A chemical romance
Reason took over just before Jack was about
to take another sip.
“Stop,” Sara said.
Jack turned around and saw Sara running out
of the building.
“Don’t
drink it, she’s added a chemical or something; I’m not sure. Something to make
you do whatever she tells you. It’s the part of my notes that’s missing.”
“Hello?” Lavinia said, as if she had no idea
who Sara was. “And who are you to accuse me of that?”
“Let’s just say I have good instincts.”
“But you can’t be sure, right? I know you
can’t read my mind.”
“That’s true,” Sara said, “but I know your
type.”
“Really. Oh, that’s right. You have very…
peculiar talents.”
The trio walked towards the car park.
“Yes, and all you know is potions and how to
listen to your cell phone.”
“Well, I challenge you to a competition. Winner
gets to take Jack to homecoming.”
“Hey, wait a minute, I’m not for sale.”
“You should be so lucky,” Lavinia said. This
wasn’t the Lavinia Jack had seen a minute ago.
“Sure, but no… props,” Sara said, “ ‘cos
there’s no way you’ll win once we take your cell off you.”
“Okay. But I get to choose the place – my
place. Now. Game on. Race you both there.”
“Wait, what’s your address?”
“Since you’re so clever, you work it out.”
And almost instantaneously, Lavinia
disappeared. Whether she moved so quickly, or she could actually become
invisible, Sara wasn’t too sure.
“I think she has an invisibility potion,”
Sara said. She could see it quite clearly. “And a love potion… she’s more
powerful than we thought.”
“I’m going to trace her.”
Jack merged into a tiger and followed
Lavinia to her home. When he arrived he merged into human form and texted Sara
the address.
Lavinia insisted on bringing Jack a drink
which he declined.
“Hey, I don’t want any part of this stupid
competition and I don’t trust your drinks.”
“Pity, it could be fun. I think we’d be great
together.”
“I doubt that.” The sip of potion he’d
already taken had clearly worn off as they waited for Sara to arrive on the
deck of Lavinia’s luxury beachfront mansion.
“Maybe she’s not coming.”
“Oh, she’s coming,” Jack said. “Sara likes a
challenge.”
“Mmm… I don’t know what you see in her.”
“Who told you I like her?”
Lavinia waved her phone at Jack.
“I know everything.”
“Gimme that. No props, remember.”
“Sure.” Lavinia handed Jack her cell.
“I trust it’s in safe hands.”
“It is.”
“You must be thirsty from all of your…
exertions.”
“I’m fine,” Jack said, even though he was
starting to look enviously at Lavinia’s infinity pool. The house itself had
dark, ornate decorations inside.
Moments later, there was a knock on the
door. Lavinia opened it.
“Hi,” Sara said.
“Hi, I didn’t think you’d show,” Lavinia sniped.
“Well, that was your first mistake.”
Sara had taken longer; she’d stopped by
her desk in chemical romance class to pick up a few tonics. Without her phone,
Lavinia would never know. Sara expected her powers to be severely impeded on
her rival’s turf. She knew a few antidotes to whatever the meanest girl in
school had planned might be necessary.
“So, why did we have to meet here again?” Sara
handed Jack a drink from the vending machine at school.
“Thanks,” Jack said, gulping the soda.
Shifting made him seriously thirsty.
“My place has the view.”
“Oh, right.”
The trio looked out at the sparkling ocean
in the afternoon sunlight. Suddenly, the sky turned cloudy and lightening rang
out. Lavinia paused for a moment.
“Wait, I didn’t know we’d already started,”
Sara said.
Lavinia smiled just as the sun began to shine
brightly again.
Suddenly, the soft waves lapping to shore
turned from mid to large then almost tidal. One enormous wave seemed to gather
all of the others and form a huge tsunami-like wave of water.
“Stop!” Jack shouted. “Killing surfers is
not part of the game.”
“You’re right, as always. That’s what I
like about you, Jack. You are such a humanitarian. It’s wonderful to have the
voice of reason.”
Sara was impressed that Lavinia’s skills
had developed with the help of her notes. With or without her phone she was now
a force to be reckoned with.
“Here’s what I suggest,” Lavinia said. “A
truce. We should all be friends and work together to make homecoming dance,
perfect. To make everything at school, perfect. I’ve decided to become… good. I
want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd. I want to be part of this crowd. We three
have the most powerful skills in the school. I suggest we friend. What do you
think?”
Sara shrugged, she often drew blank where
Lavinia was concerned. “Let’s make a toast with soda – that’s all I have. But I
promise there are no potions in the bubbles!”
Jack turned to Sara, unsure. Lavinia seemed
friendly but he knew she was dangerous.
“If I can’t see any danger, it might be
because there isn’t any,” Sara whispered.
The maid arrived with drinks, sandwiches
and a bowl of fruit.
The maid tasted the drinks and food for
them, to prove it was safe.
“Perfectly fine,” she smiled.
Jack tucked into the food hungrily.
Lavinia handed Sara a juicy, red apple.
Suddenly, Sara had never been so hungry,
so keen to take a bite.
And she did.
Almost immediately, she collapsed.
Her apple was poisoned, Jack’s sandwich was
laced with love potion – a love potion that made him like Lavinia – so, at
first, he barely cared that Sara was lying motionless on the ground. Moments
later, he was moved to place a cushion under Sara’s head. Lavinia had used a
powerful potion to remove doubt and fear. She had filtered it through the
heating system.
Lavinia’s love potion had also been filtering
through the air all afternoon and Jack had arrived earlier than Sara. (Even so,
the potion only worked on boys!)
Lavinia rubbed her palms together. She was
thrilled that her plans were in process. Her maid just shook her head.
“I hope you are right and these childish
potions are only temporary. You promised you’d never do this again…”
“I lied,” Lavinia said, laughing.
After Jack collapsed on the couch from too
much of the formula, Lavinia had the maid turn off the air filter.
Sara fell into a trance like sleep that
only love’s true kiss could wake her from.
Jack woke first and Lavinia told him to carry
Sara home then return to take her to homecoming dance.
Jack did exactly what Lavinia told him to.
He found himself unable to resist and was soon driving towards the vacant lot
near Sara’s van. He stopped the car. Homecoming dance was a distant memory away
and Jack was delusional. All he could say was Lavinia’s name. All he could
taste was the sweet sticky juice of the colorful potion. Strangely, it tasted
of all the most amazing things in the world: oranges mixed with berries and the
flavor of honey. It tasted, good.
