These Lying Eyes (17 page)

Her eyes caught a flash of stars and red, red eyes. She squeezed her eyes tight until she heard a war cry from Hitch.

Small hands wrapped around her free wrist. And, Zizi snatched Mina free from the scooter, as Poppy pushed it upright, keeping it from crashing.

At the same time, there was thwack and a yelp. The beast let go of her to turn on Hitch, holding a large branch. Mina dangled in the air above the wreck and saw the form of a very large dog leap for Hitch. A second joined the fray, but Hitch was winning.

Zizi dropped Mina by the Vespa. Poppy helped her to balance it, and they sped away from the struggling form of her friends.

He was winning, she thought. And if she didn’t leave, Hitch wouldn’t leave.

“Now, Mina now!” Zizi flew past Mina’s shoulder, and she heard a snarl and then another yelp.

“Go.” Poppy demanded.

Mina let the Scooter loose, left her friends behind, and trusted in them.

* * *

Mina barely slowed for the turns in the road. She tried not to see glowing eyes at every curve of the desolate woods, but it felt like she couldn’t elude them. At least one was pacing her in the trees.

Mina heard a yelp, glanced back, and saw the shadow in the woods stumble. Hitch or Zizi. Mina gunned the Vepsa, taking off, until she, finally, felt alone. Just to be sure, she and Poppy took random roads. She didn’t want to lead them, whatever they were, back to her family.

Chapter 14

I
t was easy, after their adventure, to sneak into her house. Like walking along the boardwalk in the brightness of the afternoon, Mina lackadaisically pushed the scooter from the end of the drive to hide the sound. She glanced at the house, but the lights were out. So, she climbed the trellis knowing already that her parents had no clue.

She and Poppy were alone.

“They’re all right,” Mina said.

“Of course,” Poppy said, but both of their voices were filled with worry.

Mina left the patio doors open, pacing in front of them.

Minutes passed, and they felt like hours.

“They’re all right,” Poppy repeated, from her perch on Mina’s shoulder.

“Of course.” Mina agreed, walking back and forth, back and forth.

A half-hour passed, an hour.

Mina sat on the swing on the patio, Poppy was still on her shoulder.

“You’re all right!” Poppy shouted, and she was off Mina’s shoulder and flying at Hitch before Mina could even find him in the dark.

The two of them clung while Mina caught Zizi from the air and clutched her close.

“
Are
you all right?” Mina asked.

“We tried to follow them.” Zizi said, “But they lost us. It was like they were playing with us. Then we went back, cleaned up your foot prints and got your phone. And then we flew crazy paths to ensure
we
weren’t being followed.

“I’m glad you’re ok.” Mina said before asking, “What were they?”

“If I had to guess?”

“Please.”

“I’d guess bewitched animals.”

“Who would do that?” Mina’s fingers began shaking as shock took over.

“I do not know,” Zizi said, “but I imagine whoever placed the other spell on Sarah. Both of the spells are mean and difficult. There can’t be multiple witches casting spells on your family.”

“So what do we do?” Poppy asked from under Hitch’s arm. They were linked, and Mina realized they’d crossed the relationship line recently. From friends to more. She wasn’t sure when…maybe when Poppy was getting better, but the sight of their twined fingers broke the hold the darkness had on Mina’s heart.

“We need Grace.” Hitch said flatly. “Your Grandma can’t make a potion for thiz. We don’t know anyone, except Grace, who might be able to figure thiz out.”

Mina picked up her phone and left Grace another message even though she had little hope that Grace would get it before she got back.

“Grace,” she said, “Please call me. Stuff is happening. Weird stuff.”

* * *

They organized the books and other things as the days passed. At the top of Mina’s turret was a small door built into the wall. It led to a small cabinet with a door at the other side, linking her room to the attic. Mina and her friends stole the only key to those miniature doors, hid the witch stuff in the space between, and used the passage to the attic to search for information about Mina’s lost sisters.

It took until the Thursday before Grace would return for Mina to find a box of her Mom’s high school stuff. To find three birth certificates. Letters between her mom and an adoptive couple. She’d given them up, and a sudden sympathy for that teen version of her mom overwhelmed Mina.

Even still, Mina stole the birth certificates and everything else, making photo copies before returning her Mom’s secrets to their hiding place.

But Mina followed up returning her Mom’s secrets by writing Grace a long, long email telling all about what was happening with Sarah—about all the episodes, about what the sprites had done to protect her for now. And as she did it, she wrote all about what she’d done. Taking the magic books, finding out about being a Seventh, describing what she’d revealed to Max—she confessed all of it.

* * *

“What are you doing this weekend?” Max asked. They were walking out of the school together. Mina sat on the bench—the one he found her on so many times, and he sat next to her. For the first time since they’d began mending their relationship he’d made the overture about time outside of school.

“On Saturday I have to go to the family birthday party. We have this giant picnic for our grandparent’s anniversary, but now, since Grandpapa died, it is the Reiniger Family Birthday Party.”

Max seemed a little disappointed, and she told herself not to read into it, reminded herself that she’d seen him chatting with that pretty cheerleader.

“I expect to spend much of Saturday, after the party, and Sunday with someone who is going to teach me about the sprites and…other things. Maybe you want to crash both of those things?”

She tried to say it casually, to pretend that she wasn’t always thinking of him when she wasn’t encompassed with witch stuff or worry for her sister. That if she only had the time, she’d be hovering under his window later that night, stalking him like a creepster and hoping that he cared enough to carry on with this insanity.

“Smooth, Mina.” Hitch buzzed a laugh.

But Max smiled at her, flashing his dimple, and simply saying, “I’d like that.”

The next afternoon, Mina crossed the park, surrounded by family, and was grateful to have Max next to her. It was like his presence protected her from them. It was ridiculous she knew, but the truth was—the most likely witch to be doing a spell on their family was one of the ones in this park.

Which meant that someone here, with their golden hair and same blood, was evil. For only someone evil would take her sister and make her a monster.

Peter jogged across the park and stood awkwardly in front of them.

“Hi,” his jocularity was forced, and Mina watched him eye Max. Watched Pete struggle for a way to pull her away and give her whatever nonsense story he’d concocted since the last time she’d talked to him.

“I told Max.” Mina said it quietly, but clearly.

And there was no question that each of them knew what Mina was talking about.

“Mina…” Peter looked at Max and then back at Mina. “I don’t know what you’re…”

Mina kicked him in the shin, sharp and hard.

Peter jumped back, stared at them, before saying, “That’s super against the rules.”

“Too bad no one told me the rules then. Too bad that everyone left me to struggle alone while they pranced around knowing what they were, never caring that I was certain I was insane.” Venom and hurt filled Mina’s voice; the sound of it was alien even to herself.

She didn’t really think that Peter was the one who’d placed the spell. Beyond the guitar, he could barely tie his shoes. And he wasn’t, she thought, evil.

Just without empathy.

But then again, perhaps if their family wasn’t a pack of liars, Sarah and Mina would have the skills to protect each other a little better. And maybe Peter was a better actor than she’d have thought.

“I’m sorry.” Peter said.

Mina cocked her head before giving him a sarcastic, “Yeah.”

“I…”

But Mina moved past him. Her parents wouldn’t make her stay long. She told them about her “study” group with Grace, so Mina and Max were there only for dinner. And Mina was also there to see if anyone’s eyes lingered too long on Sarah. To see if anyone suddenly looked like a villain. Plotting against her sister. Rubbing their hands together and cackling.

Something like that.

There were mounds of food. Mina and Max ate quickly. The whole time, she looked her family over and saw, for the first time, the tattoo of a pentagram on Ben’s Dad’s arm. Uncle Mike grinned and laughed as Mina’s little sister Ams twirled in front of him until she fell down.

Aunt Charlotte wore a ring that made Mina’s arms shiver. Athena, Hailey’s sister, watched Mina with cold eyes, but then again, they’d never been fans of each other.

Every eye looked a little shifty.

Every piece of jewelry seemed sinister.

Mina lingered long enough for Poppy and Hitch to reapply the potions to Sarah. For good measure, they applied them to Mina’s parents, the triplets and Erik.

“She’ll be ok?” Mina asked Zizi, referring to Sarah.

Zizi nodded.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Zizi, Hitch, and Poppy said together.

Still Mina lingered until Grandmother caught Mina’s gaze and guilt drove her to give Grandma a jaunty wave and escape before she was found out.

Chapter 15

P
enny was watering the flowers that lined the walkway to the small grey stone cottage when they arrived. She was their horticulture teacher, Grace’s sister, and Mina suddenly realized, a witch as well. It was obvious—she just hadn’t had a reason to think beyond herself before to put those pieces together.

Penny dropped the hose as they pulled up. She grinned at them, and the hose wound itself up.

Mina gasped and Max clutched her arm as they watched the hose move itself towards the house. Penny grinned at both of them, and the nonchalance of it was just what Mina needed. For so long, she’d been desperate for someone to see what she could see, and right there next to her, Max’s lips were parted as he took in the hose’s movement. She had needed to know that the loneliness and fear caused by seeing things others didn’t would morph into the promise of something better. And maybe the ability to wind up a hose without using your hands wasn’t really that magnificent.

But it was better than being crazy.

“Grace told me to expect you Mina,” Penny said over her shoulder, leading the way into a small dark foyer. “But you’re a surprise Max.”

“I hope its ok.” Mina said, without caring if Max wasn’t supposed to be there. If there was one thing she hated about this magic thing, it was all the secrets.

Max shifted.

He’s uncomfortable, she thought, and she nudged his hand to assure him.

“I couldn’t get a hold of Grace by her phone, so I sent her some emails…” Mina glanced around the foyer in surprise. She could hardly believe that Grace’s home was this dark; it wasn’t how she remembered it from her last visit. To the left was a closed door, a heavy curtain blocked the hallway in front of them, and to their right was a narrow, dark kitchen.

“It will be fine.” Penny said. “And you’re both welcome. It’s not even unexpected. Often, we find this world in duos and trios. Together as sisters—like Grace and I. Together as friends like you and Max.”

Penny nodded towards the kitchen, saying, “You get comfortable; I’ll get Grace.”

Penny disappeared into the shadows with a flap of a velvet curtain; Mina saw a flash of hallway that seemed to be a tunnel of greenery. She stared for a moment, taking in what she was sure was ivy before she joined Max in moving hesitantly into the kitchen. But then the foyer flickered at the edge of her vision.

She looked back to the little dark entrance and thought she saw a tall curving stair case with a chandelier the size of a mini cooper. It was decked with hundreds of candles; the huge foyer flickered like a dream. She blinked, and it was a cramped little room, once again.

Wind chimes sang near a large, closed window in the kitchen. The room stretched before them. One deep cobalt sink became two. The solitary wind chimes became a flock. The few feet of wood floor multiplied as they walked, and as it did, Max was completely oblivious. He didn’t seem to notice when the tiny cottage kitchen grew a pot rack adorned with copper pots from the ceiling. The small, ancient stove stretched into a wide six burner stove with a grill.

It was as if the room sighed as it settled into a large kitchen filled with light, and Mina’s worries faded. Surely, witches who could make a kitchen that morphed larger to smaller would be able to identify what was happening to Sarah, help her and teach Mina to protect them both.

“Mina…” Grace stood in the doorway, dressed in her version of casual which was crisp jeans, a silk tee, and a pony tail rather than a chignon. She still had pearls at her ears and wore dress shoes on her feet.

“Max,” she continued, “welcome.”

Max smiled, but he was still clearly nervous.

Grace glanced between the two of them, before repeating, “Max, welcome.”

This time, he grinned and with a flash of his dimples.

Grace glanced between the two of them. “Have you told Max about…”

Mina shook her head.

Max shifted, and the feeling of tension returned.

She and Grace, however, ignored it.

“I’m worried,” Grace said flatly.