Page 75 of Hex You

“Hunter…”

Xena’s tone reminded Hunter of her mom—of all she’d lost, still had to lose, and all she’d found. The magic within her was dark and light, whole and fractured. It scared her and freed her and made her fully alive. She was one half of a Goode witch. One half of the magic that flowed through her ancestresses’ veins flowed through hers, too. One half of—

“Oh, shit.” Hunter groaned and dropped her face into her hands. “We’re each only half.” Her hands muffled her groan. “Why didn’t I see it before?”

“Hunter!” Xena hissed.

Hunter peeked between her fingers. Had she eaten, she would have barfed.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” she repeated as she dashed past Xena and out of the kitchen.

Mercy, Khenti, and Emily stared at her as she rushed into the living room on trembling legs.

“I—” Hunter choked on the words, realization crystalizing as the past few weeks flashed behind her eyes. “I’m the Chosen One.”

Hunter burst into tears while theBuffycredits rolled and the vampire slayer’s theme song blared from the speakers.

THIRTY-ONE

The front door creaked, and the screen slammed shut as Jax entered, swirls of dark hair sticking up from his scalp like they used to before he’d learned the wonders of styling gel. “I come bearing tacos,” he said, lifting a swollen takeout bag. “I even remembered to get fish.”

Hunter blinked at him, her face hot with tears.

The smile slipped from his lips, and he dropped his arm, the bag hanging from his fingers like a pendulum.

“I did something weird.” Hunter sniffled.

Mercy cleared her throat and picked up her bottle of water off the coffee table. She shook with the slight movements and water splashed out of the uncapped mouth. “Aren’t you always doing something weird?” A weak smile twitched against her lips and dark bags settled beneath her eyes like shadowed crescent moons. “How does that make you the Chosen One?” she asked, leaning back against Khenti as if she could stay conscious, stay alive, through touch alone.

Hunter ignored how pale Mercy was, almost translucent, veins like blue tributaries beneath her skin, and motioned toward the kitchen.

Xena’s nose wrinkled with a sniff as she stared at the proof only she and Hunter had witnessed. “Don’t make Mercy get up. Call it out.” She wiggled her long fingers as if she, too, had the power to summon it.

Hunter hooked her finger and signaled for the evidence to join her in the living room.

The crinkled, fluorescent-pink wad of paper stretched its thin legs and peeked out from behind the trash can.

“Come on.” She sighed.

With a sound like nails tapping glass, her magically animated to-do list scampered out to Hunter’s side.

“This is my list,” Hunter said over the symphony of gasps that erupted from Jax, Khenti, Mercy, and Emily. “Apparently, I wasn’t finished with it, and it refused to be thrown away.” She stared down at the magical, spiderlike creature skittering over her shoes.

A splattering like a ripe melon smacking dry earth echoed from the couch. Hunter went cold, but this time her legs did as she commanded. She rushed to Mercy’s side as Khenti guided her back against a mound of pillows. Her now-empty bottle of water rolled along the floor in its own puddle.

“I’ll get some towels,” Jax said, setting down the bag of food.

“Yeah.” Emily sprang up from the couch. “I’ll help.” Her eyes were glossy with tears as she and Jax gave the Post-it creature a wide berth and hurried past Hunter and into the kitchen.

What happened?Hunter couldn’t force herself to ask. She didn’t want to know.

“The poison.” Khenti looked up at her, his gaze searching. For what, she didn’t know. “It—”

“It bloody hurt!” Mercy forced through clenched teeth.

Hunter rounded the coffee table and took Xena’s hand as she kneeled in front of her sister. Xena’s grip tightened, willing Hunter to be brave, lending her the strength to do so.

With a deep inhale, Hunter shook out her free hand, forcing it not to tremble as she reached for the neck of Mercy’s oversized tee. There should be scars beneath the cotton, two pink peony buds blooming against Mercy’s white skin.