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An angry, purple cloud swirled out of my cauldron and filled the air. I raised my hand to call for the Professor before a blast sent me flying backwards.

My head hit the wall with a thud before darkness swept over me.

I woke with a jolt, nearly tumbling out of my bed and staring around. Then sagged in relief as I took in my room here in Moonlit Grove.

Fuck. That dream needed to stop at some point. Not only was I exiled to a cursed town, now I’m forced to relive the worst day of my life at least once a month.

My alarm blared a moment later and I stifled a scream. For a brief second, I seriously considered smothering it with a pillow and pretending opening my shop was optional.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Even in a cursed town we had to pay our bills. You’d think the magistrate would provide what we need here but nope, we were forced here and expected to keep up with what we needed. The most they did was send supplies to those too dangerous to work in town.

I’d spent far too much of the night replaying my conversation with Rook. Every time I convinced myself the self-proclaimed curse expert couldn’t possibly help me, I’d remember the certainty in his voice and start wondering all over again.

Hope was a dangerous thing. I learned that lesson years ago.

With a groan, I silenced the alarm and dragged myself through my usual morning routine before heading for the shop.

Halfway down Main Street, my phone chimed with Blake’s custom ringtone. Digging through the bottomless pit I lovingly referred to as my tote bag, I finally fished it out before she could decide I was ignoring her. It was times like these I cursed using charms to make life easier. Bag expansions were all fun and games until you needed something in a hurry.

Blake

Coffee??

How did she always know exactly what I needed?

Prue

Are you sure you can’t read minds from far away?

Blake

Nah, but how handy would that be? Meet you in front of your shop at ten.

Prue

Thanks. See you soon.

After sending the message, I called Mrs. Johnson. Between the chickens, the magistrate, and accidentally giving one away, I’d completely forgotten about picking up her estate boxes yesterday.

Thankfully, she wasn’t upset. Living in Moonlit Grove meant she’d almost certainly heard about the latest incident before I’d even remembered to apologize.

We ended the call and I tucked my phone back into my tote and stepped outside. The Halloween decor had slipped out of town center and now decorated most homes. I made a mental note to put something together later.

Maybe I’d even rope Rook into helping. He had un-cursed magic after all.

Movement to my right caught my attention. The house had been abandoned for years now. I figured they talked most people out of living next to me just in case.

Someone was talking to the town guards, a moving truck parked out front. I could see twitching ears on his head and a tail that swished angrily behind him. I’d never seen a shifter in half-shifted form, but if that was his curse he was certainly in the right place.

I stood on my porch and watched like a gawking neighbor. As if he sensed me watching, his gaze snapped to mine with a glare. My chest flared with embarrassment and I booked it down the drive and headed toward town at double the speed.

The crisp, autumn air was a welcome change after the brutal summer we’d had. My mind drifted away from the neighbor and back to the upcoming bazaar, mentally sorting through everything I wanted to take for my booth.

The bazaar wasn’t just the best place to hunt for impossible-to-find ingredients. It was also my yearly excuse to get rid of antiques that had overstayed their welcome. We got a few out of town buyers and setting up my own booth was a good way to earn a few extra bucks. My oddities were almost as fascinating to them as the cursed residents of our town.

There was only so much I could sell to our locals. They came in for jewelry and unique house decor, but not things like cursed dolls and old portraits that followed you with their eyes.

Maybe Barney could finally convince someone to adopt a matching dinosaur lamp.