Page 113 of The Neighborhood Witch

“Well”—Alice picked up the teapot—“that wasn’t me.” She poured herself a cup.

“Who was it?”

Alice took a sip, using the cup to hide her face. She peered overthe rim toward Esmeralda. She licked her lips, wiping away drops of tea. “It was Hugo.”

“Hugo?!?” she asked with a hint of anger. “Flying on your broomstick. During the day?”

“It was sunset,” Alice replied.

Ez set her cup down. “Alice! We discussed this.”

“He hurried to find me—”

“Find you?” Ez interrupted.

“So, the neighbor across the street—the one I told you was snooping around the house—she had an amulet of witch’s fire. She tried to use it on me and would have succeeded if not for Hugo riding on Galahad, even though people saw him.”

Esmerelda’s face became solemn. She held her breath before asking, “Where is the amulet now?”

Alice took another sip. “Gone. Destroyed. Hugo destroyed it with an anti-magick wand.”

Esmerelda breathed a sigh of relief. “At least she didn’t use it on you.”

Alice’s eyes focused on the steam rising from the dark liquid held within her cup. She took a sip. “She did.” Her eyes now focused on Esmerelda Honeydew, waiting for her reaction.

Esmerelda’s eyes betrayed her stoic appearance with panic, fear, and anger. “Then how the hell are you sitting right here?”

Alice cleared her throat. “Well, Hugo brought me back here and then—” Her voice trailed off. She braced herself for the anger that would follow. She rotated her head, clearing any tension that had built up in her neck. “We had made a special batch of wine—”

“How special?” Esmerelda was quick to ask; her face furled as if she already knew the answer.

Alice hesitated. She took one more sip to hide behind the cup. She prepared for the wrath that was sure to follow. “We made some of The Lovers’ Kiss.”

“He knows? He knows about the spell? You told him? You gave upthe very thing that brought you here in the first place?” Esmerelda asked.

Alice buried her chin into her chest, trying to sink away. She thought of the night she met Hugo in the backyard. How he was unafraid of her being a witch. She thought of him inviting her to the fall festival. She thought of Halloween night. She thought of Hugo opening up to her. The broom riding lessons. Christmas. The New Year’s Eve party. Hugo consoling her on the sidewalk. Ordering the additional grapes. Flying to find her.

Alice sat up in her chair. Her shoulders were pulled back, and her head held high. Alice locked eyes with Esmerelda. “Hugo loves me more than you know—more than Sam ever did. He cares about me and wants to see me succeed. He embraces who I am and what I do. He never used to it his advantage. He never shied away. He wants me to be who I am.”

The anger and frustration faded from Esmerelda’s face. She leaned back into the chair, and her shoulders drooped. Her head tilted toward the side. “He must really love you.”

A smile appeared on Alice’s face. She set the cup down and blinked a few times to hide the swelling tears. “We love each other,” she replied. “We’ve both helped each other. He’s the only one I’ve ever considered making The Lovers’ Kiss with. Without that potion, I wouldn’t be sitting here in front of you today. He’s the only one I’ll ever make it with.”

“Just be careful, kiddo.”

“I’m always careful.”

“Now, where’s my buddy?”

Alice’s smile faded. Her eyes closed as she bowed her head. She paused. The room fell silent only broken by the ticking of the clock in the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Ez asked.

Alice glanced up to the ceiling before focusing on Ez. She wiped a tear from her eye. “He didn’t make it. Johanna killed him with the anti-magick wand.”

Ez took her eyes off Alice. She focused on a spot on the table, cupping her mouth and chin with her right hand. She sat in silence. Alice shifted in her seat. Ez extended across the table to grab Alice’s hands and looked into her eyes. “I’m so… so sorry, kiddo.”

Alice silently nodded. “He brought Hugo to me. If not for him, then Hugo wouldn’t have found me in time.”

---