Witches in Wonderland

by Lauren Quick

  “How dare you come here in broad daylight, Devlin. You could get me into trouble,” Kat hissed, her voice suddenly audible.

  Kat and Devlin were working together.

  Devlin winced in pain from the spell. “Too late for that. It’s too late. I should have done this a long time ago.” He whispered a spell and a spider crawled out of the sleeve of the jacket and onto Kat’s hand. It made Vivi jump and brush at the coat sleeve.

  Kat pulled her hand away and uttered a spell, flinging the spider across the corridor, but it was too late. She struggled to stand, leaning against the wall for support, a red welt forming on her skin.

  Devlin undid the top two buttons on her blouse and pulled a locket from around her neck. The portal coin sat nestled inside of the locket. “I told you not to steal the coin, but you wouldn’t listen to me.” He took the coin and dropped the necklace back down her blouse.

  Kat must have taken the coin from the council and he stole it from her. He double-crossed her. But why?

  “Goodbye, Kat. Until we meet again.” Devlin nodded to her, raced out of the corridor, back the way he came. Suddenly an alarm blared through the council building, and two guards caught sight of him running and made chase. As he ran down the corridor, he mumbled a spell and held out his palm. The coin glowed; the blue stone burst to life. A portal opened in the middle of the hallway and Devlin Strange jumped through and disappeared.

  Vivi stood in the middle of the room, her family staring at her.

  “It worked,” Elsie said.

  “Not only can she see the future but she can also see the past.” Henrietta grinned.

  “The past,” Honora said, giving her aunts a suspicious glare. “Wait a minute. Are you two experimenting on Vivi? Testing her persuasion?”

  “Maybe a little,” Elsie said. “The coat has absorbed a lot of energy and we thought the magic might rub off a little. But don’t get angry. It worked and she’s fine. Tell them you feel fine. Energized even.”

  “She’s right,” Vivi said. Her head was clear. “I feel fine. I can’t believe I saw the past. I was thinking about our family and the vision of Devlin Strange burst into my mind’s eye.” Vivi was too excited by what she saw to be angry with the aunties for tricking her. Kat was dangerous, but Devlin wasn’t exactly honest himself.

  “That’s not the point. What are you two up to?” Clover asked, muscling in.

  “Like we said, family business. A powerful wizard wore the coat once, and we wanted to test Vivi’s persuasion and see if it jolted something in her. And, no, we aren’t telling you anything more. We can’t. It’s not our place to say. All we can tell you is that the Darklander was right to contact you, Vivi. You need to find Devlin Strange for your own good,” Henrietta said, leaning back in her chair.

  “He doesn’t want to be found. He made that very clear to me.” Vivi’s brow furrowed. She was torn. Clover and Honora were obviously biting their tongues, waiting for her to make the call. “I need time to think about what’s happened.”

  “Of course you do.” Elsie helped her slide out of the jacket. “The three of you are going to have to work together if you’re going to secure the portal coin.”

  “What about Hex? They’ve got more witch power and I’m sure they’ve got this under control. Mom’s working the case,” Vivi said.

  “I’m sure Hex Division is doing the best they can. But this hits closer to home than you think. Trust us on this one,” Henrietta said.

  The three sisters made eye contact. There was no arguing with the aunties when they told them to do something. They were strong-willed witches. When they set their mind to a task, there was no way to shake them. They also were old-fashioned and believed that a witch’s destiny was her own and weren’t in the business of shortchanging a witch in her own life experiences. Elders wanted younger witches to learn things on their own—trial by fire—and the aunties were no different.

  “Together it is,” Honora said.

  “Always. We’re here for each other. It’s Vivi’s decision,” Clover said.

  Vivi stared at her aunts, words bubbling out of her. “With the portal coin, Devlin Strange is going to be impossible to find.” Vivi had an unusual feeling about Devlin Strange, more than she wanted to mention just then. She was too afraid to say, to even admit it to herself.

  Henrietta flipped her braid over her shoulder. “Dear Vivi. You don’t find a wizard like him. You have to draw him to you. That’s how you’re going to catch him and get the coin back.”

  “She is?!” Clover and Honora said in unison.

  But Vivi knew Henrietta was right.

  The evening ended in a whirlwind, the aunties suddenly exhausted and wanting to lie down after their long trip. There was no more talk of Devlin Strange or the portal coin. The aunties said there would be time, plenty of time, to worry about that in the days to come. Vivi didn’t remember much about returning home and climbing into bed. She had no idea how to lure Devlin Strange to her, but hunting a wizard carrying the most wanted and powerful magical device in Everland was futile. Vivi hoped her options would look brighter in the morning.

  12

  Whenever times got tough, Vivi could count on her potion shop to keep her mind busy and magic focused. After brewing up a double batch of allergy relief potion, she brewed up one of her favorite potions, Laid-back Lavender Tonic. The scent of lavender filled the entire shop within minutes of heating the brew in a copper cauldron and her tense shoulders began to relax. She hummed to herself, sunshine streaming though the windows. Vivi could feel a good day coming on.

  Pepper burst through the front door, wearing a scarf tied over her head and a huge pair of dark sunglasses. Her lips were pale, her hair pulled back in a stubby ponytail. She brushed past Vivi and into the back room without a word, not even a good morning. Something was up with her normally perky morning witch assistant. Vivi ducked her head around the corner. “You okay?”

  Pepper didn’t answer. She was rummaging through her bag, which she’d shoved under the counter where she usually kept her personal belongings while at work. Vivi waited in silence for her assistant to answer.

  “Did you say something?” Pepper asked, glancing up for a nanosecond before digging through her bag again.

  “I asked if you were okay. You don’t seem like yourself this morning and I was a little worried.” The shop was empty of customers so Vivi stepped into the back room.

  Pepper pulled a small package wrapped in brown paper out of her purse and set it on the counter. Her hands were trembling and an audible breath of air whooshed out of her mouth. “I did it. And I don’t want you to say anything. Just listen.”

  A flicker of fear hit Vivi’s stomach. “You did what?” She eased closer, eyeing the mysterious package. “Tell me what’s happened.”

  Pepper untied the twine and the paper unfolded, revealing a clear bottle filled with a strange periwinkle blue liquid. “I took the potion.”

  Vivi picked up the bottle, both intrigued and a little leery. “Oh, no. Tell me you didn’t.”

  Pepper hung her head. “The Ghost Potion.”

  “What? When? I didn’t even think you’d finished making it.” Vivi set the bottle down gingerly on the counter. The liquid inside swirled and moved on its own like a living breathing brew. A shiver went up her spine. Creating a new potion was like creating a recipe. The risks of testing a potion existed, but if the potion maker were smart, they were minor. Vivi had tested many of her own potions, and the worst things that had happened to her were some stomachaches that laid her up for a few evenings, an unfortunate breakout of pimples that prompted her to cancel a date, an ugly foot rash where she was unable to wear shoes for a week, and some hair loss due to an overcooked thickening tonic.

  But Pepper’s potion was on a whole new level of magical development. Vivi reached out and gin
gerly touched her assistant’s hand.

  Pepper raised her head. “I don’t know what came over me—thrill, excitement, magical frenzy. The trip to the caves followed by our visit with Serafina really inspired me, maybe a little too much. I spent most of the night finishing the recipe, and I know I should have just gone to bed, but I couldn’t stop myself. I was a witched possessed.”

  “It happens to all of us. Our persuasion takes over, rules us heart and soul. This contest is really important to you, and on top of it, you have one of the best ideas ever. No wonder you wanted to test it out. It’s a real winner. Don’t beat yourself up.” Vivi gently patted Pepper’s arm. At least Pepper was coherent and up and moving around. Both were definitely good signs.

  “I had to try it. I told myself that I needed to do trials anyway and I thought who better to test out the potion than me?” Her arms flopped to her sides.

  “Oh, sweetie. How are you feeling?”

  “Weird, really weird. And I’m hearing voices all around me, but I don’t know where they’re coming from.” Pepper gripped her sunglasses with trembling hands and slipped them off.

  Vivi gasped. “Pepper. Your eyes.”

  Pepper blinked rapidly and shielded her eyes from the overhead illuma light. “They were orange when I left the house this morning.”

  The whites of her eyes were entirely saturated with an orangey-red color. Vivi held Pepper’s chin and examined them closer. “Well, currently they’re vibrant orange with flecks of red and gold. Are they painful? Can I get you a tonic?” Vivi raced to the potion cabinet over the sink. “I think I have an Aches and Pain Elixir from Tabitha’s apothecary in here somewhere,” she said, rummaging through the tiny bottles inside the cabinet.

  “No. They don’t hurt. They’re just sensitive and my vision is strange. It’s not doubled but I’m seeing weird shadows.”

  Vivi turned around. “You mean like ghosts?” A shiver raced up Vivi’s spine.

  “I’m not sure.” She shook her head and pressed her fingers against her temples. “Vivi, it’s so weird.” She shivered and her whole body shook. “I keep getting these cold flashes and I don’t know what it means.”

  “It’s just the potion flooding your system. I’m assuming from your ingredient list that the potion is ultra powerful. You need to try and relax. The potion probably needs some adjusting to the ingredients or the magical incantation you used.” Vivi tried not to make a face, but Pepper’s eyes were freaking her out.

  Pepper grabbed Vivi’s hand with a pleading, imploring look in her devilish gaze. “It’s driving me crazy.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Vivi held her by the shoulders. “Pepper. We’ve got to face facts. You broke the cardinal rule of potion brewing by testing your potion before it was ready and the formula could be safeguarded. Though, honestly with a Ghost Potion, I don’t know how you would have safely tested it. But right now we have to accept what’s happened and ride it out. Let the potion work its way out of your system.”

  Pepper’s eyes welled with tears but more out of frustration than fear. “Vivi, I’m scared it might be working. I sense spirits. I know they’re here, so close. I just can’t focus on them yet.”

  “That’s a good sign, right? You want to hear ghosts, so let it come. Try and listen and understand what’s happening. Use all your senses, meditate quietly.” Vivi patted her shoulder.

  “You’re right. I’ll try to calm down.”

  “I think we should send a message to Serafina and get her advice. Maybe she’ll come over and see if she can help.” Vivi grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled off a quick note. “I’ll send Rumor with the message immediately.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Until then I want you to rest and record anything unusual you feel, sense, or experience. Is that clear? We need to know what’s happening to you so when you tweak the recipe, you can fix any flaws.” Vivi pushed a pad of parchment, reed pen, and ink bottle over to Pepper.

  “I’ll do it. I need to focus on the facts of the potion. Thanks.” Pepper took the writing implements. “I’m glad I have you to knock some sense into me even though it’s a little too late. I was such a fool.”

  Walking to the back door and pushing it open with her hip, Vivi whistled. Rumor landed on the railing and Vivi tied the message to his leg before he took to the sky in a ruffle of glossy black wings. “Don’t worry too much. You got excited. I would have too if I had the guts to experiment with such innovative potion ideas. My potions are pretty tame in comparison, and I get Honora to test the stronger ones for me. She’s so tough nothing phases her. ”

  Pepper smiled wearily. “Thanks, boss. Sorry I won’t be much help today.”

  “No worries. You relax.”

  The bell on the door jingled and a group of young witches herded into the shop. “I’m going to help the customers. Will you be all right back here on your own?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Pepper slipped on her sunglasses. “In fact, I think I’ll step outside and sit in the garden. I need a little fresh air.”

  Vivi spent the next hour showing the witches dozens of different potions. They were on a day trip from Stargazer City and adored her quaint potion bottles and unique recipes. Vivi was thrilled they liked her potions and also that they were spending like witches who’d received big allowances from their wealthy city parents. With their potions purchased and bags filled, the witches headed out. Vivi encouraged them to hit The Charmery and Goodspells Grimoire and of course they had to have lunch at Nocturnes. Finally, the door shut behind them and Vivi peeked in the back room, and not finding Pepper, checked outside.

  “Pepper! You out here?!” Vivi scanned the garden with its explosion of spring flowers.

  Pepper stood to one side, pressed up against the white picket fence. Her mouth moved as she talked to someone only she could see.

  “Are you okay?” Vivi asked, fear twisting in her stomach. She hadn’t heard back from Serafina and was getting worried.

  Pepper turned and drifted slowly over to Vivi. Her gait was loose, her shoulders relaxed, and she was no longer shaking or tense. But her eyes told another story, glowing bright crimson red.

  Vivi couldn’t believe it. “How do you feel?” Pepper didn’t seem to be in any pain and Vivi didn’t want to alarm her.

  “It works. The potion works. I can see them. I see ghosts. I was sitting on the stone bench meditating, trying to focus my senses, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a ghost. A real ghost.” A wide smile bloomed across her face.

  “What do they look like?” Vivi asked, her concern turning to curiosity.

  “The witch I saw looked normal, only faded and slightly transparent, but she’s much more solid looking than I imagined.”

  Vivi glanced over to the fence where Pepper had been standing. She saw nothing not even a ripple in the air. “Was that who you were talking to just now?”

  “Yes, I was chatting with the dead witch who lives next door.”

  Vivi’s mouth hung open. “There’s a dead witch living at the pie shop?”

  “Yep, but she’s been there for hundreds of years. Way longer than when the pie shop opened. Her name’s Winny and she was as shocked to see me, as I was her. She knew I could see her.”

  Vivi looped her arm around Pepper’s and pulled her back toward the shop. “Come inside and tell me everything. Have you been taking notes?” Vivi hurried her inside, wanting to get a handle on her new neighbor and what was happening to her assistant.

  Vivi guided Pepper over to a stool and began brewing up a cup of tea. Pepper placed her parchment pad on the table. Ink was smeared across the top page. With a quick flip of the pages, Vivi noticed Pepper had filled about a dozen pages with scrawling notes.

  “How are you feeling? Headache, eye strain, muscle tension?” Vivi asked
.

  “No, I feel good. No pain, no weird sensations. I’m no longer hearing voices since I learned to focus on the ghost out back. I think this potion has a learning curve. I had to sit in silence and open my senses to the ghosts in the vicinity. Once I did that, a few ghosts stepped forward.”

  “You mean there are more?” Vivi asked, hoping none of the ghosts lived in her shop or in her apartment upstairs. She didn’t want to know about any ghost roommates.

  “Oh, many stepped forward. But they came from all over the town of Willow Realm. None from the shop though. Once I saw the group of ghosts who wanted to come forward, I focused my attention on the one next door and the rest receded. Some didn’t seem at all happy about that either. But what could I do?”

  A chill washed over Vivi as she brewed the tea and poured two cups. She’d always believed that ghosts were real, but never in a physical sense, mostly in a ghost story sense. She’d never considered they lived right here in Willow Realm. “We’re practically surrounded,” Vivi mumbled to herself. “I think you did the right thing. You can’t speak with all of them at once.”

  Pepper took a sip of tea. “True. And I wanted to take it slow and get to know Winny and what was happening.”

  “It must have been overwhelming,” Vivi said. She couldn’t imagine what it was like being approached by a horde of anxious ghosts wanting to speak with the one witch in the vicinity who could see and hear them.

  “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Once I settled down, I wasn’t afraid. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Why don’t you tell me about it? Hold on one second.” Vivi headed out front, locked the door, and flipped over the closed sign. Wanting to give Pepper her full attention, Vivi decided to close up the shop for a long lunch. Then she poured them both another cup of tea and listened to Pepper tell her all about the potion and the ghost who lived next door.