Dead and Breakfast

by Lily Webb

  “Never mind, we’ll talk about that some other time. So, does this mean what I think it does?”

  I glanced at Jadis again, who nodded excitedly at me. Despite the pounding in my chest, I swallowed my fear. “Yeah, I think so. Jadis and I would like to come back to Kindred Spirits with you.”

  “Fantastic! Oh, this is great news!” Blair shouted, and I could’ve sworn I heard something popping and fizzling in the background, like she’d opened a bottle of champagne or something. “Excuse me, I, uh, knocked something over in my excitement. Anyway, Kiki’s going to jump over her broomstick when I tell her you’re finally coming home.”

  “No worries, but who’s Kiki? And what do you mean, ‘coming home?’”

  “Er, she’s your other aunt. You’ll meet her and see what I mean soon enough. Now, I’m leaving bright and early Sunday morning, so make sure you pack up everything you need and want to bring with you, and I’ll pick you girls up at your place on my way out of town. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, sounds good,” I said, though I had no idea how she knew where we lived. “We’ll see you then, I guess.”

  “I can’t wait. Have a good night, love.”

  “Yeah, you too, Blair. Bye,” I said and hung up.

  Jadis slammed her hands on the table, making me jump, and beamed at me. “Can you believe this?! We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Just me and you, hitting the open road like Thelma and Louise.”

  Though I shared her excitement to a certain extent, questions swirled in my head. Between Blair’s business and contact info not showing up online and her evasive answers to my questions, I had a feeling she was hiding a lot of things from me, but what and why? And what was I getting myself into?

  “Come on, let’s go home and get started packing,” Jadis said as she shot out of her chair and gathered up her things.

  “What about the rest of the band and your gear?”

  “Scarlet can handle it. There’s not much there, anyway. Come on,” Jadis said and tugged me out of my chair and the bar into the chilly evening air. But as we walked home, all I could think about was what was waiting for me in Starfall Valley — or if it even existed.

  There was only one way to find out.

  Chapter Three

  Sunday morning came faster than it had any right to. Jadis and I stayed up nearly all night Friday and Saturday scrambling to pack up everything we’d need; neither of us had any idea how long we might stay in Starfall Valley — it could be a day, it could be the whole season — so we didn’t know what to bring and what to leave behind.

  Understandably, Morgan and Summer didn’t initially approve of our impulsive decision to move, but thanks to some quick thinking by Jadis, our roommates relented when Jadis convinced Scarlet and Ira, the guitarists from her now-defunct band, to take over our share of the lease.

  The smell of freshly brewed coffee lured me out of my bedroom, and when I entered the kitchen downstairs, I found Jadis sitting at the table with a steaming mug in one hand and a series of tarot cards spread out on the table in front of her. The sun, which had barely risen, lit up the cards.

  “Morning reading?” I asked as I went to the cupboard for a mug.

  “Gotta start my day with coffee and clarity.”

  “And what are the spirits telling you today? That you’re about to make a terrible mistake?”

  “No, the opposite, actually,” Jadis said and picked up a card: The High Priestess. I could barely make it out from where I stood — not that it mattered since I didn’t have a clue what any of the cards meant, anyway — but I saw a woman wearing religious robes sitting between two pillars, the left black, the right white.

  “She looks awfully serious. What’s her deal?” I asked and filled my mug. Normally, I would’ve doctored my coffee up with copious amounts of cream and sugar, but given that I’d barely slept for two nights in a row, I wanted as pure a caffeine hit as I could get, so I left it black.

  “She’s not serious; she’s pensive. She tells us to go inside ourselves and listen to our intuition, to that voice deep inside us that tells us what we already know is right for us.”

  “Huh. Then maybe this won’t be a disaster,” I said and joined her at the table.

  “We’ll know soon enough. How’d you sleep?”

  “Terribly.”

  Jadis chuckled. “Me too. I kept waking up thinking I’d forgotten to pack something.”

  I sighed and slumped over the coffee mug, hoping just the smell of it wafting up would perk me up a bit. “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing here, Jadis? It’s so crazy.”

  “Nope, not at all, but that’s life, isn’t it? A series of risks guided by intuition.”

  “Maybe your life is, but not mine,” I said, and we laughed.

  “I dunno about that, sis. You’ve been living on a hope and a prayer for several months now. I don’t see how this is any different.”

  She had a point, though I didn’t want to admit it. “Fair enough. I have no idea what to expect.”

  “Neither do I, but that’s kind of what excites me about it, you know? It could be a total mess, or we could love it. Personally, I’m looking forward to spending some time in the mountains away from all the hustle and bustle.”

  “Yeah, but you’re naturally quiet. This kind of thing suits you perfectly.”

  Jadis shot me a shady look. “Don’t kid yourself, Selena. You’re just as reserved as I am. Why do you think we became such good friends? We’re practically twins.”

  “Yeah, minus the purple hair, penchant for screaming like a stuck pig into a microphone, and all your witchy hobbies.”

  “I’ll make you a believer someday, you mark my words. And you wouldn’t look half bad with purple locks yourself, you know,” she said and reached to pull on a strand of my shoulder-length brown hair. “I could dye it for you if you wanted.”

  “I think there’s more than enough change going on in my life, but thanks anyway,” I said and took a deep swig of the coffee. If I kept drinking it like that, by the time noon rolled around I’d probably be a wired, trembling mess from the caffeine, but I found it hard to care.

  “Offer still stands if you change your mind later. Anyway, I’m gonna go get cleaned up before Blair gets here. I can’t wait to meet her,” Jadis said and pushed back from the table. She gathered up her deck of cards in one hand and left her empty mug on the table.

  As a parting gesture of goodwill, I did the dishes for Morgan and Summer while I waited for Jadis to finish using the bathroom she and I shared. She rarely took long anyway, and I’d just finished loading the dishwasher when she came back into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her body and another wound up on her head.

  “It’s all yours,” she said. “That was nice of you to clean up.”

  I shrugged. “I figured it was the least I could do. God only knows what we’re unleashing on Morgan and Summer by bringing Scarlet and Ira in here.”

  “Believe it or not, they’re low key. Anyway, hurry and shower. Blair should be here any minute,” Jadis said and shooed me out of the kitchen and back upstairs.

  Truthfully, I’d been dragging my feet on purpose. I still couldn’t believe Jadis and I were about to make this crazy move, and I thought the longer it took me to get ready, the more likely it’d be that she’d change her mind and we could call the whole thing off — but no such luck.

  Knowing that Jadis wouldn’t hesitate to pound on the door for ten minutes straight if I took too long and wake up everyone else in the house, I showered as quickly as I could and left behind all my soaps and shampoos for the other girls. Given that I would soon live and work in a bed-and-breakfast, I doubted I’d need them, anyway.

  Back in my room, which was littered with boxes, I slipped into the leggings and sweater I’d left out so I’d have something to wear and finished toweling my hair dry. I looked around the room at all the boxes and sighed as the reality of the move set in. For better or worse, I was leaving Denver.

 
; Outside, a horn honked several times, and my heart leaped into my throat when I realized it could only be Blair.

  “Selena, she’s here! Wait until you see her car!” Jadis called from downstairs. Between her shouting and Blair honking, I didn’t doubt for a second Morgan and Summer were awake now. Sure enough, in a matter of seconds, they’d both emerged bleary-eyed and confused from their bedrooms down the hall.

  “Are you leaving?” Morgan asked as she pushed her wild red hair out of her face.

  “Yeah, I guess it’s time to go.”

  “Well, at least let us help you load up your things.”

  “I appreciate it, but you really don’t have to do that.”

  “We insist. Right, Summer?” Morgan asked, and though Summer looked like she would much rather have just gone back to bed, she shrugged and nodded.

  “Sure,” she mumbled.

  “Okay, then grab a box, I guess,” I said and picked one up myself. Together, we ambled our way carefully downstairs, and when I reached the open front door and saw the strange car that could only be Blair’s in the driveway, I nearly dropped the box.

  “What on Earth…?”

  Jadis burst out laughing from where she stood on the front porch. “See? I told you!”

  A long, boxy, metallic purple VW station wagon dating back probably to the 1970s sat sparkling in the driveway, and Blair’s unmistakable beaming face sat behind the wheel. She honked again and waved excitedly at me, then hopped out of the car and ran toward me in a flurry of black, flowing robes with her arms held wide.

  “Good morning, love,” she said and hugged me. I had to dodge the huge, floppy brim of her oversized round black hat to avoid losing an eye. When she released me, she reached for the box in my hands. “Here, let me take that for you.”

  I watched her carry the box back to the car and still couldn’t believe my eyes. A rack attached to the top was full of boxes of her own things, and though I wasn’t sure, it looked like there were a couple of broomsticks wedged among them. Realizing there wasn’t enough room for my box up there, Blair carried it to the back of the car and opened the trunk to place the box inside.

  She swished back up to me, her wrist bangles jangling, and made eye contact with Jadis. “Is this your friend who’s coming along?”

  “Yeah. Jadis, this is Blair. Blair, meet Jadis,” I introduced them. They shook hands and Jadis shot me a look that bordered on another round of hysterical laughter.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Blair said.

  “Likewise,” Jadis agreed.

  “Well, shall we get this show on the road, then? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” Blair said and headed for the stairs. “I assume the rest of your things are in your rooms?”

  “Yeah,” I said, dumbfounded as Blair nodded and trotted upstairs like she owned the place. Who was this strange woman, and why had she come breezing into my life like this?

  Jadis laughed at what I could only guess was an exasperated look on my face. “She’s so cool! Exactly the woman I aspire to be at her age,” she whispered to me as we followed Blair upstairs and showed her to our rooms. Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.

  The five of us spent the next half an hour loading the back of Blair’s VW with my and Jadis’ boxes and bags, and when everything was secure, Blair slammed the trunk shut and clapped her hands with a satisfied smile. “There, that’s that. Are we ready to go?”

  I shrugged. “As ready as we’ll ever be, I guess.”

  “All right, then. Say your goodbyes. I’ll wait in the car,” Blair said and winked at me before she climbed back into the driver’s seat. Her door slamming felt like a book closing on a part of my life. Jadis and I turned to Morgan and Summer.

  “I guess this is it for a while,” I said.

  “Yeah, guess so. I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” Morgan said while she stared at Blair. I could only imagine the thoughts that must’ve been going through her head about Jadis and me, but rather than deter me from leaving with Blair, it only made me want to go more.

  Maybe Jadis was right. Maybe a crazy break like this would be exactly what I needed to shake me out of the funk I’d fallen into. Besides, it wasn’t like Denver was going anywhere. I could always come back if things didn’t work out for me at Kindred Spirits.

  “Well, uh, good luck with everything. Let us know if you need anything or want us to send you something you forgot,” Morgan said.

  “Will do. Thanks for understanding,” I said and gave her a hug, though I didn’t think she understood at all. Thankfully, Summer seemed much less interested in the whole affair, and judging from the drowsy look on her fair-skinned face, she just wanted it to be over so she could go back to bed.

  “See you around,” Summer mumbled, and while Jadis said her goodbyes to the two of them, I climbed into the roomy, plush backseat of Blair’s car. Blair looked positively radiant in the rearview mirror, and she winked at me again.

  “I know it’s scary, but trust me, love, you won’t regret this,” she said.

  For more reasons than I could count, I hoped she was right, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it, so instead I swallowed back my reticence and nodded at her. Thankfully, Jadis saved us from any further awkward conversation when she climbed into the backseat beside me and buckled her seatbelt.

  “I’m ready whenever you are,” she said brightly.

  “Then let’s get flying. Buckle up, Selena,” Blair said and turned the key in the ignition. The car sputtered a few times before the engine turned over, which didn’t give me a good feeling about our travel prospects, so I made sure my seatbelt latched securely.

  Blair honked at Morgan and Summer before backing out of the driveway. Jadis and I waved one last time to our roommates, though neither of them seemed all that interested in us anymore. Blair flipped the radio on as we turned out onto the street, and the opening snare drum taps of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” poured out of the old speakers. “Oh, I love this song,” Blair said and turned the volume up as she sang along with Stevie Nicks like she was the sixth member of the band.

  Jadis reached across the seat to squeeze my hand with hers, and when I looked up at her, she beamed. She leaned over and whispered, “I can already tell we made the right choice,” and we shared a laugh.

  We wound our way out of Denver and into the mountains to a soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits, with Blair singing the whole way. Eventually, Jadis joined in, and though I hated both of them for it, I couldn’t resist for long either.

  Nearly an hour passed. We’d gone so far out of town up into the mountains I didn’t have a clue where we were anymore, nor did I care. The vistas were stunning — snow-capped mountains jutting from the earth and scratching at the sun all around us — and despite all the craziness surrounding the move, I was having a blast with Jadis and Blair, probably the most fun I’d had since I’d left Seattle.

  But when the song changed and the soft strumming of “Landslide” began, I worried I might break down into tears. As if she’d sensed the shift, Jadis squeezed my hand.

  “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. This one just gets me.” It wasn’t a lie; like the song suggested, I’d been terrified of changing. Since dropping out of school, I didn’t know who or what I was anymore. I’d built my entire life around pleasing my parents and doing what they expected me to do, but me leaving school was like a landslide that’d swept me away and suffocated me.

  Jadis smiled sadly at me. “No one’s immune from this song.”

  “Agreed!” Blair shouted from the front seat. “But we’re about to hit a bumpy patch of road, girls, so brace yourselves.”

  “What do you—” I started, but my words turned into a scream as Blair shifted the car into its highest gear and sharply turned the wheel in the valley's direction hundreds of feet below. A screech of metal pierced my ears as the car soared over the side of the mountain and its nose dropped forward. Instinctively, my eyes snapped shut and I scr
eamed until all the air in my lungs vanished, but the crushing impact I’d expected never came.

  Gingerly, I blinked my eyes open, and couldn’t believe what I saw… We were literally flying, bobbing along among the clouds as if the car weighed less than the air whipping around us. I had to be dreaming.

  “Sorry for the scare, but I knew you’d never believe this old heap of metal could fly if I told you ahead of time,” Blair apologized. My reflection in the rearview mirror looked like a ghost’s. All the color had drained from my face, and I still couldn’t catch my breath.

  “Why… Why didn’t you just…?”

  “Fly from the start? Well, I didn’t want all of Denver to know my little secret. We needed to get a bit out of town where no one would see us take off.”

  I had to be dreaming. There wasn’t any way on Earth that Blair’s ancient car could really fly; it broke all the laws of physics and everything I knew to be true. I stole a glance at Jadis, who was staring out the window at the clouds below us like an eager kid on a road trip.

  “Can you believe this?! Blair’s a witch! She’s a freakin’ witch, Selena!” Jadis squealed, but I didn’t share her enthusiasm. “It all makes sense now. I should’ve known! I told you magic was real!”

  “Who are you?!” I shouted at Blair. “This makes no sense!”

  “I’ve told you, love, I’m Aunt Bl—”

  “No, you’re not! I don’t have an aunt, I never have!” I interrupted. “I had an Uncle Bob, but he died after he drove his car off a cliff when I was—”

  My voice cut off as a realization struck me like Blair’s VW had run me over.

  Uncle Bob was alive, just differently. Mom and Dad always told me that my uncle had passed in a tragic accident in the middle of a foggy night, and now I knew that was probably true, but my uncle hadn’t really died; she’d been reborn as Blair and created a whole new life for herself in Starfall Valley.

  Blair smiled somberly at me in the rearview as comprehension dawned on me. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t want to tell you this way, but such is life. It’s true, you used to have an Uncle Bob, but now you have an Aunt Blair. Do you understand?”