“That’s it?”

She chuckled. “That’s it. Easy, right?”

I shrugged, still staring down at the wand in my hand. “Yeah. It feels almost…too easy.”

“Don’t get me wrong, the execution can be difficult. It might take a few tries to get it just right, but you’ll know when it’s worked.”

“How?”

She frowned, then shrugged. “I don’t really know. You just feel it. It’s instinct.”

I sighed quietly as I looked down at the wand again. “I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it.”

A buzzing noise came from Theresa’s purse. She took out a phone covered with a blue, glittery case. “I’m so sorry, let me just check this quick. It might be one of my brothers.”

Her face grew pale again as she stared down at the screen. She quickly stowed the phone in her purse, then dug a twenty out of her wallet and tossed it onto the table.

“I’m sorry, Sage, I have to go. This should cover my food and the tip. Do you mind paying at the counter for me?”

I just stared, bewildered. “Yeah, but…did you want to meet up again sometime? You could come and hang out at the house.”

She took out the pen and notebook again and wrote something. Ripping out the page, she handed it to me.

“I don’t think I’ll have time before I leave, but here’s my number. If you’re ever in Moon Hollow, give me a call.”

With that, she rushed from the diner and hurried to her car without a backward glance.

Chapter Five

When I arrived back at Grandma Celeste’s house, I saw the cat sitting on the front porch, its tail flicking lazily back and forth. I got out of the car and slowly approached her, feeling half amused that she stayed and half wary of her.

Crouching down on the steps, I looked at the cat.

“So…did you belong to Grandma?”

The cat let out a loud hiss, making me jump back a little, but I managed to keep my expression stoic as I stared the animal down.

“Then who do you belong to? You’re always at the house or the shop. Grandma has a cat bed and a cat collar in her bedroom. You must belong to her.”

I belong to no one.

The voice was cold and smooth in my mind. I frowned and crossed my arms over my knees.

“My friend told me about magic. I know that my grandma was a witch, and I think you and her are connected somehow.”

The cat dipped her head down, pushing her paws forward, stretching and flexing her claws as she yawned. After a quick shake of her coat, she sauntered down the steps towards me, stopping a few feet away.

“Are you a magic cat?”

I laughed as the cat rolled its eyes. It looked directly at me, its orange eyes burning with a strange sort of intensity.

I’m not a magic cat. I’m a witch. My name is Jade.

I frowned in confusion.

“How can you be a witch?”

I was a witch before my unfortunate transformation.

“Transformation?”

Yes. Faith transformed me into a cat many years ago, so I am now bound to the Black Family.

“Faith? Who’s that?”

Jade seemed to quirk an eyebrow.

You don’t know about your great aunt?

I shrugged.

“I know barely anything about my family. Was she Grandma’s sister, then?”

She bobbed her head once, which I took to mean yes. A half-buried memory suddenly came back to me of my father mentioning Grandma’s sister once.

I felt a surge of excitement as I realized that Jade had known my grandmother personally. She might be able to answer a lot of my questions.

“Why didn’t Grandma Celeste transform you?”

Faith had to do it because she knew how to perform an animal transformation spell. It’s a complicated one, and Faith is good with spells.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. But why did they transform you in the first place?”

Jade hissed suddenly, arching her back and swiping out with one paw. I took several steps back, my heart hammering.

Because I tried to protect them from mortal fools! And what did they do? They repaid my devotion with a curse!

Before I could ask her any more questions, the cat ran off, streaking into the woods that backed Grandma Celeste’s house. I had clearly touched a nerve, but I had no idea why.

And Grandma had a sister? That was news to me. We hadn’t even heard about Grandma’s death, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Faith was gone, too.

With a sigh, I walked slowly up the porch steps and headed for the bathroom. I was still covered in sweat and dust from the morning’s cleaning and desperately needed a shower.

The hot water felt good against my cool skin. Summer was still fading, but the air was growing chillier now, especially as the day moved towards evening.

As I stepped out of the shower, I remembered Theresa’s suggestion that I try to protect myself and the house. Retrieving the wand from my bag, I clasped it in my hand and closed my eyes. I pictured the house.

The old brick townhouse stood out vividly in my mind’s eye. I lifted my arm and pictured a bubble going from the top of the roof, through the attic, around the bedrooms and finishing on the floor beneath my feet.