The Neighborhood Witch (Neighborhood #1)

21. The Nightmare Batch

Chapter 21

The Nightmare Batch

B irds chirped from barren trees—the first sign of spring on the bright, crisp, early March day. The town center bustled with activity of those who emerged from their self-imposed winter isolation as the days warmed, and the light grew longer. People came and went from the various shops. Some took advantage of the nice weather and partook in a midday stroll.

Alice and Hugo emerged from the bakery. He carried a sack of acquired baked goods of Alice’s choosing. Hugo positioned himself between Alice and the street. They passed by the window of Antonio’s Italian Ristorante—their normal dinner date spot.

“All I was saying earlier is that we don’t have to sit at that table if it makes you feel uncomfortable,” Hugo said.

“And why would it make me uncomfortable?” Alice replied.

“Well…” Hugo paused. “Since it was Elizabeth’s usual table, I don’t want you to feel obligated to sit there.”

“What if I want to sit there?”

“I… I don’t know. I thought maybe you felt pressured into sitting there.”

“I like sitting there. Why can’t it be our table too? ”

“Well,” Hugo said. “Yeah. I guess. We can always switch seats if you want, in case it feels awkward.”

Alice turned around and stepped in front of Hugo to stop him. She peered intently into his icy blue eyes and leaned in. The smell of his cedar and vanilla infused cologne tantalized her senses. A tingle ran down her back. Many thoughts of pleasure and ecstasy overwhelmed Alice, none of which were why she decided to confront Hugo directly to his face.

Later , she thought before giving him a sly smile.

Hugo took a step back. His eyes widened as Alice leaned closer.

“Do you know why I like to sit there?” she asked.

“Umm. No. I guess I don’t.”

Her smile grew and her voice hushed to keep the answer only between them. “I’m guessing you don’t know why Elizabeth liked to sit there, either.”

Hugo blankly stared back. Alice refused to blink. The tension built between them. Hugo shifted in his stance. Her smile grew. He relented and blinked a few times. The tension faded away as he glanced down.

“I guess I don’t.”

“You have much to learn, Hugo Dodds. That seat not only gives me a great view of you against the backdrop of the town, but it has a great view of the moon as well. And as you know, I —” Alice’s words trailed off as they urged him to finish the sentence.

He replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone. “I know. I know. You never miss a beautiful moon.”

“Well”—Alice tilted her head back with her Cheshirish grin—“maybe you do know something, after all.”

Hugo clutched his ring finger. He let go as soon as he found the finger barren. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised her right eyebrow. Alice tilted her head and placed a hand on her hips.

Hugo shrugged his shoulders and lifted his left hand for her to see the empty finger. “Habit.”

She gave him a wink and continued walking. Her eyes lingered on Hugo for as long as possible.

“Watch out!” Hugo yelled.

He grasped Alice’s arm, but could not stop her from colliding face-to-face with a passerby. They reeled back at the force of meeting head-on and covered their face with their hands.

“I’m so sorry,” Alice offered as she assessed the damage done with her fingers. Nothing was bleeding or broken, merely numbed from the collision. “That was entirely my fault.”

“I think I’m okay,” the woman said. “It was an accident. It happens.”

Alice raised her head and held her breath. Her eyes widened, and her body tensed. The world slowed. Emotions swirled, and she was filled with anxiety and loneliness and heart ache. Alice stepped back. Her mouth quivered at the sight of a woman with golden blonde hair that emerged from beneath a red knit cap.

“How did you find me?” Alice asked in a low, hushed tone. “They told me you wouldn’t be able to find me.”

She raised her right hand. A glow of purple energy formed in her palm as it raised waist high. The arcane bolt was ready to strike at its target—her ex-lover and betrayer—Sam. The purple energy dissipated as Hugo grabbed her arm and forced it down to interrupt the magick spell.

“Excuse me?” the woman asked as she lowered her hands.

“You’re not Sam.” Alice took in the stranger with a red knit cap all too similar to the one Sam wore. Alice gasped at the thought that she had nearly attacked an innocent bystander. “I’m… I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

She squatted down and buried her head into her arms. Her hat once again shielded her from the outside world as it had the last time she had a panic attack. Her breathing labored as she tried to soothe her frayed nerves. Her mind clouded as the world spun out of control.

“Is she okay?” the woman asked.

Hugo squatted next to Alice. He braced a hand against her back. “ She’ll be fine. Are you okay?” Hugo asked the woman in the red knit cap.

“I think I’m okay. I’m sorry if I…” her words trailed off. “Does she need help?”

Alice rocked back and forth to the rhythmic beats of her labored breaths. She pulled her arms closer and tapped her shoulders. A technique she learned to help calm herself in the middle of one of her attacks.

“I think she needs a moment. I got it,” Hugo replied. “I’m sorry again.”

“It’s okay. I hope she feels better,” the woman said as she continued down the sidewalk.

Hugo grabbed her far shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. He held her until she felt safe again. His hand moved across her black tailcoat in a swirling pattern. The back rub helped soothe her frayed nerves.

“Hey,” Hugo whispered into her ear. “It’s okay. That wasn’t Sam. It’s okay.” He continued rubbing her back.

“I was going to attack her,” Alice sobbed as tears rolled down her cheek into the arms of her coat. “I could have hurt her. I could have hurt her really badly.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Hugo answered. “It’s okay. I got you.”

“Thank you,” Alice sobbed. She stopped tapping her shoulders. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He paused. “What do you say we head back home and we try one of those cupcakes?”

Alice lifted her head. Her mascara left trails of inky, black streaks down her face that followed her tears. Hugo pulled some napkins out of the bag and offered them to Alice. He moved closer to shield her face.

He leaned in and whispered, “I think I can shield you if you want to take care of that.”

Alice realized he hadn’t offered the napkins to wipe away the mascara. He was offering protection from any onlookers so she could take care of the mascara her way. She buried her head back into her arms. Her hat once again hid her face. Hugo removed his leather jacket and used it to shield her.

Alice snapped her fingers. The inky, black trail disappeared. Hugo pulled his jacket away.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“Perfect,” Hugo replied. “As usual.”

She chuckled. They stood up. Hugo put on his jacket and grabbed the bag of baked goods from the sidewalk. He took Alice’s hand with the other, and they continued their journey home together.

Later in the day, Alice stood at her workstation in the wine cellar. She pressed various ingredients with one of the mortar and pestle sets Hugo gave her for Christmas. A few taps of the pestle, and then she dumped the contents into the bubbling water of her cauldron. She removed another item from the apothecary cabinet and crushed it as well. Her movements were robotic and low energy, missing her usual zeal and zest.

Alice stopped and gazed at the wall in front of her. Her eyes lingered on a single spot. Her mind went blank and her face expressionless. The blankness was broken by flashes of her encounter. A scenario she feared the most, only to realize in her moment of panic she could have harmed someone innocent. Her hands shook. She closed her eyes and inhaled to calm herself.

The door to the wine cellar opened. Alice snapped out of her meditative state to see who had entered her sanctuary, ready to strike at any would be intruder. Hugo entered carrying two cups of tea. She relaxed and felt a bit of shame that she was ready to attack him as he entered.

“I thought you might need this.” Hugo set the cup on her workbench.

The warm liquid soothed her as she took a sip. “Thank you,” Alice replied .

“I’d ask you how you’re doing, but I already know,” Hugo said. “Besides, I don’t want to break our promise.”

Alice chuckled. “You just ask in a roundabout way, huh?”

“Oh, no! She’s learned my secret,” Hugo said before taking another sip. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Alice shook her head.

Alice’s station was unkept. The items were strewn about the table and not in their usual places. Drawers were left open. Ingredients were left in piles. This wasn’t Alice’s usual way of working.

“Do you want any help?” Hugo asked.

“No, I’m fine. I just…” Alice started. “I need some alone time to clear my head.”

The stompers sat idle in the vats. Boxes of grapes piled up on top of the wooden platforms.

“Are you sure?” he asked one more time.

“I’m certain.”

“Well, if you need any help, I’ll be upstairs. Yell if you need anything.” He took his cup of tea and left the wine cellar.

Alice’s eyes glazed over as she stood at the work station, taking small sips in between empty thoughts.

A few days later, Alice descended the steps leading from her bedroom with her usual zest. She bounded into the living room to find Hugo sitting on the couch with Max and Galahad close by. Her hair bounced off her shoulders, and she had a smile on her face.

“It’s supposed to be a clear night. A little chilly, but what do you say we go for a ride?” Alice asked. “Gally! You want to go for a ride tonight, boy?”

Galahad flew about the living room before bobbing up and down in front of Alice with excitement. It nudged her with light taps, anticipating that they were ready to depart now. Alice laughed off Galahad’s attempts to fly at that very moment.

“Okay. Okay,” she said. “We can’t go until tonight. You know the rules.”

“I think a ride would be great. It’s been far too long,” Hugo said. He sat up and moved toward Alice. He brushed Galahad aside. “Excuse me, buddy. I hope you don’t mind me cutting in,” he said and kissed her on the nose. “Glad to see you feeling better.”

“Thanks. Tonight is going to be great. Full moon. Clear skies.” She grabbed Hugo’s shirt and pulled him closer. “A great guy. It’ll be perfect.” She returned the kiss.

Her cell phone rang.

“It can wait,” Hugo said.

She recognized the ringtone. “It’s Ez, I need to get it,” Alice replied with a hint of disappointment. “But hold that thought.” She stepped over to the phone sitting on an end table in the living room and answered. “Hello, Ez.”

“I thought you said this wasn’t going to interrupt your work?” Ez’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

The smile and joy on Alice’s face were now gone, replaced with a pale expression of loss and confusion. Hugo matched her worried expression.

Alice’s voice caught in her throat. She tried to speak, but words didn’t flow. After what seemed like forever, she finally responded, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m talking about the last batch you sent. It was completely ruined. What did you do? What did he do?” Her voice emanated from the phone.

Hugo moved closer to Alice.

“He didn’t do anything,” Alice replied.

Hugo stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”

Alice put up a finger to silence him.

“What happened?” Alice asked into the phone.

“Every one of my customers got sick. They were throwing up. Some floated up to the ceiling. One man belched fire. Fire, Alice! Almost burnt my expensive new bar top.”

Alice stood there motionless. Her free hand shook. She wanted to curl up into a ball. She couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. “I… I don’t know what happened.”

“You need to fix this and soon. Also, if this is an indication of how your relationship will go, I’ll have to find someone else.”

Alice buried her head into her free hand. “I’m… I’m sorry, Ez. I’m so, so sorry. It wasn’t him. It was me.”

“Kiddo, look, if this was anyone else, it would be over. I’m giving you another chance to prove this relationship won’t affect anything. Got it?”

“Ez, please let me explain,” Alice pleaded.

“Fix it,” Ez cut her off. “Or it’s over.”

The call dropped. Alice threw the phone into the black, wingback chair and buried her face into her hands. Her purple hair enveloped her face.

Hugo took a few steps closer, but still kept some distance. “What is it? Everything okay?”

She lifted her head. Tears welled in Alice’s eyes as they turned a shade of reddish-pink. Her lips curled inwards in a last-ditch effort to stop her from completely crying. “No. No, it’s not okay. The last batch was bad.”

“Like stale?” Hugo asked.

“Like every bit of potion I brewed was messed up. It nearly burnt down her bar.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hugo assured her.

“I never mess up. Never,” Alice said.

She stormed past Hugo and made her way to the basement door. He followed.

“Where are you going?”

Alice opened the basement door. “She said I need to fix it. If I don’t, I lose everything I’ve built. My next order isn’t coming for a few weeks. I don’t know what to do. I can’t fix it!” Alice stepped into the darkness and slammed the door shut behind her.