AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Talia sighed. “Tyler didn’t do anything. It was all Clay and Carl. Tyler said he didn’t think it was right that the priestesses cut our insurance, and his friends disagreed. They argued, and Tyler thought it was best if he stepped away. I don’t blame him. He chose his integrity, so he’s trying to get a new band together.”
Grant frowned. “I can’t believe Carl agrees with the priestesses. He’s got allergies he’s always going to the doctor for.”
“Yeah, but he’s out of school, so he’s got private insurance,” Talia pointed out. “Apparently, he doesn’t care as long as it doesn’t affect him.”
Grant snorted. “I’d like to see him say that to my face. I can’t afford my insulin without insurance! I’m on my last refill. I’m going to have to brew synthetic shit to get by.”
Horror crossed Onyx’s face. “Grant, you can’t. That brew has never been perfected.”
Grant drew himself up. “Then I’ll be the one to perfect it. The only reason no one’s pursued it is because there’s no money in it if diabetics can produce it themselves.”
“It’s dangerous,” Onyx pressed. “You’d have to have a doctorate in Alchemy to be anywhere close to perfecting that serum. It’s not a simple one-time potion. You have to take it multiple times a day, every day. You don’t know how that will affect you.”
Grant frowned and mumbled, “Yeah, I guess.”
“You must be able to get on your parents’ insurance,” I insisted.
Grant shook his head. “With all these businesses shutting down, Dad’s been laid off. He lost his insurance with his paycheck. His savings are barely enough to keep him afloat. And the provider doesn’t take my mom’s insurance.”
“Our healthcare is too expensive,” Onyx complained. “I found a lump last week, and I called to have it checked out, but without insurance, the check-up alone is a whole month’s pay. I mean, I only work part-time as a nursing assistant at the hospital, but it’s all I can do between classes.”
My jaw dropped. “That’s ridiculous!”
Onyx waved her hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“But it could be something,” I said. It made me ill thinking about any of us going without healthcare. “We have to do something.”
“What can we do?” Grant sounded hopeless. “You can advocate for us with the priestesses, but unless something changes fucking tomorrow, some of us are shit out of luck.”
“We’ll set up a fund,” I offered. “We’ll gather donations to cover immediate care, until we can get this sorted out. The funds will go to students involved in The Hearse Tragedy, and people like you, who can’t go without their medication.”
Chloe crossed her arms. “I wish it were that simple. The priestesses will figure that if we can crowdfund our own healthcare, we don’t need our insurance back. Besides, who’s going to donate? With all the layoffs, no one’s got extra cash.”
I sighed. “What else can we do? Grant needs insulin now. Lydia needs physical therapy—and probably surgery. The least we can do is try.”
“We should see what kind of money we can raise,” Lucas suggested. “How’s everyone else doing with their research?”
Mandy looked up from the book she’d been reading. “The Coven’s Shield is growing, and so should our meeting room.”
She was right about that. We were packed in here like sardines.
“I found a space-bending spell,” Mandy said. “It should be pretty simple to cast.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Miles asked. “I mean, can’t it clash with the spell on the school? I heard a few students tried the spell on their dorm room ages ago, and it backfired and spread to the east stairwell. It’s the reason the Vanishing Stairwell blinks in and out of existence.”
“Yes, but that’s only because they didn’t perform the spell right,” Mandy said. “Space-bending spells require a member from all five Casts. They’re not particularly difficult; it’s just that we haven’t had a Curse Breaker in the coven for over forty years.”
“I’ve done a few space-bending spells with the priestesses,” I said. “I know I can do it, and I’ve been feeling a lot better since I started dialysis, so I should be able to handle it.”
“Perfect,” Mandy said. “Who else wants to volunteer?”
Grant, Talia, Lucas, and Chloe raised their hands, and Mandy handed us the spellbook.
The five of us joined hands, and magic began to swell between us as we spoke the incantation. I felt their power grow within me as I gathered it together, forming it into a ball in the center of our circle. The magic glowed and shimmered, like a rainbow-colored bubble. My friends continued the incantation, while I focused on funneling their power into the magical ball. It grew around us, until it completely encompassed us and expanded to the corners of the room. As it grew even further, the room grew with it, stretching the walls and carpet and elongating the counter. The room expanded to four times its original size.
“Wow! This is great!” Miles raved as we finished the spell. He began racing around the room, leaping and spinning like a ballet dancer.
Chloe frowned. “You really need to lay off the slushies.”
