Kimberly sat cross-legged on the floor and emptied the book bag contents and arranged the six black tourmaline and white selenite crystals in a small circle.
She took three deep breaths to center herself and lit a sage bundle, waving it across the stones and then herself, chanting six times: “Cleanse my energy, cleanse my space, evil here has no place.”
Satisfied she and her new stones were cleansed, Kimberly placed them in every corner of her room: behind her night table, dresser, lounge chair, above the door, and the far corner of the closet where she didn’t think her nosy little sister would find and steal them. She even placed one on the windowsill, Jimmy’s favorite perch.
Her grandmother swore this spell deflected negative energy and psychic vampires. And Kimberly trusted her because the love spell had worked, a little too well.
Even after the drunk driver took his life, the night after they buried him, Jimmy appeared. She’d been crying so hard, hugging his football jersey. She thought she was hallucinating from grief when he called her name from her bedroom window.
But then, he climbed through and touched her. She wasn’t afraid, she’d seen supernatural things all her life and was just relieved to see him. But he was different now.
“You promised to love me forever,” he’d said last night while holding her throat in both his hands. She didn’t go back to sleep after he left. Instead, she called her grandmother in Nigeria for a way to break the spell. Then she skipped last period and drove two hours to the new age shop to get what she needed.
***
Kimberly moved flour-coated chicken to the frying oil and danced to her hip-hop Pandora station, confident Jimmy wouldn’t bother her anymore. She’d miss him but she wasn’t sure what he was, and in reality she couldn’t take him to prom. Everyone knew he was dead. Their relationship wasn’t going anywhere. But Roy was very much alive, willing and able to be her new boyfriend. She didn’t even have to cast a spell on him. He actually genuinely wanted to be with her.
Kimberly’s joy was interrupted by the unnatural silence. “Brit? What are you doing?” Hearing no response, she turned off the stove to search for her sister. She climbed the stairs to find Brit spinning in a circle in the hallway.
“What are you doing up here?”
Brit stopped turning and stood still, putting her hands behind her back and looked at her feet. “Nothing.”
“What’cha got back there?” Kimberly reached behind Brit and froze when she found her white selenite sphere in her sister’s hand.
“Where did you get this?”
“I found it. Jimmy said it was a scavenger hunt and I could have them.”
“Where did you see Jimmy?”
Brit pointed toward Kimberly’s bedroom. “He was outside the window.”
Kimberly ran inside her room and checked every corner. Every stone gone.
“Where are my crystals?”
“They’re mine now and I’m keeping that one.” Brit snatched the selenite from Kimberly’s hands and bolted out the room.
Kimberly turned to chase after her, but the bedroom door shut and Jimmy stood behind it.
“You promised.” He took a step toward her, and she backed up against the night table. She reached behind and grabbed around the tabletop. When her fingers closed around the abalone shell filled with cedar sage ash, she threw it in Jimmy’s face. As he waved the cloud of ash away, she ducked around him, running down the hall to Brit’s room, and slammed and locked the door.
Brit sat in the middle of her bed with the stones piled in front of her. “No!” Brit laid forward on top of them to prevent Kimberly from grabbing the stones.
“We don’t have time for this. I’ll let you keep them if I can borrow them for a moment, okay?” Kimberly maneuvered around Brit to collect the stones.
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise. I won’t even take them out of the room.” Brit stopped hugging the stones.
“Okay.” They both jumped at the clash against the door.
“You promised, Kim! You promised.” Jimmy continued to bang against the door. It began to splitter from the weight.
Brit covered her face and screamed from the corner of the bed.
“Everything will be okay, Brit. Stay there.” Kimberly placed five stones in the shape of a circle on the floor, leaving an open spot behind her as she stayed knelt in the center and prayed. Jimmy crashed through the door and stumbled over to her.
“It’s time, Kim. I’m so lonely.” When he stepped inside the circle, Kimberly shuffled back and placed the last stone to complete the circle. He tried to follow her but fell back hitting an invisible wall. Jimmy’s face distorted, and he growled. “NO!”
Kimberly jumped on the bed next to Brit and moved her sister’s head away from a growling Jimmy. “Do you remember the love and light poem Grandma taught us?” Brit shook her head. “Good, I need you to say it with me.”
Brit whispered. “I am love. I am light. Take this evil from my sight.” Kimberly joined in. After the third time, a stream of bright light erupted from each stone coming to a point, filling the room. The girls covered their eyes and after a flash, Jimmy’s screams turned to silence. When the girls turned toward the circle, there was nothing but ash in the middle.
“Where did he go?” Brit asked clutching her sister.
“I don’t care but he won’t be coming back.”