Peppermint Potions and Tentacles (Tinsel and Tentacles 3.0)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

Kaleb Dumas

Dreams and reality collide in a dizzying whirlwind.

Images of blue tentacles and tantalizing golden brown eyes fade, replaced by the stern look of my boss as she comes into focus.

Wait, tentacles? Okay, that’s new. Usually, it’s little glimpses of the future, not fantasies of tempting eyes and fictional appendages.

Jeanine Wilson purses her lips as she studies me through her red cat-eye glasses, clearly waiting for an answer.

Crap, crap, crap. I totally just had another one of those damn visions in front of my boss, didn’t I?

By the time my vision, or dream, or whatever the hell it was, clears, I’m left with the horrifying words Jeanine said to me right before I was assaulted by those pesky images.

“Oh my gods, you’re firing me?” I blurt.

As soon as I say it out loud, I know it’s true.

Damn. I can’t afford to lose this job. A mental checklist of all the bills I’ve been behind on comes to mind, and a sense of panic hits me.

The holiday season is approaching. Tomorrow is Halloween, for shit’s sake.

Blink of an eye, and it’ll suddenly be Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and then Christmas.

There’s no way they are letting me go, right?

The toy store needs as many people as it can get.

Jeanine sighs. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Kaleb. You’re lucky corporate doesn’t do mandatory drug tests. The number of times you’ve zoned out while on the clock this week alone has been abysmal.”

My mouth falls open. “What?” I bark. She thinks I’m high?

“I don’t do drugs. Never have.” Not when I saw the way addiction tore apart my first foster family.

Suddenly, I’m reminded of my foster mom, Elizabeth.

I rub that painful part of my chest. I can’t believe she’s really gone.

It’s only been three months, but it still feels like I just lost her yesterday.

I’m sure there has to be a strange look on my face because Jeanine just rolls her eyes as she stands. Clearly, she doesn’t believe me.

Leaning across her desk, she hands me an envelope, and I automatically take it. “That’s your final check. I’m sure with all the seasonal jobs popping up around the mall, you’ll be just fine.”

With shaky hands, I open up the envelope and peer down at the amount. It’s not even enough to cover my half of next month’s rent, and since my roomie and I pay on a month-to-month basis, it’s only a matter of time before I’m shit out of luck.

“Please don’t do this,” I beg, biting back my pride.

My fingers trail up to the crystal pendant on my necklace, finding comfort in its touch.

It’s not that I loved this job, but I really need the money.

In a small town like this, there isn’t much available.

High school students and college students alike start applying for seasonal jobs at the beginning of October.

I doubt I’ll be able to find anything, despite what Jeanine thinks.

“I’m not on drugs. I’ll even volunteer to take a drug test just to prove it.

It’s just all the stress and lack of sleep. I’ll do better, I promise.”

Jeanine shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Kaleb. I wish you the best of luck, but Tetty’s Toyshop just isn’t the place for you.”

I slam the office door behind me as I leave.

Months of working in this shithole and being treated like crap just so they can drop me like a sack of potatoes.

Rushing to the breakroom, I empty out my locker as quickly as possible.

There’s no need to do the walk of shame in front of all my soon-to-be ex-co-workers.

Bracing myself for the chilly air, I wrap my favorite mint-green scarf around my neck. I make my way out of the toy store and down the street. What the fuck am I going to do now? I sigh before pulling out my phone and calling the only person I want to talk to.

“Hey there, bestie,” Stacy answers on the fourth ring. “What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Jeanine fired me,” I say without preamble. Might as well rip the Band-Aid off.

“What? That bitch! After all that fucking overtime you did to help her out?” Leave it to Stacy to have my back.

Stacy and I met briefly when we were in the same foster home.

When we separated, we promised to keep in touch through social media and even snail mail.

We’ve been friends for thirteen years now, but she’s helped me more than anyone else has in this world.

And all those times I cried in her arms, telling her I was different from others around me, she accepted my word as truth, all while making me feel like being different was a good thing, not something to be ashamed of.

“Yup.” I pop the P with a sense of defeat.

“Did she give you a reason why?”

My shoulders slump. There’s no way I can tell my bestie it’s because of these so-called visions and that they’ve been getting worse, or the fact that my boss thinks I was on drugs.

It would only worry Stacy, and she’s already been through so much.

Plus, she’d probably insist I go see a doctor or a therapist, and I sure as hell can’t afford that.

The visions are something I’ve dealt with my whole life, but growing up, no one has ever believed me.

Hell, half the time I don’t even know if I believe the things I see.

“I had too many written warnings, and I messed up at work today. Plus, I’m pretty sure she was just trying to find any excuse to get rid of me. I’m so screwed, Stace. I needed that job. My final check won’t even cover my portion of rent.”

Stacy is quiet for far too long. Damn. Is she mad at me? I peer down at my phone screen just to see if she’s still on the line. “Stace? You there?”

“I’m here,” she replies slowly. It’s that tone of voice that clues me in. She wants to say something I probably don’t want to hear, but is trying to find a delicate way of delivering it.

“Just spit it out, hon.”

“Gah, it’s so creepy how you do that. It’s like you have a sixth sense or something.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re avoiding the subject.”

“It’s just that you have such an amazing talent for drawing. I’m telling you, my author friends are always looking for artists like you. Everyone is always so jealous when they see the way you bring my characters to life.”

I shake my head. “I need something that will actually pay the bills.” Walking past a group of teenagers who are all wearing backpacks, I check the time, realizing they probably just got out of school.

Two of them are wearing superhero costumes.

One is dressed as Superman, red cape and all.

While the other is in the signature Dark Knight version of Batman with head to toe black.

It won’t be long before the elementary kids are done with school, too, and getting ready to go trick-or-treating with their parents tomorrow.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you play your cards right, I think it can pay the bills.

And if I’m wrong, it’s something you can do in between looking for another job.

” Stacy buzzes with excitement as she launches into a plan of what I can charge per art piece and how she’s going to announce that her artist friend is finally open to taking commissions.

All the while, I continue the walk back to our apartment, a little glimmer of hope niggling its way into my heart.

With the exception of Stacy’s characters, my drawings have mainly been dedicated to the images of the different things I’ve seen when I blackout.

It would be nice to draw things people appreciated.

Ever since these strange visions started increasing in frequency, I’ve been worried I wouldn’t be able to find another job. Premonitions or not, I knew Jeanine had it out for me. I have no idea what her issue was, but I knew it was only a matter of time before she fired me.

With a job I can do from home, it won’t matter whether I have the occasional vision or two. Maybe getting fired will give me the opportunity to put my art out into the world. “You really think I can get away with charging that much for my art?”

“Oh, for sure. In fact, you can probably charge more, but it might be an easy way to put your name out there first. My friends will see it as an amazing opportunity to get affordable character art that’s absolutely stunning.”

A new sense of excitement zips through me. Rushing up the flight of stairs, I fish out my keys and jab them into the lock. As soon as I push the door open, a head of messy blonde hair pops up from behind the couch.

Stacy peers over at me with a wide grin before ending our call. “Does this mean you’ll do it?”

Cleo, my adorable black cat, suddenly appears and rushes to the door, weaving happily between my legs.

I scoop her up into my arms, and she immediately begins purring.

Stacy’s words replay in my head. Oh gods, I want this.

I want to start living my life and chasing my dreams. I want to be brave and take a chance. I nod eagerly. “Let’s do it!”

She jumps up from her spot on the sofa and throws her arms up into the air.

She whoops with joy before she does this happy dance that makes it look like she’s jogging in place.

“Yes! Let’s do this,” she repeats. “But first, let’s head over to the thrift store.

I’m making you a badass Halloween costume.

Now that you’re free from that dumb toy shop, we are going to party at Club Sip tomorrow. We’re freaking celebrating!”

Thirty minutes later, we’re in our favorite thrift store downtown.

“What do you think about this one?” I ask, holding up a Spider-Man bodysuit.

With my slim body and the fake muscles built into the suit, I’d look pretty damn hot.

Honestly, I’m surprised it’s still here the day before Halloween.

I flip over the price tag and wince. “Yeah, okay. Never mind,” I say, jamming the hanger back onto the rack. It’s way too expensive.

“No way. I told you I’m making you a costume. Plus, there will be so many superheroes this year with the new movie coming out.”

“True.” My mind wanders to the teenagers I saw earlier.

I want to stand out for once. I want to feel pretty or look handsome.

Moving from foster home to foster home and changing schools so many times throughout my life, I’ve learned how to fade into the background.

To blend in so I don’t draw any unwanted attention. To hide my sparkle.

Stacy sorts through the clothes like she’s on a mission.

As if reading my mind, she peers over at me.

“Let’s do something unexpected. It’s time you stopped hiding that sassy personality I love and showed the world who you really are.

You said you wanted to catch someone’s attention, so why don’t we make this Halloween costume something fun and creative?

Maybe something that is meaningful to you. ”

Something meaningful. I tap my chin and eye the clothes in front of me.

For some reason, I picture the ocean and its crashing waves. Something about the ocean calls to me. Not that I’ve actually seen the ocean in person. But every time I see pictures of the beach, or watch movies about the sea, I’m fascinated. Ocean documentaries have always captivated me.

The closest beach is only two hours away.

Maybe I’ll make it a New Year’s resolution to finally go next year.

Maybe getting fired wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened.

And maybe this is the next step. New potential career path, new me.

Suddenly feeling inspired, I smile. “This might be weird, but what if I did some kind of mermaid or merman costume?”

Stacy blinks. She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and now I feel kind of foolish. “Never mind,” I say. “It’s silly I—”

She slashes a hand through the air to interrupt me.

“No, no. That’s perfect. With your pretty, long blond hair and toned figure, we could make this work.

I mean, I can’t make you a full fishtail or anything since you’ll still need to be able to walk and dance, but I can totally do this!

” She snaps her fingers. “I just saw something a few minutes ago!”

Stacy rushes over to a nearby rack, searching until she pulls out a pair of sparkling iridescent leggings. She holds them up to the light, and the leggings shimmer mint green, teal, and pink.

My eyes widen. I’ve never worn anything so tight before, but… “Those actually look like mermaid scales.”

She nods eagerly. “And your cute little bubble butt is going to look fucking fabulous in these. You will definitely have eyes on you tomorrow.” Stacy holds up the leggings again. “What do you think?”

Suddenly, the world swims around me, with a vision of those same chocolate-brown eyes peering down at me.

Only this time, they swirl with a stunning gold that almost seems to glow.

The golden orbs are breathtaking, but there’s no way they’re real.

It must be a trick of the light. “You’re the most stunning merman I’ve ever seen,” says a rumbly voice so deep, it makes my toes curl.

People in various costumes dance around us, but my sole focus is on the stranger in front of me.

Just as quickly as the vision appears, it fades away, leaving me desperate to learn more about the man with the magical eyes.

Was it real? Am I really going to meet someone tomorrow?

I let out a shaky sigh, releasing the pent-up nerves and embracing the excitement rolling through me. “I think it’s perfect.”