top, I paused for a moment. Slowly turning the page, I read the name Silver, written in elegant calligraphy. This page held the names Genevieve Silver, Mae
Silver Veracor, Eliza Veracor Stone, Marina Stone, and Meg Stone.
The page after that had Drygen scrawled in dark lettering. It was surrounded
by the names Camille Black Drygen, Blanche Drygen, and Cedric Drygen.
Oddly, Cedric had a snake drawn through his name. Underneath it, there was
wording I could barely see. As I held it closer, I could vaguely make out the faint
writing. It looked like Miles.
I turned to the next page and slowly traced my finger over the name
Andrews. This page was a little different. Instead of just listing the names of Lucy Andrews, Olivia Andrews, Sarah Andrews Sand, and Cole Sands, there
was a delicate portrait of each included. I could see Cole's eyes came from his great-grandmother. His grandmother, Olivia, looked so sad in the sketch drawn
of her. When my eyes fell on Sarah, I just stared at her, studying her features.
Why did she have to die so young?
Cole rested his chin on my shoulder. “Wasn't she so beautiful?”
“I'm sorry.” I quickly handed him the book. “I should have called you over to
look with me.”
“I'll go through it another time.” Cole handed the journal back to me. “Did you find anything else interesting?”
I flipped another page. I smiled and held it open for him to see. “You made it
into the journal.”
"Such a fine specimen." Cole chuckled at his joke. Then, he turned to the next page.
I was surprised it was blank.
“This book is about the original protectors of the magic, including our great-
grandmothers. I wonder why there isn't anything for Michelle Elliott's family,” I
said.
"Another mystery." Cole took the book from me and added it to the overflowing box. “We should go home. Gram has been alone with that man for
far too long already.”
"We are back, Gram,” Cole announced as we entered the kitchen.
The smells of the delicious food Gram was preparing engulfed the room. The
aroma caused a tinge of sadness to wash over me. Meg should be here with us, I bitterly thought.
“Dinner will be soon. Now, tell me everything you learned today, and I might feed you,” Gram called from the stove, stirring a pot.
Cole snuck up behind her. As he did, he quietly pulled a spoon from the
drawer to sneak a taste. Of course, there was no fooling my grandmother. It was
Cole who got the surprise when Gram slapped his hand lightly.
My grandmother put the lid on the pot and turned the temperature down.
"Ok, show me what you found," she said, wiping her hands on her apron.
As Gram sifted through the boxes, I filled her in on the day's events,
including my decision to try the potion.
“Only you, Mara, would be brave enough to try something like that. Did you
both see the same things?” Gram questioned.
“It started with my mother letting me frost cupcakes,” Cole began. “Then,
