* * *
Janice slid out from the duvet and walked straight to the table. She took a bag of coffee powder from the cupboard and poured some into a cup.
“Coffee?” The pot of Lily next to her swung its head slightly.
“Yes.” Janice smiled and continued pouring hot water into the cup.
“How’s he?”
“Still the same as many others.” Janice sneered. “Bound by his wife. Tired of tolerance. Want some changes.”
“Give him some Snapdragon then.”
“No, he needs Sweet Pea.” Janice pointed out. “Delicate pleasure suits him better than youthful innocence.”
And the Lily laughed.
Finishing her coffee, Janice went back to her bed. She glared down at Mr. Johnson, who lied unconscious next to her and smiled. She placed her little beautiful hand on his forehead and wiped some pollen grains on it. Within seconds, the man opened his eyes.
“Em…” He murmured as he woke up.
“Good morning ,dear.” Janice greeted seductively, reaching for his bare chest.
“Oh my god!” Suddenly alert, Mr. Johnson leapt out of the bed. “Where am I? What have I done?”
“Don’t be that rude, honey.” Janice said coquettishly. “Don’t you remember what you did last night? No…what we did last night…”
“Oh no, it can’t be true!” Mr. Johnson, almost to tears, cried.
“Perhaps you need some Statice for remembrance?” Still ignoring his pain, Janice asked innocently.
“No, go away!” Mr. Johnson yelled. “You wicked woman! You seduced me intentionally!”
“Oh, did I?” Janice smiled. “You were the one who asked for a flower called Janice. You were the one who embraced me and lifted me to my bed. You were the one who…”
“Enough!” The man finally broke down. “Enough…Don’t remind me of that! I don’t know why I did it! It must be your flowers! You did some tricks! You…”
“Sir, you really need some rest. Come on,” Janice took one step forward and held out both of her arms.
“No! Go away!”
With that, Mr. Johnson swiftly grabbed all his clothes and fled from the room.
“Wow… that’s sort of overreaction. Don’t you think so?” The Lily said, turning its head towards the door through which Mr. Johnson had just rushed out.
“Guilty.” Janice shook her head and sighed. “Another guilty man betrayed his wife.”
“You did a very good job, Janice.” The Lily praised.
“Not as good as you, bro.” Janice smiled.
Yes…the pot of Lily was her twin brother. It was something no one would ever believe. Seducing men with alluring smell and playing love tricks on them weren’t her usual routines. The shop used to be quiet, no matter how hard they worked. As florists, they tried their best to collect the most beautiful and striking species. Yet, working day and night didn’t seem to get them anywhere. Broken and nearly bankrupt, they sought for a change.
“It’s his entire fault.” Janice accused.
Her twin brother fell in love with a woman afterwards. She came from a noble family, renowned and affluent. Everything seemed to turn upside downd when her husband showed up. She never told him she was married and yet, when he finally realized he was standing between the couple in an affair, it was too late. Her husband had hired someone to murder him. Dead. Betrayed.
Janice never blamed her brother for his sin. She knew he loved her dearly. Everything he did was for her sake. He went out with that woman such that he got money to support the family. Unfortunately, he was caught by a deadly fate. Crestfallen and sorrowful, she turned to every possible way that could bring her brother back. She had tried magic and witchcraft, taking all the risks just to see him one last time. In the end, an old witch helped her. She chopped off his head and buried it in a pot. A Lily soon grew drastically and before she realized it, her dear twin was back to her again.
Next, she sought for revenge. She couldn’t avenge on the murderer directly, indeed, so she figured out a better way. It was then she started practicing all kinds of magical tricks. Flowers. Temptation. Smell. Lure. She waited every day for that man to appear in her shop. And when he bought flowers from her, he would as well be cursed. He would fall in love with Janice and abandoned his wife. Soon, that loathsome woman whom her brother once loved would experience how it felt to be betrayed by her own husband.
The man would die of guiltiness. So would the woman.
The couple who had once tortured her brother would then perish.
Still, he had not appeared yet.
Instead, many other men were dying in vain with each passing day. All of them visited her shop and got cursed. After coming back for her, they would all feel extremely guilty of what they had done. Some could not help but to confess immediately to their wives, waiting for a divorce later on. But many of them would just commit suicide, to end the remorse quick and fast.
She wouldn’t moan, of course. Neither would she pity anyone. In her heart, there was only one person. It didn’t take her long to figure out magic needed a price. The cost was feeding. Her twin needed to feed on one’s self-consciousness and hope. When those victims were drained of self-trust and faith, they might just as well end their own life.
“Hope is the fundamental component to fight despair.” Janice muttered as she held a Daisy close to her nose. “Death is taken in exchange for life.”
“And you,” The Lily blossomed. “Will always be my dear beloved sister.”
“Brother, he won’t live long.” Janice said. “I guarantee you.”
“No,” The Lily shook. “THEY won’t live long.”