Chapter 7: Welcome to the Island

Still struggling to explain away what I'd just seen as a caffeine fueled hallucination, I remained on my knees on the less than pristine industrial tile floor while the main door of the bathroom swung open behind me and a pair of black booted and skinny jeaned legs entered. Yes, I spotted her out of the corner of my eye, but I was too stunned to do much about it. Because being on my knees in a public washroom was totally normal and easy to explain. It was just, well.

Hallucinations. For all I knew, she wasn't real either. So I didn't turn until a woman's voice spoke, spinning around to look up at her while she did.

"Reese, there you are." She had a deep voice for a young woman, black hair past her waist, a big, black hat flopping over her pale cheeks. The purple lipstick and black liner, skull ring and heavy boots screamed Goth chick, but she seemed nice enough, smiling as she went on and my mind stuttered over what I thought I'd seen and wait, how did this woman know my name? "I'm Piper." She didn't seem put off by my lack of communication when I looked away again, almost afraid to check the status of the empty stall, but finding it still gapingly absent of a woman in an old dress. "I heard you were having car troubles, so I'm here to rescue you."

"Did you just see...?" Of course she didn't. She wasn't in here when what just happened, happened. And you know what? I decided right then and there in my very best avoidance behavior kind of process that I didn't see anything either. I huffed at myself, shook my head. I'd just worked my butt off for weeks then jumped in my car, dumped my life and drove too far, too fast on way too much coffee than was good for me. And I expected not to see things?

Seriously.

She peeked over my shoulder into the stall before shrugging her narrow shoulders. Man, she was tall. "See what?" Yes, I was jealous of her height. This short girl had long leg issues. "What are you doing on the floor?" And though I'd never pull them off, I freaking loved her boots.

Wait, she asked me a question. "Nothing." I looked down at the brush still in my hand, feeling entirely off and epically disoriented. Where was the pink sparkly feeling when I needed it? Hell, where was the typical kind of gray wash that was my life? Anything but this wonky, wobbly bit of whoa what the crap just happened. I fumbled for some kind of coherence and settled on realizing our encounter needed explaining. "Who are you again?"

She already had her hand on my purse straps, was reaching for me, pulling me forcefully to my feet. I didn't resist, knees a bit on the weak side of support but managing to lock them before I collapsed or twitched like there was something seriously wrong with me. Who knew, maybe there was? That CAT scan might be a good idea after all.

Didn't help she was so cool and confident. Yes, and tall, beautiful, mysterious. And didn't have coffee down her pristine black t-shirt. Or, at least, if she did I couldn't see it.

Note to whacked out self. Buy more black.

And then she was moving and I was too, with a little squeak of surprise. We were out the door, me staggering after her, still clutching my brush like a lifeline while she waved with her free hand- my purse slung over one shoulder-at the uniformed woman behind the counter.

"Thanks, Tammy! Got her."

Tammy simpered a smile at my companion but didn't seem to mean it because as soon as Piper-she said Piper, right?-looked away the coffee shop maven fixed me with a bit of a glare while I hurried after the Gothic princess.

It wasn't until we exited the glass door and ended up in the parking lot, the sky no longer dumping masses of moisture, sun peeking through the clouds, that I managed to pull myself together enough to jerk free of the Amazonian wonder woman and stumble to a halt.

Just as a big truck drove off, my car on a flatbed behind it. The driver had the nerve to toot as he chugged away with my life.

What the actual...? "Hey!" I halfheartedly chased after the towing rig, heart sinking, lost for real now, adrift without my stuff or my horribly traitorous car.

"No worries, lovely," Piper said, all casual nonchalance while my frustration rose into the back of my throat at the fact she clearly didn't get there were worries, damn it, and I had them piling up higher and higher around me. "Your car is in good hands."

I spun on her, to yell at her or something equally ridiculous when she had, actually, just rescued me from being alone on this Island without a vehicle. To find she was walking away as if she couldn't care less if I went with her, long, slow strides carrying her to a cute black hatchback. I hated the feeling of disorientation, the utter loss of control as I ran after her, waving my brush at her as if the gesturing of a styling implement would get me anywhere.

"Who did you say you were?" The words came out too fast, in panting haste.

That stopped her in her tracks and she turned back to me. But she still didn't seem concerned or apologetic. Not by that little smile, the way her dark eyes twinkled like she was mocking me.

"Goddess," she said, laughter in her voice. "I'm sorry, Reese. I'm not doing this very well." She half-grimaced. "I'm part of the group that brought you here. The Lovely Witches Club."

Oh, she was, was she? Why did that make me so mad all of a sudden? After all, it made sense, right? If anything of this weird and-now that I actually stopped and thought about the massively stupid risk I'd taken accepting money from total strangers and abandoning my life at a moment's notice to chase a pipe dream that likely wasn't what I was expecting at all-crazy choice I'd leaped into made sense.

"I get it," I snarled at her, taking my purse from her offered hands, jamming my brush into its depths where important things usually went to die. "The chick in the dress. From the poster. Your idea of a joke?"

I finally got more than a grin from her. In fact, she frowned this time, temper flashing in her eyes, hands on her hips. I had a feeling, despite her calm, Goth demeanor, I didn't really want to make this woman angry. Ever. "What chick?"

I opened my mouth to try to explain, now confused and lost and more than a little overwhelmed when she shook her head and went on.

"Listen," she said, voice low and apologetic. "We've gotten off to a bad start, obviously." She stuck out her hand and waited for me to shake it. Which I did, slowly and slightly reluctant but glad I did when she nodded. "Welcome to PEI, Reese. We're really, really glad you're here."

She stood there, eyes locked on mine, waiting as if for a response to her words. When I nodded back at last, she smiled once more. And then she turned and walked to the driver's door of her hatchback.

And I followed, deflated but still wound up.

"So, you just knew I was here, is that it?" How had she known where to find me? "Some kind of witchy intuition?" I meant that as a joke, choked on the condescending laugh that tried to emerge when she met my eyes again over the roof of her car. So serious, so focused, I felt a shiver run up my spine. "Is that part of your magic act?" I had to open my mouth and insert my foot. Just couldn't help myself. Rambling was my favorite reaction to nervousness.

"Act?" Piper's smile wasn't kind. "Oh, no. Word just gets around quickly. It's a small place, Reese. Everyone knows everyone."

Big city girl in me thought that was creepy. Like stalker creepy.

"Come." She climbed into her car, slamming the door. I jerked open the passenger's side, really with no other options, slipping in beside her, wondering how people kept their cars so pristine when mine was a disaster. I didn't even want to put my feet down on the spotless floor mats just in case I transferred some smut from the pavement. "We'll talk more on our way to The Cupboard."

"The where?" I glanced into the back seat, spotted a guitar case. "You're a musician?"

She inhaled sharply, making multiple "yup" sounds as she did while I wondered if she was choking.

"What was that?" Did I need a paramedic?

Piper laughed at last, firing up the engine and pulling away while I struggled to fasten my seatbelt as she spun the small car with ease and at a far too rapid rate of speed for my liking, tires humming faintly while she peeled out onto the highway. "You'll figure it out."

"And my car?" I didn't mean to sound grumpy, but damn it, my life was in Carol. "Will I figure out where she went on my own, too?"

"Cooper Towing," Piper said. "He'll fix her right up. But you have more important things to focus on now that you're here."

Right. Witches. I grimaced at the pentagram hanging from her rearview mirror, caught her watching me looking and crossed my arms over my chest, sitting back and looking purposely out the window, not so sure I wanted this job after all.

Too late? We'd see. Witches. What was I thinking? I was right about the CAT scan. A tumor, had to be. Because otherwise I really had lost my mind and I wasn't sure I could live with that.

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