Wicked sorceress Cora must ruin someone's life before her eighteenth birthday or lose her magic forever, a task made tricky when she falls for her chosen victim.
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Cora Emerson is a magical misfortune who just can't get the hang of being a wicked...
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She met Eva at the entrance of the mall and promptly pulled her into a tight hug. She needed one after the misfortune of spending the afternoon with Tilda Gray.
Eva was quick to comply. "Okay, okay," she said, rubbing Cora's back. "We haven't been apart that long."
Eva's sweet perfume had rubbed off on the collar of her pea coat, tickling Cora's nose but she held on tighter. "I know," she said, pulling away after one last squeeze, "but you won't believe the afternoon I've had."
"Do tell," said Eva. "My day's been pretty uneventful. Nothing but homework for me." She paused suddenly, rooted to the spot in the mall lobby. "Wait, you never told me how your date with Beau went. You thought I'd forget, didn't you?"
"I don't think it's much of a date if he brings along his kid brother." Cora took her hand and tugged her forward.
"Hey, it's better than nothing." Eva gave her a thumbs-up. "You two will be official in no time."
If only she knew the real reason why Cora cared about Beau, she wouldn't be so chipper. And Beau wasn't making it any easier to ruin his life either.
They started their way through the mall, dodging the swarm of shoppers getting a head start on holiday shopping, and every once in a while, ogling the storefronts that had already put up their Christmas displays. Cora filled Eva in about how Tilda had been behind the awful comments on her blog. Eva, ever the enthusiastic listener, didn't fail to gasp at the right moments. Cora made sure to leave out the parts where magic was involved of course but was certain to play up Tilda Gray's wretchedness.
"I can't believe her." Eva stomped her heeled boot, her nose wrinkled. "Someone needs to teach her how to play nicely."
"Good luck to them." Cora snorted, crossing her arms. "She's the lowest of the low."
Eva mimicked Cora's stance, planting her hands on her hips. Her bright yellow nail polish caught Cora's attention, playing well with her golden-brown skin. Cora made a mental note to do her nails in case Beau noticed that hers were bitten down to stubs.
Did boys even care about such things?
"When I said someone, I meant you, Cora," Eva said. "You can't let her get away with treating you that way."
She laughed. "Please, if I could, I would. Trust me." She moved up a step in line to buy their soft pretzels. The aroma of them baking made her stomach rumble. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, a bowl of cereal she'd already worked off dawdling through the mall.
Other than food, vengeance on Tilda was alluring. If only she could cast a spell on her, but she wasn't too proud to admit that Tilda was miles ahead of her in that department. Still, the thought made her daydream terribly cruel things.
Once they had their soft pretzels, they took another turn around the mall to do more window shopping. Cora looped her arm around Eva's. "Hey, I kind of wanted to stop in somewhere," she said. She tugged on Eva's arm, steering her in another direction. She hadn't even seen Beau yet and her stomach was a hive of nerves, about to find out if she truly had the guts to make her move. Eva allowed herself to be led but shot Cora an odd glance from the corner of her eye when she saw where they were going.
