3. X

X

I wonder if Dave and Charles were rabbits in a previous life?

They certainly go at it enough to think they were. Even telling them the walls are thin doesn't deter their escapades.

But at least they're thoughtful. Last week, Dave bought me a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and a subscription to a white noise service. Which I appreciated because it at least told me they weren't being mean and rubbing all their sex in my face.

Not that I wanted their parts directly in my face, but I watched them sometimes when they were in the garden. It's my space, too, and they don't exactly seem to mind. But I'm horny and lonely—don't judge.

Tonight's lack of sleep, though, isn't due to my two closest friends screaming out orgasms like baristas calling out orders at Starbucks . No, it's nightmares again. And this one felt so real that I woke up with my throat still raw from my scream.

If I wasn't such a lousy fucking witch, I could probably make the nightmares go away. But since all the spells it seems I can really muster are domestic cleaning and cooking ones…I'm out of luck with conjuring a sleeping spell.

Dave enters the kitchen, and the light from the refrigerator spills into the darkened kitchen. He grumbles at something when the door closes, likely his loss of light, and I snap my fingers.

The small light above the kitchen sink flickers on, and he turns towards me in the darkened living room.

"You there, X? I didn't see you."

"Yeah, I'm here."

My teacup clinks when I shift on the sofa. Dave finishes making his snack and sits across from me. On a dinner plate, he has two brownies, a handful of carrots and a sandwich piled high with various lunch meats.

"How do you eat so much and still stay in shape?"

He shrugs. "Probably all the sex."

"I shouldn't have asked."

"Hey, don't get mad at me. You asked. It burns a lot of calories when you're as physical as we are." He flexes an arm, making his biceps pop. "These babies work hard when I need to lift Charles up and—"

"I get it, Dave. Thanks."

He chews his sandwich, and we sit in the dark.

Companionable silence. It's how I got to know Dave over the last year since he showed up here at this wayward home for misfit beings. Imagine a demon more angelic than his devilish father, who never had the heart to rip someone's life apart. Well, unless you dared to fuck over his beloved Charles. Then there was a problem.

"Want to talk about it?"

"It's always the same, Dave. But I haven't slept properly in four years." The tightness in my chest coils tight and I breathe. I breathe again and Dave's hand on my knee brings me back to the present. "And I feel like I'm about to slip out of control. But without my coven, there's not much I can do. My powers are locked, and it's the curse I have to bear."

"You know how you do those healing spells? Like, when Charles got hurt, and you healed his bruises right away? Can you do that with sleep as the root cause?"

I'd often wondered the same thing, but when I tried, it never worked. Likely just me sucking at magic again. I may possess the power to help with sleep, but I'm too inept to actually do it.

"I've tried a few times with no luck."

"Sorry."

And he means it. I know he does.

"So…weird question, but you know how you and your dad do the mind-reading thing?"

He nods and shovels a brownie in his mouth.

"Is it…like…" I puff out a breath, and he laughs.

"What do you need help with?"

"So, your dad brought me to a sex club. Did he tell you?"

He snorts and milk shoots out his nose. I snap my fingers and the paper towel roll zips over and thwacks him on the side of the head before falling at his feet. He glares before picking it up and wiping up his mess.

"He didn't tell me and next time, make sure you tell me stuff like that when I'm not eating."

"Sorry." I wait a beat while he mops up his mess. "So, your dad took me to a sex club and left me in a voyeur room. I saw the most handsome man blow his load right in front of me. I even saw his aura, which isn't strange, but the shape it held was, and—"

"Hold up. Was my dad with you the whole time?"

"Oh…no. He literally left me in this room." Scowling into my teacup, I'm angry all over again. "Which is why I asked about the mind-reading thing. Your dad came back as the handsome man was about to say something to me. I'm sure of it. He was going to…well, whatever you do in that situation. When I turned to address Faustus, my dream guy was gone."

Dave eats more of his sandwich and rolls his hand for me to get to the point.

"Anyway, if we…I don't know, walked around town or something, can you just read anyone's mind and maybe find my guy?"

"Well…" He wipes his fingers on the paper towel before clasping his hands together. "I've never actually tried. The only time the messages or visions were strong was with Charles. Sometimes I'd get bits here and there when I was still trying to do demon work, but it wasn't much."

"Damn. I was hoping you could be an antenna."

He shrugs. "I can try. I'd do that for you. You said he had a different aura, so maybe I could pick up something like that."

"Oh! Maybe! Because it's rare for me to see anything that's not the usual glow around humans. Unless…shit…maybe he's not human?"

This opens so many possibilities if he's not human. Even if he is human and he believes, that works too, but… "How soon can we do this?"

Dave yawns and stands with his dishes.

"Tomorrow? I need to take Charles to the outreach centre. Why don't you come with me?"

"That would be great!"

With a nod, he leaves me alone to my thoughts again and the rest of my sleepless night.

"You two stay out of trouble."

Charles leans up and kisses Dave on the cheek, but Dave pulls him closer and kisses his lips instead. Charles melts into him and they kiss until I clear my throat. Seriously, these two.

Dave steps away and shoots a glare in my direction.

"We never get into trouble."

"Uh-huh. Sure. What about the time someone at the grocery store saw X floating? Or the time you sneezed and your wings shot out because you didn't wear the right shirt?"

"Okay, fine." Dave steals another kiss. "We'll stay out of trouble and pick you up at 2 P.M."

Charles agrees, and once he's gone into the outreach centre, Dave sighs.

"I don't like him being here so much, but I know it's important to him."

"He needs to feel useful. I understand that."

Most days, I feel as useless as the ‘ g ' in lasagna. I don't work, and I can barely cast a spell. All I seem to be good for is baking Dave cookies and keeping the back garden alive.

"So, what thoughts do you want me to try to pick up on? What's the guy look like?"

We left the vehicle in the central parking lot earlier. Dave and I walked into the downtown core after walking Charles to the centre for his volunteer time. I figured the best shot I had to locate this guy would be where a lot of businesses and offices were—if he was even local.

"So, he sort of looks like Superman. The old Clark Kent, not the new one." Dave stares down at me blankly. "Right. You're not a typical person who ever watched TV. Let me show you." Pulling out my phone, I find a photo of a young Christopher Reeve and show it to Dave.

"Oh, cute. I like the curl thing on his forehead."

"Me too. So, my mystery guy had a bit of hair hanging down like that, too. Not in an S , though. He's not super buff either; maybe heading to dad-bod territory, but not there yet. Gorgeous dark eyes." I glance up at Dave as he walks, scanning the people on the street like he's on a mission. Which I suppose he is.

"I can describe his dick if that helps."

Dave scrunches his nose.

"Yeah, no. I don't need to think of anyone else's dick but Charles's. Tell me about his aura. Maybe that has clues."

"So, it was weird. When I first saw him, there was nothing. But once we locked eyes, it just… poof !" I fling my hands wide. "It was all around him and the usual mix of colours, but there was a section that had a distinct shape like maybe a bell? It was gone so fast that I didn't have time to really focus on it. But it was different."

As I talk to Dave, I scan people on the street, and I stop right in the middle of the sidewalk, struck by how impossible this task is.

A woman behind me swears as she narrowly avoids me, and Dave pauses after a few steps to turn around and pull me to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"This is hopeless. You're not a mind reader. We're literally searching for a needle in a haystack. I don't even know if he lives here!"

"Hey." He lowers his voice and touches a comforting hand to my arm. "I can't imagine how you must feel, X. But we'll try to find him. Do you want to take a break and get one of those apple fritters at the bakery? That's my second favourite next to your chocolate chip cookies."

Huffing out a breath, I nod.

"Yeah, let's just…I could eat."

We both laugh and continue walking to our favourite bakery. I agree with Dave that the apple fritter is pretty amazing, and if that can't cheer me up, nothing will.

After inhaling one in the shop, we each take another to go. On the way out, I notice a flyer tacked to the bulletin board.

Do you believe in magic?

Join our monthly magic club and practice spells and potions in a non-judgemental environment.

We're always searching for new witches and warlocks.

Join us on the last Thursday of every month.

Beautiful Belladonna

573 Scott Street

6 P.M.

The last Thursday. That's this week.

"Hey, Dave. You ever heard of this place?"

He turns to see what I'm reading and shakes his head.

"No. I'm not even sure where it is. Do you want to go find it?"

"If you don't mind? It sounds like a magic store. How did I not know it was even here?"

Dave sets his gaze on me.

"Part of the curse, maybe?"

I'd never thought of that. Could it be even after the coven cursed me with nightmares, no sleep, and hardly any magic skills that they hid something from me in plain sight that might help?

Of course, they did. They want me miserable. I was supposed to die!

With renewed optimism, Dave and I set out to find the Beautiful Belladonna.