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Worse, she had the reputation for being an uncompromising bitch.
 
I’d never had her in class, but the way she was ignoring a situation she alone could stop was unbelievable to me.
 
Why were teachers among the worst bullies?
 
I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
 
While this boy was being punched and verbally assaulted no less than twenty feet from her, she was pointedly ignoring it and watching the other students file past her to enter the school.
 

I walked over to her.

“Mrs. Grimes?”

She turned to me and a flash of disapproval crossed her face.
 
I’d seen it before in other teachers such as Branson, who now was on leave because of me.
 
I was the poor boy who once lived in the trailer with the drunk parents.
 
I was the unpopular boy nobody liked.
 
I had been the kid with the bad complexion and the garage-sale clothes.
 
For her, there was no future for me, no reason to know me.
 
I didn’t exist to her.

“What do you want?” she said.
 
“You should be in school getting ready for homeroom.”

“And you should be over there stopping what they’re doing to that kid.”

She glanced over.
 
“That boy needs to learn how to stand up for himself.”

“So, let me get this straight.
 
They’re hitting him and you find that acceptable?”
 
Before she could answer, I looked at Jennifer, who knew exactly what I was thinking.
 
She took out her iPhone and held it low at her side while she filmed the situation.
 
Grimes, who was so old, she probably didn’t even know was an iPhone was, didn’t seem to notice.

“What I find unacceptable is cowardice,” she said.
 
“And that boy is a coward.
 
He deserves what he’s getting just like you deserved what you used to get.
 
It’ll toughen him up.”
 
She sneered at me.
 
“After all, just look at you.
 
All fancy and everything.
 
You clean up well, Moore.
 
You could be his roll model.”

“Are you also ignoring the news?
 
Actually, what he’s feeling right now could lead him to suicide.
 
Are you so goddamned blind as to what’s happening in the world that you won’t help him?
 
He’s surrounded by at least a dozen kids.
 
What do you think your chances would be in that situation?”

She leveled me with a long, cruel look.
 
“Are you questioning my ethics, Mr. Moore?”

“If you had any, I certainly would.
 
But where are they?
 
You haven’t shown any.
 
I expect you to go over there and stop that now.
 
Then I expect you to gather up those kids and take them to Principal Roberts’ office while also making sure that boy is okay.”

“I’ll do no such thing.”
 
She shoved a finger in my face.
 
“Let’s get something straight right now, Moore.
 
You don’t order me around here.
 
You better watch your mouth.
 
I won’t stand for insolence of any kind.”

“That’s a lie.
 
Obviously, you will.
 
You’re standing by while that innocent kid gets his ass whipped.
 
What kind of monster are you?”

“What kind of—
  
WHAT did you just say to me?”

“Are you refusing to go over there and help him?”

“You’re damn right, I am.
 
Let him figure it out for himself.
 
He looks like a sissy to me.”

I could sense Alex bristle.

“Well, that’s really unfortunate,” I said.
 
“And really disturbing.”
 
I looked at Jennifer, who held up her iPhone, which Grimes squinted at.
 
“Everything you’ve just said has been captured on camera.
 
Jennifer here taped all of it, including what’s happening to that boy.
 
I’m going to make sure his parents have a copy of it, that the school board has a copy of it, and also that Principal Roberts, the television stations and the newspaper get a copy of it.
 
You’re going down.”

“You’re threatening me?”

“I’m
revealing
you.
 
The community pays your salary and they deserve to know everything you just said and decided not to do.
 
There’s a difference.
 
You have refused to do what’s right.
 
You have refused to do your job.
 
And guess what, lady?
 
I’m going to see to it that you’re fired for this.”

She began to sputter, but I walked away from her.
 
Jennifer and Alex followed.

“Hey!” I said to the crowd, which immediately turned to look at me.
 
“What the fuck are you doing to him?”

Jennifer held up her phone and swept every one of their faces, some of which paled as we stormed in their direction.
 
She then cut through the crowd and knelt beside the boy to see if he was alright.
 
Alex joined her.
 
The kid was bleeding from the corner of his mouth.
 
He looked at once terrified by what he just went through and suddenly grateful for the intervention.

“What the hell is it to you?” one of the girls asked.

“Yeah, what’s it to you?” the boy beside her said.
 
“Get the fuck out of here.
 
This ain’t your business.
 
Get out of here or you’ll all have to deal with us.”

I so didn’t have time for this shit.
 

I held up my finger and said, “I want every one of you to look at me.
 
Focus on me.
 
I’m going to spell out the rest of your lives for you.
 
You will never bully anyone again.
 
If you see someone being bullied, you will stop it.
 
If you can’t stop it, you will find someone who will help you.
 
This week, you will all start a bullying support group here at school.
 
You will lead that group and encourage your friends to join it.
 
You will encourage those who are being bullied to join it.
 
You will make it your reason for living to make sure that this group becomes successful and that bullying ends here or wherever you end up.
 
While you’re here, Principal Roberts will help you.
 
So will the school board.
 
That’s a done deal.
 
And that’s also step one.
 
Step two is that as you grow older and move into the job market, you will be drawn to positions that help others, not harm them.
 
You will be so driven by that need, you won’t feel complete until you achieve it.
 
You will live your lives with compassion and love.
 
You will be good people.
 
You will sway others to join you and see your side.
 
Are we understood?”

Each of them nodded.

I asked them to leave and went over to the boy.
 
“How are you doing, buddy?”

“I’m okay.”

“Pretty tired of this, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“Been going through it for awhile?”

“Since fifth grade.
 
They won’t leave me alone.
 
I know I’m fat.
 
My mother makes me go on diets, but they don’t work.
 
I don’t even want to be here.
 
I hate coming here.”

“You heard what I said to them?”

“Yeah.
 
What was that all about?”

“It was just a pep talk,” I said.
 
“They won’t be bothering you again.
 
If anyone else does, I want you to trust me on this and go to any one of them for help.
 
I know it sounds crazy after what they just did to you, but I want you to believe me.
 
They will help you.”

“I don’t know…”

“Let’s just see how they treat you today and going forward.
 
I think you’ll be surprised.”
 

I stood up.
 
“You need to see the school nurse.
 
I want to make sure you’re alright.
 
Then off to class.
 
But I want you to know something before you go.
 
Just because someone says something rotten about you doesn’t mean it’s true.
 
It’s them, not you.
 
Do you get it?
 
They’re the ones with the problem, not you.
 
They hate themselves so much that they turn that hate on others.
 
Try to keep that in mind.
 
Don’t lose sight of that.
 
Involve your parents because something tells me you haven’t.
 
Have you?”

“They don’t know anything.”

“I didn’t think so.
 
What’s your name?”

“Michael.”

“Here’s what you need to know, Michael.
 
There is no shame in being bullied.
 
However, there is shame in doing the bullying.
 
You need to start sharing what’s happening to you with your parents.
 
Do you think they’d be supportive and try to help you?”

“Probably.
 
Actually, I think my mother would raise hell.”

I smiled at him.
 
“Then use them.
 
Okay?
 
I was bullied for years.
 
It was horrible.
 
I had some pretty dark days and more than a few dark thoughts.
 
The way through it is to stand up to them the best way you can.
 
I learned that far too late in my life, but now I know what to do.
 
You stop them by calling them out far and wide until someone hears you.
 
You need to reach out to others to make it stop.”

“I’ll try.”

“How about, ‘I’ll do that’?”

He looked up at me and grinned.
 
“Okay.
 
I’ll do that.”

“Go and see the nurse.
 
Tell her what happened and that you want it to stop.
 
If you see any of us around school, don’t hesitate to come over and let us know how it’s going for you?
 
You’ve got friends right here, okay?”

“Okay.”
 

“I mean that,” I said.
 
“We’re your friends.
 
You come to us if you need help or if you just want to say hello.
 
In fact, I’d like to stay in touch.
 
You can find me in room 302 in the mornings.
 
That’s my homeroom.”

“You guys are awesome,” he said, and he ran off.
 
When he did, Jennifer handed her iPhone to Alex, grabbed my face in her hands, leaned into me and kissed me firmly on the lips.
 
“I love you, Seth Moore,” she said.
 
“That was wonderful what you just said to him.
 
No magic.
 
Nothing.
 
Just you.
 
I’m so proud of you.”
 
And then she kissed me again.
 
Only this time?
 
This time, I took control and made sure that the second kiss bested the first.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

We needed to get to Jim’s, but the car wasn’t the best nor the fastest way to get there.
 
I looked around, saw an opportunity where no one was looking in our direction and imagined the car parked discretely at the mall.
 
I’d get it later.

“Let’s go over to the woods,” I said.

We did—and I transported us to Jim’s.

It was early, too early for Jim to be up and about.
 
He wasn’t sitting in the Adirondack on the front lawn as he usually was, but his cats were everywhere.
 
Some were lying on his front steps waiting for him to appear.
 
Others were resting in the sun.
 
Most were looking to be fed.
 
I imagined several bowls of food and water for them in shady areas around Jim’s property before walking up to the trailer and knocking on the door.

To my surprise, it wasn’t Jim who answered.
 
It was Paisley White and by the concerned look on her face, it was clear that something was wrong.

“Come inside,” she said.
 
“All of you.
 
Quick.”

We walked into Jim’s trailer, which was spotless, no doubt thanks to a wave of Paisley’s hand.
 
I looked around but he was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Jim?” I asked.

“He’s in his bedroom,” Paisley said.
 
“He’s sick.”

“Sick with what?”

“I don’t know.”
 

“Then we need to call a doctor.”

“This isn’t something a doctor can fix.”
 
She started to pace.
 
“I went to see Darien last night.
 
I told him he needed to back down, but he refused and told me that by the end of tonight, he would have those amulets.
 
He said he would go out of his way to get them, including mine.
 
He said he would slaughter us if we refused to give them to him, which is ridiculous because if he kills me, he knows the High Priestess will order his own death.
 
I’m a goddamn queen and he knows it.
 
There are rules.
 
He can’t touch me.
 
So, let’s forget that threat and focus on the real one.”
 
She looked at me.
 
“He can do anything he wants to you.”

“I think that’s been established.
 
I want to see Jim.”

“You can see him in a minute.
 
Let me finish.
 
Darien put a spell on him.
 
He knows how you’ve come to feel about Jim, so he’s betting that by threatening Jim with his life, it will get him what he wants—your amulets by midnight tonight.
 
If he doesn’t have them in his hands before then, Jim dies.”

“Then I’m giving up the amulets.
 
It’s done.
 
He can have them.”

“I think you should reconsider.”

“And lose Jim?
 
I thought you were his friend?”

“Of course, I’m Jim’s friend.
 
We were once lovers.
 
He means the world to me.
 
And I agree with you.
 
I’m not about to lose him over some damn amulets.
 
But I need you to listen to me.
 
Darien can’t be trusted.
 
I know him too well.
 
If you give him those amulets, he will trick you, he will have his grand moment and he will kill all of you.
 
You’ve killed two of his witches.
 
You nearly killed Anna several times that I know of.
 
Those two hate you for what you’ve done and they’re furious that I’m involved.
 
We need to take them out before they take us out.
 
We need to fight them and we need to kill them.”

“Then you’ll die,” I said.
 
“You’ll be killing a king.
 
It’ll mean your own death.”

“No, it won’t,” she said.
 
“Because I won’t be killing him.
 
It’ll be you, Seth.
 
You’ll kill him.
 
I’ll gather my witches to join the fight against the others and yes, I’ll be part of what happens.
 
But I won’t kill Darien.
 
I’ll help facilitate what unfolds and I’ll need to answer for that, but they won’t kill me for it.
 
Some might even thank me for stepping in.
 
He’s taken too many risks at exposing himself and his coven, all so he can have more power than he already has.
 
They’re aware of it and if I’m reading them correctly, they’re not happy about it.
 
He’s worrying them.
 
They won’t admit it, but they won’t miss him when he’s gone.”

“How am I supposed to kill him?”

Paisley came over and put her hands on my shoulders.
 
A maternal look crossed her face but her eyes remained hard and focused.
 
“I’m not allowed to tell you, but I think you already know the answer.
 
Beyond that, if you believe in yourself, I think we all know what you’re capable of.
 
You’re more powerful than you think you are, Seth—with or without the amulets.
 
I wish you’d always known that.
 
Tonight is going to be your night.
 
You’ll have Jim in your heart, you’ll have my help all around you and you’ll have your own skills.
 
You have a way with those amulets that will best him.
 
It won’t be easy—he’s clever.
 
He’ll try to trick you.
 
So will Anna.
 
But if you listen to your instincts and don’t hold back, it should be enough.”

“And if it isn’t?”

She put a palm to my cheek.
 
“It will be.
 
Don’t you see?
 
The only person I can’t touch is him.
 
The others are fair game.
 
While you’re focused on him, we’ll fight off the others.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It won’t be.
 
That’s not the impression I’m intending to give.
 
Fighting him will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
 
But I’ve seen you at work.
 
I saw you with Anna.
 
You treated her as if she was a rag doll and that’s one woman who is no rag doll.
 
I believe in you because of what I’ve seen and felt, and I believe in you even if you don’t believe in yourself.
 
I think if you were to come up against me, I’d lose.
 
You can win this.
 
It’s just going to take speed, thought and ingenuity.”

“He’s got all of that,” Jennifer said.

“And then some,” Alex said.
 
“How can we help, Paisley?”

“By not becoming another Jim.
 
You two are Seth’s other weaknesses.
 
They’ll exploit you to get what they want from him because they know how much you mean to him.
 
I have an idea that I’ll discuss with you soon.
 
I need to think it through and make sure you’re comfortable with it before we go forward.
 
You can help us tonight, but not in ways you’ll expect.
 
I need to make sure you’ll be safe before we go in that direction.”

“In the meantime, they could kill us,” Jennifer said.

Paisley nodded.
 
“They could kill all of us.
 
But if we band together with a plan, I don’t think they will.”
 
She motioned toward a hallway that was at the opposite end of the room.
 
“Why don’t we see Jim before I take him back to my house?
 
We’re losing time.
 
With each minute that passes, his life is leaving him.
 
He won’t be able to see you, but he might be able to hear you, so make sure he does.
 
Let him hear you.
 
Let him know you’re here for him.”

*
  
*
  
*

Given the narrow size of his trailer, Jim’s bedroom was larger than I imagined, but I suspected that was due to Paisley’s handiwork.
 
It was absolutely spotless and had no clutter, which didn’t happen at the hand of this man.
 
Jim liked his junk and this room showcased none of it.

With the shades drawn, it was dim inside save for a nightlight across the room.
 
Jim was in the double bed next to it, which also looked new, from the bed to the pillows, sheets and comforter.
 
I looked at Paisley and felt a rush of affection for her.
 
She had done all of this.
 
I didn’t know exactly how deep their relationship had once been, but there was little question that Jim owned a large part of her heart.

While everyone else held back, I went to his side and held his hand, which was cool and slightly clammy.
 
He was lying on his back and breathing deeply but only intermittently.
 
If I spoke to him, would he hear me?
 
He was pale and looked frail.
 
He was in a coma, which unnerved me with worry.
 
Perhaps what I had to say to him could best be delivered by the amulets themselves.

I closed my eyes, slipped into them and started to talk to him.
 
Behind me, I heard Paisley say, “He’ll hear you now, Seth.”

And so I told him how much he meant to me.
 
How important he was to me and that I would do whatever it took to rid him of this spell and to restore him to full health.
 
You’re not going to die on me
, I told him.
 
You and I have our whole lives to live.
 
You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.
 
I trust Paisley.
  
We will end this tonight.
 
He may fight us, but he won’t win.
 
I won’t let him win.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Paisley, who looked down at Jim and put the back of her hand on his forehead.
 
Instead of reacting, he just lay there, motionless, occasionally gasping for breath.
 
He was in another world and soon, if they got there way, he’d be in another one.
 
The idea of it made me sick.
 
If ever there was a time I wish I could shoot a beer into my friend’s hand, it was at that moment.

“I’m angry,” I said to her.

“So, am I.”

“He doesn’t deserve this.”

“We’ll make them pay for it.”
 

“Does the spell die with Darien’s death?”

“It does.”
 
She brushed his hair back and gently touched his cheek.
 
“I want you to remember this,” she said.
 
“I want you to look at Jim long and hard, and I want you to remember what they did to him.
 
Tonight, you’re going to use that anger on them.
 
You’re going to use every bit of it and then you’re going to find more until you have nothing left to give.
 
You’re going to go after those bitches and that bastard, and you’re going to show them exactly what Jim means to you.”

The enormity of the situation began to press down on me.
 
I felt suffocated, at once undone yet completely on fire.
 
Did I have it in me to fight the way I would need to fight tonight?
 

I wasn’t sure, but I did know this.
 
For too much of my life, I’d been on a first-name basis with rage.
 
I’d been to the core of it and swam in it and nearly drowned in it.
 
I’d been spit on, punched, slapped across the face, publicly called every name in the book and judged by people who didn’t know me.
 
I’d been tested time and again by the bullies who once taunted me.
 
Before my father’s death, I’d been abused by him for years.