Page 51 of Practically Magic

Despite it all, I almost laugh. For once, Harry sounds like the sister I grew up with.

We’re interrupted by a strange moan from the kitchen. The two of us look at each other, then slowly push open the swinging door. That’s when we see the sink. It’s filled with slushy water, and a green tentacle is muscling its way out of the drain. We both scream.

“What is that?” Harry freaks out.

“Kraken.” Eleanor appears through the nearest wall to join us. “There’s one in the lake behind the homestead that Hadley magic has kept contained. At least, it did.”

I bolt for the switch next to the sink and flick on the garbage disposal. There is a tiny scream, a funnel appearing in the water before it turns to chum. I fight the urge to throw up.

Eleanor floats over, glancing down at the dirty water with distaste. “Wonderful job, Katherine, but remember, that’s just a tiny tentacle. The real thing is in the lake.” She glances our way. “If you don’t deal with the true problem at hand, creatures like that will keep appearing all over town.”

“What does that mean?” I ask. “We’re calling in the aunts. They’ll cast the spell with their husbands.”

Eleanor, however, sighs. “A spell. Wonderful idea. How have those been working out lately?”

My stomach tightens as I look at Harry. Didn’t we just have our sister moment?

“I believe forgiveness is the foundation of a healthy relationship,” Eleanor adds.

Forgive her? I feel bad that she dumped her boyfriend, but she cursed me to remain loveless. And then stopped talking to me.

“Eleanor is right,” Harry says quietly. “I need to try to forgive you. If you apologize, I think I can.”

20

Mystic Hollow Community Page

New post from Anonymous: Just saw a kid howling at the moon. What is happening?

The silence in the kitchen is deafening.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Harry whispers as Eleanor watches us.

But I’m too stunned. My magic is tingling softly, and I can’t decide if I’m more angry or hurt. “Apologize to you?” I rear back at her. “You cursed me! Literally! All these years, every time a guy ignored me or dated someone else or laughed at me when I asked him to dance—it was all your fault! Did you think it was funny, parading around here with all your perfect boyfriends while I was heartbroken and alone?”

“I wasn’t parading,” Harry says back, breaking off to sneeze three times in a row. Around us, the house shakes. “And every single Halloween, every single other day of my life, I’ve dropped everything to try to help you. I even gave up the love of my life! I’ve always just been trying to protect you. What else was I supposed to do? I’m your big sister. It’s my job. And you think it was easy, setting a good example for you? Getting good grades. Never breaking any rules. Getting all of Mom and Dad’s attention and obsession—all the rules they gave me that you managed to shrug off. You have no idea how hard it was. I’ve had to do everything first, by myself.”

“You weren’t by yourself!” I roar back. “I was by myself, because you cursed me to be!” I toss aside my spoon—it hits a gnome in the head and it grumbles something, but I don’t care. “You want to know what it’s like to be by yourself? Fine.”

Then I turn and run.

“Kat! Wait!” Harry calls, but I only run faster.

The leaves crunch under my feet, and I’m unsure where I’m going. All I know is that I don’t want to be anywhere near my sister. So I keep running, headed toward the green, my lungs and legs burning.

It all comes rushing back, every Halloween being brokenhearted.

Ryan ditching me at the Gravitron in seventh grade. Hunter turning me down at the dance in eighth grade. Justin never getting my note at Haunted House of Hamburgers. And worst of all, Reese moving away.

Wait a minute. If she cast the spell last year, when she and Jack broke up, the only one affected would have been Reese, right?

And if that’s true, what happened with Ryan, Hunter, and Justin?

Is Laney still at Colton’s house? Did she go home? I reach into my pocket to try to call her and realize too late I left my phone at the house. I ran off in such a hurry, I don’t even have a coat, and now that I’ve stopped moving, I’m shivering. And then I remember what she said, that I always make things about boys.

She’s right, and maybe Harry’s right too.

Every Halloween, I’ve made it about my crush. I can’t think of a Halloween in years that I just spent with Harry or with Laney or even with my aunts or parents.