by Kiki Howell
Paige crossed her arms as she entered the kitchen where all three of her living roommates, as well as the ghost, gossiped.
Ember noticed her first. “Oh, thank God. Are you done so we can sleep now?”
The heat flaring in her cheeks might have been anger, but she knew it wasn’t. “Not right that a doctor wants me?”
Summer shook her head. “Not right to go from ‘hi, how you doing?’ to multiple orgasms. I think you two make a great couple, but I worry about the effects of the spell, what harm it can do.”
“There is no harm,” she insisted.
“It’s harming my sleep,” Gwen snapped. “Can you at least control the volume after midnight?”
Again she flushed. “Yes, I can. I’m sorry.”
Gwen headed for the stairs, but Summer and Geoffrey remained. Summer took her hands. “Think about this, what does it cost him and is it fair? I’m happy for you, Paige. I just want to be sure what you have will last.”
Paige pulled free. “It’s fine.”
She turned on her heel and Geoffrey appeared in her path. “She’s trying to help.”
Sighing loudly, she agreed. “Yes, I know, yeesh.” She climbed the stairs and opened her door to find Jose sitting up in bed, a hand to his head.
“What? Paige? Where are we?” He looked around and paled. “Oh, no...Paige, if we... We need to keep this secret. If the school found out that I was with a current student, it could get me suspended.”
Paige sat beside him on the edge of the bed. “Why? We’re both adults.”
“I’ve been reprimanded before, for favoritism. Another student, like you. Just, promise you won’t tell anyone.”
Paige nodded, hearing Summer’s words echo in her ears.
He rubbed his temples and eyes. “How did we get here? Yesterday...why can’t I remember yesterday?” Pulling his hands down slowly, she saw the terror in his wide eyes. “No, no, no. Did I skip the Health Assessment lecture?” He covered his face again. “This is terrible.”
Paige bent over to scoop up his clothes. “Maybe you should go. Things will be better in the morning.”
“Yeah, can’t be late,” he muttered, pulling on his plants. “Bad enough.” His shirt muffled the rest of that thought. Only when he reached the door did he look at her. “I’m sorry, Paige. I like you, really, and tonight was mind-blowing.” Hand returning to his head, he added, “Literally. Maybe next year?”
She gave him a wry smile. “Sure, next year.”
He slipped out and she looked to the ankh. In a swift move, she tossed it atop the stones and closed the box on her dresser. Tomorrow she would have to cast the counter spell, but if taking off the ankh had loosened the spell, it should be contained now.
Curling up on her bed, she let the tears pool in her eyes and brim over.
PAIGE PULLED THE SHEETS straight on Master Charles’ bed. Tucking it between sheet and mattress, she left lavender leaves as she had in the lady’s bed. For her, the intent was to soothe and relax her anger. In his case, it was passion she hoped to dampen.
“Jane? You know why your tricks aren’t working, don’t you?” The same old slave woman, Eunice, stood in the doorway.
“They aren’t tricks. Lavender is well known for relaxing the mind and aiding sleep. The lady even puts it in her tea at night.” Paige arranged the blanket and pillows, avoiding the woman.
“It is because you are of two minds. You want him with his wife, as he should be, but you like his attentions.” Thrusting out a hip, she set her hand on it. “I’ve seen it before, girl. Hell, I remember it myself.”
Paige finally stepped away from the bed. “You?” She arched an eyebrow.
“Not with a white man, but a married one. I was young and beautiful once, a long time ago.” She smoothed her skirt over her hip and scowled at Paige’s expression.
Realizing she was broadcasting her skepticism, she smoothed her features. “What do you advise?”
“Not doing anything that might be deemed heretical. Adultery is bad enough without adding witchcraft to it.” Paige shuddered at the thought of the gallows and public shaming in the stocks. “This will pass. He’ll find another to prey upon. You must look to your own future.”
“Future.” That picture was as bleak as the one before. Maybe another house, another master, but always the work, the beatings. “I don’t have a future, just more present.”
Flicking her ear, Eunice chided her, “Stop whining, child. There are many slaves with worse lots than you. Now go on before I give the mistress a reason to beat you.”
“She doesn’t need one,” Paige muttered, leaving the room.
Chapter Seven
PAIGE SLEPT LATE through her alarm. It didn’t really surprise her; she’d had a long and active night. It did mean she didn’t get a chance to cast the counter spell before rushing off to class. The ankh remained in the box, so hopefully the magic would be lessened. She couldn’t afford to miss class in any case.
Her roommates had all left, so only Geoffrey roamed the entry, standing on the magic hot spot. “You really like it there.”
“Not like, exactly. You’re in a hurry.”
“Yeah, gotta run. Let the others know I’m really sorry about last night and it won’t happen again.” She bent to tie her shoe.
“You can tell them,” the ghost reminded her.
“Yeah, well, if you see them first.”
“He followed you home.”
Paige froze with her hand on the door. “Jose? I brought him home. You were here.”
“Not him, the other one. Ben?”
“What?” Her brain must still be sluggish. “Ben...followed us?”
Geoffrey nodded. “That’s right. I saw him outside when you came in. You didn’t see him?”
She shook her head. “Must have been preoccupied with... Well, yeah, I was totally preoccupied.” Tossing her head put the wall clock in her field of vision. “Shit, I’m so late. Thanks Geoffrey.” Bolting out the door, she raced toward the university. She wished, not for the first time, that she had a bicycle. “I’m going to check Craigslist tonight,” she muttered as she opened doors and ran toward the lecture hall.
Class had already begun, but another check of the time told her she was less than ten minutes late. Sliding quietly into a seat at the back, she flipped open her notes.
Jose paused and stared at her.
“Oh, fuck.”
Then he blinked and went back to the lecture. Tension flowed out of her and she thought she might slip off her chair to the floor.
Scanning the seats, she found Eunice and Ben, in their usual spot, a seat saved for her. Oh well, she’d explain to them later. Right now, she had to focus on nursing in the 21st century.
At the end of class, she made her way to Eunice and Ben, carefully avoiding crossing paths with Jose to get there.
“Hey, Ben, can I get your notes this time? I slept through the alarm.”
He wasn’t smiling, which made him look strange and unfamiliar. “Yeah, sure.” He didn’t say anything else and the silence felt awkward. She hurried to finish copying what she’d missed.
“Thanks.”
“Whatever.” He shouldered past Eunice and out of the theatre.
Paige grabbed Eunice’s before she could take off. “Wait,” she said, flicking her eyes to Jose, who was still packing up.
“Why? So I can watch you cuddle up to Dr. Gonzales?” She crossed her arms across her chest.
Blinking several times, she tried to decide if Eunice was angry with her. “No, to help me avoid him.”
Eunice relaxed. “Oh, okay. Something go wrong yesterday? You told me you’d stick to public places.”
Jose left by another door, to Paige’s relief. She sank into a seat, the weight of her mistake physically landing on her shoulders. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean everything went smoothly.” She tried not to remember his panic and rush to leave in the wee hours.
Her friend took the next chair over. “Oh, I’m sorry, Paige. I kn
ow you really liked him. Don’t let it get you down. Plenty of fish in the sea. I’m sure you can find one a little easier to catch and hang onto.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t that bad. He just...can’t be with a student. Maybe we can try again next year.” She muttered the last, knowing that once she broke the spell, he wouldn’t think about her again. Although, given his performance today, and how he was leaving the room without talking to her, she might not have to cast the severing spell. Then there was that dream last night. If she did cast it, it probably wouldn’t work. She still wanted him.
“There you go. Buck up. You look like you need a coffee.” Eunice offered her hand, pulling Paige to her feet.
“In the worst way.”
OVER THE NEXT WEEK, Paige avoided nearly everyone. Ember seemed legitimately scared whenever she was around. Gwen and Summer kept asking if she needed any help, with the spell, and lying to them both killed her appetite and any chance she had of thinking about something other than Jose.
Jose seemed to be fine, but Paige steered clear of him, just to be sure. She had even popped into his Health Assessment class just long enough to see that he was there, lecturing as normal. Of course, his eyes went straight to her when she opened the door, so she ducked out again as quickly.
Ben was still acting weird. She hadn’t heard him crack a joke since Christmas. In fact, she tried to recall him saying more than two words to her and came up short. He wasn’t avoiding her, but he certainly wasn’t looking to spend time with her either.
Eunice was her only touchstone. Her friend kept her company when studying into the night, at lunch and supper. Anything to avoid home and the guilt she found there. Being a good friend, Eunice noticed the change.
“Hey, what’s up? If you need to move, we should start looking. Maybe I can scrape together enough to room with you.”
Paige looked up from the notes she’d been trying to read with little success. “What?”
“Well, you’re avoiding the house, so I figured something went down with your roommates.” She set her chin in her palm. “They kicking you out?”
“No.” Could she move? Would that solve at least some of her problem? “No, we’re just...arguing right now. They want me to...take care of the trash, and I will, but I don’t want them harping on me every time I walk in the door, y’know?”
Eunice lifted one eyebrow. “Garbage? That excuse is garbage, Paige. I believe you’re arguing and I’m not surprised you’re being stubborn about whatever it is, but I know it ain’t a chore.”
Paige nodded. “You’re right. That’s not it. But I can’t move out, either. There’s...” the magic. She couldn’t tell Eunice, but she needed her roommates to pursue any more magic. Despite having this spell go so awry, she did want that. The power was always there, just waiting for her to reach for it. What could she say? “Well, I agreed to foot my chunk of the rent for the year.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Not that I don’t love spending all this time with you, but you should go home and sort it out.” Eunice put a hand on her shoulder. “Get it done, or you’ll never be able to rest and concentrate properly.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She started packing up her books. “Eunice? Do you still talk to Ben?”
“Of course. We don’t have intellectual sparring matches, but he lets me know how he’s doing.”
“How is he doing? It seems like I never see him.” Paige frowned and traced a doodle on her notebook with her finger.
“Well, seeing you and the handsome doctor wasn’t his best day ever.” Eunice collected her things. “He’s still sorting it out.”
“Sorting what out?”
Eunice sighed and put a hand on her hip. “Seriously? You’ve never figured out that he likes you?”
Paige froze in place. “No, we’re friends, just like you and him are friends.”
After a little snort, Eunice explained, “We’re not just friends either. We’re cousins. Second cousins, but still.”
Thinking over the previous semester, Paige reflected on her many encounters and escapades with Ben. They’d laughed together until they cried and chased away the nerves that came with exams. He’d been the star of the Halloween party as Chewbacca. On her birthday, he’d made sure that she didn’t stop to think about how far from home she was. But romance? She didn’t see it.
Eunice relaxed a bit. “Don’t stress, Paige. He’ll move on. It just hurt, being passed over, y’know?”
“I guess.” It should be a familiar feeling, the one she got before Jose became obsessed with her.
Shifting her books, Eunice squeezed Paige’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Go home and straighten things with your roommates. You only have to see Ben a couple hours a day. You have to live with them.”
Paige nodded and after a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other. She had stayed out late enough that the house was silent when she opened the door. The inevitable conversations would have to wait until morning. Geoffrey appeared at the top of the staircase once she started to climb.
“Just checking it was you,” he said, turning to return to Summer. He stopped on second glance. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, kinda. Apparently, this spell not only put Dr. Gonzales’ job at risk, it also lost me a friend.” Paige opened the door to her room and Geoffrey followed her in.
“Ben is upset. Because you got together with the doctor. That makes sense.”
Paige wanted to scream. “Was I the only one that didn’t see?” Her words came in a hoarse whisper as she tried to keep her voice down. “Anyways, I don’t think I can reverse it.”
“But Summer and Gwen said they would help.” He scratched his head. “You said that meant more power.”
She shook her head and put it in her hands, elbows braced on knees. “I’m too conflicted. Jane’s spell didn’t work for that reason. As long as part of me wants to be with Jose, I can’t break the spell.”
Geoffrey put a ghostly hand on her shoulder. She was surprised to be able to feel it. It wasn’t quite solid, just tingly. For a second, she imagined what it must be like for Summer to be in love with him and not able to touch one another, not really. “Maybe there’s another way,” he suggested. “Mary tried to make me love someone else. That might work.”
Paige swallowed the lump in her throat and choked on a sob. “Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Geoffrey.”
He bowed his head to her. “I’m here to help if I can. I’ll tell Summer about the spell.”
“Yes, please, and ask her not to bug me about it so much? I feel horrible for not being able to do it. So bad, I haven’t had the courage to tell her why.”
The ghost gave a snort, which startled Paige. It wasn’t a sound she associated with him. “It shouldn’t have been scary at all. She’s the one that walked into the magic. It makes her feel obligated to guide each of you. If anything, she’s feeling guilty for not talking you out of that spell in the first place. She’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Geoffrey.” She yawned. “I’m going to try to sleep now.”
“Maybe you’ll find some answers there.” He patted her knee and floated out through the door.
Paige didn’t bother taking off her clothes. She curled up atop her blankets and tried not to cry.
PAIGE FROZE IN PLACE. Lydia held a sachet of lavender in her hand.
“What is this?”
Swallowing, she pushed her fear away. “It’s lavender. I hoped it would help you sleep. The same as you put in your tea.”
“Is it? Then what is this?” She flipped the pouch over to reveal the symbol marked in black thread.
Paige licked her lips. “It must be from the rags I used. Part of a larger pattern.”
Lydia surged forward and twisted Paige’s arm up behind her. “You dirty, black witch! You are trying to kill me. You want my husband to yourself.”
Her shoulder seared and a little more torque would twist it right out of the socket, or maybe break her arm. “No, ma’am, I promise. I don’t want
him. He should be with you.”
Lydia pushed her away and she fell in a heap on the floor. “By God, he should. You have cursed him, and me, and yourself. You will burn, witch. I will see it.” She closed her fist around the sachet and stormed out.
As soon as the door closed, Paige jumped to her feet and ran to her tiny room at the back of the house. Bundling everything she owned onto a blanket, she tied it so she could carry it on her back. That done, she sprinted for the exit. Where could she go? Who would hide her?
“Eunice,” she murmured, thinking of the old slave. The hag had a place in another house, and Paige hurried toward it, banging on the door.
“What? Who is there at this hour?” Eunice opened the door and looked down at Paige cowering on her stoop. “Jane?”
“Please. She’s going to kill me. What can I do?”
Eunice clicked her tongue. “Well, come in here for now. We’ll sort you out and get you going in the morning.” She chivvied Paige into her small room and pointed to the bed. “Sleep. I’ll think while you do and when I wake you, we’ll have a plan.”
Paige hugged her, clinging to hope. “Thank you. Thank you.”
“Sleep girl, or you won’t survive the night.” Eunice patted her head before pushing her toward the mat.
Chapter Eight
RINGING BROUGHT HER out of restless sleep. That dream did not help her. Knowing when and where to run wasn’t an option. Well, it was, but it was terrible option. It would forfeit her tuition, her rent money, and she had nothing wherever she went. No, unlike Jane, she didn’t face a death sentence. She had to figure this out.
Summer sat at the table when Paige descended. Geoffrey lingered next to her. “Coffee’s fresh.”
“Thanks.” Paige filled a cup and sat down, staring into its black depths. “I’m sorry.”
Summer touched her hand on the mug. “I understand.”
With a sigh, she sat back in her chair. “I just...I was so sure I was doing it right. And in a way, I did. I mean, it worked.”
Summer set her mug down. “It worked too well.”
“Well, yeah, and then he tells me he can’t be with me. Cuz, if I’d known that before, I never would have tried the spell on him.” Paige interrupted her beans being spilled to sip the coffee. “And now I can’t undo it. I done fucked up.” She released the mug to cross her arms over her chest.
