by M. J. Caan
Torie nodded, just as the wail of the ambulance siren made its way to their less sensitive ears.
“This will be big news in town,” said Jasmin. “We’ll be around.”
“I know you will,” Max said as they made their way to Jasmin’s SUV and pulled away just as the ambulance came to a screeching halt at the scene.
“What a shame,” said Jasmin, shaking her head as they continued down the mountain.
“Did he have family?” asked Torie.
“I don’t really know. It wasn’t like we were friends or anything. He put in appearances, and was well liked, but at the same time was a loner. Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about him that you couldn’t find out on his website.”
“But he’s human, right? And he knew about the sub-community in Singing Falls?”
Jasmin nodded. “He was an ally. He believed in maintaining a peaceful co-existence between the humans and supernaturals. His voice will be missed.”
They made the rest of the trip in silence, each sad at the loss of someone they really didn’t know.
Fionna was saving them seats at Jim’s Bakery, two saucers with cranberry and blueberry scones sat on the small coffee table surrounded by three leather chairs. Torie took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of flour, fresh baked bread, and sweetness of all kinds that always permeated the interior of the bakery.
“Oh, you guys,” Fionna said as they approached. “I got your text. Are you okay?” She gave each of them a hug.
“We’re alright,” said Jasmin. “Better than the mayor, that’s for sure.”
“So did Max have any idea what happened?”
“None at all,” said Torie. “It was really strange.” She looked around, setting her purse in her chair. “I”m going to grab a coffee. Jasmin, can I get you one? Another for you, Fionna? Sorry about you having to wait so long for us.”
“No, don’t even think about it. And I’m fine, thanks.”
“I’ll have one of whatever you’re having,” said Jasmin.
A quick trip to the counter and Torie was back, catching the end of Jasmin’s remark to Fionna.
“Really, Fionna, I don’t think that is what the town is going to be focused on right now.”
“Why not? I’m sure I won’t be the first one to think about it.”
“What are we thinking about?” asked Torie, setting the two cups of espresso down.
“Fionna is worried about the First Eve Festival and if it will still be held,” said Jasmin.
“What’s that?”
They both stared at her before Fionna’s eyes grew as wide as her smile.
“That’s right. You’ve never been here for First Eve! It’s a weeklong festival that the town throws every year. It’s great; all the shops on main street decorate their storefronts and stay open late to offer samples of their wares. Main Street gets blocked off for sidewalk artists to set up booths as well. There’s candy, games, food…so much food! But the best thing of all has to be the chocolate contest.”
Torie eyed her suspiciously as the squirrel shifter’s eyes rolled back in her head. “I’ll have to take your word for it.” She laughed happily as she took a sip of her coffee.
“No, seriously, it’s the best. You think the sweets here at Jim’s are tasty, just wait till you try the ones at the festival. The chocolate competition is open to anyone who wants to enter. You should enter since—” She stopped, glancing at Jasmin.
“Since what?” Torie asked.
Fionna squirmed but didn’t answer. Torie looked at Jasmin, arching her eyebrows.
“Well, the winner from the previous year not only gets the best table—front and center—at the contest, but they also get to be the official opener of the festival, along with the mayor.”
“Okay,” said Torie, “still don’t see why I should enter.”
“Well, your mother won last year. So you would be continuing the tradition. It’s kind of a big honor,” said Jasmin.
Torie didn’t say anything as she sipped her espresso. She could sense Jasmin giving Fionna a disapproving look and quickly smiled at her friends.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s nice knowing that my mother was such a bastion of the community here. I just hope that one day I can live up to her reputation. But I don’t think creating chocolate confections will be how I do it.” She noticed that Fionna still wasn’t looking at her, so she reached over and placed a hand on her friend’s knee. “Hey, really. I’m okay. But tell me, why is it called the First Eve celebration? What is the meaning behind it?”
“Well,” said Fionna, perking up, “officially, it’s the anniversary of the town’s founding, when it was established way back in the days of yore.”
“Days of yore? Really?” said Jasmin. “You know that was only a little over a hundred years ago, right? I mean, there are shifters in town who probably remember that night. You make it sound like it was a millennia ago.”
“Whatever. That’s the official reason.”
Torie could tell by the way she said it that she was waiting to be asked more.
“And the unofficial reason?”
Fionna’s eyes glittered and she leaned in close to the other two women.
“It’s the night that a human male and his pregnant wife were traveling through the area and became lost in a storm. They wandered into the woods and would have died if not for a family of fox shifters who took pity on them. They approached the family in human form and led them to shelter, bringing them food and water. The woman was too weak to continue the trek north, so the shifters suggested they stay with them, just until she was strong enough to continue.
“Then, they insisted she stay until the baby arrived. And by that point, the humans felt like they had found a new home and new friends. There was no need to move on.
“One by one, more human families moved into the little settlement, as well as more shifters. That’s how Singing Falls got its start as a tolerance-based community. We accept everyone and believe that everyone deserves a second chance.” She glanced at Jasmin, smiling.
Torie wasn’t sure what that was about but pretended like she didn’t see it.
“Well, that’s all very interesting,” she said, “but I don’t think I’ll be entering the contest.”
“If there even is one,” replied Fionna. “The mayor is the key figure and judge in the celebration. Without him, I wonder if the town will even hold the festival.”
Torie didn’t say anything as she resumed sipping her drink. Then her eyes widened as she remembered something.
“Fionna, what was it that you had to tell us? You said you had news you wanted to share.”
“Yes, what was it that had you all worked up?” asked Jasmin.
Fionna had a sheepish look on her face.
“It seems so silly now. Especially in light of what just happened with the mayor,” she said.
“Oh nonsense,” said Jasmin. “Go ahead. Tell us.”
Fionna pursed her lips then leaned in, eyebrows arched, like she was about to divulge the greatest secret in existence.
“Okay. I’m going to be having a birthday party!”
She delivered the news and sat back quickly into her chair, hands clasped together in excitement.
Torie blinked. “That’s it? You’re having a birthday party?”
Before she could continue, Jasmin was on her feet, wringing her hands in amazement as her face lit up in delight. She grabbed Fionna and gave her an enthusiastic hug.
“Girl, yes! I am so happy for you!”
Torie was all for birthday celebrations, but something about this seemed a little off from what she was used to.
“Am I missing something?” she asked.
Jasmin beamed, her smile lighting up the coffee shop. “She is celebrating her birthday! Do you know how big this is?”
Fionna rolled her eyes. “Of course she doesn’t. How could she know?” They both sat down and stared at Torie before Fionna continued. “Shifters d
on’t have birthdays. That’s a human tradition.”
Torie was genuinely confused at this point. “What do you mean you don’t have a birthday? Everyone has a birthday.”
“Technically, yes. Obviously, I know that I was born. But I don’t know what day. It isn’t something that a shifter celebrates because there is no meaning tied to it for us.”
“So, if you don’t celebrate your birthday, or know when it is, how do you know how old you are?” asked Torie.
Fionna shrugged. “I have no idea how old I am.”
“And why have you chosen to adopt this human tradition now?” asked Jasmin.
“It was Glen’s idea. She is really keen on me having a special day dedicated just to me. She has asked me to consider it for years, and now, lately, I’ve decided why not? Each year I am with her I’m reminded that, while we aren’t promised forever, I can’t imagine a future without her. So, if making me celebrate the passing of another year successfully makes her happy, then it makes me happy too.”
Jasmin clapped her hands wildly. “I am so happy to hear that. Of course, it could also mean that you’re taking one more step towards embracing life with humans a little more.”
“Well, considering I’m practically married to one, I don’t see how it could hurt. But anyway, that was my news. Kind of pales in comparison to what you guys just experienced.”
“Well, a dead mayor does not take precedence over a best friend’s first birthday!” said Jasmin. “We are throwing you a birthday party. When have you decided your birthday will be?”
“Two Saturdays from tomorrow. It will be the day before the kickoff to the Festival.”
“This will be so much fun,” said Jasmin. “You leave everything to us. You just show up and be ready for an amazing evening.”
Torie smiled as she watched her two friends. The fact that they were experiencing so much joy over a yearly event that she had come to dread, told her she still had some baggage to unpack over her own ideas around age. She might not like marking the passage of time, but she couldn’t imagine not having that day to dread.
She caught Jasmin giving her a questioning look out of the corner of her eye, but before she could say anything, she saw the front door to the bakery swing open as Max entered the building. He scanned the room before setting his dark eyes on the three women and then made his way over to them.
“Hi, Max,” said Jasmin. “Please tell us you found out what happened with the mayor.”
He shifted his weight from one leg to the other before reaching into his pocket.
“I did find something, just not sure what it means.”
He withdrew a folded piece of paper and placed it on the coffee table in front of them.
Written on the paper in red ink was a single name, and underneath that, a phone number.
The name was Torie Bliss; underneath was her cell phone number and address.
“Would you happen to know why the dead mayor of Singing Falls had your name and contact information in his pocket, Torie?”
3
Torie looked genuinely dumbfounded. She stared at the piece of crumpled paper, then swept her eyes from Jasmin to Fionna and back to the paper.
“I have no idea. I didn’t even know the town had a mayor until Jasmin told me who he was.”
“And yet, he has your personal information with him. Could it be that he was on his way to see you? His car was facing north after all, which would suggest that he was headed up the mountain.”
“Max,” said Jasmin, “why are you trying to make a connection where there is none? She already said she didn’t know the guy.”
Max leveled his gray eyes at the women. “Because I basically tampered with evidence to get this before anyone at the coroner’s office found it on him. I’m risking this badge bringing it to you. I’m not your enemy here, but I need you to keep me in the loop with whatever the three of you may be up to.”
Torie rolled her eyes in exasperation. “We aren’t up to anything, Max. We were on our way here to meet Fionna and we happened to drive past a car accident. We stopped to see if there was anything we could do to help, and well, you know the rest.”
“So, unless you’re trying to say Torie had something to do with the mayor’s accident, then you need to be on your way,” said Jasmin. She stood, hand on hips, as she met the werewolf’s steely gaze. “Honestly, I have half a mind not to invite you to Fionna’s birthday party for this.”
Max looked over at Fionna, eyebrows arched. “Birthday? Really?”
She smiled and nodded. “It will be my first, so I want to share it with all my friends.”
Max seemed a little startled by her words. “And you consider me one of your friends?”
Fionna laughed. “Of course, silly. How many times have you saved our lives? Yes, you are my friend.”
“Okay, to be honest it’s probably about even in the life saving department,” said Jasmin. “But right now, you need to get back to the investigation with the mayor and let us know what you find out.” She saw the quizzical look Max gave her and sighed deeply. “Fine. We will also let you know if we find out anything as well.”
“How’s Elric?” asked Max, turning to Torie.
“He’s fine. He’s going to help me pick out furniture for the house. Then I’m having a big dinner for everyone to break the place in.”
Jasmin and Fionna looked at one another, eyes lighting up at the same time.
“I have a great idea,” said Jasmin. “Why don’t you host Fionna’s birthday party? Your place is big enough for any size gathering, and you can consider it a housewarming party as well.”
Torie thought for a moment. “Sounds good, but I don’t want to steal anything from Fionna’s special day. I don’t want it to be about anything other than her.”
Fionna waved her hand, shooing Torie’s words away. “Oh no worries. I’ve never had a birthday, so I don’t know what to expect. Plus, I’m dying to see what you and Elric are going to do to y’all’s place.”
The fact that she referred to it as being ‘theirs’ didn’t escape Torie, but she didn’t say anything. She just smiled and nodded. Truth be told, thinking of it as theirs did bring a warm, fluttering feeling to her stomach. She eyed Max sheepishly.
“Well, we’ll see about all that. But yes, I would love to host,” she said. She furrowed her brows. “I’m just not sure that I’ll be able to get the furniture picked out and delivered by then.”
“Of course you can. I gave you the name of my designer. She can get it done, just give her a call. I mean, it won’t be cheap; but it will be worth it,” said Jasmin.
Torie stood up, finishing off her coffee. “In that case, I should probably get going.” She turned to Max. “Let us know if we can help with the investigation involving the mayor. I really would love to know why he had my contact information.”
“You and me both,” said Max.
“Torie, if you’re going to have guests over, we need to finish our own special project at your house,” added Jasmin. Her voice was deliberately cryptic and triggered something in Torie.
“Oh yeah. Let’s head back to my place and get that over with.”
Fionna said nothing, and Max gave them both a questioning look before offering a shrug.
“Say hi to Elric for me,” he said. “And I’ll call you later to let you know if I find anything.”
With that he was gone, making his way out of the bakery to his black and blue SUV that doubled both as his personal and work vehicle.
“Okay, well, you two go off and do whatever witchy work you have to do,” said Fionna. “I’ve shopping to do for dinner tonight. Glen is sleeping off a double so she will be starving when she wakes. I’ll talk to you later.”
They all stood with the shifter and made their way out to the sidewalk in front of the building where they exchanged hugs and well wishes. Fionna headed off, digging into her pocket to review a shopping list, while Torie and Jasmin headed back to Jasmin’s car.
&n
bsp; “So,” said Torie, “are we headed for the mayor’s house?”
“What? No, we are going back to your new place to finish blessing it. What did you think I was talking about?”
Torie pursed her lips. “I thought maybe you were hinting that we were going to go nose around the mayor’s place to see what we could find.”
“Girl, why are you so nosey?” Jasmin laughed. “I really did mean we need to finish up at your place.”
Torie smiled and nodded as she climbed into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt.
“But then, I was thinking it wouldn’t hurt to head over to the mayor’s house and see if we could dig up anything that might help Max.”
Torie broke into a smile and looked at her friend.
Jasmin rolled her eyes, started up the car and backed it out into the street.
“But you’re still nosey,” she said, not looking over at her friend.
“So, tell me again, what is the purpose of this?” asked Torie.
The two witches were standing in the great room of her new house, just below where the two staircases joined to form the loft area of her home. Torie had consulted Jasmin in the building of the house, and Jasmin had instructed her and her architect to make it the center most point of the home, a spot that was equidistant from all other points in the massive house.
“Look, after everything that has happened since you moved to town, I think you need to make sure you are as protected as possible,” said Jasmin. “For whatever reason, you attract trouble unlike anyone I’ve ever known. The fact that your last home was practically demolished by a fight between werewolves, shifters and a hunter are proof that we need to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. This is a brand-new build, no residual energy from previous owners and it hasn’t had time to observe any latent energy that resides in the earth around here.
“It’s a blank canvas. Perfect for installing apocalypse level shields and repellants.”
“Repellants?”
“Yes. Think of them as industrial strength wards. On steroids. You know why the great pyramids have lasted so long? They are stone that has been reinforced by spell and ritual for hundreds of years. We are going to use those same reinforcements on your house. To keep those unwanted terrors that seem to be attracted to you at bay.”
