Unstoppable Liv Beaufont Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  Liv nodded, cutting him off. “That magic is one complicated beast.”

  Chapter Four

  Staring at the red coils of the toaster, Liv waited to see what Beth Dallas was talking about. The IT expert had brought the toaster back to the shop after it had been repaired, saying it was doing something bizarre.

  Her Dalmatian, Jersey Girl, was currently running her snout along the bottom shelf, trying to find Plato.

  “Jers, give it a rest,” Liv said, turning around to scold the dog.

  The dog gave her a scornful expression as she backed away.

  Liv was only looking out for Jersey Girl. The last time she didn’t let up on Plato, her spots all mysteriously disappeared, freaking out both the dog and Beth. Liv had made up a lie that it was common for Dalmatians to lose their spots. Thankfully they had come back, and Beth wasn’t asking any more questions.

  The toaster popped. “See there?” Beth exclaimed.

  Liv turned to find two pieces of toast bouncing in the toaster, perfectly crisp on both sides. “So, it works? That’s not strange.”

  “I didn’t put any bread in there,” Beth explained, pulling the warm toast out and showing it to Liv.

  “Maybe you forgot…” Liv tried, her face growing warm. She’d repaired Beth’s toaster herself, and Beth was on a list of clients who had toasters that worked without bread or microwaves that always had fresh popcorn when their owner opened the door to heat up tea. Damage control was getting more difficult, the more things she repaired.

  “No, just watch. It does it every time.” Beth pushed down the lever on the toaster, but Liv knew what was going to happen next.

  “This isn’t weird,” Liv said, lacing her words with the magical influence she’d learned to use when dealing with the other customers.

  Beth looked up. Her face brightened. “Yeah, you know, you’re right. This is totally normal.”

  The technique didn’t always work, and Rory had said it was most helpful on mortals. The giant had actually been surprised that Liv had the power of “influence.”

  “Still, let me do some tweaking on it to ensure it’s working properly,” Liv said, pulling up the lever and watching as two almost-cooked pieces of bread popped up. “Maybe you can come back tomorrow sometime?”

  Beth nodded, slapping her leg to get Jersey Girl’s attention. “Yes, that sounds good.” The two left, both looking slightly dazed.

  “What did you do to the dog?” Liv asked, turning around to face the shelf.

  Plato’s black and white head poked out from between a handheld vacuum and a humidifier. “I did the same thing you did to Beth.”

  “What did you influence Jersey Dog to think?”

  “That she’s a cat.”

  Liv rolled her eyes, but she laughed as she turned back to the toaster. “I’ve got to figure out how to stop doing this stuff to devices. Either that or I’m going back to repairing stuff the old-fashioned way.”

  “I think it will have to be a combination of both.”

  Liv nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Find out what’s wrong with the device first, then tailor the magic to fix that specific thing.” Liv thought for a moment before directing her attention back to Plato, who was squeezing out from between the appliances. “Hey, why is it that I can’t cook food with magic but I can make toasters that produce endless amounts of bread? And I have to know how to do something to use magic to do it, but I can make these devices do all this strange and awesome stuff?”

  Plato jumped up on the workbench. “Magic is unpredictable when you mix it with technology. Remember what Rory told you to do before you could control your power?”

  “Stay away from tech,” Liv answered.

  “That’s right, because technology has its own brand of magic which, when mixed with yours, has assorted effects.”

  Liv laughed. “Technology is science, not magic.”

  Plato sniffed at the toast. “Science and magic are the same thing. It’s just that one is understood and the other isn’t.”

  “You seem to understand magic, at least a little more than you let on at times,” Liv observed.

  Plato pretended he hadn’t heard the statement. “What are you going to tell John if he finds out about these appliances?”

  Liv pulled the toaster closer to take a better look at it. “Well, I’m not using that brainwashing technique or whatever it is on him.”

  “I think he’s growing suspicious of you, though.”

  Liv let out an exasperated sigh. “I know he is, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “Have you thought about telling him the truth?” Plato offered.

  “Only a hundred times,” Liv said as she pulled the bottom off the toaster. “My mother, when she was younger, had a friend who lived next door to her. They grew up together, and although my mother grew up in a family of magicians, they hid it, as the House encourages. Well, one day she decided she was going to tell her best friend the truth. Tell her that she was a magician and she could do weird and wonderful things.”

  “I don’t have to hear how the story ended, because it’s been written a hundred times in history books,” Plato said, his voice suddenly morose.

  Liv sighed, pushing the toaster away, defeated. “Yes, magicians have been persecuted from the beginning. Or their powers are dismissed as alien activity or some other phenomenon.”

  “You know that’s for the best,” Plato told her simply.

  “I don’t, actually.” Liv gazed around the store, her second home, feeling a sense of loss. “How is it that we operate separately from the mortals, hiding who we truly are? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “And yet, that’s how it’s been for quite some time.”

  “Has it always been that way?” Liv asked.

  Plato gave her an offended look. “How am I supposed to know?”

  “Because you’ve been around since the dawning of the ages,” Liv replied with a dry laugh.

  “Is that what that book Rory gave you says?”

  Liv shrugged. “It says that you Lynxes have many lives, and that’s supposedly where the old wives’ tale that cats have nine lives came from.”

  “Don’t believe everything you read, dear Liv.”

  “So it’s not true, then?”

  Plato laid his head down on his paws as the front door opened. Pickles, John’s terrier, ran in first, yelping at the cat. John shook his head, raindrops flicking off his hair as he did.

  “The people in LA act like rain is acid and they can’t venture out in it,” he commented, pulling off his coat.

  “They will melt, you know,” Liv said with a laugh.

  “Yes, their powdered noses and big hair will probably melt if they go outside in the rain.” John’s eye caught the toaster in front of Liv. “I thought you repaired Beth’s toaster?”

  “I did, but apparently I need to take another look at it.”

  John nodded. “Did she ever figure out what happened to Jersey Girl’s spots?” John asked, pulling a treat out of his pocket and offering it to Pickles to get him to settle down.

  Liv went back to work on the toaster, avoiding John’s gaze. “Just a fluke. She’s fine now.” Besides from the fact that she thinks she’s a cat, Liv thought.

  “I noticed that a few things came back after you repaired them,” John said, angling to the shelf where the microwave sat. “Is everything all right?”

  This was her chance—her chance to tell him that she was a magician and she’d been messing up appliance repairs. Well, making the appliances better than they should be. But then her mother’s words rang in her head, “Mortals want to accept us, but for some reason, they usually can’t. It’s a mystery. It’s almost like they have been forbidden from doing so. Our magic doesn’t fit in their world.”

  Liv bit down on her lip. “Everything is fine. I just rushed the repairs on the microwave and toaster, but I’ll fix it. I promise.”

  John looked at her sideways but then nodded, not looking entire
ly convinced. “And that other job of yours? How’s that going?”

  Why did he have to care so much? Liv didn’t like lying to him, but she didn’t see another way. Maybe Rory would have some insights she could borrow. As soon as she thought of the giant, he appeared at the front door, although she didn’t remember seeing him walk past the front glass, and strangely, he wasn’t covered in rain like John. Of course, it wasn’t really strange since she knew how mysterious magic was, but it still gave her chills every time she witnessed it.

  John followed Liv’s line of sight, his face brightening. “Well, hey there, Rory! I didn’t hear you come in! You’re as quiet as a mouse.”

  “Yes, but built like a rhino,” Liv teased. “How do you pull off such stealth?”

  Rory gave a nervous chuckle. “It must have been the rain.”

  “Yes, but you must have moved fast enough to miss most of the sprinkles, huh?” Liv questioned.

  John looked Rory over. “Yeah, you don’t have a drop on you.”

  “That mouse-like behavior must let you sprint around raindrops,” Liv said.

  John looked back at Liv, a perplexed expression on his face. “It is quite strange.”

  Rory shot her an annoyed look.

  “Oh, I bet you jumped between the awnings, didn’t you?” Liv supplied.

  The giant nodded. “Indeed I did.”

  So, Rory was keen to keep his magic a secret, too. There was more for her to learn on this subject.

  John clapped his hands together, making Pickles bark. “Well, my boy, what did you bring me today? I still can’t believe all the treasure you gave me yesterday. They look mighty fine on the shelf.” He held up his hand, proudly indicating the row of devices Rory had dropped off yesterday, saying it was junk he had found in the yard.

  He shook his head of curly brown hair. “I don’t have anything yet, but I’m working on some stuff.” His face turned an interesting shade of pink. “Actually, I’m here to ask for services.”

  John beamed. “Oh, well, that’s what we do. Repair the stuff we don’t want you to throw out and fill the landfills with. Where’s your device?”

  Rory slipped his hands into his pockets. “It’s too big for me to bring in. My mum’s refrigerator has gone out in the house.”

  “Oh, I love a good house call,” John exclaimed, his eyes dancing with eagerness. “And refrigerators are my favorite.”

  “Actually, I was hoping that Liv could help with this one,” Rory said, his eyes on the ground.

  Pickles, who had been scratching furiously, stopped and looked up at the giant at the same time as his master. “Liv?”

  “Well, it’s just that…” Rory trailed away, his voice and face guilty.

  “That I’ve been begging to test my experience repairing refrigerators and this would be the perfect chance,” Liv offered.

  “You have?” John asked, scratching his head.

  “Yes,” Liv said at once. “I told Rory that the other day. Thanks for remembering, pal.”

  The guilt melted off the giant’s face. “Yeah, I remembered.”

  “Oh, well, you haven’t had much chance to work on refrigerators, and it’s a mighty useful skill,” John stated. “Yes, it’s a good idea for you to go. You’re small, so it will probably be easier for you to work on those old-model refrigerators. But I want you to call me if you run into any issues. It can be a complicated repair.” John stopped and thought for a moment. “We could both go, actually—”

  “No,” Rory cut in.

  When John turned to look at him, the giant forced a wide smile. “I mean, I’d hate to take you both away from the shop for this repair. I already feel bad enough asking for a house call.”

  John waved him off. “I owe you tons for all the valuable merchandise you’ve put on my shelves. I wished you’d let me pay you for it.”

  “Yeah, Rory, why do you refuse to allow anyone to pay you for the stuff?” Liv asked, starting to catch onto the giant’s act and enjoying making him squirm.

  “I just happen across those appliances and stuff while browsing,” Rory explained. “It’s not anything I need, but I don’t want it going to waste. It’s a win-win for us all.”

  Liv smiled behind John’s back. She knew the giant was up to something with all his deeds, but she couldn’t figure out what. Was he actually like the good fairy of the giant world? She wasn’t sure, but she was going to find out.

  “All right, let me grab my coat and toolbox and I’ll follow you over to your place,” Liv said as Plato stretched to a standing position, waking from his nap. “And maybe you can show me how to jump from awning to awning so that I don’t get wet either.”

  Chapter Five

  “Are you real proud of yourself?” Rory asked as he tried to squeeze into the back of the SUV.

  Liv had asked him why they didn’t just teleport or use whatever “weird-giant-travel” he had at his disposal, but he’d shook her off, muttering about how it wasn’t a good idea to risk it.

  She watched with amusement as he tried to find a place to put his long legs. After about a minute of this shuffling, Liv jumped into the backseat of the SUV beside him and stretched out, her short legs having plenty of space to kick around.

  He eyed her with brooding contempt. “I’ll remember this the next time you can’t reach something off a low shelf.”

  “Ha-ha.” Liv giggled. “And yes, making you squirm in front of John gave my life new meaning, so thanks for that.”

  “You need a hobby, I think.”

  Liv yawned. “I need a nap, is what I need.”

  Rory gave her a considering look as the driver pulled the vehicle onto the road and immediately into bumper to bumper traffic.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Grandma.” Liv waved off his concern. “I’m getting plenty of sleep and eating my vegetables.”

  “It would serve you better if you were eating carbs,” Rory advised. “They keep you fuller longer.”

  “Then I’ll pick up nachos after this,” Liv said, already salivating. “And hey, where are we going, by the way? I’m guessing you don’t have a refrigerator you need repaired.”

  Rory shook his head and pulled a few bills from his pocket and handed them to Liv. “No, but pretend that you did and give this to John for the repairs. I’ll report back to him later that you did an adequate job.”

  Liv slid the money into her bag. “How about we change that adjective to ‘superb job’”

  Rory shook his head. “I want him to believe the lie.”

  Liv scowled at the giant. “By the way, you lie to him about…well, you know.” She cut her eyes at the driver.

  “Don’t worry,” Rory stated. “I put a sound spell on the vehicle. He thinks we’re riding in complete silence.”

  “Damn, that was fast. So he can’t hear me if I scream or start singing at the top of my lungs?”

  Rory nodded. “And he won’t know if I throw you out of the vehicle. Well, not until it’s too late.”

  “Okay, so then tell me, why don’t you tell mortals about your magic? Like John, for instance?”

  Rory thought for a moment, his green eyes scrutinizing the road ahead. “It’s not safe for them to know.”

  “I don’t understand,” Liv said when he’d been quiet for a long moment.

  “I don’t understand it myself, but it has never worked for mortals to know about magic,” Rory explained. “They either rebel against it or dive so far into the idea that they harm themselves. Mostly, their first instincts are to dismiss the idea as false.”

  “That’s understandable, actually,” Liv stated. “I don’t know if I’d believe it either, in their position.”

  “Yes, but magic is real,” Rory said. “But even when confronted with proof, mortals usually deny it, and this causes bigger problems.”

  “How so?”

  Rory’s face turned dark. “I don’t know. It’s just always been dangerous for mortals to know about magic. It seems to make them insane and alienates them from so
ciety.”

  “Like the crazy old woman who swears she sees things and no one believes her?” Liv asked.

  “Yes, something like that.”

  “Well, then I’m glad I haven’t told John.”

  Rory watched the traffic on the road as if watching for something. Without looking at Liv, he said, “John might be able to take the news. I don’t know. But you shouldn’t tell him anything unless it becomes absolutely necessary. It’s just not worth the risk.”

  “I think that was what my instincts told me,” Liv agreed with a nod.

  “Always listen to your instincts. They’re never wrong.”

  “So, since I’m not fixing your refrigerator, where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  Liv raised an eyebrow at the giant. “Wow, you’re an awful tour guide. This is the last excursion I’m going on with you.”

  “Why don’t you take a nap until we get there?” Rory suggested, and there was something in his tone that Liv couldn’t resist. She found her eyelids immediately falling shut.

  What seemed like only a few seconds later, Rory was shaking her back awake.

  “Hey, wake up. We’re here,” Rory said as the vehicle slowed.

  Liv startled and sat up. “Wait, what? I fell asleep? How did that happen?”

  Rory pointed at her mouth. “I have no idea, but you’re drooling all over the place.”

  Liv shot him a skeptical look as she dragged her sleeve across her mouth. “I think you do have an idea, and it’s all related to your weird-giant-magic ways.”

  “Come on,” Rory said, opening the SUV’s back door. “I have something I want to show you.”

  Liv popped out of the other door, peering around at the busy street they were parked on. When she came around the vehicle, Rory was still struggling to get out of the back seat.

  “I thought you said you wanted to show me something?” Liv asked, suppressing a laugh. “Was it this contortionist stunt? Because it’s not as entertaining as you think.”

  Rory’s legs were stuck behind the driver’s side. He leaned to the side, nearly falling over in the seat and wiggled his way out, pulling his legs out first and then his torso.