all Jack could think about was Noah.
Standing up and hutching off the bed, I turned to Jack. "Thanks for a nice night. I'll get cleaned up and see myself out."
He was already texting and I knew what it would say.
I was no longer thinking this had been a good idea.
When I got home, I placed my other bits around the room, lit a sandalwood joss stick, and climbed into bed and opened the book Donna had given me.
Maybe I needed to know how to turn people into frogs after all.
The following Wednesday I went back to the store and I never looked back.
Seven-and-a-half years earlier
Jack Brooks was drunk. I watched as he staggered down the path towards the recycle bins where he was about to put the bottle of vodka Stacey had drunk from.
I knew because I could smell her scent around it and around him.
Knowing what he'd done, what he'd claimed, disgusted me. Bullying a guy was bad enough, but to take advantage of a vulnerable female did not sit well with me.
"Hi, Jack." I sniggered at my own joke. I was about to hijack him away from here. He just didn't know it yet.
He turned to me, his eyes narrowing. "What do you want?"
"I have something for you." I told him, "but you have to come get it. If you dare??
He'd never been able to resist a dare.
I drained him of his blood even though it tasted of weed and cigarettes. Then I flew to the nearest tip and dropped him under an old pile of rubbish like the trash he was.
Stacey
We were through to the next round of auditions. The part where we would get to sing in front of the actual judges. Donna was like a Jack-in-a-box, she was so excited. She had Sugar Daddy fantasies relating to the main man, Bill. Each to their own.
To celebrate we'd all come to our favourite place, the Rock Hard Bistro. Anyone who loved music, loved the bistro. They had a mix of live bands and themed evenings, and the atmosphere was always positive. The food and drink were excellent and reasonably priced, and the owner and manager, Stu looked a little like Idris Elba which didn't hurt business.
On a Tuesday evening, the place was getting busier, but the music was background rather than the main focus, the food taking centre stage.
We'd ordered lots of things to share: nachos, ribs, chicken wings, pizzas, wedges, along with some large pitchers of beer and a few cocktails. I was usually quite partial to a whisky sour, but on this occasion had decided beer went better with the food.
"So I know you're through, but how did it go?" Stu asked me. "You reckon there's a real chance I might lose my favourite waitress and bartender?"
Yep, I worked there, and ate there in my downtime. I told you I loved the place.
I shrugged my shoulders. "We got through to the next round, but after that who knows? Could be sent packing and then that's the end of that."
Stu tilted his head looking at me. To say he was only about five years older than I was, he acted like my dad.
"'Keep a positive mind. Negativity attracts negativity'." I mimicked in his voice. "I'll meditate on manifesting my success later." I rolled my eyes at him.
"You can scoff. I manifested my entire business and I'm loaded. Both in money and down my pants, so mock me. I'll stand throwing dollar bills at you."
"We're British."
He shrugged. "One pound coins would hurt, and then you'd sue me for a workplace injury."
I laughed.
"So when will I see you on the television and be able to tell all my friends I know you?"
"There are the live auditions after this. If we get through that it's then the judges' choices for who goes through to the live finals. So don't be advertising my job anywhere just yet."
"One day you'll make it, Stace. Whether it's now or later. You've an amazing voice and it'll happen for you. I'm sure."
"If it's meant to be right?" I said. He nodded, gave me a squeeze and went back to work.
I sat looking around at the rest of the band. As well as Donna, there was Dani, Kiki, Estelle, Shonna, and Meryl. We ranged in age from twenty-three (me) to twenty-eight (Meryl and Estelle) and in the main got along really well.
"So, Donna. What's your plan to ensnare Bill then?" Dani shouted across the table, her brown curls falling in her face.
"I'll bewitch him."