My So-Called Magical Life

by Lanie Williams

  It felt nothing like the low, angry hum that I had been experiencing lately and it was far from what I felt when I was casting the fire spell in my mom’s kitchen. Instead, this felt less like an angry electrical storm and more like a single, playful jolt.

  If Aidan felt it too, his face didn’t give anything away. Instead, he removed his hand from my shoulder and stepped back to let me through. My face burned again when I noticed Victoria raising her eyebrows at me from behind the investigator’s back. I cleared my throat.

  “It must be something I ate,” I said as we made our way back to the front of the coffee shop. Based on the look Victoria gave me, I could tell I hadn’t fooled her. Aidan’s face, on the other hand, was about as expressive as a slab of granite. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

  “I’m sorry if this upset you,” Aidan finally said. “If it makes you feel any better, we only have to exterminate the really bad ones.”

  He flashed a quick smile in my direction and, despite the fact that his words did nothing to make me feel better about my situation, my annoying blush was back almost instantaneously. I was reacting like a smitten teenager and I wasn’t sure I liked it all that much. My magical abilities seemed to have a mind of their own, though, and I felt another electrical pulse. This time, it was concentrated in my chest, almost like a second heartbeat.

  Thankfully, Victoria cleared her throat, drawing the private investigator’s attention away from me.

  “Am I free to resume repairs of my coffee shop now?” she asked archly. Aidan gave her a curt nod.

  “I’ll be needing the phone number of your electrician before I leave,” he said.

  If I had been standing in Victoria’s line of sight, the skin on my face might have melted off due to the force of the glare she leveled at the man. He, on the other hand, seemed completely unphased.

  “I’ll need to confirm my findings,” he explained.

  Muttering under her breath, Victoria dug around in the pocket of her apron and pulled out a business card. She handed it to Aidan, who gave her a tight-lipped smile.

  “Just doing my job, Mrs. Barnes,” he said. “I appreciate your help. And yours too, Heidi. We’ll be in touch. For now, continue with the repairs.”

  Aidan held out a hand to Victoria, who reluctantly shook it. He moved towards me, hand outstretched, and I felt the telltale jolts of electricity again.

  Hoping he wouldn’t notice anything, I grasped his hand. My breath caught when electricity crackled in my stomach and Aidan’s eyes widened fractionally in surprise. Quickly letting go of his hand, I stepped away with a hard swallow.

  He definitely had to have felt that.

  “Mr. Walsh,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

  “Please, call me Aidan,” he said, flashing his teeth again. I thought I was going to burst into flames.

  After one, final curious look in my direction, Aidan turned away from me and walked out of the coffee shop.

  I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding. The sizzling and crackling in my chest and stomach slowly faded until there was only a slight static feeling in my fingertips.

  I turned around and let out a little yelp when I was almost nose-to-nose with Victoria. She had her hands crossed in front of her chest and she did not look very happy with me.

  “I hope you’re done mooning over that damn investigator,” she said. “Because you have some explaining to do.”

  Chapter 7

  “I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Victoria had let the contractors and electrician back in the shop after Aidan left and they were back to repairing the ceiling lights. The afternoon sun still streamed through the windows, but Victoria had practically dragged me outside to the small bistro tables set up front as soon as she was certain that the contractors weren’t going to destroy the place.

  I sipped at the iced coffee I managed to grab on our way out the door and fidgeted with a paper straw wrapper.

  “Seriously? How long have we been best friends, Heidi?” she demanded.

  “A long time?” I offered sheepishly.

  “Almost fifteen years!” she corrected with an exasperated groan. “I’m hurt that you feel like you can’t share things with me after fifteen years of what I thought was a solid friendship.”

  I wanted to tell her more than anything in the world. But there was also a part of me that was afraid she wouldn’t believe me, that she would laugh me right back into my car and away from The Witch’s Brew -- and our friendship -- for good.

  I chewed on my lip and started to shred the straw wrapper into tiny, ragged pieces.

  “Heidi, you can tell me anything,” Victoria said gently. “There will be no judgment from me. I promise. I’m just worried about you.”

  Feeling encouraged by the sincerity in her voice, I quickly looked around to make sure we were the only ones outside. After ensuring that there weren’t any nosy bystanders slinking around, I leaned across the iron-wrought table, lowering my voice. Victoria leaned forward expectantly.

  “Okay but promise you won’t have me carted off to the insane asylum,” I told her. Victoria held up her pinky finger.

  “I pinky promise,” she said solemnly. After one more quick glance around our surroundings to make sure we were alone, I began to tell Victoria about everything I had been experiencing for the past year. As my story progressed, her eyes got wider and wider until, by the time I was finished, they were about as big as saucers.

  “Oh. My. God,” she managed to say when I got to the part about the potential connection with the Blackwaters.

  “And I swear, Victoria, I didn’t mean to almost blow up your shop. It was a complete accident.”

  Victoria just stared at me and I worried that she thought I had completely lost my mind.

  “Are you upset?” I continued. “Do you think I’m insane? I can leave if you want.”

  I made a move to get up from the table, but she held up a hand.

  “Don’t you dare leave this spot, Heidi Redferne,” she commanded. “I have questions.”

  My butt landed back in the seat with an unceremonious thump.

  “So you’ve had magical powers this whole time and you didn’t bother to tell me?” Victoria’s voice rose to almost a screech and I had to shush her, scared that someone might overhear our conversation.

  “I didn’t know that was what it was until pretty recently,” I tried to explain. “I even went to three different doctors, convinced that it was some weird menopause thing. When they couldn’t find anything wrong with me, I started to get suspicious. It wasn’t until the accident here that I went to my mom and asked for help. She showed me this old grimoire that used to belong to my grandmother. I tried a spell and it actually worked. Honestly, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it. My whole life I was convinced that magic wasn’t real, that it was just something you read about in books or watched on TV. And now that I have actual evidence that it’s real…”

  I trailed off, looking at Victoria helplessly. “It’s a bit much.”

  “Now that’s the understatement of the year.” Victoria let out a half-hearted snort. “I guess that private investigator wasn’t completely off his rocker after all.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I’m not mad about The Witch’s Brew, by the way,” Victoria said. “I needed to get those lights redone anyway. I think the main problem is your jerk of an ex-husband. If he opens his big mouth about this incident and puts his usual, completely falsified ‘Josh’ spin on things, I’m afraid business will hurt for a little while. Nothing I can’t handle, of course,” Victoria added quickly.

  I reached across the table and took one of her hands in mine.

  “Victoria, this place is great. My mom loves it and you’re usually packed with customers. This is just a bump in the road. Honestly, I highly doubt that Josh will be able to trample all over your success. You have a good thing going here and the best damn coffee in Clov
er Pointe.”

  Victoria waved me off dismissively, but not before I caught the pleased smile on her face.

  “Okay, okay, enough of the sappy stuff.” A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “Now tell me, was it satisfying as hell to fling that asshole backward, or what?”

  “Victoria!” I gasped, trying to stifle even more laughter. “You’re terrible. I could have hurt him!”

  Victoria shrugged, a large grin spreading across her face.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “Even that weird private investigator can’t stand him.”

  At the mention of Aidan, my cheeks flushed again, and I was eager to change the subject.

  “So you believe me?” I asked, still smiling a little. Victoria nodded enthusiastically.

  “Of course I believe you,” she said. “And if that makes me delusional, so what? This is exciting!”

  A wave of relief washed over me and I gulped down the rest of my iced coffee.

  “Do you have things handled here?” I asked, peering in through the windows of The Witch’s Brew. The workers had set up box lights along the floor, as the sun had started to set while Victoria and I were talking. The workers were starting to pack up for the day and I shivered as a cold breeze danced across my bare arms. Pretty soon, I’d have to start drinking hot coffee and tea exclusively, or else my fingers would start freezing off.

  “Yeah, I’ll continue to handle this mess,” Victoria said. “Hopefully, we won’t be hearing from Mr. Weirdo Private Investigator again anytime soon.” She frowned as if remembering something unpleasant. “You don’t think he’s going to try and…exterminate you, do you?” Victoria lowered her voice at the last part, worry suddenly clouding her features.

  “I don’t think so,” I said, biting my lip. Something told me that if he was going to do that, he wouldn’t have just walked out of the coffee shop earlier.

  “I did see you two ogling each other,” she said, an amused smile on her face. “I guess he’s kind of attractive. Maybe he’ll leave you alone since he thinks you’re hot, too.”

  My cheeks flushed again, and Victoria threw her head back and laughed.

  “I knew it,” she crowed. “Totally smitten.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I think I’m done here,” I said, getting up from the table.

  “Wait, there’s one more thing I’m curious about,” Victoria said, stopping me in my tracks. She hesitated a little bit before continuing. “Not that I don’t believe you about all this magic stuff, but...it would be kind of cool to see you cast a spell.”

  I sat back down again.

  “I technically only know one spell,” I told her. “And lighting a candle isn’t exactly impressive.”

  “Not impressive?” Victoria snorted. “Please. You’re practically a walking electrical storm and you think lighting a candle using just your mind is not impressive? Spare me.”

  “But I don’t have a candle,” I argued. Victoria held up a finger and rushed back inside The Witch’s Brew. I let out a resigned sigh and gazed out at the growing darkness. The streetlamp on the corner of the sidewalk blinked on and I shivered again as the breeze picked up.

  I was thankful that Victoria hadn’t laughed in my face or, worse, called an ambulance to have me carted away, but the limited amount of sleep I got the night before was finally starting to catch up with me. Longingly, I thought of curling up on my mom’s couch with a hot mug of tea and maybe watching a Law and Order marathon until the events of the past couple of days didn’t seem so overwhelming. Then, I’d sleep for at least a week.

  My little daydream was cut short, though, as Victoria barged through the front door of The Witch’s Brew, a cellophane-wrapped candle in hand.

  “The contractors are gone for the evening,” she said. “We should have the place to ourselves now.”

  Impatiently, she waved me over, and, with a sigh, I got up and walked back inside The Witch’s Brew. Behind me, Victoria hastily locked the door and peered out the window.

  “No one’s out there, but let’s sit at one of the back tables, just in case.”

  One of the box lights on the floor was still turned on and the bright beam cut through the shadows of the coffee shop as we made our way towards the table. It was thankfully only partially visible from the front windows, but I made sure my back was facing them anyway.

  Victoria ripped the cellophane off the pillar candle, whose wax was swirled through with blue and purple dye, and placed it on the table between us. I almost laughed at the expectant expression on her face.

  “So…” she said. “Now what?”

  “Well, last time, I said an incantation while focusing on the candle, but it didn’t work until I actually touched the candle.”

  I picked up the candle and let it rest in the center of my palm, willing my racing thoughts to settle enough for me to concentrate. I took one deep breath after another until I could feel the electrical buzzing in my head come to life again.

  “Oh my god,” I heard Victoria gasp. “I feel it! I feel the static!”

  I smiled but kept my eyes closed, trying to remember the incantation from my grandma’s grimoire.

  “Oh my god!” Victoria repeated. “The light is flickering! This is so cool!”

  “Victoria,” I reprimanded, opening one of my eyes. “I need to concentrate.”

  “Right, right,” she said hurriedly. “Sorry, just got excited.”

  I listened as the humming in my ears and head grew louder until I could feel the static begin to build in intensity. When the electricity rushed loudly in my ears, I recited the incantation.

  “Bright, flame, come to me in my darkest hour,” I said. “Bright flame, surround me, and do my bidding.”

  The crackling magic rushed through my head, chest, and straight down my arms, raising the hairs there as it moved through my hands and fingertips. I opened my eyes and watched in wonder as the candlewick smoked slightly before bursting into a single, bright flame. It didn’t reach above my head like it did in my mom’s kitchen. Instead, the flame stayed at a normal height, burning intensely. I gently placed the candle in the center of the table and looked at Victoria, whose mouth had fallen open.

  “Wow,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the flame. “That is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve watched all the Harry Potter movies.”

  I laughed, gazing at the flame as it continued to flicker.

  “What are you going to do now?” Victoria asked, her voice almost reverent.

  “Right now? I’m going home and sleeping for at least a solid ten hours,” I said, standing up and grabbing my purse from where it hung behind my chair. Victoria shot me an exasperated look.

  “You know what I mean.” She blew out the candle and the purple smoke curled delicately in the air. “What are you going to do about your powers? Are you going to try and learn more spells?”

  “Eventually,” I said, watching the smoke as it reached the ceiling before disappearing entirely. “Right now, my main priority is finding someone who can help me better understand all this.”

  “You’ll be visiting the Blackwaters, then?” Victoria asked and I nodded.

  “I haven’t heard much about them,” Victoria admitted. “Which is weird since they’re one of the wealthiest families in Clover Pointe. I guess they like to keep a low profile?”

  “According to Mrs. Abigail, Amelia Blackwater keeps trying to buy the library. She plans on destroying a part of it in order to build another country club. If that’s anything to go off of, they don’t sound like very nice people. At least Amelia doesn’t,” I said.

  To be completely honest, I wasn’t looking forward to visiting Amelia. I had planned to head over to the Olympia Country Club in the morning and, based on Mrs. Abigail’s description of Lilith Blackwater’s daughter, I was expecting an unpleasant encounter. On the other hand, if the Blackwaters did indeed have magic running through their veins, maybe they would be a little more welcoming o
f a fellow witch. That’s what I hoped for, anyway.

  “Just be careful, Heidi,” Victoria said as we both stepped out into the night. I waved off her concern, feeling better as I breathed in the cool, fresh air.

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine. What’s the worst thing that can happen, anyway? It’s not like she’ll turn me into a toad,” I joked. Victoria gave me a disapproving look.

  “Don’t tempt fate,” she warned. “You’re just inviting trouble if you do.”

  She had a point. The last thing I needed was more trouble, especially the magical kind. But based on how the past couple of days had gone, I had a feeling that trouble would find me anyway.

  “I’ll be careful,” I promised Victoria, despite my doubts.

  “Good,” she said, smiling. “I’d be really sad if you got turned into a toad.”

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, Ma burst into the guest bedroom without so much as a knock, an irritating habit leftover from my high school days. Groaning, I attempted to burrow deeper into my comforter.

  “Good, you’re up,” she chirped, flinging open the blackout curtains that hung over the window. I squeezed my eyes shut as the bright morning light streamed in through the window.

  “Ma, we’ve talked about this. You’ve got to stop barging in on me. I’m not sixteen anymore.” I tossed the comforter over my head in an attempt to block out the light assaulting my eyes.

  “I’ve been waiting hours for you to wake up,” she complained. “I got a hold of Trixie yesterday and wanted to know if you had found anything at the library.”

  I glanced at my alarm and let out another groan. It was only 9 o’clock in the morning. So much for getting at least ten hours of sleep. My mom raised an eyebrow and tapped an impatient foot on the carpet while I dragged myself out of bed.

  I groggily shuffled to the kitchen, where a freshly brewed pot of coffee sat on the counter. I poured myself a cup and leaned against the countertop, savoring the smell of hazelnut.

  “Alright, we have our coffee,” my mom said, pouring herself a cup as well. “Now, let’s get down to business. Did you find anything useful at the library?”