Page 64 of The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium

Talula glanced at it. She felt all the air in her lungs vanish.

It was an official town notice. One with a headline so big and horrifying, Talula had to grip the countertop to keep from stumbling.

EMERGENCY TOWN HALL MEETING TO DISCUSS SAMHAIN FESTIVAL

The meeting was scheduled for a little more than a week away. Three days before Samhain.

Mom said it wouldn’t get this far, Talula thought, reading the headline over and over again. She said it was nothing.

“Pine Hollow City Council will vote on revoking your festival permit,” Kristen said smugly, eyeing Talula up and down. “Looks like the town has spoken. We don’t want you here. And if you don’t get the message, then we’ll have to spell it out for you with more extreme measures.”

Talula knew that Sara could magically fix their situation once she came back. But at that moment, it didn’t matter. Kristen’s contempt, the whole town’s contempt, made her furious. Rage thundered in Talula’s brain, but she chose her words carefully. “You have to realize this is discrimination. Small minds hating something because they don’t understand it. You’re making people think Samhain is some kind of pervert’s Coachella. But it’s an important holiday for people like me.”

“That’s exactly the problem. Why would Pine Hollow want anyone like you?” Kristen gave a short, mean laugh.

“Hey! Here’s an idea,” Dahlia said brightly, popping out of her counter seat to face Kristen. “How about you shut the whole fuck up?”

“Do I know you?” Kristen bristled. “Actually, I don’t care.”

“I’m Dahlia, horrible to meet you!” Dahlia’s dimples had never looked so threatening. “And you should care, because everything you’ve said since you’ve walked in the door qualifies as harassment. So apologize and promise to get a really—and I mean this sincerely—really fucking good therapist. Or else.”

Kristen rolled her eyes. “Or else what?”

Dahlia pointed to her computer, where her video camera’s light was blinking merrily. “Or else this entire conversation becomes Exhibit A in a harassment lawsuit. You think we can have a town meeting about that, too?”

“This isn’t harassment!” Kristen snapped, her cheeks pinking.

“No? We can ask social media! Caption: Washed-up prom queen threatens small-town coffee shop manager,” Dahlia narrated.

Kristen lost all composure. “I didn’t threaten her!”

“Let’s check the tape.” Dahlia dragged her mouse along the slider bar of her video app. “…we’ll have to spell it out for you with more extreme measures…”

“What does ‘extreme measures’ mean?” Dahlia asked innocently.

Kristen opened her mouth, but Dahlia interrupted her with another replay.

“…extreme measures…”

“I didn’t—”

“…extreme measures…”

“I don’t have to listen to this!” Kristen turned to go, and in doing so, came dangerously close to Dahlia. In a flash of movement, Dahlia flipped her still-full mug onto Kristen’s cashmere sweater. It was soaked with cocoa.

“Whoops!” Dahlia cried out, with all the subtlety of a sky-writer.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kristen screeched.

Dahlia simply grinned. “Just taking some extreme measures.”

“Hrmph!” Simon growled behind Kristen’s heel. He bared his teeth at her.

“Freaks,” Kristen hissed before storming out the door. The golden bell above the doorframe chimed cheerily at her departure.

Adrenaline and anger buzzed in Talula’s blood. But when she looked at Dahlia, her heart swelled with gratitude. “You’re my hero.”

Dahlia shrugged, plucking napkins from a nearby dispenser. “Sorry about the mess.”