I will stop breathing and no magic could bring me back.

January 31, 1949

My spells are growing stronger. It’s what I have been waiting for. I can do things I never thought possible. I think it’s Leo. When he’s around, I feel like the other half of me has been found. He said there is something important he wants to discuss with me. I’ve turned into one of the silly Charleston girls for sure, because all I can think of is that he is going to ask me to marry him.

February 1, 1949

It wasn’t a proposal as I had dreamed, and it wasn’t the engagement ring I was wishing for, but it’s something much bigger.

I didn’t know Leo, but parts of this story were eerily familiar. I had been the girl waiting for my future to be more certain with a man I had fallen head over heels in love with. I knew things must not have ended well with them, because Leo was not my grandfather, but I felt propelled to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened between him and my grandmother. I had a hundred questions.

February 5, 1949

The winter in Charleston isn’t cold. My heart is warmed every day by Leo. His laughter alone is enough to make me blush. My ring is exquisite and precious. Sapphires are rare, but one that allows me to harness the time element in my spells is matchless. It doesn’t bother me that he needs me to perform this spell for him. I would do anything for him. I am his and he is mine.