"What about Evan? He seems like a nice guy," he said.

"He is."

"Do you think we'll see him again?"

"No," she said quietly. "He's a busy guy. Works. Studies. Unlike me, he has a life."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," he said.

Sasha didn't answer. She didn't have a response. She lost the only boy she didn't even have. She needed to think about something else or she was going to start crying.

"Dad, do know anything about my pendant?"

The commercial break ended and the game resumed. "Just a minute," he said as players slammed into each other on the ice. Her father set his mug of tea on the table and turned to her during the next commercial break.

"Ok what were you asking?"

Sasha dug her necklace from underneath her dress and dangled the gla.s.s pendant for her father to see. Her father squinted and then motioned for her to get closer.

"I can't see," he said trying to find his gla.s.ses on the coffee table. He put them on his nose and motioned to her. "Take it off so I can get a better look."

Sasha removed her necklace and handed it to her dad. He held it in his hand and turned it over. He inspected it from different angles and hung it up to the light.

Sasha felt tightness in her throat as if it were closing and shutting off her air supply. She tried to take a deep breath but air wouldn't go down her narrowed throat pa.s.sage. She could feel her face flush with exertion. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her frantic nerves. What was happening?

Sasha felt light-headed from lack of oxygen when her father handed the pendant back. She quickly put it around her neck, her fingers fumbled with the clasp. Once it was secure around her neck she felt a slight easing of the tightness in her throat. She slumped into the cushions as air slowly seeped into her lungs.

"I've never seen it before," he said. "Where did you get it?"

Sasha took a moment to respond to catch her breath. She didn't want her dad to know how physically distressed she'd become. He'd start asking real questions she couldn't answer.

"Mom gave it to me a couple of years ago," she coughed. "I just wanted to know if it was an heirloom or something."

"I'm sorry honey. I've never seen it before. If your mother gave it to you I'm sure it was important to her."

Sasha nodded in agreement. That was confirmation for her. Dad knew nothing about the pendant or the blue sparks. She wasn't going to get answers from him. It also told her that her mother was keeping secrets from her father.

Sasha put her tea on the table. "Thanks Dad. I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

She leaned over her father and gave him a kiss. He gave her a quick hug and she left the room.

Sasha carefully took off her dress and hung it on a hanger. The night hadn't worked out like she thought but that didn't mean the dress wasn't worth keeping. Maybe she'd have another occasion to wear it, if anyone took an interest in her again.

Sasha dug the card Evan brought with him to dinner out of her purse. She smoothed the winkles from the paper and debated whether to open the envelope. Curiosity won out and she tore open the paper to reveal an image of Minnie Mouse on the front with the message, Birthday girl, when it comes to being smart, talented, fun and easy to love, and then Sasha flipped the card open where it said, you're at the top of the cla.s.s. There was a b.u.t.ton inside that said, smart = cool. There was also a short handwritten message.

I hope you had a great birthday. Sorry for the little kid card but they had nothing worthy of you in the adult section. See you for a hot chocolate. Evan.

Sasha didn't know what to think of the card except that it was impersonal and somewhat childish. If he hadn't just broken up with her, she might think Evan was goofy, but now it just seemed like he couldn't bother to find her a decent card.

With sadness in her heart, Sasha pulled on her pajamas and crawled under the covers. She tried to block out the image of Evan breaking her heart. The sympathetic tone of his voice when he rejected her echoed in her head.

I like you. I do. I just don't have s.p.a.ce in my life for a relationship.

It was over and there was nothing she could do to change it. Evan had made it clear that he didn't have time for her. She understood. Really she did.

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. This was the worst birthday ever.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

Sasha asked Jenna to give her a ride to school the day after her birthday. She was too depressed to ride her bike. She didn't want time alone to brood over her mistakes and losses.

"It was great meeting Evan," Jenna said. "Where is it where he works?"

Sasha stared out the window at the pa.s.sing landscape. Jenna was winding her way out of the neighborhood.

"He works at the Second Cup," she mumbled.

"Is that on South Lamar?"

"South Congress," Sasha said wanting to change the topic. "What are you doing this weekend? Wanna do a movie?"

Jenna waved her hand at Sasha. "I get it; you want to keep him all to yourself."

Sasha sighed. It was going to come out eventually.

"It's not that," Sasha said. "It's not what you think."

"You're seeing him right?"

"Not really," she said. "I mean no. We aren't together."

"Really? I thought," Jenna stopped. "When you told me about him I thought you wanted more."

"I do," she said despondently. "I mean I did. It's complicated."

"Why are you being such a t.u.r.d?" Jenna said annoyed. "Evan is hot and smart. What's not to like?"

Sasha sat up straight. "It's not like that. He doesn't like me Jenna."

"I saw how he looked at you," Jenna said turning into the school parking lot. "I thought he liked you."

Sasha cleared her throat. "Jenna," she said slinging her bag over her shoulder. "He told me he didn't want a relationship. He said he didn't have time."

"Oh," Jenna said getting out to the car and putting her drink on the roof. She gathered up her books, locked the car door and picked up her can of c.o.ke. "Sorry. I definitely thought there was something there."

Sasha walked alongside Jenna toward the school entrance.

"Me too," she said wiping away a tear.

Sasha moped around the house debating internally about whether she should tell her mother about the most recent attack.

Everything seemed calm and safe. She hadn't seen Nefar in days nor any of his henchmen. Maybe they were waiting for another opening or had given up.

Sasha tried not to think about her birthday dinner. It ended with such heartache she wasn't sure she could ever think about it without being sad.

She didn't know what to think about Cady's flirting with Evan but it didn't matter anymore because Evan didn't want her. She couldn't blame Cady. She didn't know Sasha liked him. She never told her about him.

Sasha stood outside a set of curtained gla.s.s French doors. She wasn't allowed in her mom's home office where her business a.s.sociates gathered. They were at the house a lot, sometimes excessively. She didn't know how her dad put up with it. Strangely, he didn't seem to notice them. She never saw him exchange words with anyone except Dominic.

Her mother's friends were a variety of ages. Her mother was for sure younger than Dominic. He was like 100 years old, or looked it. Her mother acted like he was Sasha's subst.i.tute grandfather because she didn't have one. Sasha always thought grandparents were supposed to love grandchildren unconditionally. That wasn't Dominic. He was this highly critical, second guessing force of aging nature. She could never get out of a room without him making some kind of caustic remark.

Like the time she forgot to pick up business cards her mother asked Sasha to get after school. She had a track meet and by the time she arrived at the shop, it was closed. Dominic was in the office with her mother when she got home. She explained why she wasn't able to run the errand. Dominic cut in with a snarky remark before her mother could react.

"When your mother asks for a favor there are no excuses," he said in his nasally voice. "You drop everything for her. Think of her like she's your queen and you are her humble servant."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. He was so ridiculous, pompous really. He was dressed in a tweed jacket with an ascot knotted at his throat. His back was so ramrod straight, she was convinced he had a stick up his b.u.t.t.

Willow Bean told Dominic he didn't understand teenagers and was being too harsh. That was the extent of her admonishment. Sasha couldn't see Dominic married with children. He couldn't stand mess. If the kitchen had dishes in the sink, he demanded to sit in another room as if a kitchen mess were a contagious disease.

Sasha couldn't stand the guy but her mother insisted on inviting him to every family event as if he were her real grandfather. His white skin had a million wrinkles; so many in fact that it was hard to tell if he added any over the years. She felt as if he had always been an old geezer since she'd known him.

It was Dominic she ran into while searching for mother. He was in the front office leafing through a newspaper, while Gigi used a laptop. Gigi was the youngest of the quartet. She didn't know anyone's ages but Evie and her mother seemed about the same age, while Gigi appeared 10 years younger and Dominic looked ancient.

They were a strange group of real estate professionals her mother has known forever. She wasn't sure how Dominic, being decades older than everyone else, fit in and didn't ask. Gigi was her mother's a.s.sistant. Whenever Sasha asked her mother how old Gigi was, she told her she was closer to Dominic's age than hers. That didn't make sense. She was of tiny stature, well under five feet tall with smooth skin, golden blond hair and big warm brown eyes. She was Sasha's favorite of her mother's friends. She always seemed happy to see Sasha, asking about school work and running.

If she wasn't going to tell her mother about Nefar, she wanted to at least get information from her. If her mother wouldn't spill her secrets, maybe at least Sasha would get answers to some pressing questions.

"Hey," she said to Gigi, ignoring Dominic. "Where's my mother?"

Before Gigi could answer, Dominic made a production of folding his newspaper and gave Sasha a sharp, piercing expression.

"Can I help you with something?"

She tried to give him her best withering smile. "Are you my mother?" She said.

Dominic's face froze. He didn't like her combative tone, she could tell. He was of the generation where children were not seen or heard. He hated it when she showed att.i.tude.

"Really, Sasha," he said in a bored tone. "I hardly think-."

He broke off as her mother rushed into the room.

"You won't believe who I saw-," she stopped when she saw Sasha. "Honey, what are you doing here?"

Sasha swiveled and faced her mother. It was obvious her presence interrupted whatever her mother was going to say. She never had an easy time talking to her mother. It had always been hard even though her friends loved Willow Bean. When Cady spoke to her mother, there was deference in her voice. She seemed in awe or star-struck. It was like her mother was a rock star and Cady was the groupie. Sasha didn't get it. Willow Bean was just her mother. She was always running around to client's homes or on the phone making deals. Sasha didn't see the appeal.

When she'd asked Cady about her fascination, she told Sasha she wouldn't understand.

"She's my mother," Sasha said losing her patience. "What isn't there to understand? Why do you think she's so great?"

Cady paused thinking. "She's Willow Bean. Your mother is very cool Sasha, trust me."

That wasn't an answer.

Jenna's interest seemed more basic. She couldn't get enough of her mother's stories about her strange clients. There was the woman who required a house with four bathrooms even though she lived alone, and the man who restored his authentic historical home down to removing the plumbing and electricity and building an outhouse in the backyard. She dropped his listing when he refused to get modern plumbing.

"I need to talk to you mom," Sasha said suddenly uncertain. Willow Bean paused before responding, her mouth parted slightly. She seemed uncomfortable with Sasha in the room. Sasha's mother crossed the room and took her phone out of her purse. She fiddled with it. Sasha a.s.sumed she was trying to find a reason not to talk to her.

"How about before dinner?" Willow Bean said after consulting her calendar. "I have to talk to Dominic. It's urgent. I'll come by your room, ok?"

Disappointed that she was ranked below Dominic in her mother's scheduling, she slinked to the door without responding. She knew when she wasn't wanted. She closed the door behind her softly.

She was about to walk down the hall and reconsidered. The gla.s.s doors were paper thin. It wouldn't hurt to listen for a while.

Her mother seemed breathless as she spoke. Sasha crouched onto her knees to hear better.

"I'm pretty sure it was Nefar," Willow Bean said.

"That's impossible," Dominic said. "I have put up charms. Vania shouldn't be able to find us."

"I didn't say he saw me," Willow Bean said. "I saw him."

There was a grinding noise that blocked some of the discussion.

"The question isn't whether he can see us it's is it possible?" Gigi said, sounding irritated.

There was silence for a few seconds. Now Dominic sounded less irritated.

"I've used every ounce of knowledge I have to keep us safe," he said carefully, "But I guess nothing is 100 per cent."

"We need to find a place to hide Sasha," Willow Bean said. Fear struck in Sasha's heart as she listened to the fear in her mother's voice. She felt goose b.u.mps on her skin.

"We can't risk him finding her," Willow Bean said. "He's not here for any of us."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Dominic sounding dismissive. "How are you going to explain it?"

Sasha heard her mother moan. "I don't know," she said sounding like she was crying. "She knows there is a threat out there. I told her I'd handle it."

"And we will," Dominic said in a rea.s.suring voice. "Magic can't hurt her. You know that."

"We'll think of something," Gigi said. "Don't panic. We can't afford to panic."