Chapter 2

T he shrill sound of my alarm invaded my dreams, forcing me back into the reality I dreaded. With a groan, I silenced it and rubbed my eyes, feeling the constant ball of anxiety launch into overdrive for another day. Luna stared at me with her wide green eyes.

"Horrible day, Luna," I muttered, trying to hide my frustration. Why couldn't I even get pleasantries right? "It's always a pleasure to approach the day with the hope I'll be affected by the same curse."

Luna tilted her head, giving me a sympathetic look as she purred and nuzzled against my hip. She had been my constant companion through the years of struggling with this curse, providing silent support and understanding when no one else could. I had one friend, but even she wasn’t impervious to the harm my curse caused. Though she was usually pretty understanding.

I dragged myself out of bed and began my morning routine in preparation for work. As soon as I finished brushing my teeth, I cast the silencing spell on myself that Lyptico recommended to ensure I wouldn't accidentally let any lies slip out. Despite how much I wanted or was tempted to help someone.

"Silentium Oris," I whispered, feeling the tingle of magic enveloping my throat. An itchy sensation spread over my vocal cords before they tightened. That was quite uncomfortable. Hopefully, the sensation would loosen up.

With a heavy heart, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, leaving Luna behind with a silent promise to return later. The walk to the library was lonely, as always, but it allowed me time to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. That was how I lived life… one miserable day at a time.

As I pushed open the heavy doors, I was greeted by the familiar scent of old books and the faint whispering voices of enchanted texts. A sense of comfort washed over me, momentarily easing the burden of my curse… and my life. The library was my home away from home. It was a place where I could lose myself among the shelves and forget about the world outside. As long as I could keep my distance from inquiring patrons.

"Good morning, Selene," called Marcus, my colleague, as he noticed me entering the library. "You're looking very... nice today."

The tingle in my throat started as soon as I was tempted to open my mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, I waved at Marcus and headed for a row of shelves I'd been working on this week. We'd created a new initiative to restore some of the books and this was the section I was focused on.

Marcus raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. I was thankful he dropped it, even if he didn't know the whole story. As the day wore on, I used magic to help patrons find the appropriate librarian or to wordlessly guide them to the area they were searching for. Thankfully, my magic didn't lie.

The large library doors creaked open, and a mysterious patron entered, shrouded in a dark cloak that concealed their face. While it wasn't completely out of place in a magical library, there was something strange about them. I felt a sudden chill sweep through the room, stirring the pages of the books on the shelves around me. My heart skipped as I watched them bypass the circulation desk and come right to me.

"Excuse me," the patron said, their voice barely audible. "I'm looking for a rare book on ancient curses."

I held my hands out in a ‘what’ gesture.

"Please," they whispered, determination in their whispered voice. "It's important."

My curiosity piqued, I knew I had to do something. Closing my eyes, I used my hands to cast a spell. A gentle breeze flowed through the shelves of books to guide the mysterious patron to another librarian, who could assist them. As they moved away, I felt a pang of regret. I wished I could have helped them myself.

The mysterious figure disappeared into the depths of the library. Then I noticed a small, folded piece of paper on the floor where they’d just been standing. I reached down and plucked it from the ground intending to return it to them.

"Remember," a disembodied voice whispered into my ear, leaving me standing there with the note clutched tightly in my hand. What the hell?

I unfolded it carefully, revealing a full moon. Red drops appeared on the pristine white paper, coating the moon in a blood red color. Shivering, I slipped the note into my pocket. There was no reason for me to keep the note, except that I felt an inexplicable connection to the symbol.

Several hours later, during a late night dinner after work, I met up with my best friend Lydia at our favorite cafe. She was a fellow witch and the only one who knew about my curse aside from Lyptico. Occasionally, we had miscommunications or hurt feelings due to my curse, but she was very patient and understanding with me. Her smile was warm and welcoming, a stark contrast to the chill I had felt earlier.

"Selene, you look like you've seen a ghost," she teased as she sipped her coffee.

I did the hand gesture that released me from the silence spell. "Just a normal day, no creepy people or anything." I replied, trying to recount my strange encounter at the library. Lydia was pretty used to how I spoke, so as long as what I said came out as vaguely opposite, she could follow. As I continued to speak, Lydia's brow furrowed with concern. "Seems completely unimportant."

"You know, over the years we've been friends, you've never tried to remove that curse of yours," she mused after a thoughtful pause. She was right. I hadn't tried to remove the curse, but I had tried to circumvent it with some of the worst outcomes. "I heard of a place called Charley's Charms and Curiosities. They specialize in rare magical items and knowledge. It might be worth a visit."

A glimmer of hope flickered within me. "Thank you, Lydia, but that would be completely pointless."

"Of course," she replied, her eyes full of understanding despite my words. "I hope you're able to break your curse."

Lydia pulled me into a hug as she patted my shoulder. I gripped her hand and smiled, letting her know I was fine. Then I trudged home, each step weighed down by the frustration of never being allowed to drive as long as I was cursed. As much as I tried to ignore it, the bitter truth remained. I would never be able to do like others could. Not only would I fail any driving test with my inability to speak honestly, but I couldn't fathom how disastrous it would be if I were ever pulled over by the police.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" a passerby greeted me cheerfully. It wasn't uncommon for people to walk around during the dead of night in a witchy town.

"Absolutely terrible," I replied, unable to control my words. The woman's smile faltered, and she hurried away. I sighed, feeling more isolated than ever.

As I walked, I noticed the night sky turning an eerie shade of red. Looking up, I saw the super blood moon, a rare celestial event that filled me with both awe and dread. It looked exactly like the one from the crumpled note in my pocket after the drops of what appeared to be blood filled the page. For a moment, I hesitated. The moon's deep red light seemed to call out to me, intensifying my sense of urgency. I couldn't shake the feeling that something monumental was about to happen.

"Selene, you can't possibly…" I whispered to myself, trying to remain rational despite the strange sensation in my chest.

Either way, I didn't want to be out where I could see it any longer. No, right now nothing seemed better than going to bed, cuddling up with Luna and a good book, and sleeping in tomorrow morning.

When I finally made that happen, sleep came easily, but it wasn't a restful slumber. Instead, I found myself enveloped by vivid dreams. In this mysterious place a dense fog and ancient trees surrounded me, their gnarled branches reaching out like twisted fingers. The air was thick with magic, and whispers called my name. It was quite unsettling.

"Who's there?" I asked, my voice barely audible. But the whispers continued, unintelligible and haunting.

As I wandered through this dreamscape, I felt a strange mix of fear and familiarity. The fog seemed to close in around me, yet there was a part of me that felt at home in this eerie landscape. My heart raced with anticipation, even as my instincts screamed for me to run.

"Selene," the whispers called again, their voices more urgent.

"Where are you?" I cried out, desperate for answers. "What do you want from me?"

But the only response was the echoing of my own voice, swallowed by the darkness. With trembling hands, I clutched the note from my pocket. Why the hell had it made it into my dream with me? As the blood moon continued to cast its ominous glow upon the world below, I knew something in my life was about to change… dramatically.

As I navigated the labyrinthine forest, I stumbled on a hidden door nestled between the twisted trunks of two ancient trees. The door pulsed with an otherworldly light that beckoned me. My curiosity piqued, my fingers itched to touch it.

"Maybe this is the way out," I thought aloud, but when I tried to open the door, it remained locked, refusing to budge.

"Of course," I muttered bitterly, my frustration growing. "Everything is as easy as can be when it comes to me."

"Selene," the whispers called again, drawing my attention away from the door. My pulse quickened as I followed the sound, leading me through the mist until I encountered four shadowy figures watching me from a distance. They didn't speak, but gestured for me to follow. Despite my growing trepidation, I felt compelled to obey, my heart racing with both fear and anticipation.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice quivering as I trailed behind the mysterious figures. I received no response. The silence between us fuelled my unease.

The figures led me to a clearing, where a sign emerged from the mist, reading "Spells Hollow" in glowing letters. As I stared at the sign, trying to decipher its meaning, symbols appeared on the cloaks of the figures, their light barely illuminating the shadows that obscured their faces.

"Please, tell me what this all means," I begged, desperate for answers. But as before, they remained silent. It was as if their very presence was an enigma.

"Will I ever be free of this curse?" I whispered, feeling the weight of it crushing me from within.

The symbols on the shadowy figures' robes illuminated the darkness, casting an eerie glow on their surroundings... A magic lamp, a summoning circle, a wing, and a hand mirror… each symbol seemed to reach out to me. I felt a strange connection with them, as if these symbols held the key to break my curse.

"Can you help me?" I asked, my voice barely above a murmur. The figures didn't respond, but my desperation grew stronger, urging me to act. Tentatively, I reached out my hand towards the nearest symbol – the magic lamp.

But as my fingers brushed against the glowing light, they passed right through it, as if the symbols were nothing more than an illusion. Disappointment flooded through me, mingling with the frustration that had taken over my life.

"Please," I pleaded, trying once more to touch the symbols. "I need to know what this means!" But the light continued to evade my touch. The symbols faded away entirely, leaving me alone in the clearing with only the echoes of my own unanswered questions for company.

And then, just as suddenly as the dream had begun, I woke. My heart pounded in my chest, and I gasped for air as the vivid images from my dream lingered in my mind. I sat up in bed, trying to make sense of what I had seen, feeling an urgent need to uncover the truth hidden within my dreams. Why was there a magick lamp, a summoning circle, a wing, and a hand mirror… it didn't make any sense.

What good was a dream if it couldn't help me solve problems from my waking life? But then I remembered Lydia's suggestion of the local magic shop, Charley's Charms and Curiosities. Maybe, just maybe, someone there would be able to help me.

I couldn't rely on others to solve my problems anymore, nor could I wait around, hoping it would magically go away. And so, I made a decision. I would visit Charley's and search for answers on my own.

As I settled in to go back to sleep, Luna curled up beside me, her soft purring a reassuring presence in the darkness. And though sleep remained elusive, the knowledge that I had a plan, however uncertain, filled me with a sense of purpose I hadn't felt in years.