Page 41 of Hex You

“There.” She capped her pen. The satisfaction of having created a succinct tally of to-dos faded as quickly as it had come. The items, while challenging, weren’t completely undoable. She could achieve them. Shewouldachieve them. Shehad toachieve them. But a part of her didn’t want to. Well, not all of them, anyway. There was one she wished she could leave for another time—a high school reunion when a decade had passed and the stresses of life outside of Goodeville High made the past feel like a dream.

Maybe the spell will wear off by then. Maybe Kylie will forgive me. Maybe—

A softtink tink tinkagainst the window drew her attention.

The brown wings of a moth beat against the glass, its fuzzy body tapping the pane, drawn by the yellowish glow of lamplight. It had been pulled to this place, this house, to Hunter, who had switched on the moon light and forever changed the insect’s life.

Tink tink.

Hunter had done the same to Kylie—created a new moon for her to follow.

Tink tink tink.

If Hunter left without turning off the light, Kylie, like this moth, would stay in one place, wings fluttering, desperately trying to reach something she could never attain.

Hunter switched off the lamp, and the gentle taps against the glass faded as the insect adjusted and, guided by the light of its true moon, flew up and away from the house.

Her hand drifted to her pendant, her fingertips drawing slow circles against the smooth stone. Tyr had come back to her. Jax had accepted her apology. Mercy had forgiven her. It might be too much to expect Kylie to do the same, but no matter the outcome, Hunter had to do the right thing. She couldn’t live with herself in Goodeville or Chicago if she didn’t.

She would do it tomorrow. Before then, she would cross off number one.

Hunter went to her pillow, a firm lump at the head of her bed, and slid her hand under the cool fabric until her fingers reached the blue velvet pouch that held her tarot deck. She removed the satchel and poured her cards onto her comforter. Their silver backs seemed to shimmer, reflecting the same phase of the moon beaming down through the cloudy sky. She swept her cards into a neat pile and closed her eyes. She’d spent sleepless nights consulting her tarot. No matter how drained or exhausted she was, the messages from her cards always came through clearly. Well, as clear and direct as tarot cards could be. There was always room for interpretation. Always room for human mistakes.

Hunter settled her right palm against the deck.

Reveal yourself, reveal yourself, reveal yourself.She inwardly repeated her intention until it was all she could hear.

“Reveal yourself!” she commanded.

But there were no sparks of energy or flashes of power fizzling against her skin.

“Reveal yourself!” she repeated.

Again, no magic tingled against her fingertips.

She rolled her amulet between her left fingers as she chewed the inside of her cheek. Even though she couldn’t feel it, hermagic had to still be there, resting in the depths. If she could only reach it.

Hunter filled her lungs and focused on diving within herself to find the power that coursed through her veins.

Reveal yourself.

She flipped the top card and set it faceup next to the deck. The milky white that had once been a placeholder, a circle of swirling colors until a picture loaded, clear as day, remained cloudy.

Hunter bit the inside of her cheek, closed her eyes, and tried again.

The threads of power like extensions of her veins, her nerves, her very being had vanished. She felt nothing from her tarot. Her eyelids fluttered open as she pressed her fingers to her pendant. It was cool against her skin, not warm or thrumming with power,herpower.

She picked up the card and squinted at the foggy rectangle.

She was tired. That was all. She tilted her head. Or maybe this was the answer.

Tarot card in hand, Hunter rounded her bed and slowly and quietly opened her door. Her ponytail swung listlessly as she leaned out and peered down the hall at her sister’s room. The shadow darkening the thin strip of empty space between the bottom of her door and the wood floor told Hunter exactly what she needed to know. She charged toward the stairs, a sudden burst of laughter reaching her as she neared the bottom.

“H!” Mercy chimed, her cheeks round with giggles.

Khenti hid his final bits of laughter with a cough as he looked up at Hunter, the bright screen of the open laptop reflecting in his brown eyes. “Were we too loud? I’m afraid my technological difficulties have led to much amusement.”

Heat crept up Hunter’s neck. She felt like she’d walked in on something private. Sure, Mercy and Khenti weren’t touching, but touching wasn’t always the first step in making a true connection. “No, you two are fine. I just—” She handed the card to Mercy, grimacing at the streaks her sweaty grip left behind. “I wanted to show you this.”