Chapter Four
After the confrontation at witch school, Lily’s stomach had been in knots. All she needed was for Chrysanthemum to share what she’d overheard with Luke. Knowing how Chrysanthemum hated her, no doubt she’d try to make Lily sound like an obsessed stalker, and that could ruin everything.
Since he’d waltzed into her math class, Lily had become ever more certain that Luke was her Knight of Wands and a necessary piece of her perfect senior year. Even if the fact that he’d sat next to Chrysanthemum should have cast that in doubt. Or that he’d had lunch with her. Three days in a row.
That was all okay, because Luke had sat next to her in AP Physics, which was blissfully Chrysanthemum-free. (Chrysanthemum took AP Chemistry. Lily had absolutely not chosen a science course this year based on which one she’d overheard Chrysanthemum planning to take, but it might have solidified her decision.)
“So, is Lily short for Lilian?”
he’d asked their first day.
“I just met a Chrys that’s short for Chrysanthemum, so I’m suspicious of people named after flowers now.”
Lily’s jaw clenched as she smiled.
“No, I’m just Lily. Is Luke short for Lucas?”
“Nope. I’m just Luke. Lucky us with the four-letter names. I’m sure we had a much easier time learning to spell them.”
He grinned, and the dimple emerged.
Lily’s breath didn’t catch, but again, that was okay. She was very aware that other girls in the class were watching Luke smile at her, and maybe that meant she ought to focus on the conflict part of her tarot reading. The falling in love could come later, after she got to know him.
So Lily had peppered Luke with questions: Where did he move from (Tampa), why did they move (his dad got a job managing one of the large hotels on the island), how did he like it here (he was nervous about starting a new school, but so far everyone was really friendly)?
“Probably Spanish and choir,”
Luke said in response to her question about his favorite classes so far.
“I didn’t see you in choir, so are you in band or orchestra?”
“I had a year of recorder and a year of violin like everyone else.”
Lily pressed her fingers together, preferring to forget the classes where she hadn’t naturally excelled.
“I discovered my talents lay elsewhere.”
Luke chuckled at that.
“I bet you’re class president or something instead. You have that look of being a popular overachiever.”
Lily stared at him.
“Did someone tell you that?”
“No. Wait, was I right?”
Luke seemed to find that hilarious, and Lily couldn’t help but laugh with him—even if she wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or insulted that she’d been so easily categorized.
In the end, she’d decided on pleased. It meant Luke understood her, and that was obviously a sign that she was on the right track with her plan.
Even though it was promising to be her most challenging class, Lily began looking forward to physics. Luke was fun to talk to, and she liked the idea that he sang, since musicians were hot. Luke had plenty of true-love potential besides his cute face, although that cute face would look great next to hers in their future prom and yearbook photos.
One day, Lily expected, her pulse would catch up with these facts and start fluttering.
In the meantime, she had to wonder what was the deal with him hanging out with Chrysanthemum? Could she have cast a love spell on him? As much as Lily hated to admit it, she had to believe Chrysanthemum was powerful enough to perform such a spell.
Whatever the reason, Lily had to do something about it. If Luke was her Knight of Wands, then she’d identified the true source of her five of Wands—Chrysanthemum. Never mind that half the school was competing to capture Luke’s heart. Chrysanthemum was the real source of conflict, and possibly Lily should have expected that.
After all, Chrysanthemum was the source of most of Lily’s problems.
There was no time to waste. She had to go on the offensive, and that began today. Her intentions were so focused, Ms. LaPlant would be proud. But Lily wasn’t going to cast a spell. Her plan was much simpler.
She was going to host a party for Luke.
It was perfect. Someone inevitably held a back-to-school bash every September, so why not her? The only hitch was that she couldn’t do it this weekend, but that could work in her favor. Two weeks gave her plenty of time to plan and more time for the anticipation to build.
Strategically, she could make the party about introducing Luke to everyone and anyone who mattered on the island (ridding him of Chrysanthemum’s influence), and she would come across as supremely thoughtful for helping him navigate the Thornhaven High School social scene. Which, really, she was. And if being a gracious hostess provided her with extra opportunities to spend time with Luke, even better.
All she had to do was invite him personally, to give it that extra touch, and Lily had a plan for that, too.
Lily had told Sonia there was no being fashionably late to school today, and by some miracle, Sonia had complied. After stopping at the library to exchange her damaged copy of Pride and Prejudice, which they’d just started in English class, Lily strolled down the hallway on a mission.
And almost groaned out loud when she discovered that Luke was talking to Chrysanthemum.
Lily considered being patient and hoping Chrysanthemum might go away, but Chrysanthemum glanced in her direction and caught her looking toward Luke, and it was too late. Avoiding Luke now would make Chrysanthemum believe Lily was avoiding her. Although she’d like to, she wasn’t about to give Chrysanthemum that satisfaction.
Lily took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as her lungs filled with that indecipherable school stink. Old sweat combined with cheap perfume and decades of cafeteria food that had seeped into the floor. No wonder she wasn’t all giddy around Luke! How was a person supposed to feel romance with that smell, the pressure of exams hanging over their head, and the cacophony of voices and sneakers squeaking on linoleum?
Head high, she marched across the hall.
“Luke, I was hoping to catch you before class.”
“Hey.”
He smiled at her, but Lily caught the brief glance he shot Chrysanthemum and the pinch of his brow that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He’d noticed that she hadn’t greeted Chrysanthemum. Unfortunate, but as long as it didn’t make her look too bitchy, Lily didn’t care.
He really was cute, too. Even up close, his skin was perfect, and his height meant her gaze landed on that hollow at his throat. She could totally understand why people were falling all over him, and yet her stomach wasn’t spawning any butterflies. It was frustrating beyond measure.
For once in her life, Lily wished she were more like everyone else.
On the positive side, however, the lack of emotions meant her tongue didn’t tie itself in knots, so maybe she should be thankful and save her confusion for another time.
If anything, it was Chrysanthemum’s presence that Lily was keenly aware of, as though the other girl gave off some kind of aura that prickled against Lily’s own and made her hyperaware of the blood flowing through her veins. Chrysanthemum must be glaring at her, judging her. But Lily refused to turn and find out.
“I’m hosting a back-to-school party the weekend after the equinox,”
Lily said. She was pretending so hard that she couldn’t feel Chrysanthemum’s disdain that she completely forgot the equinox was probably not as meaningful a date to Luke as it was to a witch. Ugh.
“I wanted to personally invite you because I thought it would be a great way to introduce you to everyone. I hope you can make it.”
She held out one of the cards she’d printed with her address and the date on them. Was it over-the-top to issue an actual invitation? Maybe a bit, but Lily liked the extra formality. Anyone could spread word about a party, and anyone could show up. But only the people she cared about got an invite. It was a way of showing who her friends were, and there was magic in the act, too. Whether a witch tried to or not, she sent out power with everything she did.
“That sounds fun. Thanks!”
Luke’s face brightened as he took the card, but then his eyes darted again toward Chrysanthemum.
Lily held in a scream. It was great that Luke was nice and considerate. Exactly the qualities she’d want in her true love. But being nice to her nemesis was not okay.
Of course, Luke had no idea that they were nemeses, and it wasn’t like Lily could explain. Witches did not go around advertising themselves as such. The ocean separated them from Salem, but memories were long.
It also wasn’t like Lily didn’t know she was being rude. She didn’t want Luke to form a bad impression of her … So, ugh again. What was the harm in inviting Chrysanthemum? She’d never attend.
Lily adopted a fake, bright smile and finally turned so that her back was no longer to Chrysanthemum.
“Everyone is invited.”
Lily didn’t hold out an invitation, and Chrysanthemum didn’t appear to expect one. She raised an eyebrow, and the corners of her lips twitched ever so slightly.
“A party? Sounds deadly. Think I’d rather stay in and do an Addams Family marathon.”
Damn it.
She would not flush.
“Fine. Don’t come if you don’t feel like crawling out of your coffin and being sociable.”
“Wednesday is not a vampire.”
“Who cares about Wednesday!”
Sheepishly, Lily realized she’d raised her voice and Luke wasn’t the only person watching her with a confused expression. Several heads had turned in her direction. She could hex Chrysanthemum right about now.
“Do what you like,”
she said at a more reasonable volume.
“No one will miss you.”
Shit. That was too rude. Luke looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Lily’s copy of Pride and Prejudice reached out and bit her. Which was to say, the book shifted of its own accord in her hand, opened its pages like a mouth, and slammed down on her fingers.
Lily yelped in surprise and dropped it.
It was only a paperback, so it didn’t hurt, but books were not supposed to do that. Not even books carried by witches.
Luke stared at it. Lily stared at it. The only person who didn’t seem shocked by what had happened was Chrysanthemum, who continued to smirk at Lily.
She must have done that, but how?
Lily shook off the thought. Obviously, the how was magic, although she couldn’t detect any tinge about the book. Lily didn’t know exactly how Chrysanthemum had invisibly cast a spell in the middle of the hallway, but nothing else explained a book moving on its own. Magic barely explained a book moving on its own.
“What just …?”
Luke knelt for the book, regarding it like it was a wild animal.
“I dropped it,”
Lily said, furious as soon as the words left her mouth. Doing magic in public like this wasn’t exactly forbidden, but that was because, with the exception of spells like glamours or candle-lighting, working magic was a process, and the results tended to manifest slowly. Once created, they might stick around for years or decades, but it took a lot more effort than a snap of the fingers to create them. No witch was going to stand in the middle of Main Street and perform an elaborate working to fix potholes, even if they could manage to concentrate well enough to try.
So why was Lily the one making excuses and trying to cover this up? Chrysanthemum was the one who’d done it. She had to be, and she knew better.
“Yeah, but …”
Luke scratched his head.
“It jumped in your hand. I saw it.”
Lily glared at Chrysanthemum, willing her to say something, but Chrysanthemum merely sighed and shrugged innocently.
Lily wanted to strangle her, and she dug her nails into her palms.
Near her feet, Luke blinked, and his face went blank. Then he picked up the book and handed it to Lily.
“Did you drop this?”
Behind him, Chrysanthemum tossed Lily a duh kind of expression. As if the fact that Luke couldn’t quite remember what had happened made it okay for her to have … done whatever she’d done. (As Luke grew accustomed to strange things happening, he’d remember more, but his disinterest in unusual things would remain. Lily didn’t know if the island’s protective spell had been cast that way on purpose, or if people just acclimated to it, like people could acclimate to the ocean’s briny smell.)
Lily tossed her hair back, ignoring Chrysanthemum’s infuriating face, and took the book from Luke.
“Yes, thank you. Anyway, I hope you’ll be able to make the party. It’s going to be loads of fun. We have a firepit and a pool, so if it’s warm enough, bring your bathing suit.”
Chrysanthemum frowned, and although Lily didn’t know why, that made her happy, all things considered. Lily was annoyed with Chrysanthemum, so Chrysanthemum being annoyed with her simply made them even. The universe was temporarily balanced.
Lily said goodbye to Luke until first period and left before Chrysanthemum could do anything else to fluster her, pleased with how she’d handled the situation and more pleased with the outcome. It didn’t appear that Luke was so under Chrysanthemum’s demonic thrall that he wouldn’t come to a party, and that meant there was hope. For both of them.