Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 2.2

I groan. "Big Boss hates me."

Me, Addy and Onyx are in my quarters. I'm already in my nightgown. The moon is sickly bright outside.

"Big Boss doesn't hate you," Addy soothes. "It was probably just the next assignment that came up."

I knew something was up the moment I collected the assignment from Ruby at reception. She seemed unusually happy. Too happy.

I was right to be suspicious. The paperwork is spread out on the table in front of us. Onyx is pawing the bit at the top, where my client's name is written in bold black letterhead.

Maya Cerberus. This should be interesting.

They've given me a celebrity. Maya is about our age. She has her own communications channel. I'm not sure exactly what she's famous for. She sells hair products? Or eye glitter. Or something.

This isn't really something I know anything about.

"Oh, you've got to take me with you," Addy swoons. "Her mansion is incredible. I heard she has a spa pool where goblets of champagne hover in mid-air."

I heard she has turtle doves charmed to sing a different symphony every evening.

I sigh. I don't really care how glamorous her living situation is. My job as a witch doctor is to help her. But the document Big Boss gave me doesn't actually tell me what her problem is.

I don't really believe Big Boss hates me. I just said that out of frustration. But I still don't know why he assigned me to Maya Cerberus, of all people. Me, who almost burned the whole place down. Surely he wanted a seasoned witch doctor handling her case. Any stuff ups would be front page news.

"It just shows that Big Boss has confidence in you," Addy insists. "Why else would he assign you such a high profile client?"

"Addy, he has no reason to have confidence in me. I put my last client in the hospital."

"But you didn't know you were a witch then. You have control over your powers now."

"But he doesn't know any of that."

And she only knows how to levitate. One might say she really only has the one power.

I scowl. "One might blame that on having a lazy cat for a teacher."

Onyx hops into my lap. I have to start from scratch with all the reincarnations. It really is quite bothersome.

My breath catches. He's talking about all the reincarnations of the First Witch, of which I'm the latest. The First Witch turned to evil, and all of her reincarnations so far have suffered the same fate. I'm determined not to end up like them. But it's disconcerting to know that fate is not on my side.

I probe the room with my energy. I sense the hard spots of determination that are my cactuses. My energy melts into theirs, becoming hard and determined too. The cactuses rise into the air.

Destiny is an ugly word to me. I don't want my soul to blacken, so I can't take the destiny I've been handed. I'll have to forge my own.

*

I do a double take when I see Addy. She's wearing a dress of ruffled buttermilk silk. Ladybug charms with wings made of white lace dance in and out of the fabric. One lands on my finger before returning to a tuft of silk on Addy's shoulder.

"What's the occasion?"

"Lil, we're seeing Maya Cerberus. The Queen of Glamour herself! I don't want her to think I'm..." She lowers her voice to a whisper. "Dull."