Not really...

The car was silent. Luke was still in disbelief in what had occurred, even if it was just a prank like Danny claimed. He looked over at Becky. She was staring out the window idly tracing the inverted star on the cover of the "spell-book". It was blatantly obvious to Luke that the ritual had an effect on Becky. She usually teased him about the mountain of clutter he accumulated and how girls would be all over him if they could just find him without a dousing rod.

He sighed, one day he'd show her how much she meant to him. He wanted that moment to be perfect, but the stars had not yet aligned.

Becky felt strange. She couldn't place why, but since that flash there was an emptiness inside her. The book that just hours earlier filled her with unease was now a reassuring weight in her lap. With each pass of Becky's fingers over the star, she couldn't bring herself to think of it as a pentagram just yet, her mind performed mental gymnastics in an attempt to fill the void in her memory. The book held the answers, of that she was sure.

Luke's voice pulled her back to reality, "Wow, you really are out of it..." Becky blinked and took in her surroundings, "I'm sorry Luke, how long have we been sitting in my driveway?"

"Just a minute, but I've never seen you like this before." Some concern slipped into Luke's voice, "Are you sure you're ok?"

The smile Becky gave back never made it to her eyes, "Of course! Nothing a hot shower and a good night of sleep can't solve." She turned to Luke and gave him a half-hearted hug, "Thank you for the ride, I'll call you if anything spooky happens, but don't wait up."

Without waiting for a response Becky opened the door and disappeared into her childhood home. Once inside she called out, "Moooommm? You home?" The echoing silence and the note she found taped to her bedroom door answered that question.

The note read, "Out for the night, leftovers in the fridge, Don't burn the house down while I'm gone - Mum"

Becky frowned, ever since her parents split she'd spent more nights alone than with either of her parents. Two Christmases was nice, but she missed the nightly routine of dinner and Jeopardy she'd grown up with. She pushed the half finished D&D character sheets and trashy romance novels aside to make room on her desk for the dark leather-bound book. Shucking her clothes to the floor Becky grabbed her towel from its hanger and made the short trip down the hallway to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes and a judicious application of pulse setting on her shower head later, Becky walked back to her room clean, clear minded and ready to delve into the mysteries contained in the tome.

When she entered into her bedroom, there it was. The Apple. Sitting on top of the book as if it had always been there.

Its golden skin marred by a single bite.

She licked her lips as her mouth watered.

She stepped into the room unafraid and shut the door behind her.