by Dani Corlee
Kim kept on looking at him, her hands tightened under her chin.
“And?” she said after a while, as William wasn't going on.
“Well, I feel quite embarrassed. As a doctor I should have noticed, but my patients aren't only witches, so I probably never put the two things together.”
Kim looked at him, then burst out, “So? Don't keep me waiting!” She then tried to smile and added, “Please.”
“Well, we think that, it's not always like this, though, but it seems, with lots of exceptions, I must say, even though I'm still checking about...”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Can you tell me about it?” She nervously pulled her long hair back away from her face.
“Er, yes. It seems that there is a correlation, but I again want to point out that...”
Kim's glare didn't allow him to delay any further.
“There's a correlation between powers and fat. A fatty and sweet diet over the level considered right for young witches prevented them from fully develop their powers. That is...” he continued searching among the many papers he had with him, scanning some of them, and finally looking at a chart full of handwritten notes, “it's not really the obesity or overweight. In those cases where the weight problem seemed to be due to some imbalance, the powers were not affected at all. But a diet rich in fat and particularly sugar seems to be the cause. Yet, we weren't looking for diet information; therefore the results are partial. But we have a group of overweight witches with hormonal problems who have full to quite good powers, and then a group of overweight witches with no reason to be overweight other than nutrition with little powers. I think there's a pattern here.” He tapped his index finger on the chart. “A healthy lifestyle is the key. No alcohol, no smoking, no drugs.” He turned his head up, looking again at her from over his glasses and smiled, satisfied.
“Well, don't make it bigger than it is,” Samia exclaimed. “Nobody will lose their powers for a glass of wine at dinner, or a cigarette after a nice cup of coffee.”
“Or for a slice of cheesecake,” Fiona added with a wide grin, her full face more round than ever.
“We're talking about the period the body forms.” It was Ivy’s turn to say something, “even during puberty. Teens using alcohol and drugs, smoking... pot smoking...” She cast a quick, careless glance at Tyler, and everybody unwittingly turned looking at him, Kim too.
He looked back at the others with a dull glare. Then, realizing what they meant, he widened his eyes and burst out, “What do you want from me?” His many facial piercings shining at every movement, he turned to all them present. “Just because I'm younger than you, you think I'm an alcoholic and a drug addict?”
“No, sorry.” Kim felt she had to make an excuse on behalf of everybody. It surely wasn't Tyler's age, but his peculiar look, his many piercings and colorful tattoos, that made them think he could be that kind of person. Kim fiddled with her earring for a while, giving a sidelong glance at Tyler who was grumbling. Clothes don't make the man, her father used to say, but we all seem to fall into the trap, she wanted to say. But she only made a gesture to Ivy to go on.
“A healthy childhood seems to allow the witch potentiality to fully develop,” Ivy continued.
“Mm...” Kim mumbled. “Funny how these coincidences happens... I've just read a few days ago something about sugar that I couldn't have imagined. And now again I hear that sugar has a worse effect than I've ever thought. But how can we use this information? And most of all, how does it bring us forward in our problem with the antennas?
“It doesn't.” Francesco took his papers and passed them to Kim. “This is a small report on a preliminary action to take against bad food habits. As for the antenna,” and he turned to Samia.
She operated the computer, and graphic representations of the waves appeared on a big screen on a wall. She then explained how they could easily create a spell to make witches expel those waves, so that they would never come near any witch apart from when the phone was used. In that case another spell would provide a temporary shield to protect people around the person talking on the phone, so that any nearby newborn would be protected.
Kim didn't understand. “It sounds complicated! Can we just have a shield around the newborns, for example?”
“That was what the newborns did by themselves, and we saw the effects.”
“What, a shield around the newborn’s houses?”
“That shield too could crystallize and don't allow the babies to develop their powers. With the danger they might create one of their own when outside their house.”
“I thought the shield crystallized because of the persistence of the ailment the baby perceived. A stroll outside isn't probably long enough to make the baby create it.”
“We believe those shields are like an onion. Each time the baby feels uncomfortable he creates a layer. One layer after the other and the shield is thick and crystallized. Even if only it happens once, that's a shield who will threaten the witch powers.”
“I see...” Kim nodded. She took a deep breath and looked at them. “You all did a wonderful job. And the data you got are invaluable. Especially as concerns the health issues. I really think from your work we received much more than we expected. Go on with the protecting shields, then. We will meet against next week so that I can keep abreast of your progress.” She got up and smiled.
“I'll go and inform Isidora. Thanks, everyone!”
CHAPTER 12
Are you ready? Lucille mentally asked to Kim. I'm coming for the makeup in few minutes, then we can go to the party.
Er, no. I have a date!
“Have you?” Lucille was so surprised that she immediately teleported to Kim, forgetting to announced herself.
“Uh, sorry. Knock knock!” and laughed.
Kim looked a little disgusted at the gum so clearly visible in her open mouth, then laughed too.
“So, who dared to invite you?”
“Maybe I should have asked you first? If the party starts at the club, then I might not have the permission to come with a non-witch?” she asked.
“Don't be silly!” was the chewed reply. “You are the Queen, you make the rules.”
Kim rolled her eyes.
“And in any case, there will be plenty of non-witches at the party. Husbands, wives, friends, and neighbors. Don't worry about it.” Lucille waved her hands and started applying Kim’s vampire makeup. “Who's the lucky man?” she asked while working on Kim's hair.
“It's James, you know, the...”
“The vet,” Lucille ended the sentence. “I know. And I thought it could be him. He's hot and a nice guy. Don't break his heart, he has already had his share of sorrow and hasn't dated many women since then, as far as I know.” Lucille frowned. She noted Kim's dress was longer than she had adjusted it and the neckline much higher than she remembered. Kim must have practiced her powers... She carelessly moved her hands and brought the dress as she had made it the day before, while Kim asked, “Sorrow? Why? What happened to him?”
“Two years ago he was left at the altar.” Lucille looked at the newly adjusted dress, then decided that it could even be a little shorter.
Kim widened her eyes. “Was he? I cannot believe it! It must have been terrible. Who...” She didn't finish because the doorbell rang. “Must be him,” she added.
“I'll see you at the club,” Lucille said, disappearing.
Kim turned to the mirror to see Lucille's work on her face and hair and noticed the dress was again too sexy for her taste. “Not again!” she shouted, knowing she hadn't time to change it back, not with her small abilities. “Lucille, grrrr,” she continued, showing her fist to the air. A loud laugh told her her friend had heard her.
She went downstairs as quickly as she could, stopped at the door, trying to pull the dress a little down, and opened the door. The smiling man who was waiting outside turned, his jaw dropped, and Kim looked surprised at his costume and laughed. James shook his head few times and said. “Oh, my
goodness, Kim! You nearly killed me with your beauty. You are simply... gorgeous.”
A flush reddened Kim's cheeks, creating a nice effect on the pale vampire makeup.
“Well, I didn't notice the dress was so...” she waved her hand in the air, “...short when I bought it.”
“I'm glad you didn't.” He winked.
“Your costume is so cool!” Kim said. James made a nice bow, swirling his arm wide and nearly losing his prince charming's cap. The faded colors and numerous tears in the fabric like his scary makeup showed he was a zombie.
A hot prince charming zombie! Kim thought.
“You're quite scary!” Kim exclaimed instead, and James gave her a rose and offered his arm. Kim couldn't help noting his eyes were as smiling as always.
He led her to his car. The road was full of people, children and adults alike, all of them dressed with nice costumes. She barely recognized some of her neighbors, even though the full moon cast an intense light in the night dark. The cars had to proceed slowly because of the passengers, and there soon was a line of cars all going toward the center.
They reached the Magic Club. The building was shining, reflecting the moonlight and the thousands of candles scattered all over around it. The big car park was half full, showing that the party had already started.
“Have you ever been to the Magic Club?”
“Only a few times and only in occasions like this one. Everybody in town soon or later attends one of the special parties they give.”
“Really?” Kim was surprised.
“I know you are now close friends with some of their members, but do you know what is said in town? I can tell you, because they too know about those rumors.”
Kim stared at him, imagining what she was going to hear, trying to control the corner of her mouth which wanted to quirk up.
“It is said it's a witch’s coven.”
Kim made the most surprised face she could handle, and exclaimed a loud “Noo!,” trying to hide a smile.
“Why?” she then asked. The subject was something she was really interested in. How did the town view the place and the people attending it?
“Oh well, I don't know. Somebody must have started the rumor out of jealousy. I mean, somebody who was not accepted. It is said to be exclusive, although I cannot understand their method of acceptance. Why did they accept you, a foreigner?” He stopped and looked deeply in her eyes. “It must be because you are extremely beautiful and nice,” he added with a grin.
“Come on! I'm a vampire, and you feel obliged to flatter me so as not to be bitten!”
They entered and the club was chaotic and noisy. If outside the decorations were only lighted pumpkin and black candles, the interior could fit an Hollywood movie. They stared at the decorations, which turned the club into a proper witches’ coven. You couldn't see the ceiling anymore, which had been worked as a cave and was hidden by webs and spiders and worn-out rags. A tomb, a fake skeleton, and a ghost were placed at every angle, and few suffused green and orange lights created a gloomy effect. As soon as they entered the main meeting room, everybody stopped talking and for the fraction of a second there was silence. Then everybody burst into shouts and claps to greet their queen.
“What does it mean?” James leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Are you a famous actress or star? Because they seem to treat you like one!”
Then realizing the noise was too loud for him to be heard, he shouted, “Shall we dance?”
Kim was pleasantly surprised at how he moved. Yes, definitely James could have a place in my life. she thought. In the future. In the far future! she added.
She waved at Lucille, dressed as a sexy ghost, who was trying to reach them from the other side of the room.
“Lucille, do you know James?”
“We've seen each other many times, but I don't think we have been officially introduced!” Lucille smiled, offering James the sight of a big gumball dancing in her mouth. Their dance was often interrupted by people approaching and greeting Kim, but the room was so big and full of people that she wasn't able to see and personally greet all of her closest friends.
The party went on and no magic seemed to be involved, but Kim knew that the decorations and the buffet had been carefully planned. Kim and James helped themselves many times, as did most of the other attendees, but the food seemed never to decrease to a noticeable level. After a time which seemed have passed too quickly, Isidora announced to the audience it was time to go to the main square to join the whole town. Kim had seen her for only few minutes and had laughed, seeing she was dressed as a ghost.
Surprisingly, the huge group moved orderly toward the exit, and the receptionists, one dressed as Frankenstein and the other one as his wife, gave each of them a lit candle.
They went out in a long row, a sort of procession that soon mixed with the other people trying to reach the center. The full moon was extremely big that night.
“Look,” Kim turned to James. “Look at the moon. Isn't it very big? It seems it wants to celebrate too! Must be the clear air of today giving it this weird effect.”
James looked up. “Mm...” he mumbled. “Funny, it looks pinkish. But yes, it's even bigger than before.” He looked around at the sky. “Some clouds are approaching from the distance; soon it might not look so big anymore.”
They kept on walking and dancing to the town center, which wasn't far from the club. On the main square, a stage had been built and some musicians were playing music. Kim enjoyed the variety of the costumes, one better than the other. She had attended many Halloween parties in her life, but never one so big and so well organized.
Everybody seemed to enjoy their time, with no mess, or drunks, or annoying people. Kim was sure magic had been used to control the huge number of people attending the party. She had heard the town majors were always proud of their conducting those parties and more in general of their conducting the town, but Kim knew it wasn't all their merit.
Soon there would be a sort of contest for the most interesting, unusual, or beautiful costumes. The colored lights from the stage kept on moving around over the attendees and above them, casting rainbow shades over them. She looked again at the sky, and was surprised by the moon, now bigger than before, and incredibly red.
“Look now!” she said, a little scared.
James put her hand on his forehead to cover his eyes from the stage lights and looked up. “I don't know,” he shouted to be heard over the music and the noise. “Must be a strange meteorological effect. Or maybe just the party's lights that color the smoke used by the musicians.”
Kim shivered. Something in her gut told her not to take lightly.
Lucille, Lucille, she mentally called. But she was a little tired and all the confusion didn't allow her to concentrate enough to be heard. She tried to call Isidora and Samia. Then Ravyn. In vain. She looked again at the moon, surprised that everybody around her seemed totally unaware of it. Probably it was an effect the witches had studied to create a scarier atmosphere and it was done every year so that the people didn't notice it anymore. In the meantime some clouds had reached that portion of sky and now the bloody moon was peeping from black-reddish clouds.
Kim felt a great agitation inside. She raised to her tiptoes as much as the high heels boots allowed her and looked again around her in search for a friendly face, but there were many people she didn't know and no known witches around her at the moment. A light breeze arrived, bringing smell of barbecues and sweets, alcohol and sweat.
She kept on looking around, mentally calling Isidora and Lucille, while the breeze was now blowing stronger.
James looked at her worried. “Are you all right?” he tried to tell her with his lips, knowing well that shouting wasn't enough to be heard. “You are pale, er.. paler than before, I mean.”
“I should be,” she replied carelessly. “I'm a vampire,” she continued, trying to smile, but her anxiety kept on growing with the wind.
CHAPTER 13
; James took her by the arm and quickly led her out of the bedlam toward the side of the square but it wasn't easy to push through the wall people. She still had a seriously worried look on her face as she looked around. The wind was now blowing the light weight objects all around and over the people. Paper tissues, plastic glasses, some litter carelessly thrown near the dustbins now swirled here and there. The loud music, the screams and laughter and chatting of the party people still didn't allowed them to talk.
Only a few yards from her, she saw two hands rising from the crowd, against the sky. Again she raised to her tiptoes and saw somebody dressed as a crow. The face was barely visible but she believed she recognized Catarina. Her again! What was she up to?
She looked around in search of help, and finally saw Isidora and Lucille on the other side of the square. They were talking, one in the ear of the other, and then turned in unison and looked at the sky, rising their hands against something that she couldn't see because it was hidden by one of the building. She saw other witches here and there staring up and also pointing with raised hands.