Page 109 of The Demon's Spell

Nora hesitated and looked back at her parents.

“It’s all right,” I told her. “There’s a wonderful world on the other side where nobody’s sad anymore. Everyone works together, and there’s always time to play.”

I didn’t truly know what Alora was like, but it didn’t feel like I was lying. Somehow, I just knew that’s what it would be like.

“Mother Miriam and all your ancestors are waiting for you,” I told her. “Your parents will be there soon. They won’t forget you.”

Nora took a deep, calming breath before looking up to me one last time. “Thank you, Lucas. I’ll never forget what my reaper did for me.”

She took a step forward, and the light consumed her, until she had vanished completely.

The moment she was gone, I let the tears fall from my eyes. Nora’s parents sobbed across the room, but I was alone in this corner. Nothing mattered right now but the profound moment I shared with Nora.

I’d used my experience with depression for good. It allowed me to see the grief that others felt, and know there was hope on the other side of it. All this time I thought I’d been dealt a shit hand at life, when actually, it made me a better reaper.

For the first time, I wasn’t just grateful for all the awesome things in my life. I was thankful for the bad, too. Because my darkest days enabled me to help people like Nora. Eric’s death… and what I thought was my darkest ending… had been someone else’s brightest beginning.

I’d helped souls cross over. But I was just beginning to understand what being a reaper meant. Not just for me.

But for my coven, too.

CHAPTER 14

NADINE

Ispent the rest of the week tuning in to my intuition. I meditated during my Wednesday dialysis appointment, and I repeated Grammy’s exercise during class. What felt heavy, what felt light? What kind of stories was I telling myself that weren’t necessarily true? My mind raced, and I had to stop by the campus store to pick up a new journal so I could jot it all down. I missed most of what Professor Hernandez said in Enchanting, because I kept coming up with new ideas.

Talia found me in the cafeteria Thursday evening, jotting in my notebook while I nibbled on grapes. Gus bounded up to Isa’s side, and I dropped them both cat treats.

“What’s that?” Talia asked as she set her tray across from me.

“Grammy taught me some things about intuition, and I’m journaling about it,” I told her, flipping through the notebook. “I’ve filled twenty pages.”

Talia’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, you got all that from your intuition?”

“It’s not all intuitive hits. I’m more or less learning what my intuition isn’t saying. I think if I can break down some of my thought patterns, I can open myself more to these messages.”

Talia leaned across the table, looking interested in my process. “Can you give me an example?”

I turned back a few pages and scanned my notes. “Okay, here’s a story I’ve been telling myself… We’ve hit a dead end with the Wands. So I ask myself if that’s the ultimate truth or not. I said no, that it’s not. We have all kinds of clues, and perhaps the location of the Wands is staring us in the face. We just need a new perspective.”

“Could your intuition guide you to this new perspective?” Talia asked, poking her alfredo with her fork.

“I think so.”

“Where does your intuition say to look?”

I thought about it for a moment. “My initial reaction says there’s nowhere else to look, but that feels heavy. It’s clearly not true, because we would’ve found the Wands if it was.”

Talia swallowed her food. “Okay, try this. True for false… the rumors are true. There’s a Wand inside the school.”

“True,” I answered. “That feels light. I’m pretty sure it’s here.”

“How about this? True or false. There’s a clue inside the school that will lead us to the Wand.”

That statement was harder to discern, but after a few moments, I realized it felt light. “Yeah, I think there is.”

“Why don’t we use your intuition to find this clue?” Talia asked.

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