“That’s the best part,” I said. “It’s Halloween weekend in Salem. We’re going in costume. We can wear masks and blend right in.”
“The perfect crime,” Emma said.
“The perfect time,” I agreed.
Chapter 25
October 30
th
Friday came too soon. We all stayed up late Wednesday and Thursday night going over our plan, but Friday I spent the entire school day feeling exhausted and uncertain. I would never feel ready no matter how much planning and preparation we had.
Could we really pull this off?
Emma drove me straight home after school with a promise to meet me there in one hour. I sat on my bed stroking the gold amulet in my hands. Simon had let me take it home last night and I couldn’t stop reassuring myself that it was still there. I wet my lips and looked at the clock. Emma was five minutes late.
Emma was never late.
I climbed off the bed and started pacing the floor. I was glad for the freedom of movement my costume allowed. Originally I had considered wearing a period costume, planning to blend with the large number of reenactment enthusiasts that always grace Salem’s historic streets. Unfortunately long bustle skirts are difficult to run in and prone to bumping into things. Not a good idea for a super secret amulet swap. I found myself wishing that I could be as stealthy as a ninja and I thought, why not? Yuki, hot goth assassin, or rather, thief was born.
The only part of me not swaddled in black fabric was the area around my kohl rimmed eyes. It was the perfect costume. I even special ordered a pair of black spiral tabi boots from Ayya. The gray contrast stitching made the spirals stand out against the black leather and in true tabi style there was a space between the big toe and the rest of the foot.
All the better for gripping with.
They were kind of pricey, but totally made of love.
A honk in the driveway announced Emma’s arrival and I flew down the stairs and out the door.
“Wow,” Emma said, looking me up and down. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You look pretty fabulous yourself.”
Emma was the getaway driver, so her costume couldn’t obstruct her vision. Emma had cleverly solved this problem by using green and gold makeup to give the impression of a mask. She had pulled her hair back tightly and tucked it under a vinyl hood that matched her dark green vinyl body suit. When I saw her yellow slit pupil eyes I felt startled until I realized she was wearing contact lenses. The overall effect was a cross between an Emma sized snake and a Cirque du Soleil performer.
Gorgeous.
“Did you bring the amulet?” Emma asked.
“Right here,” I said, holding it up to the light.
Emma nodded and backed down the driveway. We arrived at the cabin a few minutes later. I fidgeted with my face wrapping and followed Emma inside. Simon was standing by the door, in costume.
“Hey Zorro, where’s your hat?” Emma asked.
Simon was wearing a black mask over the upper half of his face and his head was covered in a black silk scarf. The rest of his costume was also black, a silk shirt, top half unbuttoned, and loose fitting pants tucked into soft leather boots. Not a bad outfit for someone trying to be stealthy.
“I, fair maiden, am the Dread Pirate Roberts,” Simon said.
“I prefer Zorro,” Emma said.
“As you wish,” Simon said.
“Hey,” Cal said, hip bumping me with a smile. He was wearing a pair of jeans slung low on his hips and an old Dresden Dolls t-shirt I had given him for his birthday a few years ago.
“Nice shirt,” I said, turning to face him.
“Nice disguise,” Cal said.
He reached his hands up to the sides of my face and slid the black fabric down under my chin. The cooler air tingled on my skin and then he was leaning in, his warm lips brushing mine in a kiss.
“Promise to be careful,” Cal whispered.
“Always am,” I said. I pressed into his chest and kissed him deeply. “I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Cal said. His eyes had gone dark and dreamy and I pulled away before I fell into their depths.
“So,” Simon said. “Do we have the amulet?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Full tank of gas?” Simon asked.
“Yes,” Emma answered.
“Lock picks?” Simon asked.
“Yes,” I said, patting a hidden pocket.
“Okay then,” Simon said. “Let’s go pilfer a magic amulet.”
“Swap,” I corrected.
“Of course,” Simon said. He spread his hands out and tried to look innocent, which only made me worry.
“And just for the record,” I said. “We are not stealing anything else. I’m swapping the replica with the real amulet, but that’s it.”
Simon just strode out the door. Now that’s reassuring.
Not.
Emma followed close behind as I gave Cal a tiny wave goodbye.
*****
The ride to Salem was Hell and, fortunately for Simon, I had left my pitchfork at home. On the way to the car he tried to call shotgun and I had to fight him for the front seat. Only Emma’s enthusiastic demonstration of me hurling like in The Exorcist convinced him that people with motion sickness get permanent shotgun. Simon dropped sulkily into the back seat, but was soon finding his position advantageous for pestering me. His costume, much to my chagrin, came complete with a pointy rubber cutlass. Simon found it hugely amusing to tickle the back of my neck with it and randomly poke the back of my head. I may have been wrapped in fabric, but the wrappings were thin and so was my patience.
I was so not looking forward to the ride home.
If there was ride home.
I kept picturing us in a lineup getting our mug shots taken; the Dread Pirate Roberts, Snake Woman, and Goth Ninja. I couldn’t decide if I should laugh or cry so I settled for biting my lip and stroking the amulet. I was impatient for this night to be over, but that only brought me face to face with Samhain. Not my favorite night of the year.
Not anymore.
I closed my eyes each time we crossed a bridge, but my fear of bridges was nothing compared to the chill that crept up my spine as we entered the town of Salem. Traffic slowed to a standstill, it was Halloween weekend after all, and I found myself begging Emma to drive faster. She had taken us on an alternate route and we were stopped in front of a dark open expanse. What had at first looked like an empty hillside began to sprout gravestones like crooked teeth as my eyes adjusted to nightfall.
A cemetery.
Of course we would get stuck sitting in front of a cemetery.
Smells started pushing their way into the car and I felt the beginnings of a migraine. Putting my fists to my temples I began rocking back and forth.
Make it stop.
“Simon?” Emma asked, sounding worried.
“Take the next right,” Simon said. “We need to get her away from that cemetery, fast. The spirits trapped here are very old and very angry. With only one night until Samhain the veil is already thinning. Yuki can’t take much more of this. Not without the amulet.”
Emma pulled the car onto the gravel shoulder and inched past the stopped traffic. At Simon’s direction she turned right and then left, again bringing us out onto a road that ran parallel to our original travel route. There was less traffic, though we had to cut through a parking lot to continue in the right direction.
Pesky one way roads.
“Thanks,” I said. My voice quivered and I was still shaking, but the smells drifted away leaving only a dull ache in my skull.
“Sorry,” Emma said. “It was my fault. I didn’t think to look for old cemeteries on the maps. I just found the most direct route that would take us near Essex street.”
“Not your fault,” I said. “None of us thought of it either.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t find a way to wear your arsenal of spirit wards,” Simon said.
I pulled on one of the fabric ties and pulled back a layer of my ninja costume. Glinting from every pocket were crosses of every shape and size amidst my other warding charms and beneath that lay my shiny safety pin shirt. I should have been protected.
“It’s not working,” I said. “The spirits are growing too strong.”
“We need to get that amulet,” Simon said.
“Good thing we came to the right place,” Emma said, smiling.
While we had been talking, Emma had driven us close to the Cauldron and Noose.
“The shop is on a pedestrian road, but if you lean forward you can see part of the sign right over there,” Emma said.
“I’ll walk with you, love,” Simon said, stepping out of the car. “Let’s take a look around.”
I rubbed the replica amulet between my fingers and secured it in a hidden Velcro sealed pocket.
“I’ll be right back,” I said trying to smile.
“I’ll keep the engine running,” Emma said. “Good luck.”
Simon and I walked over to Essex Street and blended into the sea of pedestrians. Fortunately people were all walking over to the Hawthorne Hotel where the Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball was being held. I checked my cell for the time.
“The ball started about an hour ago,” I said, keeping my voice low. Werewolves had excellent hearing so I knew Simon could hear me over the murmur of voices and rumbling of nearby traffic.
“Looks like some people are arriving fashionably late,” Simon said. He swaggered in his pirate costume, but his eyes were deadly serious. “You wait here and do a bit of window shopping. I want to check around the corner.”
In a flash of swirling black silk, Simon was gone. I tried not to panic. I walked casually to the shop window of the Cauldron and Noose. It was decorated for Halloween with black bats on strings hanging above an enormous black cauldron. From the top of the window hung lengths of rope tied into the familiar shape of nooses. The display was macabre, but not horrifying. The clown mask staring at me from the nearby costume shop was much creepier.
I tried to look behind the display to the store beyond, but the emergency lighting barely cast a glow over the customer counter on the left and the glass case at the back. I tried to see inside the case, but it was too far away. Glancing around the shop I looked for any movement or other signs of people, but the lights were off, the shop was closed, and everyone was either at the ball or on their way.
A hand gripped my shoulder and I would have screamed if Simon hadn’t whispered in my ear.
“Wait five more minutes then begin the incantation at the door,” he said. “I’ll keep watch. Keep your phone on vibrate. If someone comes near the door I’ll either text you to stay out of sight or, if they take out a key to enter the shop, I’ll transform in the alcove over there and cause enough of a diversion for you to leave the shop undetected. Remember what I taught you. You’ll do fine.”
Simon walked away and I continued to window shop. Five painfully long minutes later the street had emptied and I moved closer to the door. I tried to look interested in the flyers taped to the glass while I repeated the incantation Emma’s spirit guide had given us.
“Slither silently and softly, moving small and unseen, curious eyes slide past, minds left untroubled and serene,” I said.
As I said the first words I dropped a piece of molted snake skin which slid along the ground as though pulled by an invisible hand. I had found a spell with nearly identical wording on the Internet and Emma had helped me accumulate the necessary ritual objects. I sprinkled ash as the spell ended.
That should be it.
With one last look around, I pulled out my set of lock pick tools and set to work on the lock. I don’t know if it was the spell, Simon’s assistance, or beginner’s luck, but I managed to pick the lock and enter the front door without anyone shouting for the police. I slid into the shop, well, like a ninja, and carefully pulled the door closed behind me. The smell of Nag Champa and sandalwood was intense and for a moment I thought I was facing a smell impression, but then remembered the shop sold incense and essential oils.
Relaxing just a bit, I let my eyes adjust to the room. At the front of the store there were oddments and spell components hanging from wire racks and piled precariously on wooden shelves. Overflowing baskets and bins lined the floor. Careful not to trip, or knock anything over, I made my way to the back of the store. The wall to my left was filled with books on spell crafting, runes, palmistry, and crop circles. A massive display of tarot cards of all sizes stood to my right. The amulet that I had come for sat in the case directly in front of me.
“A Pox Upon All Thieves,” read the sign hanging at eye level on the wall behind the glass case. I stifled a shudder and tried to distract myself from the task at hand. I was about to attempt grand theft amulet from an occult shop known to be run by witches.
Son of a dung beetle. How did I get myself into this mess?
The words were painted in an old-fashioned font and the sign was covered in a false patina of age. My mind latched onto an old memory of my grandmother teaching me the tricks of tole painting. I remember her patiently demonstrating the technique of speckling, layering, and then using tea for the finishing touch.
“See it’s nothing,” my mind screamed desperately. “It’s not even old.” Old or not, the sign still filled me with dread.
I was grasping for anything which might distract me, but thoughts of my grandmother only deepened my sense of guilt. I may be rebellious, but I wasn’t the kind of girl to steal from anyone. Except now. I felt like I was on a slippery slope to Hell.
Good thing I wore my boots.
Taking a calming breath, I knelt on the floor in front of the glass case. I tried to ignore the offending sign and not think about angry witches. Pulling the case of lock pick tools once more from my pocket, I set about moving the tumblers the way Simon taught me. I felt reassured knowing he was just outside. This lock was more difficult than the simple lock on the front door, but after a few tense moments I heard the click indicating the lock was open.
I carefully lifted the top of the glass case and held my breath waiting for blaring alarms, armed guards, and killer monkeys. You may wonder why killer monkeys? Watching the Wizard of Oz when I was a toddler scarred me for life.
It’s a thing.