Page 64 of Impractical Magic

There on the street, her mind kept circling back to Louise’s cryptic words. The time witch seemed to know Scarlett’s worst secret—the guilt she carried over her father’s death. It was as if she had peered directly into Scarlett’s soul.

How could she possibly know? She’s never met me before . . . barely even heard of me. She didn’t even live in Oak Haven when it happened.

Scarlett felt horribly exposed and vulnerable. The pain of that fateful night was suddenly so raw, the wound still fresh, despite all the time that had passed.

Oh, she realized. Maybe that’s it. To a time witch, no time has passed at all. To her, I’m still the eighteen-year-old who just killed my dad.

Shaking her head, Scarlett tried to push her guilt away and focus on the clues Louise had offered. The answer to the infestation lay “literally” within her. What the hell does that mean? And the idea of a sacrifice being required? That sent a chill down her spine. What more could she possibly give?

Lost in thought, Scarlett almost didn’t notice the two figures passing by on the far side of the street. But when she saw them, her eyes widened in surprise. It was Violet and Maximillian, walking along, side by side.

Max seemed to be playing the role of kindly professor lecturing a favorite student. Violet hung on to Max’s every word, nodding away like a bobblehead in a joke shop.

What the hell? Scarlett thought. Violet doesn’t listen to anybody.

Seeing Violet in the company of a magician sent alarm bells ringing in Scarlett’s head. Magicians can’t be trusted, she thought, but does Violet understand that?

She knew she had to follow them. Scarlett crossed the street, keeping a safe distance behind the unlikely pair. She ducked behind trees and mailboxes, but she wasn’t going to let them get away. Her heart pounded in her chest as she drew closer.

Violet and Max turned a corner. Scarlett quickened her pace, ready to confront them and demand answers. But as she rounded the same corner, she skidded to a halt.

Her eyes searched an empty street.

No sign of them anywhere—they’d simply disappeared. Scarlett spun around, checking every direction, but to no avail. They were gone.

Chapter 25: Dumb Kids

Defeated, Scarlett made her way back to the inn. Her dread grew as she imagined the conversations she was about to have. She’d report having seen Maximillian with Violet and, inevitably, Luna would declare that Max was too much of a sweetheart to be involved in anything questionable. Delilah would retort that Max was too much of a moron. Mama would stare at her newspaper and say, “Hmm.” And that would be it.

Her report on the conversation with Louise was just as predictable. The time witch says the solution is within me, Scarlett would say, quite literally. Luna would smile kindly and say, Well, isn’t that interesting, I wonder what it means. Delilah would snark, In that case you should pull out a kidney and feed it to the flies; see where that gets you. Mama would say, “Hmm.”

Scarlett realized she didn’t want to talk to her family about these problems. She wanted to talk to the sole member of Team Scarlett.

The question was: did he want to talk to her?

***

Scarlett argued with herself the whole way to Williams Hardware. Stay away, said her logical side. Don’t make up with him. Let him be angry. It’s good for him to be angry because it will hurt him less when you leave.

On the other hand, offered her emotional side, I hate that he’s upset with me. We’re finally friends after ten years apart! I can’t leave things like this. A weak counterargument, perhaps. Yet somehow, a winning one.

As she approached the store, Scarlett’s gut told her that, as usual, things would somehow be more complicated than she’d expected.

Her gut was correct. She could hear the shouting from out on the street.

The Earls were there on the porch, manning their rocking chairs. But instead of the usual chatter, they all sat very still and quiet, not wanting to miss a word of the quarrel happening inside.

Earl Eleven smiled brightly at Scarlett and gestured that she should join them on the porch . . . but quietly.

She knelt beside Earl Nine’s chair and whispered, “What’s up?”

“That’s Dave Injabire in there—do you know the Injabires?”

She shook her head no.

“Must’ve moved in after you left,” whispered Eleven. “Nice family.”

“Very nice family.” Nine nodded.