Didn't Sea it Coming

by Andie M. Long

  “They should be free, pal. It’s not our fault you’ve run out. If you can’t supply the doughnuts, then we want two free waffles.”

  “Free waffles. Free waffles.” The crowd chanted, like waffles were in captivity. They were certainly in a protest.

  “I’ll handle this.” My dad said, and he stood at the front. “Gather around, townsfolk, I can get you free doughnuts.”

  The crowd immediately quietened and gathered around my father, who did compulsion on mass and told them that they all fancied a night in front of the television and that the waffle shop didn’t and never had sold doughnuts. The crowds filtered away, leaving us free to go inside.

  Tristan ran up to us. “Oh, Theo. Thank goodness. I thought they were going to tear the place apart with their bare hands.”

  “Actually, I’m tempted to tear you apart with my bare hands.” Darius growled. “What’s with the doughnut thing?”

  “Oh. It’s a great idea I got from my girlfriend.” He said the word girlfriend so proudly. “She told me last night about how she makes as much from doughnuts as from coffee, so I thought I’ll do that. I’ll do a one day offer to get the word out and then the business would no doubt boom. Unfortunately, as you can see it worked a little too well.”

  “Why would you do that to Jax?” I asked. “Are you that selfish?”

  A frown line appeared between Tristan’s eyebrows. “What are you talking about, you fool? I’m making this business amazing in order to impress her, so that she can see my worth as the Pixie Leader and what I can provide. If we were to marry, my business is given to her as a gift. That is our way. Therefore, it needs to be the best it can be. Honestly, maybe you should think before you spout your uneducated mouth off. That’s what happens when you grow up too fast.”

  My dad and Darius stepped forward ready to throttle him, but I held up my hand, which I was pleased to report showed blue webs hovering at my fingertips.

  “Oh shit.” Tristan said.

  The webs spun out of my fingertips, but as it was my first time, I had a kind of premature ejaculation. I’d have sympathy for men forever more. The web spat out in an almighty heap covering Tristan from neck to toe. Only his head remained free.

  “Oh my god, girl. What have you done? I’m stuck.”

  “Good. Now listen. Jax had no business today. The coffee shop was empty. Because of you.” I let that sink in. “When she found out, she closed down the shop and started smashing up cups and saucers. She’s threatening to never open again.”

  “But that wasn’t my intention. Oh no.”

  “Over to you, boys.” I said to my dad and Darius.

  “If you don’t sort this out tonight and get that coffee shop back open for its usual time in the morning, then we will assemble every irate partner and husband of the regulars and we will all come for you because no one wants a caffeine and doughnut free wife in their life—no one. It would be torture, and if I have to suffer torture then so will you.” My father said, letting his eyes turn red.

  Darius flashed his eyes and let his claws appear. “We’re here to escort you to the coffee shop to make your apologies and beg Jax’s forgiveness. If you explain the situation and vow never to sell a doughnut again, then hopefully it will be the end of the matter. If not, it will probably be the end of you once I tell my very pregnant, very hormonal wolfy-wife. You’ve met Kim normally, right? Try her approaching the birth of triplet werebabies.”

  Tristan visibly gulped.

  He nodded his head. “I shall meet you at the coffee shop. Let me get changed and grab something I’ll need. I’ll be but a moment. My car can be at the coffee shop for…” He looked at his watch. “Seven-fifteen.”

  Despite knocking over and over and shouting Jax’s name, plus phoning her, we were still outside her closed door ten minutes after we arrived.

  “Now what?” I asked my dad.

  “Pass me those chocolates.” He snatched the box from Tristan who stood there with just flowers left in his hand. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

  Indeed, a minute later he was back minus the chocolates.

  “Do not tell your mother I did the chocolates at the window thing for another woman.” He dumped his spy kit in the bin. “You don’t need a decoder for women, just chocolate.” He explained.

  The door opened and a pale-faced, puffy-eyed Jax stood there.

  “What do you want?” She spat at Tristan. “Do you want my business premises next? Is that why you’re here? Come to take measurements for curtains? Well you can get stuffed, you nasty, weaselly, slimy snake in the grass. Go away!” She went to close the door again, but Darius put a foot in the way.

  “You know we wouldn’t be here with him if he wasn’t actually able to explain himself. I believe that he had good intentions at heart, although it was delivered in the usual Tristan ‘act first, think later’ manner.”

  Tristan stepped forward and held out the flowers. She took them from him and he smiled. Then she smacked them up and down his head and body. “Think you can win me over with flowers? There’s a florist down the road, I can buy my own. See that?” She pointed back at her shop. “That’s my business. Mine. I’m a female entrepreneur, founding member of Female Entrepreneurs do it with their Colleagues. I’m a sister doing it for myself, an independent woman. Don’t think you can take me on a date and then try to steal my business because I will just close down and let everyone come at you. You’ll be mincemeat when my coffee is unavailable to all in Withernsea, and I will never, ever, tell anyone my blend. Write your will, Tristan bitch, you’re not long for this world.”

  Whoa. So Jax knew exactly what she was doing by closing the shop. It looked like everyone underestimated our Jax. She was actually one of the badassiest of us all. In fact, given she was completely human, she was a heroine to all.

  Tristan swallowed. I noticed he trembled a little. “The reason I did what I did was so that in the event we got married, which given Ebony’s prediction and our successful date, I thought could be a distinct possibility for the future.” He took a breath. “Well it was so I could give you a successful thriving business as a wedding gift.”

  “But I already have one.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t gift you that. I have to provide something. It is our way.”

  “Well then it’s time your ways changed. Maybe the gift you can give me would be to allow me to join the management team at Pixie central to get these antiquated ways changed?”

  Tristan dropped to his knees. “I would do anything for you.”

  We waited with baited breath to see what Jax’s response would be. She sighed. “You get one more chance, Tristan. One. Don’t sell anything that rivals my coffee shop ever again. I’ll see you at the weekend.” She looked at me. “And I’ll see you tomorrow. Business as usual.”

  Tristan stood up, “Oh thank you, thank you, Jax. You won’t regret it.”

  She slammed the door in his face.

  A moment later my phone pinged in my pocket.

  Jax: Sorry about that but I needed to leave an impression. Thanks for helping! Coffee on the house tomorrow. I’m putting my prices up too to teach the Withernsea residents a lesson. That’ll show them!

  “Thanks for your help, Darius.” I told him. “Come on, Dad. Let’s get home and see what Mum’s up to with Frankie, Polly, and Drake.”

  “You left your wife having a foursome? Well, I didn’t see that coming. Are you not enough for her? I guess I can’t expect everyone to have my Pixie prowess.”

  Dad thumped him straight in the face and then stood over him while he writhed on the floor clutching his jaw. “Tristan, you are a very rude individual and we’ve all had enough of it. If you can be nice to Jax, you can be courteous to everyone else.”

  “It’s all right for you. You’re not five feet tall. I’ve had to have an attitude or people don’t see me.”

  “We all see you, Tristan. We see an asshole. Jax isn’t tall, but she is mighty, and has a heart of gold to boot. I su
ggest you model yourself on your new girlfriend from now on because there’s a queue of people ready to punch you in the face, and it would be a shame as you aren’t an ugly man.”

  We left him on the pavement outside the shop, bade farewell to Darius and whizzed home.

  Polly

  The four of us sat in the living room. I was beginning to lose hope.

  “Even if we get through to Drake’s mother, and then a miracle occurs, and she gets Brishon to change his mind, it’s Thursday, and on Saturday my mum and dad are outing supernaturals. I can’t help feeling that this is just impossible. We’re running out of time.”

  “We’ve got until Saturday evening. You don’t give up until all hope is gone.” My sister told me, looking at me just as she did when I whined about something when we were younger. “Up until then we do everything we can, Polly. You do everything you can.”

  “That’s just it though, isn’t it?” I tantrummed. “I can’t actually do anything. I’m hopeless.”

  “Well, if that’s what you’re going to tell yourself and tell us; that basically you can’t do anything to help. Sounds just like the Polly I grew up with. You could have rebelled more, you know. You could have spoken up about how they repressed you and treated me. But no, you just did the whole passive ‘poor Polly’ routine. Grow up and get off your backside, lady. I wasn’t a supernatural when I lived at home and I still didn’t put up with Mark and Debbie’s nonsense. If you want a future with Drake, then have a think of how you’re going to fight for it. Or don’t, and we’ll pack in right now and go back to living the lives we were before.”

  The room went deathly silent and Frankie looked around the room like he was looking for his nearest escape route. I realised then that my sister was right. Her truth was uncomfortable to hear but yes, what exactly was I doing about the situation? When I’d found out my healing couldn’t do anything, I’d gone back to relying on other people to provide the answers.

  “You’re right.” I said. “Sorry, Shelley.”

  “What did you just say? I am?”

  “Though I hate to admit it, yeah. I never involved myself in how they were treating you at home. I just sat feeling sorry for myself that they were suffocating me. I could have been a sister to you, and rallied against them, but I was passive. That’s me. Well, it’s time I changed, so let’s see if we can contact Drake’s mum and then I’m going to visit my parents.”

  “Alrighty then.” Frankie clapped his hands together. “Drake. Let’s do this.”

  Drake was asked to close his eyes and think of the waves of the sea lapping at the shore.

  “Now go deeper under the water, Drake. Deeper and further. I’ll count back from ten as you go so deep you touch the bottom of the sea. When you get to one, your feet are firmly planted on the bottom.”

  “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. Your feet are now firmly on the sea bed. Now, as you listen, pick up the sounds around you. Focus in and ask the sirens to sing their melody.” Frankie waited a moment. “Can you describe what’s happening?”

  “A group of sirens have come to see me. Ones I know. They are sitting at my feet and waiting. I don’t know what they are waiting for. They aren’t singing.”

  “This is perfect, Drake. Shelley is now going to say the spell. Can you repeat after her?”

  “I call upon the water

  I call upon our allies

  Please sing a message of request

  To the siren named Hali

  The mother of Drake

  The lover of Brishon

  We need her help

  In an important mission

  For the love of the sea

  And the love of a son

  Please sing to the siren

  As one.”

  Drake repeated the words and then a smile appeared on his face. “They are singing. It’s so very beautiful. Just a melody, a chant, with no words.” His hand went to his chest. “I feel it in my heart.”

  Then the smile dropped from his face and his hand dropped to his side. “They are gone. The sirens just left.”

  “That’s fine, Drake. Our message has been sent. I’m going to count back from one to ten and bring you back to the room.”

  “One: your feet leave the sandy floor, two: rising up in the water…”

  He counted back to ten. “You are back in the room, Drake. Open your eyes.”

  “Now what?” Drake asked, his expression one of longing. Clearly, he wanted contact with his mother. I wondered what it must be like to have never met her. Mine was a pain in the arse, but at least I had been raised with love—albeit dysfunctionally—and food and warmth.

  “Now, we wait. There is no guarantee she will answer, Drake. If she does, it may be in your dreams. Or she may make her way to the farmhouse. Either way, you need to give it time.”

  “Why don’t you go rest in our room?” I suggested. “I’m going to get changed to go and see my parents.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Shelley asked.

  I shook my head. “No. I need to get off my passive arse and do something myself.”

  She smirked. “Sorry about my outburst.”

  “I’m not. You were right. Sisters can say it like it is, right?”

  “Well, just call me if they get out of hand and I’ll whizz over there.”

  “Thank you. And thank you to you also, Frankie, for your help. I can’t tell you how appreciated it is.”

  “You’re welcome. Right, I’d better get back home, though Lucy probably won’t even notice. She’s started binge-watching X-Factor.”

  “It is a great show.” I told him.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Not when you have super-strong hearing it’s not.” He pulled a face. “The opening rounds. God! Anyway, good luck everyone. You know where I am if needed. Probably in my bedroom, with noise-cancelling headphones.”

  With that he whizzed off.

  I decided not to ring my parents in advance warning. It was my home still supposedly after all, so instead I took a cab and let myself in with my keys.

  They both came rushing to the hallway. “Polly, my darling. You’re back! You came to your senses. Welcome home, honey.” My dad said, throwing his arms around me.

  My mum stood in the doorway smiling a genuine smile at me, but she was more reserved. Waiting.

  “I’m not back, Dad. I’ve just come to talk to you both.”

  My dad’s face moved into a grimace and his body went still and taut. “You’re not still considering dating a supernatural?”

  “Mark, let Polly get through the doorway, for goodness’ sake. I’ll put the kettle on.” My mum walked away.

  The noise of the television rumbled in the background and the smell of a plugged-in air freshener permeated the air. Well I presumed it was that; it could well be some flower and herb mix to ward off something or other.

  I took a seat on the sofa of my family living room. I’d only been gone a few days and yet I now felt like a stranger. Mum pressed a cup of tea in my hand and sat beside me while Dad took his usual armchair.

  “Thanks, Mum. I’ve missed your cuppas. You will have to come to Jax’s with me sometime though because I have never drunk coffee like it. It’s amazing.”

  “Your mother will not be frequenting that place.”

  “Why? Jax is human.”

  “And hangs around with supernatural beings. I’m sure before long she’ll be coerced in some way. Become one of them.”

  “Dad, I’m trying hard, but I don’t understand why you think all supernaturals are evil. That’s like saying all humans are good, and we know that’s not true. Our prisons are overcrowded.”

  “Me and your mother just like a quiet and simple life, Polly. When you start adding demons and wizards to the mix, quiet and simple isn’t going to happen, is it?”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “Look, I’m going to get straight to the point. I want you to know that I love you both deeply, but I understand that afte
r I leave here tonight I may not be welcome back.” I took a deep inhale. “You’re living a boring life. A frightened and restrained life. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you’re not living at all. You go barely anywhere, and you think my ideal home is somewhere near where you can keep a close eye on me.”

  “We have done nothing but the best for you.” A scowl burrowed itself firmly into my father’s face.

  “I agree that in your minds you have done nothing but the best for me. If it’s possible you have actually loved me too much. I’m twenty-four. I have the whole world to explore, and even more fascinating, the sea. Who gets to travel beneath the sea? Divers covered in equipment yes, but I got to visit it without the need for anything and it was beautiful. You and mum should travel the world while you are still fit and able. You are so petrified of what terrible things could happen to you that nothing in your life is happening at all.”

  “That’s enough now, Polly.” My mum said. The first words she’d uttered since she’d passed me the drink.

  “You don’t wish me to come to harm. That’s why all the protection spells were put up and that’s why you have kept me home. Yet, on Saturday you are threatening to reveal the supernatural population. This will cause a war and may cause me injury as I have dated a supernatural; am dating a supernatural. I want you to think on that. It’s why I’m here. Maybe you can’t accept me dating Drake. If that’s the case then disown me and keep yourselves what you believe is ‘safe’, but please don’t out them because once you pop that cork it’s not fitting back in the bottle. Then the evil underbelly of them, the ones who wished to remain hidden, well, I have no doubt that yours would be the first door they’d call on.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  My head snapped to my dad’s face, my eyes wide. “Dad. Do you think so little of me? I wouldn’t do that to you. I love you. But on this occasion, I’m not doing what you ask. I love Drake and I’m fighting for us. I’m not on the supernatural side or the human side because we belong in both. All I want is to live my life. I have no idea at this point if me and Drake will last. But I do know that we love each other, and that we want to be together, without our parents’ interference.”