“We should probably talk about how this is going to go down. Jennie, did you get the personal item?”
Jennie bent over in the front seat and pulled out a white teddy bear with a pink nose. “This was outside the James’s house. They have all her stuffed animals out there like a shrine just waiting for her to come home.”
“Great. We’ll use that in the spell. Do you have a picture of her, too?”
“I’ve got a question,” I interrupted. “Why does anything and everything have to be done at the park? Can’t we do it in your house or something?”
“Because it’s the most powerful place in Adams.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
Travis caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “It’s kind of like Salem. The most powerful place in Salem is Gallows Hill, which is where all the witches were hung. It’s inconvenient to get to, but when you want to make sure your spell is as strong as it can be, you have to do it there.”
“I thought you said you were an awesome witch. You really need the park?”
He scowled. “I am awesome. But yes, I need the park in this case. If you want, sometime I can show you how awesome I am without the park.”
“Trav, I think you’ve missed the part where we’re trying to find Courtney so that Sarah can get back together with her boyfriend. You do understand what the word boyfriend means, don’t you?”
“Hmm…I may have heard the word. In theory before.”
“Leave her alone. It’s gross.”
I leaned between the two front seats. “Can we just focus on the spell we’re about to do?”
In the rearview mirror, Travis’s eyes focused on me. His gaze was like a car accident, hard to look at, but even harder to look away from.
Once Travis parked, we took the teddy bear, the picture of Courtney, and a flashlight to the center of the park. Goosebumps ran up my spine. I hated the park on a normal day, but it was nighttime and the eeriness of Adams grew by mountains in the dark.
Travis took the teddy bear and Courtney’s picture from Jennie and sat them down on the grass. He sat cross-legged next to them, and Jennie did the same. I followed suit, crossing my legs, and held my hands out. Travis’s grip was firm, but Jennie’s skin was ice cold. I resisted the urge to pull away from her glacial-like skin.
“Close your eyes,” Travis instructed.
I waited until their eyes closed before I dared close mine. Jennie’s cold seeped into my body and I shivered. I didn’t like not seeing what was around me. The wind picked up and tracked hair across my face.
“Center yourself and focus on Courtney’s face in your mind. I’ll say the spell three times, then Sarah, you say it three times, and Jen, you say it three times.”
Jennie’s hand tensed in mine. I wondered if Travis was feeling the same cold grasp on his end.
In a low, deep tone, Travis began to chant. “Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By Moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea. Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea.”
Voice melodic, I got caught up in his words as he repeated them a third time. I had a picture of Courtney fresh in my mind of the first time I met her at the coven meeting in the woods. Her short, spiky blond hair sticking out on the sides of a black hooded robe. She was fresh and vibrant.
Travis squeezed my fingers. I swallowed and picked up the chant. “Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By Moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea.”
As I repeated the chant two more times, Travis’s hold on mine got stronger and stronger. It was as if he was holding onto a life line. I wanted to open my eyes to see if he was looking at me and to see which expression graced his face.
Jennie’s turn next. She started out okay, but flubbed the last line. She continued after a second and said the spell the last two times as
Jennie bent over in the front seat and pulled out a white teddy bear with a pink nose. “This was outside the James’s house. They have all her stuffed animals out there like a shrine just waiting for her to come home.”
“Great. We’ll use that in the spell. Do you have a picture of her, too?”
“I’ve got a question,” I interrupted. “Why does anything and everything have to be done at the park? Can’t we do it in your house or something?”
“Because it’s the most powerful place in Adams.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
Travis caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “It’s kind of like Salem. The most powerful place in Salem is Gallows Hill, which is where all the witches were hung. It’s inconvenient to get to, but when you want to make sure your spell is as strong as it can be, you have to do it there.”
“I thought you said you were an awesome witch. You really need the park?”
He scowled. “I am awesome. But yes, I need the park in this case. If you want, sometime I can show you how awesome I am without the park.”
“Trav, I think you’ve missed the part where we’re trying to find Courtney so that Sarah can get back together with her boyfriend. You do understand what the word boyfriend means, don’t you?”
“Hmm…I may have heard the word. In theory before.”
“Leave her alone. It’s gross.”
I leaned between the two front seats. “Can we just focus on the spell we’re about to do?”
In the rearview mirror, Travis’s eyes focused on me. His gaze was like a car accident, hard to look at, but even harder to look away from.
Once Travis parked, we took the teddy bear, the picture of Courtney, and a flashlight to the center of the park. Goosebumps ran up my spine. I hated the park on a normal day, but it was nighttime and the eeriness of Adams grew by mountains in the dark.
Travis took the teddy bear and Courtney’s picture from Jennie and sat them down on the grass. He sat cross-legged next to them, and Jennie did the same. I followed suit, crossing my legs, and held my hands out. Travis’s grip was firm, but Jennie’s skin was ice cold. I resisted the urge to pull away from her glacial-like skin.
“Close your eyes,” Travis instructed.
I waited until their eyes closed before I dared close mine. Jennie’s cold seeped into my body and I shivered. I didn’t like not seeing what was around me. The wind picked up and tracked hair across my face.
“Center yourself and focus on Courtney’s face in your mind. I’ll say the spell three times, then Sarah, you say it three times, and Jen, you say it three times.”
Jennie’s hand tensed in mine. I wondered if Travis was feeling the same cold grasp on his end.
In a low, deep tone, Travis began to chant. “Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By Moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea. Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea.”
Voice melodic, I got caught up in his words as he repeated them a third time. I had a picture of Courtney fresh in my mind of the first time I met her at the coven meeting in the woods. Her short, spiky blond hair sticking out on the sides of a black hooded robe. She was fresh and vibrant.
Travis squeezed my fingers. I swallowed and picked up the chant. “Keeper of what disappears, hear me now. Open your ears. Find for me what I now seek. By Moon, Sun, Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea.”
As I repeated the chant two more times, Travis’s hold on mine got stronger and stronger. It was as if he was holding onto a life line. I wanted to open my eyes to see if he was looking at me and to see which expression graced his face.
Jennie’s turn next. She started out okay, but flubbed the last line. She continued after a second and said the spell the last two times as
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