Page 164 of Clinically Bewitched
“Those mysteries are related,” he said sagely.
“They’re absolutely not.”
Quinton emerged from the kitchen. “I’ve checked all the cabinets.”
“And?”
“Mixed vibes. Some good, some neutral, one distinctly negative.”
“You can’t assess vibes from cabinets.”
“I just did.”
“That’s not—” I stopped. Took a breath. “We have one more house.”
“One more chance to find good vibes,” Hayden said.
“The universe better deliver,” I muttered.
“The universe,” Vivian said, “is probably laughing at you right now.”
“I know.”
House Six: Sunday, 3:00 PM
“Last one,” the real estate agent said, sounding as exhausted as I felt. This was a new agent. The previous one had quit after House Four.
We pulled up to a Cape Cod-style house with blue shutters and a small front garden. It was smaller than the others. Older. Needed some work. But something about it felt...different.
“Oh,” Nathan said softly.
“Oh?” I repeated. “Good oh or bad oh?”
“Good oh.” He was staring at the house with an expression I’d never seen before. “Julien, this one feels right.”
“Right how?”
“Just... right. Can we go inside?”
The agent unlocked the door.
We stepped into the foyer, and I felt it.
I actually felt it. Not vibes, exactly. Not spiritual energy, or cosmic resonance, or whatever Athena would call it. But something.
Warmth. Welcome. A sense of... home.
“The living room is to your right,” the agent said. “Kitchen straight ahead. Three bedrooms upstairs, and there’s a finished attic that could be converted to a fourth bedroom or office—”
Oh no.
Oh no, I’m feeling vibes.
This is it. This is how it ends. I’ve been converted.
But I wasn’t listening. I was walking through the house, my hand trailing along the walls, feeling the space. It was smaller than I’d planned. The kitchen needed updating. The backyard was modest. But it felt right.
“Julien,” Vivian said quietly. “Your eye stopped twitching.”
