The three women are dressed in faux fur coats and warm wool hats tugged down to their ears. They’re giggling when they enter, but when Cathy sees me, the laughing stops. She whispers something to her friends, Sadie and Cherie, and the three burst into another, even louder fit of cackles.
Heat floods my cheeks, working all the way down my neck to my hands, which I curl into tight fists.
“Cathy, you here to jump into a book?”
She drags her gaze from Sadie to me. The three stalk forward, looking very much like they never left high school, like they’re ready to terrorize anyone that steps into their path.
Cathy rubs the golden bangles on her left arm. “Jump into a book? I was thinking about it.”
“Great,” I lie. “What’s your favorite genre? I can help you.”
“What’s a genre?” Sadie whispers to Cherie.
Oh gods. It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes.
It’s Cherie’s turn to whisper. “I thought we came because of the witch?—”
Cathy snaps her fingers, and Cherie’s lips pin shut. The poor woman tugs at her mouth, but whatever spell Cathy’s cast, sticks. The minion can’t part her lips.
“Going to the ball tonight?” Cathy asks, her voice dripping with poison. Not literally, of course. But if poison could have a sound, it would be Cathy’s Disney villain voice.
“A better question is, are you?” I throw back. Of course I’m going to the ball. She knows that. It’s being held in my honor.
My high school nemesis sneers. “I am. Daddy’s bought me a beautiful new gown. Had Daisy make it.”
Daisy’s the town tailor and is awesome at her job. “How nice for you.”
She bats her lashes innocently. “I’m so looking forward to it, but of course, I’m always worried.”
Chatty Cathy was the biggest mean girl in high school. I hardly ever see her now, but whenever she does rear her ugly head alongside her Doublemint Twins, I don’t back down from the meanness.
Never let the bullies win.
And it’s obvious that she wants to play. Well then, let’s play.
“What do you worry about?” I ask innocently.
“Well”—now she’s twirling a platinum strand of hair around her finger—“I worry that there’s no point in going, that you’ll get there and use your power to steal all the eligible men.”
The heat of anger that had been licking down my skin dissolves into barely restrained fury. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you? Don’t you remember what happened in high school? With Devlin?”
My jaw tightens so hard I’m surprised it hasn’t cracked. There are a myriad of replies that I can make, fromI don’t know what you’re talking abouttowhat do you mean?But all of those vanish from my mind, leaving me with, “I didn’t do anything to him.”
Which is just as good as admitting that Ididdo something to Devlin.
And of course, this is what Cathy’s been waiting for.
She tsks. “It’s a powerful thing, being able to influence someone into falling in love with you. It’s good that he got away from yourfreakazoidmagic before it was too late.”
Sadie laughs. Cherie tries to but can’t. She taps Cathy’s shoulder, and the bully looks back at her, giving a dramatic eye roll before she snaps her fingers and Cherie’s mouth becomes unglued.
“I never magicked Devlin,” I growl.
“So you say.”
“So you say,” Cherie mocks.
