Page 28 of Cat’s Guide To Romance

Ferris wraps his arms around my waist. “He won’t hate me, right?” He looks at Mom with big eyes.

“Baby, he’ll never hate you. And he doesn’t hate you either, Sparkle. He hates himself. And it projects.”

“Yeah, it projects quite a bit,” I mumble. “I don’t appreciate it.”

“Neither do I,” Mother says. “I’ll work on him. We’ll get therapy. Something. But I’m just glad that he’s home.” She closes my hand over the pendant. “Use this wisely. Don’t let it take over your life like it did his.”

“I promise,” I say. “But why has no one told me that my father and I shared the same partial shift?” We could have bonded over it.

Mother sighs again. “Because the pendant helps erase the memory of those who knew before. But now that I’ve taken the crutch away, his parents and siblings and nieces and nephews, who all knew before, will remember now.”

“Try it on,” Ferris says.

I swallow, looking up at Mother, and she nods as well. “We should make sure that it works for you before we send you off.”

I pull the last charm from Drake from my pocket. “I used to sneak out of Hex.”

Mama smiles. “I know. I tried working harder to get a second pendant, but they’re so expensive. We just couldn’t afford it.”

“I didn’t need you to do that,” I say.

Mama swipes hair from my face. “I wanted to make sure my children were happy, and you deserved to leave Hex if you wanted to.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to leave Hex. Hex is amazing. But I did want the option to travel, and the charms only gave me about four hours. Four to six. But I was always too scared to push them too far. I only went out into the human world around Halloween after Drake died.” Didn’t wanna waste my charms if I didn’t have to.

Her face drops, and she looks away. “I wish we could have gotten a second pendant.”

“No, it’s better this way. And I like myself. That’s all that matters,” I say.

There’s a knock at the front door before it slams open.

“Surprise!” my twin sisters say in unison.

They’re the second oldest, and they’ve been traveling the country after graduating high school.

“Did you miss us?” Fiona says.

“Because we missed you,” says Francine.

I had missed them, but perhaps more for selfish reasons than because I couldn’t see them daily. They stroll in with their suitcases rolling behind them. We all dole out hugs with Ferris bouncing on his toes. The twins are tanner than when they were at home. They talk over each other trying to tell us stories and a bit of jealousy wants to rise in my heart, but I stomp it down. They deserve to live how they wish, as we all do.

Mama gives them both long hugs and holds them tight. “How about we hold off until dinner before you tell us the fun stuff?”

Papa continues to sulk wherever he went. I don’t care. He won’t ruin this homecoming for my sisters.

I still clutch the pendant. I’m not sure I’m ready to see if it works for me or not. Mama seems to notice, and she presses a kiss to my temple.

“It’ll be there when you’re ready.” No one noticed our little exchange because the twins entertain Ferris.

My other three siblings, Flora, Faye, and Frances, all waltz in as well, each with their book bags and gossip from the classes they just came from.

Mama smiles. The whole family is home again. It’s been so long.

“Won’t you stay for dinner?” she asks me. “And stay the night. You can leave in the morning if you want. But let’s be one happy family again, just for the evening.”

“Okay,” I say. “I’ll do it for you.”

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