Ensnare

The full midnight sun shone beautifully through my stained bay windows, as I lit the candles placed neatly in my pink-salt triquetra on my alter; ‘twas the night I would make Joseph Duchannes fall in love with me. Okay don’t judge me, I found this spell online and there is nothing wrong with trying something new out, Joseph is literally the hottest guy in school and I think that I’d love to be the apple of his eye.

Holding up a clear glass plate with a single slice of freshly made chocolate cake on it, up toward the full moon, I whisper out an incantation, wait I just used the word incantation-maybe I am getting really into this witch thing. Clearing my throat harshly, I speak my charm.

“Southern gale of lovers twined,

Around his heart, a spell I wind

Of soft voices singing in midnight air,

Let thy lover be ensnared.”

I slowly reached toward the window and open its latch, enough so that the scent of the slice of cake would float out into the night air. Watching the steam leave the cake, I began humming a Jolly Sailor Bold-a siren's tune out into the smoke, using the air as a way to carry my words into the universe. Well, all that’s next of the spell is to somehow get Joseph to eat the cake, now how the hell am I supposed to do that.

“Veronica!” My mother shouts from downstairs in a boisterous tone.

“Coming!”

Grabbing a random sheet and placing it over my ritual supplies, trying my best to hide the evidence of what I was doing up here in the attic; the last thing I need is my mom or little brother finding this stuff and thinking I’m some occult weirdo or something. Well, I did really google some love cake spell thing just to make Joseph fall in love with me, but like what teenage girl doesn’t want the love of her life to at least notice her? I just want him to want me, that’s not so bad, I think.

Finally making my way downstairs, I notice my mom in a very scandalous, short, and semi-tight black dress, with black lace-up heels.

“Okay V, so remember that guy from the Thanksgiving party? His name is Pogue and well he asked me out at the last minute and I kind of like this guy a lot, so I’m just gonna be spontaneous and go on a date with him. Is that so crazy?” The hopeful gleam in my mom's beautiful eyes glowed ever so brightly at the slightest chance of romantic happiness, I smile as I see her finally allowing herself to be romanced, ever since my dad died seven years ago-its almost like she gave up on love, I’m proud of her.

“Mom it's totally okay, go have fun, I and Ben will be totally fine for the night,” I turn on my heel as I started to begin my way back upstairs, yet stopped midway as my mom said something that made my heartbeat in my ears.

“Remember that Duchannes boy? Well, he’s coming over to watch your brother,”

I feel myself growing faint, “Mom I do not need a babysitter!”

She smiled softly, “Honey he’s for your energetic brother, I know you don’t necessarily like watching him and you’re tired from swim practice; I just thought you deserved a break.”

I feel myself regaining consciousness mentally and find myself smiling back at her.

“Thank you for thinking about me, but mom this guy-“ I was cut off as a doorbell rang and my mom opened it revealing Joseph himself.

“Hello Ms. Westwood, I got here a little early, I hope you don’t mind,” Joseph says in his deep honeysuckle voice.

“No it's fine Joseph, come on in!” My mom says a little too cheery for my liking.

Joseph looks up at me on the stairs and I swear the airflow in my lungs just stopped working.

“Well, you kids get along well!” My mom says as she begins her way out of the front door while turning around to mouth to me “He’s cute!” The shade of red I turned was obscene, I’m sure a tomato would jealous at how pigmented I am at the moment.

“So…” I start.

“So…” He follows up.

“So…Ben is in his room, first door on the right. and um dinner is in a few minutes, I think.” I awkwardly fumble my words out as I turn on my heel and make a dash upstairs to the attic, hearing a deep, soft chuckle as I disappeared deeper into my home.

Making my way back to the room, I notice a dark-light glow from under the sheet where I left the slice of chocolate cake and start to wonder why the hell would it be glowing, that’s so freaking weird- wait! I cast that spell, I completely forgot, but I didn’t think it would actually work, well either the magical glow means it worked, or its either some form of mold that I never heard of and grew in only a few minutes, kind of hoping it’s the first option to be honest.

I grab the plate with the now dying glow of the slice of cake and began making my way downstairs again, upon reaching the kitchen-quite fast might I add; I place the cake on the island countertop and make my way over to the oven to take out the rotisserie chicken my mom left for us. Booming voices can be heard coming down the hallway as Joseph aka the love of my life and Ben aka my overly energic little brother make their way into the kitchen, Ben on his way to the table and Joseph stopping behind me.

“Oh h-hi, I didn’t know you were right behind me,” I sheepishly said.

“Oh I’m sorry, I just smell this cake and I really want to taste it,” He smiles while his eyes glaze over a bit.

“Well, I don’t like chocolate so it's all yours!” Okay, that was extremely easy, what if the scent of the spell actually found its way to him.

“Hey! I want some cake!!” Ben yells from his seat at the table while I sent an annoyed glare his way.

When I turned back around, the glass plate was licked clean, christ I didn’t know Joseph liked chocolate so much.

“So… how do you feel?” I say with a hopeful smile on my face.

“I feel…um…why do you look so…” He leaned on the countertop while trying to keep a steady gaze with me.

“I look so…?” I feel a smile beginning to grow bigger upon my face as I mentally prepare myself for all the lovin’ Joseph is going to give me.

“…Delicious,” He says before rows of sharp teeth sprout from underneath his gums and his warm brown eyes all of a sudden turning into a pale milky white with a burning pink ember in the center for pupils.

“SHIT, BEN RUN,” I turn my head grab the mug near me on the island smashed it against his head. Joseph growled and coiled away from me for enough time for me to run after my brother.

I and Ben dash up the stairs like track stars with Joseph hot on our trail, I push Ben into the hallway bathroom while Joseph got ahold of my midsection and body-slammed me on our wooden floor. Joseph climbed on top of me and growled hungrily into my ear, I felt burning hot fear coursing through my veins as I thought this was going to be the way I die. I look to the left of me and see the hallway lamp knocked on the floor stretching my arm out, I was somehow able to reach it and knock Joseph across the head, he hit the floor clutching his now cut cheek as I waste no time getting up and running toward the attic door.

“You can’t hide from my love!” Joseph says in a demonic voice down the hallway.

As I make it to the attic, I slammed the door shut behind me and proceeded to grab items to barricade the door. All I could hear is him growling behind the wooden door as hot tears stream down my face. “Joseph you don’t have to do this!” I cry out behind the door as I know that the door wouldn’t be able to hold for long.

A bright pink glow was coming from the corner of my vision and as I turned around, I saw the triquetra that I made burning brightly.

“What the hell is going on here?”

I began inspecting the glowing magical symbol, clearly wasting time as before I knew it, the door behind me broke off its hinges and the items that were barricading it flew all around the room.

“Shit!” I scream out as I cover my head.

Joseph storms in with a dark smirk on his face, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight from the stained windows.

As I lay on the floor, slowly moving backward I felt my palm slightly wipe the symbol and break its magical seal; I didn’t realize that it was over until I felt Joseph's arms wrap around me. I looked to the left of his shoulder and saw that the symbol wasn’t glowing anymore and that the circle around it was smeared because of my hand, I don’t think I’ve felt more grateful to be alive, like ever. At least Joseph’s non-murderous arms were wrapped around me, so I guess that’s nice.

“Did I hurt you? I’m sorry it just felt like I was stuck in my own body and someone else took over,” He says worriedly.

“Only a few scratches here and there, nothing I couldn’t handle,” I say in a loving daze under his embrace.

“Okay good, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had hurt the girl I care deeply about,” He confesses as I choke on my spit.

“Wait, wait, wait, you…want me?”

“Why do you think I took this job?” He says sheepishly, while I think I’ve had enough excitement for the night and pass out in his arms.