Page 61 of Magical Melee

I cleared my throat, suddenly wishing I had something to drink.

She spun around and eyed me. “And you.”

“I thought it was because I was dehydrated or stressed,” I said flatly. “That was kind of the consensus.”

“We very well couldn’t tell you the truth with Skye right there.” She sat down across from me and smiled. “Stonewick’s energy is changing. We can all feel it, and it’s because of you, Maeve. If I knew all the answers, I’d tell you. I would. But we have to let the questions unveil themselves before the answers can even surface.”

“And my dad? Why were we here?”

“Your dad wanted to help our town. It’s in your family’s blood to help Stonewick, but he wasn’t chosen for that purpose.”

“Chosen?”

“He tried so valiantly, and we all believed he was the one who could…” She stopped herself. “Your dad believed in this town like we do, and I can tell that you feel it too.”

She was right. The only two things I knew in this life was that I was meant to be Celeste’s mom, and I was meant to be in Stonewick.

“Great things will come, Maeve.” She nodded knowingly. “Your dad saw it. He knew how important things were, and he sacrificed something that nearly killed him.”

“Nearly killed him?”

She nodded but wouldn’t continue.

“What? Is he alive?” I shook my head, feeling nausea settle. “He was killed in an accident.”

“That is what you were led to believe, but his spirit is still very much here in Stonewick.”

“His spirit,” I whispered, shaking my head.

For a split-second, I’d let myself believe he hadn’t died.

And now, the weight of her words settled over me like a heavy blanket. There were so many imaginary things happening around me that I wanted to be fooled into believing my dad was alive.

Spirit.

It was a thoughtful way of saying he was still dead.

But to find out it was no ordinary accident that took his life…

I wanted to be angry, to demand why no one had told me sooner. But more than that, I wanted to understand. “Why now? Why am I just learning about this world now?”

“Because you’re ready,” Nova said simply. “The town has waited for you to return, and now you’re here when the time is right. The pieces are falling into place and, thankfully, just in time.”

“And the goblin? Twobble? Do I trust him?”

“He’s not here or there to protectyou. He exists to protect the cottage. Don’t forget that.” Nova’s smile returned, this time with a hint of amusement. “Twobble has a knack for appearing at the right time. He’s a loyal ally. Though, his manners leave something to be desired. But when you told me he appeared tonight and didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?”

“Try to kill you, I knew the time had come.”

I laughed nervously. “Is that a thing?”

A wicked smile spread across her beautiful lips. “It can be.”

I tried to play it chill. Celeste always told me I needed to do that, but it didn’t come naturally.

My neighbor was a killer, but he liked me… so I was safe.