Rhinestone Way Read online

  A dark cloud was descending over this town just as I had started to feel at home in it. Or maybe the cloud had been building for far longer than that..

  “You know that my sister had nothing to do with Jonathan’s murder?” I said.

  Two heads nodded.

  “There has been an illegal pearl trade going on in this town for decades. I’m sure there would be illegal trade in unicorn dung trade as well, if your grandmother wasn’t such a force around here,” said Jackie.

  “Was your brother involved with the pearls?” I asked, wondering if all the mysteries would turn out to be connected in the end. Pearls were valuable for rituals and hard to come by. There had been a few left in Jonathan’s office after he died, and I had yet to figure out where they had come from.

  “I can’t imagine Kyle would be involved in something like that. Pearls are strictly regulated. He surely isn’t old enough to get his hands on any. He wouldn’t steal them, and anyhow, most people that have them keep them under lock and key,” Kelly said. “I’m just saying he must have gotten into trouble one way or another. Henry wasn’t a good influence, and now he’s been in a coma.”

  “I suppose the sheriff thinks your brother was the one who put him there,” I said.

  Kelly made a face. They had blamed my sister for Jonathan’s death, at least until I had proved that it was a secretive and terrifying organization called the Vixens that had caused it. Those witches were only getting stronger, and we all knew well enough that they could be behind this new trouble, too.

  “I don’t know what they think,” Kelly said at last, “but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if they do suspect my brother. Please just help me. Do a little bit of snooping. We had no idea that you were looking into Jonathan’s murder, and then it turned out that you had solved it. Maybe the same thing can happen here. Maybe Kyle is afraid of something, but if he sees you he won’t be. You aren’t the sheriff,” she explained.

  I sighed. “We have the ritual tonight. I suppose I could ask a few questions tomorrow, sort of start looking into things. I can go see Henry at the hospital. I’ll just have to avoid the sheriff.”

  Chapter Three

  At least now I had something concrete to do the day after the ritual. If I was lucky, it would take my mind off what was going to happen that evening. I’d go to the witch hospital and try to speak with Kelly’s brother’s friend, and see where things might go from there.

  There was silence at the table for a few minutes as we all sipped our tea. Then Kelly said, “Thanks so much for helping me. I already feel better. Henry is awake at the hospital, at least that’s what my mom said just before we came here. He’s going to try to help the sheriff piece together what happened.”

  That didn’t necessarily sound like the sheriff wasn’t believing him, but I didn’t make any comment.

  “How are you doing yourself?” asked Jackie. She gave me such a look of concern that I knew she had decided it was time to change the subject.

  I frowned. I knew what she was referring to, and it had nothing to do with witchcraft. At least not the magical kind. I had started to think there was a witchcraft that came over our hearts.

  “I’m holding up fine. Can’t imagine why you’re wondering.”

  If I thought I could deflect the topic, I was mistaken.

  “We saw that exchange with you and Quinn’s wife,” said Jackie, making a face. “We had no idea he was married either. He doesn’t act married.”

  “Strange and complicated. The only problem is, I don’t like complicated,” sniffed Kelly.

  “I promise. I’ve barely thought about that,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Have you seen or spoken with him since that day?” Jackie asked.

  I thought back to that night at the ballroom. The uproar had been unending. Everything had happened at once. Quinn’s wife had been glaring at me, while Quinn himself had looked shocked and stricken, and who could blame him? Afterwards I had refused his explanation and had just come home.

  I shook my head and kept on trying to avoid the subject. “I haven’t been able to face it.”

  “He’s been very busy investigating. I don’t know that he slept at all. My mother has spoken with him several times and I know he’s been in to see Henry,” said Kelly.

  Truth to tell, I hadn’t been able to get the image of the woman out of my head. Of course she was pretty: delicate like Bailey, in a way that I would never be. I felt clumsy next to her.

  “It isn’t a big deal. I barely knew him,” I said.

  “If you say so,” said Jackie.

  It was clear that neither of my friends believed me, but if they were taking the hint at last, I was glad. I didn’t want to talk about it.

  In the silence that followed, I glanced out the window and saw that the sky was getting even darker. It was almost time for the ritual. Soon my grandmother would come home and we would go together. At least once that happened I had a chance of no longer thinking about Quinn.

  More importantly, I had a chance of no longer thinking about Quinn Merchant’s angry wife.

  After we finished the conversation about Kyle, my friends didn’t linger. They both had to get home so that they could go to the ritual with their families. It was important that each family arrive together, and Jackie especially couldn’t afford to be late. Her mother was always under a microscope.

  Kelly thanked me again before she left and offered to meet me the next day at the Twinkleford Memorial Hospital. I told her that might not be a good idea, that the less attention we drew to all of this the better. Hopefully I’d be able to slip in and out without being noticed.

  I fed the cats, checked on the unicorns, went upstairs to shower, and got ready to go. My witch’s garb was luxurious. Even the outfits Blossom had insisted I wear had never been this fine. The cape, the hat, and even the shoes were covered in beautiful rhinestones. I had thought I might feel funny wearing witchy clothing, but it was the exact opposite. I felt splendid.

  My only regret was that I was first putting on my garb for an expulsion ritual. I sighed and ran my hand down the dress, a soft double silk blend, beautifully made. My grandmother said that now that I was part of the coven, I had to play the part.

  Bethel was waiting for me when I got downstairs and went into the sweet kitchen. She was busy putting various ingredients into a basket, but she looked up when I came into the room and I saw a look of satisfaction flit across her face.

  Lowe was doing dishes and cleaning up. Tiger was sitting in the window, appearing aloof while actually keeping an eye on everything that was going on. In other words, what a cat did best.

  Chapter Four

  My grandmother was dressed as formally as I was. Although I had seen her wear the same clothes when I was confirmed as part of the coven, I had been too nervous on that occasion to really take in the details. Now I did.

  Her dress was longer than mine and brushed her ankles, while mine hit about mid-shin. Her clothes were a midnight blue and the rhinestones on it were white, except for a few gold ones around her collar. She had told me that the touch of gold was a fashion choice singular to herself. It was something she had always wanted, and it made her feel official.

  “Are you ready?” Bethel asked.

  “I’m ready. Do I look all right?” I said.

  “You look exactly as I’ve taught you. Well done,” she said.

  “Have you been to see the Trophis?” I asked.

  My cousin glanced over her shoulder, and Bethel shook her head. “It is not customary to visit a witch family being expelled. We merely assume that they want to be left alone, and we respect those choices. Were we to go and visit them, we would only remind them of what they’re losing,” she said.

  “That seems kind of cold. What if all they want is a hug?” I said.

  “They are there to hug each other. Glory is in enough pain. She feels certain that she failed her family,” she said.

  “Didn’t she?” I said. “Isn’t that
how this is set up? She failed her family and now she’s losing all the ritual privileges of the coven. That’s a serious loss.”

  “She’s also losing some of the magic,” Bethel pointed out. “We derive some of our power from the group, from the center. You cannot perform the spells if you’re not part of the coven.”

  I swallowed hard. This was stuff I had heard before, but I hadn’t really taken it in until now. Given that I had never lived as a witch, I hadn’t really imagined what there was to lose. I knew that my grandmother was very worried about losing our witchy powers should we be expelled, but since I had never had them to begin with, it hadn’t worried me all that much. Now I was even more concerned than I had been before for the Trophis.

  “Are you going to be all right here by herself?” Bethel asked Lowe.

  “Of course. I’m not really alone. There are plenty of animals around to supervise me,” said my cousin with a smile.

  “I don’t see them so much supervising you as causing trouble with you,” said Bethel.

  “I guess it’s all about perspective,” said Lowe.

  “That’s especially true when you’re young,” said Bethel dryly.

  We finally headed out the front door just as dusk was falling. Most people were inside for the evening by now. The trolley didn’t run as often as it did during the day, and everyone knew that tonight was the night of the ritual. People who weren’t connected to it were keeping indoors in case something went wrong. Over the past couple of days I had decided that some of the residents of Twinkleford secretly thought that expulsion was catchy. One family was being thrown out, so the rest might be as well if we looked at them wrong. My goal was not to look at anyone as we left the neighborhood.

  I didn’t like this particular aspect of being in the coven.

  “What am I supposed to do at this ritual?” I asked.

  “Just follow my lead. Do not suggest that we keep them in the coven. Do not say anything at all, in fact. There are ancient rules, and they leave us no choice,” said Bethel.

  “Somebody has a choice,” I muttered.

  “You’re right,” Bethel shot back. “We could choose to have a weaker coven. Other than that, there are no options. It’s sad, but it’s necessary.”

  After that I kept quiet.

  The trolley running tonight was cream and pink, and we were the only passengers. I was careful to make sure that there were no chameleons on the seats. When I had first come to Twinkleford I’d had the traumatic experience of almost sitting on one.

  The ritual circle was within the Crown Borough, not a place where I had spent much time. As we got off the trolley in Crown, I could see that it was different from any of the other places I had seen so far in Twinkleford. The houses were larger and more imposing. The lawns were long and well manicured. The streets were wider than any I had ever seen before. This was the wealthy part of town.

  Dusk had painted over the sun and night had fallen. The tinge of midnight blue that colored everything made me feel all the more nervous about what was to come.

  Several other witches were walking ahead of us. I thought Bethel might catch up with them, but instead she stopped and pulled me aside. She looked deep into my eyes, and as usual I was struck by the fact that hers were the same color as mine.

  “Follow my lead,” she said out of the side of her mouth. “Each family has expectations set on us. We are going to light our torches in a certain order, and when each family has a torch burning, we will all turn around and light the flames for each member of our family. Once those are burning brightly, the ritual can begin. We cannot start the ritual until all the flames have been lit.”

  Mutely, I nodded my head. My grandmother squared her shoulders and turned around, and we resumed our walk up the long street. We didn’t catch up with the witches in front of us, and I could see nothing but their capes and hats. They looked just as finely dressed as we were.

  In the distance I could see two hills. Once we got closer, the road we were on curved to the right and led to a path that headed straight between the two hills.

  The passage between the two hills was very narrow. As I glanced back I noticed that none of the houses on either side of the road we had just walked on had lights on. Either the families were joining us tonight, or they had left Crown altogether. Either way, the air felt sinister.

  My grandmother and I were silent, as were the other witches walking near to us. None of them made a sound. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I wished it would be quiet. I forced myself to stay behind my grandmother.

  Night had fallen, and now the stars were obscured by a bank of clouds. The dark evening seemed fitting for a night like this. My first ritual—and the last night the Trophis would ever be in the coven.

  We moved slowly around the side of the hill and came upon other witches who were waiting to climb to the stone circle. A stone passage led up the hill, with orange flames to light the way.

  The climb was slow. The hill was bare of trees, but it also didn’t have a real road. We had to follow a simple stone path. Instead of climbing all the way up to the circle on our own, my grandmother had us get in the line of witches who had already assembled. I found myself looking at the other hill, the one we had just walked past. I couldn’t quite see the top, but there was a light up there. When my grandmother saw me looking she glared, and I quickly dropped my gaze. Then she motioned for me to follow her as she led us upward.

  In the gloom, other witches moved out of our way. We didn’t get back into the line until we were close to the top, at which point Bethel turned around and said, in a low voice, “We are one of the founding families. We always start near the top. Don’t ever forget that and don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise.”

  I had the distinct impression that I was not in some nice, fluffy coven. We had to fight fiercely, and never-endingly, to keep the places we deserved.

  Part of me wanted to see who else was there. Surely there would be other faces I’d recognize, either from knowing the witches personally or from the ball. I might have missed them, but so far there was no sign of Jackie or Kelly. In any case, after Bethel’s lectures and glaring looks, I didn’t dare raise my eyes again.

  We stood there in the cool evening air for what felt like forever. I was lucky that my clothing didn’t itch or feel uncomfortable in any way. I wondered if my stylists had performed a spell and thought gratefully of Kyra and Kayla, the brilliant twins who had helped me get ready for the debutant weekend. They had assured me that they would help me for many more events in the future, and that was a comfort in these dark times.

  Lights shimmered in front of us as my grandmother reached the top of the hill. Over her shoulder I could see the stone circle, but we paused without entering it. Bethel picked up a jade scepter from a stack set near a fire pit. Then she dipped the scepter into the fire until a flame sparked.

  Six witches were already standing inside the stone circle, which was bigger than I had imagined it would be. Its stone walls had little square chunks missing at regular intervals, in each of which was what appeared to be a grate. I felt like we were at the top of a castle.

  The very middle stones were an earthen color, the others gray. My grandmother moved slowly to keep pace with the witches in front of us as we made our way around the circle filling in the empty spots. We finally stopped in front of one of the grates, and I stood off to Bethel’s right, trying desperately to be invisible.

  Because the Rhinestones’ place in the circle was directly across from the path we had just come up, I had a perfect view of the other witches as they joined us.

  Each of them was dressed splendidly. Each kept her head down. It was incredible to see generations of witches gathering. All the ones that held the flames were around Bethel’s age except for two, suggesting that a couple of matriarchs had recently been lost. I noticed that the Carlisle witch was holding the flame for her family. She was older than my mother would have been had she lived, but nowhere near my grandmo
ther’s age.

  Strong gusts of wind drew across the hill as I gazed around. Now that we were up so high, it was easy to see the summit of the other hill.

  What I saw there took my breath away.

  The other hill also appeared to have a circle, about as big as the one we were standing inside. But instead of stone, that one was made entirely of green and blue glass. There was no one there. The only light was coming from one large fire, which had been lit in a grate on the far side.

  My grandmother hadn’t mentioned that there was a glass circle. I knew I’d have to wait until later to find out what it was used for, so I turned my attention back to the stone circle and the gathering of the coven.

  It appeared that there were no more witches on the path; we were all here. The six witches who had started in the middle remained there, except that now that everyone else had arrived, they formed a single line and headed back toward the stone path we had all just come up.

  No one moved and no one spoke. Even the wind had ceased its blowing. The six witches weren’t gone for long, and when they returned, they were leading five women. I recognized Glory immediately, and the other four were easily recognizable as her family. I saw her mother, looking tight-lipped and grim. They all looked upset and as if they had been crying.

  My heart wrenched. I didn’t like this one little bit. I desperately wished that there was something that I could do about it.

  I glanced at my grandmother’s back and knew that I could do nothing.

  All five Trophi family members shuffled to the center of the circle. They knew what was expected of them.

  Tears pricked my eyes and I was filled with an overwhelming sense of frustration. This was what we had all been avoiding. Somehow, after all her success at sports, this time Glory hadn’t kicked the ball straight enough. I told myself that at a time like this, she probably wouldn’t appreciate my lame attempt at a soccer reference.

  The conflagration was stunning. I squinted. The flames raged higher. As the fire grew, Glory’s family shrank, shrank, shrank.