Free spies and spells 01 - spies and spells by tonya kappes

grabbed it off the dresser, digging inside, pulling out the compact with the same scrolling red letters on top as the lipstick.
    I opened the compact and lifted the powder puff off the beige powder. It wasn’t my color bronzer and nothing looked out of the ordinary so I snapped it shut.
    “Supper time!” Auntie Meme’s voice snuck up under the bedroom door.
    Letting out a big sigh and realizing I was just going to have to let the curiosity go and give Mick the package, I stuck the lipstick and compact in the box. Besides, I didn’t have a reason to care. I could just keep telling him I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not tell him I was taking a dare from my sister. A spell dare where I turned his informant into a cat. I could only pray the man with the crazy snow brow didn’t remember what happened to him.
    I put the box back on the dresser, for safe-keeping, until I decided how I was going to get it to Mick. A delicious aroma floated in the air down the hall leading me to the kitchen where everyone was already sitting around the table for supper. The colorful bouquet from Ronnie had been placed in the middle of the table, complementing the yellow plates and lime green soup bowls.
    Auntie Meme believed it was very mortal-ish if not Kentucky-ish to decorate for the season. This meant switching out the entire home décor, including the dishes. Soon we’d be eating off fall plates and drinking from Halloween mugs.
    “What’s this?” I asked about the cat collar next to my plate. I picked it up and dangled it in the air and let the small silver bell ding.
    “I don’t know.” Abram scooped his spoon into the bowl and took a sip from it. “Some guy told me to give it to you.”
    “Some guy?” I asked, taking a closer look at it.
    “Yeah. He walked into the garage and said to give it to you. Freaky white eyebrow over his left eye.” He did a little shimmy-shake before he took another slurp off his spoon; his eyes darted between my family and me. All of us stared at him. “What?” He took a bite of the mini French loaf Auntie Meme had given each of us. The butter dripped down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “What?” he cried again.
    “Some guy? Did he call me by name?” I asked. I didn’t have to use my witchy instincts to know it was the guy , the informant, whomever he was. How did he find me? I felt numb, almost paralyzed.
    “I don’t know, why?” Abram sat back staring at all of us.
    “We don’t know anyone. At least anyone who’d give me a cat collar.” My eyes drifted over to Lilith. “Maybe it’s for Riule.”
    Her mouth hung open, her eyes practically bugged out of her head as she stared at the collar. She didn’t have to say a word to know what I was thinking or for me to know what she was thinking.
    “Ouch!” I screamed dropping the collar in my soup, jerking my hand to my chest when a spark shot through my fingers, leaving a burn mark on the tip of my skin.
    “Abram, can you please go check on my bicycle tires and brakes?” Auntie Meme grunted pointing him out the door.
    “I’m not a bike mechanic.” Abram’s face contorted. His brows drew in a V.
    “Please, Abram.” Auntie Meme stood up, walked over to the door and held it open. Without a word, Abram did as he was told.
    Auntie Meme crept over to me, looking down into my bowl of soup. “There is evil lurking in the air. Does this have to do with that dare?”
    Auntie Meme’s head rose. Her eyes dark. There was a sudden knowing between me, her, and Lilith. She licked her finger and pressed her finger to my mine, healing me in an instant.
    “What are you talking about?” Mom’s words seethed through her gritted teeth. “What dare?” She demanded to know. “Do not tell me you girls are up to childish games again?”
    Mom hated how Lilith and I played dare. It kept us busy and out of Mom’s hair when we lived on the farm, until the neighbor was featured on the local Louisville news with his