Page 57 of Dead End

Norman shivered visibly—or maybe it was a shudder. “Pip has a whole spread laid out for breakfast,” he said ominously.

My stomach immediately clenched, feeling like it was about to implode already. My mouth dried up, as if it could already taste the vile concoctions just waiting down there for us. Pip’s food really was legendary for a reason. I swore someone at some point must have cursed my poor auntie, because I wouldn’t trust that woman to pour me a bowl of cereal.

“What do we do?” Freddy asked in a panic. We all knew we couldn’t eat that food, and there was no way we’d be able to pretend to push it around our plates.

Norman shook his head. “No clue. She had already trapped Maddie and Jason. Michael took the window route earlier to get to his early class. I suggest we all do the same.”

I thought for a moment, trying to strategize, and then it hit me. “Okay, here’s the plan,” I said quietly. Both Freddy and Norman ducked in closer, and it made me giggle because I suddenly felt like the captain of the varsity basketball team. “I’m going to distract them while the two of you creep down the hall and slip out the door. I’ll create some kind of chaos and slip out as fast as I can, but you better be waiting for me when I get outside, got it?”

They nodded, and Norman asked, “Are you sure you can do this?”

No, I’m not, Norman, but thanks for the vote of confidence.

“Just do it,” I said, shooing them towards the stairs. This was ridiculous. We were being childish, but these truly were high stakes. When I said Pip’s food could kill off the dinosaurs all over again, I meant it.

We crept down the stairs on silent feet, and I was never more thankful that they were carpeted than I was right now. We split off once we reached the bottom landing, and I gestured with my hand slicing through the air that the guys needed to make a break for it. I was taking one for the team, and if Auntie Pip shoved a poisoned scone down my throat along the way, well, let’s just say they’d owe me big time.

I heard the front door open, so at that exact moment, before the aunties could hear, I made my way into the kitchen, walking much faster than I normally would, pretending to be in a frantic hurry. I saw Maddie first, staring down at the plate in front of her. Her face was slightly green, and her brown eyes were full of hopelessness. Jason didn’t look any better as he sloshed around a bowl of what looked like a greenish-brown mush.

They both looked up as I came in, and I tried to hide a smile behind my palm. Maddie groaned, and Jason shook his head with pleading eyes. For a split second, his eyes flickered yellow, and I watched Damon’s forked tongue slip out and dip into the mush before Jason reeled back with a look of devastation and revulsion on his face. Betrayal at its finest.

“Oh good, October!” Pip announced, bustling over with oven mitts on her hands. “Just in time to try out this new recipe.”

Dread pooled in my gut as I skirted her path and snagged an apple from the bowl on the center island. Fe was standing in the corner of the kitchen, leaning against the wooden countertop with a mug of tea raised to her lips that smelled like tequila from here. Was she having a margarita this early? Her orange hair was wild around her head, and her purple and yellow robes were covered in flour. She raised a brow and shrugged her shoulders in a ‘what can you do’ gesture.

I gave Pip an apologetic wince. “Sorry, Auntie, I've got to be at school super early this morning. I have a meeting with a teacher in twenty minutes. Uh, save some for me?” I zoomed through the kitchen, grabbing my satchel and cloak off the coat rack, and grinned at the two unfortunate souls, who sneered back at me. Just before I twirled out into the entryway, I wiggled my fingers under my chin with a wink at Jason.

As I left the room, I heard Pip ask Jason if he’d like a top-up on his porridge, and a second later, the sound of silverware clattering in a bowl filled the silence. I waited until I was outside with the door shut behind me to belly laugh. The stricken look on Maddie and Jason’s faces would forever keep me warm at night.

Freddy and Norman were waiting for me at the end of the stone path near the street. They both had their arms crossed over their chests, smirks on their faces. Freddy shook his head, saying, “It’s rude to laugh at other people’s expense, you know.”

With pep in my step, I joined them on the sidewalk. “And you’re the expert on that, aren’t you, Wolf Man?”

Freddy rolled his eyes. “All right, so what do we do now? None of us have classes for at least four hours.”

“Well, I’m starving,” I said, feeling a rumble in my stomach. “I could go for some bubble tea and a scone that won't make my lower intestines explode.”

“Looks like we’re going to Toil and Trouble then,” Norman said, holding out an elbow for me to loop my arm through.

I smiled and did just that, and a second later, Freddy took my other arm, and we made our way in the direction of town. It was strang, being out and about when, for all we knew, it was the middle of the night. According to my watch, it was still early morning, but the moons overhead were still playing tricks on my brain.

It only took us twenty minutes to get to Main Street. There were people everywhere, bustling around with arms full of decorations and preparing for the festival. I’d almost forgotten about the solstice.

The mortal world was well past Halloween, as it was the night we ended up here, but the streets of Midnight Hollow were lined with flickering jack-o’-lanterns, wreaths of twigs, and autumn leaves. It seemed like this place was stuck in a perpetual autumn, and I loved it. I was beginning to grow used to seeing odd creatures here and there. I did almost piss my pants seeing the guy from the gas station in the overalls, but what left my jaw dropping was that he waved at me, mumbling something I couldn’t understand as he passed out flyers for his auto body shop. Not at all how it seemed at first glance. You should never judge a book by its cover. Shaking my head in wonder, I almost tripped over a couple of goblin boys as they chased each other around in circles, giggling.

Witches swished around in their long velvet cloaks, and street vendors were selling their goodies, smelling like sweet treats and savory meats. It was like a street fair, only every single day. I imagined this was what stepping back in time felt like, where everything was homemade with love. My arm was still looped with the guys’, and they led me down the street until we saw Toil and Trouble just up ahead. There was a massive cauldron out front, just like always, but this time, the witches weren’t out there stirring something questionable. There was a huge wooden ladle that seemed to be stirring itself.

A bell tinkled overhead as we stepped into the tea shop for the first time. I breathed in deeply as I was hit with the smell of loose herbs, spices, and sugar. I've always loved the scent of dried floral teas. Jasmine blossom was my favorite, with just a teaspoon of wildflower honey, and a close second was any kind of chai with a dash of cream.

The walls were covered floor to ceiling with jars on shelves that looked to be stuffed with loose leaves and herbs. Drying plants hung from the ceiling all over the shop, and I spotted a girl behind the front counter picking a sprig of mint off of one of them and plopping it into a cauldron.

“Tell me why we didn’t come here first,” I breathed, smiling as I looked around at all the teas. “This place is amazing... I could live here.”

I looked up at Freddy and saw him smiling down at me. “Then I probably shouldn’t point out that big case of pastries, or else you might never come home,” he teased.

I perked up immediately at the thought of baked goods that weren’t made in the aunties’ kitchen and followed his gaze to a glass case filled with delectable goodies. Holy pumpkin, they looked amazing. I saw scones of every color and shape, sprinkles, cupcakes, and cookies. I didn’t know what I wanted to try first. I had a serious weakness for sweets, and I was already anticipating a stomach ache.

“What can I get for you?” the girl behind the counter asked.

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