Eschew (1)

Phoebe grabbed the small white quartz that was hooked to a silver chain. She then pulled up a map of the hotel on her phone. Focusing on her target, she let the quartz dangle over the phone. Within seconds, the quartz landed on a spot that marked the hallway outside of her room.

It was supposed to be a quick and easy board meeting between investors. Instead, it was turning into a nightmare because right outside of her hotel room door was Mr. Dawson. A crude and portly man whose sole intent was to make her his mistress.

Peeking out of the peep hole in the door, she saw that he was the only one out there. "Take these words and let them soar past this door to the ears of this eyesore. Take this fluke of a man and turn his good fortune into misfortune."

She always taught her niece to be mindful when using spells but her patience was running thin. Mr. Dawson had been following her around acting like a lost pup ever since she arrived. Her nerves were strapped thin to the point that she wanted to yank out her hair. She couldn't even return Luna's call because she was afraid of ranting and raving the poor girl's ear off.

Phoebe shoved her phone into her billfold after making sure it was on silent. With steady hands, she smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her suit. With a resolute sigh and straight shoulders, she opened the door.

Mr. Dawson's thin lips pulled back to expose a toothy grin. His chubby cheeks resembled a chipmunk with its mouth stuffed full.

"Hello, Mr. Dawson," her voice was curt. Without a second glance at him, she maneuvered her away around him without touching him.

"Phoebe Welsh," his overly sweet voice made her sick to her stomach. "Still playing hard to get, I see." She picked up the pace, wanting some distance between them. "I thought you should know that I plan on being in your area sometime in the near future," he huffed, showing just how enervated the man was.

Lengthening her stride, she blatantly ignored him. Mr. Dawson had become the bane of her existence since the first time they met three years ago. She was eager to see what her spell would do to him, consequences be damned.

After running down the four flights of stairs, the perfect opportunity to create space between her and Mr. Dawson, she finally reached the room where they were having the meeting. She slid into one of the empty seats and waited.

The wait didn't last long. The time to see Mr. Dawson profusely reap what he sowed had come to fruition.

As he was entering through the doorway, he tripped on air. Stumbling in a pinwheel state, he was able to keep himself from falling. The full head of hair he prided himself on, wasn't as lucky. The dirty blonde hair at the top of his head fell off, revealing itself to be a toupee.

Mr. Dawson bent to pick up the fallen toupee with a beet red face. The sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard as his fly gave way. His beady eyes widened and his face became even redder.

Snickers arose from those sitting. It seemed that the women in the group were highly enjoying the events that were playing out before them. Probably all victims of the man's persistent philandering.

Let them enjoy the man's torment all they want. The fun was only just beginning.

* * *

Luna hid behind the wall that opened up to the staircase. Her locker was in perfect view. Standing in front of her locker with his hands stuffed into his jeans was Kwon. His head hung low and his eyes were cast downward.

Taking in a deep breath, Luna spoke the words that she spent last night memorizing. "Take these words, in the air they'll soar until they reach the ears of this foolish Kwon. May this spell cleanse him now. Free him of the potion that bound, I now reverse what was done."

She held her breath. The magic that could normally be felt after a spell had been used was absent. She couldn't sense anything.

Why didn't it work? She couldn't recall a time where that spell failed. What did this mean? Can the effects of the love potion not be reversed?

She muttered the spell again. Again, nothing happened.

"Did it work?"

"Agh!" Luna bolted up from her hiding spot with a hand clutched over her heart. "Isaac!" She smacked her friend hard on the shoulder. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," he apologized as he rubbed the soreness out of his shoulder. "Did it work?" He repeated the question.

Luna shook her head. "I don't think so. I didn't feel any magic being used when I said the spell."

"We should check." Before she could react, Isaac had her by the arm and was pulling her out into full view of the hallway.

"No. Please stop." Luna tugged on her arm but was unable to break free from Isaac's grasp. When did he become so strong? "Isaac," she pleaded.

Kwon must have heard them because at that moment, he looked in their direction. The corners of his lips, which were tugged downwards just moments before, lifted up to reveal a soft smile. His brown eyes lowered into half crescents and looked as if they were sparkling even with the distance.

Isaac paused and she stumbled into him. "Retreat." He pulled on her arm once again but this time heading in the opposite direction.

They ran to the staircase and hid away from view. Luna placed her hands on her hips and glared at her annoying friend. "I told you not to do that."

"Don't nag me!" Isaac peeked out from behind the wall. "He's already left? I thought for sure he was going to follow us." He turned toward her in bewilderment. "I can't believe my eyes. The potion actually worked."

"Yeah." Luna pulled on the sleeve of her shirt. The look on Kwon's face was gentle and unfamiliar, making her feel even worse. "We have to fix this."