Forever Charmed (The Halloween LaVeau Series, Book 1) (29 page)

Misty looked straight at me and said, “You now possess the power of earth, air, water, and fire. No witch holds all four without the power of the book.”

“What is the power of earth,
air, fire, and water?” I asked in a shaky voice. For a witch I didn’t know much about the rules.

She leaned back in her chair.
“The ultimate powers. You control who can perform magic.”

This was all too much to take in. And I wasn’t sure I believed her. I had noticed that she was looking at me entirely differently now. It was as if I was someone worthy of her friendship now.
Like I hadn’t been in the past. I didn’t need fair-weather friends.

“I’m sure the other
Coven members will want to talk with you about all of this.”

“I’m sure they will,” I said drily.

She fingered more of the books, then finally looked at me. “The Coven is extremely happy with your improved skills.”

I hadn’t expected that comment.

“We’d love it if you’d host the annual Halloween Ball here at LaVeau Manor. What better location than this gorgeous place?”

My eyes were
probably the size of saucers. “You want me to host the party?” I asked.

She nodded with a smile.
“Yes, with your newfound skills, I know you’ll be a perfect hostess. It was planned for the community center, but let’s face it, that place is ugly.”

What was the catch? There had to be one. I couldn’t deny that I was excited about the prospect though. It had always been a dream of mine.
Now I would be hosting the ball that all the witches attended. It was the event they talked about all year. So they finally wanted me to be one of them? Would I no longer be an outcast? But did I really want to be a part of their snobby club? It wasn’t like I could say no though. It would break my mother’s heart if I turned them down.

She studied my face for a reaction.
“What do you say? Won’t it be fabulous here? It’ll be gorgeous with the dim lighting and lots of candles. Of course the Coven will pay for the catering.” Misty pushed to her feet and walked the length of the room, her heels echoing across the floor.

I was still had a loss for words, but I finally managed to say,
“Sure, I’d love to host the Halloween Ball.”

She smiled.
“Fantastic. I’ll let everyone know. Well, I’d better let you get to work. The ball is in two days.” She strolled across the room. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

Two days? That was a lot of work to get done in such a short time, even for witches.

When we reached the foyer, I wanted to shove her back into the living room.
Isabeau had just stepped off the bottom step and was staring right at Misty. I continued on toward the front door. Maybe if I ignored her she wouldn’t speak to Misty.

“
Oh hello, I’m Isabeau,” she said with her sweet southern voice flowing like honey from her lips.

When I turned around
, Isabeau was sticking her hand out toward Misty. So much for ignoring her.

“It’s n
ice to meet you, Isabeau. What a beautiful name.” Misty took in Isabeau’s full appearance.

Isabeau
beamed and looked at me, then back to Misty. “Thank you. It’s been in my family for years.”

“
You must be a guest here?” Misty asked.

Isabeau
looked at me, then back at Misty again. “You could say that. Halloween and I are old friends.” She plastered a fake smile on her face. “Aren’t we, Halloween?”

“
Oh really? Are you from around here?” Misty frowned. “You look so familiar.”

Isabeau
waved off the question with a flick of her wrist. “Oh, I lived here a long time ago, but not recently.”

She quirked an eyebrow questioningly.
“Did you go to Enchantment Pointe High?”

“
No, as a matter of fact I didn’t. I was a child when I lived here.” Isabeau was growing impatient with Misty’s questions.

Misty was so snoopy. Why
didn’t she just drop the topic? And Isabeau wasn’t helping matters either.

“My Great-Aunt
Maddy and Isabeau’s mother knew each other. Isabeau hasn’t lived in Enchantment Pointe since she was a child. Isn’t that right, Isabeau?” I glared at Isabeau.

I
f she didn’t go along with my story I would for sure kick her out on her butt.

“
Yes, that’s right,” she said with a fake smile. “Hallie and I know each other from her aunt and mother.”

I smiled.
Isabeau had just saved her butt.

“
Oh, is that right?” Misty said, looking a bit confused. “Well, it was nice meeting you.” She waved her hand. “Where are my manners? My name is Misty Middleton.”

“I know,”
Isabeau said.

I
shot daggers at Isabeau with my eyes.

“
What?” Misty frowned.

“
You told me before.” Isabeau batted her eyelashes.

Now
Isabeau was just messing with Misty. She knew she hadn’t introduced herself.

“
I did?” Misty asked with a confused look.

“
Well, it was nice of you to stop by, Misty. Let me know when you have more details.” I ushered her toward the front door.

She kept glancing over her shoulder at
Isabeau. “Yeah, I’ll let you know,” she said, distracted.

“
Nice to meet you,” Isabeau said in a sweet voice.

When I’d practically pushed Misty out the door, I turne
d around and glared at Isabeau.

“
What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.” Isabeau flashed a wide grin.

“
After what you just did I shouldn’t make anything for you,” I warned with a wave of my finger.

S
he stuck out her bottom lip. “What? I was only being polite.”

Yeah, like she was only being polite to Nicolas and Liam too. She couldn’t keep her hand
s off them.

“
Just don’t let it happen again,” I warned.

She glared at me with
one of the evilest looks that I’d ever seen before. It sent a chill down my spine but I wouldn’t let her think that she was intimidating me. I stomped off toward the kitchen, hoping that she wouldn’t follow. But she walked along behind me, her presence a constant by my side. Having a sit-down breakfast with Isabeau, Liam, and Nicolas should be interesting.

I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. E
ven the Coven had now taken an interest in my new badass witchcraft skills. What a crazy turn of events.

Isabeau
ate Liam and Nicolas’ breakfast. Apparently they had business and skipped breakfast. They did that often. Should I take that as a hint of my cooking ability? Maybe I should try the magic more in the kitchen. But at the rate Isabeau was stuffing pancakes into her mouth, I wasn’t sure I really needed it.

W
hen Isabeau wasn’t looking, I slipped out of the house. I hurried behind the wheel and cranked the engine. If she found out that I’d left without her, she’d be furious.

As I drove down the driveway, the ghosts followed behind the car.
They stared and scowled. I was pretty sure they were plotting against me. I punched the gas and pulled out onto the road before they had a chance to catch me.

On my drive to the store,
I called Annabelle and asked her to meet me there. Annabelle pulled up behind me just as I’d shoved the car into park. I was happy to have her with me when I broke the news to my mother. She might faint and I’d need help lifting my mother off the floor. Annabelle looked bright and cheerful in her red sweater and jeans.

“
You got away from your unwanted guest?” she asked as she approached my car.

“It wasn’t easy. I made a batch of cupcakes and left them out where she could see them.”

Annabelle laughed.
“By the way, I did more research this morning.”

“What did you find out?”
I asked.

“Nothing
,” she replied.

My stomach sank.
“Nothing?”

“Nothing.
There was no death certificate for anyone by that name. Not that I could find anyway.” She sighed.

I didn’t want to question her research abilities. After all, she had done this for me out of the kindness of her heart.

“I even searched the birth certificates too. Of course it could be so old that it’s hard to find or doesn’t even exist. It may be hard to find out anything without more information.”

I sighed. “Yeah, and I doubt she’ll be willing to give me any more info.”

Annabelle huffed. “You should tell her to tell you more details about her life or to get out.”

It wasn’t quite that simple, but Annabelle was right. I needed to demand more information.

“I’ll have to do more research on the house too. Maybe I can find out if there’s any connection.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Annabelle said.

Why would she be haunting LaVeau Manor? She didn’t just pick it at random.

“Come on. Let’s go inside
,” I said.

“
So what’s going on? Why did you need me to be here?”

“
I want to tell both of you something. I figured it was better to do it at once. You two can support one another.” I offered a big smile.

“
You’re scaring me,” Annabelle said as I held the door to Bewitching Bath and Beauty open for her.

“
Don’t panic. It’s just something I need to share with the two most important people in my life.”

I tried to soothe her fears with a smile. She gave a weak smile in return.

My mother rushed toward us when we walked through the door. “Well, what happened?” she asked impatiently. “Did they come to see you? I heard Misty Middleton was there?”

I tried to read my mother’s expression. Apparently
, they were keeping her in the dark about what was truly happening. Didn’t she know about the book that Aunt Maddy had hidden?