Witch

Emma’s POV
We finish our drinks, and head out to continue our shopping.

‘I don’t suppose you have a Primark’ I ask.

Jess and Sarah look a bit confused.

‘No,’ Felicia replies. ‘It’s a shop that sells clothes which barely last one wear.’ She explains.

‘That’s a bit unfair Fel, it is cheap and cheerful, and yes it won’t last a lifetime, but there is a place for that type of clothing… especially when a wolf keeps shredding your clothes.’

We wander into a few shops; I pick up underwear in one; in another I get some casual trousers, shirts and t-shirts; in a third I get a pair of riding boots in a gorgeous black leather. Each store promises delivery before we arrive home.

My companions lead me to a large store with a princess style wedding dress in the window.

The dress is gorgeous, but too much for someone of my stature, I would end up looking like one of those dolls my grandma used to hide the spare toilet roll under. I hope they have dresses which are less… well just less, I guess.

We enter and a chic looking sales assistant glides over to us, her eyes calculating our worth and how to maximise her sales. She dismisses me as an unimportant human in those few seconds, making a beeline for Jess and Fel.

Naughtily I decide to have some fun.

*Jess, Fel, she is going to talk to you guys. Please tell her we all need dresses, so could we have a second helper… and don’t let on that I am the Luna yet… I want her to realise she shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.*

*What do you have planned?*

*Me… nothing, I just want you two and Sarah to have new dresses too…*

‘Ladies, good afternoon, I am Traci, how can I help you today?’ the assistant asks.

‘Well we all need new dresses for the Luna ceremony at Whitewater, so maybe a second helper?’ Felica says.

‘Elise,’ she shrieks. ‘Can you look after the maids, while I help their mistresses’

Sarah looks like she is about to say something, so I quickly hush her, as Traci drags Fel and Jess off.

A small woman with a slight green tone, and surprisingly big ears, hands and feet approaches us.

‘Hi you must be Elise,’ I smile. ‘I don’t want to be rude, but I have never seen anyone like you, what are you?’

Sarah is shocked by my bluntness, but Elise smiles shyly, ‘I am a half goblin-half shifter, miss.’

‘Cool, that is so cool… so the goblin half gives you the beautiful green skin. I bet your beast is an incredible sight… maybe… no sorry, now is not the time. So from Traci’s actions I am guessing you don’t normal serve customers.’ I rattle on.

‘N-no miss, I am a seamstress.’

‘Perfect… so we are looking for dresses for my Luna ceremony.’

‘Y-your ceremony?’

‘Oh yes… Traci isn’t making a sale today… you are… maybe that will teach her to be a judgy little twerp’

With that I ask Elise to show us some dresses.

Because it is a Luna ceremony a procession of white and ivory dresses are brought out for me, with pastels for Sarah.

Elise judges very quickly the style that will suit me, with a fitted bodice, off the shoulder sleeves or sleeveless in some cases, and a long skirt that skims over my hips before flowing naturally to the floor. The trouble is white and ivory wash me out.

I am trying on my third dress when Traci storms over.

‘Why is the maid trying on Luna dresses?’ she whispers at Elise. ‘What are you trying to do, you stupid goblin kurva?’

I have no idea what she just called the woman serving me, but that was uncalled for.

‘I beg your pardon, what did you say?’ I interject.

‘Don’t worry yourself, miss, she is showing you the wrong dresses, I will sort it out when I am finished with your mistresses.’ Then she hisses at Elise ‘Get back in the workshop moron’

I pull myself up to my full five foot four and unleash the anger I am feeling. I still haven’t got the hang of this Luna thing; I just know that if I get angry it is there.
Every occupant of the shop turns towards me; their head bowed in submission. Traci’s eyes widen in horror, as she realises what she has done.

‘Oh Goddess, Luna, I am sorry, I didn’t realise,’ she babbles.

‘Fuck off, I don’t want to see your face, Elise can serve us.’

Traci looks crushed, but her treatment of the seamstress was a step too far in my book.

Elise gives me a thoughtful look, then scurries off coming back with a lemon dress for Jess, a raspberry one for Felicia and a vivacious blue one for Sarah, as they disappear into the dressing rooms to try them on, she summons me into her workspace.

The space is small with swatches of materials covering a board, and sketches of designs littering the area; in one corner there is a dressmaker’s dummy wearing the perfect dress. It isn’t white or ivory… It is covered in sparkles and gems and reminds me of the night sky.

‘Yes’, I whisper to Elise.

‘Do you want to try it on?’

‘Do I need to?’

‘No, it will fit’

‘I’ll take it, and please come to my ceremony’ I say impulsively.

While I wait for the others, I spot some moon shaped cufflinks, a gift for Peter, and add them to the purchase.

We complete the sale. No haggling, my dress is perfect, all the dresses are, worth every bar. The dressmaker boxes them up and promises me that they will be delivered in time for the ceremony… this is going to be perfect…

We all walk back to the stables to collect our horses… I walk slightly behind the others, a smile my face, the dress is just too perfect, although it is a shame, I don’t have any jewellery to go with it, my Magnum necklace will just have to do.

I step back as a small child, with blonde hair and dressed in a emerald party dress, runs past me, across and down an alley… ‘Rosie…’ I whisper and turn to follow the child.

She is already disappearing at the end of the alley, I speed up and turn left down a side road, just in time to see her turn right into another passageway. I start to run… I make the turn, a flash of green turning left, and I am running…

I get to the turn and there is no sign of the child, just a dead end at the city wall. I walk all the way up to the wall. Then I start back, checking for anywhere the child might be hiding… Logically I know it can’t be Rosie, I left her at home with Peter, and she doesn’t own any party frocks except the one I bought earlier, and that isn’t green. Still, I want to check on the child, to reassure myself, running around back alleys isn’t safe.

I check both sides, as I walk back down the alley, coming to the conclusion the child probably just disappeared into one of the houses and is safely home with her family.

I am nearly back at the junction, and I am passing a small shop, with an old fashion front window, bayed and made up of lots of panes, like in the Victorian dramas. A sparkle catches my eye, and I look closer… there is the most beautiful silver necklace, perfect to set off the dress I have bought for my lunar ceremony, I think it represents the phases of the moon.

I walk back a few steps and push open the door; a bell tinkles to alert the shopkeeper of custom, and I stop and look round.

The room is small, you might fit three customers in if they are friendly, on my own I make the place feel crowded.

As I wait, I take in the room; bunches of dried herbs hang from the ceiling; three walls are completely taken up with shelving, from floor to ceiling, and the shelving is crowded, crammed, with… stuff. A counter sits to one side. I can see candles and bottles, pestle and mortars, gems and stones, a crystal ball or two, packs of cards, some books, feathers, beads, and leather string… so much stuff, it looks like a new age shop. How cool, I think.

I take a step to the counter, there is another bell, and I consider ringing it, when a door I hadn’t spotted opens and in walks a young woman. To be honest she is exactly what I would expect in a new age shop; her dress is a light airy cotton affair in white; her long blond hair has ribbons, stones and feathers braided into it; her arms and neck are crowded with necklaces and bracelets, bearing good luck icons and lucky charms.

With a wide genuine smile, she asks me ‘Good afternoon mistress, how can this humble servant help you today?’

‘Oh hi,’ I reply. ‘I was just passing, and I saw a necklace in the window… and err… I am hoping to buy it…’

‘The Goddess clearly guided you to me,’ she says. ‘Only the fated walk through my door. Now, which necklace, mistress.’

I describe it to her, and her eyes flash.

‘The Eclipse Necklace,’ she tells me. ‘I can’t sell you that piece.’

‘Oh,’ my shoulders sag. Well at least I know the type of jewellery I want now; I turn to leave.

A hand on my shoulder stops me. ‘You misunderstand mistress.’

‘I thought you said you couldn’t sell it to me’

‘It is not mine to sell. It is already yours, now let me fetch it for you, and wrap it’

Okay I am fully confused. She is giving me the necklace?

I walk back to the counter, and she closes the box and places it into a bag. I reach for the box, and fast as lightening she grabs my wrist. I look up into her eyes.

‘A reading, mistress,’ she states. ‘Would you like a reading on your future?’ Her eyes darken, ‘do you want to know if you save them?’

What the actual fuck, I think, a little scared by the turn of events.

‘H-how much?’

She weighs me with a look ‘The price is a single bar of a value that you can afford. No more no less.’

I reach in my purse for the largest bar I can find… It really does resemble a chocolate bar, but this way I feel have paid for the necklace too.

I pull the bar out, as I place it into her outstretched hand the shop bell tinkles violently, the door flies open. Jess and Felicia run in.

‘Witch’ Jess shouts.