Page 104 of The Magic We Made
“Hey,” I say. Despite my tiredness, I’m beginning to feel a little defensive. “Cool it about Aunt Hecate. Okay, so she may not have the same kind of social graces as other goddesses. Maybe she doesn’t exactly come to any of the family reunions—except the board meetings once a year at Olympus—because she prefersthe Underworld. But the few times I’ve hung out with her, she’s always been really chill, and her superpowers are—”
Frankie is now standing perfectly still, looking down at me with something in her eyes that I can’t quite decipher.
“Ash,” she says. “Am I really supposed to believe all of this, just because you say so?”
“No, not because I say so. Because you saw it with your own eyes. You saw it, Frankie. You saw the earth open up, and Hecate come out of it, and—”
“I know what I saw.” She looks away. “I just... I just... I’m starting to understand what Richard went through last fall. I can’t seem to wrap my head around any of this—”
“Some things take a while to sink in.” I pat the mattress again and hold out my arms. “But not me. I’m ready to sink in right now.”
She continues to look away, but I see one corner of her mouth twitch—upward, not down.
“You’re not taking this very seriously.”
“Oh, yeah? What aboutthis? Doesthislook serious to you?”
On the wordthis, I flip back the duvet to show her exactly how serious I am. I’m relieved to find that particular part of me still working after the terrible assault it endured at the hands of those witches.
Then I lean forward to grasp one of Frankie’s hands and begin to tug. She resists, but only for a fraction of a second before allowing me to pull her into bed with me.
“Okay, but wait a minute,” she says, laughing, as I drag the duvet over us. “I think I deserve an explanation about all of this that actually makes sense—”
“It’s my family, Frankie, so I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to give you that.” Now I’m tugging at her sweatshirt. “But what Icangive you, I think you’re going to like. First, though, I need to investigate what you have on under this. For scientific purposes, of course—”
“Ash!” she cries. But she’s still laughing—at least until a few minutes later, when I have her sighing.
Which is exactly how I hope to keep her—in laughter and sighs for all of eternity.
Or however long she’ll let me.
West Harbor Daily
Special Edition
Missing Girls Found
By WHD Staff
SPECIAL—Nearly a dozen missing girls were found early Monday morning on Center Island in Walker Lake.
After receiving a tip from an unidentified witness, West Harbor Police, working in tandem with Connecticut Fish and Wildlife, were able to rescue the girls—who ranged in age from late teens to early twenties, many of whom have been missing for months—from what is being referred to as “deplorable living conditions” and even “a cult.”
Details of the rescue were unavailable at press time, but when asked about it, Deputy Chief Jackie Boyle said, “We’re proud of the part we played in removing these young ladies from what had clearly become an untenable situation. We’ll sort out the hows, whats, and whys later, but for now, parents can rest easy knowing that their daughters are safe.”
Chief Deputy Boyle dismissed rumors the cult revolved around worshipping an ancient pagan goddess of witchcraft and the Underworld, and that followers held nocturnal rites in and around Satan’s Seat.
“It was basically a multilevel marketing scheme directedat popular female online influencers,” Boyle told reporters. “This is why parents need to stay on top of what their children are looking at on the Internet.”
The West Harbor Dailywill have much more on this story in the coming days, including an in-depth report fromWHDstaff writer Caterina Giovanni, who was on the scene for the dramatic rescue.
Emma
I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.
“Oh, honey.” My mother’s hug is the second best thing I’ve ever felt... even better than the yogurt the nurse gave me when I said I was starving. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
“I’m more than all right, Mom. I’mfantastic.”
