Scent of Magic

by Clark, Lori L

  “That’s too bad, we could use a little help for the next time,” Rue said.

  “Not that there’s going to be a next time, because there’s not,” Starley said tucking her hair behind her ears. “But, I’m never dating anyone ever again. Besides, I’m grounded.”

  “You won’t be grounded forever,” Rue said.

  “Seriously, Rue, stop. I’ve never dated anyone before. My first date was a major disaster. So, I’m okay with being alone. Forever. Into my old age,” Starley said.

  “Sure, you can be a crazy cat lady,” Rue said.

  Starley wrinkled her nose. “No, that’s not an option. Dingy dog lady, maybe. I’m allergic to cats.”

  Starley and Rue sat in the back of the classroom. Starley had a hard time concentrating. As much as she wanted to shrug it off and pretend like she didn’t care about the Beau situation, she couldn’t. It bugged the crap out of her that he could so easily blow her off without a second thought.

  Whatever happened to teenage rebellion? Was Beau avoiding Starley because his dad told him to stay away, or did he just like Beatrice better? Starley decided it was most likely because he liked Beatrice better.

  After school, Starley went home to take care of Larry and Poe before walking to The Perfumery. There were a few customers milling about the store, and Starley recognized Beau’s mother as the woman at the cash register. Starley put her head down and tried to sneak through to the back room without anyone noticing.

  “Young lady,” Mrs. Byrd called.

  Starley froze and slowly turned around. “Yes, Mrs. Byrd?”

  “Sugar, I just want you to know that I have no hard feelings about what happened with Beau,” Mrs. Byrd said. “Accidents happen, but unfortunately, his father is a pompous ass, and when he gets like this, there is no talking any sense into him.”

  Starley felt her cheeks begin to burn. “Thank you, Mrs. Byrd.”

  “This whole mess will blow over in a few weeks,” Mrs. Byrd said with a smile. She waved her hand in the air. “So, you two kids just bide your time.”

  Starley nodded and fled the room without saying anything. She sat down and buried her face in her hands.

  “Rough day?” Francesca asked leaning against the door frame.

  “I’ve had better,” Starley admitted.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Francesca asked.

  “Not particularly,” Starley said. “Beau’s not the least bit interested in waiting for things to blow over.”

  “What do you mean?” Francesca walked over and rubbed small circles on Starley’s back.

  Starley took a deep breath and sighed loudly. “I could walk down the center of the hall naked, and he wouldn’t notice anyone but Beatrice.”

  Francesca bit her lip and nodded. “I know it seems like the end of the world right now. Like you’ll never meet another boy you like as well as Beau. But, trust me, things do get better, and you’ll find someone who makes your heart sing. You’ll ask yourself, ‘Beau who?’”

  “Maybe,” Starley agreed. “Out with old, in with the new.”

  BYRD MAN OF PROSPERITY

  “At least Mrs. Byrd still shops here,” Juliette pointed out when Francesca started to pout about business being slow.

  “Much to her husband’s dismay, I’m sure,” Francesca said as she sipped her morning coffee. “Hopefully this scheme of yours works.”

  “Why, whatever do you mean? Scheme?” Juliette quirked an eyebrow.

  “You know very well what I’m talking about,” Francesca said.

  “I’m waiting for the amber to arrive,” Juliette told her.

  The bell above the door rang, and both women focused on the man looming in the entrance.

  “Crap on a cracker,” Francesca mumbled. “Pastor Byrd, so good to see you again.”

  “Save the niceties. I’m quite sure you don’t mean that.” Pastor Byrd huffed.

  He stepped into the store and Francesca sneezed. “Okay, you’re right. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  Juliette folded her arms in front of her and glowered at Pastor Byrd. There wasn’t any use pretending she liked the man, because she obviously despised him.

  “I’ll get right to the point,” Pastor Byrd said, straightening his tie.

  “Please do,” Juliette said, drumming her fingers on her arm.

  “When you women moved to my town, I tried to look past your shady establishment,” Pastor Byrd said, waving his hand around to take in the store. “I even closed my ears to the rumors of witchcraft. But, then you did something to my wife. I barely recognize the vicious woman she’s become.”

  Francesca’s eyes rounded, and Juliette’s jaw unhinged, both of them too dumbfounded to speak.

  Pastor Byrd continued, “I ignored all the warning signs, against my better judgment. Now, your sister tried to poison my son, nearly killing him in the process.”

  “Now, you listen here,” Jessica said.

  Francesca put her hand on Juliette’s arm and shook her head hard enough to cause her hair to fall from its bun, urging Juliette not to say what she was thinking. “Pastor Byrd, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Because as we all know, opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. And while you may think you own this town and most of the people in it, I am not going to allow you to bully me. So, the way I see things, you can either suck it up buttercup or play nice …” she paused to take a deep breath. She narrowed her eyes and leaned toward the man who had begun to pale slightly. “Or I might just have Juliette whip up something extra special for the collection plate this Sunday. Do you catch my drift, pastor?”

  Poor Pastor Byrd didn’t even pause to respond. He nearly tripped over his feet trying to escape.

  Juliette gaped at Francesca and began laughing hysterically. Francesca glared at her and said, “Oh, shut up!”

  “What? Why are you telling me to shut up? I think that might be the maddest I’ve ever seen you. If I hadn’t seen that whole exchange with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it. He had that coming,” Juliette said. She smiled and wrapped her arm around Francesca’s shoulder. “Does this mean I have your blessings to hex him?”

  “I’ll get back to you on that,” Francesca said.

  A TIME TO LOVE, AND A TIME TO HATE

  Starley sat at the kitchen table staring into her half-eaten bowl of cereal. Francesca came into the room and ruffled her hair. “Hey, Squirt.”

  “Morning,” Starley said before tipping the bowl and drinking the milk. “Where’s Juliette?”

  “She went to The Perfumery early. She’s working on something top-secret,” Francesca said, stifling a yawn.

  “Ooh, sounds kind of James Bond to me,” Starley said. She got up to rinse out her breakfast bowl.

  “Bite your tongue. She gave me her word that she wouldn’t do anything too daring,” Francesca said softly.

  Starley chuckled. “And you believed her?”

  The color faded from Francesca’s face. “You’re right, what was I thinking?” she said right before she yanked her coat from the hook, grabbed her purse and bolted out the front door.

  Francesca’s favorite holiday of the year was around the corner, and she loved decorating The Perfumery for Halloween. She got busy right away so she could avoid thinking about everything that had happened since homecoming.

  Juliette flitted — and she never flitted — around the shop. “Sister dear, this spell, whoosh. I think I’ve outdone myself this time.”

  “I hope that whatever it is, it works. Because truthfully? The idea of having to move again, especially this time of year, is not something I want to think about,” Francesca said.

  Juliette stopped mid-stride. “We’re not moving. I promise you. Someone may be moving, but I can nearly guarantee you that it’s not going to be the Duchesne sisters. Not this time.”

  Francesca quirked an eyebrow. “That sounds interesting, but I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Relax,” Juliette said with a flick of
her wrist. “I’ve got this.”

  Francesca took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, one good thing. They haven’t burned a single witch in several centuries.”

  Juliette snorted and pulled a strand of purple and orange lights from the box of decorations. “Where do you want to hang these?”

  “How about the front window?” Francesca suggested.

  The women worked all morning decorating the shop in between a steady flow of customers.

  “I think business is starting to pick up again, don’t you?” Juliette asked.

  “Hmm?” Francesca said, clearly distracted by something outside.

  Juliette joined her at the front of the store to see what had her so interested. “Isn’t that Martin? The rain man?”

  “The rain man?” Francesca scowled. “Yes, it’s Martin.”

  “I wonder what his story is,” Juliette said quietly.

  Francesca shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s a story there somewhere. I just haven’t figured it out yet. He’s single, attractive, and has a very pleasant aroma, so I don’t think there are any ulterior motives behind that gorgeous smile.”

  Juliette smiled and pulled Francesca away from the window. “Come with me, I want to show you what I’ve been working on.”

  “Ha, finally, you’re ready to let me in on the big secret?” Francesca said, following Juliette into the back of the shop.

  Juliette ducked beneath a curtain of fake cobwebs and took out the spell book. She flipped through several pages and when she found what she had been looking for she turned the book and pointed.

  “This one. This is what’s going to ensure that we aren’t going to have to leave Prosperity until we’re ready to move,” Juliette said. She bounced on her toes and grinned like a fool.

  Francesca skimmed down the page excitedly until she read the ingredients. The smile fell from her lips, and she clasped her hands behind her neck. “A banishing spell? Juliette, you promised!”

  “What? It’s not like I’m banishing him from the face of the earth. Don’t think of it as a banishing spell —” Juliette said.

  “That’s what it is!” Francesca interrupted and slammed the book closed with a thud that echoed through the empty back room.

  “Not exactly,” Juliette argued. “The Byrd family, specifically Pastor Byrd, is about to have an opportunity present itself that is just too damn good to be true.”

  “You’d better hope he doesn’t have any mirrors,” Francesca said pointing her finger at Juliette. “Because if this spell backfires, the Byrd family will be right where they have always been, and we’ll be the ones leaving town in a hurry.”

  “Please, Frank, relax and leave this to me,” Juliette coaxed. “Everything will be fine. We won’t have to leave Prosperity before we figure out why you chose this particular dot on the map in the first place.”

  “What do you mean?” Francesca said.

  “You said it yourself; there’s a reason we’re here. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace,” Juliette said.

  Francesca huffed and rolled her eyes. “You, of all people, quoting the Bible.”

  Juliette giggled. “Seemed fitting.”

  “What are the details?” Francesca asked.“When? Where? How?”

  “The less you know, the better. Just plan on having a little something extra to celebrate this Halloween,” Juliette said.

  A GUINEA PIG AND A UNICORN WALK INTO A STORE

  Juliette’s mood soared through the roof the closer it got to Halloween. Francesca, who normally loved All Hallows’ Eve, moped around The Perfumery as though her days in Prosperity were numbered.

  Starley walked the halls at Prosperity High School one foot in front of the other, eyes straight ahead. She’d missed out on a lot of things that normal high school students took for granted by moving around a lot. Leaving before she got too comfortable had left her totally naïve to the dangers of dating.

  Of course, not every girl unwittingly gave her first date cookies they were allergic to.

  She tried not to dwell on it, and she tried to tell that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that it didn’t bother her that Beau had already put the whole cookie debacle behind him and moved on with a new girl. She reasoned that his being with Beatrice now had absolutely nothing to do with the cookies. It had been inevitable.

  For a reason not completely clear, the Halloween holiday brought the shop more business. Curious women, who would have never darkened The Perfumery’s doorstep before, suddenly flocked there in droves.

  Starley and Rue volunteered to help out at the shop after school in the afternoons. Juliette even taught Starley a few tricks of the trade when Francesca wasn’t paying attention.

  “This is a little something I put together for you, Rue,” Juliette said, handing her a small bottle. “You can be my tester.”

  “Oh yay, I get to be a guinea pig,” Rue said excitedly. She uncapped the perfume and took a big whiff. She wrinkled her nose. “On second thought, what is this supposed to do for me? Repel every boy in town?”

  Juliette laughed and said, “It will smell much better once it mixes with your body’s chemistry.”

  Rue narrowed her eyes at Juliette. “I’m not sure I buy that, but hey, whatever,” she said, dabbing a little scent on her wrists and rubbing them together. “What magical gift is it supposed to bestow upon me?”

  Starley laughed loud enough to turn a few heads and covered her mouth. “Sorry,” she whispered. “But seriously, you have to admit, that was funny.”

  Francesca shot them a look that meant she knew they were up to something.

  Juliette said, “Keep it down. The fun-hater will have my ass if she finds out about this.”

  “Ooh, so mysterious,” Rue said. Her eyes sparkled and dabbed more of the perfume behind her ears. “Really, what’s it supposed to do?”

  “Go easy on that stuff,” Juliette said twirling a strand of hair around her index finger. “Remember, you’re the guinea pig here. I don’t know how strong it is.”

  “Oh, my God, is that a horn in the middle of her forehead?” Starley said. “She’s a unicorn.”

  “What?” Rue gasped, slapping her hand against her face. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “Not you,” Starley said pointing over Juliette’s shoulder. “Her.”

  Rue turned to look. “Yup. Total unicorn going on.” Rue leaned to the side to get a better look. “No hooves. Just horn.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Starley murmured. “Who is that woman?”

  “Pretty sure she’s Prince Charming’s … ride,” Rue said, laughing at her own joke.

  “That’s Mr. Eriksen’s girlfriend?” Starley asked.

  Juliette cleared her throat. “Hate to butt in here. It’s all so exciting. But you two might want to stop staring at that woman and fill me in on what the hell’s going on.”

  Starley tore her eyes away from the unicorn and said, “Mr. Eriksen’s our gym teacher. He’s Prince Charming. That woman is apparently his girlfriend. She’s a unicorn.”

  “Does she sparkle?” Juliette whispered.

  “Not that I can see,” Rue said.

  “You’re serious?” Juliette said.

  Rue’s eyebrows drew together. “Yes, we’re serious.”

  Juliette took a deep breath and blew her hair out of her eyes. “I’m still trying to figure out how your gift of magic can be a benefit.”

  Rue opened her mouth to speak, and Starley shook her head. “Not now, Rue.”

  “Okay,” Rue said. She rubbed her ears. “My ears itch.”

  Juliette paled a little. “Maybe a little less cinnamon next time.”

  “You still haven’t told us what this perfume does,” Starley reminded her.

  “I can’t,” Juliette said, biting her lip. “I promise if it works like it’s supposed to, you’ll be thanking me.”

  “And … if it doesn’t?” Rue said wide-eyed. />
  “I better help Frank. She gets a little grouchy if she doesn’t eat,” Juliette said as she darted across the floor.

  Starley leaned closer to Rue and smelled her neck. “She was right. It smells much better on than it did in the bottle. Hopefully, it won’t make you grow a tail or anything.”

  Rue’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “Kidding,” Starley said. She popped a stick of gum into her mouth and offered Rue a piece.

  HELL HATH NO FURY

  Halloween fell on a Sunday that year. Francesca sat at the kitchen table listening to Poe rattle his cage from the other room. Juliette walked into the room and poured herself a giant mug of coffee.

  “You’re up early,” Francesca said.

  “Starley convinced me to go for a run with her this morning,” Juliette said.

  Francesca snorted and quickly covered her mouth when Juliette glared at her. “What? You can’t be serious.”

  Starley came into the room and sat to put on her rollerblades. “You ready?”

  Francesca’s gaze drifted between Starley and Juliette. “You’re not planning to burn down the church are you? Remember, there are innocent people in Prosperity and we actually like a few of them.”

  Juliette downed the rest of her coffee and bent to tie her shoes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Always so suspicious.”

  “You did promise me that we’d have a little extra something to celebrate this Halloween, and I’m still waiting,” Francesca said.

  “The day’s not over yet,” Juliette said with an exaggerated wink.

  Starley pulled her lips between her teeth and grabbed Larry’s leash. “Come on Larry before Frank ties us to the chairs.”

  As soon as Starley and Juliette were out of the house, Starley whispered, “Did you bring it?”

  Juliette reached into her hoodie pocket and nodded. “Of course.”

  “Great, Rue’s going sneak out and meet us behind the church. We better, hurry,” Starley said.

  Larry tugged the leash, and Starley skated after him. Juliette trotted to keep up.

  As predicted, everyone in town was attending church services. Juliette checked her watch. “Let’s find Rue.”