Page 8 of The Most Wanted Witch

Oh shit. Maybe he couldn’t. He went out by himself all the time, and nothing ever went near him either. Were the grouslies afraid of him as well? I wanted to groan into my hands. This was why I shouldn’t be contributing. Now maybe he’d learn.

Hawk was giving me a look like I’d stepped in it. Bibbi was staring as if I’d stabbed her repeatedly in the chest. No one else was stepping up either.

“I just worry, but I know you’re capable,” I said to her.

“Good. It’s settled, then. We should do it soon. Maybe tomorrow?”

Hawk shrugged, as if he’d given up this fight. He never gave up a fight. What was wrong with him?

The rest of us seemed shell-shocked.

“I’m going to go pick out an outfit,” Bibbi said, near skipping from the room. The rest of them disappeared in pairs afterward, Zab and Oscar, and then Bertha and Musso, all probably heading out to gossip about how badly I’d messed that up.

As soon as the room cleared, I headed straight to where Hawk was fixing himself a drink.

“Why didn’t you intervene? We can’t let Bibbi do this. She could get hurt.”

“We’ll be there.” He sipped his tea, as if it was another day in the office.

“I’d rather it be someone else,” I said, not budging.

“No one else volunteered, and I can’t do it. You’re the one who backed her play. You should’ve considered some of this beforehand.”

“You didn’t even want this to happen, and now you’re going to let her do it?”

“Are you admitting that you purposefully ignored me?” Hawk asked.

“Obviously.” Did that even have to be said? He knew it. I knew it. Now he was going to make a thing of it? “You can’t let this happen just because you’re mad at me.”

“That’s not the case. But if you want to stop her, you should do that.” He leaned against the counter, saying nothing else.

I walked out.

5

There was a soft rap at my door before Bibbi whispered, “Tippi, you awake?”

“Yeah, come in.” I sat up, putting Dusty, who’d just gone invisible, to the side.

She walked in, glancing both ways down the hall before she shut the door softly.

“What’s wrong? Everything okay?” I asked.

She pulled a grey piece of paper out of her pocket and held it out to me. “A stealth flash came for you.”

I took the folded slip that was the color of mist and seemed to almost disappear if you held it a certain way. “What’s a stealth flash?”

“It’s like a newsflash but secret. Whoever sent it messed up, because it kept banging on my window.” She pointed to my name. “It’s clearly addressed to you.”

I flipped it open.

I have important information. Meet me at the tree in the square at quarter past moonrise. Come alone.

Mertie

I closed the note. “Bibbi, how soon is quarter past moonrise?”

She walked over to the window and looked up. “Just a little bit from now. Why? What’s that?” She lifted her head, trying to peek at the note.

---