Page 27 of Hexed, Vexed, & Undersexed
Remember, hippie witch—flowers, free love, and all that.
So, it’s only natural when the camera finally reaches me to give a bright smile and the peace sign.
What?
They want cliché.
Unfortunately, though, I’m also positioned right next to Bellamy and when I do my pose, he snorts under his breath. As soon as the camera is off of me, I scowl at him, resisting the urge to flip him off. His icy eyes center on me as his filming snippet ends. Our glaring contest continues while the remaining contestants are filmed—but the more that I stare, the more I realize that his eyes have started to dip down my body.
Ha—looks like I'm not the only one hatefully eye-fucking their archnemesis.
It's the little things in life that bring the most joy.
"Cut! Perfect. We'll start the introductions in five. Carter, you good?" the filming director declares, turning her question to the host.
The announcement breaks the tension between Bellamy and me immediately.
When Bellamy's gaze snaps back to mine, I flash a sassy eyebrow raise and a smug smirk to know he's been caught. But instead of giving me any sort of satisfying reaction—like a wink or a ‘please let’s fuck in the back room’—he turns to his left and strikes up a conversation with Tansy, the hedge witch.
Bastard.
Waiting patiently for the five-minute mark for the next batch of filming, I glance down at Binx. My protective familiar is seated to my immediate right, practically lying against my leg. As I kneel to pet him, it doesn't escape my notice that I see Bellamy sneaking glances at me out of the corner of my eye.
M-hmm—this witch's still got it.
"How we doing, baby?" I whisper to my cat, scratching him on the head. A low meow escapes him, his golden feline eyes landing on me as if he understands my question. "Think we can win this?"
He doesn't respond, but based on his expression I pick up on a'you better'for whatever reason.
"You going to be with me during the trial or are you going to wait off screen?" I croon softly.
Uh-oh, I wince mentally.
Apparently, I’m not only a hippie witch, but also slowly turning into a crazy cat lady.
Binx doesn't have a chance to respond before the director calls the next batch of instructions to be given.
"Hopefully, all of you read the manual and know what to expect, but if you didn't. . . well, then this obviously isn't the place for you," the woman sniffs, clearly offended at the idea of someone not reading the pamphlet. "We'll film the intro to the show which will be overlaid with clips we've gotten from the rest of the set before you all came out. Once the trial begins, there will be no retakes—absolutelynoscrubbing of footage. If you embarrass yourself, be prepared for it to go on national television. You can cuss, but expect it to be bleeped out. Also, there will be no tolerance of any kind of cheating, sabotaging, or otherwise unruly behavior. Competitive barbs and interactions between contestants are expected, as you’ve already been briefed individually."
A.K.A.—flirting with Bodie.
Gag.
The network woman continues, pointing over to the area behind my fellow contestants to the backdrop curtain.
Of course, it's a giant pentagram.
"Behind this curtain are the six alters and designated space for conjuring your individual spell. It will be covered until filming starts to avoid any possible cheating. I think that's all for now. Any questions?"
No one raises their hand, so she nods to the host and director before walking out of the frame.
"As soon as I read off the instructions and say go, the first trial begins. When you've completed it, you'll come back to your designated spot that you’re at now," the host, Carter, explains, adjusting his purple velvet suit jacket and turning to face the camera.
As the seconds to filming are called out, I can feel my adrenaline start to race.
"Hello and welcome to Modern Day Witch Hunt! I'm Carter Foress, your host, and this is the first season of our competition filled with magic, intrigue, and—of course—majorstakes."
Mother Shipton, give me strength to make it through this cliched nightmare with your grimoire in hand.
