Nix nodded as she came closer to the barrier. Yes, she has finished the carving. I waited and watched so that I could tell you where she carved what, just in case it was important.


    Smart. I leaned down and grabbed the book from the floor. I didn''t even think of that. Okay. I paused, ready to start. Which one first?


    Nix pushed forward. She pointed at the first symbol, a weird-looking N. She did this one on the bottom.


    I shifted my hand into my ws and carved the N into the basete of the door frame.


    Nix pointed at the circle with a line through it. This one is in the middle of the left- hand side. I carved mine in the same area. This one, a sideway S with a few dots, is on the top. I stood and went to carve the symbol above the door but Nix stopped me. Not there. She did it like the bottom on the top te. Like the sides. I nodded and carved it into the crossbeam on the frame. And thest one was the star she did exactly across from the circle.


    I finished the carving, then knelt at the candle. I lit it with a thought, then I stared at the me, watching it get stronger, I opened the zip top and pulled out the spices I needed and put them in the correct order.


    I got off my knees and settled cross-legged in front of the candle facing the


    doorway. I took a deep breath before I grabbed the thyme. "Isther bu for sha."


    I sprinkled the thyme over the me. I grabbed the tumeric next. "Lor sha pen todo senic." I tapped the orange powder of the me and the me crackled.


    I grabbed the mint next, the dried leaves cracking in between my fingers. "Lorna si ca shi fan clo." I crumpled the leaves and sprinkled them into the fire, watching the me spit ash. I took a deep breath, focused on my me. I grabbed the sage leaves from the bag and held them over the candle. "Norte ble ahsen clo nic she cle." That was thest of the spell, but I knew it was iplete. I pictured the other door. With the same symbols carved into the doorway and the path I needed. "Penta sen cor du. Cli na tor pinta." I dropped thest leaf, and the candle exploded out.


    I screamed as I leaned back, raising my hands to cover my face. "Amy!" Toya screamed and ran into the closet and stopped behind me. "Are you okay?" I waited to feel the burn, or ss hit me, but there was nothing. "Amy?" Toya sounded a little confused. I lowered my hands to find absolutely nothing. I looked around, dumbfounded. The candle, the spices, everything was gone. I was left untouched. My closet was fine, but all of my supplies for the spell, gone. I patted my legs, just to make sure, but I was whole. Toya walked over and crouched next to me. What happened?"


    (4


    I looked up at her with my mouth hanging open. "I don''t know." I stood up and looked around the floor. Toya followed my eyes.


    "Where are the spices and the candle?” She looked back at me. “I thought you were doing the spell."


    "I did..." I looked around again, confused. “I did the spell. The candle exploded." I spun in a circle, but everything was still clear. "What the fuck..."


    "Did it work?" Toya frowned.


    "I...don''t...know." I turned to face the door.


    "Are you going to check?"


    I looked back at her and then shrugged. "I guess."


    Sheughed. "Why are you so rattled?"


    "I don''t know." I looked around again. "No, I do. I''m fucking confused. One minute


    I was watching sage burn and then the next the candle was exploding. And I''m


    not talking about a small thing, like ss breaking or whatever.


    It was big "I waved my arms. "The me shot up, the ss exploded out. I honestly thought I was a goner."


    Toya looked around. "But..." She looked back at my face.


    "Exactly. Everything is gone. Not a speck of ss, wax, or any bit of spice to be found. There are no burns, not ash, nothing." I spun in another circle. "I feel like I am going insane."


    "Have you ever done the recall spell before?" I shook my head. "Maybe it''s a part of the spell? Maybe it makes it work?" She shrugged her shoulder.


    "I don''t know." I turned to face the door. "But there is only one way to find out." I walked to the door. I looked back at Toya. "What if it didn''t work?" My stomach was a bunch of knots. We needed this to work.


    Toya lifted her shoulder. "Then we drive back to school and run back." She was so matter of fact about it, it calmed my nerves.


    I turned back and closed my eyes, and opened the door.