They took their seats, and Belladonna couldn’t believe how wonderful everything was. The upholstery was so soft and buttery that she couldn’t stop running her hands over it.
“This is pretty sweet,” Ben said.
“It is. It’s amazing.”
They didn’t have to wait long for takeoff, and soon a different stewardess came around with a beverage cart. “Champagne for the happy couple? Congratulations on your nuptials” She said with a sincere smile.
“How did you know?” Bella asked as she wondered if the flight attendant was a witch too. She wasn’t picking up any magic emanating from the woman though.
“I’ve been doing this for almost two decades. You get a nose for these things.” The woman said and handed them each a glass of champagne.
“Thank you.” They said in unison.
Ben and Bella sipped the bubbly liquid and watched the clouds go by. By the time they’d finished their glasses, the scene had turned from fluffy and white to dark and menacing.
The plane was about to fly into a thick wall of roiling purple and black clouds, and the sight made Bella’s stomach turn. Something was off. They shouldn’t be flying right into that, should they?
Thunder crashed, and a bolt of lightning hit the wing of the plane. Belladonna cried out and gripped the armrest so hard that her fingers turned bright white. Ben covered her hand with his.
“It’s okay, sweetie. If the crew isn’t worried, we shouldn’t worry either.”
Just then, all the stewardesses and stewards rushed by. “Put your seatbelts on.” One of them instructed.
Ben turned and watched them file into the attendant area and hastily strap themselves into the jump seats. That’s when Ben’s stomach turned.
The public-address speakers crackled to life. “This is your captain speaking. My copilot has had a seizure, and while I was attending to him, I’m afraid that I’ve flown us into a patch of nasty weather. Don’t panic, but the seatbelt light is on for a reason. It’s going to get rough for a little while. I assure you that I’ve flown through worse, and I’m confident that we’ll be landing safely soon. Our destination is the nearest airport, but I’ve called ahead, and we’ve been cleared for an emergency landing.”
“I want to go home,” Belladonna said and started to cry.
It worried Ben to see her so afraid and upset. “It’s going to be okay. If nothing else, you can wish the storm away. We’ll deal with the consequences later.”
“We already have consequences to deal with from the last time I made a wish, Ben.”
“Yeah, but if we need it, we’ll find a way to make it okay.” Ben put his arm around her shoulder as best he could since the seatbelts had them pinned back. “Can you make the storm go away?”
“It’s a big storm, and it’ll take everything I’ve got,” Belladonna said. “I’ll also need some privacy. I don’t want the normals to see me cast a spell.” She whispered.
Belladonna unfastened her seatbelt and stood up. She began walking towards the bathrooms when a flight attendant called out for her to take her seat. She ignored the woman and kept moving towards the lavatory.
Just then, the plane shook violently, and the lights went out. Belladonna grabbed the seat next to her as the airplane lost altitude. Everywhere people started screaming and crying, and that spurred Bella into action. She could protect these people, and that made her lose her fear.
Belladonna used the backs of the seats to claw her way to the bathrooms. Once inside she locked the door and began to search her mind for a spell.
The public address system crackled to life again. “This is your captain speaking. I’m afraid the storm has intensified, and we’re in the middle of the worst of it. If you can reach your relatives and loved ones with the airplane’s phones, I’d suggest you call whoever you can right now. The airline won’t charge your family for the calls.”
Why would they charge our families for the calls and not us? The question distracted Bella from her mission. “Because the plane is going down,” Bella whispered to herself. “We’re going to crash.”
“You’ve got to do something now.” Aunt Sumac’s voice cut through the din of screaming outside the bathroom.
“I’m trying.” Belladonna opened her eyes and saw Sumac’s reflection in the mirror. “I need a spell.”
“You don’t need a spell. Just use raw power, but you have to do it now.”
“I should just wish it away. That’s the safest idea.” Bella said.
“No!” Aunt Sumac stopped her before the wish could fully form. “You can’t do that, Bella. If you wish it away, something worse will happen.”
“What could be worse than this?” Bella asked desperately.
“Total engine failure.” Aunt Sumac said in a grave voice that Belladonna wasn’t used to hearing often.
“I can do this.” Bella’s voice quaked with fear. “I want my mama.” She said giving into the dread for a moment.
“I’m here.” Petunia whispered in Bella’s ear. “I’m right here.”
Bella opened her eyes again, and while she couldn’t see her mother, she could feel her hands on her shoulders. Her mother’s magical strength flowed into her, and Belladonna focused her thoughts on clearing away the storm clouds.
A few minutes later, the screaming stopped. Belladonna felt the airplane level out. Then, she felt it begin to spin. The realization hit that planes don’t swirl and that it was her head. Bella was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She opened the bathroom door and fell out onto the cabin floor.
“Bella. Bella sweetie.” Ben’s worried voice reached her tired mind. “She’s coming around.”
Bella opened her eyes and saw Ben and several flight attendants standing over her. “What happened?”
“You hit your head and passed out.” A snobby male steward said. “When you got up.”
“Please leave my wife alone,” Ben growled at the other man.
Most of the crew walked away, but one friendly looking stewardess stayed behind. “I’ll get you some juice. Or would you rather have ginger ale?”
“Apple juice,” Bella said.
“You got it.” She stated in a cheerful voice and turned to retrieve the drink.
“They’re never going to know you saved them,” Ben said and kissed Bella’s forehead.
“That doesn’t matter. What is important is that we’re okay.” Bella said and sat up slowly.
“Here’s your juice.” The stewardess had returned. “We’ll be landing soon, so I won’t be able to get you anything else.” She said and leaned over towards the couple. “But, thank you. Thank you so much for saving us.”
“How did you know?” Belladonna asked. “Are you…” Strangely Bella didn’t feel magic in this woman either.
“No, nothing like that. I’ve just got the sight.” The flight attendant, who’s nametag read Stacy, winked at Bella and walked away cheerfully.
“What does that mean?” Ben whispered to Belladonna when he was sure the woman was gone.
“It means she can see and feel things the normals can’t, but she’s not a witch. She’s kind of a half and half, I guess. It’s like being a radio. Stacy there can pick up stations, but she can’t broadcast.”
Chapter Three
The airline had insisted that Belladonna be seen at a clinic on the island at their expense, of course. They were worried that she’d hit her head and a lawsuit would be in the works as soon as the wheels touched the ground.
At first, Belladonna had been really upset about going to the clinic, but once she saw the place, she decided it wasn’t so bad.
“If this is what their health clinics are like, I can’t wait to see the rest of the island,” Belladonna said to Ben as they waited for the doctor.
The outside wall of the examination room was floor to ceiling windows, and they had a breathtaking view of the beach. Massive blue curtains were pushed to the sides of the windows, and Bella guessed that these were closed when anyth
ing private went on in the room. But, right then, the warm tropical sunshine streamed into the window and touched her face.
“This is definitely the nicest doctor’s office I’ve ever been in. You should probably rest, though. You look like you haven’t slept for days.” Ben said as he watched the palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze.
She closed her eyes and let the soft light soothe her tired body and soul. Ben took out his phone and used the clinic’s Wi-Fi to download a book. He read quietly until a light knocking on the door roused him from his reading.
“Knock, knock.” A cheerful male voice entered the room ahead of a kind-looking man in a white lab coat and thick black glasses. “I’m Dr. Palmer. How is the hero?”
Ben turned to look at the man, and Belladonna roused from her sleep. She sat up and cocked her head to the side. Yep, there was definitely magic in the doctor.
“You’re a…” Belladonna started.
“You don’t have to say it.” Dr. Palmer said with a wink. “I felt you come in, so I snatched up your case before one of the regular doctors could get it. I guess you didn’t hit your head.”
“No,” Belladonna said with a hearty laugh. “I didn’t hit my head.”
“Well then, we can skip all of the medical tests and get you on your way.” He said and pulled a vial of pink liquid out of the pocket of his lab coat. “This should help you, how do you say… recharge.”
Belladonna accepted the vial. “So, do I just drink it?”
“My professional recommendation is that you take it with a full plate of beans and rice, a hearty helping of jerk chicken, and finish your meal off with some mango ice cream.”
“Do you have any recommendations as to where I get this meal?” Bella asked with a smile.
“Are you staying at the Sea Breeze resort?” Dr. Palmer asked.
“We are.”
“The onsite restaurant is the best on the island.”
“Thank you, Dr. Palmer,” Belladonna said and shook the doctor’s hand.
“Yes, thank you for taking care of my wife.” Ben also gave the doctor a hearty handshake.
“You just watch yourself here.” The doctor warned. “It’s your kind that cursed our island with one of the worst hurricanes in history. But, I can see that you’re one of the good ones.” Dr. Palmer said to Ben. “I’m sorry if I sounded harsh.”
“It’s okay,” Ben said. “I understand. I didn’t realize how bad Jinn could be until recently, and I didn’t even know I was one until after I met Belladonna.”
“Again, I’m sorry. I’ve never met a Jinn like you. I shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusions I did. Forgive me and know that you’ve changed my worldview today.” The doctor said cheerfully.
“Thank you, doctor,” Ben said and shook the man’s hand again.
Their next stop was the hotel. As the taxi pulled up the street towards the giant white building, the sight of it gleaming like a sparkling diamond in the Caribbean sun took Belladonna’s breath away.
“This is the place?” Ben said once he’d picked his jaw up from the cab floor. “It’s magnificent.”
“Yeah,” Bella responded.
Their experience at the front desk was much better than the one they’d had checking out of Vegas hotel. The only hitch was when Belladonna’s stomach growled so loud that it made the front desk clerk chuckle.
“The restaurant is down that hallway. The hotel has three sets of elevators, but for your room and the restaurant, you can stick to the main one in the center.” She said and pointed towards the elevators on the other side of the lobby.
The sound of dozens of high heels clicking against the white marble floor filled the space around them, and Belladonna and Ben realized that many of the other guests were dressed to the nines.
“Should we change into nicer clothes?” Ben asked as the elevator doors closed.
“Nah. I’m hungry. They’re going to have to take us as we are. Besides, I don’t own shoes like that.” Bella responded as the elevator shot up to the seventh floor.
“And, that’s one of the big reasons I love you,” Ben said and kissed the top of his wife’s head.
There weren’t very many rooms on the floor, and the couple had to wonder just how big their suite would be.
“Oh wow.” Bella gasped as they walked into the jungle themed room.
She walked over and touched the pale green duvet on the massive canopy bed in the center of the chamber. Ben set their luggage down and walked over to the sliding door that led to their private balcony.
“This is amazing, Bella. But, you need to eat. Let’s get down to the restaurant before you shrivel away into nothingness.” He teased.
There were very few guests in the restaurant when Ben and Belladonna arrived. A chipper hostess in a floor-length white sundress seated them at a table with an awe-inspiring view of the ocean.
Belladonna took the doctor’s advice and ordered beans and rice with a side of jerk chicken. When they were done with their meal, Belladonna and Ben split a huge order of sticky rice and mango ice cream.
She wasn’t comfortable drinking the potion that Dr. Palmer had given her out in the open, so when Belladonna got her stomach full, she excused herself to the bathroom. Once alone, she popped the cap on the vial and poured the cold, sweet potion down her throat in one gulp.
Belladonna could feel the power in it spreading from her stomach outward. In moments, she felt rested and ready to take on the world. The elixir coursed through her veins as Belladonna made her way back to the table.
“You look a million times better,” Ben said as he stood up to get her chair.
“Thanks, I think,” Bella said with a laugh. “How bad did I look?” She teased.
“You know what I mean, Bells.” Ben pushed her chair in, and Belladonna sat. “I tried to pay the check, but the waitress said it was taken care of.”
“Should we go, then?” Bella asked.
“Hmm. I’d like to have a cup of coffee if you don’t mind?”
The waitress came back to ask if there was anything else, and Ben ordered a coffee. Belladonna thought about it for a moment.
“Do you have hot chocolate?” She asked hopefully, though she knew that hot chocolate wasn’t very tropical.
“We don’t.” The waitress said regretfully. “But, I can have the chef whip you up a cup of drinking chocolate. It’s a lot like hot cocoa except that it’s a little creamier and there’s usually cinnamon in it.”
“That sounds delightful.”
After their meal, Belladonna and Ben went back to their room to change into bathing suits. Bella had too much energy to stay in the room and take it in for long, and thanks to the coffee, Ben felt like he might be able to keep up with her.
Belladonna loved the way the warm, white sand felt under her feet. Given all of the sunshine, she thought it would be hot. But, the moment she slipped her sandals off, Bella could tell that the sand was the perfect temperature.
As she got closer to the water, the wet sand squished between her toes in a way that made her feel like a kid again. She giggled and stomped her feet until she was ankle deep in the ocean.
Belladonna waded out until she was thigh deep in the water. That was around the time that the lifeguard’s whistle blew and the shouting started. Ben watched as people streamed out of the salty water, but Belladonna was transfixed by something.
She was the reason for the alarm. Belladonna was surrounded by sea animals. Dolphins, sharks, turtles, and thousands of fish had swum up to her. She patted some of them on the head and swirled her hands in the water as they danced around her legs.
Ben turned, and he could see the lifeguard running down the beach toward Belladonna. He guessed that the young man thought he’d be saving Ben’s wife.
“Belladonna, you have to send them away,” Ben said from the water line. “You can’t let them see.”
Bella waved her hands and gestured out to the sea. All of the creatures surrounding her dispersed so quic
kly that it was as if they’d never been there. The lifeguard ran up to Ben’s side and looked out to the water with utter confusion.
“I could have sworn…” The perplexed lifeguard murmured.
“I thought I saw it too,” Ben said in return. “But, I believe that it was an optical illusion from the waves and sunlight.” Ben fibbed.
The lifeguard blew the whistle in several long bleats as he walked back to his post. “Everyone back in the water. It’s all clear.”
Ben watched as people made their way back into the warm, gentle surf. His eyes caught Belladonna’s form as she dove under the waves, and he waded out into the water to join her.
“I thought you said this resort was paranormal friendly,” Ben said when he caught up to her.
“It is, and it’s supposed to be catered towards us, but apparently some normals have discovered the place.” She said and splashed him. “The more, the merrier. I’ll just have to be careful.”
As it got closer to dinner time, the beach emptied out. All of the families were gone, and only a few couple remained. Belladonna and Ben had stayed in the water splashing around and swimming until both of them were so tired that they had to practically drag themselves back up onto the beach.
“No more.” Belladonna proclaimed. “I can’t handle any more fun today.”
“I think that means the first day of our vacation is a success,” Ben said and helped her to her feet.
“Let’s drag ourselves back upstairs and get ourselves some room service.”
Chapter Four
The next few days went by in a blur for the couple. They’d spent their time relaxing in the sun and eating too much pineapple. On the last full day, Belladonna realized they hadn’t done the one planned activity that she’d wanted to do on the island.
“Ben, can we go do the cave exploration today?”
“Oh right, I totally forgot. Sorry about that, babe.”
They ate a quick breakfast and then caught a taxi to the little stand where you could purchase tickets to the cave tours. Belladonna and Ben bought two tickets and a pair of souvenir flashlights since they hadn’t brought any with them.
Moon Hexed Page 2
