Chapter 38 Streaming Service

While the witches of Oak Haven enjoyed the tale of Frederic among a band of pirates with oddly stringent apprenticeship requirements, Scarlett was sitting cross-legged on the worn wooden floor of her childhood bedroom. Flickering candle flames cast dancing shadows on the walls, and the air was heavy with the scent of sage and lavender, the herbs burning slowly in a small brass bowl beside her. As a teenager, she'd scoffed at all the mood-setting accessories of meditation—the candles, the herbs, and all the rest. Tonight, however, she wanted all the help she could get.

Scarlett focused her mind, slowly letting go of all the worries and fears that had plagued her for so long. She visualized her thoughts as leaves floating down a gentle stream, each one drifting away until her mind was clear and still.

As she sank deeper into her meditation, Scarlett felt a tingling sensation spread through her body, starting at the base of her spine and radiating outward. It was as if every cell in her being was awakening, alive with her own power. She embraced the feeling, letting it fill her until she felt like she was glowing from within. I can do this, she told herself.

Hours passed, and the world outside the inn faded away until there was nothing but the steady rhythm of her breath and the hum of magic in her veins. When she finally opened her eyes, Scarlett was shocked to see that the room was dark, the candles long since burned out. Luna snored gently in the bed across from hers.

Scarlett rose to her feet, stretching her stiff muscles as she made her way to the window. The inn was quiet, the guests long since retired to their rooms. Her stomach grumbled, annoyed at having been ignored for so many hours.

Making her way down the dark staircase toward the kitchen, she was flooded with memories. Of the countless times she and her sisters had raced up and down these stairs, giggling and shouting as they played. Of the sleepless nights when she would sneak downstairs, only to find her father already there, a mug of hot chocolate waiting for her. They would sit together in the dim light, talking about everything and nothing until the first rays of dawn crept through the windows.

It was a relief to remember happy things about her father. Over the past decade, most of her thoughts had not been so sweet. Ten years ago, she had gone to the grove to cast a spell, and instead, she had lost the most important person in her life. And her own carelessness was the cause.

Then, just a few days ago, she'd returned to the grove and messed up yet again. And now here she was, going back for a third try.

Well, she thought to herself as she passed through the lobby, maybe the third time will literally be the charm. And if not, at least this time, the only person I'm going to destroy is me.

Scarlett was startled to see her mother pulling leftovers from the refrigerator. The kitchen was dimly lit, the stainless steel appliances gleaming in the low light. It was a space designed for bustling activity and the clatter of pots and pans, but in the stillness of the night, it felt strangely intimate.

Mama looked up, somehow not at all surprised to bump into her daughter in the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning. She gestured for Scarlett to sit. They dug into some of Zahir's leftovers—a hearty stew, the rich aroma of herbs and spices filling the air as they ate in silence.

Finally, Scarlett broke the quiet. "How was Pirates of Penzance ?"

Mama sighed, shaking her head. "Frederic was all right, I suppose. But the major general was a disaster. He didn't come close to what Mandy would have done with the role."

"So you and Mandy, huh?" She whistled suggestively. "I had no idea."

"Oh, stop," Mama rolled her eyes. "Delilah has no idea what she's talking about. She vastly exaggerates the whole thing."

"Well . . . maybe I can meet Mandy if he comes next year."

"Maybe you can."

Mama's words hung heavy in the air. They both knew that if Scarlett's spell went badly, she might not have a next year.

They lapsed into silence once more, the only sound being the clink of their spoons against the bowls. Scarlett took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation she knew she had to have.

"Mama, listen . . ." she began, choosing her words carefully, "I respect your feelings about the transformation spell. But it's happening. Luna and I are going out to the grove tomorrow, and we're going to try. And the fact is—"

Mama raised her hand, silencing her daughter. Without a word, she rose from her seat and fetched two wineglasses and a bottle of merlot. She poured generously, the dark liquid swirling in the glasses as she handed one to Scarlett.

"Continue," she said, taking a sip.

"The fact is, Luna conjured an entire zoo's worth of animals, and not one of them would eat the dragonflies. Me, first time out, I made a starling and it worked." Scarlett swallowed hard, the wine warming her. "And then there's what Louise Demain said about my destiny."

"Bah. Louise Demain is an absinthe-addled gooney bird."

"Definitely," Scarlett conceded, "but has she ever been wrong?"

Mama sighed. "Never."

"So there you are. I understand your point of view, I swear. And God knows you have every reason to doubt my abilities. But—"

"What are you talking about?" Mama interrupted, her voice sharp. "I don't doubt your abilities, not for one moment. This was never about that."

Scarlett scoffed, muttering, "Well, that's stupid."

"Excuse me?!"

"Honestly, Mama? You should worry! You should worry very much about my powers. You'd still have a husband if it weren't for my powers."

Mama stared at her daughter, shocked. "What does that mean? What happened to your father wasn't your fault."

Scarlett laughed, but it was a bitter, humorless sound. "See! You think you know everything, but you don't. It was totally my fault. Look at you—the all-seeing Kelly Melrose—and all this time you never even knew."

"What are you talking about?" Mama's voice was soft, almost afraid.

The words poured out, a torrent of guilt and grief that Scarlett had held inside for far too long. "You know, I didn't even want to go to the grove that night! Nate and I had just decided that we were maybe, possibly, finally going to have a real date. Plus, Papa had a shipment of tulip bulbs he wanted us to put in the garden before the frost. There were a hundred things I wanted to be doing that didn't include sitting in the woods pulling toxins out of fucking oak trees. But ooh, it's the grove, we've got to protect the grove, we're Melroses, we have responsibilities , blahdy blah. So there we are, sitting on the ground, and it was cold, and my trousers were wet, and it was taking forever—you were doing some kind of incantation that just went on and on and on, and I was so fucking bored. And I let my mind wander and . . ." Tears streamed down Scarlett's face, her body shaking. "And right then you said something about a vessel, but my mind wasn't focused on the actual vessel, it was entirely on Papa, and all the poison went into him and he died! And I haven't come home because I can't face you. Or Del and Luna! How can I ever look them in the eye, if they knew I killed Papa?"

"Oh child . . ." Mama's own eyes were wet with tears. "Oh no, oh you precious girl, come here to me." She rose from her seat to wrap her daughter in a tight embrace.

They held each other for a long moment, the silence broken only by the sound of their shared grief.

Finally, Mama pulled back, cupping Scarlett's face in her hands. "Beautiful girl, that's not why. That's not why it went wrong. Sweetie, no. I was leading that spell, not you. The miscalculation was entirely mine. I should never have brought you girls along in the first place—I knew you were all too young. What I should have done was drag Jerusha and Candace out to the grove to help me instead. But I just . . . well . . . the truth is I fucking hate Jerusha and Candace! But I love you girls. I was being selfish, don't you see? I wanted to share that experience with you. You were all growing up so fast . . . and I thought, who knows how many more opportunities I'll get to do collective spells with you. But the whole time, instead of truly focusing on the task, I was paying attention to you girls—how you were doing, and if you were all right. And my mind drifted. I started thinking about the five of us—our lovely family of Papa and me and you girls. My angel, it was my focus that was off; that's what made things go so wrong. I'm to blame. Not you. Never, never you."

They cried together, holding each other tight as years of pain and guilt washed over them. When the tears finally subsided, Scarlett sniffled. "I guess I should have brought this up sooner."

Mama laughed and cried equally. "You foolish girl. Oh, my foolish girl, I love you so." She took Scarlett's hands in her own, her expression fierce with love and determination. "Listen to me. Tomorrow, we will all go to the grove as a family. And you will perform the spell and those goddamn starlings will murmurate all over the place and you, my darling girl, will save this town."

Scarlett wiped at her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Very much so."

"Thanks, Mama. I promise I won't let you down. I'll prove to you that I can do it."

Mama shook her head. "You don't need to prove it to me. Maybe you need to prove it to you, but not to me. And listen to me—when this is over? If you want to go back to San Francisco because that's where you truly want to be, then go with my blessing. All I ask is that you don't wait ten more years to come visit us. Okay?"

Scarlett nodded.

"And, of course—" here Mama had a mischievous glint in her eye "—if you decide that there is somewhere else you truly want to be? I won't mind that either."

The hour was late, and Mama declared that it was time for them to get a couple hours of sleep. As they made their way up the dark staircase, Scarlett paused.

"Mama? Remember when I first got home? We sat in your office and you told me that phone sabotage is one of the most-cast spells?"

"Published in the Acta Diurna Magus , yes of course."

"Well, I gotta know . . . what are the others?"

"I must tell you—" she sighed "—the popular spells these days are embarrassingly small-bore. Let me think . . . clearing highway traffic is one. Password retention is another. Locating lost 401ks. Oh, there's a spell that lets the recipient immediately know which streaming service a particular program is on? I don't even understand that one."

Scarlett's eyes widened, excited. "Ohh, I do. That's a good one. Those all sound quite good."

Mama frowned, unimpressed. "When I was your age, the most-cast spell involved the Berlin Wall, but . . . sure. Streaming services." She paused at the top of the stairs, turning to face her daughter. "Sweet dreams, my dear. Tomorrow, you save our world."