Page 3 of Stella’s Manster

Piercing blue eyes

One by one we make our way to the garden where the fire pit we sat around last night burns with a hint of sweet sage. Continuing Clarissa’s night of man magic, she hands each of us a pink candle and instructs us to stand in a circle around the pit. She tells us to hold the candle in our right hand, and the notecard in our left. She then walks the circle with a bottle in her hand, placing one drop of oil on each of our cards.

Wow, she’s really into this.

“What’s this?” Sabrina asks.

“Ylang-ylang oil,” Clarissa responds as she puts that bottle down and grabs a second bottle. “I’m not going to ask everyone to get topless, even though most of us have seen each other at least partially naked, but if you don’t want to get oil on your shirt, move it aside so I can mark your heart. This is rosewood oil, and it’s great for your skin as well as incantations.” Clarissa turns the bottle with her thumb over the opening and then presses the digit against Melinda’s forehead, throat, and heart. “Mind, body, and spirit align, let love be thine.”

Clarissa continues to move to the next person, and the next, until she’s marked everyone. Then she marks herself, puts the bottle down, grabs her card and candle, and smiles.

“Everyone ready?” Clarissa shakes her hair and her whole body to loosen up. “Relax and open yourself up to envision your perfect mate. What do they look like? How do they talk and carry themselves? See the quirk of their lips when they smile, or the glimmer in their eye when they look at you. Hold on to that image as I ask for our wishes. You don’t have to say anything until the end when you respond with ‘so mote it be.”

Oh, the things I do for my friends. But wouldn’t it be something if it actually worked?

I chuckle to myself.

Regardless of spell or no spell, I know I’ll find the right man someday but now isn’t the time. My brother gets out of prison and rehab soon, and I’ve taken it upon myself to be the one to help him acclimate to his new life of freedom. As much as I want to find my soul mate, I’m afraid I won’t have time for him when he arrives.

Clarissa’s voice snaps me back to the situation around me and I listen to her speak her spell. “Powers of the north, south, east, and west, bestow your blessings, your power best, fires of passion, waters of our hearts, winds of love, to us, will you impart, bring us our soulmates, for this we plea. With open minds and pure hearts, we implore. So mote it be.”

Someone murmursso mote it be.

Going along with my friends, I say the words, holding on to the image of my handsome hero in my head.

Clarissa continues, “Now, carefully dip your candle into the flames, and when it catches, drip the pink wax onto your card. Once you have seven drops, release your request into the air by dropping the card into the fire. Blow out the candle when you are done, but do not break it. I’m going to have you take it home.”

What a fun, yet interesting, weekend this has been. Tomorrow it’s back to reality for me.

Chapter One: Stella

“Boo!” a voice shouts from behind me.

Placing a hand on my heart over the sleek black bodysuit I’m wearing, I stumble back with a gasp. “You almost knocked my cat ears off,” I lightly scold my brother, Darren, while giving him a playful glare. “Now hand me my tail, would ya?”

As Darren walks to the other side of the room to grab my costume tail, I reach up to adjust the band of cat ears on my head and can’t help but smile. Of course, I’m not truly mad at my thirty-four-year-old brother for messing with me. I’m just happy Darren’s able to be himself again. He would have never been able to do little things like joining me at a Halloween party during the years he spent in prison rehab.

It’s been about a month since Darren got out and I can’t believe how much he’s proven to himself and all of us, his family. He’s happy now without narcotics. He’s healing every day and putting himself back on track.

My mom and I never blamed Darren for the mess he got into years ago. It could’ve happened to anyone dealing with such trauma. About a week after our dad passed away suddenly and tragically in a car accident, Darren began to close himself off to his family and friends. He somehow got involved with the wrong people and wound up deep into drugs and alcohol. When the cops busted into his friend's place, Darren was too high to remember if he was actually involved with the crimes he was being accused of.

But who cares? The past is the past and it’s time to move forward in a positive light. Darren is out and ready to take on the world. I’m thrilled to have my brother back.

“I thought onlykidsdressed up as cats,” Darren chuckles, standing there in his convict costume with a ghost-themed sugar cookie in his hand.

“It’s different, I’m not just any cat. I’m an adult, scantily clad cat,” I laugh. “I’m Catwoman, can’t you tell? For the biggest adult Halloween party of the year, I think it’s fitting. Besides, I imagine I’ll be the most covered-up person there. You know how many sexy nurses, barely clothed witches, and slutty princesses will be there tonight?” I smirk. “A full body suit was the closest I’ll ever get to showing that much skin.”

“Well, now. That’s my kind of party,” Darren rubs his hands together and raises his brows up and down. “Can’t wait to meet your friends.”

“You’re such a perv,” I reply with sarcasm.

“Hey, I’ve been locked up and in rehab for years. What do you expect?” he laughs. Pointing down at his bright orange convict jumpsuit, he asks, “You got any hot single friends that need a bad boy by their side tonight?”

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