Page 1 of Allie

1

ALLIE

“Idon’t remember your apartment being so roomy before.” I stood in the middle of my sister’s living room, holding a box in my arms. It definitely looked bigger. The same beige-colored sectional sofa sat in the center, marking off the sitting area of the open space. Beside it was the matching loveseat that boxed in the area but left plenty of space to move around.

Nat came up behind me and laughed. “It’s magic, little sister. I wanted it to be comfortable for both of us.”

Of course, it was magic. “I didn’t know you could expand an apartment.”

“It’s not actually bigger. I just changed the layout, so it’s roomier.” She moved past me to the spare bedroom. Well, my bedroom now.

I followed her and sat the box I was holding on my bed. “That’s cool.”

Nat grinned at me as she sat her box on the floor by the closet. “Welcome to Silver Springs.”

Joy filled my body. I thought making the move from the big city to a small town would be hard. But the more I learned about Silver Springs, the more I liked it. There was a good mix of paranormal beings and human population. The town itself had a spell placed over it that kept the human residents from seeing magic or other supernatural things that they didn’t need to. You know, the stuff that would freak them out and get the national guard called on us.

“You said there is a gym in this place?”

Nat nodded. “Yep, on the third floor.”

Awesome. My building in New York had a huge gym, which I used at least four times a week, sometimes more. Working out was my outlet for when my magic decided to be a little extra. That was something I haven’t told my sister. I really didn’t know how to tell her because I worried what it meant.

The best way to describe it was my magic flared at times. Sometimes it got to the point it lashed out. I had to stick to a routine of meditation to ground myself and exercise that allowed the magic to flow around me as I ran on a treadmill.

I’d researched it when I first starting to have episodes when my power was too much, and everything I read indicated dark magic. I wasn’t a dark witch. There were no dark witches in my family. I didn’t want to be first in my family.

So, I would keep that little secret to myself for now. First, I needed to unpack my room.

A sense of accomplishment washed over me as I emptied the last box. This was a good move. I felt it in the deepest parts of my soul. A fresh start and a magical town. What could be better than that?

After breaking down the boxes and fussing them together with magic, I carried them out to the living room. Nat stood in front of the fridge with the door open. She turned to me. “I thought we’d cook in tonight. I figured you’d be tired after your flight.”

“That sounds great. Tacos?” I grinned, which made her laugh.

“Of course,” she said with a wink. “What kind of big sis would I be if I didn’t make you your favorite your first night here?”

“Because you love me. I’ll be right back.” I darted out the apartment door and headed to the elevator to take the broken-down boxes to the dumpsters behind the building.

I stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor and moved around the large water park toward a door in the back of the property. Beyond the parking lot and the large green dumpster was a garden that surrounded a playground. Several kids climbed over various equipment. A small group playing tag, or maybe they were playing hide and seek.

After tossing the boxes into the dumpster marked for recycle, I smiled and watched the kids play for a little while before going back into the building. I could see myself sitting in the gardens to meditate. I’d just have to make sure I get out here early in the morning, before the kids come out.

Instead of going to my apartment right away, I stopped off on the third floor to check out the gym. It was a huge open space full of treadmills, weights, stationary bikes, and a couple of classrooms for yoga and other exercise classes.

I found the signup sheet for the yoga classes and put my name down for the morning classes. With that done, I skipped out of the gym and ran into someone. “Oh, sorry.”

"Watch it!" The sharp voice made me look up into the dark depths of an angry man.

Doyle Brooks, the property manager, loomed over me like a storm cloud with a scowl etched into his features. I knew it was him because Nat had showed me a picture of him so I could steer clear of the grumpy man.

"Sorry," I mumbled, stepping away from. "I didn't see you there."

I suppressed a shiver. He was a witch, but his power was dark. It clung to him like a heavy ink cloud, and it made me nauseous.

"Clearly," he huffed. "You're Allie, right? The new tenant?"

"Guilty as charged," I said with a half-hearted smile, trying to defuse the tension.