Fading Magic (Book 5 of the Ink Series)

Porch light

After a much needed home cooked meal by my mother we retire to the old family room. Even Gary, he's there hanging out and I don't mind. Maybe I am beyond it, or maybe I am trying to see past her mistake and enjoy what time I am spending with her.

Slade does his best to get to know Gary while my mom and I go through old photo albums laughing about old times.

And it feels good.

"Do you remember this one?" she asks, pointing to one photo in particular. "You were mad because you didn't get a pony for Christmas. So your dad took you out to a farm and you screamed and cried because you were so afraid of the horses."

I laugh, glad she can bring up my dad without an eye roll or snide comment. Nona was forever insulting my mother and I am starting to wonder if maybe she was wrong for doing it.

"Let me see this," Slade says, my mom hands over the album and he looks for a couple of seconds and then looks up at me and smiles.

"What?" I say. "Come on, say what you're thinking."

Slade shakes his head. "Nope."

I roll my eyes and dive back into memories.

Gary turns on the television and settles into his recliner. "Time for some news."

My mom sighs. "Gary has a thing for the news. He never misses it."

I shake my head studying the photographs.

"I told him half the time the stories are made up and stretched but he still enjoys the drama."

Slade smirks. "I'd rather stay away from all drama."

Gary grips the remote and shakes his head. "This is my way of steering clear. I like to watch it from afar."

Slade nods, but I'm pretty sure he thinks Gary is a cheeseball now.

My mom closes the photo album and puts it on the table. "So Slade, Hope tells me you had a band back home, and that you are a really good singer."

Slade looks at me before speaking. "Yeah, we weren't anything big."

I shake my head. "Stop being modest. Mom, the evil kings of Ink had a crazy following."

Slade's eyes darken. I guess he doesn't want to talk about it.

"Wow, what a name." My mom sits forward ready to hear more. "And I love the tattoos. You are such the rocker."

Slade forces a small smile and focuses his eyes back onto the television. I shrug, smoothing my hair and looking around the room. I can't help but feel a little awkward now. My mom doesn't know anything about life in Cherry, I unplugged when I was away and my dad did a horrible job on updating her.

"How does it feel to have Elliot and Easton home?" I look at her.

"It feels good." She squeezes my arm and stands up taking the photo albums off the table. "I'm going to put these away."

I watch her leave and give a sigh of relief. I'm not the only one who doesn't want to talk about what brought us to Cherry.

Gary sits forward in his seat. "That's where you were living wasn't it, Hope?

I search the screen for what the hell he is talking about. Plastered all over the screen is Pastor Dillinger's face. And in big bold letters is the word suspicious murder.

I swallow down my shock and glance over at Slade. "Yeah that's where we lived."

"You were there around that time? What the hell happened?" Harvey is glued to my every move. I'm pretty sure if he moves a little closer he can see my heart about to beat out of my chest.

The news reporters continue tossing around witchcraft and murder, and when Slade's band is brought up when my mom comes back into the room it's the cherry on top.

Everything is quiet now. I bite down on my lip waiting for her to say something. Instead Gary opens his mouth. "You know back when I was younger we used to buy into all that shit. Ouija boards, séances you name it we did it."

My heart slows down a bit when I realize Gary is an idiot.

"Yeah, back in the seventies and eighties it was the hip thing to do." My mom shakes her head. "Conjuring the dead, anything dark and mysterious."

I rub the back of my neck.

"So give us the scoop," Gary says, rubbing his hands together. He laughs off the seriousness of it and acts like a fan rather than a rational human.

"Not much to tell we were heading here when all that took place," Slade answers. "The church was a bunch of bible toting hypocrites. That's all I know about it."

They look at me now. As nervous and scared as I am I still force the words out of my mouth. "Slade's right. The whole town was a bunch of judgmental snobs. I have no idea what it is all about."

And everything goes back to normal. Gary shifts his gaze from me back to the television. The world has moved on to another story and for now everything is forgotten.

***

I push open the door and step out on the porch. Slade is sitting on the porch swing again. It seems to be his favorite place. I sit down next to him and sigh. "That was close."

"It feels good to be away from there," he says ignoring what I said to him. "This place is simpler."

Simpler maybe, but Georgia was also full of people waiting to get ahold of a good bit of gossip just like the rest of the world. And in this small town some people thrived on nothing more than the thought of something wild and new.

I look up and catch the flickering light on Karsen's porch. When we were younger and wanted to get a hold of each other that's what we did. She appears in her doorway.

"Just like old times," she yells. "What are you doing tonight?"

I look at Slade. "She's not doing anything." He sits back a pleased look on his face, it's been awhile since he got to yell at something.

"Good. That means you can come to the party at the old barn." She throws her hands up and does a little dance.

I chew at my lip. I haven't stepped foot in the old barn since my junior year of high school. The barn is where all the kids go to hang out, drink and listen to music.

"We don't have to go," I say.

Slade shakes his head. "Go have fun. Kidd and I need to look for some gigs. If we plan on staying here for a while we need to make some money." He pulls me against him and hugs me. "For once you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy it."

I nod, though I'm not sure how enjoyable it will be.