With the strangest certainty, I said, “I’m not sure exactly. Sometimes Karma takes a bit of time, but it'll be good, no matter what it is. Or bad if you're them, I guess.”
“Good,” Beth said, and there was a sad note to her voice.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, fighting the urge to pull her into a hug.
“Surprisingly, it’s getting easier.”
“But you raised her, you--”
“I never did any of that thinking that she’d owe me, or even that she’d appreciate me. I took care of her because it was the right thing to do.”
That was the first time I felt my powers race over my skin, sending every hair standing on end. It seemed that every time I used my abilities, it felt different. “Well, you did something good, and the universe knows that.”
She smirked at me. “I guess I’ll trust that karma knows what it’s doing, or should I say she.”
I nodded, feeling strange. A breeze rolled over me, and I swore my powers scattered away from me like leaves in the wind. I even stared into the sky, expecting to see something. But the dark sky was the same.
Karma, I realized, wasn’t just popping tires. It took time. It worked in mysterious ways. But I had no doubt Tiffany and the ex would feel the bite of my powers, and that Beth would be rewarded for being a good person.
Having powers was definitely starting to have its perks.
“I’m going to go give those two a little present.”
I jerked at the high-pitched voice, searching for the source of the sound. What I found was a crow on a branch staring at us.
Beth said, “We shouldn’t..”
“Youshouldn’t. Humans pooping on humans is strange.”
The bird lifted off the branch and about a dozen more left the tree, heading for her ex and her sister. At first I just stared in confusion, but around the corner, I heard a chorus of screaming and swearing, and then it hit me.
I looked at Beth. Beth looked at me. And then we both started laughing like idiots. Being a witch, or whatever, definitely had its perks.
A minute later, I heard the sound of a door being thrown open. Carol came out of the house first, lugging a big duffel bag behind her. Deva wasn’t far behind her with her arms full of bags as well. It looked like we were vacationing for a week. But this was my first supernatural adventure, so I wasn’t about to second-guess the things they thought we needed.
We all piled into the car, and Carol started handing out small burlap bags. “Hex bags,” she explained.
“Aren’t those dangerous to keep in the house?” I asked.
Carol giggled as she untied the long string on one. “Here, put it under your shirt; wear the hex bag like a necklace. And they aren’t dangerous, not if you’re an experienced witch and don’t make careless mistakes.”
“Oh, I feel silly.” I laughed and tied the leather string around my neck. “What does this do?”
“If you yank it hard enough, it will tear away from the leather. Then you throw them at someone’s feet and it’ll temporarily incapacitate them.” Carol handed Beth one as she started to pull away from the curb, then stopped and pulled her phone out of her pocket instead.
I glanced over to see her son’s name on the screen.
“Oh,” Beth said with pleasure. “It’s the twins. They’re at St. Bartholomew's college.”
I knew how much of an unexpected joy it was to get a phone call from your teenager who was away at school. And also how it made that little ball of worry form in your stomach until you answered and knew they were okay.
She hit the speaker button. “Hey, cupcake!”
“Hey, Mom. What are you up to?” The deep voice of her son rang out over the speaker.
“Nothing, sweetie. Just hanging out with my girls.” Beth shrugged as Carol handed Deva a sharpened wooden stake out of her bag and then, after a moment's debate, handed Deva and me a small blade each. “How are you and your sister?”
“I’m here too,” a young woman’s bubbly voice said, which must be Ava. “Are you having book club?”
