I said, giving it to Troy. “Just put my name on the envelope.”
His eyes darted from me to my sister and back. “I don’t know what’s going on, but my mother was a witch. One of you did this, so yeah, I’ll pay back the money, but take the damn spell off.”
Alice gave a shaky laugh. “You’re crazy. Maybe you’re just developing a conscience.”
Troy groaned again and wiped his brow. “Don’t play stupid. I grew up around this stuff. You’re mad, I get that. You want to punish me. That’s understandable. But now that I know what you can do, I won’t screw with you again.”
My jaw dropped, and tiny pinpricks sped along my skin. I never expected anyone to figure out what I was doing. I couldn’t decide if it was cool or not.
“Please. Take it off. I can’t live like this. I’m in nonstop pain.”
Alice frowned. “Maybe you should go to the hospital, Troy. You’re talking nuts, and if you’re really hurting, there’s a medical reason for it.”
Eyes wild, he stood and dropped the glass. Water splattered on the floor. “My mother did this to me when I was a teenager. The exact same damn thing, so I know better. Take the spell off, Alice. I’m begging you.”
Alice paled even more, if that was possible. “You should go.” She pointed to the door. “I want you to leave now.”
“You’re not lying, are you? You don’t know anything about this.” He advanced a step toward me, and then his face crumpled in pain again. “That means it’s you. Take it off.”
“You heard my sister. You should leave.” I shuddered at the venom in his eyes, and yeah, I did feel bad. But the spell would go away on its own, once he repaid Alice. I figured he’d get the money together faster that way.
At any rate, I couldn’t take it off unless I baked him something else. I doubted he’d eat anything from a stranger again. If he’d pinned it to the cake, of course.
“Fuck. You win.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his checkbook and a pen. Scribbling fast, he wrote out another check and handed it to Alice. “There, it’s all there. Go cash it now. I’ll wait.”
Alice glanced at me for confirmation and I nodded again. She took the check, looked at the dollar figure, and smiled. “The bank isn’t open now, Troy. It will have to wait until Monday. I hope the money is there.”
“It is. I swear.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Is the spell off now? My stomach doesn’t hurt so much.”
Alice sighed. Pointing at the door again, she said, “Just leave.”
I followed him and, when he opened the door, I whispered, “If the money isn’t there on Monday, you won’t feel good for long.”
His eyes popped open, but he didn’t say a word.
I gotta say, I’d never seen a man move so fast in my life. And I felt damn pleased that for once my spell worked exactly how I’d wanted. Maybe I was learning something.
At the same time, apprehension gnawed at me. I rubbed my arms to calm the goose bumps. At first, I’d mostly considered the magic a game. Something to play at and have a bit of fun with. Something to help me get over Marc and find a new path in life. But now, between Maddie and Troy, I truly realized the magnitude of the gift. Miranda must have been one scary lady, and it seemed I was following in her footsteps.
I wasn’t sure I liked that idea.
“What do you think, Maddie? Hair up or down?” We were in my bedroom, and I was fussing with my hair, getting ready for my date with Kevin. Maddie sat on my bed, mostly staring off into space.
When she’d arrived, she’d almost seemed like herself. I’d just about convinced myself that she’d actually been ill, like a cold, and that it hadn’t been my magic after all. But now, I realized that was just wishful thinking.Her glazed eyes centered on me. “Either will do. What ever you want.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm? Nothing. I’m just tired.”
Frowning, I twisted my hair and clipped it. Using my fingers, I scrunched my bangs and pulled a few wisps toward the side of my face. Stepping back, I took in my full appearance.
After reading up on Blue Man Group online, I got the idea it was a casual, fun performance that could get really messy, depending on where you were sitting. With that