Witcha'be (13 page)

“Mom, I’m worried. It looks serious.”

She shook her head. “It’ll pass. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

“Okay. I’ll call Lenni.” I knelt beside her. “Want me to call Dad?”

“No. I’m fine. Have a good day, Molly Lou.”

I smoothed her hair. “Promise you’ll call him if you don’t feel better soon.”

“I promise.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too.” She offered a weak wave.

I called Lenni then waited at the front door, dream journal in hand. I wanted to show her my Bible but felt weird taking it to school. Plus, I’d be crushed if something happened to it.

“What’s wrong with your mom?” Pam asked as I slid into the backseat next to Lenni.

“A virus, I guess. She seemed sure it would pass.”

“Poor thing. I hope she’s better by tomorrow night.”

I rolled my head against the seat. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Mom’s illness could throw a wrench in our plans.

“I’ll pick you up from school today and give you a ride in the morning. She needs to stay in bed and recuperate,” Pam said.

“What about the store?” Lenni asked.

“I’m taking off early this afternoon, remember? Your dad’s cousin, Brenda, is getting married on Saturday. I have some errands to run before the wedding. Closing early tomorrow, too, because of the concert.”

“Shhh! It’s on!” Lenni fluttered her hands as the DJ announced ticket information for Dizzy’s almost-sold-out show.

“It’s going to be packed,” Lenni squealed.

Thousands of Dizzy fans singing and shouting, shoulder to shoulder. My pulse quickened. “We’ll have to stay together, Lenni,” I said, suddenly nervous. “If we get separated, we’ll never find each other in the crowd.”

“We’ll stick together like glue.” She held up tightly crossed fingers to illustrate.

“Remember that.” I crossed my fingers. “Like glue.”

Pam pulled up in front of the school. “Here we are, girlies. See you this afternoon.” She turned and blew a kiss to Lenni.

“How was play practice?” I asked as we walked.

“It was great. Bianca is a natural as Witch Wilhelmina.”

“You don’t say.”

“Crazy how quick she nailed it. She read her lines twice and had them memorized.”

“When did you start feeling better?”

“As soon as we started walking. Must’ve been the fresh air.”

I hoped Mom’s illness passed as quickly.

“Do you have your lines down, too?”

“No way. It’s going to take forever to learn my part. I’m Princess Leonarda, and she talks a lot. It’s like the role was meant for me.”

“You
are
a bit of a princess,” I teased. “When is opening night?”

“Next Wednesday at seven. The bell, already?” Lenni picked up her stride. “I’ve gotta go. Can’t be late for first period.”

“Okay, bye.”

She darted through the crowd then disappeared into the swarm of bodies. My heart sank as I pictured the same scenario at the concert tomorrow night.

I scolded myself. Lenni and I were going to have a great time together. Like two peas in a pod.

* * *

“Molly, up here!” Lenni stood at the front of the lunch line. She grabbed my arm, yanking me in behind her. We took our trays from the counter, mine pink, hers yellow. I scooped the cookie into my napkin and handed it to the girl behind me. “Sorry, I took cuts.”

The daggers disappeared from her eyes.

“I can’t wait until tomorrow night!” Lenni squealed as we sat down at a table. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

“It will be unbelievable,” I said, tapping a rock-hard fish stick against my tray and tossing it back down. I picked up a hushpuppy instead.

“There will be like a zillion people,” she said, her eyes wide.

“That’s why it’s important for us to stay together,” I warned.

“I’m
so
sure. Do you think I’d ditch you? This is
our
night.”

“
Our
night,” I echoed.

I looked through the window over Lenni’s shoulder. Beside the tetherball pole, Bianca stood motionless, glaring at Jesse Parker. He stepped close to her, licking the air, pretending to hold an invisible body against himself. The boys surrounding him laughed and high fived.

“Molly?” Lenni’s voice barely registered with me.

“Huh?” I answered without shifting my gaze from the window.

“I asked what you’re wearing to the concert. What are you looking at?” She turned in her chair.

Carlos Jones, still laughing, smacked the half-deflated tetherball. In slow motion, it circled the pole, connecting with Jesse’s face. Jesse covered his eyes and staggered, blood pouring between his fingers.

“Oh, no!” Lenni jumped up from her chair and ran for the door. She crossed the schoolyard to Bianca’s side, tugging her sleeve.

Boys gathered around Jesse, throwing glances at Bianca as they hoisted him up. Blood trailed as they carried him, screaming, through the cafeteria. I tore my stare from the red-splotched tile, returning my gaze to the window.

Bianca rolled her eyes to the sky and laughed.

I got the hiccups.

* * *

The story grew bigger and more gruesome with each passing hour. By last period, Jesse’s eyeball had been ripped from the socket by the metal hook that secured the ball to the rope.

And Bianca was a witch.

During Mrs. Timble’s class, gazes shot continually to Bianca’s empty desk while we worked on scientific notation. As Mrs. Timble collected papers, Mr. Parker’s voice crackled over the intercom.

“Good afternoon, students. At this time, I would like to share an update on Jesse’s condition. After receiving six stitches on his lacerated eyelid, he is home recuperating. Regrettably, he will not be participating in tomorrow night’s football game against Sawyer High, but has hopes of returning to school on Monday. I will pass any well wishes along to him this evening. Listen as Mrs. Butler reads the additional announcements. Have a safe afternoon.”

The class burst into excited conversation while the secretary droned on about test scores and book fairs. Finally, she signed off with a click. Mrs. Timble rapped the desk and stared at us until our roar became a whisper. The bell rang. She held us thirty-seconds over, and then dismissed us with the flick of her wrist.

More chatter than usual filled the main hallway. Snippets of what transpired at the tetherball pole echoed from all directions at once. My pulse quickened as I turned the corner, expecting Bianca to jump out and point her finger with a bone-chilling, “You’re next!” I tucked the gold cross into my palm. It sickened me how flimsy my composure became in the face of fear.

“Lenni.” I ran to the locker and spun the dial. “Timble kept us. I was afraid I’d missed you.”

“Silly. My mom’s picking us up, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”

I’d heard the school counselors had swept Bianca to the office following Jesse’s accident. I looked closely at Lenni, expecting concern. She looked calm.

“Have you heard from Bianca?”

“She texted me.” Lenni handed me her books, shimmied her cell from her front pocket, and touched the screen. She read aloud. “Counselors and principal think I’m a freak. LOL. Bad-breath truant officer took me home. Can’t stop laughing.”

Lenni giggled and slid her phone into her pocket. “I texted her about everyone saying she’s a witch. She loved that part.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little mean, her laughing at Jesse when he’s really hurt?” I pushed Lenni’s books into her hands.

“She told me what he said to her. Things that would’ve gotten a non-principal’s kid expelled.” She dumped her books into the locker and slammed it.

“But still—”

“Look, everybody saw Carlos hit the ball. Bianca just happened to be looking at Jesse. Maybe she had nothing to do with it.”

We walked to the main hall and out the front doors. Pam’s car waited at the curb. She rolled down the dark, tinted window and motioned to us.

* * *

“I’ll pick you up in the morning, Molly,” Pam reminded me as I slid from the backseat.

“I’ll be ready. See you tomorrow, Lenni.”

“Bye,” she said, glancing up from her phone.

Boo hopped around my feet as I walked into the house. The stench of cabbage punched me in the gut. I entered the kitchen, pinching my nose. “Why are you cooking? I thought you were sick.”

“The nausea’s gone. I feel fit as a fiddle. Want to help with the bread?”

“Ugh. No thanks. It’s my turn to barf. The smell is killing me.”

She inhaled deeply, “Smells delicious.”

“I thought you hated cabbage.” I peeked into a bubbling pot then slammed the lid.

“It’s the strangest thing. I like it all of a sudden.” She shrugged, buttering bread.

“I’ve gotta get out of here. Can I have mac and cheese for dinner?”

“Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.” She slid a steaming hunk of cabbage into her mouth.

“Eww!” I headed upstairs, scooping up Boo along the way.

I plopped heavily into my chair. My thoughts traveled back to the school cafeteria. Bianca, laughing, hair on fire with sunlight. Crimson drops of blood splashing the food-littered floor. Doubt picked at the corners of my mind.

Is she or isn’t she a witch?

Just when I was beginning to think she wasn’t a witch, she’d gone and done the witchiest thing ever. The school buzzed with excitement over her, comparing the gorgeous witch of Redbend High to beautiful, yet imaginary, vampires.

My gaze fell on my new Bible. I walked to the dresser and picked it up, taking in my gold name. I slid Amy’s note from inside the cover. Hebrews, chapter eleven, verse one. The pages were so thin I feared tearing them
.
I found the passage after flipping through the entire Bible. Twice.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

I read it again, slowly then closed my eyes. Sure of what I hope for, certain of what I can’t see…

I opened my eyes and closed the Bible. Bianca, the witch, was clearly visible.
Invisible
was Bianca, the hurting teenager. See the
un
seen. How?

Mrs. Piper could help me understand. But the concert was tomorrow and I couldn’t stay after school. I’d have to wait until Sunday morning to learn how to make the invisible visible. Unless hidden things clawed to the surface on their own.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I snubbed porch witch and jogged down the steps toward Pam’s car. Mom called after me from the screen door. I turned and waved goodbye, blowing her a kiss before climbing in back with Lenni. I was worried about Mom. She was sick again this morning.

“I can’t believe it’s finally Friday!” Lenni squealed so loud the neighbor’s yellow dog barked and jerked at the end of his chain, snapping his teeth. “We’re gonna see Dizzy tonight!” She high-fived then pumped both fists above her head.

I nodded. “I just wish Mom was feeling better.”

“I left her strict instructions to stay in bed until this afternoon,” Pam assured me.

“Well, she’s up now. I hope she takes your advice and goes back to bed.”

“I’ll check on her later. I think she’ll be fine. It may be seasonal allergies,” Pam said.

“So, what are you wearing tonight?” Lenni asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“You’re kidding.” Lenni looked as if she was waiting for the punch line.

“Guess I’ll throw something together.”

“Want to know what I’m wearing?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“A bright pink top that falls off the shoulders, a black lace tank underneath, and a black skirt that comes to here.” She slid her fingertips across her thigh. “Tights with tiny pink skulls, and black moccasin boots that come up to here.” She tapped just above her kneecap. “I’m thinking of wearing my hair teased up like this.” She pulled strands out past her ears. “Like the eighties. What do you think?”

“Uh…yes?”

“Yay!” Lenni applauded.

“By the way, girls, I went to the liquor store yesterday to pick up some champagne for Brenda’s wedding and found a surprise for you as well.”

“Mother! We’re too young to drink.” Lenni wagged her finger.

“Oh, it’s not alcohol,” Pam said, smiling, seeming to enjoy her secret.

“What, then?” Lenni asked.

“You’ll find out tonight before the concert. Here we are, girlies.” Pam stopped at the curb. “See you after school, same as yesterday.”

“I’d hoped to get ready at your house this afternoon. But Mom wants to help me dress and do my eighties makeup,” Lenni said, keeping her head down as we walked.

“It’s okay, Lenni. I’ll be helping my mom get ready. That is, if she’s feeling better.”

She popped her head up. “What a relief. I was afraid you’d be upset.”

“It’s all good.” I smiled as we entered the schoolyard.

“Hey, look. They took it out,” Lenni said as we approached a mound of red dirt where the tetherball pole had been.

“No one ever played, anyway. The ball was always flat,” I said, poking the soil with the toe of my sneaker, squinting at what might have been dried blood. “Is she back today?”

“No. She decided to wait until Monday. She wants to let everything blow over.”

“Right,” I said. And let the rumors blow out of proportion.

* * *

“We made it!” Lenni screamed. She leaned around me, chucked her books into the locker, and then tapped her foot. “Come
on
!”

“I’m looking for my journal.” I dug through the textbooks.

“You don’t need it.” She tugged my arm.

“In case I dream over the weekend,” I insisted, still digging.

“You can write it on scrap paper and copy it later. Come on!”

Lenni jerked my hand and slammed the locker. She pulled me by the elbow, my sneakers sliding on the tile. I broke from her grip and ran, dodging people.

“Wait! Come back.” She laughed and caught up to me.

“No running in the hallway,” Mr. Williams barked.

We speed-walked to the double doors and burst into the afternoon sunshine. Racing to Pam’s car, we slid into the backseat.

“How much room do you have back there?” Pam asked.