Page 18 of Nightmares and Numerology

I splayed my fingers, mimicking an explosion. I was trying hard not to think about watching Indigo fall apart in front of me. I tried to keep the revulsion off my face but failed. Poppy sat down in the empty chair, considering me.

“Do you want tea or something? You look like you want to puke.”

I nodded, swallowing back the urge to be sick. “Tea sounds great. Do you have peppermint?”

Poppy nodded in a businesslike manner and began rummaging through the stacks until she found a box of bagged tea stashed in a back corner. “And as far as I’m concerned,” she said as she started to sort through the tea bags, “we are family.” Then she looked up at me and smiled. “And I’m sure Finn would love to take you up on your offer.” Then she bustled off and returned a few minutes later with a steaming cup. The tea hadn’t steeped long enough, but I didn’t care the moment the mix hit my lips.

She’d added something to the weak tea, I was pretty sure. It tasted like rose, which clashed oddly with the sharper taste of mint. It tingled going down, but definitely tasted good. I paused, lifting an eyebrow.

“Was that magic?” I asked.

Poppy’s smile was hesitant yet genuine. “Mine. It’s a modified form of Tranquility Oil. I’ve been experimenting withanti-anxiety brews for a while. The world just keeps getting darker and darker, you know? It’s easy to get scared. I wanted it to work like a mild form of medication, without all the nasty side effects, but it’s been too strong for most people. It’s more like a sedative when humans take it. Which, I mean, is great if we need to do magical surgery or something, but I really don’t want it to come to that, you know?”

Poppy’s smile had slipped, and worry had crept into her eyes. The happy-go-lucky persona wasn’t a mask, per se, but she was definitely being worn down by stress, I was pretty sure. It was stifling her light.

She jumped when I grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. I lifted my cup to her in salute. “Well, I’m grateful, whatever the reason. I was about to have a nervous breakdown on my front stoop. You just saved me a hell of a lot of embarrassment. I like playing into the eccentric bookshop owner thing sometimes, but I don’t want it to bethatauthentic.”

Poppy let out a surprised laugh, stifling the sound with her hand as though surprised at herself. It made me smile. At least someone was happy to be around me.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked.

So, I told her. And then I further told her that I needed advice before I accidentally did worse than summon small tongues of flame. Stress was a part of life. Causing wildfires because of it was not. I told her as much.

“Was it Indigo’s magic that’s affecting you?” she asked after a moment. “Is that what freaked you out and made your fire come to the surface?”

That was a nice way of putting it. And oh, if only. At least then I’d have a reason to descend into an unending pit of doubt. Not being able to trust yourself not to burn down the town was a legitimate reason to freak out. Angsting over being ghosted was not.

I fiddled with the tea bag before taking another sip of the infused tea. Forget love potions. I’d pay Poppy a fortune for this stuff. The utter clarity and calm were incredible.

It was the only thing that allowed me to blurt out the truth instead of a convenient lie.

“No. I think the magic was a side effect of my mood. The stuff I inherited from Indigo is unstable. It makes casting or brewing things tricky because I don’t know what’s me, what’s her, and what’s bleeding over from the things she absorbed from other monsters. I know better than to get into a tizzy, though. It can only end badly, but I just...”

I sank lower in my chair. It was justsoembarrassing to admit.

“You just?” Poppy encouraged me.

“I guess you could say I’m having a bit of an identity crisis.”

“Because of Indigo?”

“Not only because of her—I just…” God, was I really going to bring up my romantic life (or lack thereof) with someone I really didn’t know? “I should have known better than to date a playboy on top of everything else going on in my life.”

Understanding dawned on Poppy’s face, quickly followed by sympathy. “Oh. Angelo?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“Did he… erm... step out on you?”

I shook my head with a soft, disbelieving laugh. I couldn’t believe I was about to admit this aloud, but... “No, I don’t think he did. Not really.”

She frowned. “Then?”

“He didn’t show up for a date he swore he was excited for. And when he finally staggered home, he smelled like a liquor store.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry I’m even bringing this up. It must sound so… stupid to you.”

She laughed at that. “No, I’ve had my share of man trouble,too.”

“You have?” I asked, surprised because as far as I knew, she had scored a pretty amazing man who only had eyes for her. I couldn’t remember his name at the moment, though.

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