68 Sophie
Sophie
Sophie and Barbara sit in silence.
Barbara’s just revealed that Quinn’s journal is likely under an illusion spell. A fading illusion spell, which means whoever Robbie is, he probably doesn’t want a journal out there with his name in it, accusing him of trying to kill Quinn.
The rain has picked up again, and it seems like it’s going to get bad. Sophie gets up to make tea.
“None for me, hun,” says Barbara. “There’s some lavender in the cupboard over the coffeepot.”
When the water is done, Sophie fills a mug with shaking hands. “Who do you think Robbie is?” she asks.
“Robbie Kallinski is Cal Pierce,” someone says from the doorway.
Sophie whirls around. Joey is standing in the kitchen, dripping rainwater onto the floor. She’s panting like she’s just sprinted, and it takes a minute before Sophie realizes what she just said.
“The actor?”
“Mom?” A voice shouts from upstairs. Then the sound of feet on hardwood. Gael slides into the kitchen, still clutching his computer. “Someone’s been following my mom,” he says, panting, when he sees Joey. “I think she’s in trouble.”
“Wait a minute, Robbie Kallinski?” asks Barbara.
Joey nods. “Soph, I need you. We have to go.”
“Go? Where?”
“As in Tammy Kallinski?” It’s Barbara again. She sounds shaken.
Joey shrugs impatiently.
“Hang on now, Tammy Kallinski. She used to be one of us. I told you all about her. She was initiated with me.” She tents her hands over her nose and mouth. “She had a baby,” she says, muffled. “I remember now. His name was Robbie.”
“He changed his name, I guess,” Joey says, with rising urgency. “Soph, please. Elena needs us. We have to go now.”
Barbara nods, distracted by her own bewilderment.
Sophie’s hand wobbles, and hot water splashes over her finger.
She flinches and steals a look at Gael, who turns his screen toward them.
They all lean in. Cal Pierce stares back at them.
It’s a grainy zoomed-in photo, but it’s absolutely him.
“This guy’s been following her ever since she’s been back,” Gael says.
“I finally got a picture that shows his face.”
Sophie puts a hand on Gael’s arm and turns to Joey. “Is she really in trouble?”
“She is.”
Sophie can feel her pulse quickening. It all somehow feels connected. “Joey, I need to tell you about—”
“Bloodspell, yeah, I know all about it.”
“How?”
“You told me.”
Sophie’s eyes narrow. She thinks back. She’s sure she didn’t. She only just learned about it from Barbara a few minutes ago. Unless Joey somehow found out before?
“I’ll explain on the way. Right now, we need to go. We’re running out of time.”
“I’m coming too,” says Gael bravely.
“Not in a million years,” says Barbara, grabbing hold of his shoulders.
He wriggles free of her and bounds upstairs. “I just need to get my shoes,” he calls down.
“You better go before he chases you down the street,” says Barbara.
Joey turns abruptly. “Barbara, I’m so sorry.
I just want you to know that if I had known, I would have done it.
I would have tried to save her. We lost the book, but this whole time, I could have done magic, and I didn’t need the book.
And if we had known, you know we would have done everything we could to—”
“None of that will do any good,” Barbara says as she stands and takes the steaming mug from Sophie. Then she says, low and sure, “Go. Save Elena.”
Sophie is lost. “What is going on?”
Barbara’s face cracks into a tiny smile. “It’s obvious, hun. Joey here has just turned back time.”