Suzan's is the twenty-fourth, and Deborah's is the twenty-eighth. Laurel's is, um ..."

"December first," Laurel said. "And Sean's is December third, and that's it."

"But that's . . ." Ca.s.sie's voice trailed off. She couldn't believe it. Nick was only a month older than Sean?

And all the witch kids were eight or nine months older than she was? "But you and Sean are juniors, like me," she said to Laurel. "And my birthday's July twenty-third."

"We just missed the cutoff date," Laurel said. "Everybody born after November thirtieth has to wait

another year for school. So we had to watch everybody else go off to kindergarten while we stayed home." She wiped away imaginary tears.

"But that's still . . ." Ca.s.sie couldn't express herself. "Don't you think that's pretty incredible? All of you guys being born within a month of each other?"

Suzan dimpled wickedly. "It was a very wet April that year. Our parents all stayed inside."

"It seems odd, I admit," Melanie said. "But the fact is that most of our parents got married the spring before. So it really isn't that surprising."

"But . . ." Ca.s.sie still thought it was surprising, although clearly all the members of the Club were so used to it they didn't wonder about it anymore. And why don't I fit in the pattern? she thought. I guess it's because I'm half outsider. She shrugged. Melanie was probably right; anyway, there was no point in worrying. She let the subject drop and they went back to planning Nick's party.

They finally decided to combine all the birthdays for that first week-Nick's, Adam's, and Melanie's-and hold the party on Sat.u.r.day, November seventh.

"And," Laurel said, when they explained their plan to the boys, "this one is going to be really different. Don't ask now-it's going to be unique."

"Uh, it's not some health-food kind of thing, is it?" Doug said, looking suspicious.

The girls looked at each other and stifled laughter. "Well-it is healthy-or at least some people think so," Melanie said. "You'll just have to come and see."

"But we'll freeze to death," Sean said, horrified.

"Not with this," Laurel laughed. She held up a thermos.

"Laurel." Adam was having a hard time not laughing himself. "I don't care how hot whatever you've got in there is-it's not going to keep us warm in that."

A silver moon, slightly more than half full, was shining down on an obsidian sea. It was the sea Adam was pointing to.

"It's not Ovaltine," Deborah told him impatiently. "It's something we mixed up."

The five boys were facing the girls, who were lined up behind Laurel. There was a bonfire going on the beach, but at this distance it did nothing to cut the icy wind.

"They're obviously not going to believe us," Faye said, and Diana added, "I guess we'll just have to show them."

Laurel pa.s.sed the thermos around. Ca.s.sie took a deep breath and then a gulp. The liquid was hot and medicinal-tasting-like one of Laurel's nastier herbal teas-but the instant she swallowed it, a tingling warmth swept over her. Suddenly she didn't need her bulky sweater. It was positively hot out here on the beach.

"To the sea, ye mystics," Melanie said. Ca.s.sie wasn't sure what it meant, but like the other girls, she was shedding suddenly unnecessary clothing. The boys were goggling.

"I want a birthday party like this," Sean said urgently, as Faye unzipped her red jacket. "Okay? Okay? I want-"

The guys were mildly disappointed when it turned out the girls had bathing suits on underneath.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Adam said, sniffing at the thermos and grinning at the bikini-cladgirls."Well . . ." Faye smiled. "You can always improvise.""Or," Diana put in, "you can look behind the big rock. There just might be a pile of swimming trunks there."

"Now this really is different," Laurel said happily to Ca.s.sie some time later, while they were both floatingin water up to their chins. "A midnight swimming party in November. This is witchy.""Be more witchy if we were all sky-clad," Chris commented, shaking his s.h.a.ggy blond head like a wet dog.

Ca.s.sie and Laurel looked at each other, then at Deborah, who was bobbing nearby.

"Good idea," Deborah said, nodding at the other girls. "How about you first, Chris?"

"Wait a minute-I didn't mean-hey, Doug-help!"

"Come on, girls," Laurel shouted. "Chris wants to go skinny-dipping, only he's a little shy."

"Help! Guys, help!"

It turned into a sort of combination of tag and aquatic wrestling. Everyone joined in. Ca.s.sie found herself

being chased by Nick and she fled, kicking up great splashes while he cut cleanly through the surf behind

her. He got close enough to grab her.

"Help!" Ca.s.sie shrieked, half laughing, so that she accidentally drank some salt water. But there was no help in sight. Laurel and Deborah were heading an a.s.sault on the Henderson brothers, and Adam and Diana were far away, their sleek heads bobbing side by side.

Nick tossed wet hair-blacker than onyx in the moonlight-out of his eyes and grinned at her. Ca.s.sie had

never seen him smile before. "Surrender," he suggested."Never," Ca.s.sie said, with as much dignity as she could muster while wavelets slapped her. Nick washandsome-but she didn't want him to get hold of her out here. He made another grab at her and Ca.s.sieshrieked for help again, and suddenly there was a heaving wave between them.

"Go on! Get out of here!" Faye said. Her eyes gleamed wickedly under long, wet lashes. "Or do we have

to make you? Ca.s.sie, grab him around the neck while I get his trunks!"Ca.s.sie had no idea how to grab a guy as strong as Nick around the neck, especially when she waslaughing so hard, but she surged forward. Faye dove like a dolphin, and Nick twisted and made a hastyretreat, swimming away as fast as he could.

Ca.s.sie looked at Faye and found Faye smiling sideways at her. Ca.s.sie grinned.

"Thanks," she said.

"Any time," Faye said. "You know I'm glad to do anything for my friends. And we are friends, aren't we,

Ca.s.sie?"

Ca.s.sie thought about that, treading water in the silver-glinting ocean. "I guess," she said, finally, slowly.

"That's good. Because, Ca.s.sie, there's a time coming up when I'm going to need all my friends. This Tuesday, when the moon is full, the Circle is going to have a meeting."

Ca.s.sie nodded, not getting it for a moment. Of course they were going to have a meeting. And another party; it was Faye's and Diana's birthday. They were both seventeen "The leadership vote!" Ca.s.sie said, taking an involuntary gulp of salt water again. She stared at Faye with a sudden terrible apprehension. "Faye . . ."

"That's right," Faye said. In the moonlight she looked like a mermaid, staying afloat effortlessly. Her glorious mane of hair hung soaking-wet down her back like twining seaweed. Her eyes held Ca.s.sie's. "I want to be leader of this coven, Ca.s.sie. I will be leader. And you're going to help me."

"No."

"Yes. Because this time I'm serious. I've been going easy on you, letting you have your way, not making you play by the rules. But that's over now, Ca.s.sie. This is the one thing I want more than anything else in the world, and you are going to help me. Otherwise . . ." Faye looked over her shoulder to where Adam and Diana were still bobbing, far away. Then she turned back.

"Otherwise, I'll do it," she said. "I'll tell Diana-and not just about that little cuddling session on the bluff. I'll tell her about the way you and Adam were kissing at the Homecoming dance-did you think n.o.body would see that?

And the real reason Adam went through four circles of protection to save you at Halloween. And"-she floated closer to Ca.s.sie, her hooded golden eyes as unblinking as the eyes of a falcon-"I'll tell her about the skull. How you stole it from her and gave it to me, so we could kill Jeffrey."

"That's not what happened! I'd never have let you have it if I'd known-"

"Are you sure, Ca.s.sie?" Faye smiled, a slow, conspiratorial smile. "I think, deep down, that you and I are just the same. We're . . . sisters under the skin. And if you don't vote for me on Tuesday, I'll let everyone know the truth about you. I'll tell them what you really are inside."

Evil, Ca.s.sie thought, staring out at the ocean. It reflected the moonlight back like a mirror, like a piece of hemat.i.te, and it surrounded her. She couldn't say a word.

"Think about it, Ca.s.sie," Faye said pleasantly. "You have until Tuesday night to decide." And then she swam away.

It was Tuesday night.

The full moon was directly overhead, the circle had been cast. The members of the Club sat around it. Diana, who was wearing all the symbols of the Queen of the Witches, had called on the four elements to protect them, but now she was silent. It was Melanie who was calling for the vote, from oldest to youngest.

"Nicholas," she said.

"I told you before," Nick said. "I won't vote. I'm here, because you two insisted"-he glanced from Faye to Diana-"but I abstain."

With a strange feeling of unreality, Ca.s.sie watched his handsome, cold face. Nick had abstained, why couldn't she? But she knew that would never satisfy Faye, unless Faye had already won. And Ca.s.sie was no closer to knowing which way to vote tonight than she had been three days ago. If only she had a little more time- But there was no time. Melanie was speaking again.

"Adam."

Adam's voice was firm and clear. "Diana."

From a pile of red and white stones in front of her, Melanie put forward one white. "And as for me, I

vote for Diana too," she said, and put out another white stone. "Faye?"

Faye smiled. "I vote for myself."

Melanie put out a red stone. "Diana."

"I vote for myself too," Diana said quietly.

A third white stone. Then Melanie said, "Douglas."

Doug grinned one of his wildest grins. "I'm voting for Faye, naturally."

"Christopher."

"Uh . . ." Chris looked confused. Despite Faye's frown and Doug's frantic coaching, he was squinting into

nothingness as if searching for a lost decision. Finally, he seemed to find it and he looked at Melanie.

"Okay; Diana."

Everyone in the circle stared at him. He glared back defiantly. Ca.s.sie's fingers clenched on the piece of hemat.i.te in her pocket.

"Chris, you feeb-" Doug began, but Melanie shut him up.

"No talking," she said, and put out a fourth white stone next to the two red. "Suzan."

"Faye."

Three red, four white. "Deborah."

"Who do you think?" Deborah snapped. "Faye."