Haven Of Magic- 1

Ever heard of a magical website on a Dell Laptop? Me neither. Try telling that to Taara who is wasting her time scouring the internet for a website that sells magical artifacts while I try to decide which flavor of Lays I should eat. Cream and Onion or Indian Magic Masala? 'I found it!' Tara squeals, startling me out of my trance. The chips drop down with a faint rustle. I sigh, roll my eyes and turn towards Tara who is now clutching my laptop with new found enthusiasm. 'Good for you. Can we go on to complete the science project now?' 'C'mon. It's the first day of summer holidays!' she says pouting. I cross my arms and scowl, sitting on the couch next to the window. With her large, babyish cheeks and eyes filled with an extreme level of innocence it can be difficult to deny her anything. 'Well… If we can complete all our homework now, we can have fun later?' I say, trying to make it sound fun, but looking at her raised eyebrow, it doesn't seem to work. I pick at the peeling, yellow wallpaper as I try to fill in the silence while Tara turns back to the laptop, looking busy as she stares at the supposed magical website. I also try to fill in the urge to leap across the maroon carpet and snatch my laptop away. 'Do you know where I can find broken couples?' she says, spinning on my leather wheelchair as if asking a perfectly legitimate question. 

It was a little odd when she asked if there were any lions in the woods but broken couples? I don't even know what to think of that question. 'Umm.. Why?' I said hoping that it wasn't an illegal drug website. 'I can't show you anything, what with you sitting across me.' she says with her signature pout. I bite back a nasty comment and ignore her. This was my house. I didn't need to go anywhere. Tara narrows her eyes and says, 'Natya. You'll be pleased to know that you don't need to find any broken couples because I know where to find broken couples already. She shakes off the loose strand of hair from her messy bun, holds her head high and walks away leaving the laptop lingering on the edge of my mahogany table. I leap across the rug and catch the cold surface of the computer on the tip off my perfectly cut nails. My chest feels sore. If I had been more paranoid, I might have even considered it to be broken ribs. The last thing I see on my laptop is the picture of a crystal bottle embroidered with intricate roses, labeled as a love potion. Subtitled as: 'Fix a couple to buy a couple' Clutching the lamppost beside my table, I stand up and run after Tara because the only one getting in trouble will be me, not her.

I catch Clara on the footpath of 21st street. She was crouching behind a green bus-stop bench, peering at the passing people like a hawk from the spaces between the wood. She didn't see me and I was very much content staring at her from a distance. I didn't want to get involved in any of her I-believe- in-magic-fiasco again. I kicked off frost with my boots and hopped down to the bench, five feet across to Tara's bench, tightening my scarf across the forest green sweater as I watched the sweater laden people shiver as they crossed the polluted streets. Tara sighed and sat down on the floor. How she could do that without passing out from the cold, I had no idea. I knew what she was trying to do. Looking for arguing couples. That bus depot was a hotspot for lovers, married people and sometimes, even crushes. As long as Tara does not do anything stupid, I had no objection. I just hoped the website was not an illegal drug store, or a site for computer virus,. That's when I saw the pink fairy.