As usual, I want to thank my editor for his help. Terry does a great job of finding where my mind is going too fast and skips a word or two. He also acts as a great sounding board to help me improve my stories.
*****
Although Halloween had passed, the coffee shop where Dakota sat sipping her mocha was still decked out in the typical decorations. There were skeletons on the walls and plastic pumpkins glowing at the windows. The counter had several spiders that looked like they were scuttling around it and down the cobwebs that hung off it.
Of course, even normally it seemed a little dark and spooky. It was a selling point for the young witches attending Ste. Jeanne d'Arc Academy. While it wasn't publicly acknowledged as a school of witchcraft, the local people weren't blind or stupid. They figured it out decades ago. Since there had never been much in the way of problems, they accepted it as just a part of the little town. Its money was as good as anyone else's and never seemed to dry up. Both things were welcome in the otherwise slow backwater economy.
The design of school uniform helped to minimize differences of backgrounds and status. It was a simple unadorned black button up blouse and a knee length black skirt. The single ornament was a silver belt with a buckle displaying the school coat of arms, a sword with a crown above it and two fleurs-de-lis on either side of the sword. Matching dark stockings and shoes finished it off. It might have stood out except there were a couple hundred similarly dressed girls frequently around town.
While it successfully hid any hint about Dakota's background, it did nothing to make the eighteen year old unnoticeable. Her pale skin and sky blue eyes would have attracted attention no matter what, but they were all the more striking when set against her long jet-black hair. Although she was good looking, she wasn't gorgeous. Her nose was a bit aquiline and her chin had a slight cleft. On her father, they helped make him look handsome. On Dakota, they made her a little too strong featured to be a true beauty like her mother. It was something that people always seemed to mention while she was growing up, and over time it developed into a self-consciousness that she hadn't been able to overcome.
Even when she moved away to attend the Academy and began to truly fill out into a lovely young woman, she couldn't see it herself. Looking in the mirror, her sharp features always caught her own eyes. As she started her fourth year, she still found it hard to break out of her shyness. Her circle of friends was small, and many of her classmates mistook it for arrogance. A school of witchcraft was no different from any other type of school. Cliques abounded and there were the inevitable mean girls; only young witches had many unique ways to torture their victims.
The uniform also did nothing to hide just how well she had filled out. Her breasts were large and pushed at her blouse enough that there was a slight gap in between a couple of buttons. Normally that wasn't the case but today she had on a blouse from past years. Her body narrowed at the waist and then flared out to show a nice rounded bottom. More than one local male, both young and old, stopped in their tracks to admire her before moving on without bothering her. The entire town learned the lesson to leave the students alone long ago.
The fact that she was at the coffeehouse alone wasn't unusual. She often sought out solitude, as sometimes she found herself feeling awkward even amongst her friends. Unless it was necessary, she didn't study with others. It didn't help that she was as naturally gifted as any other girl at the school. Having advanced well beyond her classmates, there wasn't much to be gained from group studies. At least that stopped most of the malicious tricks. Very few wanted to face the inevitable and unstoppable revenge.
Right now, she had a thick tome open in front of her. At first glance, she seemed to be intently studying it. Only after observing her for several minutes was it apparent that the page never turned.
As unobtrusively as she could, Dakota tried to keep the barista in her view. It wasn't always easy, but she had lots of practice secretly observing people through her thick lashes. Schoolgirl crushes were as normal amongst the young witches as at any other all-girl school, but they tried extra hard to keep them secret. The teachers at the Academy took their jobs seriously and that meant enforcing all the rules, including those about sex. The consequences of scorned lovers were particularly severe when those involved could do magic. If it went beyond what was publically acceptable, they hid it as fumbled encounters under the cover of darkness, late in the night.
Most of them were the natural result of the combination of curiosity and the enforced sex segregation. The number of girls who were truly oriented towards other girls wasn't much different from the rest of society. Dakota knew that she was one of them. Unfortunately, her own introduction was with one of the merely curious ones. A few kisses and some caresses scratched that itch enough to satisfy the other girl.
For Dakota, that brief experience confirmed that she was truly gay. The intensity of her crush would have frightened the other girl away even if she was interested in continuing. As it was, it ended their friendship. Dakota couldn't look or be around her without her desires getting in the way. She knew what was happening but in her inexperience, she didn't know how to control it. After that, she let herself become even more isolated. The pain of rejection was too much, and it was just easier to avoid being in that position again.
While she avoided another crush on a schoolmate, she couldn't help finding another one. She sighed as she looked over at the barista again. "She is so gorgeous," she thought to herself. Even without the rose-tinted glasses of a crush, Dakota was right. Jocelyn was a willowy strawberry-blonde beauty, four years older than she was. Her heart shaped face was the first thing that Dakota noticed when she came in to the coffee shop after the beginning of the school year. It was all she could do to avoid staring at her, the beautiful face made slightly less intimidating by a healthy sprinkling of freckles across Jocelyn's cheeks and nose. Without them, Dakota probably would have taken her drink and left, never to return. As it was, Jocelyn's warm smile and sweet disposition were enough to ensnare Dakota and she became an even more frequent visitor of the shop.
Unlike the voluptuous schoolgirl, Jocelyn was slight with a body that had more subtle curves. The swell of her breast was modest and her waist was probably about the same size as Dakota's. All of them were in perfect proportions. Even her bottom was small and tight, with just enough rounding to fill her clothes in a way that captured Dakota's attention on each of the rare moments when she could see it.
Between the few awkward questions and listening to others, Dakota figured out that she had returned to her hometown after completing college. This job was just something to fill time while she looked for something more interesting. "Hopefully it will take a while," Dakota told herself every time she heard her mention her job search.
As she took another look at the object of her desire, Jocelyn raised her eyes from the caldron of frothy milk. Dakota felt a shock as their eyes locked for a moment. "Oh god," she muttered in embarrassment. Looking down, she felt her heart beating rapidly. Even her breathing was a little tight. She tried to focus on the page, but the letters swam in front of her eyes. Finally, she looked furtively over and was relieved to see Jocelyn facing the other way as she washed up some things. Only then did she her heart slow and that tightness leave her throat.
Once again, Dakota tried to focus on her textbook. At least she could read it now. It was the instructions on the use of a certain mixture of magic powder. Without realizing it, her hand slipped into the pocket of her skirt and found a small sealed packet. She flipped it around in her fingers, being careful not to break it open. It was in fact the very mixture described on the page.
"It's getting late," she thought to herself. "She'll start closing up soon. Oh, can I do it?" She looked at the top of the page. "Yseult's Powder of Temporary Love," she silently read before turning the page. Scanning the text, she once again found the bit about duration. "Once mixed, the powders will only retain their potency for 4 hours. After that, the powders will be completely ineffective. Once administered, the effects will last 60 minutes."
Dakota looked at the clock on the wall. "A quarter to five," she thought. It was now or never. She had mixed the powder during her independent study period on potions after lunch. "It will start failing in the next half hour, and I have to be back at the school for dinner at 6:30," she thought. Still, she wrestled with her conscience. "If I get found out, oh will I be in trouble!" The Headmistress made it clear that the townspeople were off limits as far as magic was concerned. Using it to defend herself might be excused, but this was the exact opposite of that. That aspect truly caused her hesitation.
"I shouldn't. It's taking her choice away from her," Dakota thought. She almost made up her mind to leave when Jocelyn stepped back from the latte machine and stretched. Her long thin arms went up over her head and she leaned back. Dakota picked her spot well. At that angle, she had a view of her entire body. Her untucked shirt rose up, exposing her flat belly. Once again, Dakota's heart accelerated but for completely different reasons. The ember of desire burned brightly and the idea of not going through with it went up in its flames.
Closing her book, she took a deep breath, got up and walked towards the restroom. "Would you mind keeping an eye on my things," she asked as she passed the barista.
"Sure," Jocelyn replied. She was stirring a cup of tea she made for herself. Her eyes were friendly but Dakota still felt like they could see through her. She flushed a light pink and then went into the restroom. She did actually have to go but that took only a few moments. More precious time was consumed washing up and then staring into the mirror. It wasn't just the powders. She picked this time because the shop was about to close. After many afternoons, she knew there was little chance that anyone else would come in.
Swallowing hard, Dakota carefully removed the packet from her pocket. As she ripped the top off it, she began softly to murmur the words of a spell. She felt the hair on the back of her head prickle, as it did whenever she invoked a spell. While it was one all students learned long ago, her mastery of it was exceptional. The packet rose in the air, perfectly stable. Now she fell silent. The spell was done but the effects remained.
Opening the door just enough that she could see through the crack, she directed the packet into the other room. Waiting for a moment when Jocelyn's attention was elsewhere, she commanded the packet to turn upside down. The powder sifted down into the tea, instantly dissolving while leaving no aftertaste to betray its presence. The paper packet fell down onto the floor, just one more piece of detritus to be swept up at the end of the day.
Letting the door shut for a moment, she took another deep breath, started a timer on her phone, and then went out. If there were any lingering doubts, they didn't matter. Jocelyn was sipping her tea.
"It's done," Dakota told herself. It was too late for regrets. Jocelyn would soon be under the effects of the magic. If it wasn't her, someone else would be the object of her desire. All that mattered now was to make sure she was the one.
