Chapter One: Girl Talk is Sacred

Isobel

Wednesday

I could feel the change in the air. Fall was rolling in, and it was my favorite time of the year. No matter where I was or how old I was, I found comfort in the seasons. Not to be morbid, but I knew it represented dying. Plants and nature were seeing the last warm days of production and heading into their slumber. 

Yet how could something so gloomy be so beautiful? The wind rustling through the beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow leaves made me smile. The crisp air made me appreciate every ray of warm sunshine on my face. And lastly, the romantic in me felt the desire to be close and warmed by someone I loved. Too bad, love was a bust. 

Oh, that reminds Lucy is going to give me Hell later for last night's late-night phone call.  

I didn’t think endings were supposed to be this beautiful, so I never looked at fall that way. I saw it as the start of a wondrous and magical time of year. The moon was about to shine her brightest, while the Night Courts will rejoice. I was kind of a hypocrite in both loving the dark and light. But to exist, one needed the other. And there was nothing as beautiful as the bright moon shining against the deepest darkest sky. 

I was supposed to look at all the Earth and seasons the same, but I did have my favorites. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I opened the doors to my shop, well, my grandmother’s shop. 

*Spelled By Words*, my grandmother’s bookstore was now my full-time job. It was the best job in the entire world. Not much goes on in Draven Hills, so people read a lot. We were a staple in our community with special Friday afternoon readings for kids. Senior citizen days and everything in-between. 

Though people loved our Halloween celebration. We created themed rooms in the store, had all types of sweets, and Grams, and I did readings and fortune telling in our most outrageous witchy looking costumes. Only a small handful of people knew that we were actually witches. Most of the time, we just made stuff up, but on the rarest occasion, the spirits felt inclined to get chatty. 

The store was located downtown in what used to be the old Mayoral Mansion. Once upon a time, the town provided a home for its acting mayor, but around fifty years ago, the house was falling apart, and the town sold it to my mother’s family.   

As I opened the store and started setting up new displays, I couldn't help but feel guilty. My birthday was coming up, which meant so is the anniversary of my parents' death. They were killed in a car accident the day I was born. My grandmother raised me all alone from the beginning. I felt like I should be sad that my parents were gone. However, I didn’t. And the thing was, I didn’t think my mother would want me to. I never met the woman that Grams talked so lovingly about, but I felt like she had always been with me.

**

I finished putting the new teen books on display when I heard the bell ring to announce an arrival. Still, on my hands and knees adjusting the props, I yelled out, “Lucy, is that you? I’m in that back if you want to give me a hand.” 

Lucy was my age. She started working for us a few years ago when she was a sophomore and moved to town. I had a feeling Grams knew I needed a friend, or at least someone I could share my secrets with because Lucy had her own. 

She didn’t answer back after I called out, which was unusual for a chatterbox like her.   

“Luce, I’m heading to the back to grab more copies of the new kinky as fuck romance. I still can’t believe Mrs. Neeson picked that for her book club. The seniors used the discount last week like crazy, and we sold out. You should have heard Grams ranting about it since she thought they should be out getting it instead of just reading about it.” I laughed to myself. “The other half of the club is waiting for today’s shipment. I cannot believe how those little old ladies love their dirty, steamy books?” One of the nice parts of the store being in an old mansion was that there was a huge garage that was attached to the shop, so it made deliveries so much easier. Lucy and I tried to do all the heavy lifting though Grams tries to argue that she was just as fit as we were or that she could just spell it all into place, which I am always quick to turn down. For some reason doing magic in the open scared me. 

I walked back in, expecting to see Lucy behind the register or redoing the section I just worked on, but nobody was there. I walked around the shop and nothing. Everything was just as I left it. I went to the door, and it was still locked. This was too strange.

I called Lucy’s phone. 

“What’s up bitch?” she cheerfully answered.

“Were you in the shop this morning and then left?”

“Uh, no. I’m picking us up coffee, which you can thank me for later by letting me leave an hour early.” I could hear the happiness mixed with a plea in her voice.  

“Coffee sounds delicious, I can almost taste it, and I suppose your boss is nice enough to let you come in late and leave early,” I couldn’t hide the giggle in my voice. She was the best employee and my only friend. I’d basically let her do whatever she wanted. She knew this but didn’t take advantage. 

“So why were you wondering if I was there? Things going bump and boo in the store again?”

“Yes, or I’m going crazy.” 

“Doubt you’re going crazy…though you might be a little *buzzed* after last night’s excitement.” Nope, she wasn’t going to let me forget it. I could hear her snort as she laughed. 

“We are not bringing that up. Bring the coffee, and I’ll let you leave early.” 

“I don’t know. It would almost be worth being late for lessons to be able to relive what you told me over and over again.” 

I groaned, “Did you tell Jamie when he came over?”

“No. Girl talk is sacred. And how did you know he came over. It was late, well for you anyways, when you called.” 

“Lucy, like your man would not be over every night of the week of a full moon. It doesn’t take a witch to know that.” Our kind gets a little randy during this phase of the moon and wolves are a totally different level of horny.

“So true. Alright, I’ll be there in five minutes. I’d say go check the cameras, but considering we don’t have any, maybe use your extra powerful voodoo magic to sense who or what was there.” She wasn’t joking.  

“Will do. See you soon.” 

“And if you really think I’m not mentioning last night ever again, you are insane. Byyyyeeee.” 

She hung up the phone, and I couldn’t help turn bright red.