Time Spell by T.A. Foster Page B

say?”
    “Them.” He pointed to the letter on the table. “He wanted to make sure we got the package and we agreed to the terms.”
    “Terms? What terms? We have to do what they’ve told us or else they’re going after our families and us. Did you recognize his voice? Was he old or young or did he have any identifiable traits in his voice?” I searched for any tiny morsel of information to lead us to the identity of our tormentors.
    “No, I don’t know who in the hell he is, or who they are. I didn’t recognize anything in the voice.”
    The phone call had interrupted Jack’s concentration on the illumination orb, but I sensed he didn’t want to ignore it. It wouldn’t be that easy. “Ivy, how, how could you make that light? I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”
    “I tried to explain it. It’s magic. It’s one of the many talents I have.” I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I couldn’t read Jack. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling about the orb or me.
    He left his post in the doorway and walked toward me. I stiffened as he put a hand on each of my arms. He gave me a slight squeeze.
    “I get it now. I’m starting to understand. We can’t take this to the police. We can’t tell anyone else, but I think you know more than what you’re telling me. There is more to this, and I know you have to have more answers. I will do anything to keep them from getting to my sister.” He sighed. “Emily, her name is Emily. She doesn’t deserve this. I have to protect her from these people. Help me, Ivy. Help me keep her safe. Can you do that?”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a silver frame positioned on the edge of one of Jack’s bookcases. A picture of a young girl with flowing hair, a wide headband, and the contagious smile of a sixteen-year-old beamed at me from the end of the room. Jack had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He was proudly donning a graduation cap. It struck me in that moment I didn’t really know anything about Jack’s family or his life outside of work. I certainly didn’t know he had a younger sister. The picture of the happy siblings captured in that milestone moment at Jack’s college graduation made me think about Ian and how close we are. We had been together for all of those life moments too. Now, Ian was in danger just like Jack’s sister. The only difference was that Ian had magic on his side. Emily was vulnerable, and her life was in danger because of me.
    “Can we do this together? Can you help me keep them away from her?” he asked.
    The feelings he had for his sister outweighed anything he thought or felt about the revelation I had shared with him. He didn’t care if I was a witch or a waitress. He wanted to protect Emily.
    I looked into his chestnut brown eyes and reassured him with a smile. “Yes, Jack. We can do this.”
    The hollow pit receded. I felt like, for the first time all night, I could breathe. Suddenly, the danger I was in didn’t seem so threatening. He needed me. Jack needed me. Not the regular girl who wrote words for him, but the real me, Ivy the witch.

I RUMMAGED through the piles scattered on top of Jack’s desk. His workspace was tucked in the corner of his study. I needed paper and a pen. A legal pad with several pages of notes was buried under a stack of letters, and I rolled back the pages, grabbed a pen, and pushed them into Jack’s hands.
    “Ok, just like at work, you take the notes, I’ll think through the story,” I directed.
    He sat in the leather chair and started making charts on the yellow-lined paper. I stood in front of the fire, forcing my brain to think harder, think through all of the details of that 1968 trip to Las Vegas.
    “Maybe you should retrace the steps of Vegas Star . What else did you see that you didn’t write? Is it possible someone did see you? Maybe you misunderstood what was going on with Helen and Simone. How do you know for sure you’re invisible when you travel? What if