Chapter Thirty-One
I noticed it out of the corner of my eye. Just a soft shimmer, right at the crack beneath the cellar door.
At first, I thought it might be a trick of the firelight, but the fire was dying low, barely more than a glow in the hearth. And this… this had a greenish tinge to it. Faint, like moss in moonlight. Definitely not fire.
“Keegan?” I called, not taking my eyes off the door. He was in the kitchen and peeked his head out.
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever seen that before?” I pointed. “The light coming from the cellar?”
He turned, looked, then frowned slightly.
“No,” he said, wiping his hands. “I haven’t.”
I stayed rooted, one foot tucked under me on the couch. Frank looked concerned, waddled over, and gave it a sniff.
“It’s not doing that thing where my imagination’s just trying to make something out of shadows, right? Because that’s been a thing recently.”
“Nope. That’s real.” He was already heading over. “Want me to go take a look?”
I shrugged, though I wasn’t feeling nearly as calm as I hoped I looked. “Sure. I mean, unless it’s ghost-related.”
Miora’s voice hummed from somewhere and nowhere at the same time. “It’s not a ghost.”
He grinned at me, hand on the latch. “If I don’t come back up, remember me fondly. Or at least make sure no one messes with my magic.”
“Deal.”
The door creaked as he lifted it, and the green light flickered brighter briefly before it faded to a soft pulse. He descended without another word.
I waited, hands wrapped around the lukewarm mug I’d forgotten I was drinking from. I listened. The cellar had always been quiet.
A few seconds passed. Then the stairs creaked again. Keegan reappeared and looked at me.
“It’s Bella,” he said. “She’s using the pedestal. She wants to talk to you.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Bella? From the Academy? I thought the pedestal just showed things.”
He nodded. “They’re handy inventions.”
I set my mug down, stood, and laughed. “Well, I guess this is what happens until we can get cell service at the Academy or a landline.”
He chuckled. “That will never happen.”
“Never say never.”
I followed him as the reminders of another time floated through my mind.
I’ll never forget the first time I learned about the pedestal and what it showed me. The cellar smelled the way it always did—cool, a little damp, and there were hints of sage and rosemary from the hanging bundles.
But now it had that faint hum in the air. The kind you feel more than hear. Magic, old and working again.
As I stood in the cellar and glanced around fondly, thinking back to the newness of everything, Bella’s image shimmered on the pedestal. At first, the image was a little wobbly around the edges, but unmistakably her. She looked nervous. Her hair was pulled back, and her mouth set in that way it always did when she was thinking too fast to talk right away.
I was pretty sure it was a fox thing.
“Maeve,” she said when she saw me. “Good. You’re there.”
“I am.” I stepped a little closer. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, then paused. “I mean, I’m not hurt. Nothing’s on fire. But I didn’t want to send a letter or leave the Academy to tell you.”
My stomach dropped just a little. “What’s going on?”
“It’s your grandmother,” Bella said. Her voice was quiet, like she was trying not to startle anything that might be listening. “Not…she’s not in danger. At least not that I know of. It’s about her past. Something I found in the Archives down in the basement. I’m not sure I was meant to stumble into that room.”
I stepped closer to the pedestal. “Okay. What did you find?”
She hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek as she always did when thinking hard.
“That’s the thing. I don’t want to say over this connection. It’s not as secure as I’d like. Someone could be listening. Probably not. But possibly. I’d rather just show you.”
I crossed my arms, knowing the Academy didn’t show things it didn’t want found. “Okay.”
I took a breath. The pedestal pulsed gently, like it was trying to agree with her.
“I’ll leave right away. I just want to get Frank settled because who knows how long I’ll be away this time.”
The truth was that ever since I learned he was my dad, and he almost got stolen from me, I didn’t want to go anywhere without him.
Bella gave a tired half-smile. “Sounds good.”
I nodded. “You’re sure my grandma’s okay?”
“I haven’t found anything saying otherwise,” she said. “But you know how it is. Sometimes what’s missing says more than what’s there.”
I hated how right she was about that.
“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”
“Thank you,” she said, and just before the image started to fade, she added, “Bring your intuition. You’re going to need it.”
Then she was gone.
The glow faded with her, leaving the pedestal looking dull and heavy again, like it hadn’t done anything but collect dust for the past year. I exhaled, rubbed my hands over my face, and stood in the stillness of the cellar, trying not to feel the weight of all the things she hadn’t said.
Keegan rubbed the back of his neck. “You want me to walk you there?”
I looked over at him and almost said yes for a second.
But something in me resisted. This wasn’t just a magical errand or quest to unravel a town mystery. It was about my family and past, and I needed time to clear my head before I arrived at the Academy. Whatever Bella found felt personal, making me want to walk into it alone.
“I think I should do this solo,” I said gently.
He nodded. No protest. Just a steady look, the kind that told me he understood, even if he didn’t like it.
We walked up the steps, and I looked over at my dad. I went over to him and knelt.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I have to go to the Academy again. It has to do with Grandma. Bella says she’s fine, but something she found in the Archives might be interesting. Do you know anything about that?”
A flicker of something ran through his gaze, and I wished I knew his thoughts. I hugged my dad one last time and stood, making my way to the door.
“I think this might happen a little more,” Keegan said.
I paused. “What might?”
“You. Going off to follow magic at the Academy. Or gain answers. Or whatever it is this time.”
He wasn’t accusing. Just stating a truth.
“Yeah,” I said. “I think so too.”
He nodded once. “I know we can’t predict things like this with the Academy, but something feels different.”
“I agree.” I smiled at Keegan as his understanding coated me in comfort. “While I’m gone… would you mind keeping an eye on my mom? I know the list just keeps growing…”
“I sure will,” he said, with a small grin.
That should’ve been the end of it, but I turned toward the door, ready to start walking outside.
But the second I opened it, there she was.
My mom, standing just outside the cottage with wind-tangled hair and a look on her face like she’d just run the last stretch. She looked nothing like when she first arrived, when she was all coifed and prepped.
“Good timing,” I said, blinking at her.
She waved her hand like she could swat away the surprise.
“I was just coming to tell you. I got word. Your stepfather…he’s coming home. He’s finally come to his senses.”
I blinked. “What?”
“He’s already booked passage from the next port. There was a moment of clarity somewhere between Nassau and Bimini. Says he wants to come back and figure things out.”
“Wait—he called ?”
“He wrote,” she said, pulling a letter from her coat pocket. “Well. Emailed.”
I laughed in disbelief. “So just like that?”
She held up a hand.
“I’m not saying I’m jumping right back into anything. But… it’s enough. Enough to feel like I don’t need to be here anymore. Not because of him. Because of me. Stonewick…it reminded me I still have some spark left. That I’m not just someone waiting for someone else to figure out what they want.”
I looked at her, her cheeks flushed with the morning chill, her eyes clearer than they’d been since she arrived.
“You sure?” I asked. “Sure you want to leave?”
She nodded, stepped closer, and touched my cheek like she used to when I was small. “I needed this place. And you. More than I knew. But I also know when it’s time to move on. I’m not done trying. And I think I’d like to try from my front porch with my coffee cup.”
I swallowed hard, suddenly unsure how to say goodbye.
“I’m glad you came,” I said, surprised that I meant it.
“So am I,” she whispered, then added, “I’ll be out by evening. Just have to pack the last of my sweaters and convince the gargoyles to forgive me for leaving.”
I laughed again, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. She squeezed my hand, then looked over my shoulder at Keegan, still lingering in the doorway.
“You keep her safe,” she told him.
“Always.” He nodded and glanced at me.
“I don’t know what’s in store for Stonewick.” My mom looked at Frank and then back at me. “But something tells me, big changes are coming.”
“Love you, Mom.” I hugged her, and she turned and walked to her car.
Keegan stepped beside me. “You ready?”
“Yeah. I’ll just head off out back.”
He nodded. No argument. Just his hand brushing mine, quick and warm.
And I wondered how much of what I’d said earlier stuck with him. I wasn’t even sure what all spewed out from that spell, but it didn’t seem to change anything between us. There wasn’t any awkwardness, just understanding.
I stepped off the back porch, zipped my coat, and turned to him.
“Hey…can we not mention my aversion spell fiasco?”
He smiled and tapped his chest. “Your secret is safe with me…or should I say secrets?”
I shook my head and laughed.
And so I went. I didn’t feel like taking the goblin tunnels. The woods felt protective, and I was certain I’d sense the perimeter of the Academy when the time came.
But all I knew was that something was waiting for me there—answers maybe, or truths I hadn’t been ready to hear until now.
Because that was how Stonewick always seemed to work.