Witch Ball - BK 3 (19 page)

"Wait, Sabine." It was Mom, leaving the girls
and coming after me.

Uncertain, I turned toward her. "What?"

"I just wanted to thank you," she said, her eyes
bright with emotion.

"Well ..." I shifted on the pavement. "You're
welcome."

"You acted so quickly, displaying amazing
maturity.

"When Ashley confessed about what really happened, I felt awful," she admitted in a weary tone. "I was terrified I'd never see Amy again. But then you
called and I drove like a crazy woman to get here.
Thank goodness she's safe! I am so grateful."

Then my mother-who wasn't very demonstrative-hugged me.

I stiffened at first, then relaxed and hugged
back.

A while later, tears were dried and my mother
and sisters climbed in Mom's car to head back to
San Jose.

"Come visit soon, Sabine. We have a lot to discuss," Mom said with a meaningful look. I wasn't
sure exactly what she meant, but it felt good to be
wanted, so I nodded.

Then they drove away, and I joined Dominic
at his truck.

"Thanks for waiting," I told him as I opened
the passenger door.

"Couldn't just leave you here-it's a long walk
back."

"I'd never make it," I said with a weary sigh.

His teasing look changed to concern. "You
okay?"

"Exhausted-but feeling good."

"Problems all solved?" he asked.

"Yeah. Amy doesn't hate Ashley anymore. And
Mom was amazingly decent."

"She loves you," he said simply.

"I guess so." I smiled, a bit surprised to realize
this was true.

I reached around for my seat belt. As I turned,
I noticed a flash of movement from the backseat.
My first thought was that one of Dominic's animal
friends had hitched a ride with us. But then I
looked over the seat-and saw a shimmering glass
globe with rainbow colors glowing from inside.

Totally, absolutely, completely impossible!

Yet it was here with us.

The witch ball.

Dominic reacted with equal shock when he looked
in the back seat. We both were like statues, frozen
with our mouths open, making no move to touch
the witchy glass ball.

Finally Dominic spoke, "It can't be!"

"But it is," I said in a hushed whisper, my fingers knotted around the seat belt. "What are we
going to do?"

"What we should have done days ago," he said
with fierce resolve. "Smash it."

I shuddered, but realized this was the best solution. Hortense was challenging us and we had to
stop her. I listened for any advice from Opal and
had a strong sense that she would support whatever
I decided to do.

"All right," I told Dominic. "Destroy it. But
not here in a public place."

He nodded. "Better do it at the farm."

"Okay. But get it away from me."

"I'll stow it in the back."

"Thanks," I said, sagging against my seat.

I swiveled to look as he walked around to the
backseat and carefully lifted the ball, which had
stopped glowing. Without the menacing glow, the
ball looked as harmless as a light bulb. But I knew
better and shuddered.

Only after the ball was locked in the silver metal
container in the bed of the truck did I breathe a
sigh of relief. Locked away. And soon it would be
destroyed.

A minute later, Dominic climbed into the truck
and started up the engine.

As we left the bus station, Dominic and I decided to wrap the ball securely then smash it with a
hammer. We had to do it in a way that left no fragments for Hortense to cling to. Complete obliteration. Then we'd perform a banishing ceremony and
exorcise the ghost forever.

With this decided, our conversation switched
to Nona. Dominic was eager to get home and check
his phone messages. "There's a good chance this guy
called about the silver charms. I think he'll be able
to help us find another one."

"That would be so great."

"Three charms might be enough to locate the
remedy book."

"But what condition will the book be in after
all this time?" I worried.

"We could have it restored," he suggested with
a glance in his rearview mirror.

"If it's ruined, nothing can restore it."

"From what I know of Agnes, she was too sharp
to leave the book in an unsafe place. I figure she
chose an airtight container and buried it by a landmark or building that would withstand time."

"But this much time?" I sank back in the seat,
feeling weighed down by so many worries. "This
quest seems so hopeless."

"Only if you give up hope."

"I am hoping, with all my heart."

"All of it?" he asked with a deep glance at me.

His tone held heavy meaning, and my emotions did a funny leap. The way he looked at me
made me less lonely. Like he was someone I could
trust.

But I trusted josh, too. Only he'd never trust
me again, and I'd have to accept that we were over.
Maybe in time he'd forgive me and we could be
friends. But nothing would ever be the same.

Things were changing with Dominic, too. And
maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. There was something about him that intrigued me. I tried to act like
I wasn't aware of him, sneaking glances through the
corners of my eyes. Strong features, sandy brown
hair that had grown a bit long so a strand curled at
the base of his neck, and a mouth that would be
hard as nails or soft as a feather. His eyes pooled
with long-ago pain and future promises. And I wondered what we would be like together ...

He seemed to know I was watching him, and
his mouth tilted into a grin.

Then he glanced back at the road-and the
grin switched to horror.

"NO!" he shouted.

In a flash I saw the cow standing in the road,
its eyes wide and reflecting. Frozen, dead center in
our path.

"HOLD ON!" Dominic shouted, slamming on
the brakes, yanking the wheel and swerving wildly.

Everything happened so fast screeching tires,
spinning us out of control, careening across the
lane, spinning wildly, then plunging over a ditch,
rolling over and over. Breaking glass, a crashing explosion in my head.

Then the witch ball's final prediction came true.

I died.

It wasn't bad being dead.

Light and peaceful-except for a disjointed
sense of confusion. I floated above the ground,
without feeling cold or fear. I could see Dominic's
truck-or what was left of his truck-smashed and
tilted on its side with two wheels spinning. The
metal container in the back was unhinged, its top
flung yards away onto the pavement, surrounded by scattered shards of glass that glittered like fallen stars
underneath a street light. And nearby a cow plodded back to its pasture.

In the driver's seat I saw Dominic slumped and
unconscious. It occurred to me that I should be
more upset, or at least scared. All I felt was a distant
sense of concern, which passed quickly. I knew he
was alive and he'd be okay. A dazzling light surrounded me and I was buoyant and joyful. I had
places to go and people to see, and I was eager to go
on-

"Not yet, Sabine," I heard a familiar voice, and
when I looked beside me there was Opal. Not just
the vague black-haired face I usually saw in my
mind, but she was real and alive like me.

"Opal!" I held out my arms and seemed to
float into hers. When she held me, wonderful sensations multiplied and everything was perfect. No
worries and fears, nothing except love.

"Are you all right?" she asked me.

"Of course! I've never felt better."

"It's only beginning," she said with wry smile.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course!" Brilliant light filled me and I felt
myself lifting up. I could no longer see the truck or Dominic. But somehow that seemed wrong, and a
wave of confusion dragged me down. "What's happenning? I'm confused ..."

"It's always confusing at first," she said gently.

"Is this the other side?"

"Not yet."

"Am I dead?"

"For the moment." She held my hands and
peered into my face. "Is that what you want?"

"I'm happy being with you," I said simply.

"Is that enough? What about your earth family and friends?"

"I'll see them eventually."

"True. But what about her?" She pointed off
into a gray area of clouds where a shadowy figure
stood apart and alone.

My overwhelming joy dimmed a little as I recognized the witch ball ghost. She stood alone in a
haze of bleak nothingness, pitiful and cut off from
any world.

"Why doesn't she come to us?" I asked.

"She's too afraid."

"But there's nothing to be afraid of here."

"We know that, but she doesn't. She won't talk
to me, but she might listen to you. Do you want to
go to her?"

"And leave all this?" I gestured around, not at
anything solid but more an essence of pure joy.
Beyond the horizon, I saw dim shapes of smiling
people, waving and eager to greet me. And I longed
to go to them, to have all questions answered and
rejoice in homecoming.

Yet the pathetic old-fashioned ghost who clung
to a lifeless piece of glass tugged at my heart. The
witch ball was her only home. I couldn't just abandon her.

I found myself drawing away from Opal, into
a gray void. The happy feelings faded and I was
left with a stark aching pain worse than anything
I'd ever experienced. As if my very heart had been
ripped out.

"Hortense," I called out, struggling against
panic and fear. "Will you talk to me?"

She loomed closer, her hands like bird claws
clutching her faded dark skirt. Her face was lined,
as if everything alive had been drained from her.

"Leave me be," she spoke, turning away.

But I moved around to face her. "Please, listen. You can't go on like this."

"What concern is it of yours?" she demanded in
sharp suspicion. "You have done nothing but cause me problems, stealing my witch ball and using your
evil magic to thwart me."

"I never meant to hurt you."

"Your mistake. I warned you that you would
die, and it has come to pass. You were foolish to
challenge my powers. Now you will suffer as I have."

"But I'm not suffering. I'm happy," I said, offering her a smile. "I'd like to help you find happiness too."

"I need no assistance, only to be left alone."

"No one deserves to be this alone," I said, gesturing to the vast, empty grayness around her. "Don't
you have family that you'd like to be with?"

"Family?" Her lips twisted. "Those that professed their love left me. My parents and siblings
took ill with the plague. I was forced into a loveless
marriage. The only bright spot was a child I bore,
but he died hours after birth. When I failed to
conceive again, my husband abandoned me."

"I'm sorry."

"Save your pity and be on your way."

I felt a tugging to return to the light, where I
knew I'd be met by love. And I wondered who
would meet Hortense.

The answer was suddenly clear. "Hortense, you
have to go to your family."

"Do you not hear properly, girl?" she snapped.
"I have not kin."

"But you do ... on the other side. They're all
waiting for you."

She frowned. "But tis not possible."

"You may have forgotten them, but they never
gave up on you. Your parents, brothers and sisters,
and your son. They're all waiting for you."

"My little babe?" Her wrinkles softened. "Can't
be so, not when he barely breathed a few breaths
before his tiny body went still."

"But he loved you for that short time, as much
as you loved him," I said, knowing this with a
strong certainty. "All you have to do to be with him
is go into the light."

"He's waiting . . . for me?" Her voice was
hushed.

"Yes. He's already been waiting a long time.
Don't make him wait any longer." I pointed towards
the brilliant light which now seemed close enough
to touch. "Go to him."

"My son," she murmured. "It can't be so."