Page 71 of Impractical Magic

“Bullshit. I saw the two of you in town. In fact, I followed you both—until Max pulled some sort of magician-y disappearing act on me.”

“He’s nice to me,” she said quietly. “He understands me.”

A troubling answer. Magicians don’t understand teenage witches, she thought. But to Violet, she said, “Sure, that makes sense,” and tried to keep the worry out of her voice. “So, I’m curious about something. What do you think Max and all his magician buddies are up to anyway? You don’t think they have anything to do with this dragonfly situation . . . do they?”

“What are you talking about?! Maybe the magicians just like it here. Maybe they just want a place where they can be themselves and be accepted for who they are.”

Scarlett frowned. “Hmm, that doesn’t make much sense. Trust me—rightly or wrongly—nobody in Oak Haven accepts magicians for who they are.”

“Yeah, because you’re all prejudiced! Max and his friends are nicer and cooler than anybody else in this dumb town.”

“Huh. Okay.” As this interrogation was going nowhere fast, Scarlett stood up. “I think I’m going to go help out with the trees. Maybe you could join me? I know Oak Haven is dumb and prejudiced and all that . . . but it’s still your home for the foreseeable future. And we’re all pitching in to clean up the grove. What do you say?”

Violet looked up, her eyes full of rage. “Why would I? Why would I want the grove cleaned? Seems to me the oaks are getting exactly what they deserve.”

“Whoa!” exclaimed Scarlett. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m no snitch and I don’t betray my friends.” Violet stood up and kicked over the cup of cider Scarlett had left.

“What friends, Violet? Do you mean Max? Why wouldn’t Max want the grove cleaned?”

“Leave me alone!” She stomped away.

“Hey,” Scarlett called. “We’re not done! Why wouldn’t Max want the grove cleaned, Violet? Did the magicians do this? Did you help?”

Violet didn’t answer—she just kept going, right past her mother, down the path toward town.

Nate must have heard the tone in Scarlett’s voice from across the grove. He abandoned Conrad to his fate and jogged to her. “What’s the ruckus?”

Scarlett was staring at the path where Violet had just fled. “She’s mixed up in all this—she and Max.”

“Which she?”

“Violet.”

Nate turned a baffled expression on his face. “Wait—Violet? But why? Jeez, Scarlett, are you sure? She’s just a kid.”

A sudden commotion erupted near the center of the grove. Shouts of alarm and frustration filled the air as Aphra’s containers faltered. With EMS unable to terminate the flies, the glowing cages were straining under the sheer number of insects they held. One by one, the delicate metallic threads strained and snapped, unable to withstand the relentless pressure of the buzzing swarms within.

Scarlett and Nate could only watch in horror as all the town’s work unraveled. Aphra and Luna rushed over to reinforce the failing cages, but too late. With a final, resounding crack, the cages all shattered simultaneously, releasing a torrent of glowing red insects back into the grove. The flies swarmed the trees once more, their tiny bodies pulsing with chaotic magical energy. A crimson haze descended upon the grove with renewed intensity.

Mama shouted orders, desperately trying to rally the group, but the sense of defeat was palpable. Scarlett felt a lump rising in her throat when she saw the Chatterjees abandon their post, realizing the futility of their actions. They joined the others in a slow, disheartened retreat from the grove.

As the last of the volunteers filed past, their faces a mix of exhaustion and despair, Scarlett felt overwhelmed with loss. The once-mighty oaks, the heart and soul of Oak Haven, were mere shadows of their former selves, ravaged by an enemy that apparently could not be overcome. And she had helped make it happen.

On her way out of the grove, Luna came over to hug her sister. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the incessant buzzing of the flies.

Scarlett shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the grove. “We tried,” she murmured. “We’ll try again.” Part of her wanted to tell Luna about Violet and Max, but her sister was already in tears. What would be the point of telling her now?

“It wasn’t enough,” Luna said, sniffling. “Translating the Myrmex Arcana wasn’t enough, Aphra’s containers weren’t enough . . . Nothing is enough.”

“Don’t give up, sis,” Scarlett said. “If you, of all people, lose hope, we’re all doomed. See you at home, okay? We’ll talk more.”

With a sad nod, Luna joined the flow of people heading back down the hill.

Soon Scarlett and Nate found themselves alone once more, watching the sun set over the grove. Scarlett couldn’t help but fear that Oak Haven’s hopes were fading along with the dying light.

“A teenager,” Nate marveled. “A teenager caused all this? I can’t believe it.”