Page 117 of Witch You Would
“Almost ready?” Hugh asked, his green eyes boring into mine like lasers.
“You know it,” I said, spinning the stick of chalk on my open palm with a flourish.
Fabienne gestured at the circle I was working on. “Which portion of the enchantment will this be?”
“Part of the spell involves cards doing tricks in the air, so I’m going to do them myself, and this will basically recordmy movements.”
“Interesting,” Hugh said. “What technique are you using to—”
On the other side of the station, a red light flashed. Doris gasped in pain and stumbled backward, holding her left hand withher right.
“Are you okay?” Syd asked, concern on their face as they approached her.
“I’m... fine,” Doris said. “Just a sudden cramp.”
Penelope stepped out from behind the stove, angrier than I’d ever seen her, even when she was yelling at me in the park. “Justa cramp? You were trying to sabotage our spell!”
Syd stared at her, mouth open. Doris shook her head, hazel eyes wide. From across the room, Tori straightened up like a meerkatsensing danger.
“How dare you accuse me of such a thing, young lady!” Doris said. “I’ve never been so insulted in my life.”
Penelope gestured at the freezer. “Let’s check on my charm, then, and see if the water changed color.”
“What’s this about a charm?” Fabienne asked, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
“Penelope made a freezer spell,” I explained. “It was designed to go off if someone tried to touch any of our stuff with maliciousintent.”
Both Hugh and Fabienne looked at Doris, whose pale skin had turned bone white. Tori stalked over, looking grim. Charlotteand Felicia stopped what they were doing, too.
“Malicious intent?” Hugh asked, his voice low and harsh.
Penelope plunked the jar from the freezer onto the counter. The frozen liquid inside had gone from clear to a reddish purple,frost coating the inside of the glass, but the words on the spell paper dangling by a piece of twine from the lid were stilllegible.
“Doris,” Tori said through clenched teeth, her normally statue-calm face twitching. “Tampering with this competition is a federal crime. You know that.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong.” Doris crossed her arms. “I will not be subjected to this, this insinuation.”
“I’m not insinuating, I’m straight-up saying it,” Penelope muttered. “I just don’t understand why.”
I remembered the conversation I’d heard the first day of filming, confirmed by Isaac at the restaurant. “She’s being forcedto retire.”
Doris glared at me, lips thin.
“It’s gotta be revenge, right?” I continued. “She’s pissed that she’s getting pushed out of the show she helped start, soshe’s wrecking it on the way out. If she can’t be here, no one can.”
Penelope shook her head. “Super petty. Wow.”
“Pure nonsense,” Doris said, but the way Hugh and Fabienne were looking at her, I knew I’d nailed it.
Isaac stormed in like a low-rent Zeus ready to spit lightning. “Now what the fuck is going on in here?”
“Doris has been sabotaging everyone’s spells,” I said.
“What did I say about talking shit?” Isaac yelled. “Get back to your stations and finish this fucking round.”
“No way,” Penelope said. “This show has been rigged from the start. If it weren’t for Doris, the whole competition might havegone completely differently. Any of the other teams could be here instead.”
“Speak for yourself,” Felicia grumbled.
