Secret Of The Rose (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 2) by Ellen Dugan Page B

Ivy opened the circle, and I sat there wondering what the girls would do next.
    “We need to go right now to see if that doll is still in that can,” Cypress said.
    “I’ll drive,” I volunteered.
    “Okay,” Holly agreed, and the girls rose.
    I went to my room for my purse and truck keys. “I can only fit two other people in the truck,” I reminded the girls as they all stood, waiting at the top landing.
    “I’ll stay here; let Mom and Marie know what’s happening,” Ivy said.
    I felt like something was pushing me to hurry, so I nodded to her and jogged down the decorated manor stairs with Holly and Cypress on my heels.
    We grabbed a garbage bag, a carton of salt, then hopped in the truck. I backed up and drove out the conveniently open gates. So far as I knew, there wasn’t a remote control for them, and I still hadn’t figured out how the manor’s gates always seemed to be open or closed whenever I needed to come or go.
    Shrugging that off, I drove to the girl’s high school as fast as the law allowed with two cheerleaders riding shotgun. The parking lot was deserted when we got there. I followed Holly’s directions and pulled around the far side of the building.
    “This is the closest exit to Kate’s locker,” Holly explained as we all climbed out.
    “Give me a second,” I said and fished a pair of gardening gloves out of my glove box. I joined the girls as they approached the garbage can that was, indeed, painted in blue and yellow vertical stripes.
    “I can work a reluctance so people won’t notice what we are doing,” Holly said.
    “Good idea.” I gave her a minute to work her magick.
    Holly softly chanted, and, as I watched, Cypress joined in. In unison they both gestured out with their hands in a circular motion. I saw a shimmer billow out that made me think of a heat wave, and the girls lowered their hands.
    “We’re good to go,” Holly said. “It will last for about five minutes.”
    “Stand back,” I told the girls as I pulled on the gloves. There was no point in all of us digging in the garbage.
    Cypress held out the garbage bag. “Go ahead,” she said.
    I carefully pried open the lid on the can and cringed at the sour smell of food that was several days old. I sincerely hoped I would not ruin my new Ouija board t-shirt. With a grimace, I started to pick through the very full can. God, what a nasty job.
    Piece by piece I lifted out trash, and set it to the side of the can. When it got to the point that I would have to lean into the garbage can, I laid it on its side in the grass and kept digging. My eyes were watering and I was fighting back the urge to gag as I worked my way to the bottom.
    I felt it before I saw it. My glove covered fingers bumped against something, and my stomach dropped. A shiver rolled down my back. “I think I found it,” I told the girls. But, instead of feeling excitement... I felt revulsion.
    I pulled the poppet free and held it up to the afternoon sunlight. Sure enough, it was another fashion-type of doll wearing a crude imitation of the girl’s cheer uniforms. This one had dark hair that was cut to resemble the shoulder length style and bangs of Kate’s hair.
    “That’s nasty.” I grimaced and dropped the doll in the new garbage bag.
    “By the element of earth, this salt shall contain all evil intent,” Holly said as she poured salt down into the bag and on top of the doll.
    While Cypress knotted the bag, I put the school’s trash back in the can as quickly as possible. Once I righted the garbage can and set the lid back in place, the three of us went directly to my truck.
    “Autumn, we need to secure this.” Cypress set the bag holding the poppet in the open back of my pickup.
    “I’m on it.” I climbed up in the bed and scooted my spare tire on top of most of the bag to keep it from flying out as we drove home. I stripped the gloves off and set them inside the truck bed.
    “I don’t suppose either of you have any hand sanitizer on