Page 15 of The Secret Life of a Witch

“I may not have been badass in the past, but I think it might be time to change that.” I put on my best interrogation face. “Now, come on; tell me what this place is.”

A surrendering sigh escapes him. “Fine, I’ll tell you. But please don’t judge me … or your sister.” He waits for me nod before continuing, “It’s a place where all your wishes are brought to life.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It might not sound bad, but imagine seeing all your fears, worries, dreams, and desires brought to life in front of you for you to live out.”

“Okay, I might see how some of that could be bad, especially the fear part.” I pick at my fingernails, feeling lost. “Why would you guys choose to do that?”

“Because part of it is fun, like the dreams and desires …” Wariness briefly flickers across his face before he hastily clears his throat. “Anyway, the worries and fears part sucks ass. But it’s a package deal. If you want to see your dreams and desires, you have to face your fears and worries first.”

I trace my finger along the edge of the card. “And you guys wanted to do that?”

He shrugs, staring down at the ground. “I was curious about some stuff.”

“And what about my sister? Was she curious also?”

He shrugs again. “I’m not really sure what she was searching for, or if she was searching for anything. From what I understand, she regularly hung out at the place.” He tears his face off the floor and meets my gaze. “I was honestly kind of surprised she hung out there, considering the rough crowd it draws in.”

“Just how rough, exactly?”

“Werewolves, vampire … demons.”

“Demons?” My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “Why would my sister hang out at a place like that?”

Sure, some werewolves and vampires are sketchy as fuck, but most aren’t bad. Like Peyton, who can be a tad annoying but is decent at heart. But demons … Never have I heard of a good demon.

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” I answer my own question.

Hunter shakes his head. “No, I already said you shouldn’t go?—”

I place my finger over his lips. “This is my sister, Hunter. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to find her. So, either you’re with me or you’re not, but I am going.”

His chest puffs out as he heaves a sigh. “Fine. I’ll go with you. But only after we take the magic residue sample to the expert and talk to the newspaper. I want going to The Illuminating Horror House of Truth to be the last resort.”

I nod, standing. “Deal.”

I leave the conversation at that and head upstairs to change, a thousand unanswered questions haunting my mind. What was my sister doing at a place with demons? Better yet, what she was doing at a place that revealed what she kept hidden in her mind? What was she looking for? What was Hunter looking for?

Most of all, how did I not know about this part of their lives?

How much more do I not know?

EVALEE

Ihurry up the stairs to my bedroom and peel my pajamas off, nearly tripping over Maple as I do. She hisses at me as if I’m the one who was laying in the middle of the room, just waiting around to be tripped over. Shaking my head, I throw on a pair of cut-off shorts and a black tank top, before tying a plaid jacket around my waist since the fall weather in Mystic Willow Bay can be sort of iffy. To top off the look, I trace my eyes with kohl liner, comb my hair, and slip on a pair of clunky velvet boots.

I don’t bother glancing in the mirror before I head out of my room, but I do grab the emergency wad of cash I keep stashed in my sock drawer. I have an unsettling feeling that today is going to turn into an emergency cash sort of day. I’ve had these unsettling feelings previously, and usually I’m not wrong.

As I’m rushing down the cluttered hall toward the stairway, Opal bounces out of her room right in front of me. Thankfully, I manage to slam on the brakes before I topple into the diamond encrusted, paper thin wings spanning out of her back. Otherwise, I might have ended up taking a trip to faerie land (FYI, because fey wings carry the power of realm teleportation).

“Hey!” she chirps, her eyes bright and shiny, her wings flapping behind her. “I was just about to go look for you.”

“Really?” I question. “With your wings out?”

A crease forms between her brows as she cranes her neck to look behind her. “Whoopsie. I thought I put those bad boys away.” With a snap of her fingers, her wings fold and shrink until they vanish completely. “There you go.” She dusts off her hands. “You’re officially safe from any accidental teleportation.”

“Thanks. Although, it is a shame you can’t keep them out more. They’re so pretty.”

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