In the old days, people assumed witches to be ugly old hags with warts and green skin. Now people assume we're crystal-loving and tree-hugging women who like the aesthetic. Sure, if you go around the state of South Carolina you will see loads of women who call themselves "witches" and wear their carnelian necklaces and red jasper bracelets they bought overly priced from a boutique in the city because they thought it was cute.

To them, it's a trend. Social media has painted a pretty picture. More women are "converting" or dabbling in the magical spiritual arts without fully understanding the consequences. They believe the spell they find online that will help them find their "soulmate" is real when it's a random Latin phrase that they paid $15 for from a fake.

Except for some places.

Salem, Oregon or Salem, Masschettuests. Savannah, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky and New Orleans, Louisiana and Charlotte, North Carolina to name a few of the big cities that house actual authentic witches. Between Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina just a few exits from Lake Marion sits the small town of Kestrel. With a population of around 1,300, the very small town is a blip on the otherwise bustling I-95.

You can't search Kestrel online, it doesn't show up. There are no signs mentioning it at all either. And the supernatural community of Kestrel like it that way. Because it's better to be unassuming than draw unwanted attention. The town's occupants are witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, centaurs, orcs, goblins, fairies (fae), and grendels, just to name a few. They live in somewhat harmony.

The vampires get their blood from donations at the hospital or from the witches who make their famous "blood-pops," a popsicle made from a potion that acts as a substitute for blood. It feeds a vampire for up to 5 days. The werewolves run through the forest nightly and full moons are always dull but never dangerous with them. They only shift on full moons but prefer the solitude of the woods to town life. The rest of the citizens stay in town, the centaurs own the grocery store, the fairies run the school, the orcs work the mine, the goblins have the bank, and the grendels build most of everything.

Witches and warlocks are the only exceptions. They're everywhere in town. They make up more than 30% of the population. Kestrel was founded by a great witch named Kestrel, who immigrated to the Americas on a French ship in the 1600s. Since then, most supernatural beings that landed from their ships followed. Hence why the town is named after its founder.

The founder, Kestrel, opened an apothecary in the center of town. Simply called the Apothecary, it's been in the family since. 8 generations of witches later, the great blood of the Grand Witch Kestrel has been watered down by fae and grendel bloodlines mixing in. Which makes using magic a bit easier than most other families in town.

Inside the Apothecary, Isla Mirwood, Kestral's descendant sits at the counter thumbing through a recently donated grimoire from a witch in Ohio. By donating, the witch had passed and Isla's mother, Iris had stolen it from the estate sale. There are plenty of cool spells but most are written in a mesh of Spanish and French. Isla mourns her lack of understanding of Spanish, she knew Latin and French but Spanish was never her strong suit. This is unfortunate because all of the strong spells were always in Spanish. Something about the Mayan origins makes them stronger.

She twirls her finger in a circle, performing a chant for a locator spell. Isla watches as the blank scrap of paper on the counter begins drawing a map with a bit of charcoal. It goes all the way to school where her younger sister, Iyla is at. "Whoa, that's amazing." Usually, a locator spell won't draw a map unless blood is involved. Even then it won't lead you straight to the person but within a mile radius.

Isla adds a Post-it to the page to mark it as 'important.' She continues on through the grimoire, only coming across one spell that is above her power level. It was a 'sight' spell. Made to give someone without the Seer ability to be able to "see" for a few minutes. She flips through, marking pages with Post-its and watching the shop for any customers.

By noon, Isla is ready to head home. She checks her watch and notices the time. "Lunch break," She walks around the counter and flips the sign from Open to Closed, then adds the On Break sign with the time Isla will be back. After locking up the shop, Isla steps onto the street and heads to "Eddie's Diner." The retro, 50s diner has the classic black and white tile with cherry red booths. The walls are light blue and there are neon lights on the walls. There is a jukebox in the corner with oldies music playing.

"Hey, Isla!" Isla turns around to see a young woman with long brown hair at a booth. She walks over, smiling back. "I hope you don't mind but I ordered already for us."

"It's not a problem," Isla sits across from her. "How's the library gig going, Eve?" Genieve Wells, Eve, is another witch and a friend of Isla's. They've known each other since they were little but only connected during middle school when their powers began to manifest. While Isla is more gifted in aura and emotional manipulation, Eve is gifted with clairvoyant and psychic abilities.

"Well you know I already knew how it would turn out." The brunette rolls her eyes, "The place is understaffed and they have me in the archives going over past records." Eve sighs.

A waitress brings their food. A hamburger and fries for Isla, and chicken strips with a side of mac and cheese for Eve. She sets two cokes in front of them as well.

"Ooo a bendy straw!" Isla drinks her coke, dipping a fry in ketchup. "Think of it as a learning experience, your grandmother is the coven scribe." Isla munches on her fry, pointing another at the woman across from her.

"You know I don't want to be the coven scribe when she steps down." Eve jabs a fork into her mac and cheese angrily.

Isla shrugs, "But you already saw your future and it's filled with being the coven scribe and doing witchy things at the library." She waves her hands in a ta-da fashion.

"And you get to lead the next generation of witches as the Grand Witch of the coven." The other woman gestures to Isla. "Your life will be filled with fun adventures and I'll be stuck down in the catacombs writing down those adventures. I won't get to experience life like you."

They enter a painfully awkward silence. Each woman continues eating their food, avoiding eye contact. Isla checks the time and notices that 7 minutes have passed. "You know I don't want to be the coven leader. Besides all those 'adventures' are going to be boring meetings with other covens in different states." She wipes her mouth with a napkin and then finishes off the rest of her Coke.

Eve opens her mouth, an apology on her tongue when the diner bell rings. Isla shudders feeling the overwhelming presence of the werewolves. She winces as their boisterous voices bounce off the walls as the group of them pass to the large corner booth.

"Ugh." Isla rubs her head as the werewolves continue to talk and laugh loudly.

"Wanna leave?" Eve reaches across and grabs Isla's other hand. The other woman shakes her head. "You sure, because I've seen this before." They laugh at the inside joke. Usually, when Eve "sees" the future, Isla likes to stay around and witness it herself. Even if it gets the two of them in trouble.

"No, we haven't ordered our chocolate pie yet." It was a ritual of there's to buy a slice of pie and share it. Today was chocolate day, tomorrow they might have apple or blueberry.

"I'll spoil it for you, they just sold the last slice." Eve points behind Isla. She whips her head around to see old man Salazar sitting at the counter enjoying the last slice of chocolate pie.

"Oh come on!" Isla groans, turning back to her friend. "What even was that?" She points back at the man. Eve slaps at her arm, telling her to stop pointing. "He's old! He doesn't need all that sugar."

"Isla!" Eve shushes her, giggling. "Will you-" Eve breaks off as she looks up. The diner door swings open and in walks a tall figure.

Isla cocks her head to the side at the glazed look in Eve's eyes, "No...no we gotta go to Susan's Bakery because I can't right now." She stands, back to the door. "Come on, Eve."

Sat immobile with her mouth open, Eve blinks. "This isn't..." She tries to get Isla to sit back down but the woman places a $20 bill on the table and grabs her purse.

"Eve, let's go." Eve watches, eyes wide as Isla backs up from the booth and walks into a man. "Oh!" Isla jumps when hands move to her waist to keep her from stumbling backward. "S-" She cuts off her apology when her eyes register whose hands are on her. "Oh, it's you." Her face forms into a sneer as she twists out of his grasp.

"Isla," Ronan Keye smirks down at her with a devilish grin.

"Ronan." Unimpressed, Isla crosses her arms over her chest. "I thought you were still in Savannah, the council leaders didn't say your ban was lifted yet."

His green eyes flash gold. "I'm in town for business." He pauses for a moment, "Not that I have to explain myself to a novice," Ronan glares at Isla when she scoffs.

"Mmm, we'll see about that once the council hears that you're here without their permission." Isla looks at Eve still seated in the booth with shock on her face and her mouth agape. "Eve, isn't that right?"

She shakes her head, snapping her mouth shut. "Yeah, yeah, totally." Eve stands up and takes Isla's arm. "N-nice seeing you Ronan." Her voice is breathless as she looks him up and down in bewilderment. Then glances at Isla.

His frown disappears and is replaced by a wan smile. "Nice you seeing you too Eve." Ronan backs away, placing his hands in his jeans pockets. "Ladies." He nods to them, sending Isla one last lingering glance before he walks away.

Isla drags Eve outside behind her. "I have to call my mom and tell her that he's breaking the law." She whips out her phone to call her.

"Wait!" Eve snatches the phone away from her grasp. "I saw something." She glances back at the diner. Through the window, they can see Ronan hugging the other werewolves. "You can't call your mom yet."

Isla places her hands on her hips and stares incredulously at Eve. "Why not? What did you see?"

"I can't say right now." Eve shakes her head, rubbing at her eyes. "I need to go see my grandmother." She hands back the phone to Isla. "Promise me you won't call her until I tell you why."

Taking back her phone, Isla extends out her pinky. "I promise not to call my mom until you tell me why." They lock pinkies. A surge of magic rushes through Isla and Eve as the promise takes hold. "Talk later?" Isla asks, stepping away from Eve.

"Yeah, we'll talk tomorrow. I've seen it." Eve still appears to be shaken by whatever she saw. "See you later." Eve smiles at Isla before she turns away and walks down the street to the library.

Inside the Apothecary, Isla stands in front of a boiling cauldron. She adds a pinch of rosemary to the potion with the root of a dying tree. The color changes from sickly green to a vibrant orange. She grabs a ladle and spoons the potion into a glass flask. Holding the flask up to the dim light in the room, Isla watches as the orange hue transforms to a deep red upon being shaken. When the swirls settle, they go back to the bright orange.

She smiles, placing a ribbon around the neck of the flask with a small tag that says, Instant Summer. Isla places the flask into a box with packing peanuts. She sets the box on the counter out front, taping it closed for the buyer. Outside, the wind blows strongly. It's early October so the standard weather is usually still in the high 70s with strong wind gusts. She watches as the town mail carrier pulls to a sudden stop outside. They exit their van with a large box.

"Hey Emmett," Isla holds the door open for the orc as he hefts the box inside the narrow door.

"Hiya Isla!" He somehow fits through the door. "Where do ya want this big fella?" Emmett peers around the box at her, smiling wide.

She points at the counter. "Right, there is fine." Emmett sets the heavy box down with a thud. "Thanks, Emmett," Isla tells him to wait and jogs to the back. She comes back with another smaller package and a wrapped-up loaf of bread. "Lemon poppy seed and your wife's skin care."

He tips his hat, taking the offered items. "Thanks, Isla!"

Alone again, Isla goes to inspect the new package. She looks at the package slip to see that it's from Miami, Florida. "Aunt Ivanna?" She uses a pair of scissors to slice through the copious amount of tapes that keep whatever is inside, enclosed. On top of a glass case is a yellow envelope. It's addressed to Isla's mother, Iris. She forgoes opening the letter but unwraps the glass case from its confines.

"Whoa..." Inside the glass case is a beautiful succulent. It has vibrant purple leaves and a pastel greenish lavender body inside its terrarium. "Neat plant." The succulent gives off the faint scent of sweetness that Isla can't place. She finishes unboxing it and places the terrarium in the workshop in the center of the table. "There, the perfect presentation spot for such a beauty."

Isla watches as Iyla arrives from school and sits in the workshop to do her homework. She checks her phone, it reads 7 P.M. "Iyla? You ready to close up shop for the day?"

Her younger sister immediately springs up from her seated position on the bench. "Finally!" She shoves her schoolwork inside her backpack. "Can we get ice cream from Abdominale's?"

"Pretty sure the Abdominale's Snowman ice cream parlor is in the opposite direction of the house." Isla wipes down the table and flicks her wrist so that the shop magically cleans itself.

"But mom usually gets it for me." Iyla pouts, turning her sad puppy dog eyes on her older sister.

Isla grabs her car keys, about to shut off the rest of the lights to leave. She holds the door open for Iyla. "Mother is in Memphis on business. She left me in charge of you while she's gone. And I don't have ice cream money." The silver sedan at the curb beeps when she presses the unlock button.

Ilya rolls her eyes, quietly mimicking Isla's words in a sarcastic tone. "You never do anything fun anymore."

Isla pauses before getting inside the car. Her hand grips the handle in a white-knuckled grip. If only Iyla knew that their mother she so adored didn't care about them. That she was always running around to the different covens in the nation because she loathed being stuck in their small town. That the thought of staying caused her such depression that Isla had to raise Ilya when she herself was still a child because their mother couldn't get out of bed. If she told Ilya that, the girl would be crushed.

Isla opens the door but instantly shuts it when bright lights come barreling forward from around the corner. She presses herself flat to the door, staring at the black Dodge charger that pulled up behind her car. She locks the doors, preparing to fire an offensive spell on the tip of her tongue.

Ronan Keye steps out of the rumbling vehicle, face grim. "Isla, is your mom here?" He walks up to her leaving his car running.

"No, she's away on business." Isla crosses her arms over her chest, on the defensive. "Why?" He swipes a hand over his face and that's when Isla notices the heavy tiredness to him. "Did you need a potion or something?" She offers, glancing back in the car to see Iyla staring at them.

He shakes his head. "She was supposed to be here." Ronan peers around and steps closer to Isla who tenses. "I need your help."

"Well, the store opens bright and early tomorrow morning at 8 AM." Isla grins but it's plastic. "Have a good evening, Ronan." She unlocks the car and makes a move to open the driver's side door but is thwarted.

Ronan slams it closed with his hand over the window. He invades her personal space. "This can't wait for the morning, Isla." His voice is low as he peers around, eyes a bit frantic. "It's about tonight."

She glances up to see Iyla with her phone in hand. Her sister looks about ready to dial 911. "It's a regular night."

"It's a new moon." Ronan looks up at the cloudy sky. "I can't be out during the new moon."

Isla frowns, confused. "You do understand that you're a werewolf right?" She steps away from his large chest that was pressing into her shoulder. "The only moon you should be concerned with is the full one and that isn't until the end of the month."

"I have an illness that your mom knows about. She offered me a potion for it." Ronan checks the watch on his wrist. "I need it before midnight."

Ronan sends her an earnest look, eyes pleading with her. Isla sighs, relenting. "Fine, give me a minute." She shoos him away and the werewolf goes back to his car. She opens the car door and opens her purse. "I'm going to have Eve come get you from Abdominale's." In her hands is a $10 bill.

Iyla shakes her head, jerking a thumb back at the car behind them. "Why were you talking to Ronan?"

"He needs a potion and I'll have to make it tonight." Isla hands her sister the money. "Call Eve and tell her to come get you." The younger sister doesn't move to take the money. "Iyla?"

"Ronan is bad news, Isla." Her sister's worried tone makes Isla feel bad. "He hurt those faes...what if he hurts you?"

Isla smiles at her sister wanting to put on a confident face. "You think I can't take Ronan Keye in a fight?"

Iyla takes the money and pockets it. "No, I know you'd win easily." She opens the passenger door and huts it with her shoulder. Isla comes around to give her a hug. "Just be careful, I don't trust him."

The two sisters hug. "Call Eve, go to bed at a reasonable time." Isla kisses her cheek, smiling when Iyla makes a noise of disgust and pulls away. She watches Iyla walks down the street to the ice cream parlor, watching as the girl fades from view and rounds the corner.

"Your sister really loves you." She jumps at the masculine voice behind her. Ronan stands with his hands in his pockets. His bearded face doesn't hide the softness in his features as he watches Ilya as well.

"Yeah, I know." Isla inclines her head to the shop. "Shall we?"