11

That night, I searched my bag for the candles Naomi shoved inside and positioned them around my bed. Most of the spells I’d seen Naomi do in the past involved candles, oils, plants, and crystals. I had candles.

If I couldn’t reach her with a phone, there was another way.

One by one, I lit them all while muttering at the crappy lighter. To be honest, I couldn’t even remember how the communication spell worked. What else was there? I knew there was a rock. Or was it a crystal… Ha!

I snatched the warm-colored stone hiding in my socks. It had a smooth, caramel surface, except for the rune carved in its center. As I held it in my hand, I wondered why Naomi hadn’t used a spell to communicate with me first.

What if something bad happened to her?

I turned out the lights and carefully sat in the middle of my candles, so my pajamas didn’t catch fire. It would be nice to know if Naomi was okay and to let her know that I was fine too. She wouldn’t be thrilled about EXO but I think she’d get over it knowing I was alive.

I took a deep breath and focused on my yellow rock.

The flames remained perfectly still and unimpressed.

Okay . So, I hadn’t remembered any fancy words Naomi would use. She said the root of all magic was through the spirit and mind, then the elements, and so on. Could I just think about her name really hard and she’d eventually hear me?

I closed my eyes.

“Naomi,” I whispered into the void. “If you can hear me, just…call me back?”

That was extremely lame.

The stone in my palm should have been glowing or something but it remained dull and cold. I scoffed and chucked it away from me. My make-shift ritual felt more ridiculous the longer I sat there. I was missing something to get the magic going. Or, in the gravest of circumstances, Naomi was just too far to reach.

“You’re the witch. Why haven’t you done anything ?” I scolded the empty air. “Do you care at all that I’m gone?”

Of course she cared. I sighed, letting the aggression flow out of my chest. That wasn’t fair. Naomi revolved her entire life around me. She hadn’t had much of a life at all, when I thought about it. We just had our pretend life together.

I hadn’t a clue where her broomstick had taken her. It couldn’t be a location we’d been to before. That was a rule whenever we discussed uprooting.

Candles still decorated the floor but I snuffed them out and danced around them to reach my bed. I curled up in bed and everything was still, except for my mind which was stirring. Should I be worried? I tossed and turned, unable to stop thinking about Naomi. Was she hurt or had she abandoned me?

I groaned into my pillow. There was nothing I could do about it yet. Not unless I sprang free from EXO and risked Zak hunting me down with much less mercy this time. Even then, I didn’t know where to start my search for my slippery aunt.

“… Jes…bel …”

Unlike most, who would bolt upright in their beds at the sound of a voice in their room, I lay frozen. My body ran cold while my pores produced sweat. It could just be one of the others outside my door. Tori, maybe? She may be a ghost but she didn’t sound that eerie.

“ Jess…bel… ”

I sat up that time, wishing I’d left some candles lit. The voice sounded like it came outside my door. It had a scratch to it, like they needed a cough drop. I wanted it to be Naomi, finally connecting through the stone, but it didn’t sound like her either.

The doorknob shifted once. I clutched my blanket, waiting to see if it would actually turn all the way. What would I do then?

“ Come out… little demon… ” The knob returned to its normal position with a soft click.

A pregnant pause.

I waited for more sounds, eyes glued to the door, before tiptoeing to my chair and grabbing the sweater that hung off it. It covered most of my body with its obnoxious length. Great, but a weapon would be greater. Was I being punked by someone on the same floor as me? Security seemed too tight for something sinister to creep through.

I took a few shaky breaths before opening the door to the hallway. No one was there. It wasn’t that late at night so I was surprised no one was up and about. Just to be sure, I stepped out into the hall and looked down in both directions. Is this how stupid people die in horror movies? Probably.

The silence was broken by something thumping softly against the carpet.

That hadn’t been me.

Naomi said the chance of attracting dark spirits while using communication spells was slim, but not impossible. It would be just like me to fudge up the spell to that extent. I looked back to my left, feeling my muscles stiffening. Still, no one was there.

Not a person, anyway.

In the middle of the hallway, sitting upright with a lopsided head was Tori’s purple teddy bear. We were in a standoff, while my brain processed the threat level of the plush toy. It was just a doll but the timing of everything was creepy.

I was not prepared when the bear suddenly charged at me.

I screeched and fell back. “Holy shit!”

The bear looked so ridiculous, teetering toward me like an uncoordinated toddler. Its pillowy arms waved in the air as it closed in, but it never reached me.

Just as abruptly, the figure of a man with mousy hair sprang into view. His long arms shielded my body from my cuddly attacker.

“Guy?” I gaped up at the reaper. Could suddenly appearing places be another one of his tricks? He remained crouched over me like a mama bird protecting its young.

“It’s just me!” The bear actually spoke. I peered around Guy’s legs, recognizing that voice right away.

“Tori,” Guy grumbled. I didn’t realize I was clinging to his t-shirt until he tried to move. My fingers wrinkled the fabric in my death grip until I quickly released it. Not embarrassing at all. He ran an open palm down his tired face. “What were you thinking?”

Tori’s voice giggled from within the stuffed animal. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“I’m so confused,” I said.

“The doll is her stand-in,” Guy said, brows pinching togeth er, “It’s dangerous for a soul to exist without a vessel and she can’t manifest her physical form for long.”

“Really?” I checked out her tiny, stuffed figure again. “Fascinating.”

Tori waddled closer. Now that the initial alarm was out of the way, her appearance was not at all life-threatening. When she waved I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It has to be an item of emotional value from her previ ous life,” Guy further explained, “And functional. She can move around this way, even if it’s silly.”

Tori pointed a mitten up at him. “At least I’m still cute, unlike you, bedhead.”

He snatched her from the ground and her paws flailed in circles. His lazy eyes were back as well as his lack of enthusiasm. “Sorry for this disturbance, Jess.”

I shrugged. “Thanks for coming to my rescue. Are you al ways ready to pull the trigger like that?”

“Not really,” he said, “I’m going to get a couple more hours of sleep. You should too.”

Tori’s beady eyes remained unblinking. “Why did you show up like that? Flashy isn’t your style.”

He brushed the question aside. “Go to bed.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Tori.”

“Your face is turning red. Wait—”

Guy walked briskly before I could hear any more. He opened Tori’s door and chucked her weightless body inside. Her landing sounded soft on her bed despite his harshness. He sighed and turned to me. “In the future, I would avoid attempting spells you’re unfamiliar with.”

I flinched. “How did—”

“There are people here who can sense shifts in energies. If you do anything on a grander scale, I’m sure you’ll set off the alarms.”

“I see…” So much for being discreet.

Guy paused by Tori’s doorway. “What were you trying to do anyway?”

Telling the same reaper who arrested me that I was trying to communicate with my aunt didn’t sound like the best idea. I wasn’t sure what she was in for if EXO found her before I did. “It was nothing special. Just practicing simple sleeping spells.”

If he believed me or not, he didn’t show it. “Goodnight, Jess.”

He returned to bed without pestering me further. I locked myself back in my room as well, almost tripping on the candles I had forgotten were there. What was Guy’s deal anyway? I couldn’t tell if he liked me or not. He couldn’t feel totally indifferent if he came to help when he thought I was in danger.

Not that it mattered.

I decided to clean up the failed ritual on my floor since I wasn’t tired. The last thing to find was my stone that rolled under the bed. When I lifted my comforter, I immediately saw the pulsing glow.

Did it work?

I snatched the rock, feeling the magic energy beginning to surface. “Naomi? Aunty?”

The light softened until it completely faded away.