Open for Victims 2

It isn't long before the bell chimes again and a family enters the shop, a mother and father and their three kids. The air that accompanies them is much warmer than before and the parents are consequently wearing cooler clothing. The two youngest children run around the shop excitedly, dressed in Halloween costumes, the youngest girl is a ladybug and the middle boy is a blue Power Ranger. The eldest daughter, who looks to be about Danielle's age, is dressed in regular street clothes. She chases after the younger children as the parents stare at the shop in awe.

The ladybug and the Power Ranger run past Danielle and Laura. "Anna! George! Get back here!" the teenage girl cries in exasperation, apologizing as she passes the witches. 

Danielle watches the chase unfold as Laura approaches the parents. The adults talk briefly before Laura guides them to an upright, rotating circular display filled with lollipops in a vast array of colors, with no two being the same. 

"George! Anna! Sarah!" The children stop what they're doing and join their parents, with Danielle not far behind.

"To celebrate the holiday, please enjoy one of our special lollipops." Laura exclaims, gesturing to the display and spinning it like a roulette wheel. The youngsters watch the rainbow of suckers spin past with wide eyes, making their decision as the display comes to a gradual halt. George picks a dark blue lollipop to match his costume and Anna chooses a neon green one. "I love green apple!" she squeals.

The father plucks a jet black lollipop from the rack, "And I love black licorice!" Anna and her father laugh together. Looking at the sucker, he notices that the clear plastic wrapper has no indication of its actual flavor. "This is black licorice, right?" he asks Laura. The witch smiles and responds cryptically, "No. The taste for that particular lollipop is absolutely divine, but also very fleeting. In fact, I would recommend another flavor because that one is hardly any fun."

Holding the sucker's stick between his thumb and forefinger, the father rolls it back and forth, causing the candy orb to spin rapidly. He becomes gradually more uneasy the longer he looks at it. The candy orb isn't just black, but so far beyond black that it seems to be sucking in the light around it, like a black hole. Shaking his head incredulously, the father replaces the sucker in the display. The mother chooses a white one with red dots.

Laura notices that the teenager doesn't make a move to take a lollipop. "What about you, dear?" 

"Thank you for the offer ma'am, but I'm not really a fan of candy." she says uneasily. 

Laura is shocked. "Really? But doesn't everyone like candy? Oh well, I'm sure you'll find something else that you'll like." 

Danielle has been watching the family choose lollipops, her sweaty hands balled into fists at her sides, hoping for a chance to intervene without her mother's presence. An unusual noise echoes from the back of the shop, sounding like a wooly mammoth's grumbling stomach followed by a velociraptor's bark. Everyone goes silent at the sound. Danielle's eyes go wide, but instead of screaming at the family to run away, she purses her lips.

Before anyone can say anything, Laura walks quickly towards the brick wall behind the counter. "I'm so sorry about this. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." she says in a singsong voice. 

Danielle's eyes switch back and forth between the retreating form of her mother and the different lollipops held in the various family member's hands. The children have retreated behind their parent's legs after the strange sound, suckers held loosely at their sides. The mother has just finished unwrapping her own, preparing to bring the sweet to her mouth. 

As soon as Laura rounds the corner and disappears behind the brick wall, Danielle pounces on her unsuspecting victims. She moves quickly toward the children, reaching down and snatching the lollipop away from George before he even knows what hit him. A green flash rips the sucker from the mother's hand before vanishing behind a high shelf. "Was that a bird!?" she screams, recoiling in horror. She turns her attention to George, who has started to cry after losing his candy. Her eyes lock on Danielle, "What are you doing?!" 

Just as Danielle snatches the lollipop from Anna's childishly weak grasp, a hard shove sends her into the spinning display. She bounces off the large wooden cylinder and falls to the ground. It rocks back and forth precariously before finally losing its balance and falling next to Danielle, sending suckers flying in all directions and scattering them across the floor. 

Danielle gathers herself quickly, watching in horror as the young children reach for the floor in hopes of scooping up as many of the "special" suckers as possible. Before she can stop them, the parents pick them up bodily and start carrying them towards the exit, the teenage daughter close behind. 

"Let's get out of here. This place is weird." the mother says, looking guiltily at Danielle, who is still sprawled out on the floor. The husband agrees and the family leaves the shop in a hurry, causing the bell to jingle yet again. Before Danielle can breath a sigh of relief, Laura returns. 

"You let them leave, Danielle!? What is the meaning of this?!" Laura motions to the aftermath of the lollipop display's tumble. "And look at this mess!"

The older witch helps her daughter to her feet and with a wave of her hand, the lollipop display rights itself. The suckers zip off the floor and back into place like bees returning to their hive. In an instant, everything is exactly where it was, as if nothing had happened. 

"Are you alright?" After Laura confirms that her daughter is unharmed, her look of concern changes to one of disappointment. "What am I going to do with you... I think you should just take a seat and watch how it's done, dear."

With another wave, a wooden chair slides into view next to the shop's counter. "Wait mother, I'm starting to second-guess myself. Maybe I'm not ready to help you run the shop? Or maybe we should close up for tonight?" Danielle pleads as Laura escorts her to the stool and forces her to sit. 

"Nonsense dear, it's Halloween. Besides, you've been putting this off for long enough."

An unusual snake the size of a full-grown python slithers out from behind the brick wall, circling Danielle before climbing into her lap. The snake is semi-transparent and it's color alternates about every yard between each vibrant color of the rainbow, making the serpent look like a giant gummy worm. Even as it continues to entwine Danielle, the girl seems completely unfazed by the massive reptile, as if it was nothing more than the family dog. Finally, once Danielle has been totally restrained, the snake rests it's head on her shoulder, nuzzling Danielle's face and flicking it's tongue at her in a friendly manner.

"Circe will keep you company." Laura makes her way back to the center of the shop just as the bell chimes yet again. Laura smiles back at Danielle, the sinister intent in her mother's eyes making Danielle grimace. "Now, watch and learn, sweetie."