"Finally," Isabel said, her hands shaking. "I need everyone to close their eyes and focus on sending positive energy toward Deva. Imagine the curse unraveling, freeing her from its grip."
I squeezed my eyes shut and let my thoughts drift toward happier memories, laughter-filled nights with friends, warm embraces, and carefree days. I pushed those images toward Deva, willing the curse to release her. The air around us hummed and goosebumps broke out across my skin.
"Open your eyes," Isabel said after a solid minute. As we all looked around, there was a lightness in the room that hadn't been there before.
The moment the curse lifted, I could almost see a weight lift off Deva's shoulders. It was like she had been carrying around an invisible backpack filled with bricks, and someone had finally unstrapped it from her.
"Isabel," Deva said, her voice steady and clear, "I accept your apology. And I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I have absolutely no interest in Harry. Not now, not ever."
Isabel looked like she'd been slapped in the face, but there was also a glimmer of relief in her eyes. I supposed it was difficult to compete with the ghost of a relationship, especially when that ghost was your boyfriend's ex-wife.
"Thank you," Isabel said. "That means more than you know."
Deva clenched her jaw, then turned to face me, Carol, and Beth. "I'm asking all of you to leave Isabel alone. No retaliation, no grudges. We're done here."
I exchanged glances with Carol and Beth, both looking equally reluctant to let this go. Sure, the curse was gone, and Deva was free, but it didn't erase the pain and chaos Isabel had caused. My fingers itched with the urge to send a little karmic justice her way, but I didn't want to go against Deva's wishes. At least not openly, anyway.
"Fine," I said begrudgingly, forcing myself to meet Isabel's gaze. "No retaliation."
"Agreed," Carol said, though she looked about as thrilled as I did.
"Okay," Beth said reluctantly, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.
"Good," Deva said, a satisfied smile on her face. "Now let's get out of here. I don't know about you guys, but I could really use a stiff drink and some greasy food."
As we filed out of Isabel's shop, I took in the cluttered shelves and dim lighting one last time. It had been a wild ride, filled with twists, turns, and dark magic I'd never thought possible.
The moment we stepped back outside I inhaled the scent of sun-warmed pavement and a hint of lavender from a nearby garden.The brightness of the day seemed almost at odds with the dark cloud of Isabel's curse that had been hanging over us for so long. I fought a pang of annoyance that we'd been asked not to retaliate after everything she'd done.
"Can't believe we're just supposed to let her get away with it," Carol said under her breath, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Deva asked us not to, and we owe it to her to respect her wishes," I reminded her, though I sympathized with Carol's frustration.
"Still sucks, though," Beth said, kicking a pebble across the sidewalk with more force than necessary.
"Agreed." I sighed, the weight of the whole ordeal pressing down on me. As we walked away from Isabel's shop, I couldn't ignore a familiar itch, the one that told me karma was waiting to work its magic. It was a sensation I'd grown all too familiar with since discovering my own karmic powers.
"Guys, hold up a minute," I said, pausing mid-step while an idea formed in my head. My friends stopped and turned to face me with questioning looks, but I didn't offer any explanation. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on my inner karmic energy, letting it flow through me.
"Emma, what are you doing?" Carol asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Shh," I hushed her, my concentration unwavering. Karma pulled at me, a force as natural and inevitable as the tides, and I knew what I had to do.
"Is she having a stroke?" Beth said to Carol, who just shrugged helplessly in response.
I released the energy that had built up inside me. A warm breeze blew through my soul, carrying with it a sense of balance and justice. "There, done."
"Done with what?" Deva asked, her eyes narrowing as she studied me.
"Nothing," I said innocently, trying to keep a straight face. "Just taking care of something." My friends exchanged skeptical glances but didn't press me further on the matter.
"Let's head home," I suggested, eager to put some distance between us and Isabel's shop. We walked away, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the ground beneath our feet.
As we left, I couldn't shake the certainty that, in some small way, I'd managed to set the universe back on its rightful course. Maybe it wasn't the grand act of retaliation that Carol, Beth, or even myself had been hoping for, but I'd had no choice. Karma had demanded it.
At the corner, we stopped and looked back at Isabel's shop while we waited for the light to change.
"Hey, has that sign always been so crooked?" Beth asked suddenly, pointing toward the front of Isabel's shop. The wooden sign hanging above the door, which had previously displayed the nameIsabel's Enchantmentsin elegant script, was now tilted precariously to one side, as if it were seconds away from toppling over entirely.
