We went to Candleworks after lunch. I gave a glance at where Maximum Effort used to be and felt a twinge in my heart. I hadn’t had time to think about where I would go to get my supplements. Not that I really needed them, but still.

  “So what’re we looking for?” I asked as we got out of the jeep and made our way to the store.

  “I’m going to check the books,” Joshua said. “Maybe I’ll find something which can help our search.”

  “And what’ll I get to do?”

  Joshua stared off into the distance, a sign he was giving the question some serious thought. “Follow your instincts. Use those better than human senses. Even your ‘allergy’ to magic might help us.”

  “Gotcha. I’ll let you know if I get really itchy.”

  Joshua chuckled. “I can’t wait.”

  "Hey there, big guy," Keith said as he finished up with the customer, who was the skinny kid I'd seen every time we came here. I went with the flow of my usual action and watched him as he passed me by to the exit. I felt the increase of heat on his cheeks again as he took in the sight of me, but he still kept his eyes on me when I caught him scoping me out. I gave him a brief nod before making my way towards Keith.

  Time to keep on following the script.

  “So what happened to Maximum Effort?” All right, maybe I didn’t follow it exactly. I didn’t want to fake any anger. It would be a waste of energy.

  "Ah, yeah. They closed us down this week, Israel. Sorry about that."

  I scratched the itch on my shoulder. "I was there last Saturday. Why didn't anyone tell me?"

  "We didn't know until Monday. Corporate closed us down and gave us three days to move all the inventory to the warehouse."

  "Damn, that sucks.”

  "I know, but I lucked out and managed to get a job here the next day."

  Then it hit me. What did Keith know about the metaphysical stuff? Wouldn’t whoever owned the place want someone with at least some knowledge of it?

  “Israel? You okay?”

  Dammit, I’ve gotta stop spacing out when I get into deep thought. “Sorry, guy. I was lost in those gorgeous eyes of yours.”

  That distracted Keith big time. “Hey, now. I’m not going to give you a discount,” he said with a smile. “Besides, you’re not eighteen yet.”

  I leaned forward, folding my arms across the counter. I didn’t pretend not to notice his eyes move towards my biceps this time. “When I am, though, I’ll make sure to have you eating out of the palm of my hand.”

  Keith’s smile wavered a bit. “I’ll be patient, I guess.”

  “I turn eighteen in a few months. You won’t have to wait long.” I then stood up as I saw Joshua approach the counter. "That was fast," I said, turning away from Keith and folding my arms across my chest. I heard Keith sigh behind me, and I smiled. “Any luck?"

  Joshua's eyes flicked towards Keith as he made his purchase, then back to me. "They had something we wanted."

  I smelled… something I didn’t recognize mixed with sandalwood. “Alright then. Are we good to go?”

  Joshua nodded his head and I flashed Keith a wink. “See you in a couple of months, right?”

  Keith nodded. “Patience is a virtue.”

  “Good guy,” I said and the second we left the store I decided to voice my thoughts on the situation. “How did someone who’s studying to be a physical therapy trainer wind up in a store for metaphysical stuff?”

  “Who? The guy at the counter?”

  I smacked my forehead. “Oh yeah, you wouldn’t know him. It’s your first time meeting the guy.” I explained how he used to work at the supplement store and how he got the job at Candleworks the next day after the former closed.

  Joshua frowned. “That’s strange.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  Joshua looked up at me. “Maybe the owner is desperate for people?”

  “It’s not like it’s a fast food job.”

  “Something to keep an eye on, then.”

  “So what’d you get?”

  Joshua held up the bag. “Some incense. We’re going to go back to my place and help jog your memory.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Fear pinched at my heart a little bit. “Uhm, you remember what I told you, right? We tried that already and the outcome was probably not good.”

  Joshua nodded. “I didn’t forget but I’ve been thinking about how I went about doing it. I think it was making you remember everything which was the problem. We’re going to make you remember a select memory.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said as we drove out of the parking lot and towards his place. “Which memory?”

  “I have a feeling there’s something we’re missing, and I’m going to keep the spell as simple and easy as possible. If we’re lucky it might put us on the right path. If we’re really lucky it’ll tell us exactly what we need to do.”

  “And if we’re not lucky?”

  “Then we’re back to square one.”

  My pessimistic side took complete control over me. “And if we’re really not lucky?”

  “Then you’re back to square one.”

  Meaning it’d be Wednesday morning again. Oh well, I’d get away with skipping school again with zero consequences. “Yeah, I’ll take those odds.”

  We drove in silence the rest of the way to Joshua’s, and I didn’t say a word as we walked in and marched right up to his room. He got busy setting up five red candles which I bet if I drew a line to connect them I could form a pentagram.

  “Okay, Izzy,” Joshua said, pointing at the center, “sit down and we’ll proceed.”

  I did as he asked and watched him light the candles with a grill lighter, the kind you use for when you want to grill some burgers. He then lit a stick of incense and the scent eventually filled the room. Again, I couldn’t place the unknown scent. “What is that?”

  “It’s rosemary. I found out it’s good for memory, so I decided to get some. It couldn’t hurt.”

  I shivered a bit. I was nervous, I admit it. It felt we were on to something, but what if I was setting myself up for disappointment? “Yeah,” I said. “I couldn’t hurt.”

  Joshua crouched down in front of me, outside of the candles which surrounded me. “Don’t worry, Izzy. The spell is going to be very specific. I’ll cancel it if I think it’s hurting you.”

  “Thanks, Joshua. Heh, for once you’re my bodyguard.”

  Joshua smiled. “I might grow to like this.”

  Not if I have anything to say about it. “All right, do your magic.”

  His eyes turned black but this time he didn’t touch me. “REMEMBER WHAT YOU’RE MISSING.”

  It was starting to get dark by the time I got back to the school grounds. I parked my Jeep next to the football field, and squeezed out of it. My poor vehicle had started to be unable to handle my size thanks to those late growth spurts that had really hit me hard, and my Jeep was the casualty next to my wardrobe.

  It was a cool night but all I needed was my sleeveless hoodie and jogging pants to keep me warm. I ran hot all the time, so this kind of weather was a godsend. I made my way towards the chain link fence that kept the unsavory types from squatting there for shelter. I hopped over the fence as easily as an Olympic athlete doing a high jump, and walked over to the building behind the bleachers. It served as a locker room and gym for the football players, and I used to work out there at night. I wasn't worried about getting caught. I could con my way out of any trouble or just intimidate whoever found me there. It happened one time with one of the football players, one of Manny's friends, and after a few words from me he was guaranteed never to rat me out. It's a wonder our football team ever won a game in their life, the way the players were so timid.

  I stared at the gym and remembered that time Manny had attacked me. He had been the target of Joshua’s magic which filled him with an impotent rage with no release. So he went after the one person he hated more than anyone, me. If I had been human, I’d have been dead. Fortunately I wasn’t, but it was kill or be killed, so I was forced to kill Manny.

  After all these years it was the one kill I regretted. I don’t know if I could have done it another way. I would never know and sometimes it preyed on my thoughts. Sometimes I’d dream Manny was still alive and still consumed with rage. Just before he’d attack me I’d wake up sweating bullets. These dreams rarely came up but it gutted me every time.

  Did Joshua have the same dreams fueled by guilt? I never talked about what happened to Manny after I revealed to him I was a werelion. I don’t know why. Maybe it was a macho thing but I always had a tendency to do whatever the hell I wanted to, macho or no. I liked to think I redefined being macho, but what if I was just too scared to confess how I was haunted by guilt?

  Maybe it was time to talk about this to someone in the know, but what were the statute of limitations on this? It was self defense, but I still killed someone. I would bet easy money they’d have taken one look at me and tried me as an adult.

  No. I wouldn’t talk about this. I’d just revisit this place every time and beg forgiveness to the ghost that may or may not haunt this place. I really hoped he was in a better place than haunting this old school, though.

  “Sorry, Manny,” I said quietly. “I wish I could relive that moment to handle it better.”

  “Wish granted.”

  I gasped for air and flailed a bit, knocking the candles all over the place. I didn’t notice if they were unlit or not because I was too busy scrambling backwards until my back hit the wall. I couldn’t control my breathing. It felt like I’d run a marathon. Two marathons, even.

  “Izzy!” Joshua crouched a safe distance from me, hand outstretched. “It’s okay, you’re okay!”

  I wasn’t okay, though. I looked around wildly, hoping to find something to get rid of the utter terror in my heart. Of course I couldn’t find anything. I was a panicked idiot grasping at straws.

  “Izzy, you’re scaring me,” Joshua said, on his hands and knees now. “Please, breathe. Deep breaths. It’ll help you. I promise.”

  I tried to follow his instructions. I really did. But my breathing turned shallow and started to hitch a lot. I could feel my nerves breaking down, my mind awhirl with the realization.

  Joshua crept closer to me. “Izzy, tell me what’s wrong. What did you remember?”

  “Y-you wouldn’t b-believe me.” I hated myself for stuttering like a crying baby, but I couldn’t help it. I was on a one way trip to a total mental meltdown.

  He placed a hand on my shoulder and to my credit, I didn’t flinch or brush it away. “I’ll believe you, I promise,” he said. “I believed you when you said you’re reliving today, remember?”

  I stared into his eyes and somehow it calmed me down. Was he using magic to do this? My skin wasn’t itching so I doubt he was. A new realization was trying to get into my conscious brain but it was overwhelmed with the ones already stuck there.

  “I know why this is happening, Joshua, but it’s worse than I expected.”

  Joshua’s face scrunched up in confusion. “How is it worse?”

  “I remember being an adult and wishing I could relive this moment and fix things,” I said. “This is all my fault.”