C20. Town Witch

Continuing Juliette's POV:

     "The town witch will know what to do," my mom explained. "The best part is... they'll obey what I ask them to do since I'm the Luna. You can have anything you want my dear... as long as you have power. You should remember that when you are queen."

     "I never knew the pack even had a witch... What is she an outcast?" I asked as I looked out the window to see the limo driving out of town and towards the woods. Of course... We're leaving town. No wonder why I didn't know anything about it. Knowing mother... this is another thing she's kept a secret.

     "The town witch has lived in the pack for many generations," my mother explained. "He mostly keeps to himself." He? I didn't know witches could be males.

     "Why don't we call him a wood fairy if he lives away from the town?" I asked and snickered to myself. My mother rolled her eyes as if I annoyed her by my question. She made it clear by the following silence she wasn't going to humor me. I had to come up with a better question to ask. "If the witch can't make me something... What will we do?"

     "Fight harder," she promised me. "You will not lose this chance at being queen. I promise." She didn't speak again after that. There was no need for us to talk again.

     My thoughts lingered on the idea of my birthday. It would be coordinating with the masquerade. Ironically they'd be both on the same day. I would soon turn eighteen. It's the ideal day to be united with Camren. I hope he does propose that night. The sooner I am queen... The faster I can rub it in Edith's face. I'm getting out of this small- back- water pack! I didn't notice as my eyes closed for a quick nap...

Mother's voice echoed from downstairs, "I didn't sleep with him!"

Her voice brought me to my senses. But, what stung in my heart was my father's voice.

"Jossie!" He shouted desperately for her.

He didn't called for me. I was at home curled up in my white and blue star patterned bed sheets. Tucked under my arm was a rainbow lama plushie. I through it across the room as it occured to me I've never seen it before. I wanted to get rid of it as it reminded me of something childish that I would never keep around. I threw the blankets back as I sat up straight. What's going on? I could hear downstairs something was happening. My parents were arguing... again.

I crept out of bed as my head throbbed from a morning headache. 'Jossie,' my wolf's voice echoed as I realized I could hear her footsteps out in the hall. I walked out to her only to find her sleepwalking towards the staircase. I put my hands against her shoulders to not wake her up and I took her back to bed. I tucked her in as I remembered... That rainbow thing really was hers. I would have to remember to give it back to her before she wakes up.

I walked downstairs and paused when I hit the last step of the staircase. 'Jossie?' Father's voice was there again. I couldn't help but to feel de-ja vu.

"Dad?" I asked as I eyed down the kitchen. "Mom?" My heart raced in my chest. 'Jossie,' he whispered out. "What is it dad?" I wondered as I walked towards the kitchen. I couldn't believe he was mistaking me for her once again.

'Don't go in there.'

'Don't go in there.'

'Don't go in there!'

I should have listened to the warning.

I passed down the hall leading to the kitchen. I wanted to see what was there. The kitchen seemed to grow farther away. I kept walking towards it but never reached it. My feet began to ache and I had to pause as I came across the hall's decorative mirror. There in the reflection...

"Jossie?" I asked in shock.

My mouth arched with a gasp as I looked at the girl in the mirror. My hair was done up with a fancy red bow to hold it together. I was in a silver cocktail dress. Red lipstick stained my lips. I was in matching high heels that stabbed the floor like needle work. My eyes shined my father's blue tint back at me. But despite my new features... I was holding a kitchen knife. I felt utterly confused. How could I mistake my reflection as my sister? Why am I holding a kitchen knife? My own hands felt light as a feather. It was only the reflection holding the knife.

'Dearest Jossie...'

My lips parted as I talked to myself.

"What did you do?"

The lights flickered on and off. On and off. On and off. The hall began to change to the kitchen. There in front of me the mirror changed to my father's appearance. He stood in front of me now. His blue eyes widening as tears filled them. He lowered his eyes to look down. I looked with him. His hand touched mine as I realized I was pushing a knife into his chest.

"Bloody fucking Cromwell!" My mother's voice echoed.

     There it was again... The same dream I've been having since father's death. I still don't know why I dream it... I wasn't even at the house the night of the murder. My eyes flickerd to my mother's calm expression. How long have I been asleep?

     The limo drove us like a trained dog as we ended up on a secluded dirt road. It must have been what woken me up. The trasitioning to a different vibration altogether was nerve shocking. The road must have ran to the edge of the planet because the road didn't open up to anything for another half an hour. Until finally we came across a modern three story mansion and a huge koi pond centering the entrance. It was almost magical the way it opened up out of nowhere. The entry was a semi-circle drive. We would be let out at the column way leading up to the doorway. The rest of the land was covered in a hedge maze. There were buterflies spying over the hedges at us. The moment I caught a glimpse at them they disappeared.

     "What is this place?" I asked in annoyance. I've ran the pack lands a thousand times as a wolf and I've never even once came upon this! This house is bigger than anything in the surrounded area. Hell... if I didn't know better it could be a pack house. The limo stayed running in the driveway as a promise to not leave.

     "This is Goto. Home of the witch Itsuki," my mother tried to explain as we walked towards the doorway. "This is the pack witch's house." The doorway was double doored with white trimming and decorated buterfly carvings. The name Goto was written above the doorway in gold writing. The door was a black marble with a special door knocker centered in the middle. My mother unexpendantly used it to knock on the door. It didn't take long for someone to answer. I didn't expect her answer as she spoke so fast.

     "Konnichiwa!" What brings you here, Ms. Luna?" She was unexpectantly a young adult. I immediantly admired her as she spoke with a foriegn accent.

     "I would like to speak to Itsuki."

     "Hai! He's been expecting you. Please, come in," The short female said as she slid the door out of the way. It looked heavy in comparison to her. I didn't expect anyone to answer the door... Especially not someone like her.

     "Take your shoes off at the door," my mother whispered to me. It was probably a good idea she told me since I'd have walked straight in without hesitation. The lady who answered gave us house slippers to put on instead as she lead us down a marble hallway and into the back end of the house. It opened up to a sun room with floor to ceiling windows that let in the sunlight. The place looked like a reading nook cramped into a in-house garden. You could find anything between books to plants inside the room. Outside was the deep forest without an inch of ground inbetween. There was a selection of sub-species caged on the inner wall of the room. Such being tiny insects, amphibians, and reptiles.

     "This is Aoki and Itsuki Goto," my mother introduced to me.

     Itsuki was an attractive male from Nippon who could have been... in fact a male idol. His aestetic ran similiar to one of the modern ages. With an oversized denim jacket and black jump suit. He matched his outfit with combat boots. He had the ritch dark hair of his ancestors and pale skin. His hair was cut just into his eyes that hid how dark they were from me. Itsuki's mate was Aoki. I could sense it. They were paired entirely by fate herself.

     With these sense I picked up on about the two... They defintely belonged in my pack. They had loyalty to us as the alpha family. Aoki was a werewolf, I knew instantly by the scent she released. It was fig and lavender scented. She kept an earth tone to her nature which was what all werewolves eventually came down to smelling like.

     Itsuki meant tree and Aoki meant blue tree. The two were a mated pair to my eyes. I would respect it. No matter how handsome Itsuki seemed to be.

     Itskui was hovering over a mircoscope examining something when we entered the room. I had a feeling this was his study. He was special. I knew instantly he could be the one... The witch. He looked up at us as he heard my mother speak. His eyes landing on Aoki before heading down the line of us females until his eyes met mine. He gave a slight nod my way.

     Aoki Goto was of the opposite gender. She was also the one that lead us into the room. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and oversized sweat pants. She didn't dress to impress anyone. Most shapeshifters were like that. She had the same features as him. She had straight dark hair as well as lacked color in her eyes. Something I noticed thanks to her lacking any layers in her hair. She lacked style compared to her mate but she made up for it with a welcoming smile. She was plain and had nothing appealing to her as far as I could see. Her figure lacked curves.

     The two were both past their early twenties. They were both underweight and omegas. They almost reminded me of Jossie. Itsuki smelled different. Unlike anything I picked up on before. He almost smelled older than he appeared. He had been working around plants for so long he didn't have a distingusted scent about him. All I could pick up on was that he was male and he was Aoki's mate. This was different to me.

     "Ah~ Hello Luna April..." He bowed politely as he spoke with a mixed accent. I couldn't pin-point where he came from. Except from his appearance... I could only assume. "For what do I owe the pleasure?"

     "You remember my daughter Juliette?" My mother asked as she gestured to me. I smiled as their eyes lingered on me.

     "My apoligies... She's a lot bigger than the last time we met." He bowed his head politely at us. "You'll have to forgive me Ms. Juliette."

"I need you to do something for her, Itsuki."

"You're familiar with my price?"

"It'll be paid in full," my mother promised.

"Then what can I do for you?"

     "I'll bring back some refreshments," Aoki said as she seemed to snap on cue. She walked out of the room as if she was on a mission.

     "Have a seat," Itsuki said as he twirled his fingers. I felt confused as I looked in awe at golden sparks happening between his fingers. At the same time I felt a gush of wind pick up in the room. I jumped as I felt something hit the back of my knee. I was forced down into a chair from the impact. My mother sat down in a chair suddenly beside me. She crossed her legs and didn't seem fazed at all from the random chairs. I swear they weren't there before... I stared behind us in wonder at two gothic chairs that came out of nowhere. "Comfortable?" Itsuki asked in amusement as I looked back at him. He... He really is a witch.

     "Can you make my daughter smell and look like her sister, Josephine? We want it believable... So real that she won't be mistaken as a fake."

"It's so that I'll attract the lycan king, Camren."

"Am I missing something?" He asked in amusement.

"Josephine is Camren's true mate," I explained. "But..."

     "Why should she have the queen's throne when a better candidate is you?" Itsuki asked as he gave it a thoughtful look. He wouldn't want me to beg... would he? I stared down my mother for any hope she'll just order him to do it. He held his hand up as if to silence my mother before she could speak. "You don't just want to be your sister... You just need your mate changed to him. You want a love potion."

     "A love potion?" My mother asked and pratically snorted at the thought. A love potion? I don't need Camren to love me. I want him to believe I'm his mate. I just want that throne. It doesn't matter how I get it. I shook my head in agreement with my mother.

     "No," I said quickly.

     "Yes, you do." He said quickly as he snapped his finger and a book flew at him. He snatched it out of the air and held it up. I was shocked as his oversized jean jacket fluttered without any wind. Maybe it was from some impact- effect the book had on his body when they touched. There was an ancient language on the front but the picture had an elixer bottle as the cover art. I understood it had something to do with the love potion he wanted to give me.

     "I don't need that king to love me in order to get what I want," I said quickly.

     "Yes you do. Camren Ramirez will not wed unless it is to his soul mate. You want to fool him... That's what you'll have to become. If your scent was to revert back to normal and he found out you were a fraud... You would be executed on the spot. At any time... You give yourself away as an imposter... He will kill you. That is if you're not carrying a child at the time. Hear me out... What you want is a love potion." He cleared off a spot on a table and opened the book to look at the pages.

     "What do you have in mind?" My mother asked as she looked impressed by him.

     "I will make you a charm first. It'll be a locket bewitched to disguise your scent as his mate. You'll have one chance to do this right. These charms wear off after midnight. You'll need something from Josephine... A lock of hair... a finger nail, a drop of blood, or an eyelash." I guess I'll get mother to fetch me one of those... The charm will be enough to cover me for the evening at the masqurade. But, what about afterwards?

     "I thought you were making a love potion," I said quickly.

     "I'll get to that!" He said as he silenced me and pulled out a drawer under the table. He picked up an old locket as he showed it to us. "I'll charm this. You'll wear it around your neck. It'll make him believe you're his mate."

     "What about the potion?" I asked quickly.

     "You'll slip it to him somehow. That part is up to you. But, do it before midnight!" He ordered. "Once he's drunk it you'll have one chance to complete the mating ritual... Or it will wear out of his system within twenty four hours." Why does everything magical have a time slip?

     "Okay," I agreed. "But... what about my looks?" I asked him.

     "It doesn't matter. Go as who you want to be. But, make sure you're wearing the locket and you slip the potion into the drink. For moon's sake... Do not mess up in the mating ritual. Make sure you complete it."

     "What happens to Josephine afterward?" I asked curiously.

     "The goddess of fate will work that out," he promised me. I'm sure he'll be in trouble with her too for doing this... I wonder what my mother is paying him?

     "Don't worry about Josephine... She'll be locked up the whole time."

     "Cucumber water?" I heard Aoki ask as she came back in with a tray. There was a pitcher of cucumber water, glasses, and strawberries. She stopped in front of us. Her fingers letting go of the tray entirely. She sat the tray down on the air and suddenly a table appeared underneath to hold it up. "I also picked strawberries for a light snack." She gave a polite smile. "I don't like messing with the goddess of fate... So I will excuse myself." She bowed politely before leaving the room.

     "Aoki is so thoughful," my mother said in amusement as she started to eat the strawberries. "I almost want to steal her from you."

     "She's still young," Itsuki said as he gave us a smile. It made me wonder again... Was he older than he appeared? Was he similiar to a vampire?

     Itsuki got to work without hesitating. We sat back and watched him work his magic. His fingers dancing with the waves of static. His mouth mumbled a silent language I couldn't understand as he said his spells into the locket. It was changed from iron to silver as he charmed it to do as he wished. Afterwards he would create the love potion before our eyes.