“Right. Um…” I glance at Luna and she blinks back with a clear desire to know. “Well. Personally, I think he called to basically let me know he’s watching, and he wants to make sure we’ll stay out of his business going forward.”
“Which you will, right?” Mom lifts and drops her chin.
“After what happened last time, yeah. That was the plan,” I say. “But…” I glance from my mom to Luna. “He basically implied that he has something to do with Mrs. Flores’ current condition. Which I sorta already suspected.”
Luna gasps and presses her hands deep into the surface of the bed. Mom inhales and her lips purse.
“Well… we can’t let Luna’s mom suffer anything near what I recently endured,” Mom says. “We’re gonna have to make a plan to undo whatever voodoo he’s cast upon her.”
My back pulls taut, and I stare at my mom. The woman standing before me, the one willing to take on magic, is new… or newly empowered. I may need to get to know my mom on a whole new level. What did Caleb’s possession do to her? Or what did the absence of his influence free her from? I’m used to her talking around magick, not facing it dead on.
She tells me and Luna that she knows a few people and she is going to make a few inquiries. See if she can get to the bottom of Mrs. Flores’ entanglement. She also tells us we should go about our days as if everything is normal. It’s going to take time to reach the necessary contacts, make the proper connections, and nothing can be done until we have all the crucial information.
And so, that’s what we do. Go about our business as if the bokor had never called or teased me with the information about Luna’s mom. A task that is easier imagined than executed. In each phone call shared with Luna, there is a tension in her voice that matches that of my muscles and nerves.
Of course, we don’t know if anything the bokor implied is true. He could have been tossing around lies and threats, hoping to get me shaking and crumbling. Crying with fear. But I’m not doing any of that, and I won’t.
With Miri’s wedding day a mere week away and her bachelorette party even sooner, Luna, Mom, and I are pushed into an anxious wait before any action can be taken. But I for one don’t want to be responsible for mucking up Phillip and Miri’s special day.
In the slower moments of the days, I busy myself finishing Miri’s blessing and birthing beads and then baking too many goodies. I clean and iron my apron and restock my preferred spices. Check in with Michael, make sure he’s continuing to heal after what the bokor did to him. He tells me Bianca, the girl at his school with the similar face scar, got him a cell phone. Figured it would come in handy with the constant family drama. I don’t doubt that it will.
Rain welcomes the day of the bachelorette party. After school, James, Jeanna, and I pile into the car with Mom, head to Grandma’s for a low-key day of girlie fun with Miri. My brother, Phillip, and a few of his firemen friends, have their own evening of celebration planned.
When we arrive, Luna is already standing on the front porch, gift in hand. She waits for us to exit the car before knocking on the front door. When she does, Grandma yanks open the barrier immediately. Bastian saunters out and rubs against all our feet in turn.
“Inside,” Grandma says. “Inside quickly. The weather is ominous for a day such as today. We shouldn’t subject ourselves to its dreary nature any longer than necessary.”
We all file through the door and Bastian races past to be the first paw to touch the floor within. Jeanna lurches forward and swoops the cat into her embrace. “So, this is the cat that cured you from your curse?” she says to Mom.
“So, I’ve been told,” Mom replies and closes the front door behind us.
“This is clearly no ordinary cat.” James fluffs the hair on Bastian’s head.
“No offense, dear boy,” Grandma says. “But why are you here, at a girl’s bridal shower?”
“Because I invited him,” I blurt. “And this evening, James is one of the girls, Grandma. And besides, this is more of a bachelorette party than it is a bridal shower.”
“It’s a dual purpose,” Mom interjects.
“I’m so excited.” Miri rushes down the stairs. “Now the fun can begin. And we are going to have such fun!”
Thunder cracks overhead, and the power to the house blinks out.
Chapter Thirty
“Okay.” James pushes his hands out at his sides and turns in a slow circle, taking in the darkened room. Outside, another thunder crash followed by lightning. “This cannot be a good omen.”
“Stop it,” I say, slapping his arm. “It will be fine. The storm simply knocked out a power line or something.” Mom shoots me a sideways glance filled with uncertainty.
“Yeah, but… why the storm? Why today?” he presses.
“What are you talking about?” Jeanna says. “The weather has sucked for weeks. Rain, rain, and more rain. What makes today’s condition any different or more special?”
“Um… duh.” James motions to Miri, inferring that the weather could be a not-so-great sign for her coming union.
“You don’t think…” Miri descends the final step and glances over the group, turns her attention toward the window and the weather beyond.
“Not at all,” I blurt. “Absolutely nothing is going to shine a negative light on your future.” She smiles at me, but the gesture doesn’t quite beam from her heart, and I suspect she’s concerned that the crap I recently got involved in will boomerang back to curse her.
Grandma stomps her cane. “Come now, witches. Let’s give this place some light.” She raises her hand, Jeanna, James, and Mom do the same, and candles throughout the room flicker
