Chapter 10

Dahlia

"Why were the demons making wishes at that damn well?" I asked. "Most in our world know now to stay away from the damn thing." We hadn't had a chance to discuss it more with Xinar before he took off to deal with the bodies of the demons.

"Because demons are idiots who want free reign to give into their baser needs on Earth whether that's sex or killing," Dre replied as she grabbed a drink from the fridge and held it up in question.

The echoes of our recent skirmish were still fresh as we returned home. The memory of demons and mundies clashing on St. Ann"s Street a conundrum we had to deal with at a later date. Sunlight danced through the windows of Willowberry as we settled around the kitchen table. There were a chorus of groans. Staying out all night wasn't as easy as it had been a decade ago. But we had to stay to make sure each mundie was properly enchanted to remain in town while we tried to figure out what to do with them.

Kota started a pot of coffee. "We can"t just let them go back to their normal lives, can we?" Her comment was more of a statement than a question. "They'll start talking about what they saw and expose us."

Dea"s brow creased in thought. "We need a solution that ensures their silence without harming them. Can we create a memory-altering spell? I know Kaitlyn said something about that not being a witch power when we first started training with her, but we're not regular witches."

Adèle prowled into the room and rubbed her body along Dea's leg. "That is not something you can do unless you become Tainted. That is a Dark power. I don't recommend exploring those options. But your idea of a memory dust is brilliant, Kota. That is not something that will tap into a person's free will and alter it. The dust will make things fuzzy and indistinct which is what will make it easier for the mundie mind to dismiss."

Kota reached down and scratched Adèle behind her ears. It was clear her mind was racing with ideas. "I"ve been thinking about a memory dust recipe," she began tentatively. "I don't want something that might be toxic to mundies, so I've been considering more exotic ingredients."

Adèle jumped into the chair where we'd put a stack of cushions for her and settled into a ball. "That was smart. I forget that mundies cannot withstand what supernaturals can. What exactly were you thinking?"

Kota poured a cup of coffee and sat down. "Thinking about what we want it to do I added dragon scale powder, mermaid tears, pixie dust, gnome hair, and a pinch of phoenix feather. It"s not perfected yet, but with a little more work, I think we can come up with something."

Phi"s eyes widened with intrigue. "Dragon scale powder? Mermaid tears? Where do we even find those?"

Kota shrugged, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. "I"ve got a few leads. It"ll be an adventure, that"s for sure."

"Those are not easy ingredients to come by. Thankfully, you have friends across the ocean who have access to the two rarest. And if you try hard enough, the gnomes on the plantation might donate part of their beard," Adèle said into our minds as she yawned and closed her eyes.

I gasped and smacked my forehead. "How did we forget the Backside of Forty? Aislinn's mated to a dragon and her daughter is one."

Dani nodded. "What about the mermaid? I didn't think Violet's kids were full mer."

"They aren't," Phi replied from the pantry door. "But they've talked about the mermaid living in the pond on Fiona's property."

Dani popped open a tallboy and poured it into her cup. "We can figure more of that out later. I want to talk about how Dawson"s big six-oh is coming up." There was a twinkle in her eye that she got when she was planning events for someone. "I need a break from the supernatural and we"ve got to plan a party for him that will be one to remember."

The atmosphere around the familiar oak table shifted and the energy gave me a second wind. It was refreshing to have a break from the chaos and reset ourselves. I was grateful my sisters were there to remind me to do that. I wasn't very good at balancing things and taking care of myself.

Sixty years old was such a significant milestone and deserved nothing short of a spectacular celebration. I nodded eagerly, a grin spreading across my face. "Absolutely. After all he"s done for us, it"s time to give him something special in return. What are you thinking?"

Dea leaned forward. "What about a retro theme? We could deck out the place with all sorts of vintage decor, like old records and retro posters. It would be fun."

Phi tapped something into the search engine on her tablet. "Ooh, what about a Hawaiian luau? We could have tropical drinks, tiki torches, and a hula dancing competition!"

I chuckled and said, "Can you imagine Dawson in a grass skirt?"

Kota shook her head. "That doesn't sound like him. We would enjoy it, but he would think it was ridiculous. How about a backyard barbecue? Dawson loves grilling, and it"s the perfect excuse to fire up the que and have a good time."

Dani wrinkled her nose. "I was thinking something more formal than that. We do that all the time and I want this to be different."

"Whatever we do, we should invite all his friends and coworkers," Dre suggested. "That'll mean a lot to him."

I nodded in agreement, already mentally compiling a list of potential guests. "Definitely. And let"s not forget about reaching out to his old school buddies, too. It"ll be a great surprise for him."

As we delved deeper into planning, the conversation naturally turned to Dawson"s tireless dedication to our family. He"d always been the rock, quietly shouldering the burden of taking care of Dad"s bills and managing his finances. All while working tirelessly to provide for his kids and their families.

"He"s always working," Dani remarked. "He travels a lot, but it's rarely for a vacation. It"s high time we gave him a chance to let loose and have some fun."

"We need to involve his kids in this, too. They might have ideas," Dre said around a mouthful of muffin.

"I think we should come up with the theme and then ask them," Dani interjected. "That's often the hardest part for clients."

"I agree. I still like the idea of a sixties theme," Dea said.

Phi leaned forward eagerly. "No matter what we do, I was thinking we need some show-stopping marquee numbers. A six and a zero obviously. They'd be lit up with twinkling fairy lights. They"ll be the perfect focal point for the dance floor."

Dani nodded and made a swooping motion. "We should have a wide column of balloons hanging down from the ceiling of the port cochere to the top of the numbers. We can make them out of wood so they make good anchors."

The idea ignited a chorus of agreement, and I found myself nodding in approval. "What a great idea. We could paint them in bold, psychedelic colors to really capture the spirit of the sixties."

Dani made a face. "I was thinking of something more classy. Black, gold, and white but with an Art Deco feel, so there is a retro element. We should also gather photos of Dawson from different stages of his life and create custom picture frames."

Phi turned the tablet and showed us images on Pintrest. "What if we made these triangular frames. There would be one photo in each. And we could print them on rice paper and have candles in the middle to make them light up."

Dea pointed to one of the images. "I like that. What about doing some hand-painted Art Deco wooden signs? We could hang them throughout the space to add a touch of nostalgia."

"Don"t forget about personalized engraved glasses for the guests," Kota added. "They"ll make for fantastic party favors."

As the ideas flowed freely, the room seemed to hum with creative energy, each suggestion sparking new excitement. "I agree with Dani on the color scheme,' Phi said. "We have some centerpieces from that Roaring Twenties-themed party we did a bit ago."

Dani nodded in agreement, her gaze sweeping over the room as she visualized the transformation. "We can reuse several elements from that event and incorporate them into everything from the decorations to the table settings."

With our imaginations ignited and our plans taking shape, the anticipation for Dawson"s birthday celebration soared to new heights. Willowberry hummed with the energy of our collective creativity. That's what we bought the plantation for, and it was nice to be back to the basics, as it were. Before we could move on to create a sample glass and sign, the shrill of Dre's phone shattered our reprieve.

Dre's expression darkened, and she answered her phone. The deeper the furrow in her forehead became, the larger the lump in my stomach got. I got up and grabbed an energy drink. I hadn't earlier because I was planning on getting some sleep. That was out the window now.

None of us were surprised when she said some mundies were yelling about the ghosts tormenting them not far from City Park. Our steps were heavy as we climbed into my car and drove downtown. We were lost in our own thoughts as I sped down the highway.

Dea broke the silence as we drove across town. "Someone actually wished to see the ghosts purportedly haunting the hotel they're staying at?"

"That's what the Cordelia said the gargoyle told her," Dre replied.

Kota made a noise and turned to the side in her seat so she could see the sisters behind her. "At least we know the gargoyle patrols are working. Maybe we can stop this from getting out of hand. We can't enchant every tourist to remain here."

I snorted and shook my head. "We'd be multiplying our homeless population by thousands. There are never that many empty rooms in the city."

I found a parking spot on the street. The cacophony of despair and chaos was a symphony of suffering that underscored the supernatural storm"s malevolence. I could practically feel the eye-rolls from my sisters as we stumbled upon more human drama right in the middle of our magical mess. Honestly, it was much easier to handle the supernatural drama than this. There was too much to take into consideration when dealing with mundies.

Dre patted the dagger stuffed in her waistband and muttered, "Fantastic. Just what we needed. The magical apocalypse and a side of human tragedy. How are we ever going to cover all of this up?"

"It does seem impossible, doesn't it? I prefer the monsters and mayhem," Phi replied. "What are the ghosts doing to them, anyway? The despair is suffocating."

As our empath, Dea had a better handle on that question. "I have a feeling these people wished to see the dead because they lost someone. This is amplifying their grief. We need to find them."

Kota growled low. "I never realized before how humans have a never-ending capacity for turning everything into a mess. This reminds me of what it felt like to lose Mama. I don"t want to go back to bawling at the drop of a hat."

Dani bit her lip. "We can"t ignore this, right? If there is nothing that directly poses a risk of exposing the magical world, perhaps we can leave them to their grief. It's not like we can take it away."

Dea scowled at Dani. "It would be wrong to leave them like this. We can take their ability to see ghosts. We"re not heartless monsters, just... magical ones."

The soft hues of dusk painted the sky in delicate shades of pink and gold as we followed the sound of wailing. As we approached, all we could see was a large crowd gathered around something. "Please don't be an imp torturing someone," I muttered under my breath.

Next to me, Dre chuckled. Inhaling, I steeled myself to face the unknown and caught the scent of freshly cut grass. That was oddly grounding. So was the distant murmur of the city beyond. When we reached the crowd, Kota pushed her way through and we followed. I cringed when I caught sight of two women bawling. It was heart-wrenching.

Dre"s authoritative presence commanded attention as she moved through the crowd, her gaze sharp and unwavering. "Clear a path," she instructed firmly, her voice cutting through the gathering crowd. "This isn't an afterschool special. Give them some space and privacy."

Kota took charge of dispersing the curious onlookers. Her commanding tone brooked no argument. "That's right. Move along, folks," she urged, her voice firm but not unkind. "There"s nothing to see here."

The mundies balked and resisted moving away. I couldn't blame them. It was like passing an accident on the highway. You always slowed down to see what was going on. Dani and I approached the distraught women with gentle concern. If we could get the women to stop asking how it was possible they were seeing their dead sister the looky-loos would disperse much faster.

We approached cautiously. "Hey there. We"re here to help," I reassured them, my voice soft and soothing. "Can you tell us about your sister?"

Through tearful sobs, the women recounted their tale of losing their sister in a drunk driving accident. They came here to celebrate her because it was a place she'd always wanted to visit. Apparently, the word is traveling fast about the well granting wishes, and they'd come here to see for themselves.

"She"s here," the one who looked to be the younger of the two whispered. Her voice trembling with emotion. "But she shouldn"t be. She's dead."

Dea knelt beside the women. Her touch was gentle and reassuring. "Have either of you ever seen spirits before? Sometimes, a sensitive person gains more sight with their grief. I know from experience. It's not likely to last, though. If there is something you want to say to her, you should."

A mixture of awe and fear filled their gazes as they looked to Dea. "It wasn't the well?"

Dani shook her head and took over for Dea. "A well can't grant wishes, but you can hope for something hard enough that you make something magical happen. Dea is right, you have a chance to say something to her before this fades."

The one that looked older sniffled and looked at Dani. "Is it even real?"

I gave her a small smile. "Does it matter if it isn't?" I asked. "Whether or not she is here, you two are seeing her. That is all you have to focus on. Use this chance to tell her what you wished you had when she was alive."

Dre cast me a knowing glance, her expression solemn. "Their request wasn"t about seeing the hotel"s ghosts," she explained quietly. "They missed their sister."

Phi stepped closer to Dea and leaned into her. "You need to help that one find peace or whatever," she whispered. "And guide her to the other side. Unless they see her cross they will always wonder if she is with them."

Dea nodded and moved closer to the spectral figure of the dead sister. Dea"s soothing words filled the air as she encouraged the women to speak to their sister. She told them to share their final words and memories. The other two told her how much they loved her and would miss her through their tears. The other sister encouraged them to remember their laughter and good times and not to forget living. The ghostly figure hesitated, her translucent form flickering in the fading light. But with each word of comfort and love, she grew more solid and more real until she seemed almost tangible.

And then, with a final, bittersweet farewell, the spirit began to fade. Her essence merged with the gentle glow of the setting sun as she embarked on her journey to the other side. As we watched her disappear into the horizon, a sense of peace washed over us.

"That was much harder than anything we've ever faced," Kota murmured as we watched the sisters walk away arm in arm.

Reaching for her hand, I nodded in agreement. There was nothing quite like the bond of sisterhood, and losing that hurt like hell. It was like losing a vital part of yourself. It was something I prayed we didn't have to experience for a long damn time.