He rushed off before I could ask him why Dash was still around. Alison Kate excused herself to go talk to her husband, and the rest of us cleared the table and brought things into the kitchen to help clean up.
Matt gripped my arm to hold me back so only I could hear him. “I’m serious, I really don’t think Aunt Nora could be behind what’s wrong with Nana. She was Mom’s sister, and that makes her family. And family wouldn’t do anything like that.”
I loved my brother for wanting to see the best in our kin, but Nora’s ugliness had reared its head far too many times for me to totally dismiss her. But what could I do to prove either of us right? At this point, without Nana at the helm of our town, we needed solid leadership more than ever.
“You’re right,” I agreed, hoping he wouldn’t be able to detect the lie. “Family is everything.”
Once my brother got his reassurance, I tried my best to let go of my suspicions about my aunt. However, sometimes when a seed gets planted, it doesn’t take long for it to take root and grow.
Chapter Nine
After my friends set up a rotating schedule to help look after Nana, Lavender and I went upstairs to check on my grandmother.
My sensitive friend did her best to read Nana’s aura. “It’s like I can sense that it’s there, but it’s shrouded behind clouds. I’m sorry, Charli.”
I gave her a reassuring hug. “It’s okay. Your grandma and Ms. Ada couldn’t get through the fog that surrounds her either.”
Lavender held onto me tighter. “Whatever’s going on with her, we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone in this.”
Patting her back, I did my best to keep fresh tears from falling. At this point, if I kept crying, I’d get dehydrated. “Thanks. I truly appreciate all y’all stepping up. I don’t think I could allow many others to do it.”
She sniffled and released me from her embrace. “We’re family.”
That word echoed in my mind as she left me to watch over Nana. The one woman who taught me what that word meant and showed me over and over the importance of it. Maybe Matt was right. Our mother’s sister couldn’t be behind whatever was affecting Nana. Family wouldn’t do that to each other no matter what.
Ada knocked on the doorframe. “Do you mind if I join you?”
I pushed myself off the side of the bed to greet her. “Of course, you don’t need to ask. You and Ms. Mimsy can come and go as you please. You’ve done so much for her already.”
Blythe’s grandmother pulled two old wooden chairs and placed them close to the bed. She patted one, inviting me to sit by her. “Vivi’s been our friend for ages. There’s not much the three of us wouldn’t do for each other. I know if the shoe was on my foot, she’d be right there keeping watch over me, too.”
Her thin fingers wrapped around my hand, and we held onto each other while listening to Nana’s breaths and watching her chest rise and fall.
After several minutes of worried observation, Ada’s mood changed. “Oh, Blythe told me about your troubles getting in touch with the detective.”
My fingers sought out the pendant, holding onto it for comfort. “I know he’s busy with his job and everything, but I really wish we could talk.” Maybe he’d have some useful insight into what might be happening that I couldn’t come up with myself because I couldn’t see through my fear.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried it, but back when we were younger and didn’t have fancy contraptions like spell phones, Mimsy, Vivi, and I used mirrors to talk to each other,” Ada said. “It’s a bit old-fashioned, but if you want to try it, I could show you how.”
Her suggestion sparked hope in me, and I stood with a little too much enthusiasm, tipping the chair over. “Definitely. We could use this one.” I walked over to the large one hanging above an antique dresser.
Ada chuckled. “Let’s start with something a little smaller.” She picked up a handheld mirror lying on top of a lace runner covering the wooden surface of the dresser. “And we should probably attempt short-range communication first, just to test it out.”
In the hallway, I shouted down to Matt and convinced him to switch places with me in watching over Nana. Excited by the new challenge, I rushed to my old bedroom and found another handheld mirror from my childhood and held them both up for Ada’s approval. We joined the others downstairs and recruited Lily to work with her grandmother in the dining room while Ada instructed me in the kitchen.
It took a couple of failed tries before I understood the concept. “So, I have to push more power into the mirror?” I asked.
“It can be any reflective surface, actually,” Mimsy explained, wrapping her fingers around her granddaughter’s. “Anything where you can see yourself in it. Still water, smooth metal.”
“Remember that time that Hector was giving you fits and you contacted me using a cutting knife? I thought for sure you were planning on using it for something more sinister,” Ada teased.
Lily gaped at her grandmother. “You mean, you might have hurt Grandpa?”
“Not really, but it was fun scaring him a little when he walked in on me. We laughed about it together later,” Mimsy admitted. “Now, Charli, you try contacting Lily through your mirror.”
Holding the looking glass up with both hands, I called on my magic and concentrated it through my special brand of spellcasting. “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, let’s make a call from where I stand. Search for her both far and near. My dear friend Lily, bring her here.”
The reflection of my face shimmered and shifted until my friend’s replaced it. “Oh, I can see you!” Lily shouted.
“And I can hear
