Page 68

Corey

THEIR CIRCLE ENCOMPASSES ALMOST THE ENTIRE FOOTBALL FIELD, including all the people in it. According to Milton, this part is important—the energy of the crowd will help Penny find her way back across the Veil.

But Corey senses the panic in the crowd before he sees it. One second the weather is normal, and the next a menacing storm has rolled in. Mr. Riley’s voice is barely audible over the PA system:

“Everyone, today’s game is canceled! Please exit the field in an orderly fashion!”

In a rush, people start to leave the circle. Every time they pass through it, Corey stumbles as if he’s being shoved. It’s only been a minute, but if they wait much longer, there won’t be enough people in the field. And Penny could get lost.

No. He can’t think like that.

“Corey!”

Julian is jogging over to him. Corey’s head is too foggy from the magic to do anything but stand his ground. He’s being pulled in every direction at once, and one wrong move will disconnect him from the others.

Julian slows to a stop in front of him. Wind whips his hair around his face, and he pushes dark strands out of his eyes with both hands. “Everyone is going inside the school to wait out the storm. There could be a tornado…” He trails off when he notices Corey’s lips moving, his words too quiet to hear. “What are you doing?”

All Corey can do is shake his head. Something clicks behind Julian’s eyes.

Julian looks behind him, toward the bleachers. Alonso, Milton, and Penny are easy to find; they’re spots of stillness in chaos. Penny’s head is down, but Alonso stares out over the field, checking to see that everyone is in place. When his eyes find Corey and Julian, he does a double take.

Julian turns back to Corey, fury written across his face.

“Grandpa won’t forgive you this time,” he says.

At first Corey thinks Julian might hit him, but his cousin turns around, heading straight for the bleachers. Toward Penny and the others.

Before Corey has time to think of a contingency plan, Julian jerks to a halt. Aunt Helen has stepped in front of him.

“Julian,” Aunt Helen says, her voice stronger than it’s been in weeks. “You stay right there.”

“M-Mom?” Julian sputters, but Aunt Helen ignores him. Instead, she locks eyes with Corey and nods.

Corey grits his teeth as he speaks the spell, over and over. Finally , he thinks. Finally, someone in his family is standing with him. The isolation of this past summer had settled into his bones, and he’d grown numb to it. But this was what he’d wanted: the acknowledgment that he was right to try to break this curse. To save Mrs. Emberly’s life.

Julian spits some words Corey can’t hear, and he tries to move around his mom. But Aunt Helen is faster. She steps in front of him, blocking his path, and Julian stumbles back.

And then the sky breaks open.