Page 101 of Charmed, I'm Sure
Could I have done this with a little sprinkle of magic? Sure. But I always felt more accomplished when I did it with my own two hands. Besides, no amount of magic could quell the anxiety still churning in my stomach.
Plopping down on one of the barstools at the island, I paused my audiobook, pulled off my headphones, and chugged the last of my water. I needed to get a grip before my aunt and sister got back. Letting my head fall onto my crossed arms, I took deep, steadying breaths. Surely it wouldn’t be that bad… right?
A soft bell jingle pulled me upright as Hermeownie trotted into the kitchen, letting out a trill of greeting before stretching up on her hind legs, her paws resting against my thighs. The moment we touched, her thoughts brushed into my mind.
“Up, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a laugh, scooping her into my lap.
She circled twice before collapsing into a warm puddle of orange and white fur, her purrs vibrating against me.“Evie and Maddie just turned down the drive. Are you ready?”
“Ready?” I echoed, but Hermeownie only stared, her strong Maine Coon features on full display. “Am I that obvious?”
“You’ve been anxious since you stepped through the door. And you never clean like that unless you think you’re going to get into trouble for something.”
“Ouch!”
“Truth hurts, witchling. But I will stay with you if you’d like.”
“I think I would, actually. Thanks.”
Hermeownie gave a satisfied nod, then closed her eyes, settling in for the conversation I really didn’t want to have. I hadn’t even figured out how to start it before the front door swung open.
“Hiya, Magpie! I didn’t know you’d be home.” Aunt Evie’s smile felt like a sledgehammer to my heart.
This was going to suck.
“Did you clean?” Maddie’s voice pitched up an octave as she scanned the pristine room in disbelief.
“Magnolia, what’s—”
“Taylor knows I’m a witch.”
“Well, that was one way to do it, I guess,”Hermeownie’s sardonic tone wrapped around my mind.
“Shush,” I admonished in a whisper to the orange fluff ball teetering on the edge of getting dumped off my lap. She only purred in response, smug.
“Excuse me?!” Aunt Evie’s sharp voice yanked my attention back to where she and Maddie stood frozen in the doorway, grocery bags looped over their forearms, fingers going red from the weight.
“I, uh… Taylor caught me using magic at his house this morning.”
“Mother, Maiden, and Crone.”The words rushed out as Aunt Evie stalked toward the counter, dropping her bags. Maddie, meanwhile, had gone stark white, her feet seemingly rooted to the floor.
“Mads? You okay?” I asked hesitantly. My middle sister was usually the calm one, but when someone pushed the right button at the wrong time, she went off like a firecracker. And I had the distinctly unfortunate feeling I’d just jammed my finger into that button.
“Am I—You didnotjust ask me that asinine question.” Jarred from her stupor, she stormed across the kitchen and dropped her bags with a thud.
“Careful! One of those might have the eggs in it, Madison!” Evie snapped. Then, with a deep breath, she fixed her gaze on me. “Explain.”
It only took a few minutes to run through the events of the morning, but it felt like the longest minutes of my life. Aunt Evie’s face shifted from irritation to something resembling understanding—though I wouldn’t go so far as to say she completely got it. Maddie, on the other hand, was unimpressed, her brows knitting together in a way that looked permanent by the time I finished.
“Are you certain he won’t say anything?” my aunt asked.
“Of course he’s going to say something! He’s Taylor Hallows!” Maddie screeched.
“Hey!” I shot back.
“What? He tormented you in high school, didn’t he? Why wouldn’t he go blabbing this all over town?”
