Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series (20 page)

“She’s beautiful, Rita,” Cassandra whispered.

Rita could only nod.
Momma Sue said we’d know after we did the spell
. Rita knew. This was the girl they were looking for.
No doubt about it.

The girl finished her act, and the Master of Ceremonies gestured to her as she took repeated bows; the audience thundered their applause. “Grace Mary Callahan,” the Master of Ceremonies said.

“Cass,” Rita said as she nodded, still staring at the television, “I think we just found our new witch.”

Chapter 19

“Mom,” Fred said, “I know it’s kinda short notice, but can Melanie stay with us over Thanksgiving break?”

Lisa turned from the kitchen counter, hands covered in flour. “Honey, that’s this weekend.”

“I know, but she and I just now talked about it. Her mom won’t make her go to her grandparents’ house if she has someone to stay with.”

“Why doesn’t she want to go to see her grandparents?”

“They live in Batesburg, South Carolina. That’s why. It’s small and boring, and her grandparents don’t have Internet access or cable TV.”

“Oh….” She pursed her lips. “So it’s not teenager heaven, then.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“Well…it might not be the best time for her to stay over. This is the weekend when Jamie’s family is going to tell his Aunt Sophie about him being a sorcerer.”

“So?”

“There’s going to be a lot of talk about magic, I believe, and we don’t want Melanie to overhear something that she shouldn’t.”

“We could tell Melanie about the magic, too.” Fred nodded hopefully.

“Uh uh.”

Fred frowned. “When can I tell her, then?”

“I don’t know, but not now.”

‘Well how ’bout if we don’t go over there? She and I can spend the whole time here.”

Lisa cocked her head and gave Fred a narrow-lidded stare.

“Well…how ’bout if we only go over there a little? Or better yet, Jamie comes over here?”

“You gotta promise, Fred.”

Fred raised her hand solemnly. “I promise. Melanie won’t hear a thing.”

“Okay.” Lisa’s face still looked reluctant. “But you have to clean up the house.”

“Yes!” Fred clapped her hands gleefully and ran to get her phone.

* * *

“Dammit!” Rita slammed the phone down on the table and scowled.

“Watch it,” Cassandra said, sitting on the couch with her bare feet propped up on the coffee table, half of her toenails already painted. “You’re gonna break the phone again.”

“Can’t help it. I’m so damn frustrated.” She sat back in the wooden chair and raked the fingers of one hand through her hair. “I’ve called and called, but nobody knows where that auditorium is. We don’t even know
which
auditorium it is.”

“I guess we shoulda waited ’till the end of the show before we broke out the bottle. They probably said while we were celebrating, and we missed it.”

“We gotta find a recording of that show somewhere. Right now, all we know is that her name is Grace Mary Callahan and that she’s a red-headed tap dancer.”

Cassandra pushed the tip of her tongue out of one corner of her mouth in a look of deep concentration and applied a coat of black nail polish to her little toe. “Maybe somebody can find it on an internet somewhere.”

“
The
Internet, Cass. It’s not
an
internet.”

“Whatever. I heard we can get on it at the library.”

“We’re barred from there, remember?”

“Hmph. They’re so picky down there…buncha old prunes.” She leaned back and inspected her work. “How was I to know I couldn’t smoke in there?”

“Geraldine’s got the Internet, I think. I seem to remember her saying her kids are good with it.”

“Kids are good with everything electronic nowadays.”

Rita twirled a red-dyed strand of hair around her index finger. “What say we go pay Geraldine a visit tomorrow? We’ll take her some more of our anti-wrinkle cream.”

“Crap. That means I gotta mix some up.” She wiggled her toes as she scrutinized them.

“Hate to put you out,” Rita said sarcastically. “I know you’re busy doing your manicures and stuff.”

Cassandra put one last touch of polish on a toe. “You should learn how to make the cream.”

“Why? You’re good at it. It’s your specialty.”

“You mean my talent.”

When Rita didn’t respond, Cassandra looked up at her. “Oh, you’re kidding, right?”

Rita chuckled. “Hard to fool you, Cass.”

* * *

“Mom,” Fred called down the hall, “dishes are done. Melanie and I are going over to Jamie’s.”

Lisa leaned her head out of the bathroom doorway, a toothbrush in hand. “Hold on. They might still be doing their Thanksgiving family thing.”

“Jamie just texted me and said it was okay. I want to see Gina before she leaves.”

“Make sure it’s okay with your father.”

“Dad’s already over there. He’s watching football in their basement with Jamie’s dad and Cory.”

“Oh.” Lisa twirled her toothbrush between her thumb and forefinger. “All right. But don’t stay long. Maybe I’ll come too, soon as I finish up.”

Fred and Melanie left. As they crossed the dark street, Melanie said, “Gina’s Jamie’s cousin?”

“Unh huh. I used to idolize her. She’s the reason I started tap dancing. I wanted to be just like her.” They hopped up the front steps of Jamie’s house, and Fred knocked on the door. Jamie opened it right away and gave her a quick kiss.

Jamie led them into the crowded family room. Jamie’s Uncle Ray and Aunt Connie were sitting on the sofa with his grandmother Evelyn and his Aunt Sophie. His mother stood nearby with Gina, who squealed when she saw Fred and ran to her.

Gina squeezed Fred in a fierce hug. “I haven’t seen you since the talent show. You were spectacular!”

“Thanks.” Fred felt her face grow warm when Gina let her go. Fred introduced Melanie to everyone.

“Melanie,” Gina said with a mischievous smile, “Is Fred behaving for you?”

“Yes. She’s…ow!” She winced and put her fingertips to her face. “Something’s in my eye.”

“Let me see.” Gina guided Melanie into the light near the kitchen and tilted Melanie’s head back. Peering closely, Gina said, “Looks like an eyelash. There’s a bathroom down the hall with a good mirror. You should be able to get it out.”

Melanie left and Gina said, “Fred, do you need something to drink?”

Fred shook her head but followed Gina into the kitchen.

Gina opened the refrigerator. “You’re teaching tap dance now, right?”

Fred smiled and said, “Tuesday late afternoon and Saturday mornings. It’s fun. The kids are so adorable.”

She pulled out a can of soda. “And I’m sure they just love you.” She put her hand on Fred’s arm as they stood next to the kitchen doorway and said in a low voice. “So tell me, does Melanie know about your
you know what?
” She wiggled her fingers, the family’s official sign language for magic.

“I haven’t told her yet. My parents won’t —”

“Haven’t told me what?” Fred heard from behind her.

Fred turned and saw Melanie standing in the doorway. She felt the blood drain from her face and her stomach drop.
What did she hear? s
he thought, certain that her eyes betrayed her panic.
What am I gonna say?

“Don’t tell anybody, Melanie,” Gina said smoothly, “but Cory and I are thinking about having a baby.”

Melanie smiled broadly. “A baby? That’s wonderful!”

“But we don’t want everybody to know just yet, ’cause I might not even be able to.”

“I’ve heard that can be awkward. People ask you all the time and stuff.”

Gina nodded. “So we’re just keeping it in the family for now.”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

When Melanie looked away for a moment, Fred caught Gina’s eye and mouthed,
“Thank you.”

* * *

Rita was slouched so far down on the couch that she was nearly horizontal, clicking through channels on the television with the remote control. “Thanksgiving night TV sucks, Cass.”

Cassandra was spread out on the other end, bare feet propped on the coffee table. “Shoulda rented a movie.” Cassandra set her beer bottle down on the table next to the dozen empties and stood. She lurched toward the big table behind them, bouncing off the corner of the couch as she went, and pulled a paper towel off of a large microwave dinner tray. “Want some more turkey?”

“Nah. Any pie left?”

Cassandra brought Rita an aluminum pan with the remains of some pumpkin pie. Rita grabbed a chunk of it with her fingers and put it in her mouth.

“Gross, Rita. Use a fork.”

“We’re family.”

“Families use forks.”

“Since when did you get so finicky?”

Cassandra plopped back on the couch with a plate of turkey and dressing. “I don’t know.” She looked at her food but didn’t pick up her fork.

“Somethin’ botherin’ you?”

Cassandra turned to Rita; her eyes were sad. “Look at us, Rita. We’re pitiful.”

“We’re not doin’ so bad.” She waved one hand in a drunken swirl as if she were clearing cobwebs. “We got what we need. Got a roof over our heads and enough to eat. Got plenty of friends, and sometimes men, too.” Cassandra wouldn’t look her in the eye. “We got each other, Cass. That’s important.”

Cassandra stared at her plate. In a low voice she said, “You’re all the family I got, Rita.” She looked up at Rita, her mouth a thin line.

It’s true. She’s all I got, too.
“You ever miss your folks?”

“Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know we weren’t the best family, but….” She closed her eyes and massaged her forehead with her fingertips.

“Me too, Cass. My mom tried to make us out like a family on Thanksgiving. It was okay sometimes, if my dad wasn’t too drunk.”

“At least you knew your dad.”

“For awhile, anyway.”

Cassandra’s chin had dropped to her chest, but her eyes were open.

She’s really bummed
, Rita thought. “Hey, maybe we should make a road trip and visit your mom’s grave.”

“That sounds like loads of fun,” she said cheerlessly.

I don’t know what to say
. Rita stared at her own feet.
We are a pretty sorry bunch. It didn’t seem so bad when Izzy was still alive. I don’t remember us ever being low like this.
“Izzy wouldn’t a’ put up with us being all mopey like this.”

Cassandra took a long time to respond. “Rita, how are we gonna talk that girl Grace Mary into coming here and living like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s young and beautiful, and she’s probably got a nice family and a boyfriend and everything. How are we gonna talk her into giving that up?” She gestured widely with one arm. “Is she gonna trade all that for
this?
”

“I hope so… I hope that once she gets to know us, she’ll like us and want to do the blood bond. Then she won’t wanna go back. She’ll know how much we love each other, and she’ll want to be part of that.”

“Sure hope so, Rita. I sure hope so.”

Chapter 20

Jamie was shooting baskets with Rollie under gray skies Saturday afternoon when he heard a car door slam.

“Looks like Bryce is here,” Rollie said, glancing across the street to Jamie’s driveway. “Is he bored, too?”

“Yep. Sally’s still out of town.”

Bryce slipped his keys in his pocket as he approached them. “Hey, Rollie. Thought you had to go to see your grandparents.”

Rollie flipped Bryce a long pass when he reached the edge of the driveway and said, “Just got back. My mom wanted to come home early.”

Bryce launched a long shot that missed completely. “Dang. That was bad.” He grabbed the ball and started to shoot again, but paused when he heard girls’ voices behind them.

“We wanna play.” Jamie turned and saw Fred and Melanie walking from Fred’s house, cutting across the neighbor’s lawn toward them.

This should be funny,
Jamie thought as Bryce passed the ball to Melanie when they neared Rollie’s driveway. To Jamie’s surprise, she jumped and shot smoothly. The ball hit the hoop but rimmed out. She shook her head. “One more time.” Rollie threw her a pass and she shot again and swished it. She nodded and said, “Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I’m good.”

Jamie stared at her.
Huh? She’s a cheerleader, and she’s got a better shot than I do.

As if reading his mind, Melanie said, “I wasn’t always a cheerleader, you know. I played basketball until my junior year.”

“Let’s play a game,” Fred said.

“We got an odd number,” Rollie said. “We need another player.”

Bryce looked at the sky and held his hand out, palm up. “It’s starting to sprinkle. We oughta go in.”

“Let’s go to my house and watch a movie,” Fred said.

Rollie took another shot. “I need to practice.”

“It’s raining, Rollie.” Fred grabbed the basketball before Rollie could reach it. She held it on her hip. “Besides, you practice too much.”

Melanie nodded. “All work and no play makes Rollie a knucklehead.”

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes,” Rollie said.

Bryce shrugged. “I’ll watch a movie.”

Why not?
Jamie thought. “Me too.”

Rollie stayed back as the group started walking away toward Fred’s house, but then he took another glance at the threatening sky. “Okay, I’m in. What do you wanna watch?” He hustled to join them. “Not ‘Barbie’s Big Adventure’, I hope.”

“I love that movie,” Melanie said, walking in the lead with Fred.

Bryce held one thumb up and grinned. “I like Barbie. She’s hot.” He looked at Melanie. “Except for the brown eyes, you kinda look like her. Anybody ever tell you that?”

Melanie looked back over her shoulder at him, narrowed her eyes, and said in a near growl, “Only once.”

“Oooh,” Rollie said. “Fred, you’re starting to rub off on her. Now we’re gonna have two of ’em.”

It was Fred’s turn to scowl. “Two
what?
”

Jamie punched Rollie in the shoulder and said, “He meant to say two lovely, smart, confident and talented young ladies.”

“Is that right, Rollie?” Fred said, her eyes challenging.

“Yep. That’s it exactly. Jamie, you and I been friends so long, you can read my mind.”