Copyright © 2006 Aurelia Abbott
All rights reserved, Freya's Bower.
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Something squished underneath Estella's shoe, but she didn't pause to inspect it. Christine had shoved her out the door with a badly sketched map and cab money, but not before reminding Estella she would have to go this alone. That's okay, she thought. I did this alone, so it's only fair I fix it alone. Now that she was on her way to meet with the witch doctor, she wished she'd begged Christine to come along for moral support.
She had never been in this part of town before; close to downtown and in the midst of a trio of homeless shelters. She crept down the sticky sidewalk to an abandoned-looking apartment building. No other soul roamed the sidewalks lining the main boulevard. Estella wondered if they knew something she didn't.
Pulling the note from her pocket, she saw she had the correct address. 525 Stoker. Fifth Floor. Unfortunately. 525 Stoker was an ancient red brick building that had seen better decades. Its first floor windows were boarded closed, no signs of life in or around the building other than the sleeping person on the stoop. She pocketed the note and stepped over the sleeping form.
"Here t' see Medea du Lac?" An unknown voice called from the shadows as she stepped into the building.
Estella noticeably jumped. "Y...yes," she replied. She wondered if she could use her abilities in a pinch and cursed herself for not packing pepper spray.
"I take you t' her." A willowy child-like woman wearing a black lace dress, similar to something Stevie Nicks would have worn in her heyday, emerged from the corner of the first floor and began her ascent of the wooden staircase in the entryway. "You comin'?"
"I am," Estella said as she placed her hand onto the rickety banister. She prayed she was making the right decision and mentally recited a defense spell, just in case.
Copyright © 2006 Aurelia Abbott
All rights reserved, Freya's Bower.
Estella Morgan stood in her roommate Christine's bedroom in front of the floor-length mirror, admiring her reflection. Doubts about this arrangement once again floated into her mind.
It had been two days since her initial meeting with Medea du Lac, the witch doctor. In exchange for returning her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend from their rat forms back into their human forms, Medea had asked one thing: seduce a rogue warlock. It just so happened the warlock Estella was to seduce was her next-door neighbor, Jason Calhoun, who was rumored to be a pretty hot dish. She had questioned several female friends that lived in the apartment complex about Jason, but all of them refused to divulge any information about him. If no one would gossip, Estella knew he had to be too good to be true.
Her cleavage practically fell out of the black v-neck t-shirt, courtesy of her Victoria's Secret push-up bra. The hem of her flared blue jean skirt lay just below her knees; Christine's black sling-back shoes completed the ensemble. She had painstakingly applied her make-up and styled her light brown hair, all in accordance with 'The Seduction Plan' she and Christine had outlined that afternoon.
"A cup of sugar?" she questioned Christine, who stood to Estella's left, her eyes closed and mouth conjuring. "A cup of sugar isn't a believable excuse. People just don't ask for sugar anymore. This is not going to work."
"It is." Christine opened her eyes as Estella turned to face her. "It's a very believable excuse if you're entertaining."
"Huh?"
Christine presented her with two identical coffee mugs. "You have someone here and you're making coffee, but you're out of sugar. That is a legitimate reason to go next door."
Estella made a face but accepted the mugs and twirled to face her reflection once again. "'Hi. Could I borrow some sugar?' And then what do I say?"
"I can only get you in the door, Stel. What you do once you're there is up to you."