Page 137 of How to Flirt with a Witch

She sinks to her knees, wheezing like she’s trying to breathe through a straw.

“Slow breaths,” I say. “Stay calm. Natalie, hurry!”

Her shouts rise from my dropped phone, but I can’t take my hands off Hazel. I tip her head back, trying to help her get more air.

“Oh my God—” I don’t know what to do. Would CPR work? The Heimlich maneuver as if she’s choking? An Epi-Pen to open her throat like in an allergic reaction? Wouldanythingthat isn’t magic help?

Hazel meets my gaze, her eyes wide and terrified. She spasms as she tries to get oxygen.

Pedestrians gather around, asking if they can help, asking what’s going on.

“Call 9-1-1!” a woman shouts.

“She’s choking!” cries another.

Hazel sinks further down, her lips turning blue. I hold her head, dizzy with panic. My knees hit the hard, cold concrete, the plush dog that did this to her squashed beneath my legs.

“No, no…” Denial spills from my mouth, my hands scrambling across her face and neck, searching for a way to save her. We need a doctor, a nurse, anyone.

A stab of pain shoots through my own chest. My eyes burn. This is my fault. She’s paying the price for my mistakes. I should’ve known the Madsens weren’t done with me.

Her eyes roll back.

“Hazel!” I shriek.

I bend to give her mouth-to-mouth. It’s the only thing I can think of. I pinch her nose and pull her jaw down, closing my lips over hers and blowing.

The air doesn’t go anywhere. It stops like it’s hit a wall, refusing to fill her lungs.

“Hazel!” My voice tears out of my throat, broken, sobs rattling my chest.

I can’t lose her. Not Hazel. My best friend, my other sister, my anchor. Since high school, she’s been the one person who’s stopped me from descending into loneliness. Before her, I was adrift with no sense of belonging—a ship without a rudder, floating aimlessly in a sea of awkwardness. Who will I be after her? Will I ever be the same without my bestie to balance out all my weaknesses, my shyness, my lack of purpose?

Her face turns deathly gray. She’s unconscious, not responding to my cries or movements.

Panicked shouts mingle together, the sky darkening as people swarm us to see what’s going on. But nobody can help. Nothing can be done. Their cries only make this more real.

I’m out of ideas. The world closes in around me, a hollow, rushing noise filling my ears. Everything spins.

Distantly, footsteps pound over the concrete. A strong hand grabs my shoulder, pulling me back.

The plush dog rips out from under me.

Which can only mean…

My heart misses a beat.Natalie?

I don’t take my eyes off Hazel. I can’t. Her blue lips, her gray face…

There’s ahiss. A spitting sound, like a rogue firework.

BOOM!

An explosion rattles the world, debris peppering my shoulder and head. Dust fills my mouth, making me cough.

Beneath my ringing ears, people scream. Footsteps scatter. Smoke billows, the tang stinging my nostrils.

Silence descends.