HEX

by Stacy Charasidis

  Barrington, well, we burned a witch who hexed our asses until the end of time.

  It’s a creepy story that draws a lot of morbid visitors to The Rock every year.

  Crazy right?

  Is it?

  No, I don’t think it is.

  See, I’ve been watching what’s been happening in our town.

  You know what I think? I think that crazy witch wasn’t kidding.”

  -Excerpt from Ella Croft’s Diary

  June

  “Seasons come and seasons go in an endless cycle,

  circling ceaselessly with time,

  never changing,

  always following the same earthly dance.

  However…

  Every so often cracks appear in the endless cycle that present opportunity.

  Cracks with edges that open and multiply power.

  The opportunity is not for good or for evil,

  for that is defined by the caller.

  It is just opportunity,

  if you can find the crack.”

  Friday, June 21—Day of the Summer Solstice

  The windmill stands at the town’s western boundary, situated on West Road leading out of Barrington County. No one knows how long it has been there or when it was built, only that it hasn’t worked in over four hundred years. One of the town’s precepts is that it is never to be torn down, and so it remains.

  The base is shaped like a lighthouse—fifty feet of grey, weather beaten wood supporting huge metal blades rusted in place. It sits alone at the edge of a rolling meadow and casts an ominous shadow in the path of the setting sun.

  On June 21, during a wild storm, an incredible metal scream unfurled into the night as the windmill’s blades began to turn for the first time in centuries. The groan of unoiled steel went unheard, drowned out by the crash of thunder.

  To their credit, the townspeople did notice the next day that the windmill was spinning, but were not fazed by the phenomenon. What they found spooky was the fact that the windmill didn’t make any noise, and it spun without any wind.

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Friday, June 21

  Today Dean and I spent the evening making our way through town, window shopping, buying candy and fudge, and eating our favorite greasy food at The Fry Diner. It was a wild night. It had been windy all day, and I don’t mean a gust here and there, but gale-force as evidenced by my severely tangled hair. It tapered off a bit in the evening but then around midnight started up again. We raced home because the sky was black and seething with streaks of what appeared to be blue lightening flashing across the sky. It looked as if the sky was trying to crack itself open. At one point Dean and I were so startled at a flash of lightening and a crack of thunder, we just bolted for my front steps. By the time we got there (Dean before me), we were laughing, especially since I started making chicken noises and calling him yellow. He hates lightening, my good-natured teddy bear. Like usual he just laughed and hugged me, and we stood there for a while, just like that, and watched the sky bust open. That moment was the best part of my day.

  July

  Nathalie & Dean

  Whether you become friends,

  Or you become lovers,

  In some way,

  You are falling in love.

  Nathalie’s Journal - Entry for Tuesday, July 2

  Today a new temp started at our office working in the mailroom and doing part time reception. Her name is Bethiah Lacey or “Beth” as she likes to be called. She must be at least nineteen, so a bit older than me. I’ve never met anyone like her before. When Shaemus introduced her around the office, Dean and I were getting coffee in the kitchen. She seemed so nice at first, and I could tell that Dean was impressed when he slopped coffee on himself. (Mind you, he does do that all the time.) However, being the authority on Dean on account of the fact that we’ve been best friends since we were five…the guy was impressed, not clumsy. And so was she. She giggled and breathed all over him. She touched, no fondled, his arm. He looked a little dazed, but he denies it.

  Okay, there’s no doubt that Dean is a cutie. Tall, broad shoulders, dark brown hair cut short to hide the “girly” curls, soft chocolate brown eyes, long black lashes, white pale skin like the popular vampires these days…yes, yes. Tra la la… I tried not to raise my eyebrows (but I did) and looked right at her. But here’s the interesting part. Beth gave me the most unfriendly smile after Dean put his arm around me and introduced me as his pal, Nat. She turned her big blue eyes on me and asked me if I were named after some kind of BUG! I said, “nooo, my full name is Nathalie,” and all the while I was thinking, did she just say that to me?

  Shaemus and Dean just laughed. Men! Idiots! Anyway, I was shocked. She just met me! I was waiting for her to say she was kidding or something, but she never did! She sorta humphed and then grimaced when she offered me her cold white fingers and shook my hand. I swear I heard her say “squishy” under her breath! Dean says I’m imagining things, but I’m not.

  Later on Beth left a phone message on my desk and spelled my name GNAT. Unbelievable. What NERVE. I told Dean to address me by my full name from now on, but he just laughed.

  Seriously, what a witch!!

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Wednesday, July 3

  The company I work for during the summer is really great. They make candy, all types, but mainly chocolate. As I am in charge of designing candy boxes and wrappings, I get to come up with slogans and colour patterns. The owner, Shaemus O’Malley, employs students because he figures we know what’s “in” for kids these days. Dad says it’s because we’re cheap labour, but whatever. I got Dean a job in sales and he does very well. I remember Shaemus being a little skeptical at first because he’s a teen, but Dean has really proven himself. He’s in charge of candy store sales in Barrington and Limerick, and he knows what kids like and want to buy. (He’s the eldest of six.) The factory’s candy is delicious, and with Dean’s no-nonsense sales approach, it has been a winning combination. His clients just love that adorable face of his and his earnest disposition. I always tease him about it.

  In our office, the first Wednesday of every month is batch-testing day. Shaemus puts out samples from the factory and we spend the day trying the different candies. It’s my favorite day because Dean and I spend the day arguing the different merits of the candy (colour, texture, taste, blah blah) and then have a picnic lunch together outside. We’re lucky because the factory is close to Barrington but still completely surrounded by woods. The picnic tables at the back are in a clearing with a few huge maple trees for shade just before the dense wood starts. Shaemus even had paths cleared so his employees could take walks in the woods during breaks. It’s very pretty.

  Anyway, this new girl Beth tagged along with us while we were doing our candy rounds. Dean always reserves that time for me and makes sure he’s not out on a call so we can sample together. Beth asked if she could join us and my first instinct was to say no. She did not come across as very nice yesterday, but when I reread my journal this morning (for some perspective), it did appear that perhaps I had overreacted. No one could be THAT rude, could they? She was probably just trying to be funny, right? Maybe her sense of humour is just way off. Dean hesitated too, but when I agreed, you know, with a “the more the merrier” attitude, along with (I have to admit) a fake smile, he smiled and agreed too.

  Boy, WAS THAT A MISTAKE. OMG!!!

  We went around the tables trying different chocolates and then stopped to have our regular debate over the merits of caramel vs. fudge filling (I prefer caramel, he prefers fudge). Beth was licking her fingers when she interrupted us. She put her hand on Dean’s arm and tells us how she’s so full and how she’s impressed, “I can eat so much.”

  That’s what she said. I looked at her, certain I had misheard her, but I hadn’t, TRUST ME. I said, “Sorry, what?”

  And with the most innocent expression on her face, Beth told me she noticed that I eat a lot and that it explains my size. All the whi
le she has this sympathetic look on her face while she’s staring at me.

  I looked at Dean and I could tell that he was shocked and uncomfortable. My face felt like it was on FREAKIN’ FIRE. I must have been so red I was almost purple. (Unfortunately, there’s no doubt that’s true since my face does go extreme colours.) Then…she smirked at me. No wait, not a smirk, but a small malicious smile. Well, I’d never seen anything like that before. She narrowed her baby blue eyes and I knew right away that for whatever reason, this girl did not like me at all. I don’t know why but I instinctively backed away from her a couple of steps.

  Dean hadn’t caught that fleeting look. His eyes were on me and his face was flushed with concern and anger. He defended me! He took my hand and stood beside me, forcing Beth to remove her hand from his arm, and asked her what her problem was. He told her she was being rude and that her comment was completely inappropriate.

  “I am so sorry,” she said to us with a light laugh and a shake of her head, tossing her long blond locks behind her shoulders. “I did not mean to offend.”

  (Oh, did I mention she has incredibly thick and long wavy blond hair? She looks like a mermaid from the back!) She turns to me and tells me that I’m beautiful just the way I am and laughs again, but her eyes are as cold as ice as they look at me.

  Dean muttered, “you’re damn right. Nathalie, let’s go have lunch.” Beth just raised her eyebrow at me. (And no, she does not have a unibrow. I only wish she did.)

  In the end I didn’t eat lunch. I went back to my desk to, well, hide and sulk. I was more upset than I let on. She had embarrassed me in front of Dean. It didn’t help that now Dean was mad at me too. He wanted to have lunch and go for a walk, and when I wouldn’t, he just stomped back to his desk with our lunch bag. Or so I thought. My desk is near a back window and as I was staring out, brooding, I could see Dean and Beth head to the forest. She had obviously smoothed things over with him. I watched her take his arm and I burned with anger at her meanness!

  After work Dean waited for me and we biked home together in silence. We sat on my porch for a while and discussed what had happened today. I asked him why he walked with her at lunch.

  He just shrugged. “Did it bother you?” he asked me.

  Yes! I yelled in my head but to him I said, “a bit. You’re my friend,” I emphasized the “my.”

  “You ditched,” he said and he shrugged again, not looking at me.

  So I asked him if he thought I was fat and he said “nope.” I asked him if he would tell me if I was fat and he said “nope.” Exasperated, I asked him if he was lying and he said “no,” but he finally looked at me and smiled. I could tell he had forgiven me for dumping him at lunch to pout. I asked him if he thought Beth was pretty. At that he took my hands and said, “yes, Beth is very pretty,” but then he told me that I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever met since kindergarten. Before that the only gal in his life was his mom.

  Okay, he was staring at me with his gorgeous, long lashed chocolate brown eyes. I thought he was teasing, but when I looked into his face, he was serious. Then he smiled and my eyes went to his mouth. His teeth seemed whiter and his lips redder against the five o’clock shadow of his beard. For a split second I actually thought Dean was going to kiss me, and I could not breathe. But then he put his forehead against mine instead and sighed. It was a real let down. I realized right there that I think my best friend is really hot, and I wanted him to kiss me. I mean, I always knew he was attractive, but I never, well, experienced it before.

  We sat there for a couple of minutes, mainly because my heart was still hammering, and then mom showed up. Greeeeaat timing. We pulled apart and it was annoying because we looked so guilty—for nothing! I could tell she saw us head to head because she had this really big, stupid grin on her face when she walked up the steps and invited Dean for supper. He couldn’t stay, of course, because he plays basketball at the high school on Wednesdays with his buddy, Luke Barrington. I was kind of glad. My face was red/purple again for the second time today. I felt awkward and my hands were sweaty and I needed to think about what had just happened. I think Dean could tell I was flustered. He kissed the top of my head and sauntered to his bike. To me, he seemed very pleased with himself.

  After Dean left I helped mom with dinner and then went upstairs to relax, but I was too restless. I debated going to watch Dean play basketball, like I’d done a million times before, but now I felt shy. I tried to reach Tess—I really needed to talk to one of my girlfriends, but she was working.

  I thought about what happened today and looked at myself very carefully in the mirror. Long shiny brown hair, thin face, green eyes, white teeth with a slightly crooked right canine, a few freckles…not ugly, I decided, and certainly slim enough. I snorted when I remembered Beth’s comment, and an image of her with her long blond hair and extreme slenderness formed in my brain.

  Do I have a rival?

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Thursday, July 4

  Dean was not in the office today. He was in Limerick (a town about twenty kilometers from Barrington) doing a tour of the candy stores with another sales guy. I was relieved in one way since I needed some space. I wasn’t sure what my face would show and Dean was an excellent “Nathalie reader.” At the same time the office was pretty dull without him.

  In the morning I had a strange encounter with one of the girls in my office, Emma. I don’t normally chat with her much, just the typical social conversation, like, “how are you?” and that type of thing. I was getting a coffee when she sidled up to me. She looked around to make sure we were alone and casually asked me what I thought of Beth. I was a bit startled; after all, Beth had only been with us for a few days. Apparently, yesterday Beth had made a comment about Emma’s “healthy” body weight.

  “You mean to tell me she subtly implied you were fat?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, I think so.” Emma confided. Now, Emma isn’t fat, she’s like me, normal! “There’s something else,” Emma added. She lowered her voice and looked at me with round eyes. “She made a comment about you too. A mean one. Beth said she wonders how Dean can stand to be around you considering your, er, fleshy shape.”

  “She—my what?” I whispered, horrified. I was shocked. I mean, what is that girl’s problem? What a witch! I’m pretty sure my face got really red—again.

  “I don’t like her,” Emma said decidedly. “She’s mean.”

  My day didn’t get much better after that and continued to follow the same theme. At lunch I had an appointment to see Dr. Peabody for my annual checkup.

  “You’re a perfectly healthy girl, my dear,” he said to me, pleased, as he scribbled in my chart. “Don’t gain any weight though,” he added, “nobody will marry you.” He chuckled at his own joke.

  Oooh, I thought to myself, angrily. My face was definitely fire engine red.

  The doc didn’t notice.

  “I’m only seventeen and a half. I’m not getting married,” I muttered under my breath.

  He didn’t hear. “And make sure you exercise. Students who work at candy factories get fat.” He hollered for his wife. Mrs. Peabody is the town nurse and dietician. (Apparently they were both married when they met and then ran off to Barrington to be together and escape social censure. But I digress.)

  She arrived with the healthy eating guidelines and a recommended exercise plan. “Try and avoid sweets,” she told me with a warm smile.

  “Again, I work at a candy factory,” I informed them.

  “Yes dear. Remember, a moment on your lips, forever on your hips,” she said lightly, patting my arm as she handed me the papers. “Don’t overindulge.”

  “Don’t eat that crap at all,” was the doc’s advice. He closed my file and sent me on my way.

  When I got back to the office, the first person I saw was Beth. She was wearing a form fitting black dress with low-heeled black pumps. Nothing extravagant, but her slenderness and pale colouring made her appear willowy and ethereal. I studied
her. She was thin, but almost unnaturally so, like she had been starving or was malnourished. It didn’t take away from her beauty, but if you looked closely, it struck me as an odd thing this day and age. She must have felt me staring because she turned and smiled at me. Not a nice smile, a sly one, and then she sort of bared her teeth. I hid the papers from Mrs. Peabody behind my back and decided that now was not the time to confront her about her mean comments. I gave her an insincere smile instead.

  Dean was waiting for me on my front steps when I got home, leaning back on his elbows. His tie was loose and the top two buttons of his shirt were open. He looked relaxed and his face broke into a smile when he saw me. My heart started to race and I could feel my face flush.

  “Your father asked me if I’ve moved onto these steps permanently,” he said with a laugh. I saw the bag beside him and smiled myself. We don’t have a Chinese food restaurant in Barrington, so Dean always picks it up when he’s meeting clients in one of the outside towns. Thursdays my parents eat at Joe’s and then go dancing in the church hall, so we had the house to ourselves. I parked my bike and we went in. I broke open some cans of soda and we ate, Dean telling me all about his day (which was very successful). “You’re quiet today,” he said, looking at me with his beautiful, lashy, chocolate eyes.

  “Same old,” I told him. I wanted to tell him about my visit to the doctor, but I decided not to. I did tell him what Beth had said about me.

  Dean just laughed. “Ignore her, Nat. She’s a temp. She’ll be gone in no time.”

  If only that were true. I have a feeling that a lot is going to happen before she leaves. That girl’s going to be trouble.