a bewitching thirtieth birthday

Honestly, Adriana didn’t know why she let her tea get cold. She couldn’t stand cold tea. Not one bit. Hot tea also helped her not be a zombie in the morning and surge through until lunch break…But somehow she didn’t need tea. No for once she was fully awake. 

She woke in cold sweat with a…gut feeling she couldn’t really explain. Her heart drummed in her chest and butterflies somersaulted in her stomach.  For a few minutes she just tried to calm her desperate heart. 

And she didn’t know why…It was just going to be a quiet birthday celebration with her friends at night. But….maybe that won’t happen. Not tonight anyways. 

The next thing she knew,  she was packing her bags. It was her thirtieth birthday and she spent it by stuffing her belongings in a ratty duffel bag. Not the most festive way to start the day. 

Her dark hair spilled from her low bun as she shoved her grandmother’s locket, unwashed clothes, and her trusty teddy bear she had since she was five. With all the frantic energy of last minute shoppers the night before Christmas, her heart drummed in her chest. 

She had to get out. Terra, her roommate, would throw a fit at the mess Adriana made of their cramped apartment…Adriana could already see her reaction: the whine, the pout, and the arms crossed over her chest. 

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she needed to get out. 

And now. 

What had gotten into her, only the God she prayed about under her cotton sheets knew. 

Her Abuela always told her to follow her gut feelings no matter how ludicrous it sounded. And Adriana always listened to her. How could she not? That woman was sharper than a pick-ax. Even in her eighties, she was better at running the family hair salon better than Adriana’s mother ever could. Some people in the neighborhood called her a witch. Adriana didn’t believe in such nonsense. They were obviously jealous. 

Finally Adriana was done packing her bag. 

But she couldn’t leave. No, her gut was telling her to…make a sandwich? 

She didn’t know what stirred her, but she did it anyway. 

It wasn’t anything great: just a simple ham and cheese sandwich….With a slice of tomato, pepper, and a little hot sauce of course. Plain sandwiches were just…terrible. God she never understood how her ex-boyfriend could take a bite of his  bland sandwiches. 

Once she was done, she placed the sandwich in the fridge with a plate over it. 

After she was done with that, she got out an old baseball bat. It was a relic of her highschool days she could never let go off. Too many memories (good and bad) were glued to its faded wood. Then she headed to Terra’s room. 

Terra’s room was nothing like Adriana’s. Instead of sports magazines and comfy clothes on the floor, Terra’s bedroom had a soft pink carpet and stuffed animals. Sanrio posters covered the walls next to her pastel closet. Terra’s mother was least to say…didn’t fully accept her daughter’s choices, but Adriana didn’t care. If Terra was happy, why bother? 

Adriana slipped the baseball bat under Terra’s bed. 

Before leaving, she refilled the water bowl for Mr. Whiskers, the stray tabby that would sometimes visit their apartment door. She was going to be gone…for awhile. A part of her even didn’t want her to inform anyone else besides her Abuela. 

Adriana took her duffel bag and headed out. Her high heels clicked on the sidewalk as she made her way downtown. Dogs trotted by with their owners, bereft of the panicking woman. The cloudless sky shone down on her, while birds chirped to glory. A picture perfect summer day. 

Well until the woman fell. A petite woman, with jewel bracelets over her thin wrists, collapsed across the street. Moans escaped her small mouth as she held her head. People, quick as a dart, rushed to her aide. 

Adriana ran down the road, as a hole bore at the bottom of her stomach. 

This wasn’t the first occurrence. Women on the street were falling to their knees and ending up in the emergency room for God knows how long…The police was still trying the find clues on the prepatator. 

Fast. Her legs weren’t nearly fast enough. 

She took a cab, not caring about the exuberant fare, and headed to her Abuela’s home. 

Sweat dribbled down Adriana’s forehead, like nectar from an overripe fruit under the August sun. 

Her Abuela would know about this feeling. Adriana was sure about that. 

***

Adriana huffed as she entered her Abuela’s house. She had always had a spare key for emergencies. Initially, she refused it, but her Abuela insisted on it. And once her Abuela insisted, there was no refuting her. Sometimes her Mom liked to joke how she inherited Abuela's stubbornness. 

The familiar scent of lavender candles and sandalwood incense greeted her as she entered her beloved Abuela’s home. She peeled off her shoes after properly locking the door. 

“Ah Ana! I know you would come!” Her Abuela laughed from the living room. 

With her thick as a tree trunk arms, she hugged Adriana’s slight frame. Silk robes, the color of inky berries wrapped around her stout figure, like tapestries covering a star-spangled globe. 

“You did? ” Adriana incredulously asked. 

“Well you are turning thirty today…” 

“What does me turning thirty have anything to do with me coming here?” 

Abuela chuckled at that: the rich thrill of a bass. This is what always happened: Abuela with all the answers and withholding them with a giggle until Adriana’s curiosity reached its peak. It was like a teacher relishing the knowledge she hid before her ignorant pupil. 

“Mi reina, a witch’s awakening is always at thirty…” 

A witch? She can’t be serious…Obviously she was messing her. That had to be it.

“I’m a witch?” Adriana balked. 

She nodded, proud. 

“Every woman in our family is.” 

Adriana sat in the comfy sofa chair, now giggling at Abuela's claim. If it was so important, why didn’t her mom tell her sooner? Plus her mother was not the type to burn sage or worship any deity….

Abuela just huffed, “If you came here, that means you felt a pull, right? Like you wanted to find out something” 

“Kind of…I can’t really explain it, but,” Adriana crossed her legs, “…I just felt that it was safe to come here…I don’t know why, but it didn’t feel safe at my apartment. ” 

Abuela’s eyes grew wide at that. The smile on her face, fading to dread. 

“Wait a minute…you didn’t feel safe before? You came here for protection?” 

Adriana nodded. 

Silence stiffened the air as Abuela covered her chin with a palm. Contemplatively, she tapped her upper lip for a few seconds before her eyes widened. 

“The witch hunter that’s been roaming around…” She gaped, “You must have felt his presence too…” 

“A witch hunter?...” Adriana said with a laugh, “God it sounds like some weird fantasy show…” 

“Well it isn’t reina,” Abuela  huffed, “You’ve heard of the women suddenly collapsing on the road, haven’t you?” 

Adriana stiffened at that. 

“Yes…” 

“And do you know what all those women have in common?” Abuela sat down, staring into Adriana’s deep brown eyes. 

The conclusion was sitting on her lips…It was obvious, but Adriana was too stubborn to say it. 

“Witches, Reina, They’re all witches…”Abuela sighed, “And you were probably next on the list..”  

Abuela had a point…Adriana silently fiddled with her toes, trying to process magic and a hunter out for her. She did expect to experience this on her thirtieth birthday…No time for a quarter life crisis.

Blankly, Adriana blinked at her Abuela who scrunched her brows in sympathy. 

“I’ll help you Reina…But stay with me for a week…until things settle down…okay?” 

“Okay…” 

***

Adriana stayed with her grandma, learning about spells, chants, and everything in between. It wasn’t nearly as simple as the fantasy books Adriana would binge read after class in the fifth grade. It was kind of like being taught a new language she didn’t have the slightest clue about…Fortunately her Abuela was a fantastic teacher. 

It was a bummer to cancel her plans that night, but if her life was at stake, then better to be safe than sorry. 

Only Terra knew the details of that day. She was pretty accepting of the supernatural unlike Adriana. In fact she was a witch herself…

(Abuela claimed witches attracted other witches…) 

Adriana almost forgot about the killer until  Terra called. It wasn’t a normal call either: she called  around midnight. 

“Adri!” Terra huffed into her phone. 

“What?” Adriana asked, still sleep-dazed. 

“Your ex-boyfriend came…He didn’t come through the front door either…He was looting our fridge and putting something weird…I only found him because he was gagging at the sandwich you made a week ago…I got the bat you kept in my room and whacked him, but he escaped…He just..He just vanished to thin air Adri! Like-like!” 

Then it all made sense. 

Her ex-boyfriend was the witch hunter…The bad gut feeling she was having was because of him. 

Adriana groaned into her pillow as she listened to Terra ramble about the encounter. All those weird preparations she did actually saved Terra. Thank God…

It was going to be a headache to face her ex after such a nasty breakup…But lives were in danger, so she couldn’t sit still. Her Abuela taught her better than that.