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Well, not “steal.” Borrow. It seemed better to think of this as borrowing; after all, Mom would get her Book of Shadows back. She just wouldn’t know that it had been gone.
Everyone was getting ready for bed, which meant they were wearing their pajamas in the hall and pretending not to mind that other people were using the bathrooms. Cecily put on a T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants—believable as sleepwear but also ideal for sneaking around the house, or sneaking out of it.
She wandered through the house, trying to look casual, which shouldn’t have been so difficult in a T-shirt and yoga pants. Mom and Dad, where are you? Please don’t already be in bed—
They weren’t. They were sitting in the front room, each drinking a glass of wine, being sort of disgustingly mushy with each other. Cecily averted her eyes, the better to avoid witnessing the dreaded parental make-out session. The point was they were distracted, which gave her a window of opportunity.
Quickly she tiptoed down the hall toward her parents’ bedroom. Nobody saw her except Theo, who was rubbing his eyes and probably too tired to notice.
Cecily peered around the bedroom, considering and then rejecting possible hiding places. Dad might look in any of the drawers or under the bed, so her mother wouldn’t have put the book there. Same thing with any of the suitcases. It would have to be someplace really safe, yet unexpected.
Cecily’s eyes lit up as she noticed the shadow box above the bed. It was merely decoration—a kitschy beach scene, which was pretty much the kind of thing that had to count as style in Ocean’s Heaven—but it stood out from the wall a bit, and it was big enough….
She tugged the shadow box from the wall, and the Book of Shadows flopped onto the bed.
Just when it looked like she’d pulled it off, Cecily heard her mother in the hallway. “You know, it’s kind of sexy when you sing.”
Dad laughed softly. “I would’ve spent all night on stage if I’d known that.”
Horror froze Cecily to the spot. What was worse: being caught stealing Mom’s Book of Shadows or having to hear her parents flirt? She’d never find out, because she was about to do both at the same time, which was as bad as it could possibly get.
Then she heard Theo. “Mommy, Daddy, come read me a story!”
“You want a story before bed? You haven’t asked for one in a while.” Dad sounded affectionate. “We don’t want to keep Scott awake.”
“He’s off kissing Kathleen,” Theo said scornfully. “Come read to me!”
Their footsteps approached the doorway—then went past it, heading toward Theo. Cecily caught her breath for a second before she clasped the Book of Shadows to her chest and sneaked out.
As she went, she looked behind her. Mom had Theo in her arms as they walked toward his room. He smiled at Cecily from over their mother’s shoulder and winked.
I can’t believe it. Theo saved me! Her little brother couldn’t possibly have guessed why she needed to be in their parents’ room, but he’d covered for her anyway. Just because. It was definitely the least bratty moment of his life to date.
Cecily grinned at her brother, proud that at least one of her self-improvement goals had paid off.
Now to fulfill the most important goal of them all: taking Kathleen down.
Part Four
DISENCHANTMENT SPELL CHECKLIST
moth’s wings
red wine—located in wet bar of beach house
purified ash
broken glass—smash a glass in kitchen, leave a couple dollars for house owners
essence of verity
cauldron—will improvise
crushed beetle shells
virgin’s blood—depressingly, can provide this myself
The wind whipped in from the ocean, chilling Cecily as she sat on the still-damp sand. Although the rain had finally stopped, the skies overhead remained ominously clouded, without any stars.
