Chapter 01: An Attempt Murder From a Witch

     One day, on some random Friday where cool kids would be hanging out together at the downtown Coolsville, and got readying for another super cool party. I was just walking alone in a shopping mall, doing some window-shopping.

Yeah, the opposite of cool thing.

I was not the cool kid anyway, and before I say the word 'cool' too many times in this chapter's beginning. I would just simply say before all of these terrible stupid catastrophes and some of their consequences.

It all began with a small shop.

What's up with this small shop anyway? Well, it wasn't technically a small shop. It was more like a stall erected amongst the other row of stalls at the main floor. The only thing that differed it from others was it was an obscure black tent with fairy lights draped all over it.

'LOVE HUT' was written in cursive letter with floral pattern. Placed at the top of the tent. I smelled incense burning from its direction. But, it wasn't the sight of Love Hut that turned my life upside down and went sideways from its original course.

It was the small marker board hanging below the shop's name. Written in a very elegant handwriting, and knowing I was a sucker for beautifully aesthetic signboards; there on it was "Promotion day: FREE READING on your love life for this upcoming Valentine's Day!"

Damn, I was intrigued.

You see, I was just a small-town girl. Born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio. Type of girl that was nerdy and a bookworm. But not in an attractive way that boys actually find it cute. I was just your average girl, months away from going to college.

Never had a boyfriend or boys chasing down on me in the school hall. For prom, I attended it with my neighbour. Whom wasn't sure yet if he was gay or bi-curious at the time being. Heck, the prom wasn't even that enjoyable too. I spent more time eating than dancing.

Short with petite body, my waist-long blonde hair was untreated. It had never seen the light of neither barber shop nor hair saloon. I would just leave my hair tied in pony or braided it hastily. My gray eyes were dimmed and little light to them. My brother would compare them to cat's eyes, and said the cat's eyes had more soul to them.

Overall, you could say when I saw by chance a free psychic reading about your love life, I would not let the opportunity be wasted away.

It wasn't like I took psychic reading seriously, it was for naught only. Because hey, it wouldn't hurt, right?

Boy, I was big time wrong!

Attentively, I neared the black tent. More strange aromas wafted from it and I swooped inside for my free reading. I thought the inside probably will be tight and little space to manoeuvre around. Wrong, it was spacious, way more than the physics of space allowed to.

There were few people inside, sitting on a wooden bench adjacent to me. Two men and a women. They were talking in hushed tone and looking deathly pale. The surrounding was dark and source of light were the lit pink candles only.

"Ah, first human customer of the day! Please do come in." A voice of a woman.

In the dark, emerged an apparition of a beautiful woman. It was a trick of my eyes, I was sure and when I blinked several times, she looked more solid and human. Sitting at the focal point in the room, black wooden rounded table had a purple crystal ball glowing on top. A parquet flooring with animal's hide hanging from the wall. The space here in this gloomy tent was eerily welcoming.

I felt awkward standing unsure at the entrance. But, the gorgeous woman motioned at me to come to her.

"Come and take a seat," she said. This woman was otherworldly beautiful. Her thick curtain of black hair framed her heart shaped face. Light blue eyes following my every movement.

I hesitantly sat down, suddenly regretting my decision to come in here. This was a waste of time, I shouldn't be here. Instead of being here and feeling out of place, I should just went on my shopping and everything would be fine.

But, I just went on. "Hm... What's your name?"

She smiled, "last time I checked my business card, my name is Zara. Zara Black, a witch."

"Oh." What a unique way to introduce oneself, I thought internally. Probably, a way to keep the business going.

From her mysterious aura and the murky surrounding in this tent, I would say she definitely rocking her business-play.

"So, I believe you come here for your free reading, am I right Janice? Daughter of Bradley McCartney." Zara the witch spoke, her long white fingers traced the surface of her crystal ball.

Dark smoke was spiralling and whipping inside her crystal and I gulped visibly. Woah there, she even knew my name and my father's name. Was this her witchery play? Neither my family  nor me was known or famous enough in our town to have strangers knowing our names.

And Zara was definitely not from around here. I began to adjust my thick glasses, eventhough it wasn't crooked in anyway on top of my nose. A nervous habit of mine.

"Yeah... I am interested?"

"Is this your first reading ever?" Zara asked, smiling softly. She looked so kind and lovely, albeit mysterious. I couldn't put my finger on her age was. She looked young but the way her eyes danced to scrutiny me told me she was wise and ripe with experience.

Oh, did I felt nervous then.

"Yes... I don't believe in all of these that much." I told her honestly.

"Interesting fate always waits those who don't expect." Zara said, and smiled more to herself. Like she had witnessed some of interesting fate unfold.

"All right, this day is your day. Special service of the day, I let you choose how you want your reading get done." She explained, "do you want to do crystal gazing, palm reading, tea leaves or coffee ground reading, dreams interpretation, star sign, card reading or runes?"

Out of all the methods that sounded really witching, rune was the one I most familiar with it. "Runes?"

"It's a method of communicating with your spiritual guardian using divine symbols. You can obtain high accuracy of your reading but it's the hardest way. It's very rare to get your guardian to intervene and it's a very serious business because you're tapping into divine help."

"That sounds interesting and divine, I wonder I have a guardian to begin with."

"Everyone has their own spirit guardian, I sure you young lady."

"Then, I'll go with runes."

"Alright. Let me grab a book and a quill." An old black book was pulled out, its edges stained with time and Zara ground some charcoal mixed with foreign liquid to make an ink.

"And, I need your one strand of hair." She asked, but without waiting for my permission, she went ahead and plucked one out from my scalp. Proceeded to act like nothing happened and tied it around the quill edges.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my scalp and watched Zara began to chant mantra in indecipherable language.

I stood there stiff, not quite sure what should I do and what would happen as this wasn't everyday things. The opened book laid on the table with wet quill ready to be used.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a violent spark surged upward from the bare pages of the book. I flinched with shock and abruptly avoided the fire that was shooting out like a devil's tongue.

"What's happening?!" I asked, hands quickly latched onto my eyebrows to see if I still had one and felt my fringes singed.

Zara wasn't even fazed by the incident and smiled calmly. Was this witch was trying to kill me or something?

"Come and take a look of what has written on the page." She urged.

Flash of lights twinkled in my momentarily blinded vision and I squinted more to see there were writings in the book instead of runes.

"It seems an outer force has intervened in our process. Let's see what it has spoken to us."

“ Walk up to the north, and shall you find the god that strays.

A false god who breaks the oath, and shall you lead him the ways.

Something is stolen and go forth, he shall find the lost in numbered days. ”

"Woa...what does it all means?" I asked, the cogs inside my head were rolling and wracking to figure out how Zara staged all of these.

The fire was totally unexpected and I almost burned off my face. Special service would be the death of me.

"Something has asked for your help, Janice." Zara said. She looked amused in this situation.

For me, the scale of weirdness had went over its limit and I felt like I had had enough. Seemed like I wouldn't get any reading about my love life.

"Ok...what should I do? You know, I think I should just go..."

She looked at me, glitter in her eyes. "We should ask it for more, to understand better."

"I don't think s–"

Then, the writing continued and I watched in disbelief how words by words appeared on the blank pages.

“Seek the answer, deep in the— sod off with this crappy riddles and rhymes. I'm bad at this. HELP! I've been cursed! Help me, find me beside the fountain and food store!”

"Err...ok..." I said hesitantly

"I'll reward you finely and will grant you your deepest desire! Trust me and help me, you'll know!"

"My deepest desire?"

"Yes! Your deepest desire! A boyfriend for this Valentine's day! I can make it happen! Who do you want? Brad Pitt?"

This was way beyond weird and crazy! How it knew I wanted a boyfriend? I'd never told anyone and my cheek flamed up in embarassment. Did I really were dealing with a supernatural force right now?

I looked at Zara who was musing silently, she met my eyes and her face brightened up merrily.

"I think it's time for you to meet your fate."

And from that, my terrible stupid catastrophe offically began. Well, at least, I had become a degree cooler after all of these.