Page 23 of Brews and Banishments
Tessa’s jaw went slack. “Did you just win a hundred thousand dollars?”
“No,” Maria blurted. “No, I couldn’t have.”
Daisy reached, grabbing a hold of her wrist and pulling to take a look at the ticket herself. All of it was self-explanatory, with the numbers matching on the top and the bottom. As far as the fine print went, it looked more than likely that Maria had,in fact, won a very large lottery. Daisy felt her chest inflate with excitement.
“Maria,” she exclaimed. “You won the lottery!”
“N-No, I -”
Daisy stood, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace instantly. Her hand grasped onto the back of her head. “Dear Maria,” she said in her ear, feeling the woman’s heartbeat grow exponentially against her chest, “youwon. Believe it.”
For a moment, Maria wobbled in her arms, her knees growing weak and stumbling as Daisy handed the ticket back to her. Tessa stood next, reaching forward to grasp onto her. The girl stabilized within a second, pulling out of the embrace with eyes as wide as the sun.
“D-Do you know what this means?” Maria breathed as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I’m still paying off my husband’s funeral expenses. His coffin. The tombstone at the cemetery. M-My kids -” She raised a trembling hand to her lips. “This is going to change our lives. All of our lives!”
Daisy cupped her face, the smile not at all fake or forced on her lips. “You deserve every cent, Maria,” she said. “Go. You should get your kids.”
Maria stepped away, clutching onto the lottery ticket as if her entire life depended on it. And, in a way, it certainly did. She ran off towards the neighborhood, her old sneakers kicking dust and dirt in the air.
“How spectacular,” Tessa mused as they watched her go. “What’re the odds?”
And then it hit Daisy. Whatwerethe odds?
“You heard what I said before, didn’t you?”
Tessa raised a brow. “What?”
“Before Maria came over,” Daisy whispered, the sinking feeling returning to her stomach. “I had said: I wish Maria’s lifecould be easier. For her and her children.” She glanced over at Tessa. “Tell me you don’t believe that it is magic.”
Her eyes widened. “Well, I -”
“Tessa.” Daisy watched her sternly. “Honestly.”
“Alright,” Tessa said, a frown growing across her face. “Alright. Maybe it is magic. But…”
“What else could there be?”
Tessa grabbed onto her hand. “We need one more test.”
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me.”
Daisy followed close behind her friend, more than willing to trust her, but dreading the results she already knew to be true.
7
Daisy
“What more tests could be done?”
Tessa clung onto Daisy’s hand tightly. “More than you can imagine,” she replied. “But I think we should get home before anything.”
Daisy’s brow furrowed. “Why do you seem afraid?”
A laugh blurted out from Tessa’s lips. “Who said anything about being afraid?”
“Tessa.”
