Road Trip (H.S.)

Chapter 25

Harry

Walking around the shop, I'm strangely drawn to all the supernatural items. I don't know why. Maybe it's the way some of these books and trinkets look a million years old. Maybe it's the way that each thing holds a different story. Maybe it's just because I've fallen for the city's stupid ploys to draw in tourists. Obviously all the stories about New Orleans and witches are going to draw people into the city, and here I am, one of the idiots that's been tricked.

I can't stop myself from touching everything in the shop that I come close to. My fingers glide over every shelf, the spine of each book I see, and every object that looks unfamiliar. Some objects look so old, I'm afraid they will burst into a pile of dust if I even try to touch it. Occasionally I have to rub my fingers against my jacket, wiping away the dust and dirt that accumulates at my fingertips. 

"Do you believe in witches, little boy?"

A voice from behind me scares the shit out of me, nearly causing me to drop the glass figurine I'm holding in my hand. I inhale a deep breath to calm my nerves before carefully setting the object on the shelf and turning around.

The shop owner stares up at me ... literally. He's probably about half my height with his head looking proportionally too small for his body. His beady eyes never leave my face as I just stare down at him in confusion. He called me a little boy, didn't he? Does he realize I'm tall enough to step on him and not even notice?

"Uh. Witches? No."

"Well, you should," the guy takes a step forward as I take one step back. "They're all over here, living amongst regular humans. In disguise! The French Quarter is full of them. Werewolves and vampires, too!"

I roll my eyes at the words coming out of his mouth. He's delusional. I'm not going to get sucked into the stupid city myths and legends of all this supernatural shit. At least, not anymore than I already seem to be. This guy is really making me snap out of this trance. 

"I can show you the books!" He turns around, jumping in his step as he waves me to follow. "You'll believe me!"

"No thanks," shaking my head, I stick my hands in my pocket and turn away. "I was just browsing and I think I'm done now."

"You don't want to see the books? All the stories of witches and vampires from this city are in it," he almost frowns before grabbing a book off the shelf in front of him and blowing the dust off the cover. "This one is good! It's a book of spells. I have seen-"

"I've got to go," I interrupt him. He's giving me a headache and I don't have time for this anymore. Felicity has been gone for a while and I need to make sure she hasn't been kidnapped. I pat the man on the shoulder before walking right by him. "Cool shop."

He starts yelling at me to wait, trying to convince me to continue looking around the shop. He's very pushy, and if he really wanted me to buy something, he should probably chill out. I wasn't going to purchase anything anyway, but if I was going to, he totally turned me off by coming at me so strong.

I worry about Felicity. Remembering that her phone ringing was the reason she walked out of the shop earlier, I begin to feel concern build up within me. I think I can safely assume it was her boyfriend that called, and I just hope that he hasn't said anything to make her cry. Seeing the way her green eyes dull in color as she speaks with him is like a stab in my chest. It pains me to see her look so hurt. He makes her feel so small and I want to strangle him for it.

All of this bullshit makes me want to meet this guy in person. I want to see what Felicity has been dealing with. I also want to give him a piece of my mind and punch him in the face. Surely, I could knock him out. I know a few things about a good fight. On the other hand, I have no idea what this guy looks like or how big he is. There's always the possibility that he could snap me in half with two fingers. I definitely think Felicity is worth risking my life, but maybe I shouldn't get involved in their situation.