The wind chimes are still clanging on the porch when Christina and I walk into the kitchen, and I'm surprised to see Mom standing there. Her eye is still covered with gauze, and she looks like a ridiculous kind of pirate, but at least she's home. After a moment's surprise, Christina and I both rush to her, and she manages to hug both of us at once.
She studies our faces, and I get the feeling she can tell that we haven't switched back yet, but she doesn't say anything about that. "How did it go?"
Dad has trailed after us into the kitchen, and he sits down on a bar stool, watching me intently. I glance at Christina. "It was different than we—I—thought, but I think it went pretty well."
"Were you allowed to keep Shelby with you for all of it?" I can hear an undercurrent of worry in Mom's question, and I realize that even though she didn't butt into our issue, she must have been considering various ways Christina and I could make the whole body-swap work tonight.
"For everything but the Fennel test." I pause, hoping Mom hears more than just my words. "Mrs. McClure said I didn't need my scribe."
Dad shrugs. "That woman's always been a bit odd, but Fennel doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll have your choice of covens."
Christina and I exchange a glance, and finally I hold up the envelope. "We'll see at eleven o'clock."
Mom smiles faintly. "They didn't used to set a time spell on them; I remember ripping into my envelope immediately after the exam, just like everybody else. There was a lot of celebrating, but also a lot of fighting, too."
"That's probably why they made the decision to do it this way," Dad offers reasonably. "So," he says, smiling at me, "how do you want to spend the next hour and then some? We could watch a movie, or maybe try a board game."
"Actually," I pause, looking to Christina before I speak, hoping I don't make her mad with what I'm about to say. "I'd rather just be alone. Is that okay?"
Dad looks put out, but Mom nods. "Of course, sweetie. I can bring up some hot cocoa later, if you like?"
I nod at her, and then I glance at my sister. "I'm going up to my room," I say, hoping she'll figure out what I want.
She narrows her eyes, but then she smiles and nods slightly. "I'm tired. I think I'll go up, too."
Dad looks confused. "Don't you even want to let us celebrate with you?"
"I'll come down after I open the envelope," I offer, but he still looks annoyed. I leave the kitchen before he can tell me not to, though, and Christina follows close behind. I gesture to my bedroom and she nods, slipping in behind me and closing the door.
"Did you have an idea to get us swapped back?" She asks eagerly.
I nod. "I think so. Do you have my spell book?"
She crosses to the desk and reaches for my familiar notebook, but she hesitates before she hands it to me. "Will you still be willing to scribe for me after all this is over?"
"I didn't know if you'd want me to. I mean, I don't have that great of a track record."
She shakes her head impatiently. "You didn't, but everything you've scribed lately seems to work. Make it was like puberty or something, and you were just a late bloomer."
I snort. "Don't you think Mom would have said something if that were even possible?"
Christina shrugs, but she's still holding my spell book. "I don't know what changed," she says finally, "but if you're interested in being my scribe, I'd be happy to use you."
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.
Christina notices my panicked expression and leans over. "What is it?"
I swallow and I show her the scrawling words. "'I know.'"
Our eyes meet, and for a moment, neither of us moves. Finally, Christina says, "Who do you think wrote it? And what are they talking about?"
I quirk an eyebrow at her. "You don't think it's obvious? Someone figured out we'd switched places."
She shakes her head emphatically. "There's no way. You were perfect; no one would have suspected."
"Mrs. McClure did," I say slowly, remembering the way Becca's mom had stared at me during my test for Fennel.
Christina crumples up the sticky note and shoves it into her pocket. "You're paranoid. If she suspected, why did we get an invitation to her coven?"
I shrug, but the truth is, I don't know. "Do you think it's just a...a prank or something?" I ask hopefully.
Christina nods. "There's nothing to worry about. Well, I guess there is one thing."
"What?"
"We need to decide which coven we want to join before we go downstairs and tell Mom and Dad."
I stare at her, surprised. "Henbane. That's what you've always wanted, isn't it? How is this even a question?"
She hesitates. "I didn't like their test," she finally says. "None of the other covens asked us to hurt anybody."
It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her that Miah let us win, that he didn't mind being hurt, but I click my teeth shut and purse my lips. Would that make her more inclined to join Henbane, or less? I feel like I've already had way too much say in Christina's future this week, and I don't want to influence her one way or the other. It's my life, too, a small voice whispers in my mind, but I push it aside. A month ago, I was afraid I wouldn't get in any coven; I don't feel like I know enough about them to really have a say, and it doesn't feel like I deserve to make this big of a decision. "We don't have to decide right now," I finally say. "Right? I mean, when's the deadline for acceptances?"
Christina looks back at the paper in her hands. "We have until the new year."
"So that's plenty of time to think about it, right?"
She nods slowly. "I guess." She pauses, thinking, and then she grins at me. "Should we torture Mom and Dad and make them wait a few more minutes, or should we go down now?"
I giggle. "They'll probably break through the door if we don't go tell them soon."
She loops her arm through mine. "Well, that won't be anything we can't handle together."
Warmth spreads through my chest, but I can't articulate the swirl of emotions that are rioting around inside me, so I just squeeze Christina's arm and head down to the kitchen beside her.
***
That night, I lay awake for a long time. It feels good to be back in my own bed, but a little strange, too; I guess I'd started to get used to Christina's room. My phone chimes, and I roll over, glad for the distraction.
It's a text from Miah. For a minute, I'm afraid to read it; what if he says that he can't forgive me and my sister for what happened tonight? What if he wants to get back together with Becca? But finally, I swipe my finger across the screen and read his words.
A slow smile spreads across my face, and even though I should be tired enough to sleep for a week after everything that's happened, I swing my feet out of bed and get dressed silently in the dark. Whispering the spell I scribed forever ago for sneaking out, I creep into the hallway and slip through the front door.
Miah is waiting at the corner of the street, shadowed in dark jeans and a hoodie, and my heart speeds up as he comes into view. I stop a few feet away from him, feeling shy and awkward and nervous. "Hi," I finally say, hoping I don't sound too stupid.
He steps toward me. "Hi, yourself. Are you sure you're up for this?"
I hesitate, but then I remember what I've been through this week, what I've survived even just tonight. If I can do all that, surely I can be a little brave about this guy, I tell myself. Carefully, I close the distance between us and put my hands on his shoulders. Miah smiles and brings his lips to mine, and I close my eyes as he kisses me for the second first time. His lips are warm and soft, just like I imagined they would be, and when he pulls away, we're both smiling in the darkness. "You can't fight without a scribe, right?"
He chuckles and laces his fingers through mine. "I did okay tonight, I thought." He pulls me along the deserted streets, heading toward the MAX.
I hang back for a moment. "I'm sorry—" I begin, but he cuts me off.
"Don't be. I know how much Henbane matters to your family."
I don't tell him that Christina is having second thoughts. "Which coven did you get invited to join?"
He smiles. "Fennel. Bittersweet." He pauses, his eyes unusually bright under the street lights. "And Henbane."
"Seriously?"
He nods. "I haven't decided yet, but it's good to know you've got options, right?"
We've reached the train station, and I snuggle closer to him, enjoying the feeling of his warmth against my torso. "Sometimes," I agree. "Options can be good."
He looks down at me, and to my surprise, he kisses the top of my head. "Other times," he says softly, "it's better to just stick to one thing."
My heart catches in my throat. Is he talking about me and him?
Before I can ask, though, the train pulls up and Miah drags me on board. "They moved the spell battle again, to stay away from the Force, but tonight should be pretty fun. Now that the Threes are over, everyone can finally relax." He flashes me his grin. "Which means they'll let their guards down."
I laugh, feeling more at ease than I have since the school year started. "You want to exploit their weaknesses?"
Miah winks at me. "With your spells, and my casting, we'll be unbeatable."
I watch the darkness whip by the train windows, and some of Miah's confidence seeps into me. "Let's do it, then."
###
The end...or is it?