Page 1 of Hot Girls Date Shifters

Prologue: Elsie

Ever since I moved to Barvale, I've believed in magic a little more.

Maybe it's because this little South Jersey town feels like it stepped out of another time.

The streets are lined with old brick buildings draped in flower baskets every spring. The storefronts are independently owned, their windows filled with handmade signs instead of corporate logos.

Everyone waves at everyone else, and if you're standing still for longer than five minutes, somebody will probably stop to ask how you're doing.

The first week I moved here, three different neighbors brought me pie.

Pie.

Do you know how aggressively wholesome that is?

The second week, the elderly woman who owns the antique store next door slipped a lavender sachet into my shopping bag “to keep away bad dreams.”

The week after that, the florist across the street started leaving a fresh flower on the counter of my shop every Monday morning.

No note.

Just a flower.

Pretty orange and yellow ones I don’t know the names of.

“Hi, I’m Maya. And please accept the flowers, it's just what we do here,” she'd said when I tried to pay her.

I smiled and thanked her. We shared a few more words, and after I left, feeling both elated and befuddled.

I mean, I didn’t know what it was...

But I liked it.

Barvale isn't flashy.

It isn't glamorous.

But it’s home.

Or at least...

It's becoming home.

The little apartment I rent sits above an old, detached garage on the edge of town. The landlord lets me keep bird feeders in the yard, and every morning I wake up to cardinals arguing outside my bedroom window.

Down on Main Street sits my happy place.

Moon & Mug.

Half coffee shop. Half occult bookstore.

Entirely my dream.

The front half smells like espresso, cinnamon, and fresh pastries.

The back half smells like old books, sandalwood incense, and polished wood.

Tarot cards.