She said it so softly, Kizzy wasn’t sure she heard her correctly. “Fudge cake! What do you mean? Did you do something intentionally?”
After a brief hesitation, Ruth said, “We were little. Mom had just told us how we were different from other kids and how we had to use our poweronlyfor good while still respecting the free will of all humankind. She said if we wished anyone harm, karma would get us eventually…and then she explained what that meant.”
“I remember that day.”
Ruth picked up her wineglass and swirled the contents. “I wasn’t sure if she was telling us the truth, so I had to test it.” She set down her glass and clasped her hands. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course not. What did you do?”
Ruth’s face turned pink. “Remember the brat who used to live across the street? Eddie?”
“Yeah…” Kizzy remembered how the neighbors across the street moved in a hurry. No one seemed to know why or where they went.
“Well, he was teasing me, as usual, and I wished with all my heart that he would go away and never come back. The next day, moving vans came, packed everything up, and off they went. I don’t know for sure if that was because of me, but I think it must’ve been.”
“And did karma kick your ass?”
“Maybe. The guilt has weighed heavily on me ever since.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure they had some kind of plan. People don’t just up and move overnight.”
“Unless a witch cast a spell on them. What if they just found themselves driving a moving van across the country, no jobs, no home to go to…nothing but questions?”
Kizzy gave that some thought. “I imagine they would have come back. If they hadn’t quit their jobs and sold their home, that stuff would still be waiting for them. Right?”
“But I added the words ‘never ever to return.’”
“I guess we can’t know. Unless you want to try to find them.”
Ruth looked sheepish. “Do you think I should? I mean, I’d rather not. There’s not much I can do about it seventeen years later.”
“You could just look him up on Facebook. If he landed on his feet, you can stop feeling guilty. If not, you can do a spell to help him and his family.”
“I already tried a reversal spell. Because they didn’t come back, I don’t know if it worked or not. Thus the nagging voice in my head for seventeen years.”
Kizzy winced. “Man, you were a naughty girl. I just believed everything I was told.”
“You were older. I kind of wish Mom had waited until I was a little more mature and could have handled it better.”
“I had no idea you were having any problem handling it at all.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re having a tough time with it right now. And you’ve always been the smarter, more responsible one.”
“I don’t know about that, but being responsible drives me up the wall sometimes. I don’t want to be responsible for picking and choosing who lives and who dies. Especially if several family members are involved. Do I save the mom, the child, or the father?”
Ruth’s facial expression bespoke pity. Ordinarily, pity wasn’t something Kizzy wanted. Tonight, she did.
“Have you ever thought about just not using your power?”
Kizzy hesitated. “I’ve actually vowed not to and broken that vow in three days or less. When someone needs my help and medical help isn’t enough, I can’t refuse to use the power at my disposal. As long as I have enough strength in me.”
Ruth reached across the table and grasped her hand. “That’s the sister I know and love. So I guess you’re stuck with it—the responsibility, the knowledge, and the power to save one human life that never would have made it without you. But only one per day.”
Kizzy inhaled deeply and let out a long, resigned breath. “A blessing and a curse. What did I do to deserve this?”
* * *
“Hold that pose, sweetie. Oh, what a nice, big smile!” Mallory captured the picture before the squirmy, wormy toddler managed to break free of his mother’s death grip again, like Houdini.
