Page 83 of The Magic We Made

My heart leaps so much at the thought that it might be Frankie, I’m embarrassed for myself.Get a grip, Ash.

Still, as I hurry to the door, I rehearse mentally for what I’m going to say to her.Having a goddess as your grandmother is no different from having any other kind of grandmother—only instead of delicious comfort dishes, like your grandmother used to make, mine makes mortal enemies.

But when I get to the front door and see who’s standing there, I’m disappointed.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I ask the DeLong boys.

“It’s only eight o’clock,” scoffs Eddie. “What do you think we are,kids?”

“I think you have school tomorrow,” I say. “You should be home, doing homework.” Or whatever it is kids do at night.

“Are those real antlers?” Robby demands.

He attempts to barrel past me for a closer look at Guy’s chandelier, but I block his path by stepping onto the porch and closing the door firmly behind me.

“Yeah, they’re real,” I say, hoisting my backpack onto one shoulder. The smell of smoke is stronger now. Those girls are really going to town on their ritual fire. “Look, I know you’re here for the rest of your money. I’ll get it and the gum to you tomorrow—”

“Don’t you want to hear our report first?” Eddie demands.

“Later. For now I want you guys to go back to your grandparents’ and stay inside. It’s too dangerous to be out here tonight.”

Robby snorts. “That’s exactly what those dumb girls tried to tell us.”

I freeze as I’m locking the door behind me. “What girls?”

Eddie jabs a thumb toward the back of my house... and the lake. “Those girls down there. That’s what we came to tell you. You told us to watchThe Krakenand report back to you. Well, we watched it, and—”

“—and a bunch of girls just came over in a boat from Center Island,” Sammy interrupts his brother. “A boat they stole from the Rubensteins!”

“Yeah.” Robby looks livid. “Just like they stoleThe Krakenfrom the Blancos.”

I’m alarmed as much by the kids’ words as the casual way they’re delivering them. “Where are the girls?” I ask. “What are they doing?”

“They’re down by your dock.” Eddie shakes his head grimly. “And I don’t think you’re gonna like what they’re doing.”

I begin to circle around to the back of my house. “Go home,” I growl at the boys. “Now.”

“But we want to help!” Robby trots after me.

“I appreciate that.” Frankie wanted to help, too. But none of them have any idea what they’re up against. I don’t want to scare them unnecessarily... but this is the time to be afraid. “And youcanhelp by going home and making sure your grandparents are okay, and that they stay inside, no matter what they hear.” I give Eddie a long look over my shoulder before I duck beneath the deck. “Get your little brothers inside. It’s not safe for them out here. Got that?”

Something in my voice must have gotten through to him, since Eddie nods and lays his hands on the shoulders of his brothers. “I got it.” To the boys, he says, “Come on, guys.”

Robby protests, looking back at me. “But—”

“Come on.” Eddie grips them hard enough to make Sammy call out, “Ow, buttface, you’re hurting me!”

But they’re leaving. I watch Eddie steer them through my yard and out onto the road. When they disappear behind the hedges to their own yard, I turn and head down to my dock...

Where I discover that Eddie was right: I do not like what is going on at all.

There are girls everywhere. Tall girls, skinny girls, short girls, chubby girls, all clad in long white robes and carrying flaming torches, even though I turned on the outdoor lights before coming down, so the dock is lit up brighter than a convenience mart. The girls are laughing gleefully—probably a lot like they did when they robbed Mrs. Baumgarten.

At first I’m too far away to tell what they’re doing. All I can see is they’ve anchored the Rubensteins’ pontoon boat at the dock. I feel a little bit of relief, because at least if they’re over here on this side of the lake, they’re not at Satan’s Seat performing the sacrifice ritual.

But then I see what they’re doing.

As I stand there, one of them gleefully pulls the drain plugs from a pair of my Jet Skis. Then they all cheer as another one swamps the third.