Something about Molly’s father drew my attention more than normal, especially with how tired he was. His answer about travel felt wrong, but I couldn’t say why. It didn’t take long before they both headed out.

Jingles from the bell on the door closing behind them made me smile. Molly had always been so happy about books and dinosaurs. Yet, as their presence left the store, I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Cat, why are Molly and her Dad here so often?”

The Cat opened one eye and stared at me as his tail lazily traveled across the counter.

“No idea, but they don’t hurt anyone.”

I stared at the shut door, concerned. Again, what the Cat said felt wrong, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. They were already gone this time, but the next time they were in I’d ask her father a few more questions. Maybe I could solve the mystery of why they needed a magical bookshop on the way to school each morning.

I flipped open the book on rock magic and sighed before grabbing my mug. The maple was tasty, and I studied the stones in my bracelet.

Obsidian, Amethyst, and Green Aventurine. Protective magic, intuition, and magical vitality. Me, Indigo, and the Cat. There were too many parallels between it and my life right now.

What had drawn my brother to pick this out for me?

I sipped on my drink, finishing it and moving toward Betty. Taking time, I made myself another coffee. We still had deliveries today before lunch. Then, I’d have time to practice actual magic.

By the time I finished prepping my drink the door jingled open and Adam rolled in with a cart filled with large boxes.

“Where would you like these, Sable?” He smiled as his bright blue eyes stared at me.

“The counter is fine,” I replied with a grin, trying my best not to blush.

The Cat leaped off the counter and sat, staring at Adam as he got to work unloading the boxes from the cart.

However, as he piled the boxes higher and higher, I wondered about the packages. I hadn’t ordered that much, and I had no idea what it could all be.

“This last one I’ll leave on the floor,” said Adam, nodding at the bookshelf. “It’s heavy. Probably some new books.”

“Yeah, this was unexpected,” I mumbled, glancing in the direction that the Cat had gone. “I’ll be doing inventory after this.”

“Well, good luck.” Adam turned and headed toward the door, pushing the trolly in front of him.

“Did you want a coffee?” I asked.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Not today,” he said with a wave. Then the door jangled shut behind him.

“This can’t be all the candy,” I whispered as I snagged a box cutter to open the packages. Doing a quick count, I came up with seven. I knew three of them were mine. The rest, I had no clue.

The first box was for me, and contained a few things I’d ordered to make the celebration even better. I quickly closed it so the Cat couldn’t peek. The next two were for me as well, which was strange because I couldn’t remember what I’d ordered.

My knife cut into the tape easily, exposing the packing paper that filled the inside. Slowly, I dug around, finding a strange, transparent yellow stone. I held it up to the sunlight, marveling at the color.

“That’s Citrine,” said the Cat, unprompted. “A good choice for you.”

The small stone would fit as a pendent, or on my necklace that contained my magical treasures.

“Did you order it?” I asked, searching the packing paper for a note, but I found nothing but a small velvet bag it must have slipped out of. Though, the box seemed unusually large for such a small object.

“I thought you did.”

“Nope. Must be a gift.” I shook my head and set the box off to the side. The stone I placed on top of Betty in a small patch of sunlight, since the counter still had too many boxes on it.

“What’s citrine good for?” I asked as I cut into the next box addressed to me. I immediately knew who this one was from. Several wrapped packages were inside. “My dad sent a box for the solstice…”

Besides the wrapped gifts, there were decorations as well. Tall, bright white pillar candles, and a package of gold stars for a tree.

“Don’t worry, Betty, we can put the candles out and just not light them…”

Warmth blazed up from the floorboards, and the candles sunk into the small space on the counter as I set them down. I then added the box to the floor, and it followed.

“Can you put those up near the tree?” I asked the shop.

The Cat glared at me, but said nothing, his disapproval clear.

I’d deal with the rest of that box and the emotions that came with it after I finished going through the rest of the packages.

Four more.

The next box shimmered as I opened it, and the Cat suddenly pushed it closed with his nose, shoving the cardboard back into place.

“Let me deal with this one,” he grumbled in a deep voice.

I stepped back at the tone.

The box lids opened as he batted at it. For one second, all I saw was brown packing paper. A pulse of green flashed from across the room. For a second, everything in the shop stilled and became almost transparent. Stars flicked around the room, then were gone and the shop appeared as it was. The brown packing paper shimmered, and earthenware jugs appeared, each sealed with various colors of wax.

“What was that?” I asked, my eyes flickering around the shop to the locations I swore had stars a moment before. Nothing sparkled in that gold light I’d assumed was magic. Plus, that green wave of magic from the Cat - that was a first.

“It is safe now. That was a protective ward.”

“What was it protecting?” I tried to spot the magic on the jugs, but nothing appeared.