A Hint of Magic (3 page)

The sound of Clarissa’s phone ringing startled her awake.  In fact, she nearly fell off the couch.

“Hello?” she said sleepily after fumbling to grab it off of the coffee table.  She didn’t remember lying down on the couch or falling asleep.  She had pulled an all-nighter and then had spent the afternoon fine tuning her work.  After that, apparently, she had succumbed to exhaustion.

“Where are you?” Liana demanded, not bothering to say hello.

“Huh?” 

“Did you forget about my party?”

“No,” Clarissa said, even though it kind of had slipped her mind.

Stifling a yawn, she looked out the living room window.  It was dark outside, but that didn’t tell her much.  Now that autumn was in full swing, the sun was going down super early.  That had to be the worst part of winter, aside from the cold and ice and snow.  Stupid lazy sun!

“What time is it?” Clarissa asked. 

Then she realized she was holding her phone.  She pulled it away from her ear and looked at it.  Her eyes widened.  Could it really be that late?  She had slept for
hours
! 

“I’ll be right over,” she assured Liana guiltily before hanging up. 

She jumped off the couch and raced to the bathroom.  She quickly ran a brush through her long, dark hair and spritzed on a bit of perfume.  Then she raced into her bedroom, running around at lightning speed. 

The cat looked on with amusement.  It always seemed to enjoy when Clarissa made a spectacle of herself.  The spiteful little creature seemed to love nothing more than when she got all worked up and raced around in panic mode.

But there was no time to think about what a psychopath the cat was.  She had a party to get to!

Hurriedly, Clarissa grabbed her purse off her nightstand.  She fished her car keys out of it and raced for the door.  There was no time to primp and preen in front of the mirror.  She had already slept through the first hour of her best friend’s annual Halloween party!

The drive to Liana’s place was a short one. 

Every
drive in Sugarcomb Lake was a short one.  That was one of the nice things about being in a small town.  When Clarissa had been in college in the city, she’d had a terrible time arriving at places on time!  But in her sleepy little hometown, one could get virtually anywhere in a matter of minutes – especially when one had a heavy foot like Clarissa did.

She still didn’t know how she didn’t have a million speeding tickets.  She certainly deserved them, as abiding by the speed limit wasn’t exactly her strong point.  Luck, it would seem, was on her side. 

Ten minutes later, Clarissa was pulling up outside her best friend’s house.  Or rather, she was several houses down the street from Liana’s place.  Apparently the party was well-attended, as vehicles lined both sides of the normally quiet street.

Liana threw a Halloween party every year. 

She had done that ever since tenth grade when she had turned her parents’ basement into a spooky haunted house.  Even as college students, she and Clarissa had returned to Sugarcomb Lake every Halloween to honor the much-loved tradition.  Even after college, the parties had continued.  Liana had moved back in with her parents to save money, and had kept right on “borrowing” their basement for the annual celebration.  It was always a good time.

This year, however, there was a big difference:  Liana no longer lived at home. 

It would be strange not having the party at her parents’ place.  The mostly-finished basement had been rather creepy to begin with.  It had dark with foreboding shadows in all the right places.  Its wooden beams had provided the perfect spot to hang terrifying Halloween decorations, and when the furniture was pushed against the walls, there was a great dance space.

Sometimes Clarissa had to stop and remind herself that she was a grown woman of nearly thirty, not a teenager.  It was always a strange and startling realization. 

But there was no time to sit and reminisce. 

Liana was probably already upset that Clarissa had missed the start of the party.  It was time to get inside and smooth over any hurt feelings.  Besides, a break would probably be good.  Spending all day and night writing about oversized pumpkins and muffin bake-offs was likely turning Clarissa’s brain to mush.

Liana had purchased a house in a nice part of town – apparently she was doing well for herself with her freelance graphic design business.  The two-storey home was modern and sleek looking – and it was also decorated from top to bottom.

“Eek!” Clarissa screeched as a motion-activated zombie sensed her presence and sat up in its open coffin.  Then, once she could breathe again, she started to laugh.  Liana always managed to find the best decorations.  And Clarissa always managed to be startled by them.

“Realistic, huh?” a young man who had witnessed Clarissa’s reaction remarked. 

He was learning against the side of the house smoking a cigarette.  It seemed uncharacteristic considering his costume:  he was dressed as a nerd, complete with thick glasses, an ill-fitting button up shirt and a pocket protector. 

“Yeah,” she grinned, making her way to the front door of Liana’s house. 

She wondered briefly if she ought to know the guy in the nerd costume.  She had become a bit of a hermit lately what with starting her own newspaper and all.  It didn’t leave her a lot of time for socializing. 

She decided if he called her by name or otherwise indicated that he knew her, she would pretend to recognize him.  That seemed like the polite thing to do.

Thankfully, he didn’t say another word.  He was too busy puffing on his cigarette and coughing.

“Hey Clarissa!” a pretty, eye-patch-wearing pirate called as soon as she walked in the front door.

“Amy!” Clarissa exclaimed, instantly recognizing the petite frame and curly reddish-brown hair.  She lit up, glad to see her old friend from high school.  It had been far too long.  “How are you?”

“Great!  I didn’t know you’d moved back to town until I heard you had started your own newspaper,” Amy smiled as the stuffed parrot on her shoulder looked on.  “Congratulations!  I heard you’re living at your parents’ place?”

“I am.  But it’s not what it sounds like.  My parents retired to Florida and I couldn’t stand the thought of them selling my childhood home.  I guess I’m sort of sentimental.  So I bought the house from them and moved back to town,” Clarissa explained.

“Oh wow!  How do your mom and dad like Florida?”

“They love the weather!” Clarissa replied.  “It beats Minnesota’s winters.”

“That’s for sure!  And how do you like being back in town?”

“It’s very different than being in the city,” Clarissa smiled.

“I bet!  It’s really good to see you,” Amy said.  “We should get together and catch up.”

“Definitely,” Clarissa agreed.  “How did we ever lose touch to begin with?” she wondered aloud.

“There you are!” a vampire who sounded exactly like Liana exclaimed, interrupting the two.  Well, she sounded like Liana would if Liana had a lisp.  Apparently it wasn’t easy to talk clearly while wearing artificial fangs.

“Hi,” Clarissa said sheepishly.  “Sorry I’m late.  Great costume!” she added.

“What are you supposed to be?” Liana asked after removing her fangs.

“Um…a forgetful reporter,” Clarissa replied, flashing a big cheesy please-forgive-me smile.

“I knew you’d forget your costume,” Liana sighed with a shake of her head.  “Come with me, I’ll hook you up.  I’ve got stuff upstairs that you can wear.”  With that, she grabbed Clarissa’s hand and pulled her up the stairs.

“A lot of people turned up for your party,” Clarissa remarked once they were in Liana’s bedroom.  She took a seat on the edge of the bed as Liana rummaged around inside her closet in search of costume apparel. 

“Yeah I know,” Liana replied.  “There are a few people here I don’t even recognize!  Oh, that reminds me, Parker Tweed is here…somewhere,” she shrugged.  “He was looking for you.”

“Oh!” Clarissa exclaimed, feeling foolish.  “I completely forgot I invited him.”

Liana emerged from her walk-in closet holding an oversized black t-shirt and a witch hat.  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked with concern.  “I think maybe you’ve been working too hard.  Everyone needs to take a break sometimes – even you.”

Clarissa nodded and then pulled the black t-shirt on overtop of her own.  “Who would have thought writing about boring small town news could be so exhausting, huh?” she joked.  “I guess I underestimated how much work it would be to singlehandedly write and print a newspaper.”

“Maybe you need to think about hiring an assistant or something,” Liana suggested as she tossed the witch hat to Clarissa.  “But anyway, I need to get back downstairs.  Parker is wearing a ghost costume,” she advised.  Then she grinned and gave her best friend a wink.  “Good job inviting him.  You two have fun tonight!”

Liana rushed back to her hostess duties, leaving Clarissa standing there alone.  She looked down at the witch hat she was holding and smirked.  It was kind of ironic that she was dressing up as a witch considering she had been dabbling in magic lately. 

“Parker is looking for me,” Clarissa remembered, feeling almost as scatterbrained as her loopy aunt.  She plopped the hat squarely on top of her head and then rushed out into the hallway.  She nearly collided with none other than the handsome newspaper heir himself. 

“There you are,” he announced triumphantly.  He had lifted up his ghost mask to reveal his face and he was giving her a smile that could melt an iceberg.  Those dimples of his were to die for.

“Hi!” she exclaimed, instantly brightening. 

“I’ll be right out,” he said, nodding toward the bathroom.

“Oh, okay.” 

As soon as Parker had disappeared into the bathroom, Clarissa raced back to Liana’s bedroom.  She helped herself to her best friend’s lipstick and eyeshadow.  She wished she had taken time to primp and preen before leaving the house, but at least she had an opportunity to make herself look more presentable now. 

“Hurry up!” Clarissa urged herself as she fussed with her long, dark hair.  She was eager to have a moment alone with Parker upstairs before they rejoined the noisy chaos of the party on the main floor.  Once she was satisfied that she looked good, she rushed back out into the hallway.

A tall, broad-shouldered ghost was standing out there, leaning against the wall.  The costume was simple but effective:  a long white sheet that came up to the neck and a white face mask with holes cut out for the eyes and mouth.  It worked.

Feeling emboldened, Clarissa walked over.  “I should have done this as soon as I saw you,” she whispered in the ghost’s ear.  Then she grabbed the bottom of the face mask and pulled it up.  Boldly, Clarissa planted a kiss right on Parker’s lips.

That was when the bathroom door opened.

“Clarissa?” Parker asked uncertainly as he emerged from the bathroom.

“Hey, what are you doing?” the ghost Clarissa had just kissed demanded.  “If you think I’m going to let you cut in line for the bathroom, forget it!”  Indignantly, he pulled his mask back down over his face and stomped off to take his turn. 

“I – I thought it was you!” Clarissa squeaked, completely mortified.  What were the odds of someone else with the exact same costume being out there in the hallway?  She didn’t even know who she had kissed!  She was so embarrassed!

“Did you hear that?” Parker asked suddenly, looking past Clarissa.

“Hear what?”

Then she did hear it.  When she strained, she could just barely make out the chanting that was coming from the backyard.  Though it was muffled by the music playing downstairs, Clarissa could still discern what was being said – and it was alarming.

“Fight!  Fight!  Fight!” a number of people were yelling.

“What’s going on?” she gasped in dismay.  She made a beeline for the nearest window and peered out into the backyard.  What she saw was a concerning sight.

There in the moonlight, a group of partygoers had congregated.  They formed a semi-circle around two people who were violently wrestling.  The surreal thing about it was that everyone was in costume.  It made the whole thing look pretty crazy!

Parker winced as one of the people punched the other right in the face.  “That’s gotta hurt.” 

Clarissa nodded as she looked on helplessly.  She hated violence.

The guy who had been hit in the face was doubled over now, the long dark cape of his costume trailing behind him.  It didn’t seem to matter.  His assailant threw another punch, knocking him flat on his back.

Parker shook his head in disgust.  “That was dirty,” he complained, voicing Clarissa’s own sentiments.  “You never hit someone when they’re down.  That idiot down there isn’t even fighting fair.  It’s a great way to really injure someone.”

“It looks like the fight is getting out of control,” Clarissa observed.  “We should go stop it.”

With that, she raced down the stairs.  Parker was right on her heels.

Downstairs, the music was so loud that no one even seemed aware of what was happening outside.  The living room was packed – the turnout for the party this year was probably the best it had ever been.  People were dancing, drinking and having a great time.