Free Moonset by Scott Tracey Page B

to see how Jenna would react.
    “I’ve gotta … ” I wasn’t sure how to make the excuse. Deal with my potentially psychotic sister? Fix whatever problem she’d managed to get into in the last half hour? Talk her down off a ledge that would lead to another move? Stave off the inevitable explosion? Waiting would only serve to piss Jenna off more than she already was.
    “Wow, your girlfriend is pissed.”
    That caught me off guard. Jenna? My girlfriend? “Now who’s digging for information?” I said, trying to sound teasing but a little afraid it just came across as desperate.
    The girl snickered, shaking her head and looking away. “So far off, cowboy. Besides, most sisters I know don’t yell at their brothers like that.”
    “You haven’t met my sister,” I muttered.
    “Love to,” she announced as if that had been an invitation. Then she hopped off the sidewalk and made a beeline for Jenna.

Seven
    “Everyone knew Sherrod was the leader. But Cy Denton and I grew up together. He controlled the school. Everyone wanted to know him. He was the star of every play, the one who threw the best parties, and the funniest guy I’ve ever met.”
    Sara Bexington (S) Personal Interview
    “Who is this?” Jenna demanded, once I caught up. The girl just stood there while Jenna’s glare homed in on me. Jenna would rip out her spine and dangle it out of reach like a cat toy if I didn’t interject.
    “What happened?” I countered.
    “I asked you—”
    I cut her off. “What. Happened?”
    “Bailey’s … upset ,” was all she said. Her eyes flicked to my mystery girl (when did she become my mystery girl?), and I realized that there was a whole undercurrent to the situation that she wasn’t going to reveal in front of a stranger. That’s what you get for thinking you could have an afternoon free , I thought, actually able to feel my blood pressure rising.
    “What did you do?” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Jenna’s bad mood was her way of overcompensating.
    “I didn’t do anything,” she said, her voice growing more shrill. In other words, she had GUILTY written across her forehead in big black letters.
    “Fine, then Bailey took something you said out of context. Just tell me what happened.”
    “I don’t know what happened,” she snapped. “We were in the store trying things on, and Mal and I had this tiny little disagreement, and when I walked out of the dressing room, Bailey had taken off.”
    “Taken of f ?” My stomach sank.
    “Yeah, like gone. Ran away, planning on never coming back.”
    “Well it’s good to see you’re not being overdramatic about it,” the girl suddenly chimed in.
    Jenna whirled on her. “And who the hell are you?”
    “Jen—” I tried to grab her arm, but she threw me off. “Leave her—”
    “My name’s Ash,” the girl said. I probably looked
like Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel, the way I gaped. After struggling for half an hour, she offered her name up to Jenna in the first thirty seconds? As casual as can be?
    Jenna didn’t understand the significance. “Better question, why are you butting into our conversation?”
    “Because you’re making a scene,” Ash said. At some point during the conversation, she’d pulled out her phone and was texting casually, her eyes barely glancing over the screen. “I figured if you stop yelling at your brother for a minute, maybe you’d realize that.”
    Jen whirled on me. “Who the hell is this girl?”
    “We met at the bookstore,” I said. “And then we went out for coffee.”
    ”You’re drinking a milkshake.” Jenna made it an accusation.
    “Going for coffee is a euphemism,” I explained patiently, carefully avoiding Ash’s eyes. “There’s a smoothie shop across the street.”
    Jenna’s hand flexed into a fist and then relaxed. “This wouldn’t be a problem if they’d show us—” There were spells that could track the coven bond. Spells we weren’t allowed to know. Truth be