Page 1 of Upside Down Magic

ONE

Thickmorning fogclung to the streets ofOldOlmedaasImade my way to theTeaCauldron.Thankfully,Iwasn’t the protagonist of aGothicnovel, no matter the ghosts haunting my shop, orImight’ve gotten a little worried.

Onlyyour garden variety paranormal criminals to be found here, no crazy housekeepers reminding me howIan’slast ex-girlfriend was the best thing ever.

SharpClawsand theCornerRosesurfaced eerily into full view asIcrossed the street, both closed this early in the morning.Ishivered against the fog’s wet chill and hurried to get into theTeaCauldron.Ifit weren’t forNatalia’sfirst shift today,I’dhave stayed withIanlonger—Idoubted we’d have any customers until the fog lifted by lunchtime—but duty was duty.Asthe official witch ofOlmeda, it was my job to guide the local paranormal community—in whatever way they needed my help, magical or not.Inthis caseNatalia, one ofHutton’steen shifters, needed extra money for the holidays, so shiftsIwould provide.

Ihung my winter jacket on a peg by the entrance and switched on the overhead lights in the shop, then the string of red, green, and blueChristmaslights hanging on the windows.Thesight made me smile.Asdid theChristmastree cutoutstaped to the glass and walls, and the silhouette of the witch hat with a star on top of the pointy end.Wehad also taped some garland around the shelf behind the counter, andMeihad provided me with a tinyChristmastree to put on top of the muffin glass display case.

WhenI’dbeen awarded the shop in summer,I’dnever envisioned how much my life would have changed in a few months: new friends, new boyfriend, new nemesis, new covering up dark magic by the previous owner.

Icrossed my fingers and tapped on the counter’s thick wood.

Herewas hoping nothing worse came my way than whatI’dalready encountered because there had been a few too many close calls for comfort, and my position as theTeaCauldronowner was still in probation for a couple more months.

Ireached over the counter and grabbed the handful of printoutsI’dbeen studying at closing time before going toIan’s.Theywere mock-ups of cheery cartoonChristmastrees to be printed on cards, with all the decorations missing.

Strange, you might think, but it was all part of my cunning plan.

I,HopeAvery, probational owner of theTeaCauldronand future pillar of the community, was going to host my firstChristmasevent inOlmeda.

Youread that right.

Tomy utter horror,I’ddiscovered a couple of weeks back that there were noChristmasevents planned among the paranormal shops inOlmeda.Soniawas busy, the big event had beenHalloween, and nobody seemed interested in organizing anything.

Whatbetter way to prove my worth to the community?

Aftera furious night of brainstorming,I’dcome up with the perfect idea: aChristmastree decoration treasure hunt.Peoplewould visit the shops included in the event to gain a sticker for theirChristmastree postcard and get a small reward at the end.

Sofar, the idea had been a decent, if not roaring success.Withless than four weeks to go until the big day,Iwanted everything to be ready by the weekend so everything got printed and distributed in time.Atthe moment, participating establishments includedDru’sSharpClaws,Veva’sCards&Destinytarot shop, the creepy doll store next toVeva’s,Janet’sGarden, one of the shifters’ sports equipment stores (Imight’ve threatened to cutHutton’ssupply of dark magic alpha potion for that, but all for a good cause), a pawn shop atPineSt., and my big crowning achievement:Sonia’scostumes and party favors shop.

Ihad a feelingBrimstonehad something to do with that one.

Itwas an eclectic group of shops, to be sure, and a few others had turned me down (very rudely, inBosko’scase), but the point was to spread the joy around.Whoknew when one of the participants might find a new hobby they didn’t know they wanted?

“Abouttime,”Bagleycomplained from the locket on the windowsill asIwent into the first-floor kitchen. “Youknow how boring it is to watch this fog all night?”

Iput the printouts on the counter and brought out my phone. “Asboring as hearing you say the same thing every morning.”

Shesnorted. “Please.Atleast there are usually birds or something.Whatabout you leave me at your living room window tonight?”

“Youalready had your front street view day this week.”

“Gods, what didIdo to end up like this?”

“Murderand dark witchcraft?”

Shecackled. “Allworth it.”

“Andthis is why you only get overnight front street view once a week.”

Oneday,Iwas sure,I’dconvertBagley, mistress crone of all evil, to the good side of magic.Butit would have to be little by little so she wouldn’t know it was happening.

Fornow we had a simple deal: one good deed from her earned her a night on the windowsill upstairs facing the front street and a couple of audiobook chapters whileIgot the shop ready in the morning.

Istarted our current read—a very satisfying tale of a sorcerer setting evil witches on fire—and settled in to choose among threeChristmastree drawings when someone clanged on the backyard gate.

Ichecked the time—too early forNatalia.

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