*Thelma*It’s late afternoon and I find myself sitting inside a carriage house behind the mansion where Beta Mathias and Rhia live. The renovated three-bedroomed home squats on a parcel of green grass surrounded by a white picket fence, camellia hedges, and an assortment of vibrant flowers.Rhia presses a glass of ice water into my hand and proceeds to take a seat next to me on the couch in the sunroom.“How did last night go?” Rhia asks.I can’t help but see a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. Kyle had mentioned that she had given him a magical wedgie; I really need to ask her to teach me how to do that.“He was quite the gentleman…although he still kicked me out after, again. Thank you, though, for giving him a stern ‘talking to,’” I say.Rhia nods knowingly and smiles. “I would have given him a wet-willy, but didn’t want to get my hand covered in invisible saliva. I had just gotten a manicure; also, magical humidity takes a while to dry.“How did you go about doing that?” I can’
*Thelma*Nerves grip my stomach as if in a cruel vice. Pacing back and forth in my bedroom, I wait for Hilda to bring me some of the things I need to execute my secret mission. Every so often, I glance at the LG TV mounted on the wall. I went through so many romance films just to get an idea of how to entice Kyle.Hilda walks in with a box; she smiles in my direction as she places it gently on top of the table. I waste no time walking over to check out what she managed to bring.“I found a sachet of purple dried petals and some red fresh ones. Maybe you can use both? I also brought some of Madam Flora’s scented oils,” Hilda says as she shows me what’s in her special package.I frown as I look at the scented oil. In these searing summer temperatures, I will be sizzling like bacon in a pan if I grease myself tonight. I am beginning to think Hilda has a weird fascination with oils. Maybe in her times being slippery was considered sexy….Or is it a magical realm thing?I take the bottle of
*Kyle*How dare the witch want to escape? I’ve given her nothing but the best accommodations here. At least, she could have had the decency to alert me of her departure. Kim had been frantic when telling of the witch’s plans to run away. Apparently, she is still in her room packing.I take the stairs, two steps at a time, with long, furious strides toward her room. The good news: she’s still here.What had caused her sudden desire to leave? Was it because she thought something messy was going on between Yasmeen and I? Why would anyone think anything was going on between us?I admit, Yasmeen has been acting very weird and clingy of late. She’s even dressing differently, wearing that stupid long-haired wig that makes her look like a sadistic clown d
*Kyle*“Cigarette or cigar, which one do you prefer?” Elsa asks me.The air in the murky small room behind the hair salon is cloudy from all the cigarette smoke. I watch as the curvy woman in front of me, who’s got a slim lit cigarette dangling from her lips, offers me a wooden box with the mentioned selections.“I am not really a smoker, but maybe a cigar will do,” I respond as I stretch my hand to retrieve a cigar from the box.Elsa nods, the action causing some ash from the cigarette in her mouth to fall onto her blouse. I am tempted to ask why it is important for us to smoke. I am not here for a social visit but rather for a reading.She takes a lighter from somewhere inside her blouse near h
*Kyle*As I run through the woods, trying to clear my head, the memories of everything that happened the last night I spent with Thelma rush back to me stunningly clear. Oh, gods. I can’t shake the look of hurt and embarrassment that was embedded in her teary eyes when I ridiculed her efforts in being romantic. Now, I look like the fool, returning with my tail between my legs, so to speak, to try and get HER to fall in love with me…Oh, how the tables have turned.I wonder how I can make it up to her. I really acted like an entitled jerk. Maybe I could take some vegetable oil from the kitchen and marinade my skin; I have seen how she always has oily skin each time we meet. Perhaps that is something she will enjoy?I hear shuffling in some nearby bushes, and I feel the fur around my neck stand
*Thelma*An earthly scent swarms around the new arrival; it should be enough to quench my curiosity, but there is something unsettling about Tobias.He has a devilish grin that tells me he has more of a quirky and flirtatious side to him, unlike his brother, Kyle. With his dark curly hair, a tanned skin tone, defined cheekbones and almond-shaped brown eyes, Tobias looks nothing like his brother.“The two of you don’t look alike at all,” I muse. I clasp my hand to my mouth realizing I have spoken my private thoughts out loud.“Who is more handsome,” Tobias asks with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.I find myself mentally comparing the two men. Tobias is a little shorter than Kyle, but he is just
*Yasmeen*I whirl at the sound of someone sniffling, probably weeping. The witch rushes past me and I can see from her wet cheeks that she is crying. I can’t help but smile, despite my head, which feels like an army of ants is marching up and down my scalp. My day has been going quite miserably considering how Alpha Kyle seems to be avoiding me and ignoring my advances. What the hell does he want? I am the type of woman men crave, lust for, think of when they pleasure themselves, and more. I raise a hand to my head and try my best to scratch at the itchiness caused by the stupid wig I am wearing. I can feel the headgear shift clumsily as I attempt to scrape aggressively underneath its lace surface. Damn it! How do other women manage to wear these things on their heads for hours on end and still look graceful? This thing feels like a hair hat that was made with remnants of lice. Trying to distract myself from the discomfort, I walk down the corridor toward where the witch came from.
*Tobias*Looking dejectedly in the mirror, I shudder. The scuffle between my anxieties and my bad mood is ongoing. The migraines aren’t doing anything to improve my disposition.Coming here was a gamble. I knew that this would put me back in the depressing position of always being compared to Kyle.He is always the better one, right? More handsome, stronger and obviously much more responsible. I am tired of being known simply as Kyle’s brother; I am a man with my own two legs to stand on. I have my own identity, and this time, I will claim my place just as Tobias Logan, not Kyle’s weaker sibling.Tobias the drunkard, the one who always needs saving…I am so over that narrative.The healer I went to see