Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

B ella works on her homework while I clean the kitchen to prepare for dinner. I pull out the letter from her teacher and look it over. Bella's grades are slipping, but only from As to Bs, so not bad, but I understand her teacher's concerns. Best to catch this stuff early. As for the "bullying," it also isn't very bad—yet.

"Bella," I say gently. I don't want to fight with her and make things worse, but we do need to talk. "What's this about you taking Chris's pencil and hiding it during class?"

She shrugs, not looking up from her homework. "Just thought it would be funny."

"Well, it's only funny if everyone laughs, including the person you are playing the trick on, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Did you apologize?"

"The teacher made me," she says.

"Well, I think you should do it again. Like you mean it."

"Fine," she says.

"And you and Jenny got into a shoving match?" I'm surprised the school didn't call me about that one.

"She was being rude," Bella says.

"Oh? About what?"

Bella sighs and finally looks up at me. "Beverly said I should tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"There's a daddy-daughter dance coming up at school."

My heart seizes in my chest. "Wh-what?"

She slumps down in her seat. "Yeah. And Jenny said I should let her borrow my yellow princess dress since I won't need it since I won't be going."

I rub my forehead. I'm going to have to call the school about this. What a stupid, antiquated tradition.

"Okay, first of all, if you want to go, your grandfather can take you." Bella's father's parents have pretty much cut off all contact with us, but my parents still live in Mystic Cove. They are pretty busy people, but they do help out when they can. I'm sure this is an event that Dad can make time for.

"No," she says, looking back at her paper.

"Well, what about Kate McGann? She has two moms. What is she doing?"

"I don't know."

"And what about Sarah Turner? Her dad is still on deployment, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but I don't know."

I exhale and shake my head. This isn't something a bunch of fourth and fifth graders should be figuring out on their own anyway. No wonder Bella's been stressed out lately and acting out at school. It's totally not cool for the school to be rewarding some students just for having a father and punishing—even unintentionally—those that don't.

"I'll call the school and see what they have to say. I'm surprised I haven't heard about it yet. Did they send home a letter about it?"

"Not yet," she says. "It's not for another month. It's just something people have been talking about."

"Then maybe it's not too late to have the school make some changes. Make it a dance for everyone."

"You don't have to do that," she says. "Don't make a big deal. I'm just not going."

I sigh and go back to scrubbing the counter, rubbing it extra hard to let out my frustrations. I mean, yeah, life isn't fair. And there are some things in life Bella's going to miss out on since she doesn't have a dad. Like the father-of-the-bride dance at her wedding if she ever gets married. But she's ten! She shouldn't be learning the "life isn't fair" lesson now, should she? And I understand her not wanting me to go to the school and making a scene. She doesn't want everyone to know that her mom was the one to get the whole dance canceled. But I don't want it to be canceled. I just want it to include everyone. I really thought Mystic Cove was more progressive than this. But the school hasn't sent home a note yet. Maybe I don't have all the information. I just need to be more chill until I learn more.

"Here," I say, opening the cookie jar and sliding it across the kitchen table toward her.

"Before dinner?" she asks, even though she reaches in and takes one without hesitation.

"You look like you need one," I say. "It's been a rough few days, huh?"

"Yeah," she says.

"Look, your grades have been slipping and you haven't been very nice to your classmates."

She nods with downcast eyes, a chocolate chip stuck to the side of her mouth.

"We need to just try to do better, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Tell you what," I say. "If you get your grades back up—at least three As on your next report card—and I don't get any more warnings about you fighting with your classmates, I'll buy you your own phone for Christmas."

"Really?" she practically screams.

"Yes, really. I think you're old enough. At least, I think you are. Maybe I should check the parenting websites to see what they say."

"No! Don't check them!" She jumps up and runs over, giving me a hug, bouncing up and down on the soles of her feet. "You're the best mom ever!"

I laugh and pet her hair, giving her a kiss on the top of the head. It's been a while since she's said that. If all it took was a phone, I'd have gotten her one when she was born.

"Why don't you go clean up and then you can help me make dinner?"

"Woohoo!" she calls out as she zooms off.

I shake my head as I go collect the cookie jar. It's a funny little thing. It's actually a jar that says deadly nightshade across it, like the one Sally uses to poison her maker in The Nightmare Before Christmas . I thought it was funny to put cookies in such a macabre vessel. I bought it… We , Mark and I, bought it when we took a family trip to Disney World when Bella was only two. It was an exhausting trip, lugging around a two-year-old and everything that goes with one, and she doesn't even remember it, but I do. And it truly was a magical trip. And we at least have pictures for Bella to look at. There is a framed picture of all of us in front of Cinderella's castle in Bella's room.

I put the cookie jar on the counter and feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. My whole body ripples in gooseflesh. I turn around and see… I don't know what I see. A shadow. A fog. Something dark is looming before me. It's something supernatural, for sure. And there is no way I can fight it. No way I can defend myself—or Bella.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. I have to call Beverly. I look down to find her number, but the…the thing swipes at me. I jump back. I need to get out of here. But I can't leave Bella. It's clear the creature is here for me.

"Bella!" I scream. The shape seems to turn toward the hallway. "Hey!" I say to it. "What do you want?"

"Tamzin…Jones…" it hisses.

"Yeah…that's what I was afraid of," I croak.

"Mo-Mommy?" I hear Bella say from behind the creature.

"Bella! Run! Find Beverly!" I tell her. I take a step back and clap my hands to keep the creature's attention. It floats toward me. It's so close. It has, like, lightning for eyes. I wonder if this was the thing I saw at Beverly's shop. Did it follow me home? What is it? In all my life living in Mystic Cove, I've never seen anything like it.

The shape dives toward me. I turn and run toward the back door. I grip the handle and pull the door open, but the thing slams the door shut.

"Get away from me!" I yell. One thing I have learned living in Mystic Cove is to stand your ground. Many supernatural creatures are actually not very dangerous, but they are intimidating. If you stand your ground, they often cannot actually harm you.

I see that Bella is still here, standing by the kitchen doorway. "Bella! Get out of here! Get Beverly!" I know I'm asking a lot of a scared child. She might be frozen to the spot. I need to get this thing away from my child.

I back down the other hall, into the living room, keeping my eyes on the creature. It follows me. I run across the room and grab a bowl of crystals. I pull out the black obsidian. I hold it up. "Stay away!"

The creature… Well, I can only describe it as the creature laughing. It's a low, husky sound, and the shape ripples.

The shadow then zooms forward and wraps around me. I'm engulfed in shadow. I feel it flying around me, as if I'm inside a tornado. I feel my feet lift from the ground.

"Stop!"

That wasn't my voice. Bella! Why is she in here? What is she doing? It's hard for me to see through the fog.

"Bella! Run!" I try to say, but my voice is drowned out by the sound of the wind all around me.

Bella says something, but I can't understand her words, either because of the fog or because she's not speaking English. Is she trying to work a spell? Oh, Bella. You aren't strong enough for this, whatever this is.

Suddenly, the thing drops me. It's not a long drop, but it was so unexpected, I end up falling on my chest. I see the fog hovering over Bella. She's still chanting something, and she's holding the cookie jar in one hand and the lid in the other.

"Bella!" I scramble to my feet and wrap my arms around her. "Go away!" I scream. "Leave us alone!"

But the thing doesn't leave. Instead, it wraps around both of us, creating the tornado once again. But Bella keeps chanting. I hold her tight, tears filling my eyes. I can't let it end like this! I can't lose her too! But what can I do? I'm helpless. Worthless.

I feel the wind around us falter, shake, weaken. The thing lets out a screaming hiss, like it's in pain. Or afraid. Bella's voice grows louder and she holds the cookie jar out. The thing is sucked into the cookie jar. Bella puts the lid on the cookie jar and gives me a wide smile.

"I caught it!" She says. Then she wobbles a bit and drops the jar. I catch the jar before it hits the ground and set it down gently. Then Bella faints into my arms.

"Bella! Bella! No!" I check to make sure she's breathing. She is. I know that using magic can be exhausting, so I hope she has only passed out. I gather her up into my arms and run to the kitchen, looking for my phone. I find it under the table. I sit cross-legged on the floor and dial Beverly's number.

"Beverly!"

"What's wrong?" she asks. She can surely hear the urgency in my voice.

"I need you…I need you…" is all I can choke out before the tears start to fall.

"I'm on my way, dear."

I can't even hang up the phone. I just drop it to the ground and start crying as I rock my baby in my arms. I could have lost her. I almost lost her. No, not her. I can't bear it.

I hold her tight and let out a scream.