| |
* * *
I couldn't face the bakery after the fight with my father. Business had plummeted since it had come out that my wand was missing. Eleanor and Trixie kept saying it wasn't my fault, but I knew better.
The house was empty when I arrived. Tootsie and Rocky were with my aunts at the bakery. They almost always were.
A small cake box was sitting on the doorstep. It was tied with a red ribbon. I picked it up and carried it inside with me. I set it on the counter, curious. There was no name or address. I wondered if I should wait for my aunts, but figured that without a name, it could have been anyone's.
I cut the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a small chocolate cake. A note had been slipped in with it.
From an admirer.
An admirer? My mind immediately went to Damon. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? But after the way he'd hugged me at Coffee Cove, I didn't see why not. I felt a pang of regret for leaving the coffee shop the way I had. With Damon standing there staring after me. I hadn't even gotten the chance to apologize to Lucy. She'd said she wanted to talk to me.
I sighed. Chocolate might be just what I needed.
I cut the cake into squares and put one on a plate. I took a seat at the kitchen table, relishing in the silence around me. The cake was delicious. It was that much sweeter thinking that Damon had sent it. I wondered if he'd actually made it himself, but that was probably stretching it.
I closed my eyes and inhaled the chocolate scent along with the flavor. The decadence of it made my head begin to swim. I'd never tasted anything so delicious. When I opened my eyes, the room was dark.
"What the..." I muttered, trying to rise from my chair. But my legs were too heavy. I fell to the floor.
The world around me sunk into darkness. A light gray mist covered everything. Darkness crept slowly in along the edges. The last thought I had before I passed out completely was that I hoped Damon hadn't poisoned me. If he had, I would seriously have to reconsider my crush.
Then my mind went black.
I woke up to something wet and sandpapery brushing against my face. Whatever it was, it smelled like tuna. I opened my eyes.
The bright sun spotted my vision with flecks of white light. I blinked, trying focus on the sky. The clouds were like fluffy white cotton balls. They moved swiftly through the air toward a towering pink palm tree. The wet, sandpapery thing brushed against my chin.
"Snowball wants to know if you are okay," a tiny voice asked.
I blinked and looked toward my chest, where I realized a small clump of white had settled itself.
"What?" I asked, thinking I was hallucinating.
"Snowball wants to know if you are okay," the voice repeated. A pink tongue reached out and licked my nose. I giggled and put my hand up to block it.
The white kitten that had planted itself on my chest began to purr. It was no bigger than a softball and so light I barely felt it sitting on me. I reached up and scratched its head. It had beautiful green eyes and long lashes. A girl.
"I'm okay," I told it. "At least, I think so."
I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. It was early afternoon. I was on a beach. Which really told me nothing considering I was on an island. It was all beach. My head felt fuzzy. My heart was beating a little too fast.
"What happened to me?" I asked.
"Snowball was walking on the sand and found you." She licked my face again and jumped off my chest.
"Snowball?" I asked. "That's your name?"
Snowball nodded and licked her paw.
"Well, Snowball," I said, getting slowly to my feet. "Do you happen to know where I am?"
"You are on Heavenly Haven," Snowball said.
"That's good." I'd figured as much but didn't want to hurt Snowball's feelings. The kitten wound its way between my legs as I took an unsteady step.
"Do you happen to know where on Heavenly Haven I am?"
"Mistmoor Beach," Snowball said, dropping onto her side and rolling in the sand.
"I'm in Mistmoor Point?" I cried, surprised. How had I gotten to the other side of the island? The last thing I remembered was eating that chocolate cake in my aunts' kitchen. "Are you sure?"
"Snowball is sure," she said, playfully attacking my feet. "Snowball lives here. But now Snowball will live with you. Snowball is happy."
I reached down and scratched the top of Snowball's head. Her fur was soft as a cloud. I felt an odd connection to this little cat. Like I'd known her all my life.
"You want to come home with me, huh?" I asked.
"Snowball and Ava," she purred.
I blinked. "How do you know my name?"
"Snowball does not know."
I gasped. The strange connection I felt to this little fuzz ball was starting to make sense. "Are you... are you my familiar?"
Aunt Eleanor and Trixie had explained to me that when you found your familiar—or in most cases when they found you—there would be an inexplicable connection. It was like two people linked by a telephone wire.
Snowball sounded like a tiny lawnmower when she purred. "Snowball and Ava. Together," was all she said. I couldn't help but smile. I picked Snowball up and began to walk with her.
"Where do we go?" Snowball asked.
"To find someone who can help me," I told her.
I only hoped that when I showed up, they wouldn't slam the door in my face. If the rumors about me being the "Bakery Reaper" were running rampant in Sweetland, I could only wonder what they were saying about me in Mistmoor.
I paused halfway down the beach, clenching my stomach. My heriotza necklace began to feel hot. A strange tingle ran down my spine. I wondered if it was trying to protect me from whatever had happened. Or was still happening.
"Snowball is worried," the kitten said.
"I'm okay," I told Snowball but wasn't sure that was true. My stomach didn't just feel ill. It hurt. Like it was filled with shards of broken glass. I wondered if maybe it was. I still didn't know all the spells a witch could cast.
I tried to take a step and fell to my knees. "Ohhh," I moaned.
"Snowball will get help!" the fierce little kitten cried. I tried to tell Snowball not to. That it was okay. Then my stomach lurched and the world around me began to spin.
"Okay," I breathed. "Go find Felicity Redfern. She works at..." I tried to think of the name of the bakery.
"Cakes and Creations," Snowball said. "Snowball will return. Snowball will hurry. Snowball will always protect Mama." She licked my face once more before running down the beach faster than I'd ever seen another animal move. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, Snowball was already gone.
* * *
