Well. Mostly normal, anyway. There is that whole thing with the call from Chuks. But I don’t want to think about that this very second.
“How’s your stomach?” She pulls back and appraises me. “Want me to make you something?” She motions toward the kitchen.
At the mention of a meal… like a real, serious meal… my stomach flops. I grimace and press my hands to my gut. “No thanks. I’m not ready to take that kind of leap just yet.”
“Okay. I understand.” She rubs my back. “Can I get you anything? Some ginger tea, perhaps?”
“Perhaps.” I tug a light smile to my lips.
With her arm wrapped around my shoulder, she returns with me to the kitchen, then steps away and starts rummaging through the cabinet for the saucepan.
“I need to call James, let him know I’m alright.” I lift the phone from the cradle. “I’ll make it quick.”
“Please do,” she says. “I’d like to spend some time with my busy, busy daughter.” She casts me a playful smile.
Right then, I decide I must make my call with James quick. No deep dives into the supernatural problems surrounding us. That discussion will have to wait until tomorrow. I punch James’s number into the phone. It rings twice.
“Hey girl! Where were you today?” His voice is a bouncy, spring breeze.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask, pressure pushing into the point between my brows.
“Caller ID. Mom got it the other day after John showed up at the house and insisted,” he says. “Then he told me not to take any call I didn’t recognize. That’s not ominous, is it?”
The bokor calls me, right after James’s brother urges them to get caller ID. James’s brother, John, knows something. “Crazy,” I say. “We should get together with him again.”
“Oh?” The surprise is evident in his tone.
“Yep. Definitely.” Trying to act natural, I turn away from my mother and lower my voice a smidge. “Sorry I missed today. I got seriously sick last night, but I feel better now. It was like a twenty-four-hour food poisoning thing.”
“Food poisoning is the worst.”
“Yeah,” I interject. “Anyway, I’m getting ready to sit down to have tea with my mom. I just wanted to call you back and let you know why I wasn’t there today.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure.”
“I talked to Jeanna earlier,” I glance over my shoulder at my mom. She has sliced the ginger and dropped it into the saucepan, along with a dash of pepper and turmeric. She’s merely letting it all simmer the required length of time. I return my attention to James. “You should give her a call. She can fill you in on everything we discussed.”
“Ooh! I gottcha. Can’t talk in front of your mom?” he asks.
“Exactly.” I fight a grin wanting to take over my expression.
“Jeanna have juicy details to share?” He probs.
“I don’t think that’s the word I would use.” I twist and pull the phone cord. “Anyway, you should talk to her, and I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“You got it. Later, gator.” He ends the call.
After returning the phone to its place on the wall, I take a seat at the table with my mom. She sets two cups of ginger tea on the table, complete with lemon slices. She takes a seat and smiles.
“This is nice,” she says. “I enjoy our time together.”
“Me, too.” I raise my cup and blow on my tea.
“You can be proud of your ol’ Mom.” She rubs the tip of her finger along the edge of the teacup. My head jerks up and I give her my full attention. “I applied for a promotion.” She tilts her head. “No decisions will be made right away. They need to interview all the parties interested, but I have a good feeling about this. I’ve been with the company a long time, and I’ve paid my dues.”
“That’s great, Mom,” I say. “I hope you get the position. Your boss would be a fool to pass you up.”
“It’s not completely up to him,” Mom says. “There’s HR and…”
“Stop stressing over all the details,” I blurt. “Be proud of this moment. Should we toast to your courage?” I tip my cup toward hers.
“We shall.” She clinks the edge of her cup against mine, and we both take a drink. “So, tell me about this new girl that seems to have joined your circle.”
“Luna?” I exclaim. “She’s new to the area. James invited her to join our coven and she did. She’s pretty cool.” I tell my mom only the safe-to-say things and leave out anything to do with debts owed and bokor demands.
Eventually, I retire to my room and pour through spell book after spell book, looking for the one casting that calls to me. Sings, this is the one to save and heal Mom. I take several notes but make no solid decisions.
The next day, at school, Jeanna, James, and I gather at lunch. We exchange information and compare notes, make sure we are all in-the-know and on the same page as to which spells we need mentally prepare for and cast on Thursday.
Once home, I check on Luna to make sure she’s alright, which she is. After Luna, I call Miri, remembering I’d told her I wanted to talk to her about Luna. We rehash our conversation about Mom and her mood swings, which somehow morphs into a conversation about Grandma sleeping a lot today and yesterday.
“Should we be worried?” I ask.
“Not just yet,” Miri says. “She tells me this is to be expected.”
“How so?” My voice jumps.
“You’re asking the wrong person,” she replies. “I don’t do magick. Remember?”
“Right.” I bite my nails and say a silent prayer for Grandma. She had better not be ill because of me. Damn the bokor, his men, and whatever poison they slipped me. Luna could have been killed! My nerves are wired, and I need Miri on my side. Without grace, everything about
