Potions Eleven: A Paranormal Witch Cozy (Fair Witch Sisters Mysteries Book 2)

by Christy Murphy

  Didi shrugged. I missed the days in middle school when I could borrow my sister's clothes. Around the seventh grade, my "twin" sister grew two inches taller, and I got way curvier. Basically, I was shorter, darker, and rounder than my fair-haired, fair-skinned twin.

  These days, I liked to think of my looks as "exotic," but in school, the other kids thought of me as having more "Me Chinese me play joke, me put pee pee in your coke" kind of looks. The distinction between being part Filipina and being Chinese wasn't one that seemed to enter into conversations around the lunchroom.

  I changed into my dark "job interview" slacks, and a black and white striped shirt. I slipped the blazer over the top to try to look professional. When I reached for the shoes I'd worn on yet another interview, I hoped that, maybe with my new magic wand, I could whip up some new clothes.

  Didi rifled through the closet and grabbed a top and a jacket, too. Copycat.

  I brushed my hair and put on a little makeup. "Did Olivia tell you how we get there?"

  Olivia flew into the bedroom, perched on Didi's shoulder, and hooted into my sister's ear. "She says all we have to do is follow her, and we're there."

  A part of me didn't think it could be that easy, but then Olivia flew through the wall of our bedroom and disappeared. Didi shrugged and slowly walked toward the wall, pushing her hand through. "It works," she said. And then she stepped through the wall into what I assumed was the Other World.

  "Wait for me!" I said, grabbing my purse. Then I ran toward the wall to catch up and smacked right into it. "Ow!" I said, grabbing my head. Seriously. It seemed like all I did lately was walk into walls and pass out.

  "Didi! Come back!"

  "Hurry up!" she called. It sounded almost as if she was calling out from the bottom of a well or something.

  "Come back! Didi!" I yelled, but I didn't hear any response.

  Fred trotted into the room. "What's wrong? You were calling my love's name?"

  "Olivia was supposed to take us to the Other World, but I can't catch up with them."

  "I suppose you can't," he said. "My love seems to have taken off with that horrible bird. What she sees in that feathery thing besides a tasty snack is beyond me."

  "Fred! Can you take me?"

  "Normally I would say no, but I can't bear that my love is on the other side of The Veil. You might as well follow me."

  Fred trotted into the wall, and I followed him--this time making it through the wall. It was weird. One step, I was in my bedroom, the next step, I was on the golden-bricked street of the Other World.

  "Where were you?" Didi asked.

  "My love!" Fred said as he dashed forward and pushed his face around Didi's ankles.

  "Fred!" Didi said. "This place isn't for cats."

  "Of course it is. How could it be for owls but not cats?" Fred asked.

  "Did he just hiss at me?"

  "He said of course this place is for cats. How could it be just for owls and not cats? I think you offended him. And Olivia couldn't lead me over because she's not my familiar. I had to have Fred take me."

  "I'm sorry, Fred," Didi said. "You'll have to stick next to Joy. Otherwise, I'm sending you home."

  Olivia perched herself on Didi's shoulder, and Fred reluctantly walked beside me.

  Olivia hooted into Didi's ear, and Didi laughed.

  "What does she see in that blasted bird?" Fred asked me.

  I shrugged.

  The four of us continued to walk down the street of the Other World. The interesting thing about the Other World is that it takes the form of your imagination. My first time here, I'd seen it as sort of a quaint, generically historic village. But then Mom mentioned that she'd always seen it as sort of a Wizard of Oz type situation with a yellow brick road. So it sort of morphed into a combo of the two. But before we came, I kind of imagined shopping in a new magical city, I'd feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

  Just as I remembered I'd had that thought, the street started to look a lot more like Rodeo Drive. Which wasn't that fun, because our tea shop was in Beverly Hills, and I didn't like shopping there at all. Talk about snobs.

  "Stop doing that," Didi said.

  "What?"

  "You're making this place like Beverly Hills. What are you thinking about?"

  "Pretty Woman."

  "Oh great," she said. "Now that's what I'm seeing too."

  I saw a woman with blonde hair and folded arms peering at me through the window of one of the stores. She had that "this is very expensive" look on her face.

  "Hold me!" Fred demanded.

  I looked down at him, and he stretched up his paws and put them on my leg. This was the most affectionate he'd ever been.

  "What's the catch?" I asked.

  "I'm lonely."

  I bent down, picked up Fred, and pet him behind the ear. For a moment, I heard him purr, but he must've thought better of it.

  Didi laughed at something Olivia had hooted into her ear, and Fred sighed. "I feel so left out."

  "Now you know how I felt when you forsook me for my sister."

  "Touché," he said.

  I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for brokenhearted Fred, but was it selfish of me to like having a cat?

  Olivia hopped off Didi's shoulders and led the way. I was glad, because even though I'd seen the place when we'd been here before with Mom, I couldn't remember where it was. We passed by the pub that looked like the Elks Lodge we used to go to with Dad when we were kids.

  I enjoyed the part of the Other World that made the appearance of everything look familiar to me. It made the place feel homey and less "other."

  Although, right now, my Pretty Woman fantasy seemed to go awry. My goal had been to imagine the triumphant shopping spree where everyone admired the transformed-into-a-lady Julia Roberts. Not the rejected, you-don't-belong-here-street-walker Julia Roberts. I tried to fix it in my mind, but the disapproving stares remained.

  I began to think it was just in my head, but Didi slowed from chasing Olivia down the street and whispered, "Do you get the vibe that everyone is staring at us?"

  "And not in a good way," I said.

  "Stop making my love feel uncomfortable!" Fred yelled at the people on the street.

  It only came out like a loud meow, but it did make some people turn away from us.

  Didi gave Fred a scratch on the ear, and the three of us caught up with Olivia a few stores up.

  "This is kinda cool," Didi said, peering into the window of the wand shop.

  Thoughts about all the snooty people on the street vanished--and I use the word "people" liberally, as some of them were leprechauns, fairies, and witches.

  "Let's go in!" Didi said, opening the front door and rushing ahead.

  I was about to ask if we should have Olivia and Fred wait outside, but Fred leapt from my arms and followed Didi into the shop. Olivia flew straight through the window, so I was last one in.

  "Can I help you?" an older man with a graying handlebar mustache and circular glasses asked from behind the glass counter.

  His tone and expression led me to believe that he didn't approve of us being there.

  "My sister and I are new witches, and we're thinking about getting a wand," Didi said.

  "I'm aware exactly of who you are," the man said, his tone leaving no doubt of his disapproval.

  Fred jumped onto the glass case and stared at the man. "Then you'd better change your tone or suffer the consequences."

  I wasn't sure if the man had understood Fred or just responded to the hiss that everyone else was likely hearing, but the man's facial expression definitely changed.

  "Of course, we do sell the best wands in the business. I would gladly help you shop for whatever it is you like," he said. "It's so unusual for someone from your..." --he paused to think of the right word-- "storied lineage to have need of a wand. It's flattering that you should choose my humble establishment."

  Didi and I traded a look. We had no idea that our family had a reputatio
n that was well-known.

  So that was what all the staring was about. It wasn't my movie scene I'd been picturing; people had genuinely disapproved.

  Breakout

  The man introduced himself as Cecil and hurried into the back to grab a few "special wands" for us to "give a spell."

  "This whole shopping thing isn't as fun as I thought it would be," I said to Didi.

  "Yeah, and there were a few other things we didn't think about."

  I stared at my sister, waiting for her to tell me what part of the plan I'd forgotten.

  "How do we pay for the wand if we get one? And will it be insulting to leave without making a purchase after Fred hissed at him? Will that make our reputation even worse?"

  Darn. It was totally like me not to think this all the way through.

  "Maybe they take Visa," I suggested, peering around, looking for one of those little stickers on the window or near a register.

  As a I looked around for credit card stickers, I spotted what looked like a very famous actress outside the shop on the other side of the street. "Deeds, is that Evelyn Carson Barber?"

  "It can't be," Didi said, squinting to get a better look at her.

  Of course that was exactly when the woman turned and looked right at us. Busted.

  The woman took off her sunglasses, which made her look even more like Evelyn Carson Barber, and stared back at us.

  Didi and I both looked away and pretended like we hadn't been staring.

  "Oh my God," Didi said. "She's coming this way."

  I peeked over and sure enough, she was.

  "Here are two that I think you should try," Cecil said.

  Startled, I turned a little faster than I would've liked, and I guess my expression was less than friendly. I hadn't even heard him walk back to the counter from the back room.

  Cecil held up both of his hands in surrender. "Or not try," he said. "You can do anything you like."

  "I'm sorry," I said, not knowing exactly how to apologize. "These look lovely."

  The bell on the door dinged, and I turned to find the woman that looked just like Evelyn Carson Barber standing right there, staring at us.

  "Hello, Miss Evelyn," Cecil said. "I'm so flattered you've chosen to come by my humble shop."

  I looked at my sister. Cecil had said "Miss Evelyn". Did that mean it was really her?

  "Are you the Fair Sisters?" she asked, staring at us in a manner that I couldn't read. Did she approve? Disapprove? Hate us? Like us? Maybe it was the crazy dark black hair or all the eyeliner, combined with her celebrity, but her words just hung there.

  Evelyn Carson Barber always played strange people in her movies. Come to think of it, she'd even played a witch in one.

  "Yes," I said, my voice coming out as if I was uttering a question.

  "I'll be in the back, looking for more wands," Cecil said, making a quick exit.

  "Are you Evelyn Carson Barber?" Didi asked.

  "I am!" she said, but she didn't smile.

  More silence.

  Didi turned back to the counter, opened up one of the wand cases, and took out a wand. "What do you think of this, pal?"

  Taking my sister's lead, I decided to pretend as if the odd actress wasn't there. The only problem was, I had no idea what I thought about the wand. "It's interesting," I said, as if I knew what I was talking about.

  "I heard you guys were like, private investigators or something," Evelyn said.

  I found myself surprised that she had more of a California accent rather than a British accent like she had in television interviews.

  "We're licensed in California, but I'm not sure that license carries over to here," Didi said.

  "That's perfect!" Evelyn said.

  Didi and I looked at each other again.

  "I need to hire you for a case," she said.

  "How are you here exactly?" I loved that about my sister. Sometimes she would just come right out and ask.

  A part of me wondered if celebrities were allowed to just go anywhere.

  Evelyn laughed. "I forgot. You're new around here. I'm a witch. There's a bunch of us in show business."

  "Mom was right," I said.

  "She mentioned me?" Evelyn asked.

  I shook my head. "Mom always said that she thought some witches were in show business, because of those old television shows. You know, like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie."

  Evelyn looked disappointed. "She's right. I've a friend who's working on the new Sabrina. Of course your mother would be right. She's a legend."

  "So, tell us about your case," Didi said.

  "And there are these," Cecil said, bringing in another three wooden boxes, opening them and placing them on the counter.

  "Her family asked if one of our family could come here to help them pick out their wands," Evelyn said, walking up to the counter. "My family has such a rich history with wand-craft, as you know."

  I got the distinct impression Evelyn wanted to keep her case on the down-low. Didi turned to me and nodded, letting me know to play along.

  "That you do," Cecil said to Evelyn.

  Evelyn looked over the wands. "No and no," she said, tapping two of the cases that held thin, metallic wands. They almost looked like pointed crochet needles. She turned to us. "They're too lightweight. You'd blow them out in a year." She reached into the case and picked up a wooden wand. I liked it. It looked like something Merlin would have. Old, dark wood that was kind of bent. Nothing flashy. It looked almost stick-like.

  "Try this," she said, holding it up in our direction.

  Didi looked at it, but I was the one to reach for it.

  The moment it touched my hand, I felt a major zing. "Whoa! It's kind of got a kick to it."

  Evelyn and Cecil exchanged glances.

  "Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

  "On the contrary," Cecil said, his gaze cast downward, as if afraid to look directly at me, "it's a most impressive thing."

  I was proud, but a little freaked.

  Evelyn smiled. "You should take it, and you should take this one," she said to Didi, thrusting a similar, but lighter colored, wand into her hand.

  The moment it touched my sister's hand, a spark of light shot from it.

  "Whoa!" I said.

  "Wow!" Evelyn said.

  "Even more impressive," Cecil said, his voice hushed.

  Didi didn't look impressed at all. On the outside, she had her polite smile on, but I could tell from the tension in her jaw that all she wanted to do was get out of here.

  "I have an eye," Evelyn said, smiling and turning to Cecil. "Put them on my account."

  "We couldn't let you do that," I said.

  "Nonsense. What do you say we have lunch in Beverly Hills? We're practically neighbors."

  I wasn't sure what Didi wanted to do so I didn't say anything.

  Before I knew it, we had a bag, and we stepped out of the shop and onto Beverly Boulevard, outside Mom's shop.

  "I've always wanted to come here," Evelyn said as she looked at Mom's tea shop. "Do you have an office inside where we can talk?"

  "Our private tea room," I said. I avoided looking at Didi, just in case she didn't agree. It was time to branch out and get a higher caliber of case--one that didn't involve staring at a man bagging peanuts.

  The three of us, plus Olivia and Fred, entered the Good Fortune Tea Shop. Everyone turned and stared. At first, I thought it might be because Didi had an owl on her shoulder and I had a cat trotting by my side. But judging by the whispers and whipping out their phones to take a photo, their attention was trained on Evelyn.

  Even though we got our fair share of celebrities visiting the shop, most of them came in after hours, and the ones who came in during regular shop hours weren't as famous.

  "Oh my gosh," Evelyn said. "There she is. There's Diwata."

  Didi whispered something to Olivia. The owl gave out a quiet hoot and disappeared into the wall.

  "You should get back to The Cove, too," I said as
I bent down to pet Fred. It wouldn't exactly be good business to have our pets running around the tea shop.

  "I can meet your mom later, right?" Evelyn said.

  "If she has time," Didi said.

  Mom looked up and waved at us. Evelyn eagerly waved back.

  "She waved at me," Evelyn said.

  It was weird to have somebody act like Mom was such a big celebrity, especially when that person was a movie star, and had been for over thirty years.

  Come to think of it, she'd aged well for somebody who was allegedly fifty years old. I should've guessed she was a witch.

  Didi led the way, and the three of us sat down in the private dining room.

  Jason popped into the room and introduced himself. "Should I get you guys some tea?" he asked.

  "Do you have coffee?" Evelyn asked.

  "Of course," Jason said. The two of them discussed the coffee orders, and I noticed that he didn't ask Didi or me if we wanted any coffee.

  "And maybe some crustless sandwiches or something to eat," Evelyn added as Jason was leaving.

  "Coming right up," Jason said with a smile, and then left.

  "Does he work for you?" Evelyn asked.

  "Sometimes, and he also works for Mom. She's teaching him to read tea leaves," Didi said.

  "He was our first client," I added.

  "The one that was part of your trial?" she asked.

  "You heard about our trial?" Didi asked.

  "I was there for the end of it. You two were great when it came to the part where you had to pick between death and succumbing to evil. I think I'll channel it for one of my future roles. Very noble. I can't believe your mother is teaching some regular old human magic."

  Her change of topic almost gave me whiplash.

  "Tea leaf reading, but he does seem to have a knack for it," I said.

  "It's probably because he's been a tool of Fate," Evelyn said.

  It surprised me how much she knew about Jason, as well as Didi, Mom, and me. I glanced up at my sister, and she seemed a little taken aback by it, too.

  "It felt like a lot of people were staring at us when we were in the Other World," I said.