by Rose Pressey
“Oh, dear. I’d better stop them.” I tried to hurry down the stairs at the same time as trying not to fall to my death.
Finally we reached the bottom. I slipped a little on the last stair tread, but managed to remain upright. Deedee was a lot faster than me and I knew I was slowing her down by being in front.
“Stop who?” Deedee ran behind me.
“The witches. They’re at it again,” I said over my shoulder.
“Barbara and Destiny?” Deedee asked. “What are they doing?”
“Bad witchcraft,” I said.
When I reached the main section of the house, I stopped. The cauldron was set up in the middle of the floor. Flames shot up from the top, almost reaching the ceiling. Barbara and Destiny stood in silence with their mouths open, staring at the fire, as if they’d never seen this outcome before. This was the reason why they were here in the first place. Plus, they’d specifically been asked not to cast spells.
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Deedee yelled.
I dashed through the house and finally reached the kitchen. Warren clutched his chest and looked at me like I was crazy when I burst through the door. I didn’t speak as I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall. Honestly, I should just keep one in every room.
I raced back through the house.
“What’s going on?” Warren called out as he ran behind me.
“Fire. The witches.”
He groaned. “Again?”
Deedee was swatting at the flames with her towel, but it was having no effect. I pulled the pin from the extinguisher and pushed the lever. The white foam spewed from the nozzle, drowning the flames. Now all that was left was the fizzling-out smoke. I blew the hair out of my eyes and stared at the cauldron.
“That was a close one this time,” Destiny said, as if it was some kind of game.
“What were you all doing?” I asked.
Barbara waved her hand through the air, trying to get rid of some of the smoke. “The smoke makes it hard to breathe, right? You should look into installing a sprinkler system. It might be some kind of code violation that you don’t have one.”
I glared at her and then focused my attention on Destiny for an answer.
“We were casting a spell,” Destiny answered.
“Yes, you already told me, and I gathered that much by the large flaming cauldron in the middle of the room.”
Warren chuckled. I looked back at him.
“Sorry,” he mouthed.
“What I want to know is why you were using your witchcraft. You know that’s frowned upon right now. You need to work through your issues before you start using magic again.” I handed the extinguisher to Warren.
Barbara nodded the entire time I talked, as if she agreed one hundred percent with everything I said. But then she said, “Yes, but you said it’s frowned upon, not forbidden.”
I glared at her.
“Technically she’s right about that,” Warren said.
“You’re not helping, Warren,” I said.
Barbara stepped closer and peered into the cauldron. “Oh, it’s a mess. You have any Comet we can use to scrub this thing?”
“I have some Soft Scrub in the kitchen,” Warren said.
“Will you all forget about cleaning right now?”
“Touchy, touchy,” Barbara said.
“What kind of spell were you casting?” I asked, hoping to get a straight answer this time.
“A spell to get rid of the bad energy in the air.” Barbara waved her arms. “Do you feel that?”
I had to admit I did feel something, but I figured it was the stress from all the guests not doing what they were supposed to do. I needed a spa retreat away from my spa retreat.
I placed my hands on my hips. “Well, ladies, please don’t do this again. Having a fire in here is dangerous. I shouldn’t have to even mention that fact. Something is obviously wrong with your magic if it’s igniting flames like that. May I remind you that I can always cast a spell over the entire place that will bind you from doing magic?”
I wasn’t sure if my magic would be strong enough to do that, but they didn’t have to know that. Barbara and Destiny nodded, but I had my doubts about whether they were being sincere.
“No more magic with the cauldron,” Barbara said.
I glared at her.
She tossed her hands up. “Okay, no more magic.”
I peeked behind Barbara to see if her fingers were crossed behind her back.
“Thank you,” I said. “Deedee, are you ready to go to yoga now?”
Deedee stared in stunned silence. Finally she said, “Sure, I’m ready. If you think it’s safe.”
“Yes, of course it’s safe,” I said, pasting a fake smile on my face.
Barbara and Destiny hoisted the cauldron up and headed toward the front door.
“Let me help you with that,” Warren said, running over to pick up one side.
Deedee and I stepped out into the first rays of sunshine. It was so early that the shaded spots hadn’t even seen the sun yet. The rosy sky spread over the east.
“Do they do that often?” Deedee asked.
“Every day since they arrived,” I said.
“Why don’t you ask them to leave?” Deedee walked beside me as we turned the side of the house.
I shrugged. “So far it’s never been that bad.”
“They almost burned the place down. I hope they don’t try that while I’m sleeping.”
“Oh, no, they would never do that.” Would they?
Deedee and I reached the yoga studio. Others had already gathered inside. There were about six of us for the class, not including the instructor. Deedee and I stepped into the space.
Everyone looked at us and then said, “Welcome.”
“Good morning, everyone!” I said in my brightest tone.
When I glanced over to Deedee, hoping she would respond, she yawned and looked around the room. It was as if she hadn’t even heard their greeting.
“Deedee, I’d like for you to meet Declan. He’s the instructor.” I gestured toward the front of the room.
Declan had been watching us since we stepped into the room. Deedee absorbed his appearance. He was a hunk of a man with defined muscles, not too big and not too small. He wore red shorts and a gray t-shirt. His blond hair gleamed from the daylight beaming through the windows. His skin glistened from the steam inside the room. He flashed his gorgeous bright smile at her and I thought she might drop to the floor. She might have swayed just a touch.
“Nice to meet you,” he said with his sexy accent.
Deedee stared at him as if she’d lost the ability to speak.
“Why don’t we get started?” I pulled on her arm to guide her to the position.
Deedee snapped out of it and took her stare off him. She stood beside me in the middle of the room.
“Why is it so hot in here?” she asked, waving her hand in front of her face.
“Hot yoga,” I said, placing my mat on the floor.
“Oh, great. I’m officially going to die in here.”
“You’ll be fine. Just get on the floor.” I motioned for her to get on the mat she reluctantly placed in front of her.
Just as we’d gotten into the downward dog position, a pounding sounded against the window. I jumped a little and looked over to see what had happened.
“What the hell was that?” Deedee leapt to her feet as if she’d been attacked.
Everyone looked around, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. That was when I spotted the bear standing at the window. Apparently everyone noticed at the same time because screams echoed through the tiny room.
“That thing is huge,” one woman said in a panic.
“Stay calm, ladies, the bear will probably go away,” Declan said.
“Probably?” Deedee said.
There was no food in the room, so why was it here? How would we get away? I’d never seen a bear around here before.
Chapter 7
“Oh, yeah, that should get rid of it.” Deedee rolled her eyes.
The woman flashed a glare at Deedee, but Deedee didn’t seem fazed. This was my spa, so it was up to me to protect my guests. I would have to find a way to get rid of the bear. I wasn’t about to go outside right now though. I’d have to think of something else behind the protective walls of this small building.
Declan moved over toward me. “Would you like for me to go out there?”
“Are you kidding? No way,” I said.
“It might eat you,” Deedee said.
“I think the bear will run away if confronted,” he said.
“‘You think’ isn’t good enough. We have to know for sure the bear is gone before we set foot out of this place.” Maybe my voice sounded a little too panicked now. What I’d just said would not help ease everyone’s fears.
The group was getting anxious. They’d all huddled together into the middle of the room.
“I’m sure it will leave on its own soon.” I said, trying to sound confident.
I looked at the bear still standing at the window. The animal was focused on something in the room. When I followed the direction of its stare, I spotted Deedee. Was the bear staring at Deedee? Could it sense that she was a Shifter? There was something oddly familiar about this bear. As if I’d meet it before. That wasn’t possible though.
“Okay, everyone. I think if we get together in a group and all wave our arms and start yelling that will scare the bear away.”
What I’d just instructed them to do sounded ridiculous. Nevertheless, I thought I’d read that somewhere. They looked at me as if to say, You can’t be serious. I motioned for the group to come closer.
“Come on. I think it will work. And unless someone else has a better idea then we should do it.” I placed my hands on my hips. I was beginning to get frustrated with all of them.
They stepped closer to me, not taking their eyes off the bear still standing at the window.
“Okay, on the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
We screamed and waved our arms through the air. I knew this looked silly. The bear stared at us, but didn’t budge. It almost looked like it smiled. Could bears smile? Of course not. Not unless it was Yogi.
“Hm. I thought for sure that would work.” I blew the bangs out of my eyes.
“Now what will we do?” someone asked.
The bear was still staring at Deedee. I grabbed her arm and pulled her across the room. Its eyes followed her.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Just as I suspected. The bear is watching you. Do you know this bear?” I asked.
She placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, yeah, I know the bear. Right.” She laughed nervously. “We go way back.”
“Then why is it staring at you?”
“Make her go out there,” someone said under her breath.
“Who said that?” I whipped around.
Everyone shrugged.
“I don’t have to stay around here and take this kind of abuse,” Deedee said.
“That wasn’t very nice, you all,” I said. “Apologize to Deedee.”
“Sorry, Deedee,” they said in unison.
“Can’t you use your magic to make it go away?” Deedee asked.
“I don’t want to tempt anyone in the room by casting spells.” I leaned closer to Deedee. “Barbara and Destiny are bad enough without me tempting them.”
“I think we can handle it just this once,” one of the women said.
When movement at the window caught my attention, I realized the bear had moved its arm. I swore it looked as if it pointed at Deedee. The room gasped again and backed even further away from the window. They were up against the far wall. Deedee remained motionless. She was staring right back at the bear. It was like a staredown in the dining room over the fresh fruit salad. Who would be the first one to stop? Finally, the bear turned and ran away.
“Wow, good job, Deedee. You really showed that bear,” I said.
She puffed her chest out, casting a glance at Declan. He winked and smiled.
“Thanks. Don’t mess with Deedee, right?” She smirked.
I chuckled, “Yeah, yeah. There is one thing though…”
“What’s that?” Deedee asked.
I placed my hands on my hips. “I don’t think you’re telling me everything. There’s something missing in this story.”
She scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Like why that bear was staring at you like that.” I pointed at the window.
She tossed her hands in the air. “How the heck am I supposed to know? It’s a bear. Maybe it’s because I’m so sweet. Or maybe because I used milk and honey shower gel this morning.”
“That’s doubtful,” I said.
Deedee crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t know what else you want me to say, but I’m kind of offended that you would suggest that I’m not being truthful. I’m known for my honesty.”
Deedee was really mad now.
I held my hands up. “Okay, okay. I was just suspicious. Let’s not get upset. We’ll just do yoga and relax.” I motioned for Declan to continue.
“I’m not in the mood for yoga right now.” Deedee stomped over to the door and walked out.
“It’s okay, everyone. Just continue the class without us.” I hurried over to the door.
I ran after her. “Deedee, wait a minute. Be careful. There’s a bear out here.”
Deedee didn’t slow down. I glanced around, but luckily didn’t see any signs of the bear. “Deedee, I want to talk with you.”
“I have to make a phone call,” she said over her shoulder.
“This will just take a second,” I said, still running.
Deedee was really fast. Her long legs were no match for my short ones. If she didn’t slow down there was no way I would catch up to her. If she was headed to her room though, I knew where to find her. She couldn’t get away from me there. She would have to talk to me sometime. Not speaking to the hostess was against policy. Okay, I didn’t have a policy per se, because that had never come up before, but maybe I should devise one.
A rustling noise sounded from my right. I instinctively jumped and screamed out. I thought for sure the bear had returned. When I glanced over, Elizabeth was standing there with a stoic look on her face.
“Oh, you scared me,” I said, clutching my chest. “You should be careful. There’s a bear out here. I’m getting ready to warn everyone. Though I hope it doesn’t come back. Deedee scared it off.”
Deedee had disappeared around the corner. So much for catching up with her.
Elizabeth laughed. “I doubt she scared it. If it really wants to come back, it will.”
Way to make me feel better. She could at least pretend.
Chapter 8
It was almost time for dinner and I sensed everyone getting anxious for food. Maybe the meals here weren’t all that heavy, but they were healthy and that was the important thing. Sometimes the chef’s creations took a bit for the guests to get used to—an acquired taste, if you will—but after a couple days, I felt everyone started to enjoy the unique fare.
Barbara and Destiny complained about it being rabbit food. I’d caught them in the kitchen trying to cast a spell for chocolate cupcakes. Luckily, Warren didn’t have cocoa on the shelf. The group’s restlessness before the meal wasn’t the only thing I felt though.
The entire place was full of bad energy. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it either. Others were commenting on it too. It was making people grouchy, which was bad for business. This was a wellness spa. A place where people came to relax and destress. To reconnect and get back to their normal paranormal powers. How long could I allow this to go on? I had to do something. Where was the bad vibe coming from? I couldn’t deny that it had started when Deedee and Elizabeth had shown up.
But which one was giving off the bad vibes? Or wa
s it both? There seemed to be some kind of connection between the two, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. If Elizabeth did know Deedee she wouldn’t remember. Would Deedee remember if she recognized Elizabeth? I needed to ask her about that again.
There was one thing I could do—magic. Just a little spell to lighten the mood around this place. I could do it in the kitchen away from everyone so they wouldn’t even know. All they would feel was the aftereffects.
Before everyone arrived in the dining room for the evening, I stepped into the kitchen. The chef wasn’t there. I was surprised since it was almost dinner. Food was cooking so he must have just stepped out for a moment. I just needed to grab some spices for my magic. He hated when I messed with anything in the kitchen. Warren had everything exactly as he wanted it, and felt that I made a mess of things if I came anywhere near. If I hurried though, he would never know I’d set foot in the room. I rushed around the room, gathering a pinch of this and a dash of that.
My cauldron was in the kitchen. It would be easier if I could just do the spell right here in the kitchen. Warren would throw a hissy fit. I couldn’t drag the cauldron through the house though. I supposed he would just have to deal with it. If I did the spell fast enough he would never even know.
I placed the spices down for a second and pulled the cauldron out to the middle of the floor. I peeked out the back window to see if anyone was coming. So far I was safe. A little bit of water in the cauldron and I was all set. I stood in front of the cauldron with my spices. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a moment. I had to focus my mind before I could start the spell.
As I placed the spices in my cauldron, I danced around the room. Sure, I wasn’t good at it, but it was my process. I hummed along with the melody in my head, singing the words to the spell as I tossed the spices into the water.
“What the heck was that?” Deedee asked from over my shoulder.
I jumped and the spices fell to the floor. Warren would not be happy about that. Now I had to clean up the mess before he returned. I was dangerously close to being caught. He would just have to deal with it. This spell was totally necessary.
“I suppose you want to know what I’m doing?” I asked with my hands full of spices.