Page 108 of Magic's Dawn

I fill in a number five square. “You know, you’re not so bad since you got stabbed.”

“And you were more pleasant when you were unconscious.” She jabs a finger at another five in the same line. “You got it wrong again.”

“So I did.” I erase the five and write a six. “How’s it going, now that you’re back home?”

“It’s quieter.” A long pause follows. “I miss the bacon deliveries.”

I peek at her from the corner of my eye. “Are you asking me to be your best friend?”

She snorts. “No, I’m telling you I like bacon.”

“Then go to Nesse’s Diner.” I write in a four, then erase it when she twitches. “It’s not like the bacon fairy was making it herself.”

“So the bacon fairy only cares about little old ladies when they’re still recovering from being stabbed after saving their life?” She points to an empty square. “Three.”

I set down my pencil to look at her. “If you want the bacon fairy to bring bacon, then you should invite them over. Entering a house without being invited is a felony.”

She squints at me again. “Do bacon fairies need a written invitation?”

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt.” I pick up my pencil and write in the number three. “The bacon fairy has never received a written invitation before.”

A harrumph comes from her. “That’s because electronics ruined the world.”

“Well, the bacon fairy frequently misplaces their phone, so a letter would probably be better.” With no more empty boxes, I give myself a one-hundred percent in the top right corner and add a star for good measure.

“You’re nothing like Charlene,” Mrs. Smith announces.

I pause in the process of starting a new puzzle. “Should I say thank you? Or how dare you?”

“Your grandma was a noble woman,” Mrs. Smith says. “And by all accounts, a great witch.”

“So I keep hearing,” I mutter.

“But she never ate at Nesse’s Diner except on special occasions,” Mrs. Smith says. “And she didn’t go out of her way to visit the injured or take a personal interest in the town. It’s easy to admire a figurehead, less easy to tolerate a yipping pup dancing around everyone’s ankles.”

“Am I the yipping pup?” I ask, already missing the bacon fairy title.

“Charlene never tried to change anything, except for that one time she petitioned for your father to be allowed within the barrier.” Mrs. Smith’s eyes grow distant. “She wanted your mother to come home, and she kept attending the town council meetings until we finally gave in. I guess you share her stubbornness. But she never once simply put her foot down or used threats to get her way.”

“Instead of blaming me for that, blame the system that relies so much on the Wendall and Hartford families that it can’t function without them.” I run my finger down the seam of the puzzle book to flatten it. “And I refuse to be a figurehead. I’ve brought you a dozen witches to fill in the Wendall spot, so go elect one of them.”

“That’s something else Charlene never would have done.” Mrs. Smith leans back in her chair and folds her hands in her lap. “She enjoyed being special on her hill, looking down on all of us.”

My head snaps toward the little old lady. “You didn’t like my grandma, did you?”

“I liked that she minded her own business.” Mrs. Smith looks away. “But, no, I didn’t like your grandma.”

I push the table aside and turn to face her, glad Dr. Lopez had removed my IV yesterday. “Go on.”

“It’s not a very unique story. Suffice it to say, I had a lover.” She rolls her eyes when I shudder. “We were young and in love, despite not being mates. He was an outsider who moved to town after one of our gatherings.”

“Orgies,” I whisper.

She ignores me. “We planned to have pups. But I made the mistake of taking him up to the big house for a blessing.”

Already seeing where this is going, I raise my hands to my mouth. “Oh, no.”

She huffs. “I told you it wasn’t a unique story. Needless to say, I didn’t get a blessing, and my lover moved into the big house.”

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