by J. E. Cluney
“Can I come?” Oliver piped up.
“Sure, if it’s okay with Allison,” Skip grinned.
I rolled my eyes as I focused back on Oliver.
“He can come.”
I collected my schedule from the office while the two boys waited in the car. The drive over had revealed that Oliver was indeed the youngest of us at just over eighteen years old. Apparently his birthday fell just after Christmas on the 27th.
I was nineteen, along with Marcus, although technically he was twenty-one, he’d been turned into a vampire at nineteen. I didn’t ask how or why as it seemed a touchy subject for the pair. Lucas was twenty-one as well, while Skip was twenty, his birthday having just passed us by on the 23rd of January.
I told them I was the 20th of April, which they were excited to hear. I was next in line for a party apparently, and it fell around Easter.
Lucas’s birthday was the 20th of June, while Marcus was the 5th of August. Although there was a debate as to whether that was his birthday or if his turned day should be his birthday, which had been early October, although neither of them knew the exact day.
I pulled my hoodie up as I sprinted back to Skip’s big sixty series Landcruiser, a model normally known to become rust buckets, but his had fared well. He’d even had it repainted forest green recently, which he was proud to inform me of. It was obvious he loved his car, which I’d never understand. I had my license, but I’d sold my last car to cover bills and add to my savings in order to move here to study.
Skip flung the door open just as I reached it, and I leaped into the passenger seat and tugged the door shut.
The rain was really coming down now in sheets.
“Still want to do some shopping?” Skip asked with a chuckle as I rubbed my arms. God, this weather was ridiculous.
“I know there’s shared food in the house, but I need to buy my own stuff,” I sighed as I dumped the bag of textbooks and papers on the floor. I was extra grateful that Skip had had a green bag handy for me to use.
“Okay, well, Woolworths has undercover parking, we should go there,” Oliver chimed.
“Sounds good,” I mumbled as I rubbed my hands together. The rain really did cool everything down, too much for my liking. And Skip’s heater in the Landcruiser was abysmal.
The old beast of a vehicle rumbled to life, and we pulled out of the University parking area to head into the neighboring town. I was pleasantly surprised that the uni didn’t charge for its parking. That was a bonus, if I did get a car eventually. Although walking was easy enough, it wasn’t far.
“So, you never did say what happened with the mischief magic last night?” Skip mused as he focused on the road, his wiper blades working overtime in this rain.
“Well, my magic likes to affect food mostly. I’d cooked myself some pasta, and I was getting agitated with how much of a dick Marcus was being,” I muttered. “It just flared up and the pasta came to life.”
“Damn, that must be interesting. I hear mischief magic can take on many forms,” Skip gave me a lopsided grin. “What’s yours like?”
“Flying pasta butterflies!” Oliver declared, causing Skip to laugh, that throaty sound making me grin.
“Seriously?” Skip snorted.
I loved how his naked chest moved when he laughed; it was hard to keep my eyes off of him. Why he’d not bothered to grab a shirt was beyond me, and he’d thrown on a pair of black thongs to finish his outfit, or lack thereof.
“I can’t help it! It just happens, normally when I’m annoyed, but other emotions can trigger it,” I managed a smile as the pair chuckled.
Oliver was leaning forward to chat with us, straining against his seatbelt as he rested his arms on the back of the front seat. Skip’s cruiser’s front seat was one of those full length ones, where technically we could’ve all squished into the front, but I was glad Oliver had taken the backseat.
“So, how’d you deal with that? You said your Aunt gave you a pendant, but you’re not wearing it now?” Skip said as his eyes dropped to my neck. I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes dipped down to the slight cleavage I showed.
“I got a witch to unbind the spell once I left home at sixteen, but I kept the pendant with me. I wore it almost all the time afterwards anyway when I was away from home, as I accidentally made… something come to life once. I realized what could go wrong if a mortal saw it, my Aunt at least taught me that our abilities and powers are to be hidden from non-supes. It’s strange, here, inside the wardings, I can’t feel when my magic is coming over me. When I’m outside of it, I can sense the mischief magic coming to the surface, that’s why I still wore it, because it was unpredictable. I tried to teach myself how to wield it when I was alone, but it’s not easy. It’s a strange magic to have, not overly helpful,” I sighed. I reached for my black handbag, a crappy little thing I’d picked up from an op shop for a few dollars over a year ago. The strap was falling apart, and I had a safety pin holding the strap onto the handbag on one end. It held my trusty iPod and pendant, within easy reach if needed.
“Yeah, I’ve heard about mischief magic. Usually you have more fae bloodlines that carry other magic too though, you don’t have any other magic?” Skip asked.
“No, not that I’m aware of,” I shrugged.
“Strange, but you can shift into a wolf,” Skip murmured. “You’re an interesting little mix aren’t you?”
“Apparently,” I murmured. “Hey, you said Oliver was cursed, can’t that be fixed?” I asked as I turned to look at Oliver, finding his face a little too close when I turned. Those amber eyes were bright and flecked with the tiniest hints of gold. He also had the slightest dusting of freckles over his nose.
“Nope, she was a strong witch, it will apparently lift when I turn twenty,” Oliver sighed as he picked at a small hole in the top of the seat.
“Don’t make it worse,” Skip scolded him as he slapped the seat while staying focused on the road.
“That sucks,” I said as I pursed my lips.
“I deserved it,” Oliver shrugged.
“I highly doubt that,” I shook my head. “What’d you do?”
“Me, my cousins and brother were harassing her, she got pissed, and I ended up getting the curse, the others didn’t,” he frowned as he pulled back to look out the window.
His sudden change from bubbly and sweet made my brow furrow, and I glanced at Skip who just gave me a thin smile. I wouldn’t pry, I knew what it was like to have a history you’d rather keep hidden.
“So, where’s Marcus today?” I asked as I looked out the window. The drive into Maleny was beautiful, so green and lush up here on the mountain, the farmland dipping into valleys and the hills rising and morphing into heavily treed areas. Dairy country mostly, with the black and white cows scattered throughout the paddocks.
“He’ll be hiding out in his room most likely. Waiting out the daylight hours, y’know,” Skip shrugged.
“Why? The myths that vampires burst into flames isn’t true,” I scoffed. “They just burn easier than others, even I know that.”
Vampires didn’t burst into flames or disintegrate as soon as the sun touched their skin like the movies portrayed, they just burned easier if in the sun for too long, like a bad sunburn that manifested in minutes rather than hours. If they stuck to shaded areas or indoors, they were safe.
“Yeah, but he’d rather completely dodge getting any kinds of burns,” Skip said. “And what do you mean even you know that?”
“Oh, well, my Aunt, she couldn’t send me to a supe school, so, well, I only learned a little from my cousin about supes. She went to a supe school,” I mumbled, regretting saying anything.
“Wow, your Aunt was a real tight-ass, wasn’t she?” Skip said. “I’m pretty sure it’s actually mandatory for a supe to only attend supe school.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I murmured. “I didn’t know it was mandatory.” Supe schools weren’t too common, they were spread out and set in the warded areas. Sadly, the a
rea we lived in, Maroochydore, only had one supe school within a fifteen-minute walk, and it was one of the higher end private ones, where you had to pay to attend. So my cousin went there, my fae cousin.
While I got sent to the public schools, despite there being a public supe school in Caloundra that I could’ve caught a bus to. Nope, I got shoved into a mainstream, normal school. It was easier for my aunt, less costly. Besides, technically I didn’t have any powers with my pendant on. Guess that was how she evaded the mandatory thing.
“I hear Maleny is full of hippies, that true?” I asked, wanting to move away from my family. I hated talking about them. They were a memory, a past I wanted forgotten.
Skip seemed to register this, but allowed my subject change as his mouth set for a moment before he grinned.
“Yeah mate, we got a few of ‘em, they’re harmless, just potheads and at one with nature, y’know,” he chuckled.
I smiled at his choice of words for the hippie locals. I’d heard a bit about the people up here on the range, but I doubted it was anything bad. Hell, down on the coast was pretty wild at times.
“So, you got any magic classes on your schedule?” Skip asked, glancing at his rearview mirror.
I hated how silent Oliver had become; I was already growing fond of his cheery personality, and I couldn’t stop remembering his morning glory from this morning either. I hoped I hadn’t upset him too much by asking about his curse.
“I don’t know, I asked to take some, I chose fae,” I answered honestly. Being a supe university, we were given some elective magical classes, depending on our bloodline. There were ones for shifters, vampires, witches, fae, and more. I’d asked to be put into the fae classes, although due to my mixed blood, I was allowed to also attend shifter classes if I chose to.
“Huh, cool, I’m sure they’ve scheduled you in, I wonder what days you’ll have them?” Skip mused.
“It’d be good to finally learn how to wield these powers,” I sighed. “I hate how they can just take over so randomly. I need to learn control.”
“That’s definitely true,” Skip agreed. “Mischief magic can become a pain in the arse if you don’t get a handle on it.”
“What experience do you have with mischief magic?” I asked, intrigued. He seemed to know more than I’d expect from a shifter.
“My sister dated a pixie, he was a wanker. Always causing trouble around the house. His magic affected fixtures and anything that had electricity. Even cars. Fucked with this baby a few times too,” Skip growled as he patted the dash of his cruiser.
“Wow,” I arched my eyebrows. “Is your sister here too?”
“Oh hell no,” he gave a sharp laugh. “That slut is back home running the place like usual. You know what it’s like, baby of the family, got mummy and daddy wrapped around her little finger,” he snorted.
Wow, I had not expected such words from him. Someone certainly wasn’t close to his sister.
“So, you said you made something come to life?” Skip asked.
“Huh?” I frowned.
“Earlier, you said you brought something to life that made you always wear your pendant when out and about, what was it?”
“A muffin,” I answered quickly as my mind jumped back to it. Let’s just say, pixie orgasms contained mischief magic. And a flying, honking vibrator was not what I wanted to share right now.
“Oh, cool,” he shrugged.
I fell silent as we passed through the warding as we exited Maple Grove, and I relaxed into the seat with my arms wrapped around myself. The rain had grown heavier, hammering down on us, and Skip flicked on his headlights to make it easier to navigate.
“I think we should head straight back after woolies, we don’t want to stay out in this,” Oliver finally spoke up from the back.
I glanced back at him, hating the forlorn look on his face.
What was he not wanting to share? What was so secret about his curse?
4
I laughed as Skip turned up the radio, clapping my hands at the AC/DC song playing over the speakers. God, how I loved them.
My bags of groceries lay nestled at my feet, and I was beyond grateful that I’d somehow managed to afford them. I was running low on cash, and I was looking forward to starting my new job next weekend to start saving again. I’d also work short day shifts around my uni schedule, which my new employer had been more than flexible with. I even told Skip about my new place of work, and he laughed, saying it was the only little cafe in Maple Grove, recently opened too. He was surprised they’d dared to open up shop there as many of those local to the area just went straight into Maleny for everything.
I’d applied at the right time, right when they were just starting to hire.
“I guess I’ll have to drop in sometime and see you there, aye?” Skip chuckled as we headed home.
Home, still an interesting concept to me. My new home was living with four men. An interesting new change.
“I know the couple who are running it, they just want Maple Grove to start growing more, supporting the locals, that kind of thing,” Oliver piped up. They’d both joined me in woolies, and Oliver had slowly returned to his cheery self.
Apparently, he had a thing for caramello koalas. I was a freddo frog girl myself, and Skip loved his salt and vinegar chips and coke.
I’d chosen more nutritional food than my two counterparts, and I’d had to pay extra for my green bags since I’d left mine in my car when I’d sold it.
“We’ll see how it goes, for your sake, I hope they last,” Skip said with a sideways glance at me.
“I’m sure they’ll do fine,” Oliver assured me.
“Hey, want anything from the bottle-o before we head back?” Skip asked as he indicated left instead of right to go home.
“Nah thanks, I’m good,” I shook my head. I didn’t drink. Ever. That was just a rule for me. I’d seen what it did to people.
“Well, I’m going to grab some stubbies for the weekend, Lucas has invited Richo and Issac over, so I’d best make sure we’re stocked up.”
“Grab me some Midori?” Oliver asked as he pulled out his wallet.
“You with your fancy drinks,” Skip sniggered.
“Beer tastes like piss,” Oliver scrunched his nose up, and I cracked a grin as I glanced between the pair as Skip pulled in before the bottle shop.
“It’s the stuff men are made of,” Skip declared. “A real man’s drink.”
“If they like piss,” Oliver muttered.
I just giggled, agreeing with him. It did taste like piss. Although I never drank anything, not even fancy cocktails. “Well, give me the money if you want your green shit,” Skip said as he shut the engine off and offered his hand over his shoulder.
Oliver slapped the fifty dollar note into his hand, and I just rolled my eyes.
Alcohol cost too much, just another reason I hated it.
Skip braved the rain, leaving us in the rather cool interior of his cruiser. His heater was useless. Although, what did I expect from such a fossil of a car?
“Who’s Richo and Issac?” I asked.
“Richard Cooper, and Issac Ellison. Just some of Lucas’s friends,” Oliver shrugged. “They like to play pool some nights, bet money, drink, you know, usual.”
“Huh, okay, I didn’t realize we could have friends over,” I said.
“Well, it is his house,” Oliver reminded me. “But we can have friends over too, as long as they’re respectful of the place.”
“Of course,” I grinned. As if I even had friends. I had work colleagues, and that was it. No one that I really considered a friend, I’d been working too much to afford my rental down on the coast. I’d worked thirty-eight hours a week for a fair while as a retail clerk, then moved into a barista position when the small clothing store got shut down in the plaza. We just couldn’t make a decent enough profit with the rising rent costs of the plaza storefront.
And despite sharing a rental with another lady, it was eating up half my
payslip easily, then I’d had my phone plan on top of that, my car expenses, and groceries. I’d struggled to save, and I was still surprised I had. At least this new housemate situation cost just under a third of my last rent. I could work, study, and save a bit, as long as I didn’t party.
The thought made me roll my eyes.
I was certainly no party girl.
“So, Ally, Lucas told me you were studying Veterinary Science, so I guess we’ll be sharing some classes,” Oliver grinned as he bit into his caramel koala.
“You’re studying it too?” I relaxed. At least I’d know one person. Well, I guess I knew him, I’d seen his dick already, surely that made us friends.
“Yeah, being a true shifter, I can sense things with animals and all sorts. It’s just a special knack I’ve got, what about you?” he asked, cocking his head curiously at me.
“I can tell if they’ve got something seriously wrong with them. I found out back at my first job, my colleague, Sue, asked me to pet sit for her while she was away one weekend as her pet sitter canceled last minute. She even paid me, but I was patting her Labrador when I just, well, knew something was wrong. I told her to take him to the vet, and she did, turns out he had a tumor. If she hadn’t caught it so soon, they said it would’ve killed him,” I explained, remembering the scene so clearly.
I was on the beige lounge, watching some Law and Order, when Crow, her black lab, jumped up to join me. I began patting him, and the alarming sensation coiled inside me. I could almost pinpoint where the issue was in his chest, it was that clear.
“Wow, that’s pretty wicked. Does it work with other animals? Maybe it’s some sort of combo werewolf/fae ability,” Oliver contemplated.
“I used it on a cat too at my last rental, this big grey tabby cat would visit me sometimes, I patted him once and sensed something was wrong, but I didn’t know who owned him. He died a few days later I found out, some kind of cancer,” I sighed. I’d hated that. I’d grown fond of the fat cat that would greet me when I got home from work, sprawling on the driveway and demanding attention. I never even learned his name, although I’d ended up just referring to him as handsome most of the time.