Sister Spelled

Mads

Wildwood was the same as the day she left it. At least that's the mantra that had kept Mads going through the last four years of her life, in and out of schools, and across the country again as they made their way back. Now as Aunt Evangeline pulled into a spot downtown she could see that she might have been a little childish in her expectation.

In reality, Wildwood had ... expanded. Blown up. Turned into a sprawling mass of alleys sandwiched between the ocean and the forest that had always inspired shivers to race along her spine. Summer had just started, and in Wildwood that meant kids prowling the streets in packs, posters advertising summer activities, and a glaring sun that would only peek out once in a while from behind thick, wooly clouds.

The same shops still lined the street: Laurel's Bath, The Power of Tea, Sweetie Pies. Now, though, others had been added. When Aunt Evie had announced that they would be moving home, although really they had had no choice, Mads had been excited. Home, finally. But something oily now rolled through the pit of her stomach as she stepped from the car.

Wildwood had grown up since she had been gone.

But what really could she expect? She had grown up too. Her hand didn't shake as she released the door, but there was still a mirror image of the last time she had been here. The day she had left. A scared thirteen-year-old with an Aunt she had never known existed and a burning in her palm.

"Madeline, be a dear and grab me a tea. I'm going to run over to Laurel's to say hi. It'll only take a minute." Aunt Evie crossed from her side of the car, jarring Mads from her thoughts, "I'll have the jasmine. Meet back here in twenty." She gave a brilliant flash of a grin as she pressed a card in her palm, pearly whites set against her red lipstick, before disappearing into in a flash of blond highlights and chanel no 5.

Mads gave a deep sigh before shoving the credit card down in her pocket. Not even five minutes in town and she was on her own. Her Aunt had never been a comforting type, but Mads couldn't help but feel a little abandoned. Although she didnt mind procrastinating a little. The longer she took to get settled in the more time she would have before she went to search for the girls. What if they had changed too?

The Power of Tea was directly ahead from where they had parked alongside the street. Mads crossed the sidewalk, scanning the faces around her for someone she might still recognize. Seeing none, she pushed through the door, bells tinkling over the door. At least the tea shop was still the same. The shop had always had a clean smell, like lemon and mint, and she took a deep breath as she approached the counter. Only a couple chairs were left, most taken by chattering teens. Against the odds, The Power of Tea had always been a hot spot for the younger crowd as well as the old. It could do with the fact that advice was given as a bonus to the delicious blends. There was no line and she glanced at the list of teas on the wall although she could still recite it from heart, and besides, she already knew what she wanted.

"What'll it be, hun?" The woman didn't look up from her work at first and Mads got the chance to study her, recognition shooting through her. Mrs. Thea looked the same, from her thin frame wrapped in a silk shaw no matter the weather to the way her hands ground the herbs with her mortar and pestle. Only the white shooting through her dark tight coils betrayed the fact that four years had passed. She looked up then, catching Mads eyes before she could mask that she had been staring. But her dark eyes only crinkled at the corners as she grinned, "Well, I'll be. I'd know those green eyes anywhere. Madeline Blackwood."

"Mrs. Thea." Mads returned her smile, "We just got back to town."

"I knew you'd find your way back one day. Here to stay I hope?"

"Yes." The word dropped from Mad's lips like a stone. This was real. She was home, "Um, Aunt Evie sent me over to get tea before we go to the house. She said she couldn't bear to move without a cup of her favorite-"