Coffee and death with a spice of magic

The life of a shop owner can be pretty overwhelming sometimes, especially if said owner is a witch and her products are made from her magic. Cassinda dedicated a large part of her time to the creation of potions, every single one of them took a gigantic amount of energy and concentration. After the time to close the shop comes the young witch ends up exhausted, the only solution for her suffering is a big and warm cup of coffee.

Every afternoon Cassinda visits "The Happy Fairy", her favorite coffee shop. A colourful place, always full of magical beings. She would buy her usual cappuccino and take a seat next to the left window, then she'll enjoy her sweet beverage in total silence while looking at the outside world. A simple routine, nothing fancy, nothing crazy, until one day it changed.

Cassinda was about to take a seat, just seconds remained before she dived into the comforting embrace of her own thoughts. The aroma of her cappuccino got to her nose but before she could taste it the witch felt someone nudging her shoulder.

"You've finally arrived, our main suspect." Those words repeated over and over in her mind. She moved her head like she was on autopilot, looking for an answer and what she found was yellow duct tapes all over the place.

"I don't understand. What happened?" The confused girl asked "I just got from work, like everyday"

"What happened is that a man was murdered in this coffee shop and the spell that was used to kill him has a trace of your magic. So tell me Miss Selwyn, why did you kill Patrick Jenkins?"

Terrified, that's how Cassinda felt. A magic trace was an infallible proof, even more certain than a dna test. Every being has a personal magic trace and when they use their magic it can be identified. If the analysis said it was Cassinda's fault then it has to be it. But if she did it then why can't she remember.

"I don't know him." She defended herself.

"You're lucky I need more proof than a magic trace to take the case to the court but I can assure you I won't stop looking. I don't believe your lies."

Judging eyes pierced her skin, even the sweet pixie that talked with Cassinda while they waited for their drinks seemed to be suspicious of her, or at least that's what she thought the instant she saw them walk her way.

"I think you dropped this." The little pixie whispered before they handed a golden locket to the witch. Cassinda hid the object in her pocket without actually paying enough attention to recognize it.

The next four hours she was forced into interrogation, the detectives inquired about her routine and her last actions. Cassinda ended up being grateful for her shop, the job and the customers provided her an alibi. Forensics determined 10:28 a.m as the time of death and at that time the witch was seen by a fairy, a wizard and a human in her shop. Without more proof than the magic trace Cassinda was released.

For the first time in her life she felt truly exhausted. Her body felt drained of energy and her mind lost strength. In the comfort of her home she tried to find vitality but nothing seems to work. Accepting the defeat Cassinda hid between the sheets of the soft bed. Before she closed her eyes a reflection of light caught her attention. Then she remembered the object given to her by the pixie. With a movement of her right hand she brought it to herself.

Sometimes when you're tired you start seeing things that aren't really there, that was the only logical explanation the witch could think of. It was impossible, she couldn't be seeing the exact replica of her family locket, the one her mother gifted her before she died. There was only one locket like that in the world, forged with the magic of her ancestors and that was exactly what scared Cassinda the most, the fact that she was able to feel the magic coming from it.