by Jen Pretty
two for mirth
Black Crow Chronicles
Book two
Jen Pretty
to a great mind, nothing is little.
—sherlock holmes
CHAPTER ONE
"See ya tomorrow night, Selena," Stacy, the new waitress, said as she breezed past the kitchen and out through the diner.
"See ya," I called from my place hunkered down cleaning out the grease trap on the fryer. The bell above the door rang as she left. Usually, I would get up and lock the door behind her, but the fryer was almost clean, and I would head home soon too, so I left it.
The bell rang again a minute later, and I was about to ask Stacy if she forgot something, but the magic fire in my stomach lurched and tried to ooze out to go find the dead thing that had just walked in through the door.
I went still, holding my magic tight so it wouldn't ooze out. Frantically, I glanced around. I was trapped in the kitchen unless I could get to the hall and out the back door to the alley. My heart raced as footsteps slowly tread over the hard laminate floor in the dining area.
I could have kicked myself for not turning the lock, but there was no time for that. Visions of monstrous beasts or walking zombies filled my mind as my heart raced. I had spent the last few weeks reading through too many books that the crazy vampire librarian, Francis, had sent me from Canada. It was probably a plain old vampire, but I still didn't want to mess with anything that was skulking through the closed diner this late at night.
I tipped forward on to my hands and knees and crawled ahead slowly, aiming for the hall. I had to take a chance and go for it.
Even if it was a more mundane vampire, they longed for my blood. I knew that and wanted to keep all my blood inside my body, thank you very much.
The footsteps grew closer, but I convinced myself I would make it. I crawled just a bit faster, my breath puffing in and out as I tried so hard to be quiet.
I was just rounding the doorway that would give me a straight shot at getting out the back door when a voice spoke from right beside me.
"What are you doing, Selena?"
I looked up into stumbling brown eyes, framed by shaggy dyed green hair. Anick. I hadn't seen him in the weeks since I had returned to my old life. We had travelled to Texas, but the killer there had been human and since then, nothing paranormal had occurred, so Niri told us to take a break. A break for me was returning to my old life. I wasn't sure where Nick had been.
"Um. Nothing," I said, trying to slow my heart and rise gracefully.
He smirked at me, leaning casually against the door frame in a way that made me feel even more foolish.
A loud caw broke the air, making me jump and glare daggers at my stupid Crow who popped into existence on the countertop behind me. "Jerk."
Anick chuckled, his voice echoing through the empty diner. "You know that you could probably take on any creature who walked through that door, right? You are the black crow, Selena."
"Okay, shut up. I've been having some nightmares and I'm extra spooked."
Nick's face went serious. "You've been having nightmares?"
"It's nothing. I have just been reading too many of Francis' books. They are full of scary, spooky stuff."
Nick didn't look convinced, but let it go, thankfully. "Are you done here?"
I glanced back at the pail of grease. "Almost, I just have to go dump that. Wait for me?"
He nodded with a crooked grin and I grabbed the bucket, turning to the back hallway. I stepped out into the pitch-black alley, hurrying the extra step required before the motion light would sense me and flip on. A burst of adrenaline almost let my magic slip out into the night, but I held it in long enough to scan the alley and see I was alone and there were no boogie men hiding int he corners.
I dumped the grease and hurried back inside, the bright light of the open doorway like a beacon.
As I pulled the door shut, Nick's voice reached my ears, low and in hurried tones, but as I rounded the corner into the kitchen, he wasn't on his phone as I had expected. "Were you just talking to Crow?" I asked.
He looked startled but covered it quickly. "I was just telling him not to drink the dishwater." He pointed to the full sink.
He was acting weird, but I let it go. I wanted to get home and spend some time with him. I slid the grease pail into the cupboard and grabbed my jacket. The seasons were changing, and I never knew if it would be warm or freezing cold when I left the diner.
We stepped out the front door of the diner and I locked up before we head up the deserted street. It was nearly midnight on a weeknight, so most normal people were home in bed.
I watched Nick out of the corner of my eye as Crow circled above us silently. Nick looked like he wanted to say something but was holding it back. Whatever it was, I probably didn't want to know, so let him keep whatever it was. I took his hand in mine, having missed him for the last few weeks. I had been keeping myself so busy, I hardly had time to spend with anyone, but he had been on my mind.
Angelica's old friends had called me once to see if I wanted to go out with them, but it felt weird, so I declined. I still held guilt over her death and couldn't bring myself to hang out with her friend group.
Luckily my boss had been struggling to find a new cook, so when I said I would work as much as he needed me, he jumped at the opportunity.
At my apartment, we climbed the stairs, silence held until the apartment door closed, then finally, Nick spoke.
"Niri sent word. They need us back at Sanctuary."
"Is Colvin okay?"
"Yes, he's fine, but there is something Niri wants to talk to us about. He said it was urgent."
My face scrunched in displeasure. I didn't like the school but put up with it to visit Colvin. But what I really didn't want was to have to go take down some evil monster who was eating people or something.
Nick flopped down on my futon and I realized how messy my apartment had gotten in the last few weeks. It wasn't much cleaner now than when a monster who killed my best friend had destroyed it. I grabbed some of my laundry and shoved it in the hamper by the door.
"You don't have to clean, Selena."
I stood up, an armful of garbage spilling to the floor. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I do have to clean."
Nick smirked. "Okay, but not right now. Come sit down."
I grabbed a few more things and stuffed them in the overflowing garbage can and then sat down next to Nick.
He turned to face me. "We don't have to go if it's too much. I can tell Niri no."
I thought of Georgia. How much pain her family had been going through and how much I missed her. I couldn't do that to someone else. I couldn't allow monsters to rip apart families. Not when I could do something about it.
Crow appeared, mid-flight, and crossed my apartment to land in his favourite cupboard. I left it open for him now and stocked it with crackers for him to nibble on when he was hungry. He drank out of a glass I kept in the sink for him, but sometimes, like now, he would peck at the tap. I knew he would keep at it until he drove me crazy, so I rose and turned the tap on a drip for him so he could enjoy freshwater, then returned to my place beside Nick.
"Don't laugh or I'll send him to live with you," I said, pointing a finger at Nick who was obviously trying to hold back his laughter and failing miserably.
"I'm sorry," he said, trying to rein in his laughter. "It's just, he's like a flying cat."
I sighed. "Yeah, pretty much, except I can't shut him out of the bathroom when I take a shower. Wet birds smell funny."
Nick was in hysterics. I didn't think it was that funny, but Crow cawed a couple of times as if he thought i
t was funny, too.
When Nick finally settled down and wiped the tears from his eyes, I turned to face him. "I want to go. See what Niri wants anyway. If it's another monster, then we can take care of it. I need to accept this is my life. I'm sure it will get easier."
Nick put his arm around my shoulder. "You will be fine. Crow will be there, and I will too."
"What about Falcor?"
Nick sighed and nodded. "He will be there, too. I know you still don't trust him, but he isn't a bad guy."
I settled into Nick's side. His heat soothed the worry that was gnawing at my stomach. "Besides, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to see Colvin."
"I know. I saw him last week and he couldn't stop talking about you."
That made me smile. I had started calling Colvin my brother, despite the fact he was found on the other side of the world. We were both necromancers, and both abandoned by our parents. Plus, his brown eyes and white hair were a match for mine. Not to mention the fact he had been telling everyone I was his sister. It was nice to have a family.
Speaking of family. "Still nothing from Dorothy?" I asked. She had disappeared while I was away and still hadn't turned up. I had worried that the monster had gotten her, but there were no washed-up bodies matching her description. Plus, her wallet and car were missing from her house. The police said she wasn't a missing person once she was an adult and there was no sign of foul play, but Nick promised to look into it.
"Nothing, so far. But don't give up hope. She is probably vacationing in Florida and swimming with the dolphins."
I smiled, but I knew in my heart that it wasn't true. Something was coming. Something much worse than the things I had already seen.
"When do we leave for the Sanctuary? I'd rather wait till morning if we don't have to go tonight."
"We can go in the morning. Do you want me to go?"
I thought about it for a minute. I didn't really want him to go, but at the same time, I didn't want to be presumptuous. "If you don't have anywhere else you have to be, I'd like it if you stayed."
"I have nowhere I would rather be," he said with a grin. "How about I pop some popcorn and we can watch a movie."
"That sounds great. I'm just going to have a quick shower. Maybe you can distract Crow with the popcorn so I can shower in peace."
"Sure," Nick said with a chuckle. He rose and took control of my kitchen while I gathered some clean pyjamas and a towel. Whatever terrible crap was coming down the pipe for me, at least I would have one more peaceful night before it dumped all over me.
CHAPTER TWO
I woke to the loud cawing of my stupid crow and a banging at the door.
"I got it," Nick said, rolling off my futon and tripping across the room to the door. My eyes were bleary, so I closed them again, hoping whoever it was would just go away. The sun was barely up, and we had stayed up way too late eating popcorn.
I remembered I was leaving that morning and reminded myself to call my boss. I had told him I had a sick relative and might have to leave at a moment's notice, but he was just so happy I was back, he would have agreed to anything. Now that I would actually call in, he wouldn't be pleased.
"I'm here. Let's go," Falcor said from the doorway, his voice snide as usual.
I pulled the blankets up over my head. It was definitely too early to deal with Falcor. He was as big a jerk as my Crow. Except he could use words, unlike Crow who was now screaming his fool head off.
I picked up a pillow and tossed it in the direction in Crow's direction, but it hardly made it two feet from me, so it did no good in quieting the noisy bird.
"What is wrong with your pet?" Falcor asked.
"He doesn't like you," I muttered low enough the wizard couldn't hear me. Of course, the vampire heard and chuckled.
Falcor scoffed. "Look, people are waiting, can we go already?"
"I need a shower first," I called from under my blankets.
"And we haven't had breakfast or fed Crow yet," Nick continued.
Falcor's sigh was epic, poor hard done by magic man. "Fine, I'll go for a walk or whatever. But get moving I want to be out of this city as soon as possible."
The door clicked shut, and I sighed in relief, tossing back the blanket to look at Nick.
Crow quit his noise but flew across the room and landed on the arm of the futon, peering down at me like he would like to eat my eyeballs out of my head. His beady eyes were creepy when he made eye contact.
"God, fine." I rolled off the futon and crossed to the cupboard, grabbing a tin of cat food. It was his favourite breakfast and one he often demanded though I wasn't sure how good it was for him. I peeled back the lid and set the tin on the counter where he pecked away at it. Some sprayed out on the counter, like usual, but I was ready with a cloth.
Nick watched in horror for a few moments before declaring he would jump in the shower. Watching a crow eat wet cat food really was a bit stomach-turning. When Crow was done, he ruffled his feathers and shook before smoothing them out and flapping across to the futon to sit and groom himself. His beak meticulously slid down his feathers as he smoothed them out making sure he was glossy and beautiful. I grabbed a bowl of Mini-Wheats and sat at the table eating them quickly. I was sure Falcor would be back before I was ready.
Nick came out of the bathroom in a puff of steam, dressed and with his shaggy green hair slicked back. He looked delicious, but I mentally pinched myself and finished my cereal. "I like your hair, by the way. The green suits you."
Nick grinned, sitting down beside Crow. "Thanks. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I kind of like it too."
"I better pack. Do you need to run home and pack too?" I dropped my bowl in the sink and opened the closet, rifling through until I found my rolling suitcase.
"Nah, I already packed and had Falcor take my stuff to the Sanctuary yesterday."
"Help yourself to some cereal," I said, grabbing some clean clothes and shoving them in the suitcase.
"I'm fine, thanks."
My hostess skills were terrible. I should have had eggs and bacon or pancakes or something. Then I remembered that Nick didn't eat food and gave my head a shake.
Once my boots were in my suitcase along with my toothbrush and shampoo, I zipped it shut and dragged it to the door. It was heavy, but that's why it came with wheels -- so I could pack more things.
"All right, so back to Sanctuary and then on some Adventure looking for monsters, right?"
Nick’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me in tight to his side. "Yeah, probably. You sure you have everything you need?"
Crow cawed and bobbed his head. "You won't fit in my suitcase," I told him. He jumped off the futon and flapped up to my new bookcase. He hovered for a second before plucking the old book he had found in the vampire librarian's basement in Canada off the shelf and letting it drop to the floor.
I rose and grabbed the book. "I don't like that he thinks I need this," I said as I shoved it into the last of the space in the suitcase without giving it a second glance. The book was handy, but also full of evil creatures who used magic and killed people. If Crow was all about the book again, it meant that I was in for a shit ton of trouble.
A loud bang at the door startled me, making me jump. I peeked out the peephole and found a very impatient Falcor standing there.
"Open the door, I can see the shadow of your feet under the door," he said, rolling his eyes.
I opened the door and let him in despite my good sense. "I was just checking," I said, grabbing my suitcase.
"Whatever, Let's go," Falcor said, grabbing my arm.
Nick picked up my suitcase, holding it to his chest before Falcor grabbed him too and my apartment started to twist and turn sideways. The last thing I saw as Falcor spirited me away, was the picture Colvin had drawn of me and him standing on a hill with the sun and the moon hanging above our heads. It was hung on my fridge and a reminder that much stranger times were probably on the horizon.
Before I had time to
pray, this wouldn't be the weirdest of times, I was standing in the cafeteria of the Sanctuary, surrounded by a hundred or so loud kids eating breakfast. The smell of bacon and toast hung in the air as the kids all froze and stared at us.
"Selena!" One voice I would know anywhere screamed out. I turned to see Colvin knock over his chair in his haste, abandoning his breakfast and racing through the cafeteria towards me. His magic lashed out ahead of him, connecting with mine, sending a warm feeling through my stomach. A huge grin stretched Colvin's little face, and I felt tears prick my eyes at the joy on his face. I had missed him the last few weeks, beyond reason. I barely knew him, but he had already become a giant part of my life.
Bending down, I scooped him into my arms as he reached me. He was bigger than I had last seen him, or maybe it was my imagination. It just felt good to be near him.
"How's it going, buddy?" I asked, hugging him tight.
His little arms wrapped around my neck and clung to me like a baby orangutan.
"Awesome. I went to the graveyard three times and learned about sharks in class then we went on a field trip and--"
"Whoa, slow down, Colvin," Nick said. "You'll hyperventilate."
Nick's hand slid through Colvin's white hair, ruffling it affectionately.
Colvin took a deep breath and I set his feet on the ground. His magic was still all over the place though mine was sticking close to me as I had it pulled in tight to keep it from disappearing into the magic drain of the school.
"Colvin, you had better keep track of your magic, or you won't have any left," the deep, soft voice of Niri rang through the room. He wasn't there, but Niri always seemed to know what was happening in the school, like he had magic surveillance cameras.
Colvin pulled his magic, dragging the sparkling mass back to disappear into his shoes. He continued the barrage of news and updates about his classes and field trips and his friends. I laughed and listened to him until the bell rang, sending all the kids off to class. All but Colvin who stayed beside me, apparently hoping to skip class.