Meddlesome Magic
Jodi gathered her bags, ready to leave for Joja Mart when Sam trudged into the kitchen. Dark circles weighed down his green eyes and his movements were stiff. Her oldest son had even come home late last night, though she decided to let it slide since he spent so much time with Vincent lately. "Are you alright Sam?"
The young man shook his head, ducking to better scan the contents of the fridge before making a breakfast selection. "There was a huge fight between Abigail and her parents yesterday," he explained. Sam upturned the carton of orange juice into his mouth and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "She and Caroline both got kicked out of the house, so I was helping Abigail get settled at Violet's place last night."
Jodi was irritated at first, but Sam broke down the carton and disposed of it properly, rather than putting it back empty like he used to do. As he finished, her son's words finally hit her.
"Abigail and Caroline?"
Her oldest son grimaced. "I'm surprised you hadn't heard," Sam said as he closed the refrigerator door. "I assumed Caroline would've come to see you after it all went down." The blond asked for ideas as to where Abigail's mother might have gone.
"She's missing?" Jodi questioned. Even she wondered why her best friend had not come to her in a time of need. "What on earth happened?"
"I don't know how to put this, Mom," Sam hesitated, as if he were reluctant to share what he knew. "But it turns out Abigail's dad isn't Pierre, and he found out yesterday."
Jodi balked. Caroline complained about her husband and his lack of attention, but she would never cheat on her husband. "That can't be right!"
Sam shrugged. "According to Abigail, Caroline confessed. Though she called Pierre out about some girl from Grampleton, so I guess they're even? I don't really know how this is all going to pan out, but for now the ladies are officially kicked out of the house."
Jodi pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered this new information. Caroline often complained that Pierre never had time for her or Abigail. And there were a few times that the emerald-haired woman claimed that their relationship had been rocky to start. Still, she could not accept that Caroline would be unfaithful. Caroline was just as loyal to Pierre as Jodi was to -
Wait, who were we talking about back then?
Jodi's head was suddenly heavy, as if someone had dropped a wet towel on top of her. The boys had to have a father, right? She reasoned silently. Everyone had parents, even if they were out of the picture early on. Whatever happened to him? Her clouded mind filled with doubt. Were the boys adopted? No, that's not it, either. Jodi could not shake the sensation that there was something important on her mind, just beyond her consciousness.
"Mom?" It was Sam, his voice laced with concern. He looks so much like - The mist in her head blossomed behind her eyes, causing Jodi to lose her train of thought. Why did she have such difficulty concentrating lately?
But the mother smiled brightly at her son. "I'm just worried about Caroline," Jodi said, dodging the subject of her forgetfulness. Perhaps she should go to the clinic, just in case. "I'll check around town in her usual places."
The blond nodded appreciatively toward her. "Thanks, Mom. I'm gonna help Abigail at Fairy Rose Farm again today. Is there anything you need before I head out, too?"
He's much more considerate now that he's dating Abigail, Jodi thought fondly. Some men just needed a woman in their lives to find their sense of responsibility. "Just keep Vincent entertained after school until I get home. I might be a bit late today."
Sam eyed her curiously, but she deflected his suspicions with a broad grin and a pat to his shoulder. "You run along, Sam. I'm sure Abigail needs you after all that's happened."
Jodi quickly retreated out the front door, completely forgetting her grocery bags. The foggy feeling in her head was slowly fading now that she was out in the fresh air, but the troublesome frequency of her absent-mindedness was becoming increasingly inconvenient.
"I should swing by the clinic, just in case."
Rasmodius gnawed at his inner cheek as the crystal ball remained an ambiguous swirl of fog. The spell failed - again. He glanced toward his daughter, who stared back at him, her arms crossed over her chest. Beads of sweat formed on his brow under the intensity of her glare. "You can't find her, can you?" Abigail spat, shifting her stance. "After all that posturing, you've got nothing to show for it!"
"It's not that the spell failed." The wizard's frown deepened. Abigail scoffed before he could finish his explanation. "Something - or someone - must be blocking the scrying spell. Or she has already fled beyond the scope of my divinations." Rasmodius stroked his beard, puzzling over the situation carefully. "While that is not impossible, I find it hard to believe your mother would leave town without a word to you, Abigail."
His daughter frowned. "I want to believe that, too," she murmured, holding herself tightly. Her gaze shifted toward the floor. For once the girl was vulnerable around him, her bright blue eyes wet with unshed tears. He hated to see women cry, especially the ones for whom he felt responsible.
"But she's lied to everyone about so many things. Important things." Abigail's complexion grew pale as a tear broke free and rolled down her cheek. "I have to wonder, do I even know my mom at all?"
The question was rhetorical, but the wizard could not help but reflect on the idea that there was more to Caroline that he originally anticipated. Yes, he had been lonely and did not mind the attention of an attractive woman when the emerald-eyed beauty came around, but what if she had ulterior motives for approaching him? "I shall have to investigate further," Rasmodius concluded. He began to rummage through the nearest pile of books for something useful.
"Search that pile there," Rasmodius instructed, waving his hand toward the far corner of the room. "I'm looking for a thin, self-published book called 'Purposeful Obscurity and How to Overcome It.'"
The young woman blinked, then wiped her eyes and strode across the room with a sense of purpose. For once, his daughter did not argue with him. Rasmodius' lips pulled back in the faintest hint of a grin. At least he and Abigail had something they could agree upon. Finding Caroline was of the utmost importance.
Vincent practically vibrated in his seat at the library. Miss Penny was teaching math, but the boy's mind was occupied by thoughts of all the fun things he wanted to train his new dragon to do. Breathe fire, fly, roar so loud it caused an avalanche, level buildings, and fight off alien invasions - the list went on.
He really tried to listen to Miss Penny when she reminded him to focus, but it was just so hard! Sam was a big meanie and did not let him skip school today to play with his new pet, which was no fun because normally his big brother was super fun and let him skip out on boring stuff.
Vincent noticed that Sam snuck out last night and came back super early in the morning, but he did not tattled to mom. She was still acting weird and it made the boy sad that she did not remember dad. But Sam promised it would all work out in the end and that dad was definitely going to come home soon. Vincent wanted to believe that with all his might.
But dad always taught Vincent that he had to be a good kid for good things to happen, so he knew he had to do what Miss Penny told him. He stared down at the math problem on his paper and the symbols jumbled as he bounced in his seat.
"Vincent, I know it's hard to concentrate sometimes, but please try to focus on your work." Miss Penny tried to be nice, but the boy knew he was being scolded. Vincent frowned.
"Miss Penny, have you ever looked forward to doing something so much that you couldn't think of anything else?" he asked, swaying his dangling legs as he spoke.
Miss Penny pouted a bit in a way that made her pretty pink lips look really cute. "Yes, I suppose I'm going through a bit of that myself right now, but we all must try our best."
Jas interrupted even though she was not part of their conversation from the start. "Oh, what are you looking forward to so much Miss Penny?"
"I'm attending a wedding in the city next weekend," their teacher answered.
His classmate's eyes got really wide. "Are you getting married to Prince Elliot next weekend?"
Miss Penny blushed. "Oh, no, Jas. When you 'attend a wedding,' it means you're going as a guest."
Vincent did not like this news either way. Jas still called Mister Elliott a prince which sounded awfully impressive, even if Miss Penny said he was not a real prince. Girls loved princes because marrying one meant they would get to be a princess. And all girls wanted to be princesses if they got the chance. Vincent liked the idea, it meant you got whatever you wanted and got to boss people around, but he did not like the fact he would have to marry a prince to be a princess.
But even without that problem, Miss Penny was going on a trip with his love rival, which meant serious business. Mom always said trips were romantic and going to a wedding was definitely going to get mushy. Elliott and Miss Penny might even dance together and everyone knows that dancing might lead to kissing!
Vincent's face scrunched up. "You have to promise not to get married yet, Miss Penny!" Mister Elliott said that a gentleman had to accept a lady's decisions, even if they were not in his flavor, but that did not mean he had given up on the idea of marrying his teacher. "You have to promise to tell us if you get engaged first! And you can't ear lobe!"
Miss Penny looked at him funny. "Ear lobe?" she repeated. Then her eyebrows went high on her face. "Oh, you mean 'elope!'"
Vincent flushed. Miss Penny had not made fun of him, but he did not like getting adult words wrong. "Yeah, you have to tell us if you're gonna get married to Mister Elliott, you can't just run away and do it."
Mom said that she and dad almost eloped, but grandma insisted they have a ceremony to prove to the neighbors that everything was "done in the right order." Vincent was not sure why that was so important, but it mattered a lot to grandma.
Miss Penny smiled at him and it made the boy relax a bit. "I promise you'll get to be in my wedding one way or another, Vincent." Then she turned to his classmate. "You, too, Jas."
Somehow that made it less special since Miss Penny let Jas be a part of the wedding, too, but so long as Vincent got to marry his teacher he figured it would be okay.
Now the little boy wondered if showing off his new pet dragon might convince Miss Penny to marry him over Mister Elliott. Everyone liked dragons.
"Miss Penny, will you come with me on a field trip to Fairy Rose Farm after school today? I have something to show you!"
The child's teacher frowned. "I'm sorry Vincent, I already have plans for after school today."
Vincent huffed and crossed his arms, but when Miss Penny gave him a look, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Okay, another time." He picked up his pencil and tried to do all the math problems on the paper. Instead he found himself doodling in the margins. Maybe he could train his dragon to breathe fire before Miss Penny came back from the wedding next weekend. That would win her over for sure.
"I can't believe Shane didn't tell me he lived in such a freaky little town!" Samantha complained. The sparkle in her eyes that reminded Alex of how Maru got when she started talking about space.
The jock was not used to hanging out with college girls, but Samantha was like a weird combination of Maru and Haley, though not quite either of them, either. Not that he would dare complain about Shane's little sister. She volunteered to go back into a monster-infested abandoned mine to help a guy she hardly knew.
Abigail overdid it with her magic yesterday, so she and Sam could not help him get the rest of the scrolls Alex wanted for his gift for Maru. Violet was busy with Bex, who was in from out of town. While he understood that the farmer hardly ever got time with her best friend, it was annoying timing. That left Shane's sister Samantha, whose first time in the mines was just yesterday. The mission pulled some muscles in her brain or something. The words kept coming out of Samantha's mouth faster than Alex could run a mile.
Alex was not normally a fighter, the idea of killing anything still made Alex queasy. Samantha was in no shape to fight, either. Which meant they were stuck exploring the very first levels of the mines where only the weakest of opponents lived.
Samantha squealed like a mixture of fear and excitement every time something got near them. Her hand-eye coordination tanked, but she did her best. Unfortunately, Samantha's best was not enough for Alex's mission. The athlete sighed heavily. I'm never going to get this all done in time.
His original idea was to get the translation guide from Gunther in time for the Feast of the Winter Star, so he could gift it to Maru. Alex could not wait to see that glint in her eyes when something really piqued her interest. But that goal was becoming more and more impossible as time ticked by. Unless Alex got some more experienced help in the mines without ruining the surprise or tipping off Maru that he was doing this for her, the chances were slim to none.
The brunet struck another rock with his pickaxe, revealing a few chunks of ore. Nothing useful to him personally, but Alex figured Violet or Clint might buy them off him. He squared his shoulders and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his letter jacket. "I don't think we're going to find the scrolls I need on these first few floors." Alex tried to disguise the disappointment in his voice, but Samantha must have caught on.
"Then we'll go deeper!" she glanced toward the ladder leading back up to the main cavern. "There was an elevator down, wasn't there?"
"Yeah, but - " Alex had not dared explore the lower levels without a team or Maru and her gadgets.
Shane's sister plowed through his objections. "As long as we can make a quick get-away, what's the harm?"
Alex thought for a moment before agreeing. It was a long shot, but he was never going to make his deadline otherwise. This was his hail mary to get Maru the Winter Star present he wanted to give her. He thought of the small collections of bombs he borrowed from Maru the last time they went exploring together. She said they were easy to make, so it would not hurt to use them.
"I have an idea." Alex handed the dark-haired woman a handful of bombs. "How fast can you run?"
Samantha's smirk made Alex question whether he should have said anything at all, but it was too late to back out now.
Shane did not understand why Emily wanted to go on a double-date to Grampleton, of all places, but he enjoyed humoring his wife.
The lumber town to the east was another tiny community, just like Pelican Town. Along the main dirt path, the houses and businesses were decked out with holiday decorations and twinkling lights. The scent of gingerbread and peppermint wafted into the air through an open door, making his mouth water. Shane was not usually about "holiday cheer" but even he had to admit that it was an impressive display. The mayor was surprised by the number of tourists milling around the shops.
Maybe this is Grampleton's equivalent of our Harvest Festival, Shane thought.
It was difficult to draw in outsiders to tiny, remote places like Pelican Town. A lot of resources went into the preparations, advertising, and accommodations for the influx of people, so typically communities like theirs put all their effort into one particular holiday or event to bring in revenue. But Shane needed to make up for the deficit that still remained after the Governor's help. Lewis siphoned too much money out of the town and the villagers would suffer for it if things were left alone. In short, Pelican Town needed more people and the businesses to attract them.
"This is nice," Shane admitted as Emily wrapped her arms around his. He welcomed the touch and held her mitten-covered hand in his.
Her warm brown eyes caught the candlelight of a shop window. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but Kayla assured me it would be worth the trip!"
Emily's smile reflected on the glass as she peered inside of a small shop attached to a fenced in grazing pen. It reminded him of Marnie's store back home. "Kayla?" His wife had a tendency to treat strangers as friends she simply had not met yet. It was cute, but it also led to Shane having to play catch-up sometimes in conversation.
Emily missed his question and gasped in delight. "This is it!" she announced, ogling a mountain of brightly colored yarn on display. "Kale Kitty!"
The logo was cutesy, a kitten napping in a salad bowl or something. Shane knew the instant they passed the threshold that they were going to be here a while. Emily squealed at the sight of all the textiles and eagerly flitted back and forth between the shelves, touching as many fabrics as possible.
A brunette woman with big, curly hair approached them. "Can I help you?" she asked, smiling at his wife's enthusiasm. Shane could not quite place where he might have seen her before, but the woman looked oddly familiar.
Emily, meanwhile, mentioned Kayla. The shopkeeper's eyebrows rose. "Oh, she's in the back to restock a few things. Can I get your name?"
"You must be Katie!" Emily replied, then added, "I'm Emily. Kayla and I met in ZuZu City earlier this week. She showed me some of your beadwork."
Katie's face looked so familiar. It bothered Shane. Her hair was curly, with most of it piled in a bun atop her head. Her outfit was probably stylish or something - one of those sweaters that slides off the shoulders. She wore a decorative white ribbon tied in a loose bow around her neck and a matching headband to keep the flyaways out of her face. Both her nose and chin were strong, with a subtle cleft at the bottom of her face, and she wore glasses.
Who could it be? Shane wondered. The mystery would worm its way into his consciousness until he finally recalled who this woman looked like. As Emily and Katie conversed, waiting for Kayla to come out from storage, the mayor slunk away to better see the woman from a distance. Isolating sections of her face with his hand in front of his hand did not help, either.
"This is going to bug me all night, isn't it?" Shane muttered to himself. When the woman's sister showed up, she did not trigger the same itch in his brain. It was something about this Katie person specifically. I'll have to ask Emily later. Maybe she'll have picked up on it, too.
Haley loved holiday shopping in small towns, especially in artsy communities like Grampleton. You could find the cutest little handmade gifts that shops in the city would not be caught dead displaying in their windows. People always appreciated unique presents more, so long as it was something meaningful. Not just any random felted ornament or crocheted hat would do, it had to speak to her.
The problem was buying something for Leah while on a date. The blonde did not want to ditch her girlfriend, but she also wanted her gift for the Feast of the Winter Star to be a surprise. Ideally, Haley wanted to find something matching to wear so that everyone who saw them would know they were not just "gal pals" or "roommates," but two tens dating one another.
Haley wanted to send a message to Leah's parents, too. The blonde intended to prove their relationship was serious, and that she was not just some dumb, blonde rebound for Leah while she recovered from her break-up with Kel.
The perfect accessory caught her eye in a window across the lane. A flawless blend of holiday ugly meets quality craftsmanship that only beautiful people could model: matching Winter Star sweaters. She would have to touch them to test the make, but Haley's gut feeling never let her down.
Now all she had to do was buy them discreetly. Leah obviously stopped to admire all the artisan goods in the local shops, that was the whole point of a market like this for an artist struggling from an artistic block. The red head's grey eyes caught the light of the street lamps, temporarily dazzling Haley.
Leah felt her gaze and smiled. "What?" she inquired with a shy smile. "Sorry, am I taking too long?"
Haley grinned. "No, I'm just admiring my drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend." The blonde kissed Leah's cheek, rosy from the winter weather. She devised a plan. "I'm going to get us some hot cocoa while you window shop, okay?"
The ginger nodded absently, her eyes darting back to a collection of paintings in the picture window of a shop trimmed with gold paint. Haley made a mental note of the artist and decided to look into the artist later, in case they had an online presence. The woman did not have the money for fine art, but she hoped one day her photos would sell in communities like this. Maybe even side by side with Leah's work.
Haley's pink lips tugged toward her ears at the thought. She would have to talk to Shane about a few ideas for expanding Pelican Town. There was still the issue of paying back all the villagers for the money former Mayor Lewis stole from them, disguised as taxes. Maybe they could use it as an opportunity to invite artists like the ones in Grampleton?
Haley milled through the crowd and ducked into the shop. The chatty shopkeeper practically jumped at the chance to show off the sweaters and wrap them in neat boxes tied with ribbon. The blonde hoped that she could still get the hot cocoa in time before Leah noticed her absence.
Even standing on tiptoe, Haley could not find Leah among the bundled mass of holiday shoppers. Then someone nudged her side. It was her girlfriend, armed with a pair of steaming cups of cocoa. The drinks did not distract Haley from the conspicuous bulge from her coat pocket. No wonder Leah was so chill with splitting up temporarily. Haley smirked knowingly.
"I went ahead and got us some drinks," Leah said, handing one to Haley. "I hope you don't mind."
"Sorry for taking so long, I had to use the bathroom first and this place was the only shop that wasn't completely packed," the blonde lied. She pecked the ginger's lips with her own. "You're so thoughtful. Thank you."
Haley reached for Leah's hand with her free one. "C'mon, let's find Emily and Shane. My sister said she wanted to find one shop in particular," the blonde explained. "They should be around here somewhere."
"Is it textile or crystal related?" Leah asked, smiling as she sipped her warm drink.
Haley laughed. "Textile." She liked that her girlfriend paid attention to things like that, even when it came to her family members. "Mom loved those kinds of things, too."
Leah blinked. "'Loved?'"
Haley's heart sank. Mom and dad were still alive, somewhere traveling the globe. So why had she used the past tense? "I guess it's just been so long since I've seen them," the woman admitted, "that sometimes I wonder if something happened. It's not like them to miss a wedding, especially not for one of their daughters."
Her girlfriend nodded. "Yeah, it does seem odd." Leah squeezed her hand. "But don't give up hope just yet. They're probably out exploring some remote destinations and haven't received any correspondence lately."
"Yeah," Haley agreed, though her heart was not in it. Sometimes it felt as if her parents had simply disappeared without a trace. "I hope they're having a great time, wherever they are."
Sebastian reached toward the ceiling, stretching his limbs to their limits. He spent most of the night hunched over a computer working ahead on his final projects due next week. Normally, the coder procrastinated, but getting these things done meant more time with Violet next week.
More time with his girlfriend also meant she could help him translate the mysterious spellbook he left in her care. It was too distracting to have at home, the temptation to neglect his coursework would be too great.
Hell, if it were not for Bex's visit this weekend, Sebastian might have mustered the motivation to finish everything tonight and head straight to Fairy Rose Farm for a sleepover.
The raven-haired man settled back in his chair, a yearning sigh escaping his throat. On the one hand, Sebastian acknowledged that finishing his degree was important, but it was a bummer not having Violet around. He thought back to their time together in the submarine a few nights ago. The memory of the way his girlfriend squirmed when he kissed her neck made Sebastian smirk.
He glanced out the window, his dark eyes reflecting back at him in the glass against the flurry of white snow outdoors. The Feast of the Winter Star was next week. Sebastian considered what to get Violet to celebrate the holiday. He never had to buy a gift for a girlfriend before, but he did not want to screw this up.
"Maybe I should ask mom for advice?" the man muttered, fiddling with his phone. He shook his head. No, she'll only get weird about it. Besides, this was personal. Sebastian did not want to be a creep who gifted his girlfriend with a romantic evening with the expectation they get physical at the end of the night. While he liked to imagine what it would be like with Violet, they always got interrupted whenever they tried to get intimate. Like a curse.
Sebastian's mouth twitched, his gaze unfocused, when he detected a rustling sound in his bedroom. His eyebrows knit as he rose from his desk to inspect the source.
On his bed laid the spellbook, the same one he left with Violet three days ago. What the hell was it doing here?
He texted Violet. *Hey, did you swing by my place today?*
*No, I've been with Bex all day. Why?*
Sebastian's stomach tightened. His eyes darted toward the leather tome on his bed. *Remember that spellbook I left with you? It's at my place. I thought maybe you dropped it off to motivate me to finish my projects or something.*
Violet took a while to reply. *I put it on my bookshelf when I got back from the Night Market Tuesday night, but now it's gone.*
The programmer swallowed hard and snapped a picture of the book nestled among his messy sheets. *Well, it came back.* Sebastian did not like the idea of a spellbook magically reappearing in his home of its own free will, but preferred that over the idea of someone breaking and entering.
*Should I come get it? Maybe Rasmodius can keep it under some kind of magic lock and key for us?*
Despite the uncomfortable situation, Sebastian grinned at his girlfriend's thoughtfulness. "For us." Sebastian never thought seeing two words spelled out on his screen would mean so much to him. Violet considered his problems her own, too. The idea made the heat rise in his face. Yoba, he really needed to think of something good to get Violet to express how much she meant to him.
*No, I'll manage. Have fun with Bex. Sweet dreams.*
*Okay, just let me know if you change your mind. Sleep tight, 'Bastian! 3*
Sebastian stared hard at the spellbook, half-expecting it to move of its own volition. "I can't work on translating you until I finish my finals and find a present for my girlfriend," he scolded the inanimate object. "You'll have to wait." It was stupid talking to a book, but Sebastian figured if it had returned to him as its rightful owner, maybe it would respect his wishes.
Settling back at his desk with a new mug of steaming coffee and a few snacks, Sebastian reluctantly went back to work. He made little progress over the next hour. One bug in his code gave him trouble and his fixes kept making the problem worse. But as the night progressed, the man detected what resembled eyes burning holes in the back of his skull.
Sebastian spun around in his chair, finding the bright blue book resting on the floor behind him. At first, the rookie sorcerer cursed, but then he noticed a note stuck to the front cover. His jaw went slack as he turned back to his computer screen and input the line of code written on the square of paper. It worked. No bugs. The programmer scratched his head in disbelief.
"What the fuck is happening?" Sebastian mumbled to himself, leafing through the book's pages. Inside were other codes written out and somehow he knew these were for his remaining assignments. Someone - or something - wanted him to focus on other things, even if that meant spoon-feeding him answers to his finals.
The programmer triple-checked the work and wrote them down on his own notebooks as a back-up and worked backwards to ensure the logic of the code made sense to him, ingraining the solution and all the new possibilities it opened in his mind.
The spellbook now sat on the desk beside his computer, beckoning Sebastian with silent whispers. It was close to midnight, but the man did not have anywhere to be tomorrow and now he had finished all his coursework.
"I guess I could give it another shot…"