Shadow Witch (32 page)

Momma Sue’s kitchen was a narrow room that nearly covered the width of the house. In the center of it was a long wooden table, scarred and stained, that might have been painted yellow at one time. It was supported by thick, round legs, and the top had a few jars and a mortar and pestle on it.

Shelves lined the walls, full of more jars and bowls and cooking utensils. Nova surveyed the room and said, “You do magic in here?”

“Why not?” Momma Sue said. “It’s got everything I need.” She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a wide, silver bowl, and set it on the long table. “We’re going to do a new way of scryin’. Me and Bella come up with this one ourselves.” She grinned, showing her yellow teeth. “New and improved. We should make our own commercial, like they do for laundry detergent.”

She began pulling jars down from the shelves, but paused when she grabbed an empty green bottle. “Dang. I’m out of gingko root. Think I got some more in the front room. I’ll be right back.” She walked out of the kitchen, leaving Fred with Sammi, Nova, and Mrs. Malley.

Nova cleared her throat and said, “Mrs. Malley, I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“Think nothing of it. I have been helping younger witches my whole life.”

“That’s what Fred told me. She said Momma Sue’s been doing it, too.”

“She and I think alike, we do. We know that it is difficult for young girls who have the power, especially here on this world where it is not accepted like it is on mine. We want you to learn your craft properly, and not be afraid of it.”

“Momma Sue is a little intimidating.”

“Don’t be afraid of her. She has a big heart, she does. Do you know why she’s called Momma Sue?” She turned to Fred. “How about you? Do you know?”

“I assumed her kids called her that,” Fred said.

“She never had children of her own. She got that name many years ago, when a young witch, not much older than Sammi, showed up on her doorstep one night, alone and scared. She’d been thrown out of her house by her parents, and Sue took her in and raised her. That girl called her Momma Sue, and the name stuck.”

“Whatever happened to that girl?” Fred asked.

“She still comes around. Of course, she’s much older now. She brings Sue groceries, and takes Sue’s potions into New Orleans to sell at a shop there. She also helps clean up and cook for Sue sometimes, and when she can’t, she sends another girl over. There are several that help out around here, all of them witches that Sue trained and looked after.”

“How come I never see them?” Fred asked.

“Sue told them not to come on Sunday afternoons. She keeps this time open for you, Fred. And Sammi, too.” She smiled warmly at the little dark-haired girl, and Sammi beamed back at her. “You girls are special, she says. You have the right kind of heart.” She nodded firmly. “Sue doesn’t want to teach her magic to just any witch. She only wants to do it for someone she trusts to do the right things with it.”

“We’re not supposed to hurt anybody,” Sammi said. “And we gotta help people.”

“That’s right. We feel that you will do good things with your magic. I think you will, too, Nova. Let us train you. You can be helpful to your community.”

“Uh...okay, I guess, though I don’t know how helpful I’ll be.”

They heard footsteps and Mrs. Malley put her finger to her lips and lowered her voice. “Sue is coming. Remember what I said, Nova.”

Momma Sue bustled into the kitchen carrying a small jar filled with brown powder. “Knew I had some more a’ this. Miss Essie dropped some by the other day.”

“Who’s Miss Essie?” Sammi asked.

“She’s a witch. She brings me supplies when I run low.” Momma Sue took the silver bowl to the old porcelain sink and filled it with water, and then set it on the table.

Mrs. Malley examined the jars lined up before them and said, “Fred, are you going to write this down?”

“Of course.” Fred opened her notebook and unclipped the pen from the cover. “And don’t give me a hard time, Momma Sue. You know I can’t remember it, otherwise.”

Momma Sue chuckled and held up a tiny blue bottle. “First ingredient: crocodile tears. Very hard to get.”

Sammi widened her eyes. “Crocodile tears? Really?”

“No,” Mrs. Malley said with a smile. “It’s nectar from a flower called Amber Blossom. I grow it in my garden.”

“Doesn’t grow here on Earth,” Momma Sue said. “Least, not yet.” She tipped a few drops into the bowl and nodded. “That’s why this is a special spell. We’re using ingredients from two worlds.”

Nova wrinkled her brow. “Don’t you measure it?” Momma Sue paused and gave her a level look, and Nova said, “Sorry. Is that a dumb question?”

“Momma Sue doesn’t measure,” Fred said, “but I do when I make my potions. I have to guess how much she’s putting in there before I write it down.”

Momma Sue opened a jar and tapped a few flakes from it into the water. “Kingsnake scales.” She turned to Fred. “You getting all this?”

Fred said yes and Momma Sue continued adding ingredients. At one point, Mrs. Malley dipped her finger into the potion and put it to her tongue. “More powdered rose thorn, Sue.”

Momma Sue sprinkled some in and Mrs. Malley said, “That should do it.”

“Now we have to activate it,” Momma Sue said. “This is the good part.”

“How do we do that?” Nova asked.

“Wait. First I got to do this.” Momma Sue reached across the narrow table and grabbed a strand of hair that was poking free from one of Nova’s dreadlocks, and yanked it out.

“Ow!” Nova put her hand to her scalp and her eyebrows drew down sharply. “What was that for?”

Momma Sue dropped it into the bowl and stirred the cloudy liquid with a long wooden spoon. “Better to have something of yours in there, since we’re searchin’ for your daddy.” She set the spoon aside and said, “Now we can activate it. We got to link up to do that.” She took Mrs. Malley’s hand and stretched her arm over the table to Nova. “Go on. Take it. Grab hold a’ Sammi, and Sammi, you get Fred.”

Fred entwined her fingers with Sammi’s and reached out and took Mrs. Malley’s other hand, all five witches now connected around the silver bowl. “How’s this work?” Nova asked.

“Me and the others are going to join our magic with yours. Since you’re doin’ the scryin’, we’re just going to support you. You need to focus real hard on what you’re lookin’ for, and you’ll feel us fillin’ you up, like separate glasses of water pouring into one big one.” She gestured with her chin at Nova. “You’re going to be the big one.”

“Oh, um...okay.” She gave a nervous little laugh. “This is all so new to me.”

“It’s gonna be really cool,” Fred said. “Wait and see.”

Momma Sue closed her eyes and the others followed. She said, “Remember, Nova, think about your daddy, just your daddy, and nothin’ else.”

Fred felt the liquid pool of magic, stronger and deeper than she’d ever felt before, flow from the two old witches, through her body and into Sammi’s, then on to Nova’s. It was pleasant, almost exhilarating. Nova inhaled sharply, and Fred heard a rich, round tone emanate from all around them.

“You can open your eyes now,” Momma Sue said when the sound faded, “but keep a’ hold of our hands.”

The water in the bowl began to glow faintly, iridescent colors playing across the surface like a soap bubble. Then it solidified and an image appeared on it. It was of a brick building, and a sign over the plate glass windows said
Belanger’s
.

“Whoa....” Nova said softly.

Sammi stood on tiptoes and peered into the bowl. “That’s your last name, Nova! This must be his place.”

“That’s good,” Mrs. Malley said. “I think we have found him.”

“That looks like a restaurant,” Fred said, leaning closer and squinting at the image. “I can see tables through the windows, and they have white tablecloths on them.”

“Let’s look inside.” Momma Sue closed her eyes for a moment and hummed, then the image rippled and the view changed. They were looking at the interior; cloth-covered tables were set in rows, and booths, filled with patrons, lined the walls. A waiter walked by, carrying a tray loaded with drinks, and a hostess, dressed all in black, came from the other direction, holding several menus.

“How are we going to know which of these people is my dad?” Nova said.

“Focus again,” Momma Sue said. “It’s like making a strong wish, the strongest, most desperate one you ever made.”

Nova’s face lined with concentration. The scene changed again, and they were looking inside the kitchen. Three men and two women, dressed in white coats and chefs’ hats, were chopping food at stainless steel counters or standing before flaming grills. A medium-built man stepped to the center of the room, gestured with one hand and seemed to be shouting instructions. His image grew until it filled the bowl. He was pale-skinned, with dark hair and blue eyes. He had a small, straight nose and his face was shaped like Nova’s.

“Oh....” Nova gasped.

“I think that’s him,” Fred said.

“Your daddy is a
white
man,” Momma Sue said. “Did you know that?”

Nova shook her head without taking her eyes off the bowl. “Mom never told me.”

“Well, now you know.”

“He is a handsome gentleman,” Mrs. Malley said.

Nova didn’t answer. She stared at the image of her father, giving orders to his assistants like a general commanding his troops.

“Wish we could hear him,” Sammi said.

Nova looked away and the image faded, the water in the bowl turning back to a murky soup. “Was that really him?”

“I’m sure of it,” Momma Sue said. “He looks like you.”

“And he owns a restaurant,” Fred said. “We can Google it and find out where it is, and Jamie can make a doorway there. You can go see him, if you want.”

Nova gave her head a tight shake and closed her eyes. “He might not want to see me. He hasn’t tried to contact me after all these years.”

“Write him a letter first,” Momma Sue said. “That’ll be less of a shock than just showin’ up out of the blue.”

“We can find the address on the Internet,” Fred said. “Be sure and put your phone number in the letter, so he can call you if he wants to.”

Nova frowned. “But...what if he doesn’t?”

“Then you’re no worse off than you are now. At least you got to see what he looks like.”

“Momma Sue,” Sammi said, her eyes hopeful, “is there a way that I can see my mommy and daddy again? Do you know a spell for that?”

Momma’s Sue’s face became tender as she regarded the little girl. “No, child. That would require manipulating time, and that’s not in a witch’s power.”

Sammi’s chin fell. “But you can do anything.”

“No, honey. Not that. I’m sorry. I really am.”

The room turned silent while Sammi stared at the floor, until Mrs. Malley said, “There is something we can do. There is a spell for calling up old, long-forgotten memories.”

Sammi’s face brightened. “Can we do that? Right now?”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Momma Sue said. “Your father killed your mother and then killed himself. That’s the last memory you have of them. Do you really want to relive that?”

Sammi looked at her for a long moment before turning to Mrs. Malley and shaking her head. “Uh...maybe not.”

“Good,” Mrs. Malley said. “Think about it for a while, and if you decide that you can handle it, I will help you with the spell.”

“But not today,” Momma Sue said. “We need to do some other magic now.” She turned and began pulling more jars and bottles from the shelves. “Me and Mrs. Malley gonna teach you young ladies a couple a’ good spells today.” She turned and grinned at Fred. “Better turn to a fresh page in your notebook, Miss Firecracker. You got some writin’ to do.”

Fred sat with Sammi on the couch in Jamie’s family room while Nova finished teaching Jamie and his parents how to do the block so that Nova couldn’t read their emotions.

Jamie spread his hands and shrugged. “That’s all there is to it? I can do that. Let’s try it out.”

“Okay,” Nova said, her face eager. “Say something, anything, and I’ll see if I can tell if you’re lying or not.”

“Umm....” Jamie glanced at Fred. “All right, here goes. Fred is the only girl I’ve ever kissed besides my mom.”

Nova blinked at him, her lips slightly parted. “Uh...I can’t tell. Is that true or false?”

“False,” Fred said. “He kissed Melanie once.”

“He did?”

“I knew that,” Sammi said. “It was back in September, and they were at a party at Bryce’s house, and —”

“That’s a long story,” Fred said quickly and squeezed Sammi’s knee. “We don’t need to get into that right now.”

“Okay.” Nova fluttered one hand and her eyes grew wide. “Somebody else.”

“How about me, Nova?” Rachel said. “See if I’m telling the truth.” She cleared her throat. “My mother had a baby back when she was in high school and gave it up for adoption.”

“That’s got to be a lie.”

“Nope. True story. She had a baby girl and she’s my half-sister. Her name is Sophie, and she got in touch with us a few years ago. Now she comes to visit for Thanksgiving.”

Carl held up one hand. “My turn, Nova. Uh...let’s see...okay, how about this? My brother’s name is Charlie.”

Nova shook her head. “I...I can’t tell.”

“It’s a lie. I’m an only child.”

A smile slowly spread across her face, and she looked around the room, into everyone’s eyes. “It works.” Then she threw her arms in the air and squealed, “It works! It really works!”

Nova looked happy for the first time since Fred had met her. Not defensive, not cagey, not cynical. Genuinely happy. Almost giddy.

“I’ll teach my parents how to do the block as soon as Sammi and I go home,” Fred said.

“Yes!” Nova’s eyes were bright. “Do that. Teach it to Rollie and his parents, too. Right away. And Bryce and Melanie, soon as possible.”

“See?” Sammi said, “I told you we were gonna be friends, didn’t I?”

“Yes you did. I think you might be a fortune teller, Sammi.” Nova’s exuberance was interrupted by a chime from her phone. She pulled it from the back pocket of her cutoff jeans and read the message. “It’s my mom. She wants to know when I’m coming home.”

“I’ll make doorway for you now,” Jamie said.