Page 63 of The Glittering Edge

The voice comes from the dock, and the sound of it makes tears spring to Penny’s eyes. Her mom is there, her bare feet on the unstable wooden planks.

“I’m so lost, sweet pea,” Anita says. “I don’t know how long I’ve been here.”

“Mom, watch out!” Penny says, but the dock is already breaking, and Anita is falling.

Penny screams, and she throws herself into the water to go after her mom. But she never hits the surface; she keeps falling, and falling…

Penny wakes up covered in sweat. Her neck is sore from the way she was curled up in the chair. Beside her, Anita’s heart monitor is beeping rapidly.

“Mom,” Penny says, and she’s about to press the button to call the nurses. But the peaks and valleys level out. Anita’s heart rate is steady again.

That didn’t feel like a dream. It was too vivid. It felt like…

Like a memory.

Penny grabs her phone. She overslept; she should’ve left for Bloomington already, but she pushes that thought aside as she googlesGiovanni De Luca. There’s a scanned photograph of him from a newspaper story about the fire at the old Meredith House. Penny zooms in, and even through the graininess of the photo, she sees it: the scar along his chin.

“How did I know?” she mutters.

As Penny searches Ellie Barrion’s name, she already knows what she’ll find. Staring back at her is a woman with the same dark bob, the same kind eyes.

Penny has never seen their faces before. So how did they end up in her dream?

Corey

AFTER TWO HOURS OF VERY AWKWARD SILENCE, THE COZY MYSTERYBook Club arrives at Second World Emporium.

Corey is desperate to get out of the car, but when he remembers where they are, he cranes his neck to look around first. The occult shop is in a strip mall in the middle of Bloomington.SECOND WORLD EMPORIUMhangs over the storefronts. TheSin the sign is crooked, and birds have nested in theUand one of theOs. The windows are completely blacked out, and the door isn’t glass; it’s all dark wood, and it wouldn’t be out of place in a dungeon or a Renaissance fair.

Above the door there’s a small window, and in it, a sign flashes neon green:OPEN.

“Why aren’t there other cars in the parking lot?” Corey asks. His voice sounds like a scream in the quiet AC.

Alonso points to a rusty Toyota Corolla on the other end. “There’s one.”

Somehow, that doesn’t make Corey feel better.

He gets out of the car, but Alonso stays put in the back seat. Corey knocks on the window, but there’s awhirras the car doors lock.

I’m not coming, Alonso mouths.

“We thought it would be better if you and I went inside first,” Penny says. “Since Alonso’s family doesn’t have the best reputation.”

“Right,” Corey mutters. “I should’ve expected Alonso to let us fend for ourselves with a coven we don’t even know.”

Penny glances at Alonso. “They might take his magic away, Corey. Ifthis conversation doesn’t go well, we need to leave as fast as possible. If they find out about Alonso, we won’t be able to do the curse-breaker.”

“Oh.” Corey should’ve thought of that.

They walk together, staying close. Penny moves to open the door, but Corey steps in front of her.

“Stay behind me,” he says, glancing at her over his shoulder.

Penny smiles. “I’m fine, you know.”

“Then do it for me. I’ll feel better.” He pushes the door open.

The first thing Corey notices is the incense, which is so intense it almost knocks him over. But as soon as the interior of the shop comes into view, he forgets all about the smell. Corey was picturing something straight out of a fantasy movie, complete with jars of body parts, animal skulls, and plants that might eat you if you get too close. But inside Second World Emporium, there’s nothing at all. Apart from a counter with a cash register, it’s empty.

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