It
was only a few weeks or so ago that I moved to Whispering Falls, Kentucky, took
over Darla’s, my deceased mom’s, homeopathic shop, and made it my own. After
the initial shock from learning that my father had psychic abilities as a
healer by using cures, I’d became excited to learn that I too had inherited the
psychic gene. A Charming Cure had taken off.
Not
only was I dishing up the best homeopathic cure, I was also giving a little
extra dose of magic in each potion. Also, I had a knack for knowing what else
someone needed in their life. A little extra dose of love or a little financial
help didn’t hurt anyone. My intuition never let me down.
Hiss,
Hiss
.
Mr. Prince Charming, my cat, darted out from the counter.
Hiss, Hiss.
He
pawed the air with his back arched and his teeth gnashing toward the woman.
“Oh,
shut up!” She drew her black cloak around her as if she was shielding an attack
from Mr. Prince Charming. “I should’ve squashed you when you were a kitten. I
had plenty of opportunities when I fed you.”
“Are
you his owner?” No way! There was no way I was going to give Mr. Prince
Charming back to his original owner. Especially someone that seemed to be as
nasty as her. “I’ve taken really good care of him over the last fifteen years.
I’d be happy to pay you for him.”
Mr.
Prince Charming was unlike any other stray cat in Locust Grove, the town I grew
up in before I moved to Whispering Falls. There were a lot of stray cats. He
showed up on my porch on what-so-happened-to-be my tenth birthday. He had on a
faded collar with a tiny turtle charm dangling off it. The turtle had one green
emerald stone for an eye and the other one missing. I didn’t care. It was
beautiful.
Oscar,
my childhood best friend and now Whispering Falls sheriff, had asked around if
the cat belonged to anyone. No one claimed him, and he just continued to hang
around. Darla didn’t mind, so he stayed. I got him a new collar and kept the
charm for myself.
“Want
him back?” She threw her head back letting out a full cackle that rattled the
bottles on the shelf. “Oh, no. I don’t want him back. I’m here to collect you.”
The woman raised her voice. Petunia rushed between us and came nose to nose
with her. The scary woman continued, “She has no choice. She must leave right
now!”
“Take
me?” My mouth dried, and I gasped for air. Water filled my eyes. “Take me
where?”
Petunia
turned toward me, embracing me. She whispered in my ear, “its okay, June.”
“What
is okay?” The room spun around me. Things definitely weren’t okay.
“This
is your Great Aunt Helena,” Petunia whispered as if it was going to ease the
blow. “She’s the Dean at Hidden Hall A Spiritualist University. The school for
people like . . .
us
.” She fanned her hands in the air.
“School?
Hidden Hall? ” This really shouldn’t have come as a surprise because Whispering
Falls was definitely full of them, but I never thought I’d be going back to school,
especially to hone my magical skills. “Listen, I’m
not
college
material.”
Didn’t
they realize that I went straight out of high school, selling Darla’s potions
at a
flea market
? Far from going to college.
Mewwwl,
Mewwl,
Mr. Prince Charming cried, and hung his head. His tail was not wagging as it
normally did.
“I
told you to shut-up. You know the rules!” A spark shot from Helena’s eyes.
“Quite frankly, I’m surprised you they let you stay here. What good were you?
You let the killer live right across the street!”
Hiss,
hiss.
Mr. Prince Charming batted at the woman, claws out and ready to slash.
“What
is going on here?” A clap of thunder gave way to an all out downpour outside
just as the door opened and Isadora Solstice bolted in. Her hot pink A-line skirt
swayed with each step she took in her pointy-toed black, laced-up boots. She
stopped when she saw Aunt Helena. She folded her arms and spoke lightly,
“Helena, we’ve been expecting you.”
“We
have?” My hands balled up into fists and dangled at my side. I certainly had
not been expecting anyone. Especially a long lost member of my family.
Helena
pointed at Mr. Prince Charming and scowled, “He is your fairy god-cat, who was
supposed to take care of you. And all he did was get you in a lot of hot water.
Mr. Prince Charming
my ass
.”
“I
. . . I,” I stammered. The room spun faster. A Ding Dong would taste good. I
reached for the counter. Instead of grabbing one, I grabbed the edge of the
counter and held on for dear life.
Petunia
grabbed Mr. Prince Charming. “He did a fine job. He gave you all those charms
to protect and guide you. See.” She touched my wrist.
She
was right. Mr. Prince Charming did steal several charms from Belle’s Baubles in
Whispering Falls, but Belle claimed they were presents from her. If I thought
back a little more, Mr. Prince Charming was always around when I found myself
in hot water, even was I was a kid. Memories whipped around my head like the
small funnel clouds do when I mix a cure.
Everything
started to add up. Mr. Prince Charming really
had
been watching over me
all these years.
“June.”
Izzy put her hands on my shoulders. “Remember how good souls come back as
animals?”
I
nodded, my mind cloudy.
“Well,
your father couldn’t come back as an animal because he was married to your mom,
a mortal. But, your grandparents were pillars of the village so we were
delighted when they appointed a fairy god-cat to watch over you. You know, in
case something happened to your parents.” She picked him up and stroked his
back. White fur flew everywhere.
Helena
swooped across the floor and created a breeze when her cloak wrapped around
her. She stopped in front of me. I pushed my blunt black bangs out of my eyes.
She obviously had more magic in her one pinky than I had in my entire shop. Now
she had the type of magic I wished I had. Not just a little dab of this or a
dollop of that.
“It’s
time, June.” She held her hand out for me to take. “I’m here to collect my
niece.”
I
reached out, but hesitated. This was all still new to me and I had learned to
just believe in what went on around me in Whispering Falls. I pulled my hand
back.
“I’m
not joking, June.” A spark flew from her finger. “It’s time to go.”
Chapter Two
No
one seemed to want to argue with Helena but me. Mr. Prince Charming seemed to
be stunned. He sat motionless in front of the shop door, no dragging tail, no
figure-eights… just staring at her.
“He’s
my fairy god-cat?” I knew it. I looked to Petunia for some answers. “Can you
talk to him?”
“He
is a fairy god-cat. He didn’t come back from the dead like the animals that I
talk to do.” She rushed over; leaves fell out of her beehive of a hair-do and
onto the floor. She gave Mr. Prince Charming a good rub under his chin. “He’s
done a fine job. He continues to do exactly what he was supposed to do.” She
turns and glares toward Aunt Helena.
“Fine.”
Helena rolled her eyes and let out a big sigh. “Regardless. All of you know
that every new village member has to go to school. It just so happen that it’s
my heir this time. And we all know what
that
means.”
“
I
don’t know what
that
means!” There was a nervous tickle in my stomach.
Mr. Prince Charming ran over and did figure eights around my ankles. He knew
actually what I needed, his reassurance that I was going to be okay.
“It
means that you will tap even further into your spiritual gift. You might even
have another ability you don’t know about.” She drew her cloak close to her.
Hmm
. . . so, I might just
be
a little Samantha Stevens? Or maybe have cool
magical and psychic abilities like the Fairiwicks.
“You
are not a Fairiwick.” Her eyes were icy and unresponsive.
Did
she just read my mind?
I eyed her suspiciously.
You’re a whack job,
I
hoped she read that thought too, but she didn’t flinch.
Fairiwicks
were bred of spiritualists that were half fairy and half witches. Just
recently, the village council approved Fairiwicks to join the community. Before
that, only psychics lived in Whispering Falls.
“We
are an inter-communal village now.” Izzy’s eyes narrowed, zeroing in on Helena.
“Umm,
hmm. I heard.” Helena pursed her lips. Disgust dripped in her voice. “In my
day. . .”
“We
aren’t
in
your day.” There was a confidence building in me that I
couldn’t explain.
If
what she was saying was true, my grandparents were the royalty of the village,
leaving my father as the heir. Of course, I wasn’t here to take over, so it
went to my Great Aunt Helena. I was here now.
“You
are a smart one.” Helena crossed her arms in front of her. “You have to go to
school. Your father would expect it. Besides, it’s a rule. See section F in the
village handbook.”
Oh,
throwing in the family card?
“Just
how well did you know my father?” It was a valid question. If she was such a
wonderful Aunt and cared for my well-being, where was she when I was framed for
murder a few months ago?
I
admit that I had not read all the way through the rule book that Izzy had given
me when I moved to Whispering Falls. All I knew was that there was a village
council that included Izzy, Gerald Reguila, Chandra Shango, and Petunia
Sandlewood.
“And
one day, we were hoping you could take over as council President.” Izzy brushed
her long wavy blonde hair behind her shoulders away from her face, revealing
her beautiful hazel eyes.
Petunia
bent down and picked Mr. Prince Charming up. “Everyone loves your sweet nature
and fresh presence. You would make a very popular village council President.”
Council
President?
This situation was getting weirder by the minute.
“I’m
getting old, June, and we need fresh voices.” Izzy’s chest heaved in and out
with each breath. “And Helena is right. You do have to go to school in order to
make the cures. You have only lightly tapped into your psychic powers.”
Tapped?
Knowing
how to make cures with my intuition was enough power for me. But what would
happen if I did have some cool power I didn’t know about? I admit I was a magic
wannabe.
“Do
I have to go away to school?” There was no way I wanted to leave A Charming
Cure or Whispering Falls. I was just getting use to the move and embracing the
village. Plus, business was booming. The extra income was exactly what I needed
to buy more ingredients to produce more products. Especially for the
made-to-order customers. Some of those required ingredients from all over the
world.
“It’s
preferable, especially if you are going to be the Village president.” Helena
pushed back her auburn hair exposing a scar that started at her ear and ran
along her jaw line. Quickly she pulled her hair over her shoulder when she saw
me staring at it. “Or you can go to the two-day quick class with a few of the
chosen.”
“What
if I don’t want to be President?” I didn’t run for any office when I was in
high school, much less President of an entire village. “Besides, I’m too old to
go to a University”
Anticipation
and excitement lay like a lump in my throat as they all stared at me like I had
five heads, which really wouldn’t be that unusual in a spiritualist community.
“Okay
fine.” I inhaled, not believing what just came out of my mouth. Going to
college was something I wasn’t cut out for, but maybe I could just do my four
days and be done with it.
Izzy
smiled and clasped her hands together. “Thank you, June.” She tilted her head
towards Helena, and a wide smile covered her face. “Since that is settled, why
don’t you come to The Gathering Grove and visit with Gerald?”
“Well,
I could use a real cup of tea. Hidden Hall can’t seem to serve a decent cup.
Which is odd, since we have so many tea leaf readers going to school.” Helena’s
attitude had made a complete 180 degree turn. “And it would be good to catch up
with old University friends.”
The
two of them headed toward to the door.
“Oh,
he will be delighted to see you, and laugh about old times.” Izzy put her hand
on the door, and then glanced around. “June? Petunia? Are you going to join
us?”
Petunia
held the bee pollen potion in the air. “No. I have some bee issues to take care
of.”
I
shook my head. “No, I had better settle a few things here before I go on my
mini-school trip.”
“Don’t
worry about A Charming Cure. We will make sure it’s taken care of.” Izzy held
the door open and swept her hand in front of her and said, “After you, Helena.”
Once
out the door, Helena looked back in the shop. “Oh, June, there are no
electronics allowed at Hidden Hall. You must rely on your own abilities and not
the abilities of Mr. Google or a cell phone. You’d be surprised on how many
students would cheat that way. I’ll see you tomorrow, June.”