2
My heart skipped a beat at my brother’s
words.
I stared at him, shocked, but also bursting
with excitement.
And the looks my brother and parents were giving Bethany, like they wanted to tear her apart, confirmed what I was thinking.
They remembered tee
They remembered too!
This was amazing!
If we all worked together, there was no way
Bethany could pull off whatever she was
planning.
We had this in the bag!
As I was getting excited, Bethany put on a hurt expression. “I spent so much time.
making this bracelet. It’s not like it’s
expensive jewelry, it’s just a little something!”
“Are you saying it’s too cheap for Riley?”
The more she talked, the more I knew something was up with that bracelet. No way
was I taking it
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Bethany’s eyes flashed with anger, but she
plastered on a fake smile and pulled a few
more things out of her suitcase.
“Aunt Susan, I made this face mask out of flowers I picked in the woods. It’s way better for your skin than those chemicals they put in
store–bought stuff! It’s just for you!”
“Uncle Frank, I know you like those wooden
carvings. I had someone make this little.
carving out of that old oak tree back home. I
figured you could use it.”
“And, David, this lucky cat charm is from my parents‘ trip down south last year. They said a monk blessed it, so I hope it helps you out at work!”
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Last time, even though my family didn’t really
like Bethany, they didn’t want to be rude, so
they took the gifts.
But now that we knew there was something
wrong with them, no one reached for them.
Bethany’s smile faltered.
My mom glared at her. “Alright, we get it.
Keep your presents. We don’t need them.”
“We’ve already got a room set up for you, but I’m laying down the law right now: you can
stay here, but you’re going to follow our
rules!”
“If you bring your bad attitude in this house,
don’t think I won’t kick you out.”
Г
Bethany’s face turned sour, and she gave my
dad a pointed look.
Normally, my dad would have stuck up for
her, but this time, he said calmly, “Your Aunt
Susan’s right. You’re a guest here, so you
should follow the rules. It’s for your own
good!”
Bethany glared at him, but she kept her
mouth shut.
For the rest of the day, my family was all over
Bethany, nagging her and making her do
chores. And she actually put up with it.
That night, after Bethany went to her room,
my brother glanced at her door and said
quietly, “She’s really good at holding it in. She
hasn’t snapped once.”
My mom scoffed. “The more she holds back,
the bigger her plan is!”
My dad said grimly, “Remember, we can’t
take anything from her.”
I blurted out, “Why don’t we just kick her out?
That way we don’t have to worry about her!”
My brother smacked me on the head. “Are
you crazy?”
“She can only mess with us if she’s right here.
If we’re careful, she can’t do anything.”
“If we kick her out, who knows when she’ll try
something else!”
く
“The most important thing is figuring out how
she brainwashed us last time.”
My parents and brother looked pale at the
thought of being manipulated by Bethany
again.
That night, I lay in bed, feeling a little better.
Since we all remembered, Bethany wouldn’t
be able to do much damage.
The only question was, how did Bethany know about those spells in the first place?
And why was I the only one who didn’t get
brainwashed last time?
I wanted to talk to Chad, see if he
Temeniveteu LUU.
But I called him a bunch of times and he
didn’t answer.
That night, I slept soundly.
But the next morning, when I went to the
kitchen for breakfast, what I saw made my
jaw drop.
My dad was playing with the wooden carving,
looking at it with love, and praising Bethany.
“You’re the best niece a guy could ask for. I
love it!”
My mom was putting the flower mask on her
face, grinning at Bethany. “You’re so talented!
“Riley needs to learn from you. She’s lazy and
has such a terrible temper. Bethany, you need
to teach her a thing or two.”
My brother was holding the lucky cat charm
like it was the Hope Diamond, smiling at
Bethany. “Bethany, make yourself at home.
Do whatever you want, okay?”
“If Riley acts up, just tell me. You can yell at
her, do whatever. Don’t worry about being
nice!”
