Chapter Twenty-Six
Last summer – mid-August
Orion’s going-away party was one week before the summer came to a close.
Raven was arriving on the day, and his friends had planned the whole thing.
I’d picked a pretty outfit for the night: a pale-blue sweater with my favourite dark jeans, and I was going to don an assortment of gold rings on my fingers.
But my outfit and the accessories I had chosen didn’t matter.
Because tonight I was going to cast the spell, and then I’d walk into Orion’s party and he would finally see me – not his sister’s best friend, not the girl he used to hang out with, not just a friend, but someone worth staying for.
‘Maya!’ Rani called from downstairs. ‘Mum and I are going over to the Hawthornes’ for the party – are you riding with us?’
‘No, no,’ I shouted back, slipping the rings on to my fingers. ‘I’ll meet you guys there.’
Rani called some sort of agreement back. I heard Mum’s laugh, and then they were both out the door. I waited until I heard the rumble of Mum’s car speeding down the street before I left my bedroom.
With the eye-of-the-beholder charm written on my palm, I was on the hunt for the perfect mirror to complete the spell.
I wasn’t sure whether the size of the mirror impacted the spell.
My best choice was going to be the one we had in the attic.
I pulled down the staircase that led up to it, irritated at myself for not splurging on a full-length mirror for my bedroom.
I found it in the back. It was dusty and covered with a white cloth, and it was heavy, which wasn’t ideal.
I was going to need to levitate it down.
Wonderful.
I infused my voice with confidence as I pointed my finger at the mirror. ‘Grip, and lift this fragile mirror here, following my finger for the path is near.’
My finger shook as the mirror rose, the weight of it appearing heavy even to my magic. Still, I steeled my jaw and descended the staircase. A light sheen of sweat was on my back, and my cheeks were red by the time I got it to the living room.
I moved the sofa to one side, the coffee table to the other, and then rested the mirror on the floor. Slightly breathless, I kneeled in front of the mirror, placed my right palm against the cool surface and looked at myself. My heart was racing; my stomach twisted in knots.
I sat back on my knees, keeping my palm against the cool surface. I let my eyes flutter shut and my magic rise to the surface of my skin.
‘Make me pretty, twist the mind, make my image fit each and every design.’
My eyes flew open, and I watched as the mirror rippled once before turning solid again. I was still kneeling, my heart alight in my chest. According to what I’d read, all I needed to do now was keep my palm on the mirror and look at my reflection, and the spell would take effect.
I took one more deep breath, intending to lean forward so my reflection joined my palm, but my phone buzzed. Loud and annoying. Letting out a frustrated breath, I pulled my phone from my back pocket. I saw a message from Raven. Well, several messages that I’d missed.
RAVEN
I’ve portalled back!! Where are you?
RAVEN
OK your mum and sister are here but YOU aren’t. This is not good best-friend behaviour. Where exactly is my welcome-home banner?
RAVEN
I’m mingling with people I barely like, and Orion. So, this is what you’ve left me with.
RAVEN
OK, so I’m not really sure what happened? I was talking to Orion, said something that triggered him, and now he said he’s on his way to you??? I don’t know what’s happening.
On his way to me? My fingers flew across the screen.
MAYA
On his way here? Why? What did you say?
But I never found out what Raven said. As soon as I’d sent the text, there was a knock on my door. Panic flooded me, and I looked around the room, wondering how obvious what I’d been attempting to do was.
Another knock hit my door, and there wasn’t enough time for me move the mirror. Instead, I hurried to the door and opened it a little.
Orion stood on my porch, decked in his usual jacket, but donning a very confused look.
‘Reverie,’ Orion said, slowly, gaze narrowing. ‘Why do you look like you’re hiding a body behind that door?’
‘I’m not!’ I said, but my voice was a squeak. I coughed and straightened against the door. ‘Nothing – I was just getting ready.’ I pointed at him. ‘For your party. What are you doing here?’
Orion didn’t say anything, and I knew his mind was whirring, pulling out all the details that seemed wrong. Still, he answered my question, refocusing his attention on me, his jaw tightening again.
‘Raven said you’re in love with someone,’ Orion said, bluntly.
The shock of his statement made my hold on the door loosen. I stared at him, wild panic running through my veins. Did Raven know I had feelings for Orion? No, no, she couldn’t. It took a moment for it to hit me that he was talking about Silas.
‘I-I,’ I stuttered, mind reeling. I hadn’t really thought about Silas all summer. I hadn’t even noticed when I’d stopped thinking about him and started thinking about Orion instead.
‘Why does that matter?’ I eventually settled on, because being defensive was second nature to me when it came to Orion.
‘Why does it matter?’ Orion asked, disbelievingly.
He ran a hand through his hair and sidestepped me, right into my house.
He was pacing across my foyer, and I twisted around in panic.
‘I was talking to Raven, and I mentioned you. She then asked me if some guy, I can’t even remember his name, was invited to my party.
I said no, and she said you’d be disappointed and drops a bomb on my head by saying you liked him.
That you liked him a lot. You’re seriously asking me why that matters, Reverie? ’
I wasn’t focused on his question or his tirade; my gaze drifted to the living room, hoping he wouldn’t notice anything amiss and I could somehow guide him to the kitchen on the right instead.
‘Reverie, what is so –’ His head turned, following my gaze to the mirror that was lying on the living-room floor. I watched in horror-movie slow motion as Orion took in the set-up, and I could tell what he saw.
He moved as if he was going to go to the mirror, and I stuck my hand out to stop him.
‘No!’ I shouted, horrified at the thought that Orion might stride across the room and touch the now charmed mirror.
He jolted back, his gaze going from my face to my open palm. I watched his eyebrows drop, his lips twitch into a frown. It took me a moment to realize what he was seeing.
I didn’t have enough time to curl my palm into a fist, because Orion’s hand shot out to grip my wrist, keeping it open. He stepped closer, mouthing the words, silver eyes widening with shock.
‘This is an illegal spell,’ Orion said, horrified. His eyes flicked to the mirror behind me, then to the spell scribbled on my skin. ‘You were casting the eye-of-the-beholder spell, weren’t you?’
‘I –’ I couldn’t find the words nor the explanation. Not that Orion cared; too many realizations were hitting him in one go.
‘Were you casting that spell for that guy?’ Orion asked, and now his voice was hard.
This wasn’t how I wanted to confess to him; this didn’t feel right. ‘Orion, I can explain –’
‘No one will love you like this,’ Orion said, and my words died on my tongue. His gaze was hard. His grip on my wrist was loose enough to yank free, but I felt boneless. I felt numb. The only thing that existed was the ache in my chest.
He drove the knife deeper into my heart. ‘Do you understand me, Reverie? The spell will morph you, turn you into some glamourized version of yourself, making you virtually unrecognizable. And sure, you’ll gain attention, but it won’t be love. How could it be?’
All I could hear was the echoing refrain of what he had said before.
No one will love you like this.
The ache in my chest was spreading until it was in my fingertips, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Orion watched me, searched for something in my face that clearly wasn’t there. He dropped my wrist, and my gaze lifted to his.
I stared at him, watching as the boy I knew from the summer melted away.
‘Please,’ I whispered. ‘Please don’t tell the Coven.’
Orion inhaled with measured breaths. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking any more. He’d closed himself off to me, and I was no longer privy to his thoughts or emotions.
‘I can’t leave an enchanted mirror in your living room,’ Orion said, eventually, his voice hard. ‘I can’t leave you here. I can’t trust you – I can’t. It’s not safe, Reverie. What you’ve done isn’t safe, and, I’m sorry, but I can’t just let it go.’
I could’ve pleaded – maybe if I had, he’d have stopped.
Maybe I could’ve explained better, if my chest wasn’t so tight with pain.
But I didn’t do any of that. I let him step back and watched as he made a phone call.
I cradled my wrist to my chest, pressed the spell scribbled on my palm to the hollow of my throat.
No one will love you like this.
The Coven came almost immediately. Mum and Rani came too. There was chatter around me: reprimands being shot my way, Mum asking me what I was thinking, Rani helping the Coven un-spell the mirror.
The aftermath was all a blur, really. The only thing I truly remembered was Orion walking away. He didn’t linger to see how the Coven punished me, didn’t hear as they doled out another point on my licence. He didn’t stay to listen to my mother’s rant or Rani’s probing questions.
When they arrived, he simply turned his back in my doorway, and I watched him retreat. I didn’t know it was the last time I’d see him that summer; that he’d leave for MAC early without saying goodbye.
Back then, I didn’t care what he did any more. I was angry, not just that he’d reported me to the Coven, but because, at the end of all of this, I was the one left with the broken heart.