6. The Fairytale of Newbury Grove

Chapter 6

The Fairytale of Newbury Grove

T he wind was a biting cold. Not blustery or destructive, but a chill gradually eating away at a soul's sanity. It whipped up in a swirl and grasped an unwilling victim in its icy fingers, lashing away at those who were ill-equipped to deal with the frigid air.

Alice Primrose was one such victim. She tugged at the black lapel of her modern Victorian tailcoat. She shrunk her shoulders and arms as close as she could to preserve the warmth being torn away. Her breath was a ghostly trail as her thick-soled boots crushed the dusting of snow beneath her feet. Small snow flurries bombarded her face as it burned in the early December air. Alice tilted her head so the brim of her curved witch's hat shielded her face.

Happy faces passed her as she entered Newbury Grove's town center—families, couples, and young children excited at the prospect of the Christmas holiday season. The town center was decorated in welcoming green wreaths tied with red ribbons on the ornate lamp posts. Children, scolded by parents from their impulsive excitement, weaved in and out of the crowds as they rushed to the shop windows to see the various Christmas displays.

Nine more days until Christmas.

Some window displays were cardboard cutouts of various Christmas characters. Others were elaborate, picturesque displays of model trains roaring through miniature towns. The jewelry shop held the honor of gathering the largest crowd. They gathered around a miniature town of snow-laden houses as a model Santa Claus and his sleigh circled in the sky above. Children gawked and commented on the various gifts they were positive Santa would bring to them for Christmas.

"His sleigh doesn't look like that," Alice muttered under her breath. She kept her mouth covered by the lapel of her coat, so she was certain the children didn't hear as she passed by.

Newbury Grove loved holidays. None passed without some sort of community celebration. St. Patrick's Day parades. Fourth of July fireworks. The fall festival where she first fell in love with Hugo Dodds.

Hugo Dodds .

Alice's eyes welled up at the thought of his name. She focused on the sidewalk and her feet as she walked. She raised her eyebrows, opening her eyes, to fight back the tears. She couldn't break down. Not here. Not now. She had to remain focused.

Alice loved Christmas. She should be walking the streets of Newbury Grove with Hugo, hand in hand, enjoying the displays with the same amazement as the children who stood before her now. Instead, she found herself alone and cold.

Alice willed herself to keep her focus forward, tearing her eyes away from the snow-covered concrete. The sidewalks were too crowded to not pay attention to what was before her. The passersby were smiling, laughing, happy, and joyful. They hugged each other, or held hands, or carried bags of gifts they purchased for their happy little gatherings.

Alice narrowed her eyes and gave a snarky, discerning glance. Some people responded with smiles. Others gave the standard shocked glance at someone who was dressed as a witch in the Christmas season. Alice was used to it. The only difference was she wasn't her happy-go-lucky self. No, she finally expressed herself like the stereotypical witches of ancient lore. Angry and tired and sad. She needed someone, anyone, to tell her it would be okay.

Alice needed a hug.

She knew Hugo was still there. Still in her house. His presence. His spirit. Who else would have stuck a hockey stick under her mattress? He was trying to tell her he was there. A sign. It had to be. What else would it have been?

Alice stopped.

Then why didn't he respond when I called for him?

Alice glanced at the storefront where she had stopped. The windows and glass door were covered in curtains. They prevented anyone from peering inside where the dark deed had transpired. The spot where Hugo became a vampire and set off the chain of events leading to his death. A sign hung on the door. Closed. Under New Management . Below the sign, the familiar gold lettering—Sylvia's Bistro.

Sylvia.

Alice let go of her lapel and clenched her right hand into a fist. She reared her fist back, ready to drive her hand through the gold lettering. No magick. No purple arcane flames. Pure, unadulterated rage manifested in her clenched fist as she shattered those gold letters, erasing Sylvia's name from existence. She stepped closer to the door.

Alice spotted a couple out of the corner of her eye, deeply engrossed in each other's company, their smiles beaming and hands intertwined. They would have crashed into her had Alice not seen them first. She stepped back to avoid the collision.

"Sorry," the woman said as she passed Alice. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Sorry," her boyfriend said. "Our fault."

Alice took a deep breath. She thought about scolding him. He walked on the inside, closer to the building. His girlfriend was closer to the street, and the one who almost collided with her. Hugo would have never put Alice in harm's way. He would walk on the outside, closest to the street, so he took the brunt of any possible collision, not her.

Alice exhaled. "It's okay," Alice said with a half-hearted smile. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," the woman responded before the couple went about their day.

Alice's smile disappeared. She couldn't do it. She wanted to, but she held her anger inside. They didn't deserve to bear her pain. Not in this joyous season. They were innocent bystanders to her suffering. Alice glanced at the door once more before continuing down the sidewalk.

Alice passed a few more shops before stopping in front of Madame Sophia's Mystical Apothecary. Hugo had told her of the shop before his untimely passing. Alice recalled his playful jab. You'll spend a fortune in there . She could picture his sly smile in her mind. His scandalous wink. They both knew there was a slight hint of truth behind it. Alice only gave a knowing smile and wink in return.

Alice wanted to stop in earlier, but recent events had put a hold on those plans. Alice was certain it was like any other new age shop she had visited. Manufactured plastic statues, though artificial, evoked a deceptive aura of arcane powers. Fool's gold worth of "magical" items.

Still, shops like this were an excellent place to gather her witchy supplies of incense and herbs. She liked to purchase the pretty stones as well. If there were any place in Newbury Grove where she would be welcomed, and no one would question her appearance, it would be a shop like this.

Alice opened the door and entered the shop.

The overwhelming sensation of sage and other assorted incenses welcomed Alice like an old friend. A maximalist's dream come true. A space filled with shelves and shelves of wondrous items—candles, statues, stones, books, knickknacks. It was as if her living room was transported into a storefront. Alice exhaled and relaxed her shoulders. She raised her head and allowed the sensations to comfort her like the hug she was seeking. Alice smiled.

He was right. I would have bought everything.

The store was busy with shoppers, curious about the various statues and candles as they picked them up. Some made snide comments. Others smelled the candles and incense sticks. They were clearly a huge seller, as most gathered a candle or two and took them to the front counter. Candles for love or luck, or in a few cases, revenge. Alice chuckled. Others shopped for novelties. She was here to shop for the necessities.

Alice grabbed a cloth and metal basket resting near the front entrance. She worked her way through the maze of shelves with precision, never allowing herself to be distracted . . . although her eyes did wander. She gathered her needed supplies to help purify her house and avoid a repeat of the ghastly wraith she had conjured the last time she attempted to contact Hugo.

Alice approached a carousel of hanging incense bags, filled with ten sticks resembling sparklers more than anything magical. She pulled off a few bags as she spun it around. Rosemary to ward off evil spirits. Frankincense for protection and clarity. Myrrh for purification. Vetiver for love and to banish evil. She selected a few more only because she loved the smell of them. She also plucked up a sage smudge stick from a nearby basket.

Unable to control her buying impulses, Alice also gathered a few candles and stones, not for any reason other than she thought they were pretty.

She gave a thought to Hugo. He was right .

Alice took her place in line and waited patiently until her turn to pay. The various customers chatted up the staff as they made their purchases and walked out. When it was her turn, Alice placed the basket carefully on the glass counter. She gave yet another half-hearted smile to the cashier, hoping to express, ‘I acknowledge you, but please don't talk to me.'

The cashier—a woman in her mid-twenties with raven-colored hair—wore matching dark clothes similar to any piece in Alice's wardrobe. She gave a slight nod in what Alice thought was recognition of her request and meant, ‘I'll leave you alone.'

Alice bowed her head and focused on the items in the basket.

"I'll take this one," an older woman's voice said from behind the counter. "How's your Saturday going?"

Alice closed her eyes and cringed. She balled her left hand into a fist before releasing it.

"I'm fine. Just fine," Alice replied.

We don't do fine . Hugo and Alice both said those words to each other once. They both knew it was a lie, and they had made a promise to never tell each other they were fine.

"You don't seem like a woman who's fine," the woman said.

"Excuse me?" Alice questioned.

She focused on the woman standing behind the counter. She had wild gray hair tucked beneath a dark green scarf. She wore a billowing dress filled with dark greens and stripes of dark red, perfect for the festive season. Alice recognized her face, even though she hadn't seen it since the night of the fall festival a year ago. Madame Sophia.

"What I meant was you appear to be burdened by a troubled mind. I'm very empathetic. I can tell. Your emotions are very . . . sporadic," Madame Sophia replied.

Alice shrugged and focused off to her side. "You're not wrong."

"I know what would help you," Madame Sophia said. "A reading."

"You don't have to—" Alice began.

"I insist," Madame Sophia interrupted. "On the house. A Christmas gift."

"No, really, please?—"

"Consider this a gift for someone who's troubled. Please. I insist."

Alice lowered her head and took a deep breath. After a moment, she raised her head. "Okay. A quick reading."

"Excellent," Madame Sophia said. She gathered the items back into Alice's basket before placing everything behind the counter on the floor. "These can wait until we're done. Follow me."

She turned to the other cashier and said, "We'll be right back." Madame Sophia navigated her way through a maze of cardboard boxes stacked behind the counter as she disappeared behind a curtain shielding the back area.

Alice followed.

"Right in here," Madame Sophia said as she entered a small alcove room in the back. She held back a thick curtain with one hand and motioned for Alice to sit in a chair with the other. "Please sit."

Alice did as instructed, taking her seat at a small, round table. She removed her curved, brimmed hat and set it next to her on the floor. The alcove was filled with the usual trappings of someone who gave readings. Incense burning. Candles lit. Stones scattered about. A black cloth draped over the table. It reminded Alice of home.

"Clear your mind," Madame Sophia said as she closed the curtain. She took her seat at the table opposite from Alice.

"Easier said than done," Alice replied.

"Give me your hands."

Alice examined the table. It was empty, lacking any of Madame Sophia's usual tarot cards. "Don't you usually have a deck or something?"

"I never said it was a tarot reading. Give me your hands," Madame Sophia said again in a low, soothing voice.

Alice reached out, wrapping her fingers around Madame Sophia's awaiting hands one finger at a time.

"Now. Close your eyes and breathe deep," Madame Sophia commanded in her soothing voice.

Alice blacked out the world and took a few deep breaths.

"You're missing someone, aren't you, Alice Primrose?"

Alice opened her eyes, staring directly at her. "How do you know my name?"

"I never reveal my secrets. Close your eyes. I want you to call out his name three times."

Alice wanted to let go and walk away, but an unseen force held her in place. If this offered even the slightest bit of hope for connecting with Hugo, she would do it.

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hugo Dodds. Hugo Dodds. Hugo Dodds," she said.

"Take a deep breath, and when someone squeezes your hand, I want you to open your eyes. Only open your eyes once you feel someone squeezing."

Alice took a deep breath. The world went silent. She could no longer hear the faint sounds of the customers on the other side of the wall or the sound of the candles flickering. The smell of incense disappeared. Madame Sophia's hands slipped from her grasp. The confines of the steel chair were gone, as if Alice were floating in a vast space.

Alice's heart raced as she fought the urge to open her eyes, to peel back her eyelids as if she allowed herself to fall into a trap. Some retribution set up by the vampires of the Court of the Crimson Rose as payback for the deaths of Sylvia and Sebastian. She used her might to open her eyes, but something held them shut. She tried again and again, but she remained in the dark. The weightlessness. The darkness. Panic coursed through her veins.

Alice wanted to scream out, but a set of hands squeezed back. Comfort in the darkness. Calm set in, her nerves easing and the panic dissipating. They were different, not as old or wrinkly as Madame Sophia's. They were the hands of someone much younger. Different in shape and warmer to the touch. Maybe Madame Sophia was able to contact Hugo, and his image would be waiting for her. Alice remembered her instructions and opened her eyes.

Alice was greeted by familiar eyes, but they weren't Hugo's icy blues. No. She had seen these eyes, but only in pictures. The familiar hazel eyes. Unmistakable, bright auburn hair. Her radiant smile warmed Alice's heart.

"Thank you," the soft voice said. "Thank you for taking caring of him."

Elizabeth sat at the table across from her.

Alice batted her emerald green eyes a few times in disbelief, but also to hold back the tears. Her mouth dropped open, and she was at a loss for words. Alice couldn't see anything beyond the table. The room was a blur of shaded colors, as if she were transported somewhere else, but it was still similar to the alcove she had occupied.

"I . . ." Alice said. "You're . . ."

Elizabeth nodded. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Alice Primrose. Hugo told me so much about you."

"Is he with you?" Alice asked. "Is that why he wouldn't respond? Can I see him?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "He's not here. Hugo's not with me. He used to talk to me in his private moments. I heard his every word. I wanted to speak to him so much, but I'm happy Hugo was able to meet someone else and he wasn't alone."

A tear fell down Alice's cheek. She didn't let go to wipe it away. She couldn't risk breaking this connection. A chill ran up Alice's spine. Her body shook, and her jaw trembled. "Where is he?" Alice asked.

Elizabeth's smile faded. "Hugo's in trouble. He needs you. He's in a dark place, a place I can't get to. He was taken there, called there by some dark force. You have to get him out of there."

"How? I don't know where. He's not answering."

"Your house is connected to him. Keep trying. You have to pull him out or else he'll be lost forever."

Alice shook her head. "I can try. I can keep trying."

"If there was anyone I could trust, it's you. Go. Go save our Hugo."

"Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes," Elizabeth answered. She paused. "I really like your purple house. It's unique."

Alice smiled. She sniffled to hold back more tears. "Hugo told me you would have said that."

Elizabeth smiled again before saying, "Do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Tell Hugo I'm safe, I love him, and I'm happy for both of you."

"Of course."

"Take care, Alice Primrose. It was wonderful to meet you."

"Take care, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's hands let go of Alice, and the world went dark as her eyelids closed on their own. Alice floated in the void once again. Weightless and disoriented. She didn't know where she was or when. Alice tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She struggled, but her lids held tight. Another set of hands squeezed hers again. A familiar pair.

Alice opened her eyes, and she was back in the alcove. The real alcove. The sounds of customers returned with the smells of the candles and incense. Her hat waited for her on the floor. Madame Sophia sat across from her.

Tears fell down her face. Her eyes flared in a mixture of amazement and anger.

"What happened? What did you do?" Alice said in a raised voice. "Was that a trick?"

Madame Sophia let go of Alice's hands and sat back in her seat. "It was no trick. A cosmic witch never reveals her true secrets in public."

Alice slumped back in her chair. She wiped away her tears and gave a chuckle. "Wait, you're a witch? Did Ez send you?"

"She did not," Madame Sophia said, crossing her arms. "Do you feel better?"

Alice glanced down at her hat and nodded. "I do, actually. Sort of. But why are you helping me now? Why didn't you help against the vampires? I could have used the help."

"I'm a member of the Coven of the Watch. We're sworn to protect the veil against threats seeking to come through. I was assigned to protect this town from the very threat holding your fiancé hostage. I was able to scry on them, watch them between the two worlds, before the dark forces holding him cut me off. They'll use him. They'll bend him to their will. I need to make certain they never break through. You need to get him back."

Alice picked up her hat and flung it on top of her head. She pulled down on the brim to secure its place. "I'll get him. I promise . . . I'll get him back."

"Good," Madame Sophia said. "For the sake of us all, you cannot fail."