I frowned and glanced up for the first time and gasped. We’d just turned back onto Essex Street and Landreia’s Night Haven shop was two stores up.
“We don’t know where it’s taking us yet,” Landreia said softly. “Let’s just keep going.”
I nodded and looked back to the line. It led us to the intersection just after her shop then around the corner to the right. We followed it down the road, across Charter Street, and almost all the way to Derby Street when the line suddenly vanished.
“NO!” I slid to a stop. “NO, NO!”
“WHAT?” They both shouted at the same time.
“It’s gone!” I spun around in a panic only to find the line was still behind us. It hadn’t vanished. “It just…ended.”
“Right HERE?”
Landreia groaned and shoved her hands into her hair. “We’re at the church.”
I looked up then followed her gaze – and my stomach dropped. Sure enough, the church was right there. “We’re at the church. The line stopped at the church. Saffie went to the church.”
“I knew it. I knew it.” Landreia squirmed and fidgeted with her wand. “Something is wrong. Something happened. Something not human.”
“Maybe a demon grabbed her?” Gigi looked up at the dark sky. “One of those flying ones? Maybe it plucked her right off the ground—”
“No.” I shook my head. “The tracking wouldn’t have stopped just because she was airborne. Don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.”
“Well then what would make the trail suddenly stop?” Gigi spun around in quick circles. “I mean…could she have…could she be…”
“NO. She’s alive.” I stared at the silver rune on my hand. “I didn’t do a necromancy spell of any kind. This would not have worked if she were…gone. There’s an answer here we just have to think.”
“It’s like she was here…” Landreia pointed to the line where it ended, as if she could see it. “And then she…wasn’t.”
I shook my head. “The line ends at the church where she went to meet her dead therapist. This is not a coincidence—”
“No, it’s not.”
We all screamed and leapt back.
Ms. Kelly was suddenly standing right in front of us.
“MA’AM! WHAT? WHY? HOW? WHO THE – WHAT JUST—” I slammed my mouth shut since the English language was failing me.
She stood in her brown Ugg boots right at the edge of the silver glittery line. She looked completely normal yet normal people didn’t just materialize out of thin air.
“Who are you?” Landreia shouted and jumped in front of me with her wand out.
“Ms. Kelly…our photography teacher?” I frowned and shook my head. “What?”
“I know that.” Landreia sighed. “She came by tonight to give me a present for Saffie.”
Gigi squawked behind me.
I closed my eyes. “Gigi.”
“Sorry, sorry,” she said in a rush. “I’m back now. I’m back. I’m cool.”
“Well I’m not!” I put my hands on my hips and stared at our teacher. “What the hell is going on and who are you really?”
Ms. Kelly looked to be in her mid-twenties, but if I’d seen her outside of school I would have thought her to be my age. Her red hair was tied behind her head. She smiled. “I am sorry to have frightened you. But I saw that you had made it here—”
“You saw? What does that mean?”
“This silver line? It ends here.” Ms. Kelly smiled and pointed to the line she shouldn’t have been able to see. “Because this is the last spot Saffie was at in this realm.”
“IN THIS REALM?” I was hollering now and I didn’t care.
Landreia shook her head. “Who are you really?”
Ms. Kelly walked up to me then reached up and pulled the henbane crown right off of my head. She took a step back then leaned down and blew on the crown – and it vanished. Like a gust of wind blowing a leaf. It was just gone. She looked up to me and winked. “Henbane is dangerous. I appreciate you for your devotion to Saffie and commend you on your abilities with your craft, but I don’t want to see you wearing these crowns for too long, okay?”
I nodded. “What do you know about…all this? Who are you really because you are definitely not a photography teacher?”
“I do love photography, it is a hobby of mine I don’t often make time for.” She smiled.
Light flashed behind her light eyes and then they shined bright lavender, just like Saffie’s. Glittery white and gold magic swirled around her body. Her red hair fell in wild, windblown waves halfway between her knees and