“Okay.” I turned to Lavender. “Don’t go too far. We’ll be back in a few minutes.” At least we could magic me clean as soon as we walked in the hotel door. Staying at a witchy hotel was such a great idea. At least Liv and everyone else were too busy being impressed by the scenery to notice my predicament.
Will and I hurried back the way we’d come. I was glad he was with me because I’d probably get lost. The narrow passageways all looked the same. I’d have to remember the different shops. I was betting that Google maps didn’t work well in this rabbit warren. Other than everything being so close together, the tightly packed buildings probably disrupted the internet.
When we reached the hotel, Will opened the door for me. “Dirty ladies first.”
I stopped in front of Will and gave him a look that promised violence. He smirked. Right. I lowered my chin to my chest and shoved my head onto his chest and rubbed. When I was done, I smiled innocently up at him. “Anything else you’d like to say?”
He frowned at the white bird poo smeared on his black T-shirt. “No. I think that’s about it.”
“Thought so.” I snorted. There was nothing like sharing the grossness with the one you loved, especially when they deserved it.
Rather than magic the dirt off near the front door where non-witches might see us, we walked down the hallway. Two different magics pinged me. Staying in a witch-friendly place was going to take some getting used to. Even though my friends and family used magic around me, it was familiar. New magic was always more jarring in its vibrations. It was like the difference between having soothing background music on compared to something with an ear-splitting, body-vibrating bass.
At the end of the hallway, we stopped near a fake plant that sat in one corner next to a white door with a gold-coloured sign that had Ufficio in bold black lettering. Well, that wasn’t hard to understand. It looked so similar to office that you couldn’t go wrong.
I was about to magic the poo off my head when raised voices came from the ufficio—a woman’s voice, followed quickly by a man’s. Will and I looked at each other. They were arguing in Italian, so we couldn’t understand what they said. At least, I assumed they were arguing. Italians were enthusiastic verbal communicators, but surely that level of yelling wasn’t normal.
Will and I looked at each other. I lowered my voice. “We can’t really do this here, then. They’ll feel our magic and think we’re eavesdropping. It would be totally awkward.”
“Agreed.” Will looked around and gave a nod at another door halfway back to the main staircase. “Why don’t we try that door there. It probably leads to the courtyard.” I nodded, and we turned, the shouting still pulsing from the office. We hurried towards the other door, and just as Will opened it, a man burst out of the office and stomped down the hallway, staring at the ceiling and talking to himself, his hands gesturing “why?”
An attractive middle-aged woman stood in the doorway and glowered at him, her lips pinched together. She saw us and did a double take before schooling her expression. Her fake smile came through loud and clear before she stepped back into the office and shut the door.
Will gave me a “yikes” look and opened the door. “Gorgeous ladies first.” He smiled.
“You’re a fast learner.” I grinned and stepped past him into another, shorter hallway that led to a door that was propped open, revealing the courtyard beyond. There was no need to go out there, though, now that the drama was over. I opened myself to my magic and willed the poo away, envisioning the courtyard pavers. I looked up at Will, whose shirt was clean. “Is it gone?” My magic was awesome, but I’d never tried to remove poo from my hair before. Better to be safe than touching it and being sorry.
He nodded. “Ready to resume our holiday?”
“You bet.”
We’d had dead pigeons, and I’d been pooed on. Bad stuff supposedly came in threes, but I was going to stay positive. At least the bad things had been fairly minor, so there was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
Chapter 3
“Well, today was awesome.” Clean and happy after my shower, I slid into the crisp, white sheets next to Will and yawned. The bedside clock read 23:19.
“We certainly made the most of it.” He wasn’t wrong. After my little mishap this morning, we went back to the square, had ice cream, then hopped on a water bus and visited an island on the other side of Venice. Lido was a beachside suburb full of quaint buildings and avenues lined with mature trees. We couldn’t really make out where the sand met the water at the beach because of the mist or fog or whatever it was (I hoped it wasn’t pollution), but still, it was a gorgeous place to stroll. After that, we visited the island of Saint Michele. It was a cemetery and creepy but interesting. A few famous bodies were buried there, including Ezra Pound and Stravinsky, so it attracted quite a few people. It was certainly more crowded than I’d expected. Apparently, Napoleon established the cemetery. So much history. Another reminder of what Australia lacked. I still loved my birth home, but I really loved my new one too.
“Good night. We have another big day tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the glass-blowing.”
Will turned on his side and pulled me in for a cuddle. “Yep, Angelica expects us at breakfast by eight.”
I groaned. “I know. I was so hoping for some sleep-ins while we were here.”
He laughed. “Eight is sleeping in. I swear, if sleeping were a sport, you’d be a gold medallist.”
“I try to excel at everything I do.”
“And you
