Chapter 252: Graduation

Book Seven: Flesh and Blood

"Say cheese!"

The witch behind the camera smiled encouragingly as I bent my body into contorted shapes in order to look 'normal' for my grad photo. And while her smile was lovely, I had no doubt mine was strained and uncomfortable.

No doubt.

It would have helped if this whole grad thing was my idea. I'd made it through the majority of my last year in high school without so much as a peep from Mom about the fact I'd be graduating only a month and a half from now. We'd had a nice, quiet fall, winter and spring since the Gate incident, though Gram remained absent, Uncle Frank's search turning up nothing.

I blamed my grandmother for my present position, half falling from an uncomfortable stool all in the name of posterity. Mom was clearly looking for some way to distract and amuse herself from the fact Gram was still missing and refused to be hunted down. Nothing like a graduation of twisted witch proportions to throw a veil over Mom's worry. Yet another