2. Sisters
Sisters
SPARROW BLACKBURNE
When Sparrow’s twin sister Lark magically appeared in front of her just as she clocked out for her lunch break at the library, she should have known something was amiss.
Lark rarely attempted to drag Sparrow out to socialize these days, after decades of trying to get her to be as social and outgoing as she was.
It had been a relief, a few years ago, when her twin had finally stopped pressuring her to attend social events. For Lark to appear now, at her place of work, could only be described as an ill omen. Sparrow rolled her eyes, a sigh escaping her. “What do you want, Lark?”
“I thought we could go to the bookstore!” her sister chirped with a bright smile. “You just started your lunch, right?”
“I…did. But how do you know that?” asked Sparrow with narrowed eyes.
Lark giggled. “I put a spell on you, duh!”
“Your twin intuition is getting a little scary, you know that, right?” the dark-haired witch grumbled. “Why can’t you let me have one day of peace and quiet?”
“The bookstore is quiet! And peaceful,” Lark replied with a smug smile.
Without hesitation, she hooked her arm through Sparrow’s and started off at a brisk walk down the main street of Pumpkin Hollow.
Their magical small town with its cobblestone streets and old-fashioned streetlamps exuded the perfect fall vibes on an overcast day like this— storm clouds overhead, thunder in the distance, muted orange trees lining the street.
Sparrow ran a hand through her short black hair and tried to focus on all the things she loved about living in Pumpkin Hollow. Sharing an apartment with her twin did not make the list. They had moved out when they finished college, their parents full of encouragement for them to spread their wings.
Nearly a decade later, the two had settled into a semblance of routine. Living side-by-side with someone so different, without the buffer of their parents, had caused Sparrow no end of strife. Two years in, she had banned any house parties without ample notice for her to escape.
Despite this, she preferred her sister’s company to being alone.
Lark had left for two weeks for a girls trip with some friends and by the time she returned, Sparrow had been practically climbing the walls.
She had no interest in going out or talking to people, but she was equally tired of being alone.
Her twin’s incandescent personality made her the perfect company in small doses.
Far better than talking to strangers—or worse, people she knew.
As they strolled arm- in-arm down Main Street, Sparrow couldn’t help the small smile that crept up at the corners of her lips.
Lark might be insufferable sometimes, but she was still Sparrow’s best friend.
“I haven’t been here in ages,” Lark, said her cheerful tone playful. “I hope they have the new Julie Olivia romcom!”
While the exterior of the shop matched the rest of Main Street with its gray slab and black wrought-iron trim, everything changed when they stepped into Petals rows and rows of bright covers and smiling couples. Just the kind of sappy sweet thing that her sister loved. While Lark perused the shelves, Sparrow glanced around the shop a little more.
A display of bouquets hung near the register under a sign proclaiming they were freshly picked.
Behind the counter sat a witch with soft lavender waves, wearing a sunflower yellow sweater under her flower-patterned suspenders.
Everything about her screamed sugary sweet, like cotton candy. Dangerously delicious.
Sparrow startled. Where had that thought come from? Her eyes wandered back to the pretty young witch like a magnet, drawn to her bright energy and cheerful humming. She allowed herself to gaze at her for just another moment, then turned away.
Her lunch break would be over in fifteen minutes, and she needed to head back to the library.
Motion above her caught Sparrow’s attention and she glanced up to find a black-and-white cat looking back and forth between her and the lavender-haired witch.
Like he had caught her noticing the other woman.
“She’s as adorable as she looks,” an unfamiliar voice said.
When Sparrow turned her face back toward the cat, he nodded as if to confirm it was he that had spoken. Her brows furrowed as she waited for him to speak again. He placed one paw on his chest and said, “I’m Bramble, Fern’s familiar. Pleasure to meet you, miss…?”
“Sparrow Blackburne,” the witch replied.
“Welcome to our humble shop, Miss Blackburne,” Bramble said with a Cheshire smile. “I do hope we’ll see you again soon.”
A shiver ran down her spine at that. An omen. Something in the air that she couldn’t quite place. For a moment, Sparrow considered asking the cat more questions. Then she shook her head and hurried to bid her sister goodbye.
“Oh, leaving already?” Lark pouted, her mauve bottom lip sticking out childishly.
“Yes. I have to get back to work.” Sparrow rolled her eyes playfully. “You owe me a fresh coffee and a pastry since you made me miss lunch.”
At that, her twin smiled. “Absolutely, darling! Your usual?”
“Please,” Sparrow answered, offering her sister a brief hug before hurrying out the door.
The brisk walk back down Main Street to the Pumpkin Hollow Public Library was a short one and the nip of autumn had not yet taken hold of the weather.
Still, in her mini skirt and tights, Sparrow found herself in a hurry to get back indoors as quickly as possible.
The library wasn’t known for being particularly warm, but it would feel lovely after the whipping wind.
She slipped the key into the lock and ducked back into her haven, sighing with relief. For all that Sparrow adored her sister, these types of surprise visits tended to wear her out. Meeting new people, even just a talking cat, had not been on her agenda for the day.
In minutes, she had busied herself with shelving the books that had been returned during her lunch break.
Her mind wandered back to that strange sensation when the familiar had told her to return.
It felt more like a compulsion than a suggestion or invitation.
Surely that cat didn’t possess the kind of power to compel her.
“Sparrow!” came the sing-song voice of Lark just as the front door opened.
“Over here,” she called to her twin.
Lark appeared between the stacks, holding a steaming paper cup and a folded pastry bag. Her smile could only be described as mischievous. “Here you go.”
“Thank…you…” Sparrow replied hesitantly, narrowing her eyes. “Why do you look like that?”
“Like what?” Lark sang, spinning in a circle with her arms flung out wide.
Sparrow reached for the hot coffee, not wanting her twin to spill it or burn herself. “Like…like you’re up to something.”
“Who, me?” her sister cried, feigning offense. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
She sighed exasperatedly. There would be no reasoning with Lark when she was like this—bouncing on her toes, grinning widely, and looking like the cat who ate the canary. Hmm…could this have something to do with that talking cat from earlier? Sparrow wondered to herself.
Lark held out the paper bag and she took it. Inside, she found a warm jumbo pumpkin chip muffin. Her absolute favorite fall treat. The espresso glaze drizzled across the top took the baked good to the next level. Immediately, her stomach gurgled, reminding her she needed to eat now.
She slipped behind the checkout desk and settled into her chair, ready to indulge in her delicious treat. When Lark leaned over the front of the desk and tapped her on the nose, Sparrow paused with the muffin halfway to her lips. She raised one dark eyebrow in question.
“When was the last time you went on a date?” her sister asked.
“A date?” Sparrow choked on the word. “I haven’t the faintest idea, Lark. A year or two ago?”
“A year ago?” her twin cried, aghast.
Her blue eyes rolled toward the ceiling and Sparrow tried to hold in her sigh. “I’m just not that interested in dating right now. Does that offend you somehow?”
“Well, that’s simply not true, and we both know it,” Lark chided her. “Don’t you want to go on cute fall dates? All wrapped up in cozy sweaters and drinking apple cider?”
“Why should I need a partner just because fall has begun?” groaned Sparrow.
The sparkling emerald eyes of her twin narrowed, her ginger eyebrows pinching together as she glared. “It’s the best time of year for dating! It’s the best time of year to be a witch. Please, won’t you let me set you up?”
Terror crept into her veins at those words.
She hadn’t allowed her twin to set her up since high school, when it had all gone terribly wrong.
The witch boy Lark had chosen for her had been popular and outgoing, a star pupil with the personality to match.
He had found Sparrow quiet, sullen, and boring—which he loudly informed his friends in the middle of lunch after their one and only date.
She had been absolutely mortified. He had talked her ear off about his stellar grades, how the teachers adored him, and he expected to get into all the best witch colleges.
His plans to become a doctor, to master a mortal skill that tested his mind and body.
No witch would be able to resist him then, and he would have his choice of the prettiest witches for a bride.
They were nearly eighteen at the time, and marriage had been the furthest thing from Sparrow’s mind.
College itself would be a struggle, with more flexibility, she would need to manage her own time and balance her workload.
Her plan to get a degree in library science had been entirely unimpressive to Cliff Hawthorn, future doctor.
His casual disparaging of her in front of their entire graduating class had seriously damaged Sparrow’s self-confidence. Callous and cruel, she had written in her journal that night, devastated. She might not be his type, but he hadn’t been hers, either. Yet she held her tongue.
In the fifteen or so years since then, she had only gone on a handful of hesitant dates. A fellow librarian who was kind and soft-spoken, a cute barista at the coffee shop on Main Street. They had been kind young witches but there had been no spark to speak of between them.
Sparrow had ended things gently, explaining that she had always dreamed of finding the witch who made her soul come alive. The person she couldn’t live without. Over the last few years, she had begun to doubt that such a man existed—that she might not want a husband after all.
Only briefly had she mentioned to her sister that she might be interested in dating women instead.
Lark had likely forgotten the conversation entirely in the many months that had passed since then.
If she set Sparrow up with some charismatic male witch, she would absolutely refuse to go on the date.
“Well?” Lark demanded with a tilt of her head. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Not with my love life,” Sparrow whispered, her frown deepening.
Those bright green eyes met hers, a look of pure determination in them. “I know it didn’t exactly work out last time, but I promise, Sparrow. I’ve had a dream. Give me one more chance!”
While she had virtually no faith in her twin’s ability to choose a good match for her, she paused at the words “a dream.” As dream witches, they often caught glimpses of the future in snippets and murmurs.
If Lark had had a dream about Sparrow, one that had given her enough confidence to push her this far, surely that meant something.
Despite her thorough discomfort, Sparrow nodded. “One date.”
“Yay! You won’t regret this,” her sister squealed as she threw her arms around her.
Goddess above, she really hoped she wouldn’t regret this.