by Helen Harper
Whoa. Wait a goddarned minute. ‘No.’ I shook my head vehemently. ‘She’s not going anywhere with you.’
He smirked as if I were nothing more a mere trivial amusement and what I said was not to be taken seriously. ‘She might transform again at any point. It’s vital she comes with me and my team so we can keep her safe.’
Safe? There was nothing about him that suggested safety. ‘She’s my housemate. Unless she says that she wants to go with you, she’s staying here where she belongs.’
His expression was implacable. ‘She’ll be safer with us than with you.’
‘Hello? Have you got your head buried in your ego? Have you seen what’s going on outside? The army has issued a declaration. No one is supposed to leave their homes unless otherwise directed or in an absolute emergency.’ As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they were pointless. Monroe wasn’t the type of man – or creature – who cared what a few soldiers might command. His arched eyebrow proved it.
‘You don’t think that transforming into a bunyip is an absolute emergency?’ he enquired. ‘What constitutes an emergency in your book? Is it when you run out of hair dye?’
I like to think of myself as someone who errs on the side of calm; what makes me such a good gambler is separating logic from emotion. But I was getting close to seriously losing it with this idiot. Monroe was too closely wrapped up with his magic shenanigans for Lizzy to be remotely safe with him. And if he insulted me once more, I was liable to swing for him.
All of a sudden another voice broke in. ‘Hey! I found the toilet!’ Madrona sang out from the stairs. ‘I had a lovely long pee,’ she told us, as if oblivious to the heightened tension in the air. ‘Now I feel much better. How is Lizzy doing?’
Welcome the distraction, Charley, I told myself. I turned away from Monroe and glanced at her. She looked incredibly pleased with herself. ‘See for yourself,’ I said.
Madrona hopped down the last few steps and looked into the living room. The relief on her face when she saw Lizzy made me relax a little. As annoying as Monroe was, I couldn’t shake the sensation that these were actually the good guys. But what had the green-eyed woman found upstairs that had made her so happy?
‘Are you okay?’ she called out to Lizzy.
My normally chatty housemate was incapable of saying much. ‘Mmm.’
‘Lizzy,’ Monroe said, ‘why don’t you get some clothes and come with me? I’ll keep you safe.’
‘I hate to put a spanner in the works,’ Madrona interjected, ‘but we do have an apocalypse to avert.’
The question – and protest – on my lips died. ‘So this really is the end of the world? From what I heard, it is local to Manchester.’
‘It’s not the end of the world,’ Monroe snapped.
‘But it could be if we don’t get a move on,’ Madrona said. ‘Lizzy needs to make a decision. If she’s okay here, I think she should stay.’
Finally someone was speaking some sense. I turned to Madrona, hoping to get more answers but before I could say anything the doorbell rang, echoing through the house and making us all jump.
I straightened my shoulders, irritated by the interruption, whirled round and stalked to the door. This had better be good. The end of the world was apparently nigh, after all.
Chapter Seven
Two police officers were standing on the doorstep – Anna Jones and her partner, the slightly less impressive DI Mulroney. They weren’t the only people; across the street, I spotted several others hovering around and watching us. My eyes narrowed. Whoever they were, they weren’t police. Given the arrogant air which clung to each and every one of them, I assumed they were with Monroe. Did they all turn furry when the mood took them?
Anna’s smile disappeared as she clocked Madrona behind me. ‘Well, well, well. Ms Hatter. Trouble seems to follow you around, doesn’t it?’
My stomach tightened. Had I made an error in allowing Madrona access to my house? I watched the policewoman’s expression carefully. She was wary but not particularly concerned.
‘Actually,’ Madrona answered calmly, ‘I follow trouble, not the other way around. Charley here was in a spot of bother, so my friend and I came to help her out. Because you guys were off having a doughnut or whatever.’
DI Mulroney rumbled irritably, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I explained,’ Madrona said. ‘Weren’t you listening?’
Determined to regain control of what was happening inside my own damned house, I interrupted. ‘Thank you for coming.’ I did my best to sound pleasant; it wasn’t their fault that they’d arrived so late or that this weird couple were already here. ‘I think things are under control now.’
‘See?’ Madrona burbled. ‘I did that.’
‘Actually,’ Monroe muttered, ‘it was all me.’
I rolled my eyes. Talk about ego.
Fortunately I wasn’t the only one who found him irritating. ‘I don’t care who brought things under control,’ Mulroney said. ‘I want to know what happened and whether it’s likely to happen again. We’re fighting fires across the city and we came here as a favour to you, Charley. If you don’t need us, there are other places we can be.’
Rather than admonish her partner for his less than polite manner, Anna looked rather flushed. Her attention was fixed wholly on Monroe – and it didn’t take a genius to work out why.
‘Yeah,’ I said, calculating the odds that my opportunity to glean the truth about what was happening was slipping through my fingers. ‘He’s good looking but don’t waste your time. He’s an absolute bastard.’
I felt Monroe seethe beside me. ‘After what I did for you, you should be more grateful.’
‘You mean fall at your feet in worship?’ I enquired.
He shrugged. ‘It’s a start.’
Madrona pushed past me, stepping outside to join Anna and Mulroney. She closed the door behind her.
I turned to Monroe and gave him a slap.
He leapt backwards. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
I shrugged. ‘You said that if you were rude again, I had full permission to slap you around. I counted at least three separate incidents. That’s another two slaps I owe you.’
A myriad of expressions flitted across his face, most of them involving intense irritation and anger. He eventually settled on mild amusement. ‘I did say that,’ he conceded. ‘But I didn’t expect you to act on it. After what I’ve done for your friend, I’d expect a little more gratitude.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘You’d prefer it if I grovelled?’
‘I would, in fact. Be my guest,’ he growled.
I clasped my hands to my heart. ‘Oh, thank you,’ I breathed, widening my eyes. ‘You’re such a hero! You’re so big and strong and masterful and without you us little ladies would be lost.’
Monroe’s eyes narrowed. I was getting to him. Good. ‘You should by now have realised that I’m not the sort of person to be trifled with. Unfortunately, however, you seem to be suffering under the delusion that you’re someone special.’ He folded his arms across his broad chest. ‘Dyeing your hair a stupid colour doesn’t make you special. It makes you … stupid. Your friend there is the special one. Keeping her here isn’t going to do either her or you any favours. What will you do when she shifts again?’
I tensed. Damn it. The vexing man was making sense. ‘Is that likely to happen?’
‘I don’t know.’ Irritatingly, he still seemed to be telling the truth. ‘We’re all in uncharted territory here.’
He gave me the opening I needed. ‘Then tell me, big boy,’ I said. ‘Stop messing around and tell me exactly what’s happening. You say it’s the apocalypse and that it’s related to magic. Explain it properly if you’re so powerful and all-knowing.’
I knew from the flash in his eyes that I’d finally achieved the right taunt to get him to tell me the truth. He took a step forward and leaned down towards me. ‘Magic exists,’ he said, his voice barely audible. ‘It’s always existe
d, whether humans like you have blithely ignored it for generations or not. Except now there’s too much of it. It’s leaked into the atmosphere and the pressure is growing. If we don’t find a way to release it safely, this whole city is going to blow.’
I licked my lips. ‘That doesn’t sound … good.’
‘It’s not. This world is not designed for this much magic. You lot prefer smart phones and television screens and trains that run on time.’ His disgust was almost palpable.
‘My lot? You live in this world too. So does your boss.’
He glared. ‘Madrona is not my boss. We are merely working together for the time being.’
I drew myself up. ‘So work harder. People are dying because of this magic crap.’
‘We are doing our best,’ he said through gritted teeth.
‘So you say. What does it have to do with me anyway?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You came here for a reason and it wasn’t to help Lizzy. You said you were retrieving something. What do I have that you want?’
He chuckled softly. ‘Believe me, darling. Now that I’ve spoken to you a bit more, there’s nothing you have that I want.’
I glared. ‘As if I’d give you anything anyway,’ I sneered in response. ‘But you are the ones who came to me. I called the police. Not you.’
‘Madrona gave you an object,’ he said. ‘A little metallic sphere. It’s both very magical and very dangerous. She passed it to you so it would be safe temporarily. Now we need it back so we can make it permanently safe. If we don’t, it’s possible that this city will fall. Perhaps even the whole world.’
‘She didn’t give me anything,’ I began. Then I realised: when I’d bumped into her in the toilets at the police station, she’d stumbled and fallen against me. She must have dropped something into my cleaner’s apron. I felt like slapping myself. How could that have passed me by? I was an idiot.
‘Wait,’ I said slowly. ‘Is that why the rats didn’t come near me? And why the fire rain didn’t touch the house? Because of this magical piece of crap she planted on me?’ I scowled. I’d been really off my game not to have noticed what she’d done. I should have been angry at being used so obviously, but I’d benefited from it. Unless…
My gaze flicked back to the open living room and to Lizzy, still huddled in misery inside. ‘Did that sphere thing cause Lizzy to turn into a furry monster?’
‘Bunyip.’
I waved a dismissive hand. ‘Whatever.’ I stared at him. ‘I’m right, aren’t I? What happened to Lizzy is your fault.’
‘It is not my fault,’ he said icily.
‘But you think it was this sphere that caused the damage. Not this other magic in the atmosphere. You did that.’
‘No. Madrona did that.’
‘You’re with Madrona.’
His eyes flashed. ‘Not then, I wasn’t. I wouldn’t have left a powerful object with such a—’ He bit off whatever word he was about to say.
‘Such a what?’ I demanded.
Monroe’s nostrils flared and he dipped his head lower – then the front door opened again. Before he could say anything else, Madrona reached in, grabbed his arm and yanked him out while shoving Anna and Mulroney inside. ‘It’s been lovely knowing you both!’ she called. ‘Help Charley and Lizzy, stay inside till the army gets here and all will be fine.’ Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the door shut again.
The three of us gazed at each other. Mulroney muttered something under his breath and turned for the door as if to open it again. Anna stopped him. ‘Don’t.’
‘Something,’ he snapped, ‘is about to go down out there.’
‘Yeah,’ she answered quietly. ‘And I’m beginning to think that it’s something we should keep out of.’
‘Our job is to keep the peace!’ He lunged for the door again and again Anna stopped him.
‘I agree,’ she said. ‘But I don’t think we’ll be protecting anyone if we go out there. I think they’ll be worrying about protecting us. Madrona’s wrapped up in all this somehow. She told us she was a faery, remember?’
Mulroney gave her a scornful look. ‘And you believe her? Because if you do, you’re even crazier than she is.’
‘Have you seen what’s been going on out there?’ She ticked off her fingers. ‘Rats, fire, trees growing impossible amounts in front of our eyes, the sky going crazy, not to mention the—’
‘Magic,’ I finished.
Mulroney stared. ‘You’re both nuts.’
I glanced at Anna. ‘She said she was a faery?’
The policewoman nodded.
‘Monroe said that he was a…’ A what? A transformer? ‘A shapeshifter,’ I said. ‘And apparently so is Lizzy, my housemate.’ I shook my head. The evidence was all there, unbelievable as it might seem. ‘All this stuff really is to do with magic.’ I thought about what Madrona had said about averting the apocalypse and shivered. ‘Open the door. We have to help.’
Mulroney grinned in triumph, pushed past Anna and threw open the door. ‘What on earth is going on out here?’ he bellowed.
In the street, Monroe whipped his head round and snarled, his features transforming in a manner eerily similar to the way Lizzy’s had. The policeman sprang back, colliding with me. Suddenly two massive wolves bounded up and stopped us from venturing out any further. From behind Mulroney’s shaking body, I stared. Then I rubbed my eyes and stared again.
It took several moments for my brain to compute what was going on. At this end of the street stood Madrona, what had once been Monroe, a few other people – and a large group of giant wolves.
This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible – except it fit with everything that Monroe had told me. When I heard someone in the street yell out a demand for their sphere to be returned, I knew I was right. Unfortunately, it was about all I did know.
Me, the police, anyone who wasn’t some kind of bizarre supernatural creature – we were all on the back foot. None of us possessed the knowledge or understanding to help. As wolves and men and women snarled and bellowed at each other with physical violence obviously only moments away, it wouldn’t be a gamble to go outside. It would be suicide.
I backed up, pulling Mulroney with me. ‘Anna is right,’ I said, somewhat belatedly. She tutted. I looked at them. ‘At least until we really know what’s going on.’ I whirled round and barrelled into the next room, hauling back the curtains to get a better view.
‘Wild fucking animals,’ Mulroney said, as he and Anna came up behind me to watch.
Anna grabbed her walkie-talkie. ‘This is four-niner Charlie. We need back up straight away at—’ She didn’t manage to finish her sentence. The walkie-talkie crackled and let out an ominous buzzing sound. Anna frowned and gazed down at. ‘It’s dead.’
She glanced at the radio that Mulroney was carrying. He pressed a button on the side. Nothing happened.
I tilted my head. The television, which had been on continuously since all this started, was silent. I walked slowly to the nearest light switch and flicked it on. Again, nothing happened.
I pretended not to notice the flare of panic in both the police officers’ eyes. Find something else to focus on, Charley, I told myself. That wasn’t hard, given what was going on outside. I breathed through my nose. Let’s stay calm. We had to stay calm.
I forced my racing thoughts to slow down and returned my attention to the action outside. ‘They’re not wild animals,’ I said, looking from one wolf to another. In fact, I knew exactly what they were without needing to be told. There was something in the way each wolf held itself that explained everything. ‘They’re the shapeshifters.’ I pointed to the largest one at the front, whose fur was a deep, dark red tipped with white. ‘That’s Monroe. He was a man and now he’s … that.’ I swallowed. ‘A werewolf.’
I pinched myself in case this was a dream, but I knew it wasn’t.
‘Monroe is the sexy…’ Anna cleared her throat. ‘The man who was here with Madrona
?’
I nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘So,’ she asked, ‘who are the others?’
Facing off against Madrona and the wolves was a group of tall, menacing-looking people. Something about their features tugged at me. I blinked and peered closer. ‘They’ve all got green eyes,’ I breathed. ‘Like Madrona. They’re all…’
‘Faeries,’ Anna finished.
‘The two of you are fucking nuts,’ Mulroney said. ‘Faeries? Shapeshifters? Magic? I’ll admit the events of the past couple of days are unprecedented but there’s going to a perfectly logical explanation.’
‘I said the same to begin with,’ I told him. ‘But the evidence is there.’ I dug into the recesses of my brain, remembering research I’d done before betting on a Miss Universe contest a few years back. I’d lost the bet but the information I’d uncovered in the process might be useful now.
‘Only two percent of the world’s population has green eyes. The majority of those people out there have eyes so green that you could make jewellery out of them. Besides,’ I added, ‘you saw Monroe change, just like I did.’
‘I saw nothing,’ Mulroney declared. ‘There’s nothing to see, apart from a pack of wild dogs facing off against some poor people,’ he said, a heartbeat before a jet of green light shot towards the wolves and all hell broke loose. Mulroney jumped backwards and squeaked. Frankly, I didn’t blame him. Chaos had exploded outside and was reigning without mercy.
You’d think that after watching a few war films you’d understand what it’s like to be in battle, or at least to see a battle. This was nothing like I’d imagined. This was real life, as bizarre as it seemed.
There were so many things going on that it was impossible to focus. Even with my thick walls and double-glazed windows, the sound was horrific. There were bloodcurdling screams and piercing cries of both pain and anger. Wolves clashed with the strange green plumes as they threw themselves at the men and women who were wielding them. One woman’s arm was almost ripped off in front of the window, a spray of red arterial blood splattering across the glass.