HEX

by Stacy Charasidis

  Not much happening here except for a new girl in town, named Beth, causing me grief. She has been nothing but mean and hostile towards me. She’s just a temp at our company but she’s already caused so much trouble there. She’s hitting on Dean big time. At first I thought I wouldn’t mind if Dean had a girlfriend. We’ve always just had each other but now that we’re seventeen, it’s inevitable that we, you know, branch out. But when I saw her flirting with him, and them laughing together, something inside me snapped. I realized that I’m completely in love with my BEST FRIEND! I don’t know what to do! I feel so shy and obvious. I wish you were here. I really need someone to talk too! He’s also been doing some romantic things. He kissed my feet at the falls, he holds me longer, and we stare at each other.

  Of course, enter Beth, the tall, pale, slender witch (excuse my language), who is going around telling people they’re fat or ugly, and in the office! It’s not a high school! The power of suggestion is incredible. People are very unhappy, including me. So I ask you, why would sweet, beautiful Dean, want to date me?

  Anyway, I’ll sort it out. I was happy to hear about your new pets. Check and see if Abbey is pregnant. Strays are usually thin from starvation. Either that or someone was feeding her. As for Popper’s poop, well, it’s rich with nutrients so…use it in your garden. You have a garden, right? Don’t people pay lots of money for manure? Better yet, sell it!! Ha ha, no, I agree, that was not funny.

  Oh, one last thing about the witch…she picked on our little brother. Apparently she threatened him. He said she’s evil. You know Nick, for a six-year old he’s pretty damn intuitive, and we’ve had some very interesting experiences with him in the past exposing liars. Don’t worry; I’ll keep a close eye on him.

  That’s my news for now. Back to work tomorrow (yay—not). I found an interesting book at the bookstore. I’ll send it to you when I’m done reading it. It’s research on the three counties of Barrington, Limerick, and Superstition, sort of along the lines of what you’re doing.

  Let’s hope this letter gets to you! Onward, horsie!

  Love you,

  Nathalie

  Superstition County

  July 15

  Dear Nathalie,

  Quick but important note, babe.

  You are awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

  AND

  Nobody, but NOBODY messes with a Parker. You tell that bitch that Rain Parker will make a special trip home to kick her skinny white ass if she so much as looks at Nicky again.

  You tell her!

  Rain

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Thursday, July 11

  Thank God tomorrow is my last day of work before my vacation. Beth is completely out of control. I’ve worked at this candy company for two years part-time and as a full-time summer student. The environment has always been friendly and fun. Shaemus O’Malley (the owner) has always been the most jovial and generous man I know, and not only that, always encouraged his people to do the same. Hell, I’ve been here full-time since mid-June and I can tell something has seriously changed. First of all, Beth has accumulated a gang of minions and they’re going around the office picking on people. Someone wrote “FATTIE!” on my lunch bag in permanent marker. When Dean saw that he got so mad he wanted to kill someone.

  I wasn’t the only victim.

  Another girl, Nadia (who admittedly has a larger than normal nose) had a giant nose and the words “SNOT BAG” written on her lunch bag. Again, in permanent marker! That’s just not cool, and that’s only a couple of examples. Beth and her pretty girl tag-alongs are whispering and snickering at others as well.

  I went to hide in Dean’s cube and told him about the razing and the insult gang. “Who cares about what they think, Nat? Ignore them.”

  “Nathalie,” I corrected automatically, looking over his cube wall for the roving bitches.

  “Nathalie,” he smiled. “Hey, look at me,” he said, shaking my arm.

  I did. What a dreamboat.

  “Maybe she comes from a place where they were really mean and competitive. Anyway, if she chose all the pretty girls to be in her ‘gang,’ then why didn’t she choose you?”

  Dean’s innocence of the female gender was astounding, and I had to smile at him. When he smiled back, I couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful mouth, and the warm expression on his face. It was one of those moments again where we sort of looked at each other for a time. Of course Beth chose that exact moment to interrupt. The witch.

  “I wish I had time to chat,” she said, and laughed, but I could hear the spite. I looked at her with dislike, hoping to get rid of her. She didn’t leave, so I decided to be intrusive myself.

  “Actually, we were talking about you,” I informed her, turning around. “We were wondering where you came from and how you ended up here.” Lucky us.

  Beth looked at me suspiciously. Why, I have no clue. None of her responses make any sense to me. “I come from Superstition,” she informed me rather warily.

  “Superstition, eh? Where are you staying in Barrington? There aren’t any boarding houses or hotels here,” I quizzed. I put my hands on my hips for emphasis.

  There was no inn in Barrington County and no graveyard either. The joke is “no strangers and no ghosts.” I think a few residents tried to propose both at one point, but the town council turned them down flat. It’s not even a proposal you can make anymore. Well, it’s John Barrington’s town and he can do what he wants with it. The lack of an inn makes it hard for people who want to spend a few days visiting our Harvest Festival. The fairgrounds are huge, with lots of things to buy, eat, see, and do. People come from all over to set up shop and hawk their wares. Thousands of visitors flock to the fair but they have to stay in the surrounding towns. Superstition has some quaint lodging for those who like to get away from modern conveniences, but it’s really far north. It’s Limerick that booms when the fair opens in August. The good thing is that Barrington compensates with shuttle buses from different points in Limerick and Superstition that leave every half hour, but our visitors get annoyed anyway. Barrington is small but picturesque, and people want to stay in town. The Harvest Festival makes August through October the most exciting three months of the year in these parts. The festival opens August first and closes on Halloween.

  Dean interrupted, “Nat…thalie, isn’t your sister…” he started when I stepped back onto his foot. “Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow,” Dean said, pushing me off him, comment forgotten.

  For some reason, I didn’t want Beth to know that my sister was in Superstition. I looked curiously at Beth and waited for her to answer my question.

  “I’m currently boarding in the room above Clara Innes’s shop for the summer.”

  “Really? Interesting. Why come to Barrington?” I asked. The folks in Superstition didn’t often encourage their young people to leave and work in modern society. In fact, it was deeply frowned upon.

  Beth was starting to look irritated. “I wanted to work at the candy factory and have some different experiences,” she said, rather defensively. “Mr. O’Malley was kind enough to offer me work.” She smiled at me insincerely. “Not that it’s any of your business, Miss Nosey Pants.”

  I was looking at her intently while she spoke and noticed that she looked healthier since she started at the factory. Her face was not so gaunt and starved looking. She really was pretty. Too bad she was such a bitch.

  “Well, that was very lucky,” I told her. “Knock on wood,” I said, knocking my fist on Dean’s forehead.

  Then Beth did the strangest thing. “You invoke the wood?” she asked in a panic, looking around for wood, and knocked her fist on Dean’s desk.

  Dean and I stared at her, a bit surprised. “You okay, Beth?” he asked her curiously.

  “I’m fine, just fine,” she said, clearly annoyed with herself.

  “You superstitious, like your town?” I couldn’t help it. I smirked at her.

  She frowned at me. “You really should
n’t mess with things you don’t understand,” she said ominously and turned to leave, but then stopped and turned towards us again. The floozy smiled and leaned towards Dean, smoothing her dress down and making her bust pop out!

  “Looks as if you’re going to need a friend while GNAT is gone for the next two weeks, honey,” she breathed at him. “But don’t you worry,” she said, patting his knee, “I’ll take very good care of you while she’s gone,” she purred.

  Dean blushed. BLUSHED! She was looking at him as if she had stripped off all his clothes and all there was left was a handsome lollipop ready for licking. I shook the image out of my head, and pursed my lips. I tried really hard not to have a reaction, but I couldn’t help it.

  I looked at him with disgust and he shrugged. “What?” he muttered.

  All of a sudden I was overwhelmed. I didn’t want to go on vacation anymore. My parents take us to the beach every year, but now I had a very bad feeling.

  Beth was looking smug and was smiling at me in that sly way of hers. “See you later,” she said and walked away, swinging her backside suggestively.

  I looked sharply at Dean and he looked at me, guiltily. “What??” he muttered again in an aggrieved voice.

  “Well, really,” I said frostily and stomped back to my desk. When I got there I opened the cupboard in my cube to get my coffee cup, and I swear, huge black spiders came tumbling out in a rush. I screeched and jumped back, and everyone around me came running.

  “Spiders!” I yelled, and everyone recoiled, checking the floor around their feet, but then they drifted closer when not one spider could be seen. They had completely disappeared. I looked around frantically, but there was nothing! NOTHING!

  “Sorry, everyone,” I said, a bit sheepishly. I was starting to feel really silly. Hallucinations now? I did need a vacation.

  Emma was there. She looked around and then sidled up to me at my desk. “I don’t like slugs,” she told me, looking around with huge eyes. She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “They’re moist,” she shuddered. “They give me the creeps. Anyways,” she paused and looked around again, “had a whole bunch at my desk earlier today after a run in with You Know Who, and then they were gone.” She looked at me straight in the eyes. “Something weird is going on here Nat. It’s that girl. Watch your back.” She drifted away just as Dean appeared, panting, with his fly swatter.

  “What on earth are you going to do with THAT?” I asked with a laugh. It was shaped like a shoe and said “SMASH!” whenever it was used. Unfortunately, it seemed to be broken since it kept saying “SMASH!” over and over again, without one bug being swatted.

  “I heard there were spiders…but you obviously don’t need my help,” he said, looking around curiously, kicking aside the shoes under my desk and checking under papers. He looked at me and said loudly, “brave old Peterson called me.”

  Peterson, who sat beside me, scowled and gave him the finger.

  I played along. “I thought I heard a high-pitched shriek,” I said, looking at Peterson and laughing. He laughed at that because it was true. He had a paralyzing fear of spiders.

  “Hey, if you can’t help, get help,” he said smugly.

  “False alarm,” I told Dean, still slightly miffed with him, but at the same time, pleased that he had come to my rescue. It was very warm in the office. His hair was damp at his temples and his tie slightly askew from running.

  “You dropped this,” Dean said in a strangled voice, after I straightened his tie and ran my fingers through his damp hair. He was a bit flushed as I smiled up at him and took the item from his hand. It was a sachet, bound with ribbon, and it stank like something had died in it.

  “That’s not mine,” I said quietly, picking it out of his hand. A chill ran over me and I felt afraid. It looked and smelled…evil. “Ew,” I said and tossed it in the garbage.

  Dean picked it up, looked at it curiously and then pulled it apart. Inside were dried plants and herbs along with a large dead spider and someone’s…

  “Hair,” I said, looking at the mass of brown strings.

  “Okay, that’s gross,” he said, tossing it back into the garbage.

  A second later I yelped as my garbage went up in flames.

  “Better to burn that,” Peterson said quietly, standing there with some matches.

  We stared at him as if he was crazy, but deep down I agreed.

  “Maybe it’ll start the sprinkler system,” he said, looking up at the ceiling hopefully. “It’s damn hot in here.”

  But within seconds the fire was out and there was nothing left but ashes.

  “Fire is the great cleanser,” he said, going back to his desk.

  He’s weird, but then Dean put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head and I didn’t care about Peterson anymore. Beth passed by, a venomous look on her face, but she didn’t stop. Somehow, I knew all of this was connected to her in some way.

  When I got home mom and dad were arguing over vacation supplies. Nick was packing his cape, his sand toys, and his stuffed animals in his Sponge Bob backpack. We’re leaving tomorrow night, right after I finish work. The plan is to arrive Saturday morning, eat a hearty breakfast, and sleep on the beach before taking possession of our beach house in the afternoon. Normally, I am so excited, but the thought of leaving Dean was really upsetting me.

  I was still standing at the front door, assessing the level of chaos when it swung open and smacked me in the arm. I looked behind me and there was Dean, already changed out of his suit into tan shorts and a white tee with black lettering that said, “Bros before hoes” (with a garden implement pictured).

  “Are you kidding me?” I said when I saw it. I had to laugh.

  “Sorry, Nat,” he apologized—rubbing my lower back where he assumed the door hit me.

  “Er, um, actually, that would be my arm,” I pointed out dryly. He just grinned and smacked me on the bottom.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him, smacking his hand away.

  “Your parents invited me for dinner,” he said, and then mom called us.

  “Come and eat, you three.” She looked at Nick, who had just declared he was packed. “Your clothes and everything?” she asked curiously.

  “Clothes?” he said blankly. Mom sighed.

  “Let’s eat and sort out the travel plans, and the packing,” she said and headed for the kitchen.

  Dean and I followed. My dad had been barbequing, but this time the meat actually looked edible. He had purchased a new, top of the line, Grill Master 4000 barbeque. My mom has told him repeatedly not to blame his tools, but he does anyway, hence the new equipment. He took off his apron, which said “MEAT FEAR ME” and sat down, rubbing his hands together.

  “Wash up,” my mom told him.

  “Real men don’t wash,” he replied in a loud voice, looking at his meaty successes.

  “WASH UP!” my mom yelled at the top of her voice. We all bolted for the bathroom, laughing. My father beat us all there. Once we were all seated again, and the food had been served, my father started talking.

  “Nathalie, we have a surprise for you,” he said primly. I looked up from my plate where I had been stuffing my face with meat, which was surprisingly good. My cheeks were puffed out like a blowfish full of water. Dean laughed, trying to poke me with his fork.

  “We’ve invited Dean to come on vacation with us, and his parents have graciously given their permission,” my mom said. At this point I was frantically trying to swallow my food, but was choking a little. Nick started slapping me on the back.

  “Mmm fne,” I mumbled, waving his little arm away. I got my food down and I JUST BEAMED WITH HAPPINESS. “ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” I yelled, looking at Dean.

  He was laughing. “My bag’s in the car!!”

  “That’s SO AWESOME!” I yelled. We jumped up and down with glee. Wow!

  My dad “harrumphed” a little. “Okay, okay, settle down kids…there are RULES,” he told us sharply, his eyes slit and shiftin
g between us. “This is a vacation and not pandemonium. It will not be all fun and games.” My mother was rolling her eyes. My dad stopped when he realized what he’d just said, but then he went on. “Rules will be presented to you both tomorrow in the car, once I write them. You will study said rules. You will obey.” My father was rubbing his hands together again.

  Rules, smules! My father was all talk. Dean was coming with me! HA, sucks to be Beth! I can’t wait to inform her tomorrow.

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Friday, July 12

  We’re off! It’s late now. We’ve been on the road for a few hours and we left later than we thought. We sang some songs, ate some junk food, but now Nick and Dean are dead to the world. In the front, dad is driving and humming to himself. Mom is asleep. In the back, Dean is drooling on the window on the driver’s side, I’m snuggled against him, writing in my journal, and little Nick is curled up against me, clutching his orange dino. I’m so happy right now. Everyone I love is with me (except for Rain, but four out of five isn’t bad). Dean is so cuddly, like a giant teddy bear. His hand is warm on my leg and my stomach feels all fluttery. I have this incredible urge to kiss his adorable face.

  Of course, dad’s trip rules are nonexistent, as I expected. “I’ll make ‘em up on the way,” he said. He’s the worst troublemaker out of all of us. It’s too much of a task to catalogue all your sins to make sure no one else commits them!

  To note—Beth was hopping mad when I casually informed her that Dean had been invited on vacation with us. I must have looked so smug and self-satisfied! She didn’t even respond when we bounced out the door, shouting our goodbyes. Boo hoo! God, she’s such a witch, but one I won’t be seeing for two whole weeks! Yahoo!

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Sunday, July 28

  We’re back from the beach. Wow, what a vacation. I’m going to try and record how wonderful it all was.

  When we got there Saturday morning (two weeks ago already!) we were all lying on the beach by eleven in the morning. Our beach house was only available in the afternoon, so we were killing time. Of course my dad wouldn’t let any of us get anything out of our bags to change.