Wish by Janet MacLeod Page A

“You just told me about
some stupid money rule.”
          He gawked at me. “I didn’t say anything.”
    He actually stared at me, wide eyed and freaking out, as if I
were the crazy one. He didn’t remember his little speech about rules? Well. If
I was getting being led away by men in white coats, Cody was definitely coming
with me.       
    Carb craving forgotten, I held in a horrified screech and
turned and scrambled back upstairs without another word to the brother. I had
to get to Mom’s book. Maybe it could tell me what was going on. Why Cody had
spouted out a witch rule and then couldn’t remember speaking. And while I was
at it, why I was reading his mind sometimes.
    Maybe the book would have answers. I hoped so, because I
needed them. I rushed into mom’s room, slamming the door behind me. A gush of
blood exploded between my legs and I groaned wondering how long the period
thing would last. So not what I needed on top of everything else.
          “Sydney,” Cody yelled up the stairs. “I’m leaving for
school in five minutes.”
          “Good for you,” I yelled back. “I’m not coming.”
          Silence. And then his feet clomped up the stairs. He
reached the hallway.
          “What?” he called. “Sydney? You have to come.” His
voice sounded muffled through the door but his apprehension was almost
tangible.
          “Sick. Staying home,” I yelled. “Female problems. Aunt
Flo.” 
    Geez. Too much information.
    I heard his voice right inside my head.
    Get out of my head , I screamed in my thoughts.
    “Whatever,
I’m not in your head,” he yelled. “I’m out of here.” He clomped back down the
hallway.
    I
made a face. Having a conversation with my brother without opening my mouth was
not my favorite way to communicate.
    Why couldn’t I have gotten a normal sister? Of course I
couldn’t. Not in this family of nut job women.
    I
rubbed my head trying to get his voice out.
    Dad probably took off to get away from the crazy. If he does
come back he’ll take off as soon as Sydney opens her mouth.
    My eyes snapped open. Hey! Not nice! The door slammed behind
him as Cody ran out of the house to his car.
    Another noise I didn’t recognize startled me.
    I grabbed at my throat and whipped around.
    Eyes peered at me from the bed.
          “Oh my God, Magic. You scared me.”
    He purred.
    “Insolent cat.” I grabbed him and he squirmed but I carried
him to the door and dropped him in the hallway.
    I shut the door behind me, marched back to my mom’s walk-in
closet and got down on my knees. I found the latch in the floor and pulled open
the door.
    Something brushed against my leg.
    I screamed.
    Magic rubbed against me, circling my leg.
          “What the heck? Do you walk through doors?” I snapped
at the cat.
          Magic prowled around me kneading the carpet with his
claws and mewing. I glared at him and then shrugged. “I guess there’s no use
throwing you out again.” I ignored his protests and grabbed the book from the
crawl space. I put the door back down and carried the book to the bed and sat,
staring at the cover. Magic purred and padded on top of my bare feet.
    “Yup. That’s you all right,” I told him as I looked at the
picture of the cat.
    I flipped the book open to the picture of my necklace. Chills
ran down my neck. I reached up and rubbed the jewels and a light pulse hummed
under my fingers. I closed the book and studied the spine. The pendant. I
lifted my shirt and touched my shoulder, my fingers lightly tracing the
identical symbol etched into my skin.
          I lay it flat on my lap and opened it again. The pages
were thick and soft under my fingers. I turned past the first page. A single
sentence was etched into the top of the next page.
    “ For every GRANT witch
there is a Sentry. ”
    The letters were fancy with lots of loops and flourishes. I
peered closer. I saw images imprinted into the paper in black and