I wiped away the tears and took some deep breaths as I tried to focus on other things. After all, that time in my life had passed. There was nothing to do about it now. The assistant was gone—he had graduated at the end of that year and gone back to wherever he came from. I had to move on with my life, and the best way to do that was to forget what had happened and try to not let it affect me anymore.
That had basically been my mantra for the past seven years.
Instead of thinking about my past, my mind moved to Patricia. I honestly didn’t see her as a killer. I knew what the girls from Western Woods had said, that anyone can really be a murderer, but Patricia just did not seem like the type. I would be incredibly surprised if she turned out to be guilty.
Which meant that once again, Peggy Perkins, Charles’s ex-wife, was the best suspect we had. Well, her and any of the other victims of Charles’s scams that Ashley managed to dig up.
I figured now was probably a good time to visit Chief Enforcer Lupo and find out when the factory would be able to open once more. After all, the walk to the small building where the Enforcers worked would take about fifteen minutes, and I was definitely in the mood for a nice walk to clear my head.
As I made my way toward the station, I passed by the local coffee shop, Rise and Grind, and as the delicious aroma of roasted coffee beans and baked goods reached my nostrils, I decided to make a detour and have one of their fancy macarons.
After all, their daily selection was great to alter any negative moods or feelings, and I could definitely use a Feeling Blueberry macaron right now to help lift my spirits after speaking with Patricia. I made my way into the coffee shop, and for the first time, I really suddenly understood how Ashley felt. It seemed like every patron in the shop, from the two vampires sitting in the back as far away from the window as they could to the witches who suddenly grabbed their small children, as if I was going to eat them or something, suddenly stopped what they were doing and began staring at me.
A hush came over the entire store, and I felt over a dozen pairs of eyes following me. Wow. Was this what it felt like to be a pariah? Did these people think that I had killed Charles Perkins? Or did they just think that if my parents had committed fraud, then I was probably going to run over, grab their wallets, and run out of the coffee shop as quickly as possible?
I had absolutely no idea, but I definitely felt like an outsider.
I actually considered turning around and leaving the coffee shop. After all, if everyone in here was afraid of me, or just going to stare at me the entire time, then maybe I wasn’t welcome here at all. But then, to my surprise, a witch I didn’t recognize got up and made her way toward me. She was about my age, with straight black hair and curved, deep black eyes.
Instinctively, I reached toward the back pocket where I kept my wand. After all, what if this witch wanted to attack me? What was I going to do? Was I going to have to cast a defensive spell, right here in the coffee shop? Could I get away if she attacked me? I began eyeing the door, but before I got a chance to figure out my exit plan, the witch simply took me into a hug.
“I know you don’t know me, but my name is Akari. Don’t worry about all these people. Let’s get you whatever you were here to order, and you can come sit with me.”
This random act of kindness from a total stranger was almost enough to bring me to tears once more. Boy, was I ever being emotional these last couple of days. But then, they had definitely been among the most stressful and crazy in my entire life. Exams had absolutely nothing on jailed parents, murder, and repressed memories.
“Thanks so much,” I told her. “I’m Megan.”
Akari came with me to the counter where, luckily, the fluttering fairy with absolutely gorgeous silver wings didn’t seem the least bit flustered or perturbed by my presence.
“Hi there, what can I get you?” she asked me with a friendly smile.
“I’ll get a coffee and two Feeling Blueberry macarons please,” I said, pulling out my wallet and handing over some bills. The fairy happily took my change and told me it would just be a minute, and Akari led me back to her table, where she had been sitting by herself, reading a book.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” I told her when we had settled down. After a couple of moments, the other patrons in the coffee shop moved on from the surprise of my arrival and went back to their coffee and pastries. Apparently the novelty of my presence was wearing off.
Akari waved away my thanks. “Don’t worry about it. I know what it’s like to be new in town and stick out a little bit. Honestly, when I moved here, I thought I was destined to a life of being stared at every time I walked down the street.”
“Where are you from?” I asked. Akari was obviously ethnically Japanese, I could tell that much, but I had a sneaking suspicion she had been born and raised somewhere in the United States, since she didn’t have the slightest hint of an accent.
“Southern California,” Akari replied. “I honestly thought I was going to spend my entire life there, until I met the love of my life. He lives up here, and we eventually decided that it made more sense for me to move up here, since he had a job and I didn’t. Of course, with the Asian community here being virtually nonexistent, I did get a few weird looks when I first showed up.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I said with an apologetic smile. “Small towns can be rough.”
“It’s alright,” Akari told me with a smile. “Everyone knows who I am now, so it’s all good. How about you? You belong to that family that owns the chocolate company, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. My mom and dad are the ones who run it. Well, were the ones who run it, I guess.”
“I haven’t seen you around, though. I know your two sisters by sight, but not you.”
“That’s because I’ve been at Spellford; I was studying to be a Healer there until everything up here went insane.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It must be tough having to leave your studies like that, especially for something so unpleasant.”
I nodded. “I keep reminding myself that life isn’t a race. Even if I finish my studies six months after all of the other Healers I started with, that’s not the end of the world, and in ten years no one’s going to remember that those six months even existed.”
“Good,” Akari said with a nod. “You obviously have a good head on your shoulders. For what it’s worth, I hope your parents aren’t guilty.”
“They’re definitely not,” I said firmly. “Of course, the body that was found on the factory floor yesterday doesn’t help with our family’s reputation right now either.”
“Yeah, that’s absolutely terrible luck right there. But I’m sure the Enforcers will find who did it sooner rather than later.”
“I hope so,” I said quietly as the fairy who had taken my order came over with a cup of coffee and a small plate with the macarons I ordered.
“I slipped a third one in there for you on the house. You look like you need it,” she said to me with a friendly smile and a wink, and I wanted to melt into a giant puddle of gratefulness right then and there. Between first Akari and now this fairy’s friendliness, it was just so much. It was such a stark contrast to the dark looks I’d received from most of the patrons when I had walked in here.
“Thank you so much,” I said, shooting the fairy a grateful look. “I really appreciate it.”
“No worries at all,” she said, fluttering back to the counter.
I took a bite of the macaron off the plate, and as the soft cookie practically melted in my mouth, I felt the magic start to take effect and the sense of dread and despair that had taken over me slowly lifted.
“Feeling better?” Akari asked, and I nodded.
“These are, well, magical,” I said with a laugh.
“They certainly are. They’ve gotten me through a few bad days. Now, how about we chat about something completely unrelated to any of this?”
Chapter 15
Before I knew it, Akari
and I had spent an hour chatting about, well, everything apart from what was going on here in Pacific Cove. I told her about my life in Spellford, and how I had spent my whole life working to become a Healer the way my parents had wanted me to. I told her about my life there, the couple of friends that I had, and how I hoped I wasn’t going to miss too many classes. She told me about her life in California as well, and how she had grown up surfing and loved the ocean and still went back once a year on a surfing trip.
I liked Akari, and when she told me she had to go but promised to keep in touch, I was glad. We exchanged phone numbers, and I told her I’d chat to her soon. I definitely felt my spirits lifting compared to when I had walked in, and I didn’t think it was entirely because of the macarons. Spells and potions were one thing, but the kind of magic that came from a great connection with another paranormal was something else entirely.
It was now early afternoon, and I decided to check in and see if Chief Enforcer Lupo was around. After all, I needed to know what was going to happen with the factory. I was hoping to be able to reopen tomorrow, after all.
I made my way to the small brick building where the Enforcers worked. They had originally had an office in the back of the town hall, but as Pacific Cove grew, they outgrew the space, and they now had a small place of their own a couple of streets back from the beach. It was a redbrick building with the symbol of the Enforcers—a gold star with the seal of Pacific Cove in the middle of it—on a sign at the front.
I made my way up the steps and through the front door, painted a royal blue color. Striding through the front door, I found myself in a rather quiet building. A fairy at reception was busy painting her nails, using a magical polish that immediately matched the shade to her robin’s egg blue wings as soon as it hit her fingernails.
“Yes?” she asked me in a bored voice without looking up.
“I’m Megan Numa, here to speak with Chief Enforcer Lupo,” I said. As soon as my last name escaped my lips, the fairy looked up, suddenly interested in my life.
“Numa. Yes, of course. Wait here, let me go see if the Chief Enforcer is available.”
She got up from her chair and fluttered deeper into the room. I sat down in one of the wooden chairs by the wall that I assumed were for visitors, and about three minutes later the fairy came back.
“You can go into his office,” she said, motioning behind her. I made my way carefully through, past the three or four Enforcers sitting at their desks, until I got to the back of the room. I wasn’t entirely sure where Chief Enforcer Lupo’s office was, and I definitely didn’t want to get lost, but luckily I spotted him through the window and made my way to the door, which had been left open.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, Chief Enforcer Lupo motioned for me to close the door behind me, which I did.
“Megan,” he started, leaning back in his chair. He looked relaxed, almost happy. I hoped this was good news; maybe he was coming closer to solving Charles’s murder, which would hopefully lessen some of the negative vibes people were feeling toward our family right now. “I’m glad you came in. I wanted to speak with you.”
“I wanted to speak with you as well,” I replied. “I’m wondering if you have an idea when we can open the factory again.”
“Yes, that is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Chief Enforcer Lupo replied. “Listen, this morning I had a meeting with the elf in charge of the prosecution of your parents. Because they’ve declared themselves to be guilty of the crime, that means that the factory, where the crime took place, is being seized by the town of Pacific Cove. It no longer belongs to your family as of this morning, and will not act as a chocolate factory in the future.”
“What?” I managed to ask as the blood drained from my face.
“The factory is no longer yours, and if I find you on the property, you will be arrested for trespassing. Do I make myself clear?”
“This is forever?”
“Yes.”
I felt like I’d just been hit by a truck. No, I got hit by a truck a few days ago with the initial news that my parents had been arrested. This was a bus rolling over my body as it lay on the ground.
This could not be happening. It could not.
“Is there anything I can do? We can do? Can we buy the factory back?” I didn’t know what kind of money my parents had, but I knew they were doing alright. After all, they paid for my classes at Spellford, the rent on my apartment, and all of my expenses so I didn’t have to get a job while I studied.
“Sorry,” Chief Enforcer Lupo said, and from the look on his face, I knew he was anything but sorry. He was enjoying this. He was actually enjoying telling me that everything my parents had worked for, for years and years and years, had just vanished in a single instant, just like that.
I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me, though. This wasn’t the time to panic. I had to think of something, anything I could do to salvage whatever I could. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I tried to figure out what I needed.
“What about the papers in the office?” I asked. “Can I have access to those?”
“Sorry,” Chief Enforcer Lupo said with a sneer. “Those are part of the property. They belong to the town now.”
“What about all of the employees?” I asked. “The chocolate factory was a major employer in town. What are they going to do?”
“That’s not my problem,” Chief Enforcer Lupo replied. “I suppose your parents shouldn’t have committed fraud. Really, all of this is their fault.”
I seethed with rage as Chief Enforcer Lupo obviously enjoyed this, but I refused to let him see it. I was absolutely not going to give him the satisfaction.
“Alright. Well, thank you for letting me know promptly,” I said, standing up. I took a tiny bit of pleasure in the fact that he looked disappointed that I wasn’t going to curl up into a little ball and sob in the middle of his office.
“Er, right. Well, that’s all.”
I gave him a curt nod and left the office, my mind reeling. How could this happen? My parents had spent a decent chunk of their lives running that chocolate factory. It was their pride and joy. And now it was gone. Just like that. Taken over by the town because of the deal the lawyer elves had made. Had my parents known that was going to happen? Did they agree to everything knowing their factory was going to be shut down?
I mean, when I thought about it, it should have been a relief. The factory shutting down meant I wasn’t going to have to learn how everything worked on the fly. It meant I might be able to go back to Spellford and continue my studies, catch up on the few days I’d missed, and continue on with my life. But the factory meant more to me than that. It was my family’s legacy, and if there was one thing in the world that was important to me, it was family.
I was learning that more than ever this week.
As I left the building and made my way back into the world, the overcast sky matched my mood. And as the heavens opened up and a downpour began, I let the tears flow openly down my face as well. Chief Enforcer Lupo had been happy to tell me that news. He was enjoying watching our family’s failures, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
I let myself cry for a few minutes, but afterward, I was filled with a new sense of determination. Chief Enforcer Lupo could arrest my parents. He could even close the factory. But he couldn’t stop us from making our chocolates. After all, that was what the Numa family did. We made chocolates.
Chapter 16
By the time I got home, I already had a name for my new company: Phoenix Chocolates. After all, the phoenix was the bird that rose from the ashes. And this new company was going to rise from the ashes of Pacific Chocolates, like a triumphant middle finger directed straight at Chief Enforcer Lupo.
The thought of turning that image into the company logo made me smile for a minute before I turned my mind back to more serious matters. It was midafternoon by the time I got home, and I still had a couple of hours before Ashley and Andrea would be back from work
. That was just enough time to get started on a business plan.
I very quickly realized I had absolutely no idea how to run a business. Or how to start one. I had a name, and that was about it. I definitely didn’t know how to make chocolate yet, but hopefully Grace could teach me. I would pay her, of course. Although where that money would come from, I didn’t know.
With the entire factory being off-limits, I also no longer had any of my family’s contacts. I was really going to be starting from scratch.
The thought terrified me. But I wasn’t going to let them win. Someone was trying to destroy my parents, destroy my family. They were using Chief Enforcer Lupo to do it. I didn’t think he was the mastermind behind all of this. I might have been wrong—I was going to have to ask my parents if they had crossed him somehow—but this seemed very personal. I had a feeling it was a witch or a wizard behind all of it. Someone was back there, pulling the strings, doing their best to destroy us.
Well, they were about to find out that the coven of Mars was the coven of war. We were not about to lie down and give up without a fight.
I called Grace straightaway and let her know the bad news.
“Oh, Megan, I’m so sorry,” she told me.
“I’m going to start my own chocolate company,” I explained. “I want to hire you to teach me how to make chocolates. Please.”
“Of course I will,” Grace replied, the warmth of her voice traveling across the phone lines and giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any of the equipment, tools, or ingredients right now,” I said. “I’m going to have to find out what I need.”
“Yes, you will,” Grace told me. “But for now, let me come over and I’ll give you another lesson. I can bring everything you’ll need from here at home.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” I replied as tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes. I had never thought of myself as a crier before, but the last couple of days were apparently proving me wrong. The amount of generosity and kindness people had shown me over the last couple of days far outweighed the glares and scowls from others.
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