Boutique in the Bayou

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Smoke wafted across the Bayou, turning the noon sky into a dark bronze. The volunteer firefighter crew finished dousing the fire that enveloped Cianna's Apothecary Boutique. The residents of Croix City gathered around watching everything unfold.

​

This was the most action their small town had seen since Reid Willoughby had gone missing a few years ago. The city showed up day after day to look for him. They’d assumed an alligator had eaten him, but his parents weren’t so sure because he was never found.

 

Mrs. Gusteau watched as the smoke billowed from the roof and subtly formed into horns. It was gone in a flash. “Did you see that?” She turned to Charlotte, who had her eyes on Brett LeBlanc. He stood on the outskirts of the crowd, nestled between the trees.

 

“Why do you think the Governor is here?” She asked her with a knowing look. 

​

Mrs. Gusteau shrugged, but concern was written all over her face.

 

Charlotte looked at her like she was crazy. “Everyone knows Harper was pregnant by him. Maybe he wanted revenge.”

​

Just then, Brett LeBlanc made eye contact with them and walked over.

 

“Morning, ladies, you both look stunning today,” he charmed. His outfit cost more than their entire wardrobes combined. He kissed each of their hands. 

 

"You're mighty happy for it to be a building on fire," Charlotte shook her head.

​

Brett Leblanc shrugged. "I'm happy that they were able to get it under control. The firefighters out here are dedicated and smart.”

 

Mrs. Gusteau and Charlotte looked at one another, then back at him. They didn't say another word. Cianna arrived, and Brett LeBlanc walked back to his place between the trees.

 

“She’s here.” Mrs. Gusteau said.

 

“Poor Cianna, she loves her shop.”

 

“I know,” said Mrs. Gusteau. “When my Edward died, she made a tea that soothed my grief so I could sleep at night. I had the most beautiful dreams of Edward. It helped me heal.”

 

Charlotte nodded. “When my sister couldn’t get away from her husband, she made a concoction that sent him away for good.”

 

“Oh, where is he?”

 

"Last I checked, he moved to New Orleans. He's afraid even to call her. Whatever Cianna did, it worked."

 

The smell of ember assaulted Cianna's nose. The burned building was once her Apothecary. She stood in the doorway, looking at the shelves. Salves, creams, and herbs were ashes on the floor. Her best friend, Raine, appeared by her side, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh Cianna, I'm sorry. I don't think you should stay here."

 

Cianna nodded but didn’t leave. She walked further into the shop and scanned the ground behind what had been the counter. Her eyelids fluttered, failing to stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Nearly everything was gone. Cinders. Spatters of salves and herbs stuck to the wall between the black scorch marks. 

 

“You think he did this?” Cianna asked, her brown eyes full of sadness.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” Raine said.

 

Cianna picked up a small blue vial of ashes. She slipped it into her pocket and allowed Raine to lead her out of the charred boutique. She scanned the crowd that had gathered outside. “He’s here,” she said, “I can feel it.”

 

Raine looked around but didn’t see him. She tried to lead Cianna to her car, but it was too late. Cianna locked eyes with Brett Leblanc. His name was as pretentious as he was. He was the only idiot in a silk Louis Vuitton suit and expensive leather shoes to match. His outfit was equivalent to six months' income for most Croix City residents. He stood out like a polar bear in the Bayou. His dark gray eyes suggested something sinister. He winked at her as a diabolical grin spread across his face.

​

Cianna’s heart pounded. A quiet hum thrummed through her ears. The air around her became a suffocating darkness enveloping her, squeezing tighter, until the sun retreated from her gaze, turning the sky midnight black. Cianna's eyes were no longer dark brown with the sadness behind them. They resembled two large black marbles as the whites of her eyes became covered in a black varnish.

 

Raine tugged at her shirt. “Cianna.”  Her calm voice was usually soothing to Cianna, but it had no effect on her now. Raine yelled, trying to pull Cianna from her darkness. Raine gasped as Cianna's black eyes caught hers. The tears that formed in the corner of her eyes made their way down her cheeks. Her heart pounded, but she continued to call Cianna's name.

​

Cianna heard Raine, but her voice was suppressed beneath the intense, dark winds that surrounded her. She was pulled toward the sound of the breeze that whipped past her ears. She became one with the pulse of it. She breathed with it.

​

Raine pulled Cianna into her car and drove her home. “Let this go. We can go to the police,” Raine begged.

​

“But he took everything from me.” Cianna’s voice was low and guttural. Inhuman. She turned her head slowly to face Raine. “You don’t want to be here for this.” 

​

Cianna's black eyes sent fear through Raine's body. Raine swallowed slowly. Carefully and as calmly as she could muster, she said, "I don't want to leave you like this."

 

“Go!” Cianna yelled.

​

Raine started her car and backed out of the driveway. Unfortunately for Raine, she wouldn't make it home that night. Brett LeBlanc had different plans. If Cianna thought she had more power than he did, he would teach her a lesson and use Raine to do it.

 

Cianna and Raine met four years ago in Croix City, Louisiana. Raine was looking for a way out of her abusive relationship. A job opportunity, along with the cheap cost of living, gave her a chance to restart. But her ex followed her to Croix. He'd attempted to make her life as miserable as he had when they were in South Carolina. He showed up at her house one day and followed her around. When her order of protection was denied, she’d turned to Cianna’s Apothecary Boutique to get rid of him. She never figured out what happened to him, but she had never heard from him again. When Reid Willoughby went missing, his parents came down and led the search for him. 

​

Cianna wanted to live somewhere that embraced her gifts. She was never accepted in Indiana. Her parents supported her practicing magic, but most people didn't. Her mother died just before she left Indiana, and her father a few weeks after that. Raine came at a time when she was alone and had no one. At first, the people of Croix City, Louisiana, didn't accept her because she was an outsider from the Midwest. She had two parents who only believed in science. They didn't know that when Cianna was a child, she'd found a secret room within her own house that held potions and special powders.

 

They were unaware of the vine lady she'd met in the woods shortly after that. Cianna knew she was special, and she'd come to Croix City to prove it. She made salves and potions. She created spells for the locals. She developed a loyal customer base and a sisterhood with Raine.

 

The Bayou had been everything Cianna dreamed about. That is, up until a month ago, when a small black BMW parked in front of her Apothecary. His six-foot frame was crammed inside the tiny two-seater. He resembled a clown stepping out of a clown car. Once inside, he browsed Cianna’s candles and potions. “I’ve heard a lot about your little shop here.” He said it slowly. 

 

Cianna frowned. Little shop? Rich. She already disliked him. Being flashy was not respected in Croix City. Most of the residents lived well below the poverty line. He was an outsider, and she could see the slime growing on his sleazy ass. 

 

"Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean anything by it." His strange southern accent stressed the word ma'am.

 

"Most shops in the Bayou are small. I know you do big things. That’s why I'm here." He took off his hat, pretending to be a southern gentleman. His black hair was slicked back with gel, a stark contrast to his pale skin. "I heard what you did for Harper Collins."

 

Cianna straightened things on the counter that didn't need attention. She touched her monster mirror, thinking about turning it around, but decided against it. Harper had come in with an unwanted pregnancy, and there weren't many options for poor Black women in Croix City. Cianna gave her a mixture that provided her with a choice. But the man standing in front of her couldn’t have known that.

 

“I see your memory is turning.” He tapped the money spell kit that sat at the checkout counter and chuckled to himself.

 

She moved the spell kit out of his reach. “I’m not familiar.”

 

“I’m Brett LeBlanc. The Governor. Surely, you know who I am.” He leaned over the counter. His breath smelled like whiskey and whatever fish he'd eaten for lunch. Governor? She thought to herself. That explained his misplaced southern accent. He held out his hand for her to shake. She'd eyed it and looked into his dark gray eyes. She could see pain and torment in them. At the forefront, she saw someone who was ruthless. "I don't care."

 

He put a stack of money on the counter. “I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t already do.” 

His smile made Cianna sick. She gave him a quick no, but he ignored her protest. "Everyone has a price, dear. What's yours?" he asked. "Forty Thousand?" He pulled out another stack from his jacket pocket.

 

Cianna looked at the money but didn’t flinch. She’d seen people ruin their lives for a lot less. “What exactly are you asking me to do for this money?”

 

"I need a pregnancy to end." He said it as if he were telling her the day of the week. Not like he was ending a life. "I need something I can slip into her drink that she won't notice."

 

She gasped. “Leave. Don’t come back here.”

 

The door opened, and they both turned to see Raine walking into the shop. She looked at Brett, then at Cianna. "What's going on?" she asked, her brows furrowed. Cianna didn't reply. Raine looked at him and said, "We're closed." When he left, she flipped the sign to 'closed’. “Was that the governor?” She slid the lock into place. 

 

“He brought money for an abortion.” Cianna’s worried expression alarmed Raine. “I didn't take it. But he hardly looks like a man who deals well with rejection.”

 

Cianna was right. Brett LeBlanc returned less than a week later with a suitcase of money. “I’ve been to every witch shop in the Bayou. You’re the only one able to help me.” 

 

Cianna shrugged. “I’m not helping you. Go spend it at the clinic.” Her brown eyes lacked emotion. 

 

“I’m done asking. I’m leaving this money, and I’ll be back tomorrow for what I need.” He put the suitcase on the counter and slid it toward her. With one hand, he popped it open to reveal a hundred thousand dollars.

 

She closed it and pushed the money back at him. “No.”

 

His gray eyes darkened, getting closer to black. “You’re no saint. You’re doing the Devil’s work.” 

 

“The only devil I’ve ever seen looked just like you.”

 

He closed the space between them. “Is that a challenge? Because you haven’t seen the Devil in me yet.”

 

"No, baby. I see you." Cianna turned the monster mirror around to face Brett. "That's what I see."

His eyes grew wide as he looked at his new reflection. The eyes were red. The reflection was charred black with pink lips and small, four-inch horns growing from its head. He slammed the mirror down onto the counter, grabbed his money, and sprinted out the door. 

 

Two days ago, Marie Leblanc, his wife, slithered her way into the boutique. Her chauffeur parked in front and opened her door. She was dressed in all black, as if she had just left a funeral. She tried to reason with Cianna. She told her all the reasons why she should help force an unknowing woman to lose her child. Cianna didn’t see the point or understand why they kept trying. After Cianna refused, Marie promised that she would get the shop shut down for city violations. 

 

Unbeknownst to Marie, Cianna had made a batch of “rethink” powder that morning.

 

“I'd expect this type of behavior from a man like that, but what do you have to gain by ending someone's pregnancy? He's still going to cheat on you. She isn't the first and won't be the last.”

 

"You think you know something about men? Politicians?" She laughed, then knocked everything that was atop the counter onto the floor.

 

Cianna sighed, “Why are you helping him?”

 

“I'm helping myself. I assume you've never been married. Probably never even had a man. Definitely haven't been on the level that I am being first lady to a governor.”

 

Cianna nodded. She grabbed the powder from under the counter, poured a little into her palm, and blew it into Marie LeBlanc's face. "You're fed up with Brett. He's not allowed back in your home, and you never want to speak with him again. Every time you see his face or hear his name, you are filled with disgust, and you don't want to spend another minute of your time with him."

 

Marie LeBlanc's face changed from blank to knowing, to angry, and she left the shop without another word. She went home immediately and kicked Brett out of the house. She wouldn't speak to him.

 

He knew that she’d visited Cianna that day and went to the Apothecary right away. “What's wrong with my wife?’ he asked through gritted teeth. 

 

"I don't know what you mean," Cianna said nonchalantly. She wiped the counter down.

 

Brett grabbed the hand she was wiping the counter with, "Listen, you stupid whore, fix my wife or I'll fix you."

 

“Whore? Only one of us stepped out on our spouse and produced a baby. A baby that you want to kill, by the way.”

 

“You're a woman, you should know it's not a baby until it's viable.”

 

“I'm a woman and I know that that's never for a man who can't give birth to decide.”

 

"I'm not gonna do the back and forth. Fix Marie, or I'll fix you. You have 24 hours.”

 

Cianna called his bluff, and he set the boutique on fire. He watched it burn for over an hour before calling the fire department. 

 

Cianna redialed Raine. She'd sent her several text messages apologizing for snapping at her. Even when Raine was upset with her, she wouldn't just ignore her. Cianna became worried. She hadn't heard from her in almost a day. Raine never called when she made it home, but Cianna was so upset she hadn’t noticed until it was too late. She kept getting Raine’s voicemail. 

 

She went to Raine’s house and saw her truck parked outside. She let herself in, calling Raine’s name, but she was greeted with the echo of her own voice. She redialed Raine’s number. It rang from the bedroom. She regretted forcing Raine to leave. But Cianna had felt so angry, so helpless, and betrayed. She wanted to be alone. She sat in the middle of Raine's living room and grabbed her hair from her comb to perform a "Come to Me" spell.

 

An hour later, the black BMW clown car pulled into Raine's driveway. Brett LeBlanc. She walked outside to meet him. “Where’s Raine?” Cianna asked. 

​

Brett looked around. He didn't know why he was back at Raine's house and couldn't even remember driving there. “When Marie comes back to me, you’ll get Raine back.”

 

"No. Marie will never be yours again." Her serene voice was unnerving, and the whites of her eyes were as black as opals. He'd never seen anything like it. She looked possessed to him.

​

He swallowed. "She will, and you'll make sure of it. Or you can bet that you'll never see Raine again."

She stepped into his face. "I don't make deals with the Devil. If Raine isn't here within the next hour, I will ruin your life."

 

He tried to laugh, but it came out as a nervous chuckle. "I want Marie back."

​

She nodded and watched him leave before hurrying home. She ran to her desk and pulled the latch located on the underside of the drawer. Her black spell book was released, and she brushed the dust from it. It had been years since she’d used it to get rid of Raine’s abusive ex-boyfriend. 

​

She found the recipe she needed and created the light pink potion, mixing it vigorously. She poured the thick substance into a mason jar. She slipped it into her bag, along with chalk, her glow stone, and a few other items she would need when she found Raine. She performed a location spell and followed the glow stone to a small building an hour outside of Croix City. 

​

A dark wind circled the building. The stone glowed a bright orange. She walked into the building. The north side of the stone glowed, and Cianna moved to the room at the end of the hallway. She discovered Raine tied to a chair. Dried tears left a stain on her cheeks as new tears streamed down her face. Cianna moved to release her from the restraints.

​

Raine looked at her friend. The dark irises still dominated her eyes. Fear still sent goosebumps over her skin, but Cianna wrapped her arms around her. “I'm so sorry. You're my best friend.”

​

Brett barged into the room. Cianna and Raine's attention snapped toward the door. She stood in front of Raine, blocking her from Brett.

​

"Tie her back up." He opened his jacket to show Cianna the gleam of the forty-five-caliber gun tucked into his waistband. "I don't miss bitch."

​

"All this because you can't wear a damn condom. You should be ashamed. This is your last chance to walk away.” Cianna warned. 

​

“You must be confused. I'm the one with the gun. Tie her back up.”

​

Cianna's heart pounded. Brett turned to close the door, and Cianna reached inside her satchel for the pink sludge and threw it at him. It worked as a glue, freezing him in place. She snatched the chalk from her bag and drew a circle around him. She yelled to Raine, "Go! Now!" As Raine disappeared from the room, she closed the door behind her, and Cianna began chanting the spell. The floor quaked beneath her feet. She continued chanting louder, watching as a strong swirl of wind entered the room. The spell was working. The two windows shattered, blowing glass throughout the room. Cianna took cover but was cut by the flying shards. 

​

The shadow swirled around Brett. He screamed, "No!" But his voice muffled within the all-encompassing black tornado that flowed directly from Cianna. She continued chanting, and he couldn't move. A murky form appeared to him through the darkness. A shadow within the black. It walked over to him, breathing its hot breath through a slow, terrifying growl. Brett felt terror from the dark creature, but was unable to protest and was swept into the dark wind. 

​

As the cloud descended, ashes gathered on the ground within the circle. Cianna swept them into her mason jar. Once outside, she basked in the light of the sun. Raine hugged her best friend, happy to see her brown eyes again. She knew Brett wouldn’t bother them. Cianna shook the jar of ashes. She needed a new blue vial for it.