[center][b]8 Months Ago[/b][/center]

“Who do you think she could be?” Madalena questioned Marie as they walked down the busy streets of Lost Haven. She picked up a newspaper from a stand outside a convenience store and began flipping through its pages, scanning for any information regarding the White Witch of Chinatown. Lost Haven was littered with articles and stories of her many strange and super-powered citizens, but even here magic was a rarity. It didn’t take long for the White Witch to make her front-page debut in some of the more affluent and respected newspapers and websites. Her charms had captivated the city’s west coast, and the surrounding areas were quick to spread the news of her arrival in Lost Haven. Marie smiled as Madalena read out article after article, sighting after sighting. She had succeeded in concealing her identity and keeping the entirety of Chinatown in constant awe and confusion of her. She was proud of herself, but this pride and self gratification were not unwarranted, for not only was her identity masterfully concealed, her presence in that part of the city had lessened criminal activity significantly. 

“Marie?” Madalena prodded her shoulder as they made their way into Shadow of the Moon. 

“Hm?” Marie responded lazily, her mind still wandering.

“Who do you she is, the White Witch?”

“Madalena, there are thousands of people in this city, how am I to know which ones are moonlighting as superheroes on their day off?” 

“Yikes, she’s testy in the mornings.” Madalena joked, rearranging a few of the shelves before going to the office at the back of the shop. She poked her head out of the door and said, “You gonna open for me or sit there daydreaming?”

“Fight me,” Marie called backed as she went to the window and turned on the tacky neon “open” sign. She took her place behind the counter and began carefully flipping through the pages of an old tome, making sure to keep it hidden from Madalena. She then produced a small, leather bound journal from a box behind the counter and began copying down certain entries within the tome. She laughed internally at the fact that, as an employee, she essentially had “dibs” on just about anything in the store, within reason. Marie copied down a variety of folk magics used to keep away intruders, stop rain, induce illness and misfortune, small chants and spells that might be useful to her as White Witch. This went on for about an hour until she was interrupted by the ringing of a bell, the one stationed above the store entrance.

Shadow of the Moon had several repeat customers but rarely saw new business. Marie was surprised to see someone strolling into the shop so early. The customer was a man of normal height and medium build with brown eyes and dark, stylish, brown hair. His clothes were dark and complemented his sharp, angular features. He was rather attractive and Marie stood inactive for several moments before realizing she was staring. 

“Welcome,” she greeted him in a low voice, “Can I help you find anything?” Her ability to socialize with customers wasn’t up to Madalena’s level or expectations, but the anxiety she once felt over having to deal with another person had lessened in her time working there. 

“I’m fine, thanks,” he responded, continuing to wander around the shop, fiddling with hanging items, flipping through the occasional book, picking up varied artifacts and items strewn all about the shop. Marie watched him make his rounds until he made his way to the counter, looking at the assorted candles and jewelry to the left of the register. He looked over at the open tome in front of Marie, his brow raised. He pointed at the book, “Mind if I take a look?”

Marie spaced out for a moment before realizing what was happening. She muttered something incoherent, then shook her head, closing the tome and placing it behind the counter. “S-sorry, that one’s not for sale.” 

The man shrugged, “Shame.” He stood in front of the register but continued to survey the store. “Got anything a little older in here? These books are all pretty contemporary and I’m not really a New Ager.” Marie seemed taken aback by his question. Most of the store’s customers were content with New Age books and Llewellyn publishing, but she supposed that most customers were never exposed to the type of information she was. 

Marie nodded, “We have a few copies of the Books of Moses and similar grimoires in the back, but they haven’t been priced yet.” 

“Huh,” he chuckled, “that it?” This wasn’t the first time Marie had dealt with a traditionalist looking to bash the new age scene or criticize the store’s inventory, but she got the feeling that this wasn’t an ordinary case of magical elitism. 

“Umm, i-if you’re looking for something else then maybe we can order it for you? You can send a request on our website or look through the linked catalogs on our homepage . . .” the bell rang again as another man walked into the store. Marie shifted herself and looked past the one standing before her to see the other customer. Marie began to welcome the second customer, but fear held her tongue. For the slightest of moments, Marie saw a terrifying image. A tall, black shadow moved through the doorway into the shop, a hazy mist collecting around its shape. From the darkness, Marie saw two long arms that sported long, black, spindly talons, and a face as dark and cold as death, with a gaping jaw fitted with three rows of jagged teeth. Marie gasped, but in the blink of an eye, the ghastly figure was traded for an unassuming, middle-aged man with tanned skin and graying hair. 

“Joseph,” the man called out. The first customer turning around to face the man. “It’s time to go.” Joseph turned back to Marie, after having witnessed each of her expressions.

“I’ll keep in touch,” he said as he followed the man out of the shop. Madalena walked in from the office as he left.

“Who was that? He was kind of cute.”

Marie shook her head, still staring at the entrance, “I don’t know. . .” Her voice trailed off. [i]What just happened?[/i] she thought, her limbs shaking as a cold shiver continued to go up and down her spine. [i]What the hell is hiding in Lost Haven?[/i]