Scent of Magic (3 page)

School began on the last Wednesday in August. Starley wasn't exactly thrilled to be going back to school for a number of reasons. Being able to see things that no one else could see made making friends awkward. Starley thought it had been easier getting to know someone when she hadn't been able to see them as they truly were.

The first day of school in a new town always sucked. No matter how many times she'd gone through it in the past, it never got any easier for her. She might be outspoken at home, sarcastic even, but when it came to meeting new people, Starley was painfully shy.

Starley slid into an unoccupied desk in the back corner of the room for her first class. She kept her head down and only glanced up when the teacher entered. He was tall and thin and Starley did a double take when she saw horns growing from the top of his head. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times before the horns finally disappeared.

"You see them too, don't you," a tiny voice asked.

Starley froze for a second before turning to look at the girl who had spoken to her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"Stop it. Mr. Peterson is the devil incarnate, and you saw his horns just as clearly as I did. Don't even bother trying to deny it," the gap-toothed girl said.

Starley's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I saw. I just didn't think anyone else did."

"Finally. Someone else can see things the way I can," the girl said. She offered Starley a stick of gum. "I'm Rue. Rue Zimmer. And you are?"

"Starley Duchesne," Starley said, taking the gum.

"Wait 'til you meet his wife. She teaches English," Rue said.

Maybe things wouldn't be so horrible after all, Starley thought. She sat up a little straighter in her seat and doodled pitchforks and batwings in the margins of her notebook.

"I recognize most of you, but I do see a new face," Mr. Peterson said. His beady black eyes bored into Starley, and she squirmed in her seat. He picked up a clipboard and skimmed through the names. "Starley. How do you pronounce your last name, Starley?"

Starley felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Dew Shen."

"Ah. A French name, oui?"

Starley couldn't find her voice, so she merely nodded. Thankfully, his attention on her was short-lived, and he quickly went on to the day's lessons.

Just before the bell rang, Rue leaned into Starley's space. "Let me see your schedule."

Starley pulled the folded paper from her pocket and handed it to Rue.

"Sweet! We have practically all of the same classes," Rue said. She refolded the paper and gave it back. "Something told me this was going to be a great year. You'll get to see Mrs. P. next period."

After class, Rue tagged along as Starley went to her locker. They filed into the English classroom and Starley nearly swallowed her gum when she saw Mrs. Peterson. Someone had to be playing some sort of a joke on her.

There in all of her white-feathered glory stood an angel. Wings, halo, the whole nine yards. "You've got to be kidding me," Starley muttered.

"I know, right. What are the odds?" Rue giggled. "They say opposites attract."

Rue and Starley went their separate ways after English class but made plans to meet up in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Without Rue by her side, Starley shrank back into her usual shy self and kept her eyes on her feet as she went to her next class. That's when she ran into
him
. Literally.

"Hey! Stop trying to grope me," the boy said.

Starley's face turned bright red for the umpteenth time that morning. "Sorry," she murmured.

He laughed and bumped his shoulder against hers. "It's okay. I'm only playin' with ya."

Before Starley could recover and think up a witty comeback, he was gone. She didn't have any idea what his name was, but she was glad that he had at least appeared normal. Actually, he was better than normal; he just might have been the cutest boy she'd ever seen.

Maybe Rue had been right about this being a good year.

Starley saw him again during lunch period. He walked by the table where she sat with Rue.

"Hey, Zimmer," he said. "Introduce me to your friend."

Rue got that deer in the headlights look and shifted her attention from him to Starley and back to him. "Uh, this is Starley Duchesne. Starley, meet Beau Byrd. God's gift to teenage girls everywhere."

Beau stuck out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Starley Duchesne."

Starley shook his hand. "You too."

He gave her a mega-watt grin and sauntered off.

Rue gaped at Starley. "Not even one full day and you've already got the hottest boy in school hitting on you."

"Shut up. He was not hitting on me. He was just being polite," Starley said quietly.

"Oh huh-uh. Beau Byrd does not do polite without a good reason, my fair-haired friend. Beau Byrd doesn't do anything without an ulterior motive," Rue said.

"Well, at least he doesn't have any horns," Starley admitted as she stared after the blonde Adonis. "Or feathers."

"Maybe not, but trust me, I'm pretty sure I saw fangs," Rue whispered.

Starley laughed. "Fangs? You mean like a vampire or something?"

"No. Fangs as in canines. Wolf in sheep's clothing, that one," Rue said. "You do not want to go there. Like father, like son."

Starley shrugged. She didn't think she'd have to worry about going there.
A boy like Beau Byrd couldn't possibly be interested in me
, she thought.

Everyone knew what curiosity did to the cat. Francesca didn't have a mean bone in her body and about the only thing she would ever be capable of is killing someone with kindness. Running The Perfumery was perfect for her.

The sisters had unanimously chosen the first day of school as the best day to open the doors for business. Agreeing that all the mothers would be bored with their kids back in school, and would be looking for something to do to pass the time.

The day had a fall-like feel but was still warm enough to prop the doors open.

The open doors would certainly help to draw the passing curiosity seekers inside once they got a whiff of Juliette's secret concoction. She had dubbed it
Irresistible Curiosity
. Normally, Francesca was the one who developed various aromas, but Juliette's perfumes were so effective in doing what they were meant to do, that Francesca never stood in her way.

Irresistible Curiosity
was the type of scent that made you stop what you were doing, tip back your head and sniff the air like a dog getting a whiff of a T-bone. No one could put their finger on what it smelled like exactly. Some said vanilla. Others detected a citrusy note. Still others demanded it smelled like melted chocolate tasted.

Francesca had turned the ceiling fans on low. She then dipped a few cotton balls in the barely there aroma and placed them in strategic spots around the shop. Even Francesca with her nose for perfume was never quite sure what Juliette had used to create
Irresistible Curiosity
.

Juliette had teased that it should be called Circus.

"Why on earth would you want to call it that?" Francesca shook her head and laughed.

Juliette said, "Because everyone loves the thrill of a circus, right?"

That's what she said. But what she really thought was something more along the lines of a sucker being born every minute. Of course, she kept that sentiment to herself.

Francesca would not be amused.

Soft music floated through the overhead speakers. The ceiling fans wobbled slowly to create a subtle breeze, sending the wonderful, intoxicating aroma gently around the room and out the front door.

Juliette paced the floor with a feather duster in hand. She straightened the bottles and dusted away the invisible specs of dust to pass the time. Francesca stood behind the counter, glancing up from the crossword puzzle she was trying to complete.

"Juliette, I wish you'd sit down. You're making me nervous with all your unnecessary cleaning," Francesca said. She heaved a heavy sigh and walked to the front door, carrying a broom with her.

"You're one to talk to me about cleaning," Juliette said, shaking her head. "It's okay Frank; you can admit it. You're just as nervous as I am."

"I am not nervous," Francesca said. "I'm anxious. There's a difference."

Juliette put down the feather duster and turned the ceiling fans up a notch. "If you say so."

Francesca decided against sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store and came back inside. "Okay. I admit. I'm nervous." She chewed on the skin around her thumbnail and picked up the feather duster her sister had just put down.

"I've got an idea," said Juliette. "I bet the first person who walks through the front door will have red hair. A woman, of course. What do you think?"

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Francesca's mouth. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hmm. I agree with you that it will be a woman, but I'm sensing a brunette."

"Shall we make it an official bet?" Juliette asked.

"You're on. The loser has to fix the winner her favorite breakfast for a week," Francesca said.

Juliette scowled. "How is that fair? You know I don't eat breakfast."

Francesca scowled. "Fine. You think of something. Not that it'll matter since I'm going to win anyway."

The women high-fived one another -- their way of "shaking" on the bet and stared out the front window.

Two hours after they had unlocked the store and flipped the black and orange sign to open, a small, mouse-like woman appeared at the front door. She hesitated and before she could change her mind and scurry off, Juliette strode across the floor and took her by the elbow. Smiling smugly at Francesca, because she'd been right about the red hair, she steered the woman inside.

With one touch, Juliette sensed that the woman was so near-sighted she was nearly as blind as a newborn puppy. The glasses she wore were so thick and heavy they had left deep red marks on either side of her nose.

Francesca came closer and took a deep breath, picking up immediately on the sorrow the woman held inside from not being able to see over two inches in front of her face. With a quick nod at Juliette to indicate she had picked up the need, she hurried behind the counter and pulled out a small cobalt blue bottle.

"Good morning, thank you so much for stopping by today," Francesca said. She pulled the glass stopper from the perfume and held it out to the woman. "I'm Francesca, and this is my sister, Juliette."

"Hello, I've been so curious about this place." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I'm Nancy."

"Very nice to meet you, Nancy," Francesca said. She took the woman's hand and placed the small perfume bottle on her palm. "I can tell this scent was made just for you. What do you think, do you like it?"

Nancy nodded enthusiastically. "Very much. It's quite lovely. I don't believe I've smelled anything like it before. It must be terribly expensive." She started to hand the bottle back to Francesca.

"On the contrary, we make all of our perfumes right here. It cuts down on the overhead," Francesca walked behind the counter and flipped through a pad beside the cash register. She pretended to look up a price, scanning the page with her index finger. "Oh, here it is. This one's actually just a sampler. I'll give you the sample and if you like it, come back and I'll make you some more."

Nancy's eyes widened. "Honestly?"

"Honestly," Francesca said. "There's just one catch…"

Nancy's face crumpled. "Catch?"

"Yes," Francesca said, winking at Juliette. They'd been through the very same act so many times both women could recite it in their sleep. "You have to tell all your friends to stop in and have a look around, and I insist that you stop back in one week and let me know how the perfume is working out for you."

"Yes, yes, of course," Nancy beamed. "I can do that. Thank you so much."

She dabbed a little of the perfume behind her ears and sniffed the bottle one more time before capping it and hurrying out the door.

Once she was gone, Juliette frowned. "Do you think one week is enough time? Nearsighted Nancy might take a little more than seven days."

Francesca waved her sister off. "One week should be plenty. That perfume she took is pretty powerful stuff."

"We'll have to just wait and see, I suppose," Juliette said. "About that bet…"

"I know, I know. You won that one. Shall we try double or nothing?" Francesca asked.

Starley went straight home after school so she could check on Poe and Larry. She hated that the pets were left cooped up all day, but there wasn't any other alternative at the moment. Unless she could convince Francesca and Juliette that Poe would make an awesome conversation piece for The Perfumery.

Poe sidestepped back and forth on his perch the minute Starley walked into the room. She made sure he had fresh water and filled his bird seed. She opened her palm and showed him a peanut. "What do you say, Poe?"

"Crows can't talk," he said.

She gave him the peanut and giggled. No matter how many times he repeated that sentence, it never got old for Starley.

"Maybe not, but you do a pretty good job faking it."

Starley went down the long hallway to let Larry out of his crate. He made a beeline for the kitchen, and she followed. He guzzled from his water dish and looked up at her before going to stand by the sliding glass doors.

She took him outside so he could take care of business and when he finished he waited patiently to go back into the house. He was no dummy. He wanted his afternoon kibble. While he ate, Starley put on her roller blades and grabbed his leash.

Larry loved pulling Starley down the street and could barely contain his excitement long enough to finish eating his dinner. As soon as he'd snarfed all of his food, he ran over to the front door and patiently stood still while she attached his leash.

Locking the door behind her, she grinned at Larry and commanded, "Mush!"

Off they went toward The Perfumery.

A few minutes later, she coasted to a stop in front of the store and did a double take when she saw a small cluster of women waiting in line at the cash register. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Starley had been worried about Prosperity. She couldn't figure out how or why Francesca had chosen that town, of all places, to open up another shop. Over the years, she'd learned not to doubt any decision either of her older sisters made.

Juliette looked up as Starley skated inside and gave her a wink.

Starley never fiddled with the perfumes, about all she knew about the different scents was that some of them smelled better than the others. She sat down and slipped out of her skates and put on the sneakers she'd draped around her neck before putting Larry in the playpen they kept for him in the back room.

A steady stream of customers kept the ladies busy straight through until six when they flipped the orange and black sign to
closed
. Francesca hooked her elbow with Juliette, and Juliette did the same with Starley, and the three of them did a little rendition of ring around the imaginary rosy right there in the middle of the store.

They tidied up by straightening the bottles and Juliette pulled the cash from the drawer with an enormous grin plastered across her face.

"A smile that wide can only mean one thing," Starley said. "Profitable day?"

"Indeed, a very profitable day," Juliette said.

Starley slung her rollerblades over her shoulder and went to get Larry.

The women practically skipped with joy all the way home.

"Epic opening day," Francesca said with a breathy sigh. "Just epic."

After dinner, they finally got around to asking Starley about her day at school, and Francesca asked, "How was school? Did you meet anybody interesting?"

For some silly reason, Starley felt her cheeks grow warm with an uninvited blush. "There are some interesting teachers. I made a new friend. Her name is Rue. I think I'm going to like my classes. Oh, and a boy flirted with me."

"That's nice," Francesca said. When the last part of Starley's statement sunk in she spun around from doing dishes. "Wait. What? Did I hear you right? Did you say a boy flirted with you?"

Starley bobbed her head up and down.

Juliette draped the kitchen towel over her shoulder and leaned against the counter. "Was he cute? What's his name?"

"He's okay," Starley said with a shrug, trying hard to keep the butterflies from waging war inside her stomach. "His name is Beau Byrd."

"From the sparkle in your eye and the color of your cheeks, I'd say he's more than okay," Francesca said.

Starley smiled. "Yeah, he really is."

"Well, are you going to tell us anything else about him, or do we have to guess?" Juliette asked.

"There's not much to tell," Starley said. She tucked her hair behind her ears and added, "yet."

Francesca's eyes widened. "This calls for a new perfume. Starley needs a special perfume, wouldn't you agree, Jules?"

"Definitely," Juliette said.

"Stop it, you two. He was probably just being nice to me since I'm the new girl. If he even remembers I'm alive tomorrow, we'll discuss the special perfume," Starley said. She peered into the window of the microwave and stared at her reflection. Tipping her head this way and that, she asked, "Juliette, do you think you could show me how to put on a little makeup?"

Francesca dropped a glass, and it shattered into thousands of tiny slivers on the kitchen floor. "Oh, my stars. Could it be our little sister is finally growing up?"

Starley rolled her eyes at Francesca's theatrics and looked at Juliette for an answer.

"Yes, of course," Juliette said. "It's just a little mascara and blush, Frank. When she starts begging us to take her shopping for clothes … then we'll talk about the birds and the bees."

Starley's mouth dropped open and her ears burned. "That's not even funny, you guys!" She ran from the room, too embarrassed to breathe.