Page 6 of Bewitched & Bewildered
I fightthe urge to slam my car door, all too aware that someone is watching…
It’s one of our neighbors.
In any other town, I could sneak inside and avoid the interaction. That’s not possible in Starbrook. I can already feel him watching me.
Sure enough, when I glance in my neighbor’s direction, he smiles and lifts his hand. It’s still dark out. Most people wouldn’t try to start a conversation this early; Seth is another story.
Seth knows my youngest sister, Laurel, better than the rest of us. He’s about seven years younger than me, and it shows. His smile is vibrant. He lacks the years of stress that would bring him down to my level.
He annoys me if I’m honest, but he’s sweet. Seth and his family are among the few human families in our little town, and they’ve always been pleasant neighbors.
“Hey, Juni!” he calls.
I lift a hand in greeting. Returning his smile feels impossible.
“It’s sunrise,” I say. “What are you doing up?”
“Oh, you know me. I have to work on my gains.”
I snort. “Right. Good luck with that.”
It’s colder than a witch’s tit, but Seth is going on a morning run. It further proves his youth; I could never be so strong. Getting up in the morning is morebrutal every year.
“Thanks!” He completely ignores my sarcasm. There’s a chance it doesn’t register with him at all.
I don’t care. I’m happy to go inside.
The family home is a mess these days. My mother always kept it in tip-top shape, but now it’s down to me and my four sisters—or three, technically.
Our middle sister, Aspen, has lived in New York for years, and we haven’t seen her since our mother’s funeral.
I rub my hands together and take a peek at the diminishing fire. I’ll have to feed the flame before I sleep. The old floorboards creak as I walk through the house.
My home is silent except for the pitter-patter of paws across the old wooden floor. I won’t be alone for long.
Timber, our family dog, comes barreling over. I sigh softly and bend, scratching our big, shaggy golden retriever behind his ears. Seeing him have brief moments of happiness uplifts me. He’s been sad lately.
It’s understandable. Timber has been with us for over a decade, but he was my mother’s familiar. Not mine. A witch losing her familiar is a pain no one can understand, and it goes both ways. Timber misses our mom as much as any of us do.
“You’re a good boy.” I pat his side and stand up, meandering to the kitchen. “Come on. I’ll get you a treat.”
He deserves it. Timber continues caring for us even though he lost his witch.
It’s four in the morning. I expect everyone in the house to be asleep, but that’s not the case. The light in the kitchen is on, and there’s Maple clutching a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.
Out of all my sisters, Maple is my favorite. That’s right, I’m not above playing favorites. She and I are closest in age, and naturally, our closeness continues into adulthood.
Her red hair is tied up on the top of her head, and she’s already dressed for the day. She wears a uniform to work, too, her plump form clad in a typical chef’s outfit. I see her dressed this way more often than not. When she smiles at me, her cheeks are round and pink.
“I didn’t know you were working today.” I dig my hand into the dog-shaped cookie jar and retrieve a biscuit for Timber.
He wags his tail by my feet, waiting patiently for the treat.
“Neither did I!” She could be upset—I would be—but she isn’t. She lets out a giggle instead. “Someone called in sick for the bread shift! Can you believe it?”
Maple is brilliant in the kitchen. After graduating with a culinary degree, she could have gone anywhere. I’m lucky she came home to Starbrook instead of traveling the world.
“Ireallycan’t believe it. The audacity…” I feed Timber his treat. “You haven’t had a day off in two weeks. That’s not right.”
