"One last time and then we're out of here," I shouted to the rest of the cheerleaders, before turning and taking my place front and center. Someone cued the music and it quickly filled the practice room for the hundredth time. We'd been at the routine for over an hour and were so close to perfecting it that I almost didn't want to let everyone leave. I also knew that coach, who was letting me run practice today, was expecting us to rock our routine at the game that week. Even so, I'd learned long ago not to burn the team out. Better to leave on a high note and pick things up next practice.
As Bon Jovi belted out "Living on a Prayer," we began to perform the choreographed dance moves in unison. With a pop of my hip, I moved toward the back of the mat and prepared to do my signature tumbling run: a front tuck, round-off back handspring full-twisting layout. As I landed, a series of stunts went off behind me, and then I joined the rest of my team in time for the big finish. We each struck a pose as the music faded, and soon the only noise I could hear was our labored breathing.
"Nice job, guys! That would've gotten us to Nationals in March, easy," I said, walking over to where I'd left my water bottle. "But first, the game on Friday. Bring that energy then and we'll kill it out there. Let's show them why we're number one!"
Nobody dared groan even though I knew they all secretly wanted to. Instead, most of the squad collected their stuff and headed toward the locker rooms. I stayed behind to put away the equipment, satisfied with how well practice had gone. Following my lead, Trish, Sofia, and Bethany stuck around too, rolling up the mats and placing the crash pads and poms in our storage closet.
"You run a tough practice, Captain," Trish said, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the bottom of her tank top.
"Oh, come on. That was nothing. Come Nationals, we're going to be doing it full-out, three times in a row," I said. "You'll be lucky if you don't throw up when we're done."
Trish made a face in distaste and smoothed her blond hair off her forehead. "Seriously gross, Had."
"It wasn't that bad," Bethany cut in. One look at the gossip queen, though, and I could see she'd broken a sweat, too. Her skin was dewy and her cheeks were pink with heat. I knew she was hurting just as badly as the rest of us, but she'd do anything to show up Trish. "In fact, I could totally go for a cheeseburger right now."
She looked over at Trish, who'd turned a light shade of green at this, and smiled devilishly. "Doesn't that sound good? A big, fat, juicy cheeseburger with bacon and onions rings and a ton of barbecue sauce slathered all over it. And french fries. I think I definitely burned enough calories for all that. Anyone else in? We could go to Sloppy Joe's and see what's going on there?"
Trish convulsed slightly and her hand darted to her mouth.
"Think you're on your own this time, B," I said, trying save Trish by changing the subject. "I gotta go and help my mom down at the shop. Thursdays are her busiest days. That's when all the new ingredients come in for the perfumes. . . ."
My voice trailed off as I realized I would have rather gone to eat with the girls. Even though I'd told my dad I'd go easy on Mom, I hadn't gotten over our argument from the other night. I knew that if I was stuck in the store alone with her for hours, she'd find some way of revisiting our argument. And then it would be a lot harder to keep my promise to my dad.
I looked at the girls, hoping they'd offer to help me out and give me a mom buffer. But they avoided my eyes as we headed across the room.
"Sorry, Had. My stomach's calling," said Bethany, patting her flat stomach.
"And I have a date with my DVR," Trish answered, ignoring Bethany's mention of food and not even bothering to get creative with her excuse as to why she couldn't come.
"I'll go with you," Sofia offered, shrugging. "I've got some homework to do, but I guess it can wait."
"Thanks, Sof. You're the best," I said, gushing at my faithful sidekick. "We'll go get fro-yo afterward with as many toppings as you want."
"Well, you know me. I'm not going to turn down frozen yogurt."
We disappeared into the locker rooms and changed before taking off for Mom's store, Scents and Sensibility. Mom had opened up the perfume shop a few years before I was born, and according to everyone who knew her, it had been a dream of hers ever since she was a teenager. She'd barely been old enough to wear perfume before she'd started mixing scents in with her spells, and the result was magically infused fragrances. Now when people came into the store, my mom created a perfume unique to each individual and her needs. She even made cologne for men.
As we walked through the front door, the sound of chirping birds filled the room, and once again I was reminded of how much I liked the sound that alerted my mom to customers. It was like stepping into a whole new world. One filled with an almost tangible energy. The smell of lavender, vanilla, and gardenia hit my senses and I was instantly put at ease. The scents were so familiar to me that anytime I smelled them, I felt like I was home. I sighed with delight, my anxiety and stress almost melting away.
Almost.
"I've always loved this store," Sofia said, echoing my thoughts exactly. "The stuff your mom comes up with is so much better than anything you'd ever find in a department store. The perfume she made for me just genuinely makes me feel better whenever I wear it. Is that weird?"
"Not at all." She was right, though I couldn't tell her why. Mom had told me a little while back that the blend she'd created for Sofia had a mixture of fearlessness and self-confidence. That and a dash of clear thinking, and the concoction pretty much described my friend. Not that it changed who Sofia was deep down. Mom's perfumes just enhanced the true essence of a person. Sort of like makeup for the soul.
As we walked to the back of the store, I could see Mom was finishing up with a customer. I watched as she quickly picked bits and pieces from thirty to forty different bowls scattered across the white counter that stood in the middle of the room. The surface was lit from below and glowed brightly, giving the table an ethereal feel. My mom's face scrunched up in concentration as she moved swiftly, her hands reaching in and out of bowls so fast that I could barely keep up with what she was grabbing. She began to slow down and then shifted her focus once more onto the customer standing quietly in front of her. The middle-aged woman stood there looking a bit nervous, like she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be doing.
First timer.
Mom raised an eyebrow before reaching out her hand one last time and coming back with the final ingredient. "A little cinnamon, for mystery," she explained.
She mashed up the contents in the mortar with a pestle, like waiters did to guacamole in Mexican restaurants. Then she carefully placed some of the mixture into a little vial of liquid. Shaking it up like a snow globe, she closed her eyes and muttered a few words to herself. The customer probably didn't think anything of it, but I knew better. She was infusing the perfume with a spell.
The customer's face changed from nervous to giddy and she happily handed over a fistful of bills to Mom and then left clutching the tiny pink bag to her chest as if it were filled with gold. Little did she know that Mom's products were as good as that.
My mom watched the woman leave and then finally turned her attention to us. "Hi, girls. How was practice?" Her voice sounded friendly, but I could tell she was keeping things light because Sofia was there with us.
"It was okay," I said noncommittally, picking at a bowl of sage.
Mom blew right over my comment and continued as if things between us weren't strained. "And what brings you here, Sofia? You couldn't have finished your perfume already . . ."
"I've still got plenty left, Mrs. Bishop," she answered politely. "I'm just here to help out."
"Well, aren't you the sweetest!" Mom exclaimed as she moved around the table to give her a hug. I looked away in case she was thinking of hugging me next. "I'm so happy Hadley has such great friends."
I rolled my eyes and waited for her to let go of Sofia. When she finally did, I took a few steps away and started to shrug off my fitted black leather jacket. The sooner we got started, the sooner I could go home and take care of everything else that needed my attention. I had cookies to bake for a squad fund-raiser, math homework to do, and I still had to write my column for the school newspaper. This week's subject was going to be about replacing the junk food vending machines with the kind that offered healthy options like fruit and granola bars. You'd be amazed at how many overweight teens are walking around my school, candy bars and chips in hand. It's just plain difficult to watch sometimes. Obviously not everyone has my willpower and of course I'm happy to do my part to end teen stress-eating.
"Where should we start?" I asked Mom.
"Um, well, all the herbs need to be separated and restocked along that wall," she said, pointing to her left. "And then the spice jars should be filled to the top over there. When that's all done, I've got some plants in the back that need to be watered and trimmed. You guys know where everything is, right?"
We nodded and got to work. Sofia had helped out at the store a few times before, so I didn't need to give her much direction before she started restocking. Since I'd been around this stuff for as long as I could remember, I stuck with replenishing the herbs and plants. I took six jars to the back room, where all the supplies were, and began to fill them up. As I pulled bins off the shelves, I ran through the uses of each ingredient in my head before placing it away.
Horsetail fern. Helps give the wearer a more polished look. Perfect for interviews, first dates, or any appointment where you want to impress.
Arnica. Used to soothe both bruised egos and bruised bodies. I took baths with this after particularly hard nights at cheer practice.
Wormwood. This one's great if you have a friend or frenemy who's dragging you down. It removes internal parasites of all kinds; totally worth the side effect of indigestion.
"You're out of sage!" I yelled, looking into an empty jar before plopping it back onto the table. When Mom didn't respond, I started to walk from the back room into the main part of the store. "Do you want me to order more—?"
"Yes. I can be there in an hour," Mom said quietly into her cell phone just a few feet away from where I stood. "I can't believe this is happening, Julia. Poor Peter. How's he holding up? Uh-huh? That's horrible. Okay, I just need to close up the shop and I'll be there as soon as I can. Keep the coven together until I get there and try not to panic."
I'd never heard my mom use the C-word in public before and looked around to see if Sofia was within listening distance. I spotted her working on the shelves at the opposite end of the room, satisfied that she hadn't heard what my mom said. Turning back around, I leaned over the counter and stared at my mom as she finished her conversation and hung up the phone. Without explanation, she started to rush around the store absentmindedly, as if she didn't know where she was going or what she was looking for. When she disappeared into the back, I followed her.
"What's going on?" I asked. I was still annoyed with her, but at the moment my curiosity was stronger than my resentment. "Who was that?"
She looked up at me, startled, as if she'd forgotten I was still in the store. "What? Oh, honey, you're still here," she said, distracted.
"Yep. Still here," I said, wanting to add, "Thanks for noticing," but thought better of it. Instead, I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders to stop her from moving around. "Mom. What's going on?"
She looked me in the eyes, but I could tell that her mind was far away. "Something's happened to the Glovers," she said.
"Are they okay?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't look good, sweetie. Peter came home from school today and his parents weren't there, and the place was a mess like there was a struggle. Nobody knows where they are or what happened."
"Maybe they're just out? I mean, it's only been a few hours, right?" I suggested, though I wasn't sure I believed it myself. "Anyone try calling them on their cells?"
"Of course they called them," Mom snapped at me. Realizing what she'd done, she softened her face and took a deep breath and tried again. "Had, they found blood, but no bodies. They didn't just go out for coffee or something."
Blood?
"Oh," I said, feeling uneasy.
"I have to go and meet with the others. We're having an emergency meeting to discuss our options. But first, I have to close down the store."
"Where are you going? I'll come with you," I said, forgetting for the time being that I was still mad at her. The threat of danger can do that to you.
"No, Hadley. You stay here," she said forcefully. "No need to bring you kids into this too."
I wanted to argue with her, but she was already turning to leave. So I sighed and snagged her purse and coat off the chair and handed them to her. "Here. Go. I'll close up."
She looked at me, eyes wide with surprise before they softened into gratitude. "Thank you, Hadley." I could tell she meant it.
She stood there a few seconds longer like she was debating what to do next. Then she took her things from my hands and started toward the door. "Don't forget to lock up the back and turn off all the lights. Oh, and you know the alarm code. Just remember to use it on your way out," she said, visibly scattered. I followed her to the door and before she reached it, she turned back and hugged me tightly. She planted a kiss on my cheek before pulling away. "Grab some money out of the tip jar and order something for dinner. And, Hadley, please be careful. Something's going on here and I need to know that you're going to be safe."
Her eyes pleaded with me, and I got the feeling this was about more than just a typical case of overprotection. "I'll be fine, Mom. Promise."
"I love you, Hadley."
The vibe was getting a little too serious for me, so I laughed nervously. "Back atcha. Now go! And wake me when you get home? I want to hear what happened."
She gave me a little smile and a wave before disappearing out the door. I watched as it swung closed and stared at the wood for a few minutes afterward. But the door didn't open again.
"Where was your mom going?" Sofia asked, still filling up jars. "Seemed like she was in a hurry or something."
"Family emergency," I said quietly. After a moment I turned to face my friend and forced a smile onto my face. No use in having her suspect anything was going on. And I certainly couldn't tell her that trouble seemed to be a-brewing in the good old coven. "What do you say we hurry up and finish so we can go home?"
"Sure," Sofia said, nodding. Then she gave me a sympathetic smile and took a step toward me. "You gonna be okay?"
"I'm not sure yet," I said truthfully, turning awaybefore she could see the worry reflected on my face.