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She turned over the first card La Luna, the nificator

"Wait" I held out ain"

Mom waited while I shuffled and reshuffled, cut and recut the deck Once again, she turned over the first card, indicating the crux of the ht"

Mom returned La Luna and El Diablito to the deck and set it aside "Did so happen with Cody, honey?"

"I don’t want to talk about it" I laid ainst the For-tiAnd it’s s scraped as she got up and came around the table to stroke my hair "It didn’t sound like it from what I heard"

"Well, if Jojo hadn’t--" I lifted my head "Wait a minute What did you hear?"

"Sandra said that the covenSinclair Palmer," she said

I stared at her "You knew Mrs Sweddon was in the coven?"

"It wasn’t etic "But it’s all right to talk about it now that you know"

"Well, there’s not a lot to say" I shrugged "Whatever mistakes were made, the responsibility is mine"

Mom went to the sink to fill the teakettle "I understand the coven is thinking of trying a su spell to capture thisduppy, is it?"

"Uh-huh Sounds like you knowto inform me"

"Of course" Mom set the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner "We were just talking Sandra’s been after ave ift"

"Why didn’t you?" I asked her

Her s for one lifetime, honey," she said quietly "I’ I knew the details ofin Pee roommates when it happened They’d awakened in the ht and witnessed the, u Moe fro was on the table for discussion, including the difficulty of raising a half-dele mother and her decision to move permanently to Pemkohere at least there was a co she never talked about was theactitself And God knows, I never asked Iparents discuss with their children under the best of circuer at h that cans of fruit on a shelf in the tiny kitchen jumped and rattled

"Daisy!" Moer under control "Sorry, sorry It’s just" I asked the question I never thought I would "Was it awful?"

My h I’d struck her, then aze with her clear blue eyes "No," she said si Not until I awoke totoup froainst hers She hugged me back hard We stood that way until the teakettle shrilled,away, Mos of tea, letting it steep until it was good and strong before adding sugar and lots of milk "Sweetheart, you know I love you, and I’s "Don’t be so hard on yourself That coven’s got years of experience on you, and they didn’t know any better"

"I did" I blew on my tea "I didn’t trust myself"

"Next time will be different," she said in a firm tone "You’ll find a way to fix this, Daisy baby I have faith in you"

Apparently, that was exactly what I needed to hear I smiled at her "Thanks"

"Anytilance at the bandanna knotted around my throat "Do you want to talk about Cody Fairfax now?"

So much for jaunty Jaunty was no match for mom-radar and the lotería cards "No"

"Are you okay?"