An Unexpected Brew

by J E Mueller

  “Maybe some magic, maybe some luck.” Vincent shrugged, still smiling with the same confidence. “Maybe, just maybe, I’ve got a plan.”

  “What sort of plan?” What did he mean by that?

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” His smile turned into a playful smirk. “I think it’ll work out nicely, though.”

  “If you tell me I can confirm that thought for you.” I smiled back. This could work, right?

  “No need.” He grinned. “Callie likes the idea, and if she’s confident it’ll work out, then I have no reason to believe it won’t.”

  “Oh no fair. How is she in on something like this?” I remembered her saying she gave him her number. Annoyed, I pulled out my phone and sent her a message. “What are you in on? What is Vincent planning?”

  “She won’t tell you.” He laughed.

  “Callie is the worst secret keeper.” It was my turn to smile confidently.

  “Yes, she said as much, but as you know there are ways to keep secrets.” Vincent gave a small laugh.

  “Oh. You both suck.” Freaking magic promises.

  “I’ll never tell!” Callie finally sent back. “Besides, you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “I hate waiting on weird surprises,” I grumbled at her.

  “You don’t have to wait long. Promise.” Vincent laughed and went back to looking at the menu.

  Sighing, I glanced at the menu and set it back down. I always got one of two things here. “Can I get a hint?”

  Vincent glanced over the menu at me. “Sure. Let me think.”

  Before he could give one, the waitress came by and took our orders. I waited as patiently as I could for a hint. The seconds were taking too long to creep by.

  “Okay, I’ve got it.” He smirked at me.

  “Well…?” I motioned for him to get on with it already.

  “I like to be a royal pain with my hints, and make them hard to guess.” He chuckled to himself. “My noble idea will make far more sense after tomorrow night.”

  “That’s not a good hint.” I frowned.

  He shook his head and chuckled. “I think it works.”

  “I don’t agree. At all. Whatsoever.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

  “It’ll be a fun surprise.”

  “Surprises aren’t that fun.” I continued to glare.

  “I’ll tell you what.” He gave an evil grin. “What about a little deal?”

  Interesting. “What sort of deal?”

  “I’ve mentioned before I regularly use illusion magic. I know that’s never bothered you, and you don’t typically try to see beyond appearance illusions, or even try to break them.” He smiled slyly. “But if you can find a way to break mine, I’ll tell you.”

  Instantly, I felt out to the magic around him. It was layered and woven so tightly I knew it would be more than difficult to just dispel it. “That’s not very fair,” I grumbled.

  “It’s not impossible. Just extremely unlikely. Which is why it’s perfect.” He was a bit too proud of himself, that smirky jerk.

  “This isn’t perfect,” I sighed.

  “Well, if you manage it, not only will you get your answer, but you’ll totally have proved me right about doing amazing for your final. And if not today, I’m confident you’ll figure out how to do it soon enough. I’ll make sure you master these gifts. Not to mention then I get to go through with my amazing plan.” He shrugged and gave the sweetest smile he could manage.

  “Fine, I guess there’s not really another option,” I relented.

  “Perfect!” He beamed, a little too happy with himself. “So, what should we do for the rest of the day?”

  “I have an idea. It’s a pretty silly one though,” I offered.

  “Well, let’s hear it.”

  “I was thinking it would be fun to keep some illusions up today. There’s a lot of this silly little town you haven’t seen, and some terrible touristy sites that aren’t half bad. So, why not make a day of it?” It was cheesy, simple, and overall free. Having a low key day after exams sounded wonderful.

  “That could be amusing. I really haven’t taken in any of the sights in most places I’ve been, so why not?”

  With that, our food arrived.

  10

  My idea wasn’t super exciting, and there was only enough to do to kill half the day. The river walk was cute but short. Still, walking together and holding hands made me giddy with joy and tremendously happy. Checking out the view of point tower that overlooked the river and almost the entire town was always fun. We spent more time there taking pictures than anything else.

  What I was really excited for was the Lorelai Knapperick memorial house. The tour itself cost money, but walking the gardens was free and by far the best part of it all.

  “The roses are my favorite,” I explained to Vincent as we slowly walked through the different plants. “I love how she figured out how to use them to help harvest small magical energies. Their healing abilities are phenomenal.”

  “I didn’t know you liked flowers so much.”

  “They’re some of my favorite things to draw. I’ve come here so much and read the signs so many times… it became more than just fun facts to know. I enjoyed reading more on the different things here and what the plants go to when they are finally harvested.” I shrugged as we continued to slowly meander our way along the trail. “I used to come here a lot when I was younger. It was probably a three or four-mile bike ride back then. Totally worth it.”

  “Can I ask you something?” Vincent asked. His tone took on a more serious note causing me to look up at him.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “You don’t have to answer of course. I was just wondering how long your step-mother has been like this…” He let the question drift off.

  It wasn’t a bad question, and not one that bothered me, but it did feel weird to explain. “She and my dad started dating when I was about seven or eight. She wasn’t very friendly to me then, but she wasn’t cruel. At least not in a noticeable way. It wasn’t until my father got too sick when I was about fourteen that things really stood out about her personality. I don’t know when exactly things completely changed. It wasn’t slow, but it wasn’t a sudden surprise either.” I didn’t know what else to say. I had never liked the woman, and she never liked me. Maybe because it was clear my father always put me first? Maybe not. Thinking back didn’t present any hints or clues.

  Vincent didn’t seem to know what to say in response either so we walked in silence for a while. The garden was still easy to enjoy, and I happily pointed out my favorite flowers and took more photos with my phone along the way.

  We finally reached the end of the garden with still plenty of time left in the day. “Any thoughts about what we can do now?” I glanced at the time. Only six.

  Vincent paused at the exit with me while he thought. “Maybe dinner? I know I’m hungry.”

  I was hungry. All the walking around and sightseeing made for a long day. “How about we stop at the store and get some things for dinner?”

  “I’m fine with going somewhere too. I don’t mind paying.” He offered.

  “As sweet and wonderful as that is, I’m not used to using this much magic all day.” I shook my head. “Something quick and simple sounds wonderful.”

  “Chinese takeout?” He suggested. “That way it’s quick and we don’t have to make it.”

  “You win this one.” I laughed. “Okay, let me find a menu…” I pulled up the restaurant on my phone.

  It took almost no time to get food and get back home. It was a blessing that the shop closed at six, and thankfully there was no Diamond or anyone else lingering around after hours. Tomorrow would be a different story, but tomorrow’s problems could wait another day.

  “What are we even doing tomorrow?” I asked after everything else was done and we were considering putting on a movie.

  “That’s a great question. Ummm…” Vincent thought for a moment. “Tomorrow’s an od
d day. There’re things I need to do before the dance since I somehow got roped into a long list of things.” He gave a small laugh. “But you probably need to get ready anyway, so what about meeting up an hour before the dance?”

  “That works for me.” I shrugged. “What are you stuck doing?”

  “More or less setting up things, making sure everything is done correctly as far as security goes,” He shook his head. “Don’t give me that look, just because you don’t care about someone’s title doesn’t mean the prince isn’t going to need all that nonsense.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fine, I guess he would be important enough to need some form of security around. Though he’s probably good enough to magic his way through problems.”

  Vincent smirked. “Possibly. Though I’m sure the choice isn’t always up to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets in enough trouble sneaking off with his magic when everyone important around him thinks he needs to be guarded.”

  Huh, did not think of that. “Maybe. Must be a weird life to live.”

  “Would you hate such a life?” he asked curiously.

  “I don’t know. It would be different I’m sure. I bet there’s all sorts of stuffy boring stuff that’s required, but it’s not like anyone is exempt from those moments. I think I’d rather be bored attending a formal event than trying to figure out why deck scrubbing a floor with hot water and bleach is doing nothing to remove the filth.” I shook the thought from my head, knowing next week would involve a lot of those moments. Diamond loved to cut corners. “I think the only big problem is the media, but I’m sure someone so important would have someone to help sort out that nonsense to some degree.”

  “What about all those fun meetings and having to keep up alliances? Maybe mopping is a bit better than that.” He chuckled.

  “Depends on who you’re meeting with. I’m sure there’s always going to be that person that would make you rather watch paint dry. Still, it doesn’t sound like an awful existence.” It was something interesting to think about. “What about you?”

  “If I could occasionally slip past the guards, I think it wouldn’t be too bad. I could handle it.” He smirked.

  “And what would a prince want to do so bad that he’d need to slip past the guards?”

  “Well, really doing anything without having a gaggle of people following you would be the biggest thing. Maybe just the adventure of having a normal moment, pretending to be just like any other person for a while. Run off, accidentally fall in love, and be stuck in a hilarious situation where you’re not sure how to confess anything.”

  “That could be hilarious, or heart crushing. That’s a big secret to keep from someone. I guess it would depend on how that someone handles it.” It would be such a cute tale, though!

  “How would you handle it?” His smirk seemed less confident.

  I shrugged. That was a tough thing to try and guess at. “No idea. I guess it would depend on if that was the only secret they kept. Hiding something like that for awhile would make sense. Too many people can change just over hearing a title.” I shook my head. “It’s a bit silly that it happens, but with how crazy everyone’s been just for a glimpse at this prince, I can see why someone would hide it. You never know if you’ll meet someone like Diamond or Callie. Diamond would do anything for the attention, but Callie would quickly get over the fame and glory moment and be wondering what material your shirt’s made from and if it was infused with certain magical fibers or not.”

  Vincent laughed. “Well, I’m glad that’s a normal Callie thing. I wasn’t sure what to say to that question. Partly from surprise, partly because it’s just a shirt.”

  “Isn’t she great?” I loved how curious she was about the things she saw. “She probably knew more that than you did about it just from a glance.”

  “Would you get over the shock of fame just as quickly?” Vincent continued the topic.

  “Probably?” I shrugged. How would I know? “It’s anyone’s guess, really. Important people are still just, you know, people. I can’t imagine getting caught up for long in all that ‘oh em ge! You’re so famous’ nonsense.”

  “I can completely see that,” Vincent agreed. “So, what movie is on the agenda tonight?”

  “I was thinking rematch on Smash Karts.” I smirked.

  “Oh, is that so?” He grinned. “Well, I won’t be losing so easily this time.”

  “Your fancy magic doesn’t make up for how much better I am than you,” I teased.

  “Bring it.”

  The night went by too quickly. At some point we had finally decided to switch over to a movie and cuddled on the sofa. Half asleep, I noticed Vincent was out cold. As much as I wanted him to stay, I nudged him awake.

  “You should go to bed.” I yawned.

  He wrapped his arms tightly around me. “This will do.”

  As heartbreakingly cute as I found it, I had to disagree. “This sofa is not good to sleep on. You should get to a real bed, silly.”

  “But you’re here, so this will do,” he protested softly, almost back asleep.

  “We’ll see each other tomorrow. Come on.” Reasoning didn’t seem to be working.

  “Nah…”

  “I could finally just thwart your disguise instead.” I snickered.

  Yawning, he finally glanced over at me. “That’s not fair, and no you can’t.”

  “I could. You’re too tired.” I kissed his forehead.

  “Nuh huh.” He tried to say but it came out as more of a yawn.

  “Challenge accepted.” I shook my head. I could feel him try to resist, but he wasn’t awake enough yet for that to fully work. In a few short moments the illusion was gone and I snuggled close to him once more. “See?”

  For a moment he was surprised and much more awake. Then something dawned on him. “And you hardly gave me a look?”

  “It was hardly fair.” I yawned, actually looking at him now. His hair was a much darker brown now, almost chestnut, and his eyes more of a deep ocean blue. It didn’t seem like a lot had even changed. “You’re still just as cute.” I buried my head in his chest.

  He chuckled for a moment. “And nothing changes.”

  “You’re still Vincent, right?” I mumbled into his chest.

  “I seem to be,” he mused.

  “Then what would change?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Nothing, I suppose.”

  “There ya go.” I yawned again and looked up at him. “But I think we both need sleep.”

  “Fine.” He sighed as we moved to get up.

  “Why don’t you go by your normal appearance?” I asked as we reached the door. I couldn’t find any reason against it, but magic was always an odd thing that some people just preferred to use.

  “Because I don’t always like to,” he replied simply. “I think you’ll understand more tomorrow.”

  What did that mean? “Why tomorrow?”

  He leaned in and we kissed for a moment. “You’ll see. Until then.” He smiled and left.

  Why were boys so strange sometimes? Shaking my head, I went to bed.

  11

  On Friday, I slept in. It was after nine when Callie finally messaged me wanting to know when she could drop off the dress. Settling on soonish, I got up, tossed my hair up, and put on something presentable enough to sneak downstairs. Thankfully, it was just Steph manning the floor.

  “I heard you’re actually going to the dance,” she called to me as I walked around to the customer side of the room.

  “Thought it might be fun.” I could only assume Di had been complaining about it. “So, Callie and I, well mostly Callie, put together some dresses.”

  “Ooo.” Steph smirked as she started to make a drink. “Guess who is rather upset about that?”

  “Really?” I raised an eyebrow and went to talk to her by the pickup counter. “Why the heck would Diamond care if I’m going or not?” I wasn’t surprised she was complaining, but actually upset? There was almost zero c
hance we’d run into each other.

  “Believe it or not, she thinks you’re going to sabotage her.”

  “How? By wearing a custom altered thrift store find?” I rolled my eyes. “Please. Can’t I just enjoy myself?”

  “Nope. All joy belongs to that gem. If you’re enjoying something, she must be doing something wrong.” Steph laughed, handing me a drink.

  “Whatever.” I accepted the drink. “What’s this?”

  “Just a vanilla latte with some stress relief magic.”

  “Why relaxing?” I gave the drink a tentative sip.

  “Because you’ll need it if Diamond decides to be a bitch today, and you know she will.” Steph gave me a knowing nod before stepping over to help a customer that had just walked in.

  Shrugging, I slowly drank the latte as I watched for Callie.

  When she pulled up, I met her at the door.

  “Ready for tonight?” She was bubbling over with excitement.

  “Sure. It’ll be fun.” I shrugged, feeling a little less excited knowing Di might try and start something.

  “You’re the worst morning person.” She sighed, taking the excitement down a notch and handed over the dress.

  She had it hanging up and in a clear bag. The blues and greens of the high-low dress caught my eye.

  “I do really love this dress. You did amazing.”

  Callie beamed happily. “I know. It’s fantastic. Send me pics when you finally get it on!”

  “Will do. Thanks again.” I gave her a quick hug and we parted ways.

  When I turned to head back I noticed Diamond was back on the register and trying hard not to glare at me. Well, Steph was right. I was hoping more along the lines of ‘you shouldn’t bother going’ texts, but I guess I’d deal with the cards I was dealt.

  I did my best to ignore her as I walked by.

  “That’s the trash you’re wearing tonight?” She scoffed at me.

  I turned to see her raised eyebrow and crossed arms. “Yep, it’s cute, but couldn’t afford to go all out fancy. At least it’ll be fun.”

  “You think that is cute?” Her face wrinkled with disgust. “No wonder you can’t land a guy.”