Spell Book & Scandal

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I reach for the spells, and after a minute, she places the notebook in my hands. "To use me?" I say, trying to sound teasing.

She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean, Shelby. I'd...I'd like to keep working with you."

I start to nod, but then I think of Jeremiah; I'm not sure if he still wants me to scribe for him, or if he'll hold his injuries against me. "I'll think about it," I say finally, "but you know, there's no law that says you have to have just one scribe." I pause. "I kind of liked scribing for Miah, too."

"But family should come first. At least," she amends, hanging her head guiltily, "it should from now on."

I don't say anything, but I sit down at my desk and open the notebook to a blank page. Even though I can feel Christina watching me intently, I try to ignore her as I begin to scribble the words that I hope will be enough to get things back to normal. Finally, when I feel like I've done the best I can, I stand up and offer the open book to Christina. "Let's read it together," I suggest, wondering if my freak magic flare ups would be enough for me to cast the spell on my own, but I'm kind of afraid to test that theory; scribes can scribe and casters cast, and there isn't supposed to be any crossover. The fact that I've somehow managed to do both a couple of times worries me, and even if I could cast this spell on my own, I'm not sure I'd want to. I try to ignore my swirling thoughts and focus on the words on the page instead.

"I never meant to trade with you," Christina begins to speak, raising an eyebrow as I she skims the words. I join in, and together we chant, "what's yours is yours, what's mine is mine, so let us return to our rightful kind."

The air around us begins to shimmer, and Christina looks at me excitedly as we finish the spell, speaking the words which seem to come from both of our hearts. "I'm not sorry we're sisters, although I am sorry for pain I caused you, and with these words, that time is through."

For a minute, sparks fill my vision, making it impossible to see anything, and then all at once, the room goes black for an instant. I fight back a scream and beside me, Christina sucks in her breath sharply, but before we can react, the room is lit like normal as if the strange blackout never happened. Cautiously, I look down at my hands clutching the spell book. My nails are familiar and ragged, and my heart, which I didn't realize had stopped, begins to beat again quickly.

I lift my eyes and look at my sister, and then she gives a giddy little cheer and throws her arms around me. "It worked!" She hugs me tight, laughing, and I hug her back. My skin feels tight and strange after so long in Christina's body, but she's right; it worked, and we are back to ourselves. A strange tearing sound fills the room, and Christina and I stop embracing. Our eyes land on my desk at the same time, where the envelope from the Threes is now laying open, its pages flapping in an invisible breeze. Unnecessarily, I glance at the clock on my nightstand and swallow.

"It's eleven."

Christina nods, but then she says something that totally surprises me. "I want you to look first."

"What?" I stare at her. "Why?"

"You earned this just as much as me, Shelby. You deserve to know first."

Hesitantly, I take a step toward the desk, but Christina doesn't change her mind. My hand is shaking as I reach for the envelope, and I take a deep breath before I look at the papers in my hand. "Bittersweet," I read out loud, my voice barely a whisper, "Fennel, Lavender, and Henbane." My eyes meet my sister's. "You got into all of them."

She grins. "We got in."

It takes a minute for it to hit me, but she's right. We're in whichever coven we want, and I don't have to worry about my future any more. I sigh in relief, and then Christina grabs me and hugs me again, tighter this time. She plucks the papers out of my hand, her eyes skimming the words again with a broad smile on her face, and I notice a violet sticky note I hadn't seen before flutter to the floor. I stoop down to retrieve it, but when I read the short message, the blood drains out of my face and I freeze.