Stuck on Earth - ONC 2020

1. Mirror, Mirror

Hannah always loved magic. Not your magician and tricks type of magic. More like the witches, wizards, and warlocks kind.

Hannah was your typical sixteen going on seventeen high-school junior. Being self-conscious, she hid her love for magic from her friends. The only person who had any clue was her neighbor, Eddie.

It was the night of Halloween. Hannah was having her two closest friends over to spend the night and help hand out candy to the kids in the neighborhood while her parents went trick-or-treating with her younger brothers.

"This looks like the last bag," Jennifer stated as she walked out of Hannah's front door. She was dressed in an over-the-top vampire costume. Including extra pale foundation on her already pale skin, and blackish-purple lipstick to enhance the visual of her fake fangs. She glided, in character, down to the end of the driveway where they had their foldout chairs and candy cauldron set up. Hannah was delighted with her friend's excellent acting skills.

"Really? That sucks," Tina pouted as she tried shifting on her chair, but found it difficult from the massive angel wings attached to her back. Then her dark-brown eyes lit up with an idea. "I'll go check with Eddie, I mean Captain America, over there to see if he has any to spare."

Before anyone could object, Tina stood up, repositioned her wings, and tugged down on her snug, white mini-dress. She made her way to Eddie, who was handing out candy from the bottom of his driveway too.

It was entertaining for Hannah and Jennifer to watch Tina flirt with Eddie by touching and commenting on his fake foam biceps. Tina had a crush on Eddie for as long as Hannah could remember. She always found it amusing that Tina would find ways to see him whenever she was hanging out at Hannah's house.

Tina was still with Eddie in his driveway by the time Hannah handed out the last piece of candy. Luckily, the night sky had gotten darker, and the air was getting colder. The crowds of kids had fizzled down to small spurts here and there.

"Tina!" Hannah hollered to get her friend's attention. "Jen and I are going inside to start the scary movie marathon. Are you coming?"

Tina nodded, gave Eddie an extended hug, and followed Hannah and Jennifer inside, still adjusting her wings and fidgeting with her dress.

*****

By the end of the second movie, it was just past midnight, and the three girls agreed they didn't want to watch another and decided to go upstairs to Hannah's room. Hannah's parents and brothers were already asleep. Not wanting to wake anyone, Hannah reminded the girls to walk ever so quietly to her room. The wood floors tended to creak with each step and somehow sounded louder at night than they did during the day.

"Hey, what's this?" Tina asked, tossing her angel wings and halo on her backpack, by the bed, and picked up a book on Hannah's side table.

Hannah had obtained a stack of different spellbooks over the years. She thought she had hid them all away in her closet, and cursed herself for having forgotten one. "Oh, that? It's nothing, just something fun I thought we could check out while we are still in the Halloween spirit," she said, trying to sound convincing.

"'Spells Real Spellcasters Should Know'?" Tina said, reading the title quizzically. She flipped through the pages. "Oh my gosh, there's a love spell in here! Could we try it so Eddie would fall in love with me?"

Jennifer and Hannah giggled at Tina's request as they changed out of their costumes.

"But then he won't truly love you, Tina. Are you sure you want that kind of spell?" Jennifer pointed out. She looked at Tina through Hannah's full-length mirror while wiping off her vampire makeup.