The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't - Donna Augustine Page 0,46

I’d slept. Without bothering with my normal coffee, I walked back into the office, still stunned they’d smiled at me after cleaning up that mess.

“I’m so sorry about the back room. Did it take you a while to clean?” I focused my attention on Musso and Zab because Belinda certainly hadn’t taken part.

Zab leaned back in his chair. “What do you mean? We didn’t clean anything.”

I turned to Musso. Unlikely, but it couldn’t have been Belinda.

“I don’t clean,” he said, and went back to work.

Could it have been Belinda? If she’d cleaned it, I was really going to have to apologize, even if she didn’t acknowledge me at all while I did it.

I glanced her way. She stared back at me like she smelled rotten milk.

Yeah, not her.

“It was probably the cleaning crew,” Zab said. “Hawk must be paying them extra. They were leaving as we came in. I was wondering why they were grumbling so loudly and working so late.”

“There’s a cleaning crew?” My mouth dropped open. How had I not figured that out? That was how my clothes kept getting cleaned. “And Hawk lets them? I thought he was weird about who was here overnight.”

“They’re sprites. Totally different,” Zab said, as if I should realize this.

“Then why did you help me clean the other day?” I asked.

Belinda started laughing so hard that she nearly bent over. “You’ve been cleaning, you idiot?”

I didn’t bother asking her why she’d had me clean the office. I knew that answer.

Zab cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him. “I thought you liked doing that, being from Rest. I’ve heard that some Resters like to straighten up their homes. It’s a thing with them, nesting or something.”

“Well, it’s good that there’s a cleaning crew.” I tried to sound as pleasant about it as possible. Hard to do when you found out you’d been killing yourself for nothing.

Belinda was still laughing, and I could see Zab’s lips start to curl up. If this were a different situation, I might’ve found it funny too. If I didn’t want to go home so bad, if I knew my friend wasn’t rotting away in a factory, if Loris wasn’t probably worried sick, I might’ve laughed with them.

But today, I didn’t have it in me.

“I’ve got to go run an errand. I’ll be back soon,” I said, grabbing my jacket, not caring what Hawk said about staying in. I was so done with this place that if I didn’t get out of here for a little while, I was going to burn down the building.

“Tippi, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“It’s okay, really. I just need to do something.”

“Just let the crybaby go,” Belinda said.

I walked past her, my fists balled as I tried to keep them at my sides.

The wind blew through the narrow streets as I kept my hood up and my head down, avoiding eye contact.

Hawk was right. I didn’t need any more attention after what happened the last time I ran errands.

I walked until I got to the factory and then kept walking like I was supposed to be there. With my head up high, I made my way to the dandelion room, passing the other tables of witches and warlocks. They watched me with a skeptical eye. Rabbit was sitting at a table by herself and hadn’t noticed me yet, and it tore up my insides like I’d swallowed a bottle of acid. I was so busy feeling bad for myself, and she was still stuck here. I had to get her out. I didn’t know how, but I had to.

I saw one of the other witches get up from the table and head to the door. She might’ve been going to the bathroom or something, but I had a feeling my time was limited. I took the seat beside Rabbit, who finally turned around.

“Tippi!” She was all genuine smiles and grey skin, looking like she’d aged ten years in the last week. “Are you back?”

“No. I wanted to see you and tell you I didn’t forget about you. I’m trying to figure something out.”

“I can’t believe you came back here just to tell me that.”

She really couldn’t, and it made it that much worse. I should’ve been fighting to get her out of here every day, but I was going to make it right.

I leaned forward. “I’m not leaving here without you. That’s not some bullshit I’m spewing, either. It’s a promise.”

“There’s no way, but I appreciate you trying. I really do.”

“What are

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