Chapter Fifteen

When they got to the street where the magick shop was located, Esther quickly realized it was a busy, tourist infested area. What was once an old main street was now lined with T-shirt shops and ice cream stands, and bustling with families that stumbled along as they took photos and laughed.

It made her nervous to be in such a crowded area, but she quickly realized it made AnnMarie nervous as well. The girl kept her eyes down, and fidgeted with her hands like she wasn't very sure what to do with them.

"Does the sun not bother you?" AnnMarie asked. "It's very bright out today."

Esther shrugged.

"There's a glare, and I can't use my powers in the sunlight, but it makes me feel warm so I don't mind it so much."

"Oh." AnnMarie said before quickly changing the subject. "What's the name of the shop?"

Esther looked down at the piece of paper that Peter had given her.

"Mint's Magik and More." She said, glancing around at the shops. "Though this seems like a weird place for actual witches to be selling wares."

"Maybe they're hiding in plain sight." AnnMarie suggested.

Esther thought it might be likely.

Most people didn't believe in things like magick, or spirits, or the undead anymore. There was a good chance that even if she walked right up to somebody and admitted that she was a vampire, they would just think she was mentally ill.

They set off down the stone streets, which were constructed to look rustic, but definitely modern in their make. As they walked, AnnMarie kept close to her, and actively avoided touching anyone, shying closer to Esther when people passed by.

Five nick nack shops later, they found it. It was a two story building that was grayish blue in color, and didn't seem to be as heavily renovated as the establishments surrounding it. A wooden sign bearing the name dangled near the door.

AnnMarie pensively looked to her for reassurance before walking in. Esther followed closely behind her.

She had barely entered into the threshold when the smell of the place struck her. It was a pungent mix of herbs and spices, and caused her nose to burn and her eyes to water.

She crossed her arms and tried her best to ignore it and look casual as she scanned the store.

It was packed with an assortment of items, from books and candles, to bundles of herbs and crystals, all of which seemed to be displayed with no particular organization.

It seemed there were only two people in the shop besides them at the moment, a fair haired man who was sliding books onto shelves and a similar looking girl who was sitting slouched over behind the front desk.

The girl at the front desk perked up the slightest bit when she noticed them.

“Be ye real witches, or tourists?” The girl said tiredly.

“Breanna, don't greet people like that.” The man who had been stocking the shelf said, turning around.

“How else am I s’posed to know how to help them?” The girl, Breanna, said in return.

He grimaced and turned to face them. “Can I help you?”

AnnMarie stepped forward, but Esther hung around the door, contemplating leaving just to get away from the smell. She figured it was probably better to let her do the talking anyway.

“Yes, actually.” AnnMarie said, nervously bouncing on her feet. “We’re looking for something that might have information on how to break a curse.”

“A curse? What type?” The man asked.

As they talked, Esther noticed that the young witch at the counter kept glancing up at her every now and then. Esther tried to keep her focus on AnnMarie, so as not to catch her attention any more.

“A blood curse. Generational.”

“Ah, a blood curse. That’s a difficult one, let me look in the back and–“

Suddenly, the smell of garlic overwhelmed her, and she jerked around to see the girl from the desk waving a bulb of garlic near her face. Esther jerked back and slapped her hand away, sending the bulb onto the floor.

“I knew it!” Breanna said triumphantly. “She’s a vampire!”

Esther looked over the other man and AnnMarie, who both looked back at her, wide eyed. The man’s face was suddenly drained of color, and he took a step backwards.

“Well, get away from her!” He said.

Breanna rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on now. That’s just offensive. You can't be rude to people just because they're dead."

“Breanna.” The man’s voice was a warning. He turned back to Esther. “I rescind my invitation.”

Esther bit the inside of her cheek, and her hands drew into tightly clenched fists as the deep anxiety of needing to leave took over her.

AnnMarie shot a worried look her way.

“Does that work with stores? I thought it was only with private homes.”

“We live upstairs.” Breanna said, pointing tiredly upwards as she frowned at the other man.

“It’s fine. The smell in here is unbearable anyway.” Esther said through gritted teeth, turning on her heel and walking back out the door.

She took a deep breath, immediately feeling more at ease once she had stepped outside.

She stood back against the wall beside the door, just out of the sun, and crossed her arms with annoyance. The bell on the door chimed as another person came out behind her. She glanced to the side, worried it was Annie, who had been more traditionally kicked out for associating with her.

But instead, it was the girl from the counter. Esther regarded her carefully.

“Sorry about my brother. He’s terrified of the undead.” She said.

“Did you need something from me?” Esther asked.

“Only to talk. I’ve never met one of you before. Not a lot of your kind left, so I hear.”

Esther fought the urge to bristle at her. She hated it when people said things like that to her, like she was some kind of spectacle, gawking at her like they had found the last ivory billed woodpecker.

“I’ve heard that too. I’m not exactly keeping track, though, so I can’t verify that information with any amount of certainty, if that’s what you were expecting.”

“No, no.” The girl said. “I simply just wanted to talk.”

Esther sighed. “I doubt that. Most people don’t corner me just to recite vampire facts at me.”

“Well, Fine. I’ll ask you what I followed you out here for. Do you ever think about what you would if you had the choice to be human again?”

Esther narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t like to dwell on hypotheticals, especially those that are impossible.”

“Okay, well how about this. Do you enjoy being a vampire?”

Esther shrugged.

“It doesn’t disagree with me.”

The girl looked disappointed in her response. “So there’s never been anything that made you wish you could be human again?”

Esther’s eyes subconsciously drew to the store window, up to the back of Annie’s head. She quickly blinked away, back to the pavement.

“I suppose there has been, every now and then.”

The girl pulled a card out of her pocket and offered it to her.

“Well, if you ever have that sort of feeling, with a sense of permanency, give me a call.”

Esther gave her a wary glance and took it. It was standard glossy black cardstock, but with a golden trim that shimmered with the power of magick.

The card read: Breanna Cooper, professional witch. It also listed her phone number and email address.

Esther wanted to roll her eyes. She had non need for pathetic parlor tricks.

“I specialize in necromancy.” The girl explained excitedly

“Necromanceres usually communicate with the dead, not try and raise them.” Esther said.

“Very true.” The girl said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.”

“Raising the dead is impossible.” Esther countered.

“But you’re not completely dead, just mostly.” The girl said. “Vampires are the closest anyone can get to living again after death. I want to see if I can... bridge the gap at the shortest distance, so to speak.”

Esther sighed and tucked the card into her wallet. “Fine. I’ll call you when I feel up to being a science experiment.”

The girl grinned.

"Excellent!" She squealed.

Just then, the door opened again, and AnnMarie appeared, a heavy looking bag on her arm.

"Breanna!" She heard the man yell from inside the store.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Guess I have to get back to work. Remember to call me."

Esther didn't respond. She looked over to AnnMarie who was fidgeting with her hands again.

"What was that about?" She asked.

Esther sighed.

"Nothing. Just someone badgering me about being undead. It's not an unusual experience for me."

"Oh."

"Did the other witch tell you anything?" She asked.

"Yes. I explained my situation to him and he gave me an awful lot of stuff to look through." AnnMarie said. She seemed almost hopeful.

Esther nodded.

"Here. Let me carry that for you." She said. She took the bag from AnnMarie before she could respond and started to walk back towards where they had parked.

"Oh—" AnnMarie stumbled to catch up. "Thank you."

"Are you ready to get back to the hotel?" Esther asked her. "I'll help you sort through information when we get there."

AnnMarie shyly looked to the ground.

"Actually, there's one more place I'd like to go, but only if you're okay with it."

Esther gave AnnMarie directions, and not long later they arrived at Elmwood cemetery. It was larger than Esther remembered it, though she supposed people were always dying.

They got out of the car, and Esther guided AnnMarie to the plot where she had been buried. AnnMarie carried a bouquet of flowers in her arms that she had picked up from a stand in the tourist strip.

"Are you going to put those on my grave?" Esther asked.

"Yeah." AnnMarie said, happily.

"Why?" Esther asked. "I'm not down there, after all."

AnnMarie shrugged. "It just feels like the right thing to do. Are you sure coming here won't make you sad or something? We don't have to."

Esther dismissively waved her hand.

"I'll be fine."

It took her awhile to find the right spot, because the tree that once stood over her grave was no longer there.

The stone slab had cracked so much it had broken in half completely, and the top half was laid unceremoniously beside the bottom. She stopped at it and waved her hand to it

"Here it is." She said.

“It’s broken.” AnnMarie said sadly.

Esther shrugged. “Time comes for everything.”

“Still.” AnnMarie said with a glum hum.

Esther watched as AnnMarie’s eyes slid over to the grave beside hers, still mostly intact, though it was covered with moss and beginning to crack badly as well.

“William LaGrange?” She said. It was a question.

“My husband.” Esther said.

“He died after you.” AnnMarie said.

“Yes. He did” Esther agreed.

“Did you ever visit him?”

“No.” Esther shook her head. She tried to remember what he looked like, but the image was blurry and distorted in her mind. She felt a little guilty for not remembering him better. “It wouldn’t have been safe. For either of us.”

“That must have been terribly sad.” AnnMarie said. “Did you love him?”

Esther thought about it.

“I suppose. The best I could have.”

Between the two upright graves, there was a third. It was much smaller, and slightly more well maintained, though it was still starting to crumble with age.

Infant LaGrange. 1865.

“You had a child?” AnnMarie asked.

“Yes.” Was all Esther said in reply.

AnnMarie took her flower bouquet and began dividing it up into bundles of three. She put one on each of the graves.

"I would give yours directly to you, but I think it would look weird if I only put flowers on two of them."

"They're very old graves." Esther said. "It's going to seem weird that someone is putting flowers on them regardless."

AnnMarie shrugged, and stood back up. She walked over to Esther and grabbed her hand.

"Rest in peace!" She said quietly.

Maybe one day I will.