The Witches on BellaRow Street

11. This Is Going Too Far

Disrupt the cycle.
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"The suspense, Yanni..." Junie slurps the remaining remnants of her green juice smoothie, Aunt BeeBee made with dark leafy greens, bananas, mangoes, and one secret ingredient. "Come on, sis. What's up?"

What's up? I'm about to turn our whole world upside down with the flick of my wrist. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe my sisters will write it off as circumstantial evidence. A non-factor. A joke. Except, it's not a joke.

I look over their faces, each one carrying a different expression.

Aunt BeeBee's curious.

Junie's impatient.

And Faylayee's confused.

My breathing flutters off rhythm as I reach inside my coat pocket and pull out the note. Thee note. It's so quiet in here that you can hear a pin drop at our neighbor's house next door. 

The paper left on my window is a little crumbled but readable. I unfold it slowly and trace my hand over it. Its thick cream-colored edges match our kitchen walls and the other note. The black printed letters are equivalent to the black ceramic pots holding a variety of exotic plants scattered throughout our home.

One by one, they gasp, taking everything in as I hand off the note to Junie. I don't know why I gave it to her first. Maybe deep down I needed Junie to believe it's real, to know someone is stalking us, watching us.

Junie looks at both notes for a total of six seconds, comparing, analyzing, then rolls her eyes back at me. At first, she glares at me, contemplating if she should say what she's thinking, but I know that look, it's the 'don't lie because I don't have time for this shit' face. When her jaw clenches, I prepare myself for our verbal battle.

Junie finally waits to exhale. "Is this a joke?" 

I squint my eyes, feeling the pressure again. "Jun, why would I joke about this?" 

"I don't know, you tell me." Junie's words carry an extra layer of shade. "You're the with the most secrets within the last twenty-four hours. Who then runs off to her boyfriend after everything that has happened. Who does that?"

My mind sizzles at her comment. It's the fire in her, stirring up the flame. She's the truth slayer. And once again, Junie remains undefeated in a time of crisis. Damn, what can I say to counteract her shade? Oh, I know. 

"Not me," I say through gritted teeth, knowing she has a point.

Junie huffs, quirking a brow.

The last time Junie and I disagreed, it was five years ago over a batch of homemade cookies. Cookies! We had a bake-off, and she swears to this day that I cheated. The truth is I sorta cheated. I had help from Aunt BeeBee, which isn't 100% cheating.  Anyway, when Faylayee found out, she damn near flipped out, so we cast a secrecy spell, binding our sister from telling the truth about the cookies. Petty, I know.  

But for the most part, Junie and I got along. I think it's the dead body in the alley that has us on high alert. We're so close to the edge that Junie continues to glare at me while she hands off the note to Aunt BeeBee.

Aunt BeeBee gasps, taking a seat. The weight of the note is too heavy on her spirit. She's combining them, reading the riddle as if her life depended on it. 

Meanwhile, Faylayee glances between Junie and I. "Oh my God! W-What is it?!" She brushes her hands over her hair. "It's Zion, right?"

"Huh?" I mumble, snapping me out of my stare down with Junie and unsure if I heard her correctly.