Page 74 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

“I think Sparkles has lost his mind,” Serena whispered.

I cringed at that, my gaze darting to Sparkles as he continued pacing and swishing. “You would, too, if someone locked you in a lamp for forty years.”

Serena grabbed a strapping young vampire who added a table leg to the bonfire. “Adam, don’t you have djinn blood?”

He shot Shu a worried look. “I do.”

“Can you go inside the lamp and look around?” she asked.

He grimaced, looking at Shu as if he’d catch his crazy. “Sure.”

“Keep your wand at the ready,” Serena warned him.

One moment Adam was standing there, and the next, he’d vaporized and disappeared inside an old rusty lamp sitting in the gravel.

I sat on an iron bench across from a small fountain while hoping this purge didn’t take much longer. “Sparkles.” I patted the seat beside me. “Come sit with me a spell.”

“Thanks,” he said while gently lowering himself onto the edge of the bench. “I don’t have long, though.” He made a big show of checking his watch. It had a neon pink, plastic wristband, a teal dial, and a checkered face. “My jazzercise class starts in a half hour.”

I forced a smile. “Of course.”

“Sparkles,” Serena said on a sigh while kneeling in front of him, “I’m not sure if you remember me. You’ve been part of our family for centuries. I’m Serena.” She nodded toward me. “This is Luciella. Her mother was my twin, Samanta.”

“Samanta.” He tapped his chin, looking lost in thought. “That name rings a bell.”

Serena’s smile didn’t mask the worry in her eyes. “Do you remember anything about our family?”

“No.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“Do you remember anything about the people who locked you away?” I asked him.

He vehemently nodded. “Rose broke the doorknob, and Dorothy wanted to fix it herself instead of hiring a repairman.”

“Okay.” Serena made a face before standing. “Sure.”

Holy troll turds! Shu really had lost his mind. Curing insanity took powerful, specialized magic. The spells and incantations took years of training at a striga medical school. Because they were so rare, I didn’t know any striga healers myself, but I knew they were expensive. Colin had wanted to hire one to cure Des of his autism. An idea which I’d promptly shut down.

A sudden burst of steam poured from the lamp, and the vampire returned. He stumbled forward then hunched over while coughing into his fist.

Serena jumped to her feet and led him to the bench across from us. “Adam, are you okay?”

“Sorry.” He fanned his face, looking ready to pass out. “It reeks of Drakkar Noir in there.”

“What did you find, Adam?” Serena pressed.

“Nothing much,” he said. “Just a bedroom with purple shag carpet and an old TV.” He pulled two small boxes out of his cloak, handing them to my aunt. “I found these videos.”

She scowled at the boxes, which I realized were faded VHS cases. “Jazzercise It UpandThe Golden Girls.”

“Those are mine!” Shu squealed like a stuck pig and jumped from the bench. “Give me those!” He snatched them out of Serena’s hands, hugging them to his chest.

“I think I remember Samanta recording these for you.” Serena eyed him while rubbing her chin. “There was only one season at the time, but you loved that show.”

“I still do.” He rocked the tapes in his arms like he was cradling a baby. “They’ve been my only friends for so long.” Hesniffled, and a lone tear slid down his cheek. “Everyone else forgot about me, just like the butler, Coco.”

Coco? I vaguely rememberedThe Golden Girlshad a butler named Coco in the first episode, but I thought they wrote him out of the show. My heart broke for Shu.

“I’m sorry, Shu.” Serena led him back to the bench and sat beside him, taking his hands in hers. “I looked everywhere for you. I thought the succubi had killed you.” She nodded in my direction. “And Luciella was too young to understand what was happening.”

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