Loved Up Read online

  I imagine I must have looked a bit googly-eyed just then. ‘But that means ... the election. The referendum.’

  ‘All going ahead,’ my mother said with a funny smile. ‘Let’s not worry about that just now, though. We’ll get Florence in. She can explain why you’ve been asleep so long.’

  She pressed a button next to my bed. My eyes drooped for a few minutes, and then Florence walked into the room with Ronnie by her side. Ronnie had two cups of coffee in her hands, and she placed one down beside me. ‘Thought you could use this, Sleeping Beauty,’ she said with a wink.

  She fished about in a shopping bag, and pulled out a box that contained an enormous slice of chocolate cake. ‘And this.’

  I was seriously in love with her. ‘So ... is someone going to tell me what’s going on?’ I asked through mouthfuls. I did wonder, for a brief moment, if I should offer to share. But like they said, I’d been asleep for days. I needed the calories.

  Florence bit her bottom lip. ‘Well, that’s the thing. We don’t really know. I suppose it could have been the potions you’ve been subjected to, or the hypnosis. Your mind could have simply been exhausted by it all.’

  Ronnie nodded unconvincingly. ‘Yeah. I mean, we’ve been testing all of the potions Gabriel’s been feeding you, and to be honest we don’t know how you don’t already have his kids. You should have been the most in love woman in the world, with what he was feeding you. But your body ...’ Ronnie took a seat on the edge of the bed. ‘It’s like you were building an immunity to it. It’s like no matter what he gave you, you fought it off.’

  ‘Yeah, he said as much. Although he didn’t sound as impressed when he was telling me. More irritated enough to strangle me, really. But what’s all this got to do with me sleeping for over a week?’

  Florence took in a deep breath, blew it out, and said, ‘We don’t really know. According to Gretel, as soon as you knew Max was all right, you fell asleep, right there in the forest. You’ve been asleep ever since. And your brain activity has been ... interesting.’ She fiddled about with a chart at the bottom of my bed, then picked it up and read it. ‘You’ve been dreaming the whole time, and while you dreamt, your body was repairing the damage to your heart, damage we thought would need some incredibly difficult healing spells to repair. And your brain was lighting up like a Solas spell and ... well, basically it was the most active coma I’ve ever witnessed. You’re now in perfect health. Better than perfect, if there’s such a thing. All of your cells, every part of you, is as good as new.’

  I sat back. This was interesting. Not only was I learning to shut out vampire attacks on my mind, but I’d done some sort of reboot thing, too. But I could ponder on all of that another day. For now, I felt rested and ready to tackle the world. And I felt like I wanted a few more answers, too. ‘Hey ... what happened, anyway? How come Gretel turned up at Godbody House with so many Wayfarers?’

  Just as I uttered Gretel’s name, her head appeared around the door. Finn was by her side, and Christine, Melissa, Max and Lassie were behind her.

  ‘You have Emily to thank for that,’ Gretel said, walking into the room.

  Finn joined her by the bed and ruffled my hair.

  ‘Get off!’ I grinned up at him, then my eyes shot to Max. ‘What did Emily do?’

  ‘Well, first she hated your guts,’ said Finn – far too happily – as he dragged a chair to my bedside and sat backwards on it. ‘She hated both you and good ol’ Maxie.’

  Max’s cheeks took on a beetroot-coloured tinge, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at the floor. ‘Apparently she figured out that I broke up with her because of you, and she came to Wayfarers’ Rest to give you a bit of a talking to. But when she got to the back door, she heard us all talking about the love spell and the Dark Team and what not. She cast an invisibility spell, and kept right on listening. And when she saw the bats fly towards the house, she cottoned on to the fact that they were the Dark Team. So she phoned Gretel.’

  ‘All that any of you guys saw was the lights going out,’ Gretel went on. ‘But a few seconds later, the Dark Team lit the kitchen up for themselves so they could sort out transporting you all to Godbody House. Emily saw them talking and planning. Basically, she saved the day.’

  ‘Oh.’ I sank back against my pillows. ‘So ... she doesn’t still hate me? I’d hate it if Emily hated me.’

  ‘Of course she doesn’t.’ Melissa smiled wryly. ‘And I feel a bit bad myself, right now, after the way we argued. I think we all feel a bit sheepish, thinking about the lengths the love potion made us go to.’

  Ronnie nodded. ‘Oh boy, yeah. I still can’t look Arthur Albright in the eye. Thank the goddess it was only a potion, though. We might all be incredibly embarrassed for a while to come, but we’ll soon be back to normal.’

  I caught Max’s eye, and looked away. ‘Back to normal. Great.’

  26. Happy Endings

  I spent the night at Wayfarers’ Rest, at my mother’s insistence. I had hoped Max would stay over too, so we could talk properly, but he had a shift at the Water Bowl and would be working late.

  The next morning he texted me to say that he was working again, but would meet me at the Riddler’s Edge community hall that night. I guess if I was ... I dunno ... a suspicious detective of some sort, then I might have thought he was avoiding me. But I had a lot to do that day, and Max’s weirdness would have to wait.

  What did I have to do, you ask? Oh, only accompany my mother and the rest of my coven while they did the rounds of the voting centres. Because that’s the sort of thing that family and friends of the candidates do on Election Day.

  Yup – you read that correctly. My mother, leader of the Wayfair Coven, was in the running to be the next Minister for Magical Law. A lot had happened while I lay dreaming. On hearing of Agatha’s death, requests had come flooding in for my mother to take her place. And now that she was slightly less obsessed with spending every second of the day with my dad, she had a bit more time to dedicate to her career.

  Newspapers and news channels followed the popularity polls every day, detailing the incredible gap between the two candidates. A gap that was in my mother’s favour.

  And Max’s treatment at Godbody House had become national news, too. After hearing about the Dark Team’s hunting parties, more and more people declared that they would vote in favour of Equal Rights for Others. It was looking like the landslide of the century. Never, since the war in the Year of the Worm, had there been so much change on the horizon. Back then, vampires and werewolves had fought for their rights. Now, it was time for all the others.

  Election Day was the sort of day that I would normally have found exhausting, but ever since my big sleep, I’d developed somewhat of a spring in my step. An actual spring, this time, unlike the jump in my step I’d been suffering for far too long. I enjoyed the whole meet and greet thing, and still felt full of energy by the time we headed to the new community hall to wait for the results.

  Berry Materialization had done an amazing job. Just as Will promised, there were screens everywhere, so that Riddler’s Edge residents could watch the vote count as it happened. Counting slips of paper might not sound all that exciting, but when your rights are at stake, it becomes more riveting than a murder mystery. The polls closed at nine that evening, and the full count was expected to be in by midnight. Hey, witches count quickly!

  A large table had been reserved for us, and as soon as we sat down even more people came to greet my mother, all telling her they’d voted in her favour. We didn’t need anyone in that hall to tell us they’d voted in favour of Equal Rights for Others – it was kind of a given.

  The Caulfields were catering the event, and every so often Nan, Emily or Kevin would stop by with yet more food. Emily had done something magical with cauliflower that I couldn’t even describe, making them into a veggie version of buffalo wings. I ate so many of the things, and I still wanted more. But I guess that the memory of how many times my food, my drink and my
life had been spiked over the last few months had left a scar, because I did a sniff test of absolutely everything before it met my lips.

  Maybe that was the worst thing about all of this – cinnamon, my favourite spice ever had been the smell that Gabriel used to ensure I breathed in as much of his potion as possible. Would it be tainted for ever? Would I never eat another slice of apple tart again?

  Nan spun by the table, dropped an apple tart in front of me and kissed my head. ‘Made it special for you,’ she said.

  Okay, forget my earlier comment. Nothing was going to keep me away from apple tart. I thanked Nan profusely, then dug in. It was half past eleven and two slices later when I finally spied Max at the other side of the room, his tall form towering above everyone else. I was just about to go over to him, when Rover approached.

  ‘Wanda!’ He pumped my hand warmly between his burly fists. ‘It’s true then. Your big sleep has done you the world of good.’

  I shrugged in embarrassment. Ever since I’d left Night and Gale, people had been telling me I looked different. When I tried to get them to be more specific, I got a wider range instead. I looked ‘brighter,’ or ‘livelier,’ or ‘more settled.’ I looked ‘older,’ and ‘younger,’ and ‘more energetic.’

  I didn’t know how I looked. But I did know how I felt. I would best describe it as (ahem) different.

  ‘Hey, I was wondering if you’d give me an intro to the big man.’ He nodded across the room, where Will Berry was doing the rounds with Mandy Parker. Will was wearing casual slacks and a shirt with the top button undone. Mandy looked like she was on her way to an inaugural ball. ‘I know.’ Rover shook his head and chuckled. ‘She seems to think this is her victory. Not that the final count has been announced but ... the numbers are looking good.’

  He was wrong – the numbers were looking amazing. So far, my mother had eighty percent of the vote. If she kept above sixty, there wouldn’t be a College Board vote. The popular vote would stand.

  I led Rover over to Will, wishing I’d put a bit more thought into my own outfit. I was in jeans, a T-shirt and a cardigan. Always glamorous, amn’t I?

  ‘Hey, Will.’ I tapped his arm lightly.

  He spun around straight away, leaving Mandy talking to a table filled with wizards. ‘Wanda.’ His Adam’s apple moved quickly up and down. ‘You look ... you look ... different.’

  ‘So everyone keeps saying.’ I gave him a small smile. ‘So ... this is Rover. Unofficial weredog leader.’ I stepped aside so Rover could shake Will’s hand.

  The two men greeted each other warmly. ‘I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting,’ said Will. ‘But you always seem so busy. It’s great to finally meet you, Rover. What do you think of it all?’

  I hovered at the side, feeling confused. Mandy turned around to greet me briefly, before turning back to the wizards. Okay, so greet me might not have been the correct term. She said, ‘You’ve got sauce on you. And pastry. And something that might or mightn’t be ice cream.’

  Will and Rover chatted for a few more minutes, and when Rover broke away I went with him, doing my best to ignore the weight of Will’s eyes following me through the hall.

  ‘What was that about?’ I asked. ‘You’ve been wanting to meet Will Berry ever since you heard he was building this place.’

  Rover walked to a quiet corner, and I followed. ‘Sure I have,’ he said. ‘But I wanted you to introduce us.’

  I felt my forehead furrow. ‘Yeah, but Will just said he’s been trying to arrange a meeting. Why wait for me?’

  He looked off into the distance, a mysterious glint in his eyes, then he tapped his nose and said, ‘I have my reasons. You know how I like to sniff these things out.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Anyway, people to see.’ He patted me on the shoulder. ‘Great to see you, Wanda.’

  ‘Wait!’ I called after him as he moved through the crowd. ‘What did you mean?’ I sighed and stood back against the wall. I guess I wasn’t going to get that answer any time soon.

  I saw Max then, sitting at the table next to my dad. All thoughts of Rover’s frustrating mysteriousness left my mind, and I rushed to greet him.

  ‘Max!’ I threw my arms around his neck. ‘I’ve missed you, you great big gorgeous weredog.’

  He laughed, his face colouring. ‘Yeah, yeah. Hey, I never did get to say a proper thank you. You know – for saving me in the woods and all that.’ His expression turned serious. ‘I was worried about you, when you fell asleep like that.’

  ‘Worried about me!’ I shook my head. ‘I was nearly having kittens when I realised they were hunting you out there. And you have nothing to thank me for, either. I was the one who got you all into that mess in the first place. What with my terrible taste in boyfriends.’

  ‘Hey!’ My dad shot me a mock-stern glare. ‘Enough of that.’

  Max slapped my arm lightly. ‘Yeah, Wanda. Enough of that. Hey, Melissa’s decided to move in permanently, did she tell you?’

  I nodded. She had told me that morning, when she woke me up with a lovely cup of tea and some toast with raspberry jam.

  ‘But,’ Max went on, ‘she’s staying at Wayfarers’ Rest for tonight. So I thought I could cook for you and me. Y’know – if the count doesn’t take too long.’

  I was just about to tell him how amazing that sounded, when Emily approached the table. She set a plate filled with pastries in the centre, then turned to Max and pressed a huge, slobbery kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, she slung an arm around his shoulder and beamed at me.

  ‘I owe you a big apology,’ she said. ‘There I was, thinking Max had gone and fallen in love with you. But now I know it was only the love potion. I’m so glad it’s all worked out the right way in the end.’ She gave him another kiss, then stood up. ‘I’m going to be on my feet for the next while, but we should sit down and have a drink together later on, yeah?’

  I smiled weakly back at her. ‘Yeah. Yeah, that’d be great.’

  As Emily moved away from the table, my dad shot up from his seat and rushed off to talk to ‘somebody he knew.’

  Max and I sat in silence a moment, until eventually I spoke. ‘So, you and Emily? I thought ... I mean ... well, even before the love potion you said it wasn’t going to work.’

  He pulled the pastries towards him, but didn’t pick one up. He just spun the plate around, over and over, looking down at it as it moved. ‘Yeah. I guess ... I mean ... I don’t think I was giving her a proper chance really. She’s a great girl. A lovely girl.’

  ‘Yeah.’ I nodded. ‘Lovely. Pretty and ... and lovely.’

  He looked up from the pastries, and fixed his eyes to mine. ‘For a while there ... for a while there it was like everything fell into place. It was like ... it was like I was where I was supposed to be.’ He swallowed. ‘But I guess that’s why love potions are illegal, right? Because they really do mess with your head.’

  I picked up a pastry from the plate and held it high, because I felt the strongest urge to hide my face. I’d convinced myself that I hadn’t been heartbroken over Will Berry. Now, I guess I was just going to have to convince myself that I wasn’t heartbroken all over again. I mean, I knew it wasn’t real. None of it. But jeez Louise, I was going to need to use this pastry as a napkin if I didn’t get out of here soon. ‘Yeah,’ I said in a choked-up voice. ‘They really do mess with your head.’

  ‘Everyone!’ Mandy Parker’s voice rang out through the room, and she turned up the volume on one of the widescreen TVs. ‘They’re about to announce the next Minister for Magical Law!’

  ≈

  The community hall fell to a hush, eyes darting between my mother and the screen. Cameras were flashing, and mobile phones were videoing our every reaction. My dad stood on one side of my mother while I stood on her other side, both of us squeezing her hands. Sandra from Wyrd News Nightly was standing in the counting hall at the Wyrd Court, with two envelopes in her hands.

  She said some words, but don’t ask me what they might have been. I
was busy being scared to death. This meant everything. And sure, it looked like it was going to be a landslide, but it had looked that way many times before, and yet somehow people like Justine Plimpton managed to get the most important seat in the Irish supernatural enclaves, over and over.

  Sandra peeled open the first envelope, and I forced myself to listen to her.

  ‘On the matter of the referendum to enact Equal Rights for Others …’ A slow smile crept across Sandra’s face. ‘It’s been passed into law by a sixty-six percent majority!’ She jumped up and down, grabbing her cameraman, who appeared to be a wizard, and kissing him madly. As they kissed, the wizard’s camera-holding hand became somewhat occupied, and all we could see was Sandra’s shoes. A moment later, the camera was picked back up, and Sandra appeared on screen. ‘For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been in love with my cameraman, Dan, for years. And now that the people have had their say, we’re getting married!’

  Dan whooped behind the camera and shouted, ‘Yeah we are! Gonna be the biggest wedding ever!’

  I was delighted for Sandra and Dan, but I really wanted her to open that second envelope. Finally she stopped grinning, cleared her throat, and peeled it open.

  ‘The new Minister for Magical Law, with a majority of eighty-eight percent to twelve, is Beatrice Wayfair!’ Tears spilled down the presenter’s face, and she began to laugh madly. ‘Our world it is a-changing, folks. And I, for one, think it’s about darned time.’

  The new community hall broke out into laughter, shouts and tears as everyone turned to hug one another, or to congratulate my mother. While my parents were swamped, I turned to look for Max, only to find him stuck to Emily’s face. A glance across the hall showed me that Will Berry and Mandy Parker were in the same sticky situation.

  Yay for love. This really was a happy ending. Dizzy lifted up my hair, and whispered in my ear, ‘Hey Wanda, never mind those loved up weirdos. You still have me.’