Alex turned suddenly and looked at the digital clock on the night table between her bed and Cam's. The time, day and date shone back at her in electric red.

It was Thursday. Okay, she knew that. They had the day off from school because of a teachers' conference. But that wasn't it. That wasn't why today was so special!

"May I remind you," Alex told her sister, "that we've got more important things to focus on than some lame sweet sixteen party."

Cam tried to glare at her twin. It didn't work. She was suddenly as blue as her toenails were pink. She'd been fighting off sadness and disillusion since their terrifying trip to Coventry.

She had gone to that little island hoping to "save" a handsome young warlock who'd begged for her help. She'd left knowing that he was a fraud, a traitor, and an all-around rat. Shane was his name. Deception was his game.

Cam screwed the cap back on the bottle of nail polish and tossed it into the basket on her bureau. She glanced at her glossy toenails, which now matched her fingertips. Perfectly Pink. It was almost as pathetic an attempt to stoke her mood as the idea of planning her own sweet sixteen party.

"You're the one who doesn't have a clue," she mumbled at Alex. "Has it occurred to you I may not want to think about Coventry Island right now? It feels like we just got back. And may I remind you the trip was not a piece of cake!"

Even if she didn't have her sister's telescopic eyesight, Alex couldn't help seeing that Cam was miserable. Torn between guilt and sympathy, Alex tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Speaking of cake, I'm gonna grab some breakfast. Come with?" she offered.

New as she was to the mind-reading game, Cam caught her sister's solicitous gist. "Spare me your pity," she grumbled.

"Oh, forget Shane," Alex urged.

Her twin winced at the name. "Thank you Dr. Phil," she said trying for indifference.

Alex shook her head in frustration and headed out the door.

"Sorry," Cam called softly — too low and too late, of course. Her sister had already thundered down the stairs.

Duck-walking on the balls of her feet to avoid smearing her hot-pink toenails, Cam made her way over to the clothes hamper that passed for Alex's bed. She was familiar with The Little Book of Spells but she picked it up anyway. It had no table of contents, so she began leafing through it…looking for? It embarrassed her to admit it, even to herself, but she wondered if she'd find, somewhere in its yellowing pages, a spell to cure what ailed her.

Which was?

Love? Not exactly. More like…obsession, she guessed. Not being able to shake the memory and shame of Shane's betrayal, not being able to do exactly what Alex had advised. Forget it. Forget him.

Right — and what, see him again when she and Alex had to go back to Coventry for the final two days of their Initiation?

Cam took a deep breath. Alex had been right. Absolutely. Don't sweat the small stuff, she'd told Cam more than once. And Shane was small stuff. Microscopic compared to the trials and tests that would make them real witches.

What really mattered was their Initiation.

Which was coming up —

Was it possible?! Cam looked at the digital clock. The date glared back at her: OCT 01! The first of October.

Their Initiation had begun!