The Kitchen Witch Switch

by Dawn Montgomery

  Brandon takes my wrist from the professor's hand and a cooling sensation instantly fills my veins, leaving me refreshed. “Why didn't you have the countercurse potion in here?” Brandon asks.

  “I made extras this morning and forgot them back in my office.” He grins at me. “To be honest, I expected it to be the same as every semester. No one would come up with anything, and everyone would just ignore the assignment since it didn't count toward the grade.”

  His statement confuses me. “You have advanced hopefuls every semester, though, right?”

  “There are two classes. This one is filled with those who are just closing out their electives for another degree.”

  “I see,” I say and glance at Brandon. Brandon who is still holding my hand and sending that cool feeling through my veins.

  “Drink the potion,” he says quietly.

  “I don't need it.”

  He takes the bottle and sniffs it. “It's exactly what he says it is. It will help you feel better.”

  “I don't want to drink chalk.” As a matter of fact, taking medicine is the one thing that makes me rebel. I will run to the hills to avoid anything bright pink and chalk-flavored thanks to a childhood trauma with a cursed upset stomach.

  He releases my wrist and gently touches the bottle in front of me. It glows bright for a moment and then goes back to normal. “There, it should be fine.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Changed the flavor and texture so that you can drink it.”

  I narrow my gaze at him.

  “Drink it or the deal is off,” he says and stands up, towering slightly over me. Seriously, why is he so tall?

  “Fine, but you'll take responsibility for any hospital expenses.”

  “Fine. Hurry and drink it, we have a lunch engagement.”

  “Engagement?”

  The tips of his ears turn slightly red. “With Grandmother,” he says.

  Hiding my smile takes more effort than I want to mess with, but I manage somehow. I take off the lid of the bottle and sniff it delicately. It smells like lemon and blueberry.

  “Is it an illusion or did you really change the flavor?”

  “Try it and see.” Mr. Expressionless is back, but his ears are still pink.

  A business card slides across the table toward me and I glance back at the professor.

  “This is the contact for our countercurse training program. You should consider it. Foodborne curses account for over eighty-five percent of food poisoning incidents in the world and almost ninety percent in our country alone. You both should consider it.”

  He smiles and waves a hand, making all the cupcakes in the classroom disappear in a cloud of smoke. “With a little practice, you'd make a great team.”

  Brandon laughs beside me. “I already have a lucrative career, but thank you for the recommendation.”

  The professor shrugs. “You never know what life throws our way.”

  I take a long swig of the bottle. Blueberry lemonade with a hint of bitter magic that will linger on my tongue for hours. Life has definitely thrown a few curve balls my way lately.

  As I watch Brandon pack away his things in his impossible bag, I realize that getting stuck with this guy for a short time has brightened my life considerably more than I expected. I chug the rest of the potion and make a face at the bitter aftertaste.

  “We can't keep your grandmother waiting.” I grin and set the bottle back on the table, then hold the business card up between two fingers.

  “Thanks for the recommendation and the interesting class. Let's go get something to eat, Mystica.”

  The cat mews and jumps up onto my shoulder, resting there at a weight far less than a cat of his size should be. Anti-gravity cats. Why not? Maybe I could talk him into sharing that spell for my own nefarious purposes.

  10

  Brandon

  “Take my hand so we can travel quickly.” I hold out my hand, palm up. We didn't have to touch, but everything about her is completely unpredictable. The last thing I want is to lose her in a quick teleportation between here and home.

  “Why are you able to move around so easily? My sister needs a week's worth of prep before she can jump from one location to another.” She places her hand in mine and even through the glove, I can feel her warmth.

  “Lots of practice.”

  Her bright green eyes seem to stare into my soul. I love the way they seem to sparkle with mischief. And if we're being honest, she looks stunning in the dress. Would she be offended if I told her or would she make a sly comment that makes me laugh?

  “We will have to make a long jump to arrive at our location, so hold onto me and don't let go.” Before she can comment, I pull her into my arms, wrapping my magic around her. Bringing her with me was effortless, and the warmth of her body stirred something within me that I'd kept buried for the past six years.

  Bianca and Theodore are already waiting for us when we land in the meeting room. Theodore focuses on me the moment we arrive.

  “Welcome home, sir,” he says. “I'll let the madam know that you've returned.”

  “Feeling better, Theodore?” I ask, holding Meghan tighter against me.

  He nods and ‘ports out of the room, not giving a single look at Meghan. I am still frustrated with his actions, but we’ll deal with that later.

  Silverfang. I mentally call to my familiar.

  Are you fiiinally home?

  Dragging out the word? What happened while I was gone? Yes. Please tell Grandmother that we will need a rejuvenation potion for Meghan.

  I look down at the woman in my arms and see her slightly pale face staring back up at me. Her eyes are wide and signs of fatigue show on her face. “Are you okay?”

  “I don't think I'll ever get used to that. It's pretty rough on me.” Her smile is easy-going, but I can sense the tension and fatigue in her body.

  “We couldn't use the door like last time since that part of the house is still being renovated thanks to the flare up yesterday.”

  I clench my jaw at the mention of my curse, but I have to deal with it. If it's happening more often, we have to restrict it further. These gloves are the first step, and I don't even want to think about what else they'll come up with.

  “Oh,” she squeezes my arms gently and then eases away from me. “Thank you. I think I'm alright now.”

  There was silence for a moment, then Silverfang's voice jumps into my mind. Your grandmother tells you to hurry. The other one is getting on her last nerve and she seems determined to stay.

  The other one, huh? I guess it's as bad as I expected. Tell her that we will be there when we can.

  If it was any other time, I would wait and see how she'd react, but right now, I wasn't sure Meghan could take another shock to her system. “I should let you know that your sister is here.”

  Her body turns rigid and all expression wipes from her face. How bad was their relationship for her to be like this? “Did you want us to switch back?”

  “No.” I squeeze her hand and let it go, comfortable with the color slowly returning to her face. “Because of yesterday's incident,” I clear my throat. “We needed to do damage control. If word got out that my curse flared up...” I trail off, wondering how much to explain to her.

  “I can imagine it would be bad for business.”

  I nod. “I have an important meeting today. A collaboration between two powerful family corporations. The slightest rumor could undermine the deal and leave a lot of people out of work.”

  “Don't tell me you had my sister do PR work for you.”

  “No. I just had her walk around and pretend to be you for most of the day. She fought against the suit but—” Her laugh cuts me off in a shocking but pleasant way.

  She laughs in a way that makes my lips twitch in a smile. Her entire body gets into the laugh, refilling her with energy in a way no rejuvenation potion could pull off. To tell the truth, I could listen to it for the rest of my life.

  She gas
ps for breath as her laugh is forced into a helpless, random burst of chuckles. “So, you had my sister walk around pretending to be me, wearing a suit of all things?” She snickers again and holds her stomach.

  “Why is that so funny?” I am dying of curiosity.

  “I'm surprised she didn't run for the hills the moment you suggested she wear a suit.”

  Bianca clears her throat and I realize we've been standing in the teleportation landing room for too long. I wave a hand toward the door. “If you're feeling better, Grandmother has a special lunch prepared.”

  “Oh, right. Thanks for the reminder.” Meghan smiles at me and passes through the door. “Did she make a scene when you mentioned the suit?”

  “No. She took it in stride.” I catch the shock on her face and then suspicion darkens her expression, erasing that smile and replacing it with the perpetual frown.

  “Not a single complaint?”

  “Not at all.”

  Meghan turns pensive and a line appears between her brows as she taps a finger against her full bottom lip. “What is she up to?” A spark of curiosity burns in her gaze.

  “Would you like to find out?” I can't help but tease her a little.

  “I would make sure your countercurse measures are in place before we see her, though.” She smirks at me.

  “Why is that?”

  “Since I was a kid, she's had the compulsion to curse me when she sees me.”

  I stiffen next to her and glance over at Bianca. She gives me a nod in return and leads the way, a protective barrier already prepared, just in case. “Why would your sister curse you?”

  “For practice,” she says and waves a hand. “Her and that brat familiar, Al, have annoyed me for years.”

  Suddenly, I'm wishing I never invited that woman to fill in for Meghan. I clench my hands into fists and have to fight to stay calm. “Why would your sister hurt you like that?”

  She chuckles again, though there's an edge to it that tells me she's forcing it out. “She doesn't know it hurts me. Her, mom, and most of my family think I'm just immune to magic curses. And magic, in general. From the moment mom told my aunt that cursing me was fine since I was immune to it, I never said a word. I just quietly built up immunity.”

  “Your family—” I began, but she stopped and put her hand on my arm. I pause with her and observe her expression.

  “Every family has problems. If I hadn't built up an immunity, I wouldn't be able to help you, now. I learned how to dissolve curses from the inside thanks to years of field experience.” She smiles, then, a genuine, honest smile that makes my heart ache for her.

  “What she has done to you is actually illegal. Especially if you had no magic ability.” I put my hand over hers. “Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away.”

  She narrows her gaze at me and I realize I may have overstepped my bounds. Her hand falls away from my arm. “I'll keep that in mind.”

  “You won't need to worry about countering a curse or two. There are many people who would prefer my death and the collapse of my family.”

  We start walking again and I inhale slowly. She smells like chocolate and a slight citrus scent that tickles my nose. I can see curiosity as she looks up at me.

  “How often are you and your family targeted?”

  “Often enough that we've dedicated our entire research and development division to countercurses.”

  “Is this the company you were talking about?”

  “Yes. Devlin Industries is the leading kitchen witch owned and operated corporation in the world. We specialize in research and development as well as curse-resistant and blight-resistant food.”

  “What is your role in the company?”

  “I'm the CEO.”

  She smiles at me, then, a different icy smile than the warm ones before. “Why would the CEO of a successful company attend an Academy for kitchen witches?”

  “My grandmother's request. We invest in the curse resistance curriculum and fund their research and development. The brightest minds in the world attend that Academy and the hope is that one of them could find a cure for my curse. Unfortunately, you can't get in without being enrolled.” I tug on a glove to pull it tighter over my hand.

  “Then how am I able to go?”

  “You and your sister are an exception. If my family wasn't desperate, she would have never been admitted.”

  She laughs, then, a musical, upbeat sound that surprises me. “You mean, she didn't get into the academy on her own?”

  “No. And I wonder if she's even able to cook. She never once participated in class.”

  “Oh, no. My sister is an amazing cook.”

  “Really?”

  “Definitely. When I was sick, she would make the best homemade chicken soup. Her fried chicken is also one of my favorite secret indulgences. Mom has her make it every Christmas, and it's the only reason I endure my snobby magic-obsessed family once a year.”

  “Magic-obsessed?”

  “Yeah. I've been an outcast since I was a kid. Everyone in my family thinks I am a magic null. You can imagine how fun and exciting the holidays are for me.”

  “But you're not, though,” I say as we enter the heart of the garden. Grandmother is sitting with Melanie's twin. From a distance, they look exactly alike, but the moment Melanie flips her hair over her shoulder with an uneasy expression, I can easily tell them apart. It's their bearing, the way they face the world around them.

  Meghan leans close to me. “That’s what I hear. You are one of the only people in the world to know that. I'd like to keep it a secret.” She touches her finger to her lips in a shush motion and winks at me.

  I incline my head in agreement, but don't like it. No one else in the world could even get close to me when my curse was active, and she was able to consume and stop it with just a touch. If that's not one of the most powerful witches in the world, I don't know who is. Even Baba Yaga couldn't find another solution.

  We reach Grandmother's table and I lean over to give her a kiss on the cheek. She smiles at me but the glare she cuts at me tells me Melanie has probably trampled over her last nerve. “Grandma,” I say quietly and smile back at her.

  “I thought you would never get here,” she says with a clenched jaw smile that I haven't seen since I was a trouble-making kid driving her insane.

  “We got here as soon as we could.” She's not letting go of me. Amusement and exasperation at dealing with Meghan's sister war within me.

  Grandmother then looks at Meghan and her smile turns warmer. “I heard you broke a school record today. Congratulations.”

  Meghan's confused look almost made me laugh. “The cupcake and curses class,” I remind her.

  “Oh, yes. That was an interesting experiment.” She smiles at my grandmother and takes a seat. “I see that you have a guest today.” Her gaze locks onto her twin.

  “Your sister has been keeping me company for the afternoon.”

  “That must have been exhausting.” She smirks at Melanie and her sister's expression turns dark.

  “I don't have to listen to this,” she says and rises.

  “Well, that's interesting,” Grandmother cuts in. “Is the Devlin family one your family can afford to provoke, Ms. Stiles?”

  Melanie freezes and then sits.

  “Hello, Mel. Haven't seen you around lately.”

  Melanie's gaze instantly shifts to the side. “Yeah, I had some stuff to do.”

  “Stuff?” Meghan smiles. “I had stuff too. A life, a business, a career, clients, projects,” Her voice rises as she goes, “and yet here I am, Melanie. Fixing yet another mess you got yourself into.”

  “Do we really need to do this now?” she asks between clenched teeth.

  “No.” Meghan sighs and crosses her arms. “It's not like anything will change anyway. So why are you still here?”

  “I heard you were ill,” she says quietly.

  Meghan tilts her head. “As you can see, I'm perfectly fine.”

 
; No, she's not fine. You can tell in the paleness in her cheeks, the way her body trembles in exhaustion. Between my curse and the near-fatal accident in class today, her body must be desperate for recovery. I wave my hand at Bianca and she sends the servers in with lunch. We added rejuvenation ingredients to the meal and supplemented her drink with them, as well.

  She glances down at her food with obvious interest, but doesn't touch it.

  Is she afraid her sister will curse her?

  Silverfang, I call my familiar.

  What now? I'm in the middle of a sun nap. The grumpiness in his voice makes me smirk.

  I need you to contact Mystica and find out how many times Meghan has been cursed in her lifetime. He can find that out, right?

  I'll ask right now. His answer surprises me.

  I thought you were too busy napping to help me?

  This is for the one that helps eat your curse.

  Thanks, Silverfang. I'll make sure you feast tonight.

  He says he can test her, but it will take some time to find the results.

  Ask him to find out as much as he can about her past. And the Stiles family. And what they did to make her so curse resilient.

  “Have you figured out the curse, yet?” Melanie's question jerks me back to the conversation. “Let me know when you do so I can take over.”

  I realize I've missed far more of the conversation than I expected. Somehow Meghan seems to be backed into a corner and even my grandmother is staring at me to do something about it. “What do you mean take over?” I ask. “The moment you abandoned your job is the moment you lost your chance.”

  “But that's not how it works, is it, Meg?” Melanie props her chin up on her hand and smiles at her sister. “Did you guys know that Meghan can only deconstruct the curse? I am the one who has to create a countercurse for it.”

  11

  Meghan