"Midnight Records?" I stood outside the glass door, staring at the sign above the entrance. "Are you totally kidding me?"

The music shop wasn't some mythical mojo place that could cure my werewolf problem. I knew it for selling old school records since the fifties when they were popular. Of course, they sold modern music, but their oldies were their babies.

I have only been inside the store once to buy a birthday present for Tiffany. She enjoyed collecting records, although she listened to most of her music on her iPhone. Some rich people totally have strange hobbies.

"I know someone here who can help you," Kevin explained. "She is a witch from Portland, Oregon."

My mouth dropped. "A witch?"

"An actual witch. Not the ones who perform fake magic tricks. She is legit."

I never believed in witches throughout my life. Daddy said they were pagan cultists who think they could speak to nature and curse people. I wasn't sure if he was joking or he read too many horror books about them. But I learned Moondale has a dark history about a witch family burned at the stake. Before they died, their father cursed the settlers, stating many bad things will happen to the townspeople for eternity. And many spooky rumors and strange disappearances happened since the witch trial.

Was there totally a curse?

Meh!

I doubt that but surviving from a werewolf attack sort of changed my mind.

Anyway, why would a witch be living in a town with grim histories of her kind? It would totally be like a Jew moving to a former Nazi town. Thank you history class for teaching me about the holocaust in world war 2.

Geez, but what was wrong with the witch? Had she read about the history of Moondale yet?

"Alright, let's meet her," I said.

Kevin pushed the glass door open, letting me walk into the shop first. Cool air and the soft breeze of decaying cardboard greeted me. Not too bad. It smelled similar to the public library.

The shop was small, with shelves in rows across the smooth wooden floor. The ceiling and walls were painted blue with golden stars, sprinkling the total atmosphere. A totally excellent touch to mix the store's title. All the records stood on the shelves under each music genre label. The CDs were on the far left and right, old and new. Most of them were worthless to me. I listened to my pop music, either on my phone or computer.

Geez, the records were totally outdated.

Toward the back, we approached the cashier counter where a girl sat with her bare feet on the table. If I could give her a name, it would be the Princess of Darkness. Seriously, she looked like a rockstar who took a dip into white paint!

Her skin was totally white. Not pale. White!

Other than being white, she has long black, dark eyeliners, black nails, black lips, black….. Everything else!

Well, except for her dark gray raggy jeans with holes on her knees. The sleeveless shirt she wore was black with a big red pentagram on her chest. If my grandma saw that shirt, she would think the girl was a Satanist. I meant that. She was a hardcore Christian.

While leaning back with her white dirty feet up, she blew a pink bubble gum from her mouth as her catty eyes gazed at a rock music magazine in her hands. And she freaking smelled like pumpkin spice at a Thanksgiving party, or a Halloween party to fit her image.

"Hi, Salina!" Kevin waved with a grin.

The goth girl lowered her magazine, glancing at Kevin with a blank stare. I could see dark circles around her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in weeks.

"Sup, nerd," she answered in a tomboyish voice. "Are you going to buy something, or leave?"

How rude! Like what was her deal? If she wanted to read alone, she shouldn't be at the counter.

"No, we need your help," said Kevin. "My friend here has a problem. A supernatural problem."

Salina beamed her eyes at me. "This Barbie Girl?"

My eyes widened. "Wah? I'm not a Barbie Girl!"

Salina removed her feet from the counter, leaning forward to beam her dark eyes at me. "Blonde hair. Tan skin. Thin body. You are a Barbie Girl."

"And what are you supposed to be? Satan's daughter?"

Salina's black lips thinned. Her eyes turned sharp as if she wanted to rip my heart out. If she tried anything, I swore I would go wolfie on her.

"Please, no fighting!" Kevin shook his hands with a tear on his forehead. "Salina, she knows you are a witch."

The girl shot her dark eyes at him, looking annoyed. "You told her?"

"I had to, but it is important. A werewolf bit her, and she transformed last night."

Salina studied me. "Oooooooooh. So you are the mysterious creature who attacked last night."

I paused at her. "You read my mind?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"No, dummy. I heard the news. Witches and psychics are different. Get it through your dumb blonde head.”

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

That chick was begging to get burned at the stake!

“What do you know about werewolves, Salina?” Kevin asked.

Salina grunted while rubbing four fingers on her temple. “Please kill me…..” She took a deep breath and leaned back against her seat. “How much do you know about werewolves?”

“They’re people who turn into wolf people,” I answered.

Salina glared at me. “Close, but there is more than what the legends said.” She folded her hands like she was some type of evil genius. “In ancient times, werewolves were people who tried to turn themselves into wolves. Like me, they performed different witchcraft to transform. Spells, rituals, potions, and curses. The practice is called Lycanthropy, a very dangerous type of witchcraft. Those who were successful received the ability to turn into wolves. The unfortunate ones became monsters, called Lycanthropes.”

“So werewolves are basically witches?”

“Not all of them, but they are linked to witchcraft. Nobody knew who invented the craft, or where it came from. But I believe witches handled the craft. The new Lycanthropes first change during the full moon. They lose their sense of humanity and reasoning. Only their wolf personalities controlled them, forcing them to find munchies throughout the night. If you are a Lycanthrope, you are good as dead.”

I sneered and shook my finger at her face. “How dare you! I have the right to live!”

“What about the other lives you probably took? Hmm? Hmm?”

Damn, I was so ready to punch her face!

“Please Salina, you have to know something,” said Kevin.

Salina rolled her eyes. “I don’t know a cure, but I do know how you can control it.”

My face instantly turned bright. “Really?”

The witch pointed her thumb at the backdoor behind the counter. "Let me go get my spell book. It is in my locker."

After she left, I crossed my arms. "What is her total problem?"

Kevin rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know much about her, but she is judgemental sometimes.”

“Does she go to our school?”

"Yes, she is a loner. She knows how to hide among the crowd.”

Hmmmmm. I never remembered seeing a goth girl creeping around at our school like a total ghost. If she was a witch, it made total sense she could use an invisible spell to avoid contact with the other kids.

Wow! I was totally thinking of weird stuff now. “How did you meet her?"

"By surprise. Hallie Venkman, who ran our school newspaper, hired me to find the Corpse Tree in Blackwood Park."

"The Corpse Tree?"

"What? You never heard that urban legend?"

I shrugged. "I never read our school papers."

Yeah, why should I?

School politics was boring, and they wrote no articles about my cheerleading squad.

How totally rude!

“In the eighteen-hundreds, there was a serial killer who butchered women in the town. When the sheriff discovered his whereabouts, the killer buried the bodies in the forest. The sheriff hanged him, but he never found the bodies at the killer’s hideout. One night, he found the bodies beneath a strange tree, which came to life and tried to attack him. The sheriff survived and warned the town about the tree. But the townsfolk thought he was crazy and sent him to a mental asylum. However, hikers and campers said they had encountered a similar tree that smelled like a corpse. Their rumors kept spreading for years, forming the Corpse Tree myth.”

"Spooky."

Kevin fixed his glasses. "So, I went to Blackwood Park early in the morning. Out of nowhere, the tree attacked me. Then Salina showed up and cast a spell on the tree, burning it

“Oh. What was she doing in the woods?”

“She said she was connecting herself to the forest. I guess she was meditating.”

“Witch stuff?”

Kevin pursed his lips. "Yeah….. We became friends since then. She provided me with free information about the supernatural, and I let her know if anything strange happens in the town. In truth, I am the only normal friend she has."

I smirked a bit. "Have you ever….. You know, totally went out with her?"

Kevin chuckled as his cheeks turned red. "No. She isn't my type. She may look like a dark beautiful princess, but she can be a wicked witch from the west."

I laughed.

Where I came from, most men preferred princesses than dark princesses. I guessed goth girls had too many issues, which led them to a dark path. If Salina wanted a boyfriend, she should date someone like her.

A prince of darkness. Goth girls totally dug them.

"I got it." Salina returned with a large leather book and placed it on the counter. "This book contains all the hexes that can either ward off curses and control them."

She opened the book. "There is one hex for a werewolf curse. It might help your Barbie doll here."

"Stop calling me Barbie doll!" I shouted with my fists shaking up. "I don't even play with Barbie dolls anymore!"

Salina skimmed through the pages until she stopped at a chapter halfway in the book. "Here is one. The Wolf's Seal."

She slid her black fingernail along the old English sentences. "A tattoo in werewolf blood that allows the victim to control their werewolf form. An Indian shaman invented it to help the cursed. With the mark coated in the human skin, anywhere on the body, the victim can tame the beast from within. In wolf form, the victim's reason and personality will remain intact. However, the victim cannot speak in wolf's tongue, and the curse remains. As long as the mark stays on the victim's flesh, they will be in control."

"So it has to be a tattoo?" I asked. "My daddy will totally freak out if he finds a tattoo on me!"

“You can put it somewhere where he can’t see it,” Kevin suggested.

Like where? My butt?

I gave him a glare and glanced back to Salina. “So, can I totally get the tattoo now?”

“It isn’t simple,” said Salina. “The ingredients for the ink is wolfsbane and werewolf blood. I got some wolfsbane in my house, but no werewolf blood.”

“What about my werewolf blood?”

“The blood has to come from the beast who bit you. Without it, the seal can’t work.”

My heart dropped. “Well, that totally sucks.”

“It looks like we are going to have to find the werewolf who attacked you in the woods,” said Kevin. “Do you remember where you encountered it?”

“I totally don’t remember…… But if we head to Blackwood Park, my fuzzy memories should come back..”

Salina closed the book. “In that case, let me suggest some goodies for you. Use a silver dagger to weaken the wolf, but don’t stab its heart or brain. If it dies, its blood will die with it. After it gets weak, collect the blood. I don’t need a bucket full. Just enough for one tattoo.”

“I got a syringe and silver at home,” Kevin stated.

The witch smiled at him and turned toward me. “One more thing.”

She handed me a necklace with a stone talisman on it. “Put this on. If anything happens, it will help me find you guys.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“See yeah, Barbie doll.”

Oh, my god! Stop calling me a Barbie doll!