Chapter One
William had finally made it to Salem. After being in town for three days, he still hadn’t found the witch he was looking for. He was nearly out of ideas. He made sure to check all the boutique witches’ stores, funny little witch markets, and really anything witch-related. He had no idea what she looked like, but he knew that once he found her, he’d know. He’d sense it, the same way she would sense him, he assumed. All vampires sensed other vampires, and he was told it was the same for witches.
It was mostly women who worked at these types of shops he was checking out, which was lucky for him. Women liked him. He had a soft round face with large brown eyes and dark wavy thick hair, with olive skin. He knew he looked more like a famous Italian actor or a model than a killer vampire. His good looks were the main reason he was selected to become a vampire in the first place. That and his quick acrobatic skills made him a very desirable hunter. Even after one hundred years, woman still responded to his charm and suaveness.
William was on his way to his next stop and was at a stoplight when he noticed a peculiar smell in the air. A smell that tickled his nostrils. He rolled down his tinted drivers-side window and squinted in the sun as it was going down. There was a shop in a corner. A broom was engraved into a wooden sign. It was the only indication that what he was driving by was a witch-craft shop, and it wasn’t a shop that was on his list of places to check. William, his interest piqued, parked and headed inside. A bell chimed overhead. This one smelled differently than the other shops he had been to. Sure, some of the other ones had distinct smells, but this one, there was a hint of something in the air, something most humans wouldn’t pick up on. William had a good feeling.
He introduced himself to the young female cashier by sticking out his hand. He was dressed in a cream-colored dress shirt, a tweed vest, and slacks, with Italian brown dress shoes.
“Hello, my name is William Fratangelo. I am working on an article for Halloween and the best Halloween themed shops to visit. I was hoping to speak to the owner of this establishment.” Clearly, the cashier was not the witch he was looking for, otherwise he would have sensed her presence.
The young woman, flushed by how handsome he was, only stared at him, then remembered that he had asked her a question. She closed her mouth and came to her senses, but not without an embarrassed laugh.
“Um, sorry, she’s not here.”
William got close to the woman, knowing how he was affecting her. He leaned on the counter. “Where can I find her?” he asked with a flirty smile.
The young woman cleared her throat, obviously smitten. She giggled. “Well, she’d probably hate to appear in a Halloween article. We’re not really a gimmicky kind of store. But I can tell you everything you need to know off the record, say after we close?” The woman asked, feeling daring and asking him out on a date.
William picked up a large crystal ball on display and held it in his hands, mesmerized by its beauty. He heard a voice in the distance brought him out of his reverie.
“I don’t think she’d mind the extra exposure,” said a teenage boy from the corner of the store. “I overhead her saying that sales have been slow for this time of year.” He had been eavesdropping from the ladder he was on top of, where he was currently restocking from a box. “She mentioned hanging out at the public library all evening,” he announced.
William thanked them and left, a smile on his face. He had seen the library the first day he had arrived and knew exactly where to find it.
After William left, the cashier scowled at her co-worker. “What if he had said yes to my offer? I haven’t had a date in weeks,” she pouted.
“Hasn’t it been even longer for Marie? She could use a little bit of fun in her life. Besides, he’s way too old for you.”
“He only looked about thirty,” she said, taking out her phone to text Marie that a gorgeous reporter was heading her way.
Ben, the stock boy started climbing down the ladder. “Yeah, he’s closer to Marie’s age. You’re only twenty-one. There’s plenty of men in Boston and right here, actually,” he said, and walked over to her, giving her a smile. It was that smile that distracted Becky and she forgot to text Marie.
THE LIBRARY WAS A BEAUTIFUL brick building and it was older than William, which he liked. If he lived in Salem, he’d frequent the place, finding himself more at home with older buildings than in new modern ones. William walked inside the library, the smell of books strong and musky, feeling him with joy. But he wasn’t here to lose himself in the books he loved. He was here to find a witch. William’s skin started to tingle. A good sign. That was her presence alerting him. Now, to figure out which library patron she might be.
William walked slowly, looking at everyone. One woman looked up at him, taking her eyes off the book she held in her hand. She was blonde, too pretty and too young to be the witch he was looking for, he thought. He smiled at her, but moved on to the rest of the room, his eyes scanning and he tried to make it look like he was browsing for a book. He assessed everyone there. There were two seniors, both woman, who were using the internet. There was another woman standing in the romance section as William walked through the room. He saw a few mom’s in the children’s section, but he didn’t pay them much attention, discrediting them to be the witch he was looking for. He walked back to where the blonde was sitting. She was staring at him. He decided to take a chance on the pretty woman.
He cleared his throat and sat down next to her, taking notice of the book she was reading. “Dracula. What an interesting choice,” he said, trying to keep his tone friendly.
“What can I do for you?” she said, her face showing no expression, her demeanor cool.
He motioned towards the exit. She nodded and got up, taking the book with her. It was her own personal copy. As she walked in front of him, William took her in. She was tall and slender. She wore black boots that went over her knees, with tight dark jeans and a small black V-neck sweater. Over her sweater, she wore a long black knit cardigan.
Once they were outside, she gave him the same head-to-toe look he had given her. “You know, you’re dressed for the wrong decade.”
William looked away and laughed. “I’m sorry?” he asked, already liking her.
“You stand out,” she said as she led the way around the block. William could hear her heart beating. Despite how calmed she seemed on the outside, she was scared of him, he could tell. “Are you going to tell me who you are?” she asked.
“My name is William Fratangelo. I am a vampire and in urgent need of your help.”
She introduced herself without offering her hand. “Figured as much. I’m Marie. I can’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you. How’d you know where to find me?” she asked, without skipping a beat, trying to ignore how handsome he was.
“The boy at your shop.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, clearly irritated. “No, before that. How’d you know I was in Salem?”
“A vampire I once knew told me where I could find you. He said you gave him something to make his presence less noticeable to other vampires.”
“A dispel potion. That was over fifty years ago,” she said. “He told me to watch out for rest of you, but no one has ever showed up until now. Are you looking for the same thing?”