Chapter 10
Mia and Grans pulled Finn aside before their meeting. As they sat in the living room eating cookies, Mia watched Finn’s face.
“Grans and I,” Mia began, “well, we think we should talk about what it means to be a witch in Magic Springs. I want to make sure you know everything that’s going on so you can make good choices. And maybe stay safe.”
“You think it’s dangerous here?” Finn let the cookie she was about to take a bite from drop back to the plate on the table.
“I don’t know. But you need to know a few things.” Grans started explaining the magic community to Finn, focusing on the people who were in their own magic society. When she told her that Dorian was a golem, she didn’t bat an eye.
“He’s a nice person, I know that.” Finn shrugged as she absorbed the information. “No matter what his history is. I guess the bigger issue is who I can trust, right?”
“That’s exactly why we want you to know everything.” Grans continued talking about the witches and ghosts around them and ended with Cerby and Tempest and their hellhound sides. “So if you have any doubts, we can get you a room in Twin Falls until this is all dealt with.”
“I’m here and part of the group. Mia made me part of her circle. If there’s trouble, I can help.” Finn grabbed her cookie again. “It’s like finding out I have superpowers. There’s no way I’m walking away from that.”
Mia felt better about their society as they met that night, mostly because she now knew they weren’t hiding any Rosemary’s Baby stuff from Finn. As she watched the group gather, she wondered how she’d ever thought that could be true.
Whoever had killed Suzanne Parker was blazing a trail with fire. They wanted Mia’s group out of the picture. They weren’t beyond trying to scare them away from the investigation with visions, which were getting worse by the day. Mia wasn’t reacting like the killer wanted her to.
“What else do we need to talk about?” Thomas asked as they all gathered. Grans had told them about the discussion with Finn, and she’d been introduced to the group as a whole. Finn was one of them now.
Finn stood. “Hi. I’m Finn. I’m a witch. I don’t know much about any of this, but I’m willing to learn and excited about helping in any way I can.”
“You may regret saying that,” Levi said as he playfully punched her in the arm. “Someone has to be the virgin sacrifice on Halloween.”
“Levi Majors, what an awful thing to say to Finn.” Abigail pointed at her youngest son. “Now tell her you were kidding. Finn’s going to think we’re awful people.”
“I kid because I care.” Levi grinned as he sat back.
“Don’t worry about it, Abigail. I’ll get him back when he’s not expecting it.” Finn tapped her finger on her chin. “What does Levi hate? Come see me with suggestions after the meeting.”
Mia thought Finn was going to get along nicely with the group.
Thomas rubbed Abigail’s shoulders. “Anything new on the murder? Did we come up with some suspects?”
“Did you hear anything at the shop?” Mia countered his question with a question.
“Not about the murder. Everyone’s talking about Trent and his houseguests.
I’ve been trying to explain that they are family friends and need a place to stay because the baby might have measles.
” He grinned. “Once you bring up a communicable disease, no one wants to gossip any more. At first, the rumors were about Trent having Sonja and Sarah living with him, and his new unconventional lifestyle, especially because Sarah is the police chief’s wife.
Now, everyone wants to know if the test results came back yet.
I’ve been explaining that the CDC is running behind. ”
“What’s crazy is that a measles outbreak might be true in today’s reality. Trent is trending out there, or was, until you gave them all measles. Good work,” Mia said as Thomas held up his hand for a high five.
Abigail pushed down her husband’s arm. “On that subject, I haven’t been able to find out who set up this whole at-home training schedule.
I talked to Trent and he said that at first he was told that Cerby would have to do on-site training, even if it meant bringing his dragon.
I don’t think they thought that one through.
Buddy would protect Cerby at all costs.”
“So someone put the bug in Sonja’s ear to do the home class, then Sarah came in and ruined her little romantic fantasy,” Christina recapped.
“Nothing kills romance like a baby, a third wheel, and a couple of hellhounds,” Levi added. He looked at Mia. “Not that Trent was looking for a side piece.”
“Oh, don’t let Sonja hear you call her that.” Thomas shook his head. “I heard stories about her breakups. They’re brutal, for the male, at least.”
Abigail stood and wrote down something on the whiteboard. “Whoever set up the Trent distraction is still up for grabs. Innocent, poor planning, or intentional scheming? What else did we find out?”
“Christina found a property that has been in Suzanne Parker’s name forever and indications that she’s over three hundred years old,” Mia said.
“Shut the front door, really?” Finn was sitting cross-legged on the couch, watching everything. “That woman in the picture? That was her house, right?”
Mia smiled but ignored the question. “Why did Suzanne Parker have a house in Magic Springs? Brandon revealed she was a local coven member in his eulogy. And that she’d taught here.”
A book dropped from the ceiling and onto the coffee table. Finn jolted and moved her feet under her, staring at the table. Mia picked up the book. “Thank you, library. This looks like a yearbook. Who wants to bet that our favorite witch is in here?”
“I wonder if any of her friends are now in high places, like Brandon.” Christina held out her hand for the book. “I speak high school. Let me see what I can find.”
“You’re scary sometimes.” Levi pulled her and the yearbook back down on the couch they were sharing.
Finn sneaked another glance at Christina. Mia had noticed Finn doing that all evening. “Why do you keep looking at Christina like that?”
“I’m not looking at Christina. Well, I am, but it’s not from a bad place. I promise,” Finn stuttered, then stood, picking up the cookie platter. “Well, this is empty. I should fill it up.” She hurried to the kitchen.
“What’s with her?” Christina looked at Mia. “Doesn’t she like me?”
“I think she likes you fine. She’s probably just overwhelmed. Look, she’ll be okay. Let me tell everyone about my day at work.”
Mia explained about Blake’s spell causing her to lose an hour and how Christina had noticed her necklace going off and had gently removed her from the Lodge.
“That’s not done. We have a strict no-attack policy between witches. If someone found out, that witch would lose her powers, with no chance of parole.” Levi stood and paced. “Someone’s breaking all the laws around this death. It makes it hard to figure out who to trust.”
“Which I think is the point,” Mia pointed out. “The witch behind this is strong and getting stronger. We have to assume what we’re seeing isn’t real now when we go out into the world. Be careful out there. We don’t know who the bad guys are.”
After the meeting was over, Mia went and knocked on Finn’s bedroom door. “Can we talk for a minute?”
The door opened and Finn waved her in. The room had a small sitting area with a table and a set of chairs. On the table was a pile of books and a can of soda.
“Sit down,” Finn said. “Can I get you a soda? I’ve got a mini fridge over there in the corner.”
Mia hadn’t been in Finn’s room since she’d told the girl she could move in. It looked like a college dorm room, but on the larger side. A rolltop desk was up against the wall. “Sure, a Coke if you have it, or root beer.”
“I have Coke. I keep them for my migraine days. Caffeine and sugar work almost as well as the meds that are crazy expensive.” Finn grabbed the soda, then sat down. “I guess you want to see how I’m handling the new world information you threw at me this afternoon.”
Mia couldn’t hold back her smile. “Basically.”
“It was okay finding out I had some magical talent. Cool, even. But now, with all the stuff they’re doing to you, I’m not sure I want it.
It’s like being in the mean girl’s club at school.
You see the new girls get hazed and wonder why didn’t I, or when will they do that to me.
” Finn sipped her soda. “You guys—Abigail, you, even Christina—are normal. Well, she’s not totally normal.
She reminds me of the cheerleaders in high school.
All upbeat, all happy, twenty-four seven, like a KHOP radio host. And now, well, she’s going to have a lot on her plate. ”
“You should have met her at your age. She was all Goth. Black nail polish, the works. And those Doc Martens boots. Her mother hated it.” Mia leaned back. “How do you know she has a lot on her plate? I suspect you’re not talking about her wedding or the move.”
“No, it’s the babies. Can’t you hear them chattering all the time? Sometimes they’re worse than she is with the positivity. Every time I see her, I think of the happy baby yoga pose. The babies never stop giggling. It’s weird I can hear them, right? I’m weird.” She curled up in her chair.
“You’re not weird, but this is a talent I haven’t ever heard about. We should talk to Grans about it. You can’t tell Christina yet. I don’t think she knows she’s pregnant.”
Finn’s eyes went wide. “How can she not know? She’s a witch too, right?”
“We all have different abilities. Yours seem to be in the area of mind melding, to use a Star Trek word. Grans will know more.” She sipped her Coke as she thought about what Finn had revealed.
“So that’s why you’ve been strange around Christina.
Tell me what you think about the other stuff, ‘the mean girls’ club,’ as you call it.
Do you want to forget about this and just be human?
I can fix that, but you’ll have to leave Magic Springs. ”