I called into work on Monday. It was the first time I had done that in a while. I spent the day getting my nails and hair done. I had my usual stylist highlight with purple a strand in my hair. She added black streaks into my long reddish-brown hair. Then mixed in the purple to the top bangs and in the back. It looked pretty punk. I loved it. The colors worked incredibly together. It gave me a dark look which I liked. Not that I want to do Black Magic. I was just tired of being normal.
This edgy look had always given me confidence over the years. This was the first time I thought I looked like a witch. I used to think I was being dark, like a vampire or a zombie.
But never a witch?
That almost seemed too silly.
I’m realizing more and more each day that I have always been a witch, and I just haven’t found my way yet. Because of Paris, I am finding my true self.
I had a strange awakening on this particular afternoon and it was causing me to be quite emotional. It wasn’t every day that you realized what your calling had always been.
But I got through it by going shopping. Best therapy ever. I made my wardrobe look even witchy than it already was. I loved embracing this side of me. I was realizing I had always subconsciously shopped for clothes as if I was a witch.
When I got home, I had one hour before Robert was going to pick me up. I freshened up and watched a little TV while I waited. They were having a Real World marathon for the current season. This season, they put the house right smack in the middle of Baghdad.
Oh wait, my bad, it was Boise, Idaho.
Robert picked me up at one minute before six. The boy was punctual, I had to give him that. I looked through the peephole and he had a dozen roses for me. Or maybe it was two dozen. All I could see was a huge vase and a lot of roses through the peephole.
I opened the door slowly.
“Hi,” Robert said. “I went to the floral shop and said, ‘What is the biggest bouquet of flowers that would make me the most embarrassed?’ I’m just kidding. I didn’t say that. But here it is, I present to you, Mount Roses.” Robert did a curtsy and handed me the giant vase full of roses.
“Come inside. You are very sweet. The roses are beautiful. You even put them in a kick-ass vase. You did quite well, Robert.”
Why was I talking like this?
I walked into my kitchen and put the vase of roses on top of my kitchen table.
“They’re beautiful. I’ve never gotten so many roses in my life.”
“The truth is,” Robert said. “It cost $49.99 for a dozen and just $59.99 for three dozen. I figured it was a pretty good deal to get two dozen roses for $59.99.” Robert looked at me horrified, as if he wished he didn’t just tell me that. He was trying to talk, but he couldn’t.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Robert let out a huge sigh and said, “I don’t know. I’ve been acting weird as of late and I’m not sure what it’s all about.”
“Should we enter them as a float in the Rose Bowl Parade?” he quipped, turning my meanness into a nice joke.
“Yes, we should. It’s worthy of being called a float.”
Robert smiled so sweetly at me. “Thanks.”
Paris told me to pay attention on both dates. She also told me there were multiple spells. Did she possibly put a spell on me? I was saying things I didn’t want to say, but everything I was saying was what I really thought, even though I wanted to lie or at least keep my mouth shut. I apparently had a spell on me that was forcing me to be honest. I had to play this out.
“Ask me my middle name, Robert.”
My middle name is Anne and if I try to say Lisa, then I know my spell has to do with truth.
Robert looked at me like I was crazy. “You told me your middle name on our first phone call. I told you mine was Jake and you laughed.”
“I did? I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, I got over it.”
“Robert, I need for you to listen to me and I want you to do what I ask you to do.”
“Okay,” Robert said.
“Robert, ask me what my middle name is. Just do it.” I wasn’t playing around. I think I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“I know it’s Anne,” Robert said. “But Sahara, what is your middle name?”
It was then that I squealed exactly the way Robert and Donovan had squealed the other night.
Holy crap. All of our spells are similar. Are they all the same?
But I needed to focus. I was answering his question and I was going to say Lisa if it killed me. I thought ‘Lisa’ ten times in my head, but when I tried to say my name out loud, I blurted, “Anne! My middle name is Anne.”
Donovan and I had the same spell. He had a truth spell on top of his love spell.
Do I have a love spell?
I liked both guys a whole lot. But that was on person-to-person merit in regard to conversations and interactions we’d had. I wasn’t ever told what to think, the way I’m being told to tell the truth.
I don’t have a love spell. That’s impossible.
But...one of Donovan’s spells must be a truth spell and if that was the case, then he had been saying some remarkable true things to me.
I looked at Robert and I didn’t know what to do. So I just said to him, “It’s a truth spell.” Then, I crossed my hands and nodded my head like a freaking genie and said, “Make right what is right.”
“What was that?” Robert asked, confused.
“I’m not sure,” I said. Right then, I knew the spell was broken. I was able to lie. I knew exactly why I did what I did.
Holy moly. Everything happened just like Paris said. I need to talk to her immediately. I can’t go on this date. Or maybe I can. I’m going to call her on my cell and go to my back yard so Robert can’t hear me.
“I don’t want to be rude,” I said to Robert. “A friend of mine was having a rough day. I just want to check in with her before we go. Would you mind if I walk out to my back yard and have a short conversation?”
“Go for it.”
I walked swiftly through my living room and opened my glass and screen door and stepped outside.
I walked over to the bench under the canopy. I called Paris. She answered on the first ring.
“I was just thinking about you,” Paris said when she answered the phone.
“I have figured out half your spell,” I said.
“Yeah? What have you figured out?”
“Well, the spell is broken up. I was able to knock out the truth spell that all three of us had. Now I know why I’ve been saying bizarre things and why both men would constantly say the first thing on their minds, because that was what I was doing.”
Paris was quiet for about ten full seconds and then said, “Why do you think there any more to it?”
“Well, the love spell or spells. Please tell me you didn’t put a love spell on Robert. I need to know that one of those guys really does like me.”
“Sahara,” Paris said, “come see me. I’ve been working on something all day and I would really love for you to come and see it.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the coven camp.”
“You want me to come all the way down there? I’m on a date with Robert. Well, it actually hasn’t started yet. He is still at my house. We were about to leave.”
“Look, Sahara, I’m not sure what you have to do. But if you come here, everything will make sense, I promise. Goodbye, Sahara.”
We got off the phone.
I walked around my back yard, thinking about what I was going to do. This was insane. Everything that was supposed to be up was down. And what I thought was down was now up.
I walked into my house and told Robert something came up and I would come by later and talk to him. I knew I had to talk to both men tonight. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to either one of them.
Robert was a good guy and told me he understood and was looking forward to seeing me later tonight. He was such an incredi
ble guy. He acted the exact same way, truth spell or not. Who knows? Maybe if he still had the truth spell, he would have told me to F-off.
I was seeing where common courtesy sometimes meant you need to lie to someone. A little bit, anyway.
Chapter Thirty-four