Her Blood Sings: Episode 01 Read Online Free Page A

Tamara could tell. They
weren't involved with the Order. Not for the first time, Tamara
wondered what would happen if she came out to her friends. She was
sure they would be fine with her being a witch.
    Tamara sighed and shook those ideas out of
her mind. Better focus on things she could do.
    She picked up one of the pillows from the
couch and tried to fluff it back to its catalog glory. Tamara's
lips twitched in disapproval when the pillow did nothing but just
look shriveled and sad. She dropped the pillow back on the couch,
hoping it would look better in comparison. Nope! Not better.
    Tamara looked over her shoulder, towards the
door. Lucy was due back any moment now. If she was going to do
this, she had to move fast. Tamara sighed, her mind made up.
    She pressed her palms on the pillows. What
was the use of being a witch if you couldn't make life easier,
right? She'd fluff the pillows with magic and move on, instead of
worrying about them. Tamara closed her eyes and focused on the
image of the pillows when she had seen them on IKEA's website.
Then, she locked her mind in that image.
    She whispered "Fuller."
    The key twisted in the keyhole.
    Tamara straightened and span around.
    Lucy opened the door and walked in.
    "What are you doing with that pillow?" Lucy
asked.
    Tamara tossed the pillow on the couch and let
out a nervous laugh. "Nothing."
    "How long until they arrive?" Lucy asked.
    Tamara glanced at her watch again. "They
should be here any minute." She let out a deep sigh. She hated
herself at that moment, but she had a job to do. So, she asked
Lucy, "Your uncle is coming to town, too, right? Tomorrow?"
    Lucy smiled, her eyes lighting up. She
nodded.
    "I guess it'll be your turn to be nervous,
then," Tamara said. "I'll be nice to you. I promise."
    "You better," Lucy said, sticking her tongue
out at Tamara. "I'll make myself scarce. Moonlight tonight,
right?"
    "Right."
    Lucy smiled. "I'll be in my room."
    Tamara glanced over her shoulder at the
pillow she had dumped on the couch. It had perked back to life,
looking like something out of a catalog. She smoothed her hands
over her blouse and jeans. She glanced at her watch and resumed
pacing.
    ***
    Tamara sat on the couch with her aunt and
uncle, who were in the twin armchairs Lucy had bought for their
home at some thrift store.
    Uncle Baltus looked relaxed on his chair, his
eyes warm on Tamara's face. Aunt Sandra was looking at everything,
analyzing.
    Between them, sat coffee, cream, sugar, a
cake with frothy whipped cream on top of it, and some
delicate-looking finger sandwiches. Tamara had put everything on
display on the coffee table with great care, sure that they would
love the food. She couldn't even look at the food. She was too
nervous to eat anything.
    The device Tamara liked to call Nothingness
was spinning right next to the food. The actual name was some
complicated thing in German that Tamara never bothered to learn.
The Nothingness looked like a silver spinning top that moved and
moved without ever stopping. It blocked all sound from coming in
and out of the room. Tamara and her family were safe to talk and no
one would hear them.
    Aunt Sandra's eyes sat on a framed picture on
the coffee table: Lucy, Tamara and Evie in their uniforms in front
of the café. It was a picture all three girls had.
    "The Murray girl looks pleasant enough," Aunt
Sandra remarked.
    "Lucy is great," Tamara said, slightly more
defensive than she needed to be. "Is she really related to Irving
Murray? The Irving Murray?"
    "She's his niece and the only relative he
maintains weekly contact with." Aunt Sandra sipped her coffee. "Has
she mentioned him?"
    "No. Not recently," Tamara lied. "She did say
her father and her uncle had a falling out a few years back and
they don't talk."
    "She's lying. We have records of the two
Murray men talking once a year, at least."
    "Aunt Sandra, maybe Lucy doesn't know about
it. Have you ever considered that?" Tamara's anger picked up
strength as she went