We Three Witches (Twilight)

Chapter 9 - There's Nothing Wrong With A Little Therapeutic Torture

Authors' Note

Surprise! Double post! Bit of a two part for that. Half in apology for being late last week, and half because from here on we're going to be posting once a fortnight (rather than once a week).

Quick announcement. We've decided 'fuck the word count' is our new motto. Though I guess if you hadn't figured that out by our 12k chap last post then...not sure what you're reading haha. So our chapters are definitely going to stick to the longer side of things haha

Anyway, enjoy 💖🌵

Bella's POV

February 8th, 2003

I reclined in the back of the truck, staring up at the clouds and listened to my sisters bicker in the cab. It was late in the afternoon and we were almost at Port Angeles. We were doing a bit of a supply run and a shopping trip. It had been ages since the three of us had had a night out—just us—and we needed it.

We were also doing a bit of a supply run to a metaphysical shop we knew was run by an actual witch. Alice had found it last night in her usual way and I knew she was excited for whatever we'd find. She didn't know what, of course, just had a feeling we'd find something special. And after thirty-three years of knowing my sister, I didn't doubt she'd be right.

The truck made a heaving sound and I patted her sides gently. "You're doing a marvellous job, dear. I'm proud of you."

When I'd told Rose we were heading to Port Angeles in the truck, she had told me we'd have more luck hitch-hiking. But I knew my baby, and I had confidence that she could get there. Rose had placed enough runes on the engine to get us where we needed alive, and this baby had been tackled worse. Still, verbal encouragements wouldn't hurt.

Eventually we pulled into one of the back streets, a few shops down from where the maps had said the metaphysical shop would be. But as I jumped out of the bed of the truck, I felt an odd pulling sensation. I followed it, knowing my sisters were behind me. After a few moments of walking I stopped in front of a shop, knowing this was where I was meant to be.

"Huh." Rose looked up at the sign: Alvira's Metaphysical Store. "I expected that to be harder. How'd you know where to go, Bella?" I blinked. the feeling led me straight to the occult shop

I followed her gaze to the dried plants hanging outside the door and felt a soft wave of relief. Alice had assured us it was for the real occult, and not just a tourist scam, but it wasn't until I saw those plants that I was sure.

In our first life, we'd had a mentor of sorts after our mother had died—Mother Aquila. She'd taught us everything she could in the years before our deaths, and one of the things I'd learnt from her had been how to tell a real witch's shop from a fake one. Some of the signs were definitely outdated now—I doubted anyone hung a black sheep's pelt outside anymore—but hanging lavender, rosemary and freesia was still a sure sign.

"Just a feeling." I walked in, following the pulling sensation that guided me through the doors.

Walking in, the young woman behind the counter smiled. The shop was currently empty—bar us—so she looked grateful for the break in the boredom. "Welcome to Alvira's Metaphysical shop. How may I help you today?"

She was polite, but I could tell she didn't care. Nor did she seem to have a decent aura of magic around her. She was likely just working here to pay the bills—and she was most definitely not Alvira.

We hadn't encountered many witches in this life. The extent of our contact with our community had been the owner of the metaphysical store back in Phoenix and a few local witches over the years—all of them well into their hundreds. The store owner had been one hundred and fifty, but she'd always been wonderfully helpful whenever we'd walked in. Looking at this place, I could tell things would be different here.