Read Hex on the Beach (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

hand, and she pressed something mushy into my palm.
    “What is this?” I looked at the gummy bear in my hand. “A snack? I’m not really hungry.”
    “Of course not,” Trinket snapped. “It’s a Stopper. We’ll exit via the restroom.”
    “What’s a Stopper?” I shook my head. “I don’t think I like the sound of that. And I definitely don’t like the sound of exiting via the bathroom.”
    “Oh, honey. You don’t think we get off at a regular bus stop, do you?” Mimsey gave a kind smile. “The Stopper allows us to get off the bus… unannounced.”
    “Through the toilet?” I raised my eyebrows.
    “Well, we can’t vanish in plain sight, can we?” Trinket asked, her voice cross. “One at a time. I’ll go first, then you, Lily. Mimsey can follow to make sure nobody is left behind.”
    Before I could argue, the two sisters shuffled me toward the back of the bus. I didn’t know how they planned to be discreet, since they were dressed like two theater majors let loose on the costume closet after splitting a bottle of wine. Bright, flashy colors, overbearing patterns, hats so huge they barely fit down the aisle—the women did not know how to dress to blend in.
    “ Sorry, dear— ”
    “ Whoops! Your coffee there, my apologies— ”
    “ Move your foot, please— ”
    The two ladies bumbled through the bus, inconveniencing absolutely every person they passed. I eventually stopped trying to hide my amusement as I watched Mimsey turn to apologize to one person and knock the guy behind her with an elbow. Then Trinket stepped on a businessman’s foot, and when she turned to apologize, she bumped someone else.
    The cycle went on for each row of passengers. By the time we reached the back of the aisle, the bus was filled with grumbling, disgruntled passengers.
    “Good job being discreet,” I said, unable to keep the huge grin off my face.
    “They make these dang things so tiny,” Mimsey said. “Trinket, I need fresh air. Let’s get going.”
    Without a word, Trinket moved past us into the small one-person restroom. She closed the door but didn’t lock it, the little notification always saying Vacant.
    “Well, she’s not going to lock it, is she?” Mimsey said before I could ask. She must’ve watched me read the sign over and over. “Otherwise how would you get in? Speaking of, you’re up.”
    A pop as soft as a tiny Fourth of July snapper went off, and I felt my face pale. “Does that mean it’s my turn?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Okay,” I said, my voice squeaky. “What do I do, shove it up my nose?”
    “Eat it!”
    “Eat it?”
    “Yes, yes. Hurry, we only have a certain stretch of highway for this to work correctly.” Mimsey nearly shoved me into the bathroom and shut the door. “Now, dear. Gobble it up! ”
    Before I could give myself time to second-guess anything, I popped the gummy bear-looking thing into my mouth, chewed for a second, and swallowed.
    I crinkled my nose, the familiar sugary taste not quite right. “That’s not a gummy beaaa—”
    Before I could finish my sentence, the snapping sound went off again, but this time it sounded distant, as if in another room. Something tugged behind my belly button, twisting my insides. It didn’t hurt, but everything inside me felt uncomfortable. My ribs felt out of whack, my legs turned to rubber, and my head filled with so much pressure it could’ve been a balloon.
    I barely had time to close my eyes before my feet landed on firm ground, my head spinning so fast I had to sit down.
    “First-time jitters,” Trinket said, not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. “Are you going to puke?”
    I didn’t answer. Mostly because I felt like puking.
    “Eat this,” Trinket said, handing over another gummy bear, this one green. The first one had been red. “It’ll help the nausea.”
    I shook my head. If I so much as opened my mouth, I was worried that everything I’d eaten today would end up on the ground.
    A second later, and