Haint Party
Despite the pre-dawn drama, the wedding was flawless. It was a beautiful lie we all collectively told the world. Our honeymoon in the mountains was a blissful counterpoint to the chaos: we trekked, camped, and exhaustively photographed every moment. On the long drive back, we even had our auras read and our chakras aligned by a beautiful older lady who, it turned out, was a wereleopard. A truly relaxing end to the most stressful week of my life.
On the first leg of the flight, I listened patiently while Dani pieced together her fragmented memory of the wedding night debacle. In classic Dani fashion, her story was missing crucial pieces, so I was eager to get the full, unvarnished truth from the others. It was nearly a month before we could all get together again, meeting at Lizzie’s bakery. She had closed the place down for privacy. Dani and I arrived just as she was flipping the sign to CLOSED.
“Hey, you two!” Lizzie waved, her excitement genuine.
We hugged, and she ushered us inside. It was cold enough outside to make you shiver, but not wet enough for the rare, thirteen-percent chance of snow.
Zora was already waiting. She smiled warmly and hugged Dani so tightly her spine cracked. “So good to see you two,” she said.
“Easy now, Dani, I might get jealous,” Lizzie teased as she approached.
Zora blushed beautifully and held out her hand for Lizzie, who took it instantly. It was heartwarming to see them cuddle close, already settling into a sweet routine. I, of course, couldn’t resist a gentle chiding: “Ewwww….”
We were still laughing when the bakery door bell jingled. It was Erin, sporting a sharp new short haircut and a long, dramatic leather coat. She’s been hanging out with Spencer, I thought, but stopped myself. No, she was hanging out with her new self. Dani hugged her first, passing her down the line for hugs from everyone else.
“I love the hair and the jacket,” I commented. “Aren’t we roughly the same size?”
“Yes, we are, and I’m still adjusting,” Erin admitted, shivering dramatically. “It’s gotten so cold. My phone said there was a chance of snow. Only thirteen percent… but you never know.”
Dani shook her head. “It won’t, it never does.”
The silence that fell was heavy with unspoken magic and shared trauma. Dani broke the tension. “Has anyone spoken with Spencer?”
Lizzie and Zora both shook their heads. Erin and Dani shrugged. Spencer was likely to be late, busy on his book tour.
“Let’s sit down and have coffee while we wait,” Lizzie suggested, heading for the kitchen. Zora followed instantly to help.
Dani and I hung our coats and sat at a round table. The bell on the door announced Spencer’s arrival. He strode in, looking freshly manicured and far too bright for the early hour. “Hey, sorry I’m late! Goddess, I hate downtown parking.”
“Goddess?” Dani looked at me. “Yep, you have been hanging out with Erin.” Our suspicion that the witch and the werewolf had become power-training buddies was instantly confirmed.
After the round of hugs, Lizzie and Zora returned with the coffee. We all settled in. Everyone had a warm cup of coffee, well, almost everyone. The liquid in Lizzie’s mug looked distinctly thick and deeply red.
“Is that…” Dani subtly motioned toward Lizzie’s cup.
Lizzie nodded, utterly unbothered. “Yes. If it bothers you, I can put it away.”
“No, no,” I quickly reassured her. “I was just curious. This is the first time we’ve seen each other since I was clued in on all your juicy secrets.”
I smirked. “It was a great night, by the way.” I put my hand on Dani’s. The movement raised Dani’s sleeve, exposing the dark, swirling mark the ghost had seared into our skin. I laid my finger against it and traced the lines. Everyone but me shivered violently.
“Shit, that’s why it keeps tingling!” Erin exclaimed, showing the goosebumps crawling up her arm. One by one, we all pushed up our sleeves, exposing the strange, permanent brands.
Zora, blushing, claimed, “We found that the tingle works best if you both do it.” Lizzie smiled, watching Zora try to hide her embarrassment.
Spencer chimed in, running a finger over his own mark. “I don’t mind it.”
Dani laughed, and everyone followed suit, the collective sound dissolving a knot of unspoken tension.
Hoping to keep the good flow, Dani asked, “How is everyone dealing with the otherworldly powers?”
The room fell silent again.
“Having any ability or magic is new for me,” Dani said, softening her voice. “So I’ve been reading up and being… cautious. The last few weeks have been tricky.”
I squeezed Dani’s hand to let her know I was right there with her. Turning back to the table, I was met with a single floating flower. Erin had magically levitated it out of the table’s vase. I jumped slightly. “Oh! Thank you, Erin. I see you are getting more comfortable.”
Erin nodded, the scorched hair still giving her a wild edge. “I’ve been working with Spencer. We’ve been trading on our talents.”
“Werewolf talents?” Dani started, but Spencer cut her off.
“Oh, I am a werewolf, but I also have other talents.”
My face must have shown confusion. Spencer leaned into the table, ready to share, but Erin spoke first. “He taught me to slay… Ugh, that felt gross. No, he’s helping me not be so… picky.” She held out a hand, and Spencer squeezed it. Erin was truly coming into herself now. The haircut and the new confidence were great to see.
The laughter died down, and we all sipped our drinks.
Spencer leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ve been dying to talk to you all…” He paused for dramatic effect. Dani nudged him. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes!” He tucked his head guiltily. “I’m seeing someone, and…” Everyone leaned forward. “…he’s helping me gain control of my beast.”
“He knows?” Dani asked. Everyone except Erin immediately looked concerned.
Spencer smiled and nodded, but I had to ask,“Wait, I thought you were given control by…” I started but didn’t want to say Sadie’s name.
Spencer grinned sheepishly. “I was, but he doesn’t know that. Besides, he’s a werewolf too. We met at a family function.”
“Wait, what?!” Dani interjected.
Lizzie whispered, just as confused, “Family function?”
“Oh no, not like that. Family, as in other werewolves. It turns out that when you have control of your beast, you can have a whole network of preternatural friends and family.” Spencer explained, his world-expanding revelation making perfect, terrifying sense.
“So you’re getting serious with this guy?” I asked, then realized Dani was smiling.
“Yeah, maybe; he doesn’t seem to mind my girlfriend.” Spencer continued to beam.
Dani fist-bumped Spencer. I rolled my eyes but added. “I’m glad your free spirit is intact, Spence.”
I looked over at Lizzie and Zora, who were staring adoringly at one another.
“What about you two? How goes it?” I asked, patting Zora on the leg.
Lizzie was the first to speak. “I don’t want to speak for Zora, but I will say that it has been going really well.”
She took Zora’s hand. Zora blushed deeply. “Yes, I agree.” She snuggled into Lizzie.
“Eww,” Erin said, making a theatrical gagging sound before laughing.
“Hey!” Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “Give us a break. We rarely get to see each other with all this preternatural nonsense.” She kissed Zora’s cheek.
“What’s going on with that?” I asked.
Zora smiled and gently pulled away. “I don’t think that Sadie was forthright with describing her abilities.”
“No, she wasn’t,” Lizzie started, a cloud passing over her face. “I not only can control preternatural creatures, but I also seem to be a homing beacon for the neediest of them. We’ve made several new friends in the past month.”
Zora took over, her voice dry. “Yes, they seem to find us everywhere, and always seem to need help.”
Lizzie looked sideways at Zora but continued, “I’m coaching a werebear on how to get a job, and there’s a fairy living on my couch.”
“Oh! There’s a story or two there,” I said.
Zora scoffed, a genuine sound of exasperation.
Lizzie took a long sip from her crimson-filled mug. “Between the bakery, assisting preternaturals, and me trying to source food, I have few hours left in my days and nights.” She was genuinely sad by the time she finished.
A line of tension grew between Lizzie and Zora. Zora watched Lizzie, who looked away, wounded. The new couple wasn’t perfect, and that was okay. I wanted to help.
Lizzie looked at me. “She doesn’t like that I have to get dinner out,” she whispered. It meant she had to feed on other people. A definite problem for a blossoming relationship. It occurred to me that I might be able to help.
I interrupted the table’s idle chatter. “Erin, does your cousin still work at the blood bank?” She looked at me, curious.
“Yes, why?”
“Would he be interested in making a little extra money?” I asked.
Lizzie froze, pouring too much coffee into my cup and scrambling for napkins. Dani helped her, catching my eye. “What’s going on, Bex?” Dani asked.
“I’m just trying to fix a problem, sugar-britches,” I said, using our signal for her to let it go. She looked at me knowingly and fell silent.
“Why do you ask if he’d like to make money? What’s going on?” Erin demanded, refusing to be left out.
“I have, well, we have a friend in need, that should be enough,” I said, my hands now free.
Erin frowned. “A little more context here, I’m lost.”
Lizzie spoke up, a mixture of hope and embarrassment in her voice. “She’s looking for me.”
Erin’s brows furrowed further, and we all waited for the penny to drop. When she finally understood that I was negotiating a safe blood supply for Lizzie, she smiled wide. “OMG, of course… he owes me so many favors.”
Lizzie sat back in her seat, her eyes wide. “For real?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll text him now.” Erin paused to do so.
Lizzie’s eyebrows were still raised, and she looked at Zora, who was beaming with relief and affection. I knew these two would last. Dani smiled at me from across the table. I smiled back. I love meddling in other people’s lives. In the best way, of course.
I settled and tried the cheesecake. It was delicious, and we said so with our moans of ecstasy. As the cake came and went, we whiled away the hours with laughter and tears. It was difficult breaking up the party, but busy lives and all that.
We helped straighten up, and Lizzie insisted on leaving the dishes for later. She and Zora walked us out of the bakery and locked up. The bakery sat between two tall, silent buildings. On one side, it pressed against the neighbor; on the other, there was a deep, narrow alleyway.
As we said our final goodbyes, a cold draft hit us. Dani, Spencer, Erin, Zora, and Lizzie all jumped. It startled me, but Dani explained it was a sudden, sharp prickle of heat in her witch mark. She added, “…sometimes it buzzed like a hundred tiny electric wires.”
“For me it’s usually a clear sign of a powerful or strange energy nearby,” Lizzie continued.
We looked up, startled. From the blackness of the alley, figures began to emerge. Not one, but several people—three, then four, slipping out from the shadows and door recesses of the buildings. Their skin was pale, their features sharp and hungry, and they wore clothes as black as the alley itself. They weren’t looking at us with malice, but with a deeply intense, calculating curiosity. They were finally visible, standing in wait.
Lizzie squeezed Zora’s hand tightly. Dani and I felt Spencer stiffen beside us. They weren’t hiding anymore. They were here, and we knew, with the collective tingle in our marks, that this was just the start of the Preternatural Welcome Wagon Sadie had forced upon us. It was time to go home, but I knew, looking at the silent, watchful crowd, that our lives would never be quiet again.
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