Katrina leaned forward over her newly acquired necromancy book, one she’d temporarily borrowed from Wolf’s cabin. He had lots of books. She was certain she could get it back to him before he even missed it.
Her potion mixture was complete and now it was time to test it out. She’d spent her usual hour in the morning, doing her hair and trying out different outfits until she found just the one that made her feel ready for the day ahead. Her long dark hair was now swept back into a half ponytail, tied up with a black ribbon. This kept it out of her face as she peered over the book to look into the glass terrarium she’d borrowed from under the house. It had belonged to Bobby once, back when he’d raised frogs over a summer. Her manicured nails were hidden with latex gloves. She’d been thrilled when she’d first found out the store sold them in black. Now she could be stylish while doing her experiments. She’d made some more of her makeup spell just in case anyone asked for a demonstration, but no one did.
In front of her, past the book, inside an enclosed terrarium, five big blowflies buzzed about. She’d made her own lid for the enclosure, mostly because the original lid had holes that were just a little too big for her purposes. She cut her own hole in the top and through it she poked the nozzle of a rather potent can of fly spray.
She squeezed the trigger and watched as one by one the flies dropped dead. Once she was sure they were all dead she opened the window to her room wide, lifted the lid of the enclosure and stepped back while she let the poisonous fumes dissipate into the air. She helped them along by flapping the expensive book gently in the direction of the open window.
Satisfied that the air was clear she took a handful of her pre-prepared mixture and in a gloved hand and slathered it over each of the fallen flies. She put the lid back on the terrarium, disposed of the glove, closed her bedroom window tight and then sat down to watch.
At first nothing happened.
Then Bobby’s voice could be heard echoing throughout the house, “Has anyone seen my physics book?”
“How did you manage to lose it again?” Gemma asked loudly.
“Katrina?” Bobby called.
Katrina cursed under her breath. She had indeed borrowed it again, this time to hold the makeshift terrarium lid down. It was the perfect size and weight and it wasn’t her fault that Bobby kept leaving his books lying around.
Another voice joined the fray outside in the hallway, Salem’s. “Can you guys keep it down, I’m trying to sleep.”
“It’s 10am,” Gemma replied. “Even mum’s been up for hours and she was out drinking last night.”
“She went to bed long before midnight though,” Salem replied.
“Well, who’s fault is that?” Gemma retorted.
“I’m just saying, I’m quiet at night, you could be quiet in the morning.”
“It’s 10am!” Gemma repeated.
“Arrgh! That’s not the point.” Salem was getting frustrated.
“Try operating at normal social hours and you might find people won’t wake you.”
“I am a night owl. I can’t help what my natural state is!”
Katrina heard footsteps heading this way.
“Katrina?” Bobby’s voice.
Katrina glanced at her experiment and then around for another book she could swap it out for, but nothing else was quite heavy enough or the right shape. And even though there was still no sign of movement within the terrarium she didn’t want to remove the weight holding it in place.
She got up from her chair and ran to the door before Bobby could get there. She opened as much as she dared and poked out her face.
Her older brother stood there with his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised.
Before he could ask again she said, “Yes, I did borrow your physics book. I’m just using it for something. I’ll give it back once I’m done.” Then she shut the door in his face.
But she hadn’t installed a lock on her door like Gemma had and so Bobby immediately opened it after her.
She swirled and tried to block his way but he was much taller and stronger than she was and once he caught sight of where his physics book was and what it was sitting on top of there was no stopping him.
Katrina was trying with all her strength to push the door and shut him out but Bobby was holding it open one-handed with ease, and he was completely ignoring her and her efforts.
Katrina scowled at him.
Over the top of her head he glimpsed what a few of the words in the open spell book said. That was enough to give him a pretty good idea of what she was doing.
He stepped to the side, letting Katrina’s forceful pushing slam the door shut behind him.
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She yelped as he moved his weight out of the way and she went flying forwards.
“Katrina, what are you doing?!”
She righted herself, smoothed out her white blouse and black skirt and then stepped between him and her experiment.
“Nothing, just a project for school.”
“On necromancy?”
She grabbed the spellbook off the desk and slammed it shut but it was too late. Katrina was persistent though. She opened her mouth to give him another lie, when suddenly there came a thump from behind her.
Both of them turned to look as one of the large blow flies slammed into the glass side of the terrarium hard. So hard that it left a mark on the glass.
“Katrina, what were you thinking?!” Bobby hissed at her in a low voice. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? What if that fly got out and bit someone? How would you even find it or catch it again?”
“That’s why the window’s shut,” Katrina replied also speaking as quietly as she could. “It can’t go anywhere.”
“And if someone opened the door or what if it bit you? And you’ve got five in there at once!”
“Well it’s an experiment, it’s no good just testing on one. And there’s a cure for zombie bites.”
“Do you know what it is? Do you know how long that takes to make? Did you make one?”
Katrina dropped her eyes and shook her head. Beyond knowing that it was possible she hadn’t actually been able to find any information on how it worked. But she figured it was something Wolf would know if the worst came to worst and she hadn’t really expected to need it anyway.
There came another loud thump, more persistent this time. More of the flies were trying their best to get out. They were whacking their bodies so hard into the side of the glass that they were basically squashing themselves. Katrina could see little dots of fly blood splatter. It was quite disturbing. Not at all how she had imagined this to go.
One hit the roof causing it to rise up a little. Even Bobby’s heavy physics book jumped a millimeter or two. Bobby put his hand on top of the book to hold it down. As he did so the flies all gathered violently buzzing up near his hand. He gave Katrina a pointed look at this response and then stacked the closed spell book on top. When he removed his hand the flies all filtered back down into the rest of the enclosure and resumed their smashing into the the walls.
Katrina bit her lip and a small whimper escaped her mouth.
Bobby made a move toward the door.
Katrina panicked. “Please don’t tell mum!”
Bobby turned back to look at her. He gave her a pitying look. “I’m not.”
Katrina frowned.
With a puzzled look on her face she watched as he opened the door and stuck his head out into the hallway. “Gemma!” he called out.
Katrina groaned. “We don’t need her. I’ve got a fire infusement...” She trailed off as she realised that was no longer true because Coal had taken it.
Bobby didn’t seem to think she was capable of cleanly incinerating the flies anyway, which was probably true. Fire was a tricky magic to control. Katrina still managed to burn her own hands half the time. Gemma may not have had the best control over her fire either but she was still leagues better than Katrina was. Their mother was the best but telling her would have put Katrina in a lot of trouble.
Gemma appeared outside the room a moment later, sans Kate. “What?” she asked.
“Get in,” Bobby whispered conspiratorially.
Gemma frowned at him but did as requested. Her frown turned to a look of anger when she saw the enclosure on Katrina's desk. She didn’t know what it was or what was going on but it was obvious another one of her sister’s experiments had gone wrong.
Before Gemma could ask anything too loudly Bobby held a finger to his lips.
So Gemma mouthed back silently, ‘What the fuck is this?’
In a normal but quiet voice Bobby replied, “Katrina made zombie flies.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Gemma folded her arms. A move that made her look just like their mum for a moment. Katrina didn’t say that though, it would have pissed Gemma off and right now she didn’t want to piss Gemma off.
“They were supposed to last longer before turning,” Katrina explained. “I was going to see if I kept feeding it to some of them if those ones would last longer.” She gestured at the potion then studied her own fingernails. She glanced back up in time to see Gemma rolling her eyes.
Bobby gestured at the flies. Their attempts to escape were only getting more violent. “I think they need incinerating.”
Katrina couldn’t even look at them anymore.
Gemma sighed and placed her hands close but not right on top of the thin mesh that covered the top of the enclosure. Beneath her hands a fire raged.
Bobby frowned as he realised the edges of his physics book were getting more than a little singed. The glass kept the flames from burning much else. Once Gemma was done, five little burnt balls lay on the bottom of terrarium.
“We should probably leave that a little while just in case,” Bobby remarked.
Gemma snorted and then replied simply and confidently, “Fire kills zombies.” With a flick of her long red hair she left the room.
Katrina retrieved the two books and handed Bobby his one back. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
He took it with a murmur of “Hmm,” and left Katrina to tidy up her mess.
Katrina squished each of the flies before throwing them out, just to be safe. Although as she hovered with the dustpan over the outside rubbish bin she hesitated. It hadn’t really gone that bad. It wasn’t like the flies had escaped. It had just been kind of gross and disturbing. Maybe she was just being a wimp? What if..?
She shook her head and chucked them out, but possibilities and things she could change continued to buzz softly in her head. Then they were drowned out by a new sound. The sound of a car engine starting up. Someone was taking the truck out.
Katrina ran around the side of the house to see what was happening. She found her mother in the driver’s seat and Gemma in the passenger seat with baby Kate asleep on her lap despite the noise from the vehicle.
The old blue truck was making a strange spluttering sound. Suddenly it died. Amanda frowned and twisted the key again. The truck groaned and spluttered and roared and then fell silent once more.
“Where are you going?” Katrina asked through the passenger window.
“To that old house,” Gemma replied with a knowing smirk.
Katrina’s eyes widened. “Can I come?”
“If we can ever get this thing started,” Amanda answered, trying to turn the key again.
Katrina pulled open the passenger door and gave Gemma a look that suggested she shift over into the middle seat.
Gemma simply retorted, “Shortest goes in the middle.”
Katrina scowled but climbed in and over her regardless.
“Hey! Watch it!” Gemma complained as Katrina scrambled past.
Katrina ignored her. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked of the car once she was seated between her mother and sister.
Gemma pulled the passenger door shut. “I think you’ve flooded it,” she told her mother.
Amanda pulled her hand back of the key with a frown. “Mmm, perhaps.”
“Aunt Cat would know,” Katrina replied but she got no response from either of them.
Amanda let the car sit for a bit until eventually Gemma remarked, “It’s probably fine now.”
Amanda gave it another go and this time the vehicle roared to life. She sent her eldest daughter a smile.
Inwardly Katrina felt a little jealous. Sometimes it seemed Gemma got all the attention, but she turned her focus forward and thought about what treasures she might find at this old house.