“Where are the others?” Grandpa Haberdash kicked and barked at Greta, but his latest blow had rendered her unconscious and unable to answer. I hated seeing him use Parker’s likeness to hurt us. No matter what happened after today, I knew I’d never be able to shake the image from my mind.
“They’re coming. I just know it,” Melony said, then worried her lip as she waited for her grandfather’s acknowledgment.
He cracked his knuckles and scowled, not even looking at Melony as he said, “Stay put, and make sure these two don’t cause any trouble. And do not under any circumstances leave this house. Do you hear me?”
Melony bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yes, Grandpa.”
And with that, her grandfather charged out of the room and down the long staircase. I listened but couldn’t hear the door downstairs open or shut. My guess was that he had remained inside, lying in wait and ready to ambush whoever arrived next.
“So…” I wiggled onto my side so I could see Melony as I spoke. Perhaps her face would reveal something her words would not. I was fighting for my life here and had to use everything I had at my disposal. “Since we’re both stuck here, want to tell me your master plan? I’m sure it’s super smart.”
She crossed her arms and looked away. “No.”
Hmmm. If I couldn’t appeal to her vanity, perhaps I could poke at her insecurities. I tried to shrug, but that didn’t quite work considering my bonds. “I understand. I mean, we’re both useless anyway. Might as well let the tough guys fight it out and tell us about it later.”
Melony scoffed. “You may be useless, normie, but I’m not.”
“Hey, why are you calling me a normie?” I tried to look hurt as I asked this. Vanity and insecurity hadn’t worked, so what about humanity?
She rolled her eyes. “Because you don’t have any magic, duh.”
“Don’t I, though? I’m the Town Witch.”
She studied me for a moment, then shook her head. “No, the guy who killed my great aunt is.”
“Maybe he’s the official Town Witch, but as a temp for the PTA, I have an exact replica of the magic right here.” I struggled against my bonds, then sighed.
She glanced back to me, uncertain. “Right where?”
“Well, I was instructed to keep the magic vessel close to my heart so that it would work best.”
Melony took a step closer. “Where is it? Give it to me.”
“I put it in my bra,” I said with a grunt.
“That’s gross.”
“Well, do you want it or not?” I asked casually, trying to convey that it didn’t matter to me if she accepted my help. A plan had started to form in my mind, though, and if I could get Melony to do her part, then Greta and I just might have a chance here. “I bet you’d be even more powerful than your grandpa if you had this extra jolt of magic. He wouldn’t leave you on daycare duty then.”
“Give it to me,” she said again. Her eyes didn’t light on fire the way Greta’s had, but I recognized a spark of greed.
I grunted and struggled against my bonds again. I had to make the show good. “I can’t,” I moaned, then flipped onto my back. The motion would have really hurt my tied-up wrists, but the angel armor was still protecting me from pain, thank goodness. I pressed out my chest as far as I could. “Come get it yourself. I can’t exactly get it for you.”
“Eeew, no.” She sniffed in disgust and took a giant step back.
We both fell silent for the next couple minutes.
Neither of us moved until the sudden sound of a door banging open caused us both to jump in our skins.
“Last chance,” I mumbled, trying hard to hide my desperation. “Take my magic and go be part of the action. I mean, if you’re not there with him, how can you be sure your grandfather will even cut you in once he gets what he wants?”
Melony bit her lip again, then hurried over to my side. “I’ll untie you for just a second, and just one hand. Give me the magic vessel, don’t do anything funny, and I’ll make sure you live. It’s not like Grandpa and I have a use for you, anyway.”
“Deal.” I flashed her a relieved smile. Not because she was offering me a way out, but because she’d fallen so perfectly into my trap.
I gave myself a quick mental pep talk as Melony struggled to untie just one hand. Downstairs, I heard Fluffikins shout, “Who are you, and what have you done with Parker?”
A series of crashes and slams followed as Melony used a fresh length of rope to tie my left wrist to the bonds that held my ankles before she finally got to work on freeing my right hand.
I was patient with her, like a good hostage.
“Okay, give it to me,” she said when at last my hand was fully freed. I reached into my bra and found the decoy brooch Greta had entrusted to me. Huh. Who knew this thing would actually come in handy?
Melony accepted it greedily, wiping it off on the hem of her shirt before pulling it to her face for a closer inspection. She was too distracted by both the brooch and the action downstairs to immediately retie me, just as I had counted on.
While she studied the empty magic vessel, I brought my free hand back to my chest and pressed it against my heart, summoning the light within. It started small like a pinprick but then grew into a magnificent fruit-sized orb.
By the time Melony realized what I was doing, I had already thrust my hand toward Greta’s unconscious body and allowed the light to flow out of me and into her.
The angel’s eyes snapped open, full of white heat. I watched in awe as her wounds closed up and she regained full vitality.
Now that I no longer had her armor, I gasped as a sudden wave of pain crashed over me. The wrist that was still held captive behind my back had been twisted at an unnatural angle when I flipped myself onto my back. And when Melony had fastened it to my feet, that only made the break worse.
Yup, it was definitely broken.
Greta shouted beside me and ripped through the ropes that had held her.
“Go!” I urged in a hoarse whisper. “Take Melony out of here. Out of the… house.”
I didn’t see what happened next, because I passed out from the pain.