Page 92 of The Glittering Edge

“A truth serum?” she asks, hoping he’ll say she’s wrong.

“I was up stirring it all night,” Alonso says. “Longest arm workout of my life—”

Penny squeezes the vial in her hand. “Alonso, we can’t.”

“You don’t even know what it’s for.”

“Yes, I do. We said we wouldn’t use any magic on Dylan—” Penny frowns. “Wait, why are you giving this to me?”

Alonso raises an eyebrow, and then Penny gets it. Dylan comes to Horizon Café regularly for coffee. Penny can put the truth serum in her drink.

“Hey.” Alonso leans down to look Penny in the eyes. “All you have to do is ask her a few direct questions about her family, their magic, if she knows anything about the curse. She’ll answer you for five minutes, and then it’ll wear off. She won’t remember. No harm done.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“This spell isn’t complicated, Penny. It hasn’t been outlawed by the Council, and that’s for a reason.” He crosses his arms. “You and I both know Corey won’t help us with this. We’re basically doing him a favor.”

Penny feels herself giving in. Alonso is right—something as simple as this truth serum could tell them if the Mayberrys cursed the Barrions. Maybe Dylan doesn’t have the answers they need, but this is a way to find out what she knows. Penny’s mom is running out of time, and it almost doesn’t feel like a choice.

Penny sighs, pocketing the serum. “I’m not promising anything.”

“That’s fine. But we only have two and a half weeks until the full moon.”

Penny doesn’t look at him again as she climbs into the Prius and drives off.

It’s one thing to try to break a curse and save her mom’s life. But this feels different—because when does magic go too far?

Corey

“COREY?”

Corey presses pause on the show he was watching and looks up from his phone with bleary eyes. He’s not sure how long he’s been sitting in the chair next to Mrs. Emberly’s hospital bed. He couldn’t stand to be at home; it’s one of those days where even talking to his family makes him angry. Everyone knows Grandpa Charles changed the hierarchy, and now Corey will be CEO after his dad retires, but nobody is addressing it. They’re all pretending this is the way it’s always been. Meanwhile, Julian is avoiding him, while Corey’s dad and grandfather keep emailing him reports and financials.

Today, it was too much, so Corey turned his phone to “do not disturb” and came to the hospital. If home is miserable, at least he can visit Mrs. Emberly. It’s better than wallowing in self-pity.

Except Corey forgot to text Penny he was here. He thought he’d be in and out, but looking at the clock, he’s been here for two hours.

“Sorry,” Corey says. “I should’ve told you I was coming over.”

Penny frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” He stands up. “Here, take my seat.”

Penny shakes her head and goes to stand by the window. She’s wearing a blue tank top, and she looks exhausted.

“How are you?” Corey says. “I know it’s a stupid question.”

“I’m fine. The bike polo took it out of me.”

Corey frowns. “The what?”

Penny laughs under her breath. “Never mind.”

Corey doesn’t want to sit back down, so he goes to stand beside her. He clears his throat, feeling almost awkward. He may not always be outgoing, but he’s never awkward. He knows how to talk to people, to figure out what they want to hear, and he’s more than happy to give them exactly what they want. But with Penny, he’s not sure what to say, and that unnerves him. She’s kind, and easy to get along with, and maybe the least judgmental person he’s ever met. So why can’t he be himself? Maybe it’s the lie he told Dylan. It’s harder to look someone in the eyes after you’ve thrown them under the bus. Or maybe it’s something else.

My type.The echo is hidden in Corey’s memory, and it’s showing itself at the worst moments.

“Did something happen at home?” Penny asks.

---