| |
The day at the shop went surprisingly well. At first, Ella felt it was best to keep her distance from Addison, to allow her to take the lead. Whatever task Addison asked her to accomplish, Ella got it done. Occasionally, she used her magic to complete something. Not in sight of customers, of course, but a glimmer of power here and there to show Addison that it wasn’t something she feared. In fact, Ella was more comfortable using her powers than not. It reminded her of what she was and what she’d come here to do.
Addison watched with what seemed to be interest, her gaze intent on every move Ella made. Even though they spoke few words to one another throughout the day, they seemed to connect in another way, often exchanging long looks. Addison gave her cash to run to the food truck at lunch time and bring back two orders of tacos. Other than that, they didn’t speak to each other much beyond Addison asking her to accomplish specific work.
When the last customer filtered out at closing time, Ella exhaled and tried to think of something to say. She was crouching at the back of the shop, out of sight of the door and behind all the bookshelves, dusting some larger art pieces that sat on the floor. The work was physically tiring, but it grounded her in her body, something she needed considering the swirl of emotions that had threatened to consume her at the start of the day. Her emotions had settled, but her concerns remained. Addison was as vulnerable as ever to those who would lead her down the wrong path. How could Ella guide her now without creating a divide between the two of them?
The door chime tinkled and Ella glanced toward it, even though she couldn’t see who’d entered the shop. The familiar voice, however, sent a chill through her entire body and she froze in place.
“Addison, I’m glad to catch you alone. Is this a good time to talk?” Anthea sounded calm and confident. Ella imagined her standing there with a smile on her face and hand on her hip.
“I’m closed. Sorry.” Addison’s response was terser than Ella had ever heard her.
“It’ll only take a minute and it’s important.”
There was a long pause and Ella thought she heard a sigh. “I suppose I should probably let you have your say. After all, I’ve heard one side, but I haven’t heard yours. It’s only fair that you get the opportunity to tell me what you want from me.”
“I appreciate that.” There were footsteps and Ella peered around the shelves that kept her from view of the doorway. She could see Addison behind the counter and a hand resting atop it from the opposite side. It must have been Anthea’s. “I’m sure Ms. Ella has told you everything she thinks you need to know about witches and, in particular, our coven here in Winslow.”
Addison didn’t so much as glance in Ella’s direction, but she had to know the faerie godmother was still there. “She may have explained some things.”
“But not all of the things. She only has perspective from one side, right? That’s the side that doesn’t like us. The thing is, no one likes witches. They think we’re always poisoning apples to do away with the competition and bewitching people into falling in love with us, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“Then tell it like it is, starting with why you want me to join your coven so badly.” Addison still didn’t sound or look hostile, just mildly curious the way she tilted her head so her hair fell in waves over her bare arm.
“Oh, it’s not about me or even the coven,” Anthea demurred. Ella clenched her teeth. This conversation was going a lot like the one she’d had with Addison that morning. “It’s about you and being true to yourself. You can’t go through life denying what you are. It won’t feel right. Do you know what I mean?”
Addison nodded, her lips pursed as if she was mulling over Anthea’s statement. “And the only way to be true to myself is to join your coven?”
“Of course not, but think about this magic you have, power over the creation of all things! Do you know how many witches would trade their casting hand for something like that?” Now, Anthea leaned over the counter, so Ella could see her face in profile. “Nearly all of them. You can make life happen! Something from nothing is a power you shouldn’t squander, not when you can use it for the good of the world.”
“I see, so feeding the hungry, perhaps? Maybe I can make food grow in places where they have none?”
“Now you’re thinking about the possibilities.” Anthea’s voice softened to an almost-purring cadence. “All you need is to be trained up properly, to make the most of the gift the goddess has given you. We can help you do that and, with you as part of our coven, we can carry out our mission to make this world a better place for those who need it.”
Ella leaned back behind the shelves and closed her eyes. Everything Anthea said sounded noble and all, but she still felt an undercurrent of menace, something she couldn’t put her finger on no matter how hard she tried. It was like the times Raven would complain that some guy was “creeping on them” when they walked down the street. It didn’t seem dangerous, but there was still a sense of discomfort associated with the person’s behavior.
“I’ll think about it,” was Addison’s measured response. It betrayed nothing about her true thoughts or intentions, and Ella tensed with frustration.
“That’s all I ask.” Anthea knocked on the countertop three times and then Ella heard her footsteps moving toward the door. The chime rang when she exited. After a heartbeat, another set of footsteps followed, and Ella heard the lock click into place.
“You can come out, now.”
Ella rose to her feet and looked over the shelves at Addison. She wrung the dusting cloth between both hands and tried to think of something to say. “That was weird.”
“Yeah, it was.” Addison had her arms folded over her chest and she was rubbing her hands up and down her biceps as if she had goosebumps.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m just a little chilly. I don’t know how else to explain it. Something feels...” Addison tilted her head again, eyes narrowed. “Familiar, but also off about her. Does that make sense?”
Ella nodded and let her breath out slowly between her lips. It sounded like Addison wasn’t in any danger of choosing Anthea or her coven. Still, Ella knew she couldn’t let her guard down for a moment. She stopped twisting the rag and approached the counter to offer it to Addison.
“I think that was kind of awkward for both of us,” Ella said, “but you’re right. She gives me the chills, too.”
She glanced at the glass door and the town beyond. It was not quite dusk outside, but the late summer sun melted away a little more quickly as the days passed. Even though Ella wasn’t hungry, she would have to make sure Addison got more food. Their brief, late lunch break had been hours ago, and Ella knew a human—correction, witch— couldn’t go long without eating.
“Why don’t we get some dinner and talk about it?” she suggested. “But only if you want to.”
“I definitely want the dinner part, but why don’t we go to my place tonight?” The corner of Addison’s mouth quirked up into a half-smile and her entire expression brightened. “Maybe you can stay the night and we don’t have to worry about having an audience.”
“Technically, they couldn’t have been an audience, because we have spells that...” Ella trailed off and grimaced.
Addison looked at her sideways from beneath her lashes. “But you aren’t witches?”
“One of these days, I’ll tell you everything,” Ella said, clasping her hands in front of her chest and giving Addison what she hoped was a sincere look of contrition, “but, for now, can I at least walk you home? You don’t have to let me in or have dinner with me. All I want is to know that you’re safe.”
Ella had never meant anything more in her life, and when Addison extended her hand, Ella took it with relief warming her body from head to toe. They walked to the door and Addison unlocked it, tugged her outside, then flicked her fingers in a little circle. The lock turned and latched back into place, and Addison gave her a satisfied little smile.
“Did you just... use magic?” Ella tried not to gape at her like a fish out of water.
“I did, though that was pretty basic. Even though my mother didn’t think I had any talents, I was always able to do simple household things and a bit of kitchen witchery.”
“Well, I’m sure we can do better than a basic witch, can’t we?” The voice came from behind them, and Ella tightened her hand around Addison’s as they both turned. Anthea and her two friends stood in the quiet street, looking like something out of a 1990s horror movie.
Ella moved to stand in front of Addison, that protective instinct taking over as it had in the park. No one—fae, shifter, or witch—would get to Addison. Not on her watch.
Anthea tittered and glanced back at her coven mates. “Isn’t that cute? The fluffy bunny thinks she can trick us again with her powers, but not this time.”
The three witches raised their hands and, in the blink of an eye, a dome of sizzling purple energy contained them. A shield, Ella realized, to protect them from her powers. As a faerie godmother, she couldn’t imagine a less dangerous race than her own. Witches were the ones to fear, not her kind!
Except, well, she had knocked them on their asses, as Raven put it. So maybe it was good that they were afraid of Ella after taunting her. She stood as straight as she could, forced a laugh, and pointed at the dome.
“As if that could stop me.”
The truth was, she didn’t know exactly how her power measured up when compared to a witch’s—or three—but she had a feeling she was about to find out.
Before she could think of her next move, however, Addison stepped out from behind her and said, “I’m sorry. Did you forget something?”
“Yeah, I forgot to tell you that I knew your little girlfriend was in there listening.” Anthea shrugged. “Look, she’s going to tell lies. Lots of them, in fact, but the truth is she needs you in ways she won’t ever fully explain. Us? We actually want you to join us, Addison. We’re here because we care.”
“Because you care about me or about this?” Addison lifted her hands to the sky and the hairs on Ella’s arms stood up in the brisk wind that now sluiced down the street. The world spun, the earth beneath her feet churned, and even as she scrambled back to brace herself against the shop, the three witches went flying. Their bodies winked out of sight, one after another, Anthea’s expression going from wide-eyed shock to a smug smile before she disappeared.
Ella dragged her gaze back down to the street where an enormous cactus had somehow exploded up through the pavement. The sudden emergence of life in the middle of town was a true testament to the strength of Addison’s powers and Ella knew her fellow faerie godmothers had been right to fear that power.
Especially when Addison pushed that cactus back down into the ground, into the nothingness it’d come from, to make everything look new again.
Addison turned to Ella and said, “Yeah, I think we’d better have a long talk tonight. Don’t you?”