Before CONDEMNED, there was WITCH'S BREW...

It's the original 500-word contest entry that DIDN'T win.

I take every loss personally, and I don't know what exactly inspired me to forge ahead anyway. I wasn't on the market for something new in a genre I've never tried before, and the short-story version was embarrassingly unpopular in every way. But!!! There was just something about the chemistry between these two that came off the page for me. It continued to simmer for many months, and slowly but surely, they built this world for me that was too sumptuous to pass up.

3.5 years and 138.5K words later, CONDEMNED is complete, and it's hard to believe it was ever "short." In fact, I had to do some digging to prove it. From the depths of Google backup, Witch's Brew has finally been found!

Here's to trying new things, following your gut, and turning a loss into a win--a personal one, if nothing else. 🥂

~~~

WITCH'S BREW

It's raining. It's been a miserable night.

I glance over my shoulder. If he didn't follow me, it's a small town. It's only a matter of time.

I'd drive all the way to my parent's house, but I have a midterm at 8:00am. This is my only alternative if I intend to sleep tonight...

Ding dong.

A mechanical witch cackles. Dry ice billows from a cauldron. And Halloween isn't for another week!

Whatever. Immediate vacancy.

My phone buzzes.

Jael: You can come right in.

It's the landlord's kid. "You must be Sam," he says upon my entry. "That's girl Sam, not boy Sam."

"And you're boy Jael."

He's sitting at a computer. In its light, he's deathly pale. "Is that a problem?"

He assesses me, head to toe. Tiny. Blonde. Black eye that even my hood can't hide. "Um, no? Wasn't there supposed to be a 'Lexi' looking at the third bedroom?"

"She stopped by earlier. She declined."

Of course she did! She took one look at the place—Halloween decorations literally everywhere—and went screaming into the night.

"I hope you don't mind the ambiance," he says as if reading my mind. "Halloween's my favorite holiday."

"I can see that."

He chuckles. I laugh too. Next thing I know, I'm sobbing in this strange boy's lair.

"You can say no. I'm used to it."

"It's not that." I remove twenty-seven dollars from my sweatshirt pocket. "I don't have enough. I get paid on..."

"Keep it. I'll give you a week or two to figure it out."

I wipe my face with my sleeve. "Thank you."

"Why don't you have a seat on the porch? I'll make you some tea."

Tea?

I sit on the couch outside and watch the rain fall. Jael soon emerges and hands me the steaming mug. "Witch's brew."

I take a sip and read the label. It's pumpkin chai, a kind you can buy at any grocery store.

He turns to go.

It's my gasp that calls him back.

A car pulls up. Ted, my ex, slams the car door. His eyes lift to where I'm sitting. He crosses the street, his fists already clenched.

In the blink of an eye, Jael is facing Ted on the sidewalk. He's a cold, angry calm and I catch a flicker of red in his eyes. Ted must have seen it too. He backs off without a fight.

Jael holds his stance until Ted's car speeds away.

Without a word, Jael then shows me to my room.

"Well, I'm off," he says from the doorway. Off to bed? Off to save the world? Who the heck knows! "Sleep tight."

"You too. Thanks."

After the door closes, I don't hear a thing.

Jael's the perfect roommate. He's quiet, kind to me, terrifying otherwise, doesn't expect any reward for his good deeds, and is respectful of my privacy.

Will I survive the night?

If I'm his human sacrifice, he'd probably wait until Halloween, right?

The thought isn't comforting. Still, I go to sleep and sleep soundly. Until, in my dreams, he points those red eyes at me. And what's worse, I like it a little too much!