“You mean when I passed out because of low blood sugar?” I didn’t see magic then, and I don’t see it now. I’m just further convinced this is all a big delusion that they’ve bought into, and it hurts me a little that Dru is so miserable with her life that not only does she have to playact, but she has to drag others into it. “It wasn’t magic, Dru. It was just bad luck.”
The older woman makes a strangled noise. “You are very, very stubborn, Regina. Fine. This calls for the big guns.” She casts one last disgusted look at the crystal ball (which might have been purchased from a crafts store for all I know) and then moves toward one of the shelves in the back. Instead of her usual rummaging, she heads right for a small box and pulls it out. “I want you to go to Livia’s place and spy on her directly, since our scrying is blocked.”
I can feel my eyebrows go up. “Uh . . . how?”
“This will help you.” She holds the small box out to me. “But I don’t want you to open it until you get there, understand?”
I hesitate. “Dru, I don’t want to trespass on someone’s private property.”
“You absolutely will not be trespassing, I promise.” Dru pushes the box into my hand and then covers her fingers with mine. “Like I said, it’ll all become clear once you open the box. Just trust me. You will be breaking no laws.” Her smile is bright. “And since you don’t believe in magic anyhow, what’s the big deal?”
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, it’s near midnight and I have a Superman Band-Aid on my finger, and the tiny box in my pocket, and I’ve paid an Uber to drop me a block away from the address I’ve been given.
This is such a mistake, seriously. I’m not breaking into anyone’s house, not for any job. But the receipt for the Uber will prove to Dru that I at least attempted it, and as long as I don’t get arrested, I figure it can’t hurt to go look at Livia’s house. So I walk over, clutching the worn hoodie I stole from Nick against my body. The neighborhood is a fancy one, each house bigger than the last, with manicured shrubs and high, ornate steel fences protecting the residents from outsiders. I am definitely not getting in, even if I wanted to.
My phone buzzes, and I yelp in surprise. I guess I’m more on edge than I thought. Hands shaking, I grab it and check the texts.
NICK: Are you awake?
NICK: Me and Diego are heading out to a midnight matinee. Want to come with? He’s got a straight friend.
NICK: Also a soldier. Two men in uniform.
Ugh. Even if I wasn’t busy, I wouldn’t want to go. Nick set me up with my last boyfriend, who was an utter mess. He has great taste in gay men, terrible taste in straight ones.
REGGIE: Working late, I’m sorry!
NICK: It’s midnight. What are you doing exactly?
I look around at the posh houses lining the street. Even the mailboxes look expensive as hell.
REGGIE: I’m on an errand for my boss.
NICK: I worry about you in that job. They still haven’t paid you, have they? You should come home . . .
NICK: Don’t worry about the rent. We’ll figure it out.
I smile at my phone like a loon. Nick is the sweetest. I love that he’s so protective of me, the family I never had. Even so, I’m not quitting. Not when this job has the potential to pay through the roof.
REGGIE: I you but I swear I’m fine. Go have fun at the movies!
NICK: Will do!
I shove my phone into my back pocket once more and then cross the street, heading for the address that Dru gave me. It’s the biggest house in the neighborhood, because of course it is. A massive, cold-looking modern house with a tile roof looms over well-manicured bushes and what looks like acres of lush green lawn. There’s a double-door gate made of steel at the street entrance, and I wander past it, pausing only to note that the bars are not nearly wide enough for me to slip through.
Not that I’m going to break in.
There are no lights on at Livia’s house, from what I can tell. I gaze at it, seeing nothing but windows after endless windows and pale white stucco. Square walls frame a large portico, and I could swear a chandelier hangs from the entrance. An outside chandelier, of all things. I guess that’s when you know you have too much money. I snort to myself with amusement. At least now I can identify the house. I can just tell Dru that the place was locked down tight and I couldn’t get in. Piece of cake.
Satisfied, I glance around to make sure no one thinks I’m casing the joint, and then start to head back the way I came. I’ll wait a few minutes, then call another Uber, so it seems like I tried harder. As I head down the street, I pull out the tiny box Dru gave me. It’s made entirely of metal, the quarter-sized lid hinged with a clasp at the front. Probably has a dried roach or something equally strange in it. I shake the tiny box. There’s something inside, but I can’t make it out.
With a flick of my thumbnail, I open the clasp and move the lid back, revealing what looks like a small wad of fabric. Weird. I pull it out, and to my surprise, there’s a large ring inside the fabric, plain and black. Hematite, maybe? The fabric has something written on it, and I clutch the ring in my hand as I read the lettering.
WEAR ME
Well, this is all very Alice in Wonderland, isn’t it? And it turned out shitty for her. I sigh, throwing my head back and groaning in frustration. Dru probably thinks it’s a magic ring. I study the plain band, and it’s cool in my hand. Why am I hesitating? I’ve been telling everyone for days that magic isn’t real, right? So if it’s not real, why do I not want to put the damn thing on? I frown at the ring, trying to convince myself. Dru will never know if I don’t put it on.
But magic isn’t real.
It’s not.
It’s just a bullshit story made up by a bunch of people that are doing their best to feel special. I haven’t seen anything that has convinced me that magic is real. Not the supposed healing potion, not the crystal ball, nothing. It doesn’t matter that Ben and Penny and Dru are convinced it’s real. There are people that are convinced the earth is flat, after all. People are allowed to believe what they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, I suppose.
Me, I don’t believe.
So I take the ring and slide it over my thumb.
My stomach immediately cramps, making me double over. Panting, I hunch on the street, shocked. Food poisoning? What—
My skin shivers, and in the next moment, the world gets blurry and tilts. My eyes go black for just a brief second, and when the world rights itself, I’m . . . shorter.
I’m crouched on the sidewalk on all fours.
I lift one hand . . . but it’s not a hand. It’s a paw. A black paw, the large ring neatly slid over my foreleg. My tail flicks, and to my surprise, I realize I’ve been turned into a black cat.
All right. I definitely did not see that one coming.
14
REGGIE
Magic is real.
Magic is real, or I’m having a mental breakdown. I’m pretty sure it’s the former at this point, because that’s the only thing that can explain the fact that I now have whiskers and a tail. I stretch my feline body and notice that my shoes—and the rest of my clothing—are piled on the pavement. They didn’t change with me, and in this form, I can smell the laundry soap and dryer sheets I used. Everything around me smells different, from the thick, damp aroma of the freshly watered grass to a musty scent that I can’t quite place.
I look around in amazement. I can see really well in the dark, too. Sure, everything’s in black and white, but didn’t I read somewhere that cats don’t see color much? I sidle back up the street, hopping onto a low stone wall and prowling toward Livia’s house.
No wonder Dru said I’d be able to get in and spy. She was planning on turning me into a cat. I should be furious, but I’m too fascinated by the realization that I’m wearing a magic ring, I’m a cat, and everything I’ve thought in the past was a lie. I mean . . . holy shit. Dru really is a witch, and that means Ben is a warlock.