I turned my back to the tombstone and walked away. The wind had picked up, forcing my hands to take shelter inside my pockets. I saw the sun collide with the mountain of buildings that formed the downtown skyline. I made my way home, anxious to start a new adventure.
Tessa arrived just in time to see me finish hanging a picture on the back wall of my apartment.
“Today was a busy day,” she said, throwing her hat on the dining table.
“Nice to see you survived it,” I said.
“What’s that?” She inched closer, spending several seconds on the portrait. “Is that your mother?”
“Yeah,” I said. Tessa trained her round eyes on me. I didn't need to tell her a thing. She understood my feelings. Come to think of it, she might have understood long before this moment.
“What happened?” she said, turning her face back to the photo behind me.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, your mom was so pretty. Guess you missed out on the gene lottery, Raul.”
“You’re so mean,” I said, flailing my arms over my head. “And after I give you a house and a job. And food too! I haven’t taken it off your paycheck, but I just might start, you know?”
“No!” said Tessa, putting her arms around my waist. “I need the money to buy more dresses!”
“I won’t,” I said. “Tessa?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to go on a date with me?”
Chapter 8
“I said I’ll take the day off. Let you and Elise handle it.”
“Wow,” I said, “You went down easier than I expected.”
I left through the front door. It was rough seeing Raul so against the idea of a day off, but it had to be done. Even the most dedicated of witches need time away from their spells, and Raul was no different.
In my short time here, I had come to learn a lot about Raul. He’s a sweet guy, but he’s often far too narrow-minded. His attempt at making alcoholic espresso drinks a few weeks ago just proved it.
I unlocked the store and started setting up all by myself. Sweeping the floor while I was alone gave me a weird sense of ownership. Something like ‘this is mine, so I have to give it my all!’. I wondered if this was how Raul felt every single day of work.
Elise arrived 15 minutes before opening. She tied her curly hair into a bushy ponytail and put on her apron.
“Where’s Raul?”
“I gave him the day off.”
“Did you convince him?”
“Threaten is more like it,” I said, proud of my efforts. Getting Raul to take a day off was no doubt a Herculean task, so there were reasons to celebrate.
“It feels livelier in here already,” said Elise, brandishing a smile.
“Are you excited to visit your sister next week?” I said.
“I am. Amanda’s pretty excited too. She’s promising to show me all New York has to offer.”
“Ah, New York! That’s the place with the tall woman, right?”
“The Statue of Liberty?” said Elise.
“Yeah, her!”
Seemed like I made a mistake. I tried to change the topic as quickly as I could. Better make a mental note to research this Statue of Liberty later since it’s common knowledge.
“So, uh, we expecting a ton of people today?” I said.
“Huh? I don’t see why we would.”
Just as we opened the store, the first stream of customers walked in. I took the counter and cash register while Elise served the orders.
Through countless hours of practice, I mastered the art of point-of-sales systems. I was so sure of myself that I challenged Raul to see who could input a string of customer orders the fastest. I, to nobody’s surprise but his own, emerged victorious.
My drink-preparing skills hadn’t progressed as much, though. I had only memorized a third of the drink menu, so I had to refer to the laminated guide for help. On days where I felt more confident, I tried to prepare everything without looking at the guide.
“I think there’s only one shot in here,” said a customer.
“I’m sorry,” I said, preparing them a second drink. Today was one of my confident days.
By mid-morning, the rush ended, and we were afforded a break. I was excited that no major catastrophe had taken place yet.
Running the Twisted Cauldron didn’t seem particularly difficult. Maybe Raul was one of those people that loved to complain. He did seem like the type, after all.
“I’m going to sit down for a break, alright?” said Elise.
“Sure thing!” I said. She went to the far end of the café, leaving me alone by the counter.
I felt good today. I think I should try my hand at enchanting the coffee a little bit. I mean, Raul never explicitly forbid it. I’d been meaning to ever since I started working here. When no one was looking, I took the lid off the grinder. Hundreds of coffee beans laid still, waiting for their gruesome death at the hands of a machine.
I put my hand over the beans and channeled. I summoned a surge of energy, felt it swirl up through my chest and then to my outstretched hand. A blue light extended from it and seeped into the beans. Once every coffee bean was covered in the blue light, I removed my hand. The spell’s flashy light quickly disappeared, but that was to be expected. If all went according to plan, every coffee produced from this batch will be imbued with magic designed to stimulate your taste buds.
I prepared a single espresso for myself, mixing in copious amounts of chocolate powder and a dab of milk. Mixing everything together, I could hardly contain my excitement. Magic and coffee! There’s no way those chain stores will run us out of business.
The sip I took was… underwhelming. It didn’t taste any different from a regular cup. Did I do something wrong? I thought I had that spell down years ago.
“I noticed that we’re missing some napkins,” said Elise. I jumped back.
“E-Elise! Hi! Yeah, I can get some.”
I didn’t get it. The spell should’ve had me jumping in joy. Instead, all I felt was a mild tingle.
“Here’s the napkins,” I said, handing the rectangular container to Elise. “I can take the counter.”
“Sure thing,” she said. “Let me just finish this customer’s order.”
I watched with horror as the last drop of espresso hit the cup. It came from the batch I enchanted.
“Elise, maybe you shouldn’t serve that coffee.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” I blanked. Was it really a problem? I had no reaction to the bewitched brew, so maybe it wasn’t a problem at all.
A few seconds later, those fears were put to rest.
“This is really good coffee!” said the person Elise just served. He was sitting at a table halfway across the restaurant and yet I heard him clear as day.
One customer had walked in and heard the uproar.
“I’ll have what they’re having,” they said.
“Sure thing,” I said. Maybe it did work. Who knows, maybe I just created the greatest espresso drink of all time.
I prepared a caramel macchiato that mirrored what the happy customer got.
“This is actually pretty freakin’ good,” they said. “You’re nothing short of an artist!”
That had me blushing. Finally, my genius was being recognized! A new wave of customers came in, and I was more than happy to serve them some of my bewitched coffee.
“Seems like whatever you brewed up is pretty popular,” said Elise. “How’d you make it?”
“Nothing special,” I said. “Just put a new mix of beans in there, ha ha.”
“Got a name?”
“I call it… Cauldron Premium,” I said.
“Well, I think we have a hit on our hands.”
Word of mouth spread quickly, and by the first half-hour I had made 25 drinks with it. As soon as each customer got their first sip, they went head over heels for it.
“Give me some of that too,” said Elise in between serving orde
rs. I prepared her one cup, which she took a sip out of the next time she came around to pick up an order.
“This is actually pretty good,” she said. “Not too bitter. Very flavorful.”
“Thanks! You’re too kind.”
“Mmm, I think I’m going to sit down over here and drink it,” said Elise.
“Yeah, sure why no—”
I watched as Elise took a seat in an empty table, even though there were orders to be served.
“Uh, Elise…”
“You can take care of them for me,” she said.
“But I have to take their orders,” I said.
“Cool,” she said, sipping on her drink.
There was something wrong with Cauldron Premium. The people who were once jumping in joy were now lethargic, nearly falling asleep on their chairs.
There were orders to take and customers to serve, but the first thing I did was dump out the remaining magic-infused ground coffee. I put new beans in and waited for it to grind them to skinny flakes.
As I waited for it to finish, the door chime went off. Another customer… great. I looked over and saw, to my horror, that it was none other than Raul.
“I’ll be right back,” I told the customer waiting to place their order.
“Hi,” said Raul. He fidgeted his thumbs as he spoke, as if he knew he wasn’t allowed in here. It was really cute.
“What are you doing here?” I said. I crossed my arms, hoping he got the message and turned around.
“Chill,” he said, putting up his hands. “I’m just here for some espresso.”
“This is your day off. Shoo! Your business isn’t wanted here,” I said. I turned Raul around and pushed him out the door. Pressing my hands against his back, I could feel the muscles underneath. Raul wasn’t a particularly muscular guy, but he had a sizeable back.
“This is no way to treat a customer,” he said. “I taught you better than that!”
“Well then,” I said, putting my lips close to his ear. “Do you want me to toss you out like I did this morning, only make it hurt ten times more?”
“Have a pleasant day!” he said. I watched as his butt ran out of the coffeeshop. That’s right. Today I’m the ruler of this kingdom.
Now all I had to do was keep my subjects in line. Easier said than done. I apologized profusely to all the waiting customers and focused on serving the ones that had already paid. Next, I took orders from the people in line, fulfilling their order before moving on to the next customer.
The customers who drank the bewitched brew still had not eased out of their trance. With the customer queue empty, I was finally allowed to think of a way out of this. Some of them had finished their coffee already, so my best bet would be to prepare an antidote and give them even more coffee.
“I’m so tired!” loudly proclaimed one lethargic customer.
“You and me both,” said another.
I separated a small batch of coffee beans, repeating the same enchantment from before. The difficult part was finding a suitable antidote. If I found the correct antidote, I would hear a popping sound as the new spell replaced the old one.
First, I used the spell for taste enhancement, but it didn’t work. Next, I tried spells for removing the effect of other spells. There was a dozen of those in my arsenal. I stood there, trying each. By the time I finished all twelve, I had to swipe the sweat off my temple. Nothing worked.
What could I be doing wrong? Given how none of my spells had worked, I was either using the wrong nullification spells or… Or there was nothing to modify because I had fundamentally changed the coffee beans themselves. I scratched my head.
I could have unknowingly changed the coffee so that it gained properties that would give anyone who ingested it a temporary high, followed by induced lethargy. That would explain why none of my previous spells worked.
It was worth a shot. I took hold of the jar of beans and channeled through them, embedding each with a spell that could identify the previous spell and nullify it. To my surprise, a low pop sounded out of the jar. Mission accomplished!
I put those in the grinder and prepared two dozen new coffees. My first test subject was Elise.
“Hey there,” I said. She turned to face me at half-speed. Her eyelids were drooping so much they looked like they could slide off at any moment.
“Hi,” she said.
“I got some coffee for you. Here, have a taste.”
I put the coffee cup in her hands. She stared at it for what seemed like hours.
“Do I drink this?” she said.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s Super Premium Cauldron.”
“Neato,” said Elise right before taking a sip. A few seconds later, her eyes regained their firmness.
“That’s some good stuff,” she said.
“Great,” I said. “Can you help me by giving these out to everyone around? Insist, even if they say no.”
“Uh, sure. I’ll do it.”
Between the two of us, we managed to cure everyone of their lethargy.
“I think I’m due for a break,” I said.
“Yeah, let me see…” Elise looked at her phone’s clock. “Yikes. Did I really take that long of a break? Don’t tell Raul, will you?”
“I won’t,” I said, laughing. “I promise.”
It was all my fault, after all. I slumped on a seat, utterly exhausted.
I wondered how Raul would handle the situation. Knowing him, he probably would’ve given them more coffee, insisting that caffeine would make everything better again. Or he would’ve closed the café and lock himself away in the storage closet while he thought up a solution.
He’s a dork, but his tenacity is admirable. Managing the Twisted Cauldron, offering the drinks he wants to, hiring the people he likes, and giving it his all… It represents everything the witch colony was not. I tried to use my magic to help people enjoy their coffee more and failed. The key part was that I could try at all.
Inside the colony, magic is an ancient tool that must be used for the benefit of the colony and the benefit of the colony only. Messing around would be punishable. I recognized that what I did might’ve put people in danger, but…
There’s no use. I’m allowed to use magic how I want with little supervision, and I’ve never been happier.
It’s not just the freedom to use magic that I like. Freedom to spend time watching shows and using my money to buy clothes. Freedom to gawk at the handsome guy that slept five feet away from me…
My face blushed. I found my mind wandering to Raul more and more these days. He was geeky but had an undeniable charm to him. I heard him speak and couldn’t help but lend an ear and listen. To take his ideas and guide him on the right path… Nothing would make me happier.
The long inner monologue was interrupted by Don and Julie.
“Mind if we sit with you Tessa?” said Don.
“Go right ahead,” I said.
“Thank you, dear,” said Julie. She sported a red-tinted pin that was as bright as it was beautiful.
“You look tired,” said Don. “Raul gotchu workin’ too hard? Speaking of the fella… where is he?”
“He isn’t in today,” I said. “Forced him to take the day off.”
“How did you manage that?” said Julie.
“I used some choice words,” I said.
“The place already looks livelier,” said Don, laughing. Part of it could be the result of the people around us waking up from their enchanted state with a little more energy, but I didn’t need to tell him that.
“You look pretty worn out, though,” said Julie. “Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Sleep isn’t the issue,” I said. “But yeah. Today’s been hectic.”
“Don’t work too hard,” said Don.
That brooch caught my attention yet again. It was as red as the brightest rose in summer. The blood stone contrasted heavily against Julie’s white skin.
“What’s wrong, dear? You keep looking at my brooch.�
��
“It’s nothing,” I said, waving my hand.
“You can tell us,” said Julie.
“It reminds me of my mother is all. Her name was Ruby.”
“I bet she’s a nice woman,” said Julie.
“She was, I think. I never met her.”
“Well, if she could see you know, I’m sure she’d be so proud of you,” said Julie. “I would’ve given anything to have a daughter as sweet and kind as you.”
It surprised me to learn that Don and Julie didn’t have children. I had talked to them nearly every day, and not once did they mention them. Did they ever wonder how their children would look like, if they had any? What they would be doing right now? They were in the opposite position I was, but our concerns were similar.
There are days where I think about my mother, and how different my life would be if she were still around. According to my father, Ruby was the most loyal and considerate witch he knew. She was a woman loved by all, with a heart so big she could never shun anyone. Someone like that wouldn’t let themselves be controlled by the council. They’d give their all, no matter the consequences.
That might’ve been my dad’s bias, but everyone else I asked said the same thing. To have lost someone so wonderful just to give birth to me… It meant that I had to be just as much of a force of good as she was.
To be excellent and passionate in everything I do.
To follow my dreams until the very end.
That is what it means to be Ruby’s daughter.
“Tessa,” said Elise. “The landline. It’s for you.”
I took the cordless phone in my hand and retreated to the back of the restaurant, next to the closet door.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello, Tessa? This is Minerva.”
I held my breath. Every muscle in my body tensed all at once.
“H-Head Councilwoman,” I said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“It has come to the attention of one of our sensory witches that you’ve had several magical… let’s call them incidents, the most egregious of which was only a few days into your stay. Such behavior is unacceptable.”
“Head Councilwoman! I apologize for my mistakes. I promise I will be more careful when using magic in the future.”
A Witch's Guide to a Good Brew Page 8
