Almost to Die For Read Free Page A

deal. But she was playing pretty fast and loose with the rules.
    “Oh, it’s a religion thing,” Taylor said, sounding genuinely relieved. “But you’re going to have a party or something this weekend, though, right, Ana?”
    “For whom? The three of us?” I asked. I mean, how lame would that be?
    Bea shook her head, like I was a world-class fool. “You’re sad, you know that? We totally should throw you a birthday party on Saturday. Invite the whole school.”
    “That’d be epic!” Taylor agreed. “Maybe you could get a hot local band to do a house party. I hear Yvonne is having one. But you know who would be cool to book? That band Nikolai Kirov is in. What’s it called?”
    “Ingress,” Bea said without missing a beat.
    “Nikolai from . . .” I stopped myself before saying “coven,” but only just barely.
    “Yeah, that one,” Bea said.
    Wow. I had no idea Nikolai was in a band. He’d graduated from Stassen last year, but I mostly interacted with him in the coven. In fact, he was going to be part of the Initiation tonight.
    “He’s superhot,” Taylor said dreamily.
    “Yeah,” Bea agreed. She had a crush on him.
    He was pretty cute if you liked smoldering, exotic older guys. Which, okay, I did, but even if by some miracle he was interested in me, Bea had it bad for him.
    “Yeah, well, it’s all a pipe dream. I could never have any kind of party at my house.” My mom would never go for it. No one was allowed in the house who wasn’t in on the secret of the True Witches, which was almost no one—trust me. I could count on my fingers my friends who’d been invited over. One. Bea.
    A party at our house? No way. Mom would have a conniption fit.
    “No,” Bea said. “Mine. Leave it up to me. I’ll organize the whole thing.”
    Why did I not feel grateful? Instead a deep dread ran through my soul. Bea in charge of my birthday? It was going to turn into something all about her, and nothing like my quiet, sedate self could truly enjoy.
    “Uh . . .” I started to try to come up with a reason Bea should rein in her kindness, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw Thompson and his crew coming down the hallway. They looked pissed off and like they were on a mission. Maybe a little witch hunt? I poked Bea in the back. “We should hurry.”
    Bea looked in the direction I was staring. “Oh yes, I see.”
    “See what?” Taylor looked confused as she tried to track our gaze. Then she took a sharp breath. “Is Thompson coming over here? To . . . talk to us?”
    I pulled Bea by the hand to hurry her along, but it was too late. Thompson and his cronies had blocked our path. They looked big and menacing. They wore matching letter jackets, like some twisted version of gang colors. The grim looks on their faces made me swallow. Hard.
    Next to me, I could feel Bea revving up her magic. I tried to catch her eye to warn her off the idea, but her mouth had compressed into a thin determined line. She gripped my hand tightly and gave me a broad wink. “Zap ’em, sister,” she whispered.

Three
    A t Bea’s words, Thompson had the sense to take a step back.
    But an animalistic snarl covered his fear, and then he poked me hard in the shoulder. It hurt.
    “Don’t mess with me again, witch,” he said. His hands curled into fists. I held my breath. I thought he might actually hit me.
    Bea twitched her nose, Bewitched -style. I felt a strong zing in the air, like electricity.
    “Don’t do it,” I pleaded, despite my fear. If she put any kind of curse on him, it would only end in more reprisals. There were reasons there were rules against this sort of thing in our community.
    “Zap,” Bea said quietly, and poked Thompson in the shoulder, like he’d done to me, only much more gently.
    “What was that?” he demanded. He stared at the spot on his shoulder like he expected to break out in hives.
    “Dude,” said Thing One, his eyes wide and wildly looking between Bea and me. “You’re totally cursed.