at me the way she might gaze at a particularly difficult crossword puzzle.
“I know I missed the first dance,” I say. “But I’d hate to let all that practice go to waste.”
We stare at each other for a moment, and an understanding blooms between us.
My grandmother turns to Dr. Jonathan Bailey. “Johnny, is Owen near? I want him to meet my granddaughter. She’s got a bright future with the Magnolias ahead of her.”
My stomach flip-flops as Owen shuffles out from behind his parents. He’s a big, shambling blond who wears too much Axe body spray. The MGs call him SlOwen.
“Take her out for a spin,” his dad says with a laugh, clapping his grinning son on the shoulder.
“Shall we?” I say, and I offer him my arm. SlOwen licks his lips, and we walk out onto the dance floor.
“Moon River” is playing, and as we begin to waltz, I see everyone watching me. My grandmother is bragging about me to the Baileys. Madison and Dexter are walking onto the dance floor to provide me with some protective cover, because I’m a pretty terrible dancer—although not as bad as SlOwen. Hayes is staring at me, probably still moved by what I did. But now she’s turning toward the door.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Thaddeus push his way past the guests, his tuxedo rumpled, a backpack over his shoulder. He stops when he sees me, and his face is cold and hard.
I want to run over and tell him I’m sorry, that it’s all a lie. I love you, Thaddeus. Seriously. But I can’t—not if I want to free my mother. And by the look on his face, I can tell it’s too late.
“I’m sorry,” SlOwen mumbles as he steps on my toes for the third time.
So am I.
Across the floor, Hayes is trying to talk to Thaddeus, but he’s already walking out the door and out of my life.
“Moon River” is over now. It fades seamlessly into a truly stellar version of “That Old Black Magic.” SlOwen’s hanging on tighter now—his grip is so tight that it’s hard for me to breathe. All I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry. Instead, I draw my shoulders back like a lady and smile sweetly at my grandmother. She beams proudly, knowing nothing of the storm that’s brewing.
Hang on, Mom—I’ll get you out of there. I promise.
The White Glove War has begun.
EXCERPTS FROM
LADY BROWN’S BOOK OF CONJURE AND SPELLS:
Good Luck Charms,
Go Away, Come Closer,
and Abide-a-While Potions,
Prayers, Blessings,
and Tricks.
Copyright, 1943
CONJURE UP A NEW LOVE
To find yourself a new love, you must be clean and pure. Cleanse yourself, avoid alcohol and tobacco for three days, avoid eating meats or sweets for the same period of time. Wear only white, red, or pink clothes, including underclothes. Avoid the colors black, blue, and brown. Make sure one piece of your clothing stays the same for all days of this ritual.
On a night with a waxing moon, place six pins in three white candles, and six pins in three red candles. Burn them down; then bury the wax leavings in the dirt by any fruit-bearing tree. Go inside and sleep.
For the next four nights, come out and stand on the spot where you buried the wax, and recite Psalm 111:4, six times each night.
On the sixth night, dig up the wax and melt it down over a burning white candle. When the wax is like water, pour in six drops of honey and six drops of salted wine. Place in the wax six apple seeds and six rose petals.
Cut a square from the clothes you have been wearing for the six days, and wrap the wax in the square. Make sure its neck is tightly sealed. Place it in your hand, and walk around the hole where you buried the wax six times while saying Psalm 111:4.
When that’s all done, sleep with the conjure bag underneath your pillow, and carry it with you for six days and nights. Then bury it again. At the end of this time, you will find a new love. When you grow weary of the new love, dig up the gris-gris bag and burn it quickly, and your new love will grow a wandering eye.
DRIVE-AWAY HEX
A distracting type of woman comes between your heart and the heart of your lover. The only way to deal with this type of aggravating person is with foot-track magic.
Find this person’s footsteps, and take the dirt from one of