5 A Charming Magic (20 page)

“That’s so sweet.” Arabella stood behind me.

“No more time to waste. He’s up there waiting to be rescued.” We made our way up the back steps that led to the office part of the jail, including the cell where Oscar had to be.

“June Heal, I’ve never been so glad to see you.” Oscar gripped the bars on the cell door. “Get me out of here. I’m never coming back to this crazy town again. And this means I’m not doing your alarm system.” He pointed at Arabella.

“Shh,” she warned him. He glared at her.

I didn’t say a word. I looked out the front windows to make sure there wasn’t anyone outside who could see me.

 “My mom was here. She knew you were coming. She waited.” Arabella picked up a jar of Vermillian Spiders that was unopened. “She isn’t going to let my dad marry Petunia and she isn’t going to let Petunia live. And she is planning on killing the entire village.”

“You’ve got that right.” The voice came from the deep darkness of the air.

“Show yourself,” I demanded.

The light switched on. I knew the woman standing before me.

“What the hell?” Oscar stumbled back in the cell with his mouth wide open.

“Nice to see you again, June Heal.” She put her hand out for me to shake.

My eyes narrowed. Her power was so strong. There was nothing I could do to her. I was helpless.

“Do something June!” Oscar screamed.

“Like what? Kill her with my intuition?” I quipped.

“My daughter. My dear dear daughter. Yes, you helped me out more than you know.” Her voice dripped, a smile crossed her face. “I came to your little shop, June, which is very charming. I had to see exactly who we could pin this little murder on since there was no way I was handing over my family to the likes of a tree hugger.”

Her laughter, soaked with evil, filled the station.

“Since you seemed so jealous of my dear cheating husband and his filthy friend, it was a no brainer.” She swept across the room in her cloak and veil. The black onyx jewels dangled around her face. There was an onyx ring placed on her ring finger. Much larger and prettier than the little vintage one from Bella’s. “After all, you don’t have anything to live for. Right dear?” She looked over at Arabella.

“I’m sorry June.” Arabella hung her head. “I wanted so bad to tell you that your mother has been around you since she left and she wanted to give you a direct message.”

“What is the message?” I ran over to her. I would do anything to hear from my mom.

“Don’t say a word!” Ezmeralda ordered Arabella to shut up. “She has what we need. The Ultimate Spell. I’m going to end this love affair with Gerald and whatshername once and for all.”

“Wait!” I pleaded. “I will give you whatever it is you want if you just tell me what my mom said.”

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. She was right. I didn’t have anything anymore. My parents were dead, Oscar didn’t remember me and I couldn’t save Whispering Falls from her.

“I’m freaking out in here.” Oscar paced back and forth. If he didn’t have feelings for me before now, he certainly wasn’t going to ever.

“First you will hear our demands.” Ezmeralda was pleased with my desperation. “You will give us your book of spells from A Charming Cure, the one Darla left you. Then you will denounce your spiritual gift and go back to the little frumpy shop you owned at the flea market in Locust Grove.” She clasped her fingers in front of her. “That’s all.”

“Will Oscar remember me?”

“Remember you?” Oscar laughed out loud in a frightened sort of way. “I’m going to do my damnest to forget you!”

I shook my head. I couldn’t focus on him at this moment.

“He will, but he will not ever be in love with you.” The pleasure of her having the upper hand sparkled in her eyes.

“This is ridiculous June!” Oscar ran his hands through his hair.

“What will happen to Whispering Falls?” There was a reason she wanted the Magical Cures Book, but what? I had been over that book a million times. There was nothing special in it.

“That is none of your concern. You will not remember this dreary little place. You will go back to your life as you knew it.” She swept across the room and stood next to me. She tilted my chin with her long finger. The black onyx ring shone bright in my eyes. “Isn’t that right Arabella?”

I slid my eyes to see Arabella. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look up. She kept her face down to the ground.

“If I can’t have either life, why would I do it?” Something wasn’t making sense. “What is in it for me?”

“Simple.” Her fingernail ran across my chin, cutting me like a knife. “You get to live.”

“Ouch.” I jerked back and put my hand up to my face. My blood was dripping from the cut.

“That?” She laughed. “That is nothing compared to what you will feel if you decide to go against me.”

“Go against you?” I asked. Confusion danced inside me.

“June, I hate to break it to you, but you are the chosen one. The Good-Sider against the Dark-Sider.” She flipped her cloak in the air. After the snap of the cloth, there appeared a hologram.

It showed an epic battle of two sides. I couldn’t make out any faces, but I knew it was good verses evil, something I didn’t want to be a part of.

“I will tell you that if you don’t accept my generous offer, as the chosen one for the Dark-Siders I will have to end your life.” She wrapped her hands around Arabella’s arms. “Isn’t that right Arabella?”

“June I’m so sorry.” Arabella looked at me. There was remorse in her eyes.

“You see, it was all fun and games when Arabella decided to run away from Azarcabam. Then I found her here, with her father, who I had been trying to hunt down. I decided to disguise myself in each little shop before I found you. Instantly I knew you were the chosen one. I had been hunting you all my life.” She walked over to me and then around me. “You are much younger than I thought and not all that wise, which really won’t make killing you a lot of fun. But I will do what I will have to do if you don’t accept my very generous offer. You see,” she leaned in. We stood eye-to-eye, “My daughter has developed a serious fondness of you and I’d hate to kill you.”

“So what are my options again?” They were already engrained in my brain, but I was trying to buy me some time for my intuition to kick in and tell me how to kick her ass.

“See,” Ezmeralda looked over at Arabella, “I told you she was stupid. Why on earth would you want to come here and live?”

“Grandma Mary Lynn,” Arabella started to talk.

“My mother is crazy!” Ezmeralda screamed.

“Hold it right there.” The police door swung open. Colton had his wand drawn.

“Oh,” Ezmeralda delighted in the fact he was there. “Let me see.” She pointed her long finger between me and Arabella. “Which damsel in distress did you come to save? The little witch or my daughter?”

“I came to take you into custody for attempted murder of Petunia Shrubwood.” Colton kept his eye on her, his gun pointed directly at her head.

“You mean to tell me she’s
still
hanging on?” She turned and rolled her eyes. “I swear the Vermillian Spiders you get in stores nowadays are not nearly as potent as they used to be.”

“Do you have any weapons for me?” Suddenly Oscar sounded a little more upbeat.

Colton threw him the cell keys and a wand at the same time, still keeping his wand on Ezmeralda.

“Dear young man, you need to walk back out that door before I must kill you.” Ezmeralda delighted in toying with Colton. “And you.” She threw her head back in bitter laughter. “You are just a little boy pretending to play wizard.”

“Oscar, she’s a Dark-Sider Spiritualist. Please do what she says or you will be killed. Guns or that wand will not hurt her,” I warned him. “Well, not coming from you.”

“Why June, you aren’t as stupid as I thought.” She swung her cloak around. Her eyelashes created a dark shadow down her face. “You might be fun to duel with in a battle for the Ultimate Spell.” She scrunched her nose. “Like a little cat and mouse. Only I’m the big bad cat.”

“Please Oscar,” I begged. There was no way I was going to give up the love of my life. It was crystal clear what I was going to have to do. It was either me or her.

“Ezmeralda,” Mary Lynn floated in the air. Her soft voice rang out, “my dear sweet daughter. Please go back to Azarcabam.” Mary Lynn smacked the air, creating a fireworks display in the room, sending Oscar to the ground.

“Oscar?” I rushed over to his side.

“He’s fine,” Ezmeralda rolled her eyes. “It’s my dear old crazy mom’s way of making him pass out so he won’t remember me killing you.”

“You crazy sonofa...” I flung myself across the room. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I was going to kill her one way or another.

My hands found their way around her neck and I squeezed as hard as I could. She flashed her onyx ring at me, knocking me across the room, sending me up against the glass window, shattering it to pieces.

“June! Let me handle it!” Colton screamed for me to stop.

Faintly I could hear Arabella in the background screaming for Mary Lynn to do something.

I opened my eyes.

Ezmeralda shouted out in pain. The onyx ring went flying in the air, landing next to my feet.

“Grab the ring!” Oscar shouted.

Without looking at him, I scrambled to my knees and grabbed the ring.

“You crazy old lady!” Ezmeralda shouted. She pointed at Oscar.

I looked over. He stood like the confident spiritualist police officer who had stolen my heart. His wand pointed at Ezmeralda. Colton was backing him up.

“You gave him his powers back!” Ezmeralda wrapped her cloak around her. A tornado of black smoke lifted her off the ground, sending her into thin air. A piece of paper floated from the sky.

“Oscar? Is it true?” I looked between him and Mary Lynn.

“He didn’t deserve his punishment for trying to save you. The Order of Elders had been discussing giving him powers back. Since he was here to save us, when he isn’t even a spiritualist, makes me believe he deserves his heritage.”

“Oscar?” Cautiously I glanced at him.

He smiled, held the wand up to his lips and blew on the tip before putting it back in his holster.

“I still don’t know how to use this thing.” He patted the wand that was securely strapped on his hip. “Thank God I’m good at pretending.”

I ran over and threw my arms around his neck. My heart soared when I felt his arms wrap around my body, squeezing it.

“What is going on here?” Gerald stood at the broken window.

Behind him, the sun was peeking out, sending the dark grey clouds far away from Whispering Falls. The dead brown geraniums that hung on the carriage lights sprung back to life.

“Good news!” Aunt Helena rushed into the police station. “Petunia is awake. She’s going to be all right.”

Gerald rushed over to Arabella. She bent down and grabbed the paper, giving it to Gerald.

“She signed it Daddy.” Arabella burst into tears.

“She signed the divorce papers. She gave Arabella permission to live here.” Gerald held the paper close to his heart.

Mr. Prince Charming darted in and dropped my charm bracelet at my feet. Oscar picked it up and clasped it on my wrist.

A round of cheers could be heard all over Whispering Falls. Everyone had gathered outside on Main Street as the Karima sisters zipped through town in their ambulance, stopping at Glorybee Pet Shop.

Constance jumped out before Patience and opened the back door. The sisters helped Petunia out from the back.

She looked happy, refreshed. Her hair was back up in the normal healthy bird’s nest.

“Hello!” She waved to the citizens. Birds from all over flew in her hair, one-by-one taking their rightful place.

Gerald and Arabella rushed to her side.

“I love you.” Petunia flung her arms around Gerald and Arabella. “I love you both.”

Happily they marched into Glorybee together. The animals from inside the pet store shrilled with delighted.

“What about Ezmeralda?” I asked. “It seems she and I have some unfinished business to take care of.” I gulped knowing what was written in the spiritual stars.

“She’s gone. She won’t be back for a while.” Oscar took the ring from me and gave it to Mary Lynn. “Without the power of the ring, she will have to figure out how to get the Ultimate Spell. Which will be virtually impossible.”

“Just to clarify.” I stepped back and looked at Oscar, Mary Lynn, and Colton. “Oscar has his spiritual powers back?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

Mary Lynn and Colton gave me the silent
shh
, telling me that Oscar didn’t remember not having his powers.

“And I have the Ultimate Spell buried in my potion book from Darla?”

They all nodded.

“How do Oscar and Colton know each other?”

“June, don’t you remember?” Aunt Helena asked. “They met at sorcery school at Hidden Halls, A Spiritualist University.” She smiled. “And they are co-sheriffs of Whispering Falls.” She winked. It was like the time had passed and Oscar didn’t know he had denounced his power.

“Oscar, I think you need to take your girlfriend home to rest.” Colton laughed. “That bump on the head from hitting the glass window might have given her a little concussion.”

“Girlfriend?” My heart filled with a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“A…yea.” Oscar wrapped his arm around me before pulling me closer. “I’m so glad she didn’t hurt you. I would never let that happen.” His vow was sealed with a kiss.

Chapter Twenty Seven

“I’ll be with you in a second.” The bell over A Charming Cure’s front door rang when someone walked through it.

I was busy trying to make up a few potions to replace all the ones that had sold while I was away at Azarcabam. Faith Mortimer had done a great job taking over and had nearly sold everything in the shop.

In fact, I had offered her a full-time job since she was so good at selling, which she gladly accepted.

“It’s just me. Take your time,” Petunia said.

“Petunia!” I bolted around the partition. “What are you doing here?” I looked up at the clock. “You only have a couple of hours before the wedding.”