Chapter 1

T he heavy thud of a spell book slamming onto the counter jolted me out of my daydream. A witch with her face flushed with anger glared at me with so much accusation.

"You lied to me!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

My heart raced as I tried to calm her down, but my words betrayed me. "Of course I did," I said quickly, cursing myself for not being able to tell her the truth. I hadn't meant to deceive her. Despite having this curse my entire life, I’d known better… Yet, I’d still said it, anyway.

"Why did you do it?" She yelled, causing heads to turn in our direction.

"I don't know," I whispered. The weight of their judging eyes weighed me down as they judged me.

Her accusations grew louder, attracting the attention of more patrons in the library. They glanced over at us, making me feel even smaller and more insignificant than usual. My curse had once again put me in a difficult situation, and I couldn't see a way out. This was why I wasn’t supposed to help patrons directly, but Maeve asked me to cover her counter for her lunch break.

"Look," I began, desperately trying to communicate effectively with the irate witch, "I'm sure there's another solution we can find." But my curse twisted my words, turning them into something insincere and misleading. "I doubt there's any solution to your problem."

The witch's eyes flashed dangerously, and I practically felt the heat of her anger radiating toward me. The tense atmosphere in the library grew as I felt trapped by my inability to speak the truth.

"Is this how you treat all your patrons?" she demanded, her voice dripping with contempt. "By lying and mocking them?"

"No," I wanted to say, to explain that it was just my curse, not me. Instead, what came out was, "Yes, I love treating people this way." Fuck my life. I needed to tape my mouth shut.

"Enough!" the witch bellowed, her voice reverberating through the library. "I demand to speak with your supervisor!"

My hands trembled as I reluctantly pressed the intercom button, knowing full well that calling Lyptico would only make things worse for me. Around us, the whispers and murmurs of other patrons grew louder, adding to my already mounting anxiety.

"Lyptico, please come to the front desk," I managed to say into the intercom, my voice barely above a whisper.

The seconds stretched into what felt like hours as I awaited his arrival, my stomach twisting and knotting itself in dread. I felt the weight of the gazes from the other patrons, their curiosity only serving to heighten my humiliation.

"Is there an issue here?" Lyptico's calm voice cut through the tense atmosphere as he approached.

The contrast between his composed demeanor and the witch's fury was stark. I couldn't help but wince at the storm brewing in her eyes. I knew that no matter how this conversation went, I would be the one to bear the brunt of it.

"Your employee," she spat, jabbing a finger in my direction, "has been lying to me nonstop! She provided false information that nearly led me to cast an incredibly dangerous spell!"

Lyptico's expression remained neutral as he listened to the witch's complaints. Thankfully, his face didn’t betray any of his thoughts. But I could sense his disappointment from the subtle tightening around his eyes as he glanced in my direction.

"Is this true, Selene?" he asked me quietly.

"Of course not," I replied, cursing myself as the lie slipped past my lips. My curse had betrayed me again. I clapped a hand over my mouth. There. I wouldn’t be able to say something stupid if I didn’t open it.

"Selene is... unique," Lyptico explained to the witch, choosing his words carefully. "She has a condition that can sometimes make communication... challenging."

"Whatever conditions she has doesn't excuse the fact that she is giving out harmful advice." The witch's voice was still outraged, but it wasn't as loud.

I watched as Lyptico extended a hand, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for any confusion," he said to the witch. "Allow me to take a look at this spell book and help you with what you need."

He took the book from her grip, his full attention on her to deescalate the situation. I shrank back, my heart pounding and my palms clammy, knowing full well that this was far from over.

They huddled together, flipping through the pages, occasionally murmuring to one another. The witch's expression softened, but her eyes still held a fire that roared every time she glanced at me. She finally nodded, seemingly satisfied with Lyptico's assistance. Then she turned on her heel and strode toward the exit, muttering darkly under her breath.

"Selene," Lyptico called, his voice low and measured. My stomach churned as his gaze met mine, disappointment etched into every feature. I felt like a cornered animal, desperate for some reprieve from the heavy weight of their own mistake.

"Follow me to my office," he instructed, leaving no room for argument. My heart heavy with dread, I trailed behind him, knowing this was the last straw. Lyptico had been very patient with me, but he had been clear that this couldn’t keep happening.

I braced myself for the reprimand I knew was coming. As we made our way past the rows of books and curious eyes, I tried to steady my breathing, to find some semblance of calm in the storm of my thoughts. Hopefully, he wouldn’t fire me this time. Then I could work out another way to prevent this from happening again. Again.

I'd tried so many things over the years, but they'd all failed. Between expensive mute potions, writing which also came out in lies, avoiding all types of communication and even a malfunctioning amulet that was supposed to prevent me from lying, but somehow made it worse.

The door to Lyptico's office swallowed us whole, leaving me feeling trapped by what was about to happen. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I glanced around the room, trying to find something, anything, to focus on other than the impending conversation. The faint scent of lavender and sage filled the air as Lyptico faced me, his expression as hard as stone.

"Selene," Lyptico began, his tone as stern as his gaze. "I understand that your curse presents unique challenges, but..." His words trailed off, replaced by a heavy silence that hung between us.

I couldn't push myself to say a thing. Not like it would be the truth, anyway.

"However," he continued, his voice shifting from understanding to reprimand, "you must follow the library's policy. You should have used magic to redirect the patron to someone else."

"How was I supposed to know?" I tried to agree with him, but my words betrayed me like they always did. Even though my voice was barely audible even to myself, I knew he heard every one of them. "The policy isn’t useful and they should be banned from the library."

"Regardless of whatever you're trying to say," he interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he continued. "You must remember that the library relies heavily on its reputation and the approval of the local witches."

I lowered my gaze, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration as his words sank in. My lie-laden tongue was a constant drawback, leaving me at a disadvantage in every interaction.

"Any dissatisfaction among the witches could have serious consequences for the library," Lyptico continued, his voice a harsh reminder of how precarious and renowned our spell library was. I knew he was right, but it stung all the same.

"I don’t care," I whispered, fighting back tears as I tried to fight for my job.

"It would benefit you to cast a silencing spell before you come into work. If this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to let you go." Lyptico warned, his tone softening ever so slightly as he dismissed me with a nod. "I expect you to find a better way to manage your curse and communicate effectively."

I held my thumb up, not trusting my mouth. Gratitude filled my chest despite his reprimand. I wasn't fired, yet. As I left his office, I knew I had no choice but to use the spell he mentioned. The library was my sanctuary, my home away from home, and I would do whatever it took to protect it. And keep the only job I'd been able to keep for any length of time.

As I made my way back to my desk, I couldn't help but notice the eyes of my colleagues on me. They didn't say anything, but their gazes spoke volumes. I avoided everyone as much as possible on a normal day since I didn’t really communicate with them anyway, but I tried extra hard because I didn't like the extra attention.

"Is everything alright?" one of my coworkers asked hesitantly as I sat down at my desk, careful not to meet their eyes.

"Couldn't be better," I lied, my curse twisting my words as always. I didn't care. They weren't asking because they were worried about me. They were just looking for drama. I only had one friend, and they weren't them.

As the hours wore on, I found myself lost in thought, my mind racing with ideas on how to manage my curse. I'd spent so much money on failed attempts. I didn't really want to spend more money on something that probably wouldn't work, either. Tomorrow morning, I would try Lyptico’s silence curse.

When I arrived home that evening, Luna, my pet cat and witch's familiar, greeted me. Her soft purrs provided a small comfort amidst the constant turmoil of my life. She rubbed against my legs, her black fur shining in the dim light of my apartment.

"Hey, Luna," I murmured, scooping her up into my arms. "I don’t need your support right now because I had the best day ever." Thankfully, Luna always saw through my lies.

"Meow," she replied, nuzzling against my cheek, her unconditional love washing over me like a balm.

As I prepared for bed, my mind buzzed with thoughts of the future… a future where I could speak freely and live without the fear of driving everyone off. I couldn't know whether it was attainable, but I knew I had to try. I had to have hope… right? And as Luna curled up beside me, her warm presence was a constant reminder that someone loved me unconditionally.