Trajectory

“Here,” he said. The bread made bringing the butter relevant. He saved her. Man, she was not on top of her game at all today.

“Thank you,” she said, passing out the dressing. “Do you need anything else?” The table shook their heads and she smiled before walking back over to the bar. Once she got there, she slid into the chair, but had no clue what she was doing.

“Are you okay?” Ash was looking at her with concern and she debated if she should tell him what was going on with her. She couldn’t remember what it was that was going on, though. Oh yes, that was it, she was forgetting everything.

She didn’t remember much after she’d gotten to work. She’d heard of things like this happening to people with PTSD. Maybe finding Layla’s body had been too much for her and she was blacking out.

“What does my table need, Ash?” she asked, completely forgetting if she’d even been to the table yet.

“How about you sit and let me help them?” he said.

She was thankful to have such an understanding boss. Something was definitely wrong with her brain. Maybe she should go to the hospital, but a minute later she couldn’t remember why she needed to go.

When Brent got back to Zazie’s she was sitting in the middle of her living room, staring into a bowl of water.

“What are you doing, Z?” he asked as he sat down across from her, but she didn’t answer. All she did was continue to stare into the bowl of water, chanting.

He didn’t know what she was saying, so he just waited for her to look up.

“I can’t do it!” she finally screeched after he sat across from her as she chanted.

“Can’t do what?” he asked, wondering what the bowl of water was supposed to do. “You checking to see if the T-rex is coming?” He laughed.

“Am I what?”

“It’s a Jurassic Park joke, never mind, that’s terrible, so back to the water.”

“I should be able to see him or her. Whoever is responsible for this horrible crime. Years of not being able to use my magic has dried it up. It’s going to take forever to get it back.” Zazie looked defeated as she stared into the bowl.

“You’ll get there, Aunt Z, maybe don’t try so hard.”

“How’d it go with Chloe?”

“It was all right, she was acting kind of off. I felt like she was being distant, but it’s a bad time right now with Layla and everything.”

Zazie nodded and got up to go to the kitchen. “You want some tea, Brent?” she called.

“I don’t want any, thank you,” Brent called back. “So, Dad knows you’re out and he knows I’m the reason.”

“Oh, he does, and I suppose he told you he’s not too happy with you.”

“Something like that,” Brent said, remembering his father’s warning. He hadn’t seen her do anything magic yet. At this point he was kind of going on blind faith believing that she was actually a wizard. He’d never seen anyone do magic with the exception of Chloe turning herself into a bird.

“I brought you some tea anyway so I can read your tea leaves.”

Brent looked at the cup with what he assumed were leaves swirling around in it. He brought it to his lips and took a sip. He crinkled up his face at the bitter taste. “That’s not good, Aunt Z.”

“Let me see them.” His aunt held her hands out and he sat the cup in them. He wasn’t sure what she could get from the leaves.

“So, I think they’re telling me you will get a better job and meet a sweet little birdie who will show you how to be a real man.”

“Z, that’s stuff I already know,” he said. When he left the university he hoped to get a better job. He, Chloe, and Layla were just about to start classes back at Albrecht-Hastings University. Classes started the third week of August, and fall was actually a lot earlier in Woodland Creek with the leaves already changing and the air turning cooler. Usually it would be October before it even started to get cold.

Layla was really into political science. It was her major and she often told the two of them that she was going to change the world. He chuckled as he remembered her campaign against the drink machines in the cafeteria not having diet drinks. It was the most ridiculous protest, but the administration got her Diet Dr. Pepper put into the machines. He was really going to miss her crazy ass, despite having been hard to deal with since the drugs had taken over her life in their freshmen year. She always made fun of his veterinary medicine dreams and Chloe’s major, astronomy. She’d wanted to work for the Observatory since they were little after visiting it on a school trip, so it made sense to him.

He turned his attention back to his aunt, realizing his mind had really wandered away from her and she was still talking. “You’ll also dye your hair black in a moment of pure rebellion.”

“Z, do they really say that?”