Izzy

"Took you long enough!" Brie huddled on the stoop of Caleb's front porch, arms wrapped around her knees. "Normally, I'd be cheering you on, but I am freezing out here!" She popped to her feet.

A gust of wind sliced through Izzy's jacket as she closed the front door. "Sorry! I didn't realize you were waiting until a moment ago." She unlocked the car and they darted in. Izzy started it, turning the heat on full blast.

"Kind of hard to notice with your head buried in Caleb's chest, huh?"

Izzy spared a quick look at her before turning the car around. "It was just a hug."

"Mm-hmm." She rubbed her hands together. "A really long, really close hug. The kind where you put your tongue in his mouth and your hands on his–"

"Oh my God, Brie!" Izzy's face reddened. "I did not put my tongue in his mouth."

"That's not what he said."

"Wait, what? What did he say?" Her head whipped around as she pulled up to a stop sign, but Brie had already burst out laughing.

"I knew it! He didn't have to say anything." She nudged Izzy to pull through the intersection. "Both of your auras are all over the place."

With her eyes back on the road, she muttered, "Everything going on, and you want to talk about me kissing Caleb."

"So you admit it!" Brie flipped up the vent and stuck her fingers directly in the hot air. "Besides, we just spent like an hour talking about everything else, and we're headed to the voodoo Gaia witchy shop. Don't you think we need some downtime from the Shadowpocalypse?"

Brie had a point. "He kissed me." She felt warm, but not from the heating system in the Lexus. Deus do Céu. It didn't take much.

"Over the weekend?"

"Before I went to the party." Izzy turned out of the neighborhood and onto the main road.

"And?" She wiggled her fingers around.

"And then he said something stupid that pissed me off."

Brie snorted. "Sounds like you guys. Is he a good kisser?"

"Honestly?" She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"Must have been some kiss. I approve of this distraction." She changed the vent to their feet, shuffling her sneakers against the car floor.

"It was way more than just a kiss." It popped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Maybe she did want to talk about him.

"Yeow!" Brie pretended to fan her face with her hand. "How much more?"

"That's enough detail. What happens in Caleb's den stays in Caleb's den."

Brie cackled. "Okay, okay. You guys together now? You seemed cozy enough today, so you made up, right?"

Her voice dropped. "We talked it out over the phone last night, but..."

"But?"

"We're not together." Izzy's index finger tapped against the wheel. Brie flicked the center console on. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Brie pulled out her phone. "So you just go on dates and make out and have late-night phone conversations while not seeing anybody else. But totally not dating."

"We don't go on dates."

"He didn't invite anyone else hiking."

No point in refuting that one. "We're still not together." Her finger tapped quicker.

"Why? Not enough drama and angst in your life already?"

"That is not fair." Izzy shot a look at her as Brie hit play and Doja Cat came flooding through the stereo. Kiss Me More. She tried to turn it down, but Brie batted her hand away and started singing.

When I bite that lip, come get me too

He want lipstick, lip gloss, hickeys too, huh

Of course, she'd cued it up. Despite everything, Izzy started laughing. "Stop!"

"You know you wanna join in."

When Brie threw her hands up and began dancing in her seat, Izzy surrendered. She sang-shouted along.

Can you kiss me more?

We're so young, boy, we ain't got nothin' to lose, oh-oh

They were both laughing when the song ended.

"Just kidding before." Brie turned the heat down. "But see? It's not that hard."

"I know, I know. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me. I just feel like I've never been on my own before. Like I was always doing what people expected‌, following someone else or hiding in somebody's shadow, and Caleb–"

"Casts a big shadow."

"Yeah. It's only recently that I've been breaking away from that." Izzy groaned. "And you can see how well that's been working out."

"A lot of that isn't your fault." Brie scrolled through her phone for another song. "Are you sure that's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't have to overshadow." She paused her scrolling, looking at Izzy. "He can compliment you."

"Maybe." He certainly did physically. Argh. She turned the heat down further.

"So you sure you're not just making excuses?"

"Are you asking if I'm scared?"

"If the shoe fits, Cinderella." She kept scrolling.

"Of course I'm scared." She counted off on her right hand. "I'm scared of my nightmares. I'm scared something's going to happen to all of us this weekend. I'm scared someone has it out for me. I'm scared that I'm going crazy like my father's first wife. I'm–"

"Stop! I get it. And you're not even related to that woman."

"But it seemed like she had the same kind of nightmares." Izzy decelerated as they approached downtown.

"I'm gonna sound like Caleb here, but you're making a lot of assumptions. And don't you think her whole situation is a bit suspect anyway?"

Maybe. "I don't think my dad was lying."

"What if he's not the one that's lying?"

"Now you're speculating."

"You weren't there in the woods last weekend. I'm right to be scared of myself."

"But I was there at your house. Remember that whole thing where I almost died?" How could she forget? "You ain't cray." She selected a song and turned the volume back up.

Izzy recognized it with the first few piano notes. Crazy. "For real, Brie?" But she was laughing again.

"Why? If you're going crazy, then I probably am, too. We're in it together." She managed to vibe to Patsy Cline.

"Yeah?" That was a nice thought. Sort of.

"Yeah. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop kissing people."

Izzy snorted. "Why? Who you been kissing?"

"No one! That's the problem!" She began singing again.

I'm crazy for feeling so lonely

"What's going on with Dara?" Izzy yelled over the music.

"Huh? Can't hear you!"

Crazy for feeling so blue

Izzy pulled into the gravel lot of Moonlit Arcana. Located in a white Victorian house, it appeared cozy and elegant simultaneously. She parked the car and turned the music down, staring at Brie.

"Ugh, fine. I don't know if anything's gonna happen, and I don't wanna talk about it yet."

"Your call." Izzy turned off the car. "You think we should pick up supplies for love spells while we're here?"

"Not the worst idea." Brie laughed as they got out of the car.

"She liked the chai." Izzy folded her arms in as the wind hit them.

"And you were right about Caleb's latte. His aura positively glowed when I handed it to him." She bumped her shoulder against Izzy's mid-stride.

"Really? Do you know what it all means?" They walked around the side of the house.

"Hope I'm about to find out, though some things seem kinda obvious," Brie said.

Izzy paused at the front door. "Maybe you're right about Caleb, but I'm not there yet."

"It's okay to take your time, but don't take so long you miss an opportunity."

Izzy nodded. "Let's just get through this weekend first."

"Valid. Now let's get inside before they close and I freeze to death. Jesus." She pushed the door open with her shoulder and they stumbled inside.

A tingling bell and blast of warm air greeted them as they entered the snugly packed shop. Rows of books lined the right wall, while a countertop directly ahead displayed jewelry in glass cases. Near the front window, dried herbs hung beside altar supplies, with all manner of curios scattered about. Displays of various products like candles, crystals, and essential oils filled out the store. A stick of incense burned in the corner, giving the store a peppery cherry vanilla scent.

Brie picked up a shirt that read: Goddess Mode. "We should get these."

Izzy laughed. "I didn't expect them to sell tees."

She put it back as a shopkeeper entered from the side room. They had spiky purple hair, dark eyes, and a commanding aura. Had they been taller, their bone structure and androgynous aesthetic would have made them model material. They held a clipboard in one hand, scribbling something in a form.

"Welcome, weary Wiccans!" Their smile faltered as they looked up. "Looking for any specific components today?"

Izzy shared a quick glance with Brie, who thankfully stepped forward. "Do you have any books on auras?"

"Certainly. Right over here." They walked over to the books, the shopkeeper pointing out a few things on display.

Izzy cleared her throat. "I was told to ask for Rowan."

The shopkeeper turned around, pinning Izzy in place with an intense gaze. She squirmed against it, her skin prickling as the moment lengthened. The air pressed down. She sucked in a breath, but just like that, the feeling disappeared.

Brie flipped through a book as though nothing had happened. Maybe she'd imagined it.

"Rowan's in the back room. Follow me." The shopkeeper turned and walked down a hallway leading to the back of the house.

Brie put the book down as soon as they left. "I'm right behind you."

Okay, so she wasn't just imagining the weird vibe. Wonderful. However, Moonlit Arcana was just a store. A registered business that Camilla recommended and had been visiting for years. And it was broad daylight. Well, broad sunset light, but still, just a store.

Izzy screwed up her courage and walked down the hallway, pushing through the hanging curtain, beads swaying and clacking. She stopped in surprise when she entered the kitchen. Something bubbled on the stove, the acrid tang of vinegar hovering in the air.

Brie bumped into her back. "Oof, sorry!"

"My fault," Izzy responded, spotting the open door to the side. "Guess she went downstairs?" The wooden staircase looked perfectly normal. Quaint even, with white fairy lights wrapped around the railing. Due to the turn in the stairway, though, she couldn't see downstairs.

"Yo, that is where we die," Brie said, sticking so close to Izzy their arms pressed together.

"You're not going to die!" the shopkeeper's voice called from downstairs.

"That's what a killer would say!" Brie yelled at the staircase.

"Are you crazy? Don't piss them off," Izzy hissed.

"We've established we're crazy," Brie whispered. "You go first."

Izzy swallowed. Several people knew they were there. It was just a store, not an abandoned mental hospital. She grabbed Brie's hand and crept toward the stairs.

"This is really sus." Brie tugged back.

"For real." But she had to see what was down there. She felt pulled, compelled. Something drew her down those stairs. Something or someone. She hovered near the top step.

"What?" Brie squeezed her hand, pressed close behind her.

"Do you feel it?"

"The creepy vibe? Yeah, I totally feel it."

"It wants me to go down."

"That's weird, 'cause it wants me to stay right here. In fact, it wants me to go right back outside, get into the car, drive away, and never come back." She began tugging Izzy back from the stairs. "You know what? We can get our books and supplies anywhere. I'm sure Amazon has them."

"Amazon's aura book selections are crap." The voice came from behind.

They jumped and spun around, so focused on the open door leading downstairs that they'd missed the door off to the right. Did all Victorian houses come with this many doors? Because now this felt straight out of a horror game.

"Tell me what you're doing back here." The owner of the voice was an older woman, tall and lithe with white hair that flowed halfway down her back and practically glowed with gloss. Her keen eyes narrowed as she moved in front of the beaded curtain.

"Does your creepy shopkeeper always try to lure unsuspecting teenagers into dark basements, or is it just us?" Brie asked, inspecting the woman. Suddenly, her eyes widened, gaze swinging back to Izzy, trying to tell her something.

Before she could begin to guess, footsteps stomped up the staircase. Izzy flipped back around. The shopkeeper stepped into the kitchen holding a glowing gray stone in one palm and a curved obsidian dagger in the other. The stone. It attracted even as it repulsed. When the shopkeeper moved closer, it glowed brighter, warm and electric.

"I'm Rowan. Now tell me who sent you and why." Her fingers curled around the blade. "And be quick about it because I'm not known for my patience."