Page 11 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
Had it only been a few days since they’d retrieved Cerby from camp and hanging out with his best friend? Mia covered her mouth and yawned. “My bad. I’m not keeping everything straight lately.”
“It’s the dragon breath,” Abigail informed her as she set a plate in front of Mia. It held an omelet with a hollandaise sauce over the top as well as three slices of bacon. It might not be good for their marriage, but Mia loved it when Abigail came to stay with her. “It can mess with your thoughts and emotions until you’re used to it. Most coven kids get shots when they are five for the problem. I guess you didn’t?”
Grans shook her head. “Mia’s mom, Theresa, refused to let me deal with anything magical around Mia. She didn’t want Mia to find out about this life. So no vaccines.”
“Who would have expected a dragon to show up?” Mia joked, but the others didn’t laugh. Instead they were all staring at her like she’d grown a second head or something.
Abigail finally sat down to eat after turning off the stove. “You’re also changing colors. That’s not good. Anyway, that’s why we give the vaccines. You never know when a dragon will show up, and dragon breath is a real problem. I’ll call the coven and have them come over today.”
“I thought you said I’d get used to it?” Mia stared at her food. Was her plate empty? Or did she already eat? The room was getting fuzzy. “Grans? I’m not feeling well . . .”
* * *
When Mia woke, she was back in her bed. She glanced down at her clothes, but she wasn’t in her pajamas. “It wasn’t a dream.”
Trent sat in a chair next to her. He set the book down he’d been reading. “No, sorry, it wasn’t a dream. You went down at breakfast. The coven medical specialist has been here and given you a shot. She says you should be right as rain by the end of the day. I’m sorry Cerby’s friend made you sick. I didn’t even think.”
“How would you know that I hadn’t had a vaccine?” Mia scooted up in bed and groaned when a wave of dizziness hit her. “I didn’t even know I needed one.”
“But I did,” Grans said as she came into the room with a tray.
Mia could smell the chicken soup as soon as Grans stepped into the doorway. “I think I’m just overwhelmed with everything. Don’t blame yourself. Maybe I’m not ready to take over the kitchen witch role. I’m probably not going to pass my exam Monday anyway.”
“Don’t say such things, child,” Grans scolded as she put the tray on the bed over Mia. “Intentions are half the battle. If you think you’re going to fail, you will. You have more natural ability than I had when I started my journey. Besides, I’ll be around for a long time to help you out unless I’m traveling. Robert and I want to start seeing the world.”
“I love the idea of you traveling.” Mia picked up her spoon. “Where are you heading first?”
“Obviously Italy.” Grans sat next to Mia on the bed as they talked. Anytime Mia would try to set the spoon down, she’d urge her to eat more. “Just one more bite, dear.”
Mia felt the spell’s effects before she realized what her grandmother had done. She’d dosed the soup. “I have too much to do . . .”
Then she dropped the spoon in the bowl, and she felt the tray being taken away. She could still hear Grans and Trent talking, even though she couldn’t open her eyes.
“Did you have to knock her out?” Trent asked. Mia could hear the concern in his voice.
“When those shots are given to children, they sleep for a week. She’ll be fine by dinner, and then her head will be clear. Right now, there’s nothing anyone can do anyway until the coven calls about Howard. Since you’re here, I could use some help in the library. The archive spell’s being . . .”
And then sleep overtook her, and she didn’t hear the rest.
When she woke, the sun had set, and she felt back to normal. She slowly sat up in bed. No dizziness. No fuzziness. The shot had cured her reaction to dragon breath. Thank goodness this hadn’t happened when she had been at the Lodge. She would have found herself in the hospital getting tested for any number of things. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She thought about what she’d say calling in. “Sorry, I can’t come to work as a dragon has poisoned me and I’m fighting off the vaccine.”
At least her current boss would understand. One positive for working for Blake. She wondered if the newest witch was linked into the coven gossip train enough to have heard about what had happened.
Mia looked around for her phone, but it wasn’t in her room.
She slipped on shoes, and then headed out to the living area. No one was there. She grabbed a soda out of the fridge and glanced out the window. A firepit glowed in the backyard, and she could see people gathered around it. “Everyone must be outside,” she said, taking a second drink. The sweetness of the soda was helping.
“Duh,” Gloria said from behind her.
Mia spun around. “You’ve never talked before.”
This time the doll only giggled.
The apartment felt empty except for the doll and her connection to the Goddess. For a minute, Mia wondered if she was even awake. Maybe this was a dream. Then she banged her knee into a trunk someone had left in the hallway. Probably Grans or Abigail, since she’d come to stay the weekend.
Mia wondered if her staying here was for Abigail’s sake or her own. This family, or mini coven, seemed to close ranks here at the academy whenever trouble brewed in Magic Springs.
When she reached the first floor, a knock sounded at the door. She hadn’t heard the security system go off when she was upstairs, and she didn’t want to take the time to check the screens in her office. It was probably Mark Baldwin, coming to see if she’d found out anything. He wouldn’t understand that she’d been asleep all day, but Sarah could explain it to him.
