“How is it inside?” Peter asked.
The three of them carefully assessed us. Peter was wearing khaki shorts and a grey t-shirt with flip flops. James had on khaki shorts, too, but with a blue polo shirt. I had on white shorts and a light pink tank top. We looked completely out of place.
“Uh, good. It’s full,” the guy said.
“Is there a bouncer?” James asked.
“Tom’s working the door tonight. I’m not sure he’ll let you through. You all look a little young. Green eyes will get in,” he winked at me, “but you guys don’t stand a chance.”
“Actually,” I stepped around Peter. “We’re tourists.”
“I can see that,” the guy said.
The other guy and girl were making out against the brick wall.
“I heard about this place.” I smiled. “But my brothers,” I pointed at James and Peter, “won’t let me go anywhere without them. They’re overprotective.”
Peter stiffened.
The guy’s eyes roamed over me from head to toe and then shifted behind me. “They are your brothers? Even the blonde one?”
I bit my lip. James and I could pass as siblings, but there was no way Peter and I could. “He’s my stepbrother.”
“Oh.” The guy’s attention returned to me.
“Are you leaving?” I tilted my head. “It’s early, don’t you think?” I hoped he could tell I was flirting with him. Or attempting to.
“I don’t usually go the cheerleader route, but you’re hot. You want to party?”
James shifted in front of Peter.
“I do,” I said. “But I want to party in there.” I pointed to the underground club.
“I can get you in. I know the bouncer.”
“And my brothers? I can’t go in without them.”
The guy smacked his friend on the side of the head. “Get a room, jeez. I’m going back inside with this chick and her brothers.” The guy turned to me. “What’s your name?”
“Alex.”
“I’m Nathan. Wait right here. Let me talk to Tom.”
The couple, still kissing, staggered down the alley. Nathan went inside.
I whirled around, before Peter could open his mouth. “Shhh!”
“That piece of shit,” Peter said. “He thinks he’s going to get with you!”
“Peter, I’m getting us into the club. All of us. I’ll ditch him once we’re inside.”
James moved trash around with his foot. He grinned at the cement.
Nathan poked his head out. “Come on.” He held out his hand.
I placed my hand in his. It was cold and dry. I didn’t turn around to see Peter’s face or James’ expression, for that matter. He thought the entire situation was hilarious.
We walked into the dark building. Sconces with red candles lit up the room. The heavy metal music was louder now that we were inside. A large man with tattoos around his eyes guarded a second door. He had to be Tom the Bouncer.
“See, told you she was hot,” Nathan said to Tom. Nathan pulled me underneath his arm. He smelled like beef jerky and cigarettes. “Those are her brothers.”
Tom nodded and opened the door.
Blue strobe lights flickered in the loft ceiling. A circular bar with neon lights stood in the center of the room. Hundreds of people were dancing and drinking. And everyone was dressed like Nathan and his friends.
We were going to stick out like a sore thumb.
“Want a drink?” Nathan asked.
“Sure.”
“Be right back.” He melted into the crowd.
An arm wrapped around my waist and whisked me in the opposite direction. Peter kissed the top of my head. “I don’t like other guys touching you.”
“Nice work, Alex,” James said. “Let’s get a booth in the corner. We’re way too obvious dressed like this.”
I wasn’t sure how we were going to find Vanessa in a crowd of hundreds. On the bright side, I didn’t have to worry about bumping into Nathan. He was already talking to another girl.
Peter and I followed James to the back of the club. I passed a pretty Asian woman with a face full of makeup. She caught my attention because her eyes were red. Apparently, the spirits wanted to dance, too.
I ignored the possessed girl and followed the boys. The plush leather booths were tall enough to give us privacy.
“Did you see those people dressed like vampires?” Peter asked. “They even had fake fangs.”
“I didn’t know Vanessa hung out in places like this,” I said.
“She didn’t look Goth,” James said. “But this is New Orleans. Maybe these are the circles she runs in when she’s not playing doctor.”
“Do you see her anywhere?”
“Not yet,” Peter said.
A waitress with Smurf-blue hair came to our table. She had on a white vinyl bikini top, matching mini skirt and white go-go boots. “What can I get you?”
“Nothing,” I said.
She shook her head. “You have to order something to sit at a booth.”
“Two beers and something fruity for her,” Peter said. He glanced at James and smiled. “Or maybe two fruity drinks and a beer for me.”
“Two beers,” James said. “And a Hurricane for Alex.”
The girl wrote down our order and walked away.
Peter winked at me. “Let’s not get as wasted as we did at Sadie’s party.”
“Aren’t you funny,” I said.
“There she is,” James said.
“Where?”
“To the left.”
I leaned forward. Vanessa stood in front of a booth with a drink in her hand.
“This is a bad idea,” I said. “We should go. What are we going to accomplish? Besides getting caught?”
“Look at the people she’s talking to,” Peter said. “She definitely into Voodoo.”
Two men and a woman sat at Vanessa’s booth. It was a pretty broad generalization made by Peter, but I had to agree with him. These people weren’t Goth or wanna-be Goth like Nathan and his friends. They were the real deal.
The woman’s hair was shockingly red. It hung loose down to her waist. She had delicate features and looked extremely uncomfortable. She sat in between the two men. One was a skinny fellow with blonde hair. He had a rugged look about him - like he should’ve been in the wilderness instead of a Goth club. The other man was dark-skinned with piercings in his ears, nose and lip.
Vanessa glanced over her shoulder.
Peter pushed me flat against the booth. “She almost saw us.”
“Let’s go before she does,” I said.
“You’re right, this is pointless,” James said. “What were we expecting to see? A Voodoo ritual in the middle of the bar?”
“Fine,” Peter said. “But go that way.”
We scooted out of the booth and headed in the opposite direction. I grabbed the back of James’ shirt and Peter had me by the waist. We were getting weird looks. We were way too young and way too preppy to be in this club for the right reasons.
James veered right to avoid the thick crowd near the bar. There was more space to maneuver near the booths. I couldn’t hear anything except for the wail of an electric guitar. The room was stuffy and I wanted to get out. I glanced around for an exit, but she stepped right in front of James.
He stopped in his tracks. I bumped into him from behind. Peter almost knocked all of us down on top of her.
“Alex?” Vanessa’s dark green eyes opened wide in surprise. Her silver ‘R’ charm hung in plain view from her neck. “Peter? What on Earth are you doing here?”
Think fast. “Aunt Vanessa? What are you doing here?” I screamed over the music. Lame response, but that’s all I had.
She made a weird face and pointed to the nearby hallway.
Peter threw me a look, but we followed her anyways. What choice did we have? We were busted.
“What are you doing in New Orleans?” Vanessa asked, once we entered the quieter hallway.
; “Spring break,” I lied. I hoped my faced didn’t reveal how much I hated her. She was clubbing it up in some dirty underground bar while my dad was comatose in bed.
“I thought you had to study for the SATs.”
I shrugged.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Last minute trip,” Peter said. “We arrived today.”
“We were going to call you in the morning,” I said, feeding off Peter’s lie.
Vanessa pointed at James. “Who’s this?”
James opened his mouth, but I answered for him. “This is my friend James Nathan. James, this is my Aunt Vanessa.”
Peter squeezed my hand. He was annoyed that I’d remembered the guy’s name. But it was on the tip of my tongue and I didn’t want to reveal that James was a Van Curen. We always received a bad reaction when people found out he came from the line of prestigious witch hunters.
James stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Vanessa.”
Vanessa shook his hand. “Likewise, James. How did you manage to find this place?” She smiled. “I don’t think they advertise in tourist magazines.”
“We met some people at dinner. They mentioned it,” I said weakly.
“Fair enough,” Vanessa said. “Did you sneak in? Or do you have fake IDs?”
“Lex flirted with a guy to get us in,” Peter said sourly.
Vanessa laughed. “Just like a Ross.” She looked into the crowded bar. “Were you leaving?”
“Yeah.” I pointed at my clothes. “We don’t really fit in.”
Vanessa laughed again. “How long are you in New Orleans?”
“Until Sunday,” I lied. I had a one-way ticket. So did Peter and James. I wasn’t going home until my father was unspelled.
“Perfect. Then you have to come to my party tomorrow night.”
“Party?”
“Yes, I finished restoring the plantation house.” She tilted her head to the side. “It’s kind of a house warming party. You have to come. I’ll text you the address. It’s an hour and half away. Will you have trouble finding transportation? I could arrange for someone to pick you up.”
“Uh….” I couldn’t think fast enough.
“Perfect.” Vanessa hugged me and brushed the hair away from my face.
I tried not to cringe.
“See you tomorrow night, Alex. Bye boys.” Vanessa smiled and disappeared into the crowd.
CHAPTER 24
The hot Louisiana sun was out early. Well, eleven o’clock wasn’t early, but the sun was definitely hot. I tip-toed out to the balcony and looked down on the French Quarter. Throngs of people were already milling about. It was the second week of April and spring breakers were arriving for their week of debauchery.
Inside, James lightly snored on the couch. Peter, facing the opposite direction in the bed, had a pillow over his face. Peter and I slept in the bed last night - which we’ve done countless times before - but I didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for James. I’d mentioned it to Peter and he agreed to sleep with his head at the bottom of the bed. Of course, he wiggled my toes and tickled my feet for half an hour, but it worked out well in the end.
I didn’t sleep much last night anyways. The boys thought I was being paranoid about Vanessa. Maybe I was. Hopefully I was. But I had the feeling she could see through our lies.
“Hey.” James stepped out on the balcony.
“Good morning.”
He squinted in the sunlight. “I always wanted to move to south Florida. Now, I know I wouldn’t last one month in the heat.”
“Bring on the snowstorms, right?”
“Any day.” James sat in the patio chair beside me. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
“Do you still think Vanessa’s party is a bad idea?”
I nodded. “But it would be worse if we didn’t go. She would know something was up. She sent a text message last night with her address. I think it’s pretty far away.”
“It’s a plantation house?”
“Yeah, but the house was a dump when she bought it. She’s been restoring it for years.”
“A party isn’t the best place to address what happened, but it might be a way to break the ice. Maybe you can meet up tomorrow and talk with her.” James scratched his bed head. “We might be able to get some information tonight. We can see her friends and watch how she interacts.”
Peter stirred.
James glanced over his shoulder. “I hate to say it, but he’s not so bad.”
I smiled. “Not at all.”
“But he has a Hell of a temper when it comes to you.”
“That’s why I didn’t want him to come. Peter doesn’t think clearly if someone he loves is in danger. He just reacts. And after everything that happened at the Winter Ball….” I exhaled. “That’s why I tried to break up with him. I have to keep him safe. But he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And I’m too weak to walk away from him.”
“He is persistent,” James said.
“I can’t let anything happen to him.” I ran my hand over my face. “And you… you were supposed to stay in the safety of my house, where the spell could protect you. Heaven knows how many hunters are after you. You shouldn’t have come to New Orleans either.”
James patted my knee. “Alex, you can’t do it all by yourself.”
“Sure I can.”
“No, you can’t. You can’t protect Peter and me and Emma and Grandma Longfellow and Peter’s family and your friends. You can’t search for a cure to unspell Ethan and look for some lost object to take on Liam. And you can’t fight Vanessa and Liam and all the witch hunters in the world.” James smiled. “Not alone. We’re here to help you. We live with the decisions we make. Do you know how easy it could’ve been for Peter to walk away from you after what happened to Anne Marie?”
“Yes.”
“But he didn’t. Sure it was rocky for a few weeks, but of course it would be. But he fought for you. Do you know how easy it could’ve been for me to never speak to you again after what happened with my dad?”
“I do.”
“But I didn’t leave either.”
“I know.”
James shook his head. “Have you ever stopped to think about how we would feel if something happened to you? If Liam sacrificed you?”
“I guess I haven’t.”
“Alex, you’re not alone. We’re here to help you. And, if we have to, we’ll go down fighting. Because you would do the same for us,” James said.
Peter leaned against the doorframe. “If that isn’t a game day speech, then I don’t know what is.” He kissed the top of my head. “He’s right, Lex. Now quit moping around. Let’s get some food and rest up. We have a party to go to.”
* * *
It was an hour ride outside the city limits. Vanessa said she’d send a car, but I told her it wasn’t necessary. We had a chauffeur for the weekend, thanks to Grandma Longfellow, and I didn’t want to be stranded in the middle of the bayou without a ride back to civilization.
I smoothed the pale yellow sundress that I’d bought at Jana’s store. It was uncomfortable and I already regretted wearing it. The boys were in khakis and polo shirts and didn’t look the least bit nervous.
I had no idea where we were. It was rural - not as rural as Celeste’s cabin - but the homes were few and far between. We veered off a state road and onto a two lane street. There were no street lamps. No stores. No homes, really. Only trees and swamp water. After a few miles, we turned into a driveway.
Vanessa wasn’t kidding when she said she’d bought a plantation. The immense house stood three hundred yards from the road. Cyprus trees covered in Spanish moss lined the dirt driveway. The two-story house was white with large columns and black shutters. Blue and purples irises spouted in the front yard.
It was spectacular.
We drove down the long driveway. The setting sun cast the plantation in a beautiful shade of crimson. It looked magical. And that was exactly the moment I p
ulled myself back to reality.
I turned to James and Peter. “Are you wearing your charms?”
James nodded and Peter snapped his rubber band against his wrist.
“Would you like me to wait here?” The chauffeur reached for a pack of cigarettes on the passenger seat. He removed his hat, but left on his sunglasses. He seemed less spooked than he had at Celeste’s house, so I didn’t mind asking him.
“Can you? I don’t know how long we’ll be,” I said.
Peter, James and I climbed out of the backseat.
“No problem.” The man lit a cigarette.
“Alex! There you are! I was worried you wouldn’t be able to find it.” Vanessa descended the porch steps. “Hello Peter. And, James wasn’t it?”
The boys greeted my aunt.
Vanessa, wearing a black and white polka-dot summer dress, placed her hands on her hips. “What do you think?”
“It’s fantastic.” Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.
“It took awhile, but I think I’ve restored the house to its proper glory. Let’s walk around back. We can have tea before the guests arrive.”
“No one’s here yet?” I glanced at the cars parked in the driveway.
“They’re helping set up. Caterers. The cleaning service. I thought it would be nice to have you over early, so we could catch up before everyone else arrived.” Vanessa laid her hand on my back and steered me toward the backyard.
I gritted my teeth when she touched me.
The first and second story porch, along with the massive white columns, extended all the way around the house. The backyard was as spectacular as the front. A stone patio flowed from the back porch. Cast iron lawn chairs were evenly spaced for conversing. A fire pit and a stainless steel barbeque grill were off to the side. Lighted Tiki Torches encircled the patio and the manicured lawn sloped down to a pier overlooking an electric green swamp. Over the water, hundreds of fireflies blinked on and off and I couldn’t help but be reminded of my parents.
Vanessa ushered us to the patio furniture. “I’ll get some tea.” She disappeared into the house.
Peter stretched. “She’s either a brilliant actress or she’s clueless about why we’re here.”