September 17, Tuesday

THE LIbrARY seemed unusually quiet as I stepped inside and approached Tilda's desk. My bag felt heavy with the ingredients for the curse. Each step felt as if I was wading through molasses, my resolve wavering with every passing moment.

Tilda looked up, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling excitement. "You have everything?"

I nodded, reluctantly placing the bag on her desk. "It's all there. The beeswax, nettles, coneflowers, vivianite crystal, and..." I hesitated, my hand lingering on a small velvet pouch. "Something Curtis gave me."

Tilda's eyebrow arched. "And what might that be?"

"A necklace," I admitted. I'd chastised myself for keeping it, but now it felt as if I'd saved it for a reason.

She nodded approvingly. "Perfect. The personal connection will make the spell more potent."

As Tilda examined each item, a chill ran down my spine. This was really happening.

"So, what happens now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Now," Tilda said, a sly smile playing on her lips, "I make the request during tonight's full moon ceremony. And not just any full moon – it's a supermoon. The power will be exceptionally strong."

My heart skipped a beat. "Tonight? I thought... I thought I'd have more time to think about it."

Tilda's eyes narrowed. "Having second thoughts?"

I swallowed hard. "It's just... I only want Curtis to leave me alone, you know? I don't want him to be physically harmed or anything."

Tilda leaned back in her chair, her smile turning cryptic. "The moon will decide what's appropriate. Magic has a way of knowing what's truly needed."

Alarm bells rang in my head. This wasn't what I'd envisioned at all. "Wait, Tilda. Maybe we should hold off. I'm not sure—"

She cut me off with a laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "Oh, Josephine. It's far too late for that. You set things in motion the moment you decided to have this spell cast. There's no stopping it now."

"But—"

"Things will happen as they should," Tilda said, her tone final. "The universe has a way of balancing the scales."

I must've looked frightened, though, because Tilda rummaged through the ingredients and handed back the vivianite crystal. "Without it, the spell will be more mild."

I took the crystal, feeling marginally better. Then a familiar voice behind me made me freeze.

"Good afternoon, ladies."

I turned to see Reverend Abernathy standing there, a stack of books in his arms and a warm smile on his face. His eyes darted between Tilda and me, a flicker of concern passing over his features.

I tried to covertly return the crystal to my bag, but I was pretty sure he'd seen it.

"Reverend," Tilda said coolly. "What brings you to my domain?"

He held up the books. "Just returning these and picking up some new reading material. Always trying to broaden my horizons."

His gaze settled on me, and I felt a rush of guilt. Could he somehow sense what I'd been up to?

"Ms. Vanguard," he said gently. "How lovely to see you again. I trust you're finding peace in your writing?"

I nodded mutely, unable to meet his eyes. The kind concern in his voice made my planned revenge seem suddenly petty and small.

I retreated toward the exit. "I should be going. Lots of... writing to do."

Reverend Abernathy's brow furrowed. "Are you alright, my dear? You seem troubled."

"I'm fine," I lied, edging towards the door. "Just a bit stressed about deadlines, that's all."

"Don't worry," Tilda said to me. "Everything will work out exactly as it should."

The bike ride home felt longer than usual, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. What had I done? Was it really too late to stop whatever Tilda had planned?

As I approached the Whisper House, the setting sun cast long shadows across the road leading to the graveyard. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw a figure standing there. But when I blinked, it was gone.

Tonight was the full moon… the supermoon, Tilda had called it. Whatever—if anything—was going to happen to Curtis would happen soon.