The Witching Hour

[SweetAsSuga]

*Closed for AntonTovaras*

The Witching Hour​

Unlocking the front door - a seemingly normal one were it not for the pentacle symbol painted on the glass panel that made up the entirety of the door - Sophia Duncan flipped the switches right next to the entrance and flooded the bookstore with light. The old book shop was filled with floor to ceiling bookcases, ladders attached to a few of the cases for those who wanted a book off the top shelves. Books were jammed onto the shelves in a haphazard manner. The heady scent of musty books and wood, and the occasional smell of tallow from the many candles that littered any available space, filled the small shop. The whole place was cluttered and chaotic, much like Sophia's Aunt Lilith had been. The shop had been hers, after all, until her death only a few months ago. It hadn't come as a shock to anyone when Lilith left the book shop to Sophia, who had always been her favorite niece. But Sophia, despite feeling honored that Lilith would bequeath her prized possession to her, didn't want the book shop. Especially since it was a shop devoted to the study of the occult.

The Witching Hour had been Lilith's life. As a practicing witch, she had loved to introduce people to the world of witchcraft and the supernatural. Sophia's mother, Helen, had always hated when Lilith - her sister- had come to visit because it would mean Lilith trying to entice Sophia to the world of magic. As a child, Sophia had always been intrigued by the tricks her aunt was able to do with her spells, but as she got older, she was less impressed and began to doubt that magic was even real.

In college, Sophia had lost touch with Aunt Lilith, choosing to focus on her studies. Her aunt's eccentric ways were no longer of interest to her. But, four months after graduation, while Sophia was still trying to decide what she wanted to do with her life - after all, what could a girl with a degree in Medieval history hope to accomplish in life? - that she learned of her aunt's passing and that she was now the owner of an occult book shop. She had planned on selling off the store's contents and then renting the space out, but a stipulation in Lilith's will stated that Sophia had to maintain the shop for at least eight months before she could disband the business.

And so, here she was, three months in and shocked at how much business The Witching Hour actually did. Not only did it have its regular customers from town and the surrounding areas, but the phone and online purchases made a hefty profit. The shop was so packed, however, that Sophia had never been able to do a complete inventory, and her aunt's records were a complete mess.

As she set about business that day, Sophia went through her usual opening routine then began to fill the purchase orders that had been called in the day before. Her day progressed and Sophia kept busy. A number of regulars, including some women from Lilith's coven came in. Sophia was intrigued by the people that frequented The Witching Hour. They looked so normal, like anybody that you would pass on the street and not think twice about, yet they were obsessed with the supernatural.


The light tinkling of the bell over the door alerted Sophia to another customer. Looking up she saw him moving gracefully towards the rows of books. He had been in nearly every day since she'd taken over the shop, systematically making his way through the stacks of books, occasionally buying something, but generally leaving empty handed. He intimidated Sophia, who had never really been an assertive person, to no end. The one time that she had offered to help him find something, he had merely stared her down, as if looking straight through her, and continued his methodical search.

Trying not to stare at him, Sophia focused on the account book in front of her, stealing glances at him every so often.

 

[Bluespark]

Feeling he was being watched as he perused the books he glared over at the woman behind the counter. She had an unusual beauty and though he would not admit it she was the reason he had been coming into the store every day. "Can I help you?" He said curtly as he caught one of her incessant peaks at him. She stammered and averted her eyes from his gaze quickly. If she had not looked away she could have seen him smiling.

 

[Bluespark]

Sorry didn't notice this thread was closed.

 

[AntonTovaras]

Lukas Fleischer came through the door every evening at dusk. He ignored his hunger, knowing that he only had a few precious hours in the store before she closed shop for the night, and there would be plenty of time for him to sate his appetite later. His work in the store was more important, though far more tedious than hunting. Without blood, he would weaken and seem to age, but he could go weeks without feeding before he was in any real danger. Until he found the book, the whole world was at risk.

Years ago, when he had first come to the United States, he had known a young witch named Lilith. Like so many women, she had been drawn to his good looks and his quiet charm. She had been a stunning beauty, but he did not pursue her the way other men did. Though he still looked to be in his teens, he had lived long enough to be an old man by then. She had refreshed his will to live in a way he had barely known he needed. For the first time since he had been turned, he had loved a living woman. Of course, she had not wanted what he could give her. To a witch, it seemed that life in darkness was too high a price to pay for immortality. So their affair had lasted a few years, until he had to move on before his perpetual youth was noticed.

She had begun her journal then, describing her affair with the young vampire, but she had also written about her coven, about the shapeshifters and the changelings, angels and devils of all shapes that walked in the world. He had known how dangerous it was, he had warned her, but ultimately, he had been unable to force her to give it up. He had never been able to force his will on her.

A lifetime later, she was gone, but they had kept in touch, and he knew she had kept up with the journal, describing all the supernatural beings that she met, and their had been many. The Witching Hour had been a well known safe haven and neutral ground where even the deadliest of enemies could meet and know they were safe from treachery. Lukas had only been back once, when a demon had wanted his head, and he knew only Lilith could keep the peace. He often thought it would have been easier to be destroyed by the demon than to see how Lilith had aged, but under the grey hair and the wrinkled skin was still the exuberant love of life that had made him love her.

She had refused him again when he offered her immortality, and also refused to become his lover again. She had moved on and married a mortal man. Her sister had just had a baby girl and named her Sophia, and watching Lilith's excitement over the girl's photograph, Lukas had felt the pain of his condition for the first time then in decades. Vampires did not have children. He had gone back to Europe then, to see the iron curtain crumble, and had remained there for twenty odd years until he heard that Lilith had died. The journal was lost.

He returned to the US to find it, and knowing Lilith's love of hiding things in plain sight, the first place he would look was on the shelves in her store. There were two troubles with this. One was that there were literally thousands of books, any one of which could have been the journal with a magical disguise. He had to check every single volume to be sure. The other trouble was the girl, Sophia. She noticed him, and he could not help but remember her aunt when he looked at her. The resemblance was so striking, he hadn't dared to speak to her when she had approached him, but every day that he didn't find the journal was a day that someone else might.

He sighed when he heard the bells from the church down the street. She would be closing soon, and he had scarcely covered half the books in two weeks of hunting. Turning to her, he smiled.

“Sophia, isn't it?” he said. “I wonder if you could help me.”

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Writing up the receipts for the day, Sohpia's pen slipped on the paper, her hand twitching in shock, as the the young man walked up and spoke to her. He couldn't have been much older than her own twenty-two years but while his body spoke of youth, his startlingly blue eyes were much older and wiser.

Staring up at him, Sophia nervously pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose - a nervous twitch she'd picked up years ago. How did this man know her name?

"Um, yes, I'm Sophia." She stuttered, uneasy beneath his intense gaze.

Sophia had never been very good with men, especially men as handsome as him, and she had no idea where to look as he spoke to her. She'd been taught to always look someone in the eye when speaking, but those blue eyes were too intense, as if they were staring straight into her soul, for her to look at for longer than a second.

She brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "I can do my best," she replied to his question, "though I don't really know where a lot of things are. As you can see, the shop is not well organised."

 

[AntonTovaras]

The girl's eyes jumped around, and she pushed her glasses up though they were right where they were meant to be. She was hesitant and awkward, and he knew he made her nervous. He made many girls nervous, but few betrayed themselves so clearly. He took a cue from her remark and looked around the shop, chuckling and turning away from her.

"Yes, it isn't," he said. He allowed himself to stumble a bit over his words, putting her at ease as he looked around. "That is, no, you're right. I mean, I agree. It's not well organized."

Then he returned his gaze to her, he gave her a friendly smile, sharing the awkwardness. "I am Lukas. I am looking for a book."

He waited a beat and then grinned again, rolling his eyes. "Of course, this is a book shop, what else would I be looking for? But this book, it is one that your aunt wrote. You are Lilith Duncan's niece, yes? It is very important that I find it, but you see, I don't know where to begin looking. I thought, perhaps, you might know the book I am speaking of?"

He gave her a hesitant smile, presenting himself as the awkward young student, with just a hint of an accent, searching for an obscure volume. His youthful appearance was often an inconvenience, as his failure to age was more readily apparent, and he was forced to relocate more often than other immortals, but it had its advantages.

"Or perhaps you would be able to help me find it?" he said, looking up into her eyes with a hopefulness that hinted at an interest that went beyond books.