Alice looked down at the necklace, smoothing one finger over it, still feeling completely shocked. It was pitch black still, the only evidence that something had actually happened to it. Would it really call to Styx if she rubbed it between her thumb and finger?
There was no way she was about to try it. At least, not now. She looked up to see Maya, Gabriel and Altair staring at her with shocked expressions. Azura was tapping one finger against her chin, expression thoughtful,
“A magnet,” she said, “huh.”
“Whatever that means, it doesn’t sound good,” Altair walked up to her, looking down at Alice, eyes fixed on the necklace. He stood close enough so that she could smell his cologne, “so, you can just call her now? Why would you want to? She seemed kinda scary.”
“I think she means…if I need help,” Alice murmured, and turned away from him. She was starting to feel uncomfortable with everyone staring at her, “look, she was just saying thank you. That’s all. Back to business as usual.”
Altair raised his eyebrows at her, “and the magnet remark?”
She shrugged, “it’s an expression. A magnet for trouble, right?”
Azura gave her a critical look, but she didn’t say anything, so Alice headed back to the front desk, ignoring Shakra, who was leaning against the doorway of the backroom, a concerned look on her face. Whatever it was she was going to say, Alice didn’t want to talk about it right now. She just wanted everything back to normal.
There was a sudden thumping and shuffling, and Alice looked back to see a short, round woman dart forward from behind the shelves, ushering her two children towards the door. The bell tinkled as she ran out, slamming the door shut behind her, she shot one, round-eyed look back at the shop as she hurried down the sidewalk.
Alice groaned. She hadn’t even remembered that they’d come in. They’d been there the entire time, hiding. “All these stupid gods are going to scare off my customers,” she thumped one fist down on the desk in frustration, then turned to Altair, who was currently rearranging items on the shelves, “I thought we’d agreed you have Sundays and Mondays off.”
“So?”
“So it’s Monday,” she glanced over her shoulder at the calendar pinned to the wall behind the desk. The pages were marked here and there with red felt pen, shipment coming, and order more screaming Frisbees. “It’s your day off.”
“But I’d better keep an eye on you,” Altair said, “you know, in case Aphrodite comes to try to hit on you or something.”
Alice snorted and waved one hand at him, “Go! Do something fun, relax. Go visit the Witch’s Cup and get a coffee. It’s really nice.”
Altair rolled his eyes, “Oh very well, if I must.”
“You must, and grab me a coffee before you come back.”
“Ah! Ulterior motives! I knew it.”
Alice shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her face as he shuffled out the door. She folded her arms and leaned back in the chair, watching through the windows as he made his way across the street, jogging easily between a gap in the traffic.
“Oops,” Shakra was just settling into the chair by the fireplace, “look like trouble's coming.”
She was likely referring to the group of children that had just rounded the corner across the street, many of whom were pointing excitedly at Threads.
“Oh dear,” Alice stood up from the chair, counting at least six children of various ages, “maybe I shouldn’t have sent Altair away.”
“I can handle a bunch of kids,” Gabriel waved one hand dismissively, “I’m great with kids.”
“Fine, they’re all yours,” Alice muttered, watching as the kids ran across the street. A car horn sounded outside, and someone yelled as they bolted across the pavement, laughing to one another.
The bell rang violently as they all burst in one after another, and the shop was instantly filled with a jumble of laughter and high voices. She blinked, feeling slightly worried as moved from shelf to shelf. Apparently their mother’s had never told them “look don’t touch” because they were all picking up everything in sight.
“Woah,” Gabriel caught one of the smallest, a grubby faced little blonde girl ,just as she was about to tip a potion bottle off the shelf, “careful, darling.”
“He’s so good with children,” Maya said to Alice, and her eyes were dreamy and far away.
Alice tried not to laugh, because Gabriel was looking more and more frazzled as the children continued to rampage along the shelves.
One of the taller boys started putting on all the head-warming hats and gloves, trying to see how many hats he could fit over his messy hair. Then he put the socks on his hands and chased after his siblings. Another child was nearly about to dip her finger in the miniature shark bowl, but luckily Azura swept forward and caught her by the wrist, saying gently, “the little fish has sharp teeth, child.”
The little girl regarded the older witch with huge blue eyes, apparently quite in awe.
“Look,” Maya nudged Alice, who looked up to see one of the girls struggling to uncork a pink bottle of love potion.
“Oh I think not,” Alice started to walk around the desk, just as a pop! sound indicated that the cork had come out. She started for the girl faster, just as she tipped the bottle back and took a big drink of the pale pink liquid. Gabriel turned around just at that moment and shouted.
“No!” He seized the bottle from the girl, who was suddenly staring at the elf with enormous glassy eyes.
Alice’s hand flew to her mouth, both horrified and amused, as the girl launched herself at Gabriel, latching to his leg with single-minded enthusiasm. Gabriel looked horrified, staring down at her with his mouth hanging open.
“What are you doing? Look, you can’t…I don’t….”
The girl continued to cling to his leg like a limpet, and began exclaiming in a high and breathy voice, “I’ll love you forever and ever and ever…”
Gabriel looked frantically at Alice, “help me!”
“You’re far too old for her,” Alice tried to keep her voice serious, but it was hard not to burst out laughing, “Gabriel, really.”
“It’s not funny!” he wailed, trying to shake her off his leg, “get her off!”
Alice sighed and gripped the girl’s arms, “Come on, you don’t really love him. It’s just the potion. Come on…” she pulled steadily, but the girl wasn’t budging, “oh dear, it appears you’re going to have a thirteen year old stuck to your leg permanently.”
At the desk, Maya had dissolved into gales of laughter, and Gabriel shot her an indignant look, “Well I’m so glad you find this so amusing!”
They all looked up as the bell over the door jangled, and a frazzled looking woman in a plain black dress entered.
“Are the children here? Oh dear, there they are.”
“Thank god,” Alice muttered, and then gave the woman a bright smile, “yes, they’re here. This one’s just drank a bottle of potion.”
“Oh dear!” their mother shuffled forward and tried to pry her daughter from Gabriel’s leg, “Shannon, what have I told you about touching things without asking mommy first?”
Shannon didn’t appear to hear her. Her eyes were fixed dreamily on Gabriel’s face, “marry me.”
“No,” Gabriel said, and folded his arms across his chest, glaring at the girl’s mother, “ma’am I really must ask you to remove your child.”
The woman tugged Shannon’s arm, “she won’t let go.”
Alice sighed, “I can make her let go. Hold on, it won’t hurt her.” She reached up and brought a few shining threads down. The woman must have had some magic, because her eyes followed the shining blue and green threads as Alice wove them carefully together.
“It should just make her feel very sleepy for a moment, just long enough to let go.” She’d learned that spell from Azura a few weeks ago, when a customer had brought in a child that had a terrible tantrum. The mother had been distraught, and Azura had shown them both the simple spell, sending the child drifting off for a few minutes, long enough for the woman to shop.
Now Alice copied the spell and draped it over the girl’s shoulders. Several seconds later her blond head drooped forward to rest on Gabriel’s knee, and the mother was able to detach her from Gabriel, who immediately retreated into the back room.
“It will only last for a minute or two,” Alice said, and the woman shook her head gratefully.
“It’s the quietest she’s ever been,” she turned to the other children, “supper time. It’s pizza tonight.”
Apparently those were the magic words, and the children came running out from the shelves, yelling “pizza!”.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman said to Alice, “I’ll pay for the potion.”
She couldn’t help feeling sorry for this woman, who looked as though she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years, “don’t worry about it. It’s no trouble.”
“Thank you so much,” the woman whispered, “you’re so sweet.”
Alice helped her to the door, feeling a huge amount of relief when they were out of her store and clomping down the sidewalk in a noisy herd.
“Good grief,” she turned back to Azura, “why on earth would you have that many children?”
Azura smiled slightly, “I suppose she loves children.”
“I suppose,” Alice wrinkled her nose, “but six of them, yikes!”
“You handled it remarkably well,” Azura said, “I’m proud of you. You remembered that spell after I showed you once, several weeks ago.”
“Thank you,” Alice blushed slightly, then she retreated to the back room to check on Gabriel. She found Maya there, still laughing so hard she was holding her stomach. Gabriel was leaning against the desk, a mug of tea in his hands, glaring at Maya.
Alice couldn’t keep the grin off her face, “alright, Gabriel?”
“Fine,” he grumbled, “thanks.”
Shakra appeared to be doing paperwork at the desk, but Alice saw that she was really peeking over the top of the papers at Gabriel, eyes crinkling at the edges.
The bell in the shop rang again, and Alice turned and walked back in, hoping that it wasn’t the woman and her brood come back for further destruction. Thankfully it was just Altair, a coffee in one hand a brown paper bag in the other, he looked curiously at her, “what’s so funny?”
She told him about the incident with Gabriel and the love potion, and a giant smile spread across Altair’s face. Alice put a hand out, pressing her palm into his chest as he tried to walk past her,
“Nah uh, you are forbidden to tease him about it. Maya is already laughing herself sick back there.”
He handed her the coffee and gave her a mock frown, “you’re no fun at all!”