Page 38 of Bewitched By the Voodoo King
As she snapped a few selfies, I turned back to my own pile. My last option was buried under a pile of rhinestones and ruffles. It was a deep plum, almost black in the shadows, with silver threads stitched along the bodice like winding vines.
I slipped it on and everything stilled.
The moment the fabric settled against my skin, the air seemed to shift.
“Whoa,” Adelle said, voice suddenly soft.
I turned toward the mirror.
My reflection stared back at me, but she didn’t quite look like me… I looked like an enchantress myself, this time. The dress hugged every curve, and the silver thread shimmered like it had been spun from starlight. My hair, messy from all the outfit changes, suddenly looked intentional. I looked like I had magic thrumming through my veins like all of the other witches I was constantly surrounded by.
“Maple,” Adelle whispered. “That dress justactivated.”
I blinked. “What does that mean?”
She stepped closer, eyes wide as I did another turn. “It’s literally enchanted. Probably keyed to magical resonance. Which means… it responded toyou and your magic. Not all outfits do it, but sometimes a witch or two works in fashion and decides to add a little to their projects.”
I was quiet as we emerged from the fitting room. I didn’t know what to say or think. There was no way the magic in the fabric or the thread had responded to me. I didn’t have magic for it to respond to. Right?
The dress felt heavy in my hands as I walked it to the counter. I absolutely couldn’t afford the garment, but I didn’t know howto confide that in Adelle or even her mother. I didn’t want them to pity me or to buy me the gown out of charity.
Rene was already waiting at the checkout counter. There was a pile of shimmering black silk being wrung up, as well as Adelle’s dark green piece. I held back and calculated in my head how I would be able to make this happen.
Rene looked over her shoulder at me and grinned. “Bring that over here!”
I looked down at the gown in my hands and wanted to cry. Adelle snatched it from me and threw it on the counter next to their dresses. She shot me a look to quiet any kind of protest.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the ping of the register.
Adelle didn’t look at me—just grinned like it was nothing. “You’d do the same for me.”
“But I haven’t.” My hands twisted together. “I can’t.”
Rene turned as the clerk bagged the dresses, her expression soft but firm. “Maple, kindness isn’t a transaction. It’s a gift, and you don’t owe us anything.”
I nodded, but my chest still felt tight. I didn’t know how to be on the receiving end of generosity that didn’t come with strings. It felt like wearing a crown when you’d grown up apologizing for needing shoes.
The bag holding the dress felt heavier than the fabric should’ve allowed as she passed it to me. My eyes burned as I looked down at it. It was the prettiest thing I’d ever put on and probably the most expensive thing I’d ever owned.
“Do you carry wedding dresses? I’m beyond pleased with the items we saw here today!” Rene gushed to the woman behind the counter.
Wedding dresses? I frowned.
Then it hit me. Oh.Oh.
“If we don’t carry what you’re looking for, we can order it. Hold on and let me get a card with all of our socials on it so you can see what we keep in stock.” The woman leaned down and grabbed a card for Adelle’s mother, and she beamed.
“Thank you! We will be back soon!”
Before I could open my mouth to ask about this wedding stuff and when it would take place, Adelle groaned. “Is anyone else starving?”
Rene nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, let’s take a streetcar to get some po-boys!”
“What’s a po-boy?” I felt silly for asking.
Rene laughed, the kind of full-bellied laugh I hadn’t heard from her all day. “Oh, honey. A good po-boy can fix things you didn’t even know were broken.”
“That sounds… delicious?”
