“That is, unless you’d like a personal tour of my home?” Luke asked.
“The point was to see it without you there,” Jenn replied. “It wouldn’t really make sense to see it with you.” Besides, she had a pretty good idea he would end that tour would in his bed.
“You really don’t like me, do you?” Luke asked.
“You undermined me the first time we met and yelled at me for something I don’t have. Then you stalked me, tried to kill me-“
“It was automatic. I didn’t turn that on.”
“-stripped me down without my permission-“
“Saving your life,” Luke interjected.
“-taunted me, interrupted me, and now you’re asking if I like you?”
“I did also save your life and open your eyes to the world of magic,” Luke pointed out.
“Which I don’t have,” Jenn asserted.
“You seem to get along with it well enough.”
“Whatever. The point is that, no, I don’t like you. You’re a con man and I don’t appreciate it when you try to con me.”
“I should have recognized someone else in the trade,” Luke replied with a smile and a small bow.
Jenn bit off a curse and pulled on her backpack. “Just get me out of this place,” she growled.
“Of course,” Luke said, offering his hand.
Rolling her eyes, Julie grabbed his hand and let him wrap his other arm around her waist. They shot up the shaft and soon their feet were gently landing on the ground. Jenn stepped away from Luke and he let her go. He waved his fingers and Jenn’s rope shot out of the shaft, untied from her anchor point, and coiled itself neatly at her feet.
“I would ask that you don’t use this way to visit me again,” Luke requested. “There are other traps and it’s a mercy you didn’t set any of them off.”
Jenn didn’t reply. She just bent down and picked up her rope.
“Jenn, all of the traps in there are meant to kill intruders. Please tell me you won’t come back in that way unless I’m with you.”
“Why are you traps set to kill people?” Jenn demanded. “Why would you do that?”
“I have made some powerful enemies and, while my precautions might not kill them, they will certainly slow them down.”
Jenn looked at him. “More magic users?” she asked.
“In a way,” Luke replied evasively.
Jenn shook her head. “Fine. I won’t come back this way to break into your house. Why do you care if I die so much anyway?”
“Because, whether you believe it or not, there is a strong power in you and I’d like to see you master it.”
Jenn raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you trying to compliment me with that somehow?”
“I’m merely stating the truth.”
“Whatever,” Jenn snapped. “I’m going home.” She turned around and started walking back toward her car.
“Very well. Good night.”
Jenn flipped him off over her shoulder and didn’t bother to turn around and see his reaction. She made it back to her car and focused on driving back home. It was late, so there was no one else on the road. She slipped into the house without seeing her parents and focused on getting into her room and closing the door. Then she sat on her bed and grabbed a pillow.
Now that she wasn’t in immediate danger any more, or dealing with Luke, Jenn let herself go into shock. Her whole body shook and she began to cry, pushing her face into the pillow to muffle the sounds. She sat like that for awhile, shoulders heaving and holding the pillow so tightly it hurt her arms. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Jenn felt herself begin to relax and to breathe more slowly. She wanted a hot bath to relax in, but Jenn didn’t want to be in any more water right now. She settled for sliding under the covers in her bed and leaning against her headboard.
Jenn grabbed her phone to do something mindless, anything, so she could think about something else before she went to sleep. Briefly, Jenn wondered what Julie would say if she heard about Jenn’s night. “She’d probably ask me how I ended up naked in some man’s bedroom,” Jenn thought. She started laughing at the absurdity of it and did her best to muffle her laughter, but she couldn’t stop. She laughed until she cried again and Jenn pulled the tissue box closer until she was done. Then, Jenn grabbed her tablet, plugged in her headphones, and put on one of her favorite shows. She watched it until she finally fell asleep.
**
Jenn woke up with a start and immediately regretted it. If she thought she was sore yesterday, today was even worse. Jenn groaned and slowly sat up. She was still in yesterday’s clothes. Jenn levered herself out of bed and noticed there was an earring on her pillow. The other one wasn’t in her ear, or in her hair. It was probably lost in Luke’s cave somewhere. Jenn shook her head and looked in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her makeup was smeared across her face and her hair looked like a bird’s nest. Jenn cleaned off her makeup first and noticed a small bruise beginning on her jaw. “Great,” she thought. She’d have to think up an excuse for that.
Then Jenn sat down and began slowly combing her hair. She couldn’t remember it ever being this tangled before. Eventually, she was done and Jenn carefully combed through her hair one more time to make sure she had gotten all the tangles out. Then she stood up and stretched, wincing. This was going to be a long day.
Inevitably, her mind went back to the previous night. She started to wonder about Luke’s junk room. She wondered if the pile of rings was actually gold rings. “Can’t be,” Jenn thought. “If he had that much money, why would he live in a cave?” She had to be missing something here. “And why does he have a battle axe?” Jenn wondered. Luke didn’t look like the sort who would choose to solve his problems with violence. Unless he wasn’t able to talk his way out of it. Briefly, Jenn wondered how good Luke was at fighting. He didn’t look strong enough to use that axe well, but he had surprised her before.
Annoyed that she was still thinking about him, Jenn stood up and went to get herself some breakfast. As she ate, she looked at her phone and realized she had missed a call. It was from Julie. Curious, Jenn listened to the voicemail.
“Hey, Jenn. This is Julie. I need to talk to you about something. My shift ends at 3:20. Can you meet me for some coffee? Text me back. I can’t talk on my phone except on a break. Bye.”
“Interesting,” Jenn thought. She wondered what Julie wanted to talk to her about. Her treacherous mind wondered if it was something about Luke. “I’ll meet you at Royal Latte at 3:30,” Jenn texted Julie. They had met there for coffee before and Jenn knew it was right next to Julie’s diner. Jenn finished her breakfast and put her dishes in the dishwasher. She had some time before she needed to get ready, so she decided to do a little yoga. Her mom had dragged her to a few classes so Jenn remembered some of the basic poses. She just wanted her muscles to hurt less. Strangely, her left arm wasn’t sore at all. That had been the arm Luke had touched when he dried her with magic. Jenn snapped this thought off before it could go farther and instead she leaned further into the pose.
“I wonder how my voice sounds,” Jenn said. Her throat felt a little scratchy, but nowhere near what it had felt the night before. That was a relief at least. Jenn dressed carefully and put on her makeup to hide the bruise on her chin. At least it looked small and not too bad. It would be hard to explain a purple blotch on her face. Eventually, it was time to go, so Jenn grabbed her purse and headed out.
Jenn had a tradition at Royal Latte of giving bogus names to the cashier for her drink. Today, she used Indefatigable. The barista gave her a strange look but didn’t ask. Jenn wondered if she was getting a rep with them. As Jenn waited for her drink, she looked around for Julie’s long, black hair, but didn’t see it. “I guess she’s not here yet,” Jenn thought. Julie was probably working past the end of her shift.
“Indi-fat-igbull,” a barista said uncertainly.
“That’s me,” Jenn said, walking up to get her drink. She grabbed a small table in the back
and sat down to wait for Julie. She didn’t have to wait too long. Julie walked in, saw Jenn, and headed straight over. “Hey,” Jenn greeted her.
“You shouldn’t mess with the baristas,” Julie said. “They almost spit in your drink.”
“What?” Jenn asked, looking at her drink. “How do you know?”
“I can read minds,” Julie told her.
Jenn laughed. “That’s a good one. I haven’t used that trick in years.”
“I’m serious,” Julie replied, stone-faced. “At first, I thought it was kind of a hangover or something, but it’s still happening today.” She paused for a moment. “Yes, I know you like to think about pink rhinos or something stupid when you ask someone to read your mind. Don’t bother to ask me.”
“This is going to be a one-sided conversation if you respond to what I’m thinking before I can speak,” Jenn said. This was crazy. She hadn’t thought Julie would be one for pranks, but maybe there was something to what she was saying.
“Of course there’s something to it,” Julie replied. She sighed and looked at the couple sitting near them. “He’s about to break up with her.”
“Really?” Jenn asked, looking at them.
Julie nodded. “It’s stupid because she’ll definitely move across the country for him, but he can’t bring himself to ask because he thinks she’ll say no. So, he’s planning on breaking up with her instead.”
“Wow. You should be a couple’s counselor,” Jenn replied. “I guess she really can read minds,” Jenn thought. She had seen magic in action once, after all. Who was to say it couldn’t happen again? Still, this was pretty strange.
“You’ve seen magic before?” Julie asked, her attention fully on Jenn. “When?”
Jenn sighed. “It was from that asshole stalker, Luke.” She thought about the first time she’d gone into his cave and tried not to think about the previous night at all.
“Wow. That’s crazy,” Julie replied. A look came across her face. “What aren’t you thinking about here?”
“If I wanted you to know, I’d think about it,” Jenn said, still trying to block it out, but having trouble doing that while she was talking.
“Oh my God,” Julie said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Jenn said, realizing she wasn’t going to be able to stop her friend. “I’m just a little sore.”
“Well, I knew that part. You’ve been thinking about being sore this whole time, but I didn’t know you almost died! And Luke saved you.”
“And was an ass,” Jenn added.
Julie nodded. “He seems to do both to you. I wonder why that is.”
“I’m sure he’s desperately in love with me, but too crazy to be able to show it in a normal way,” Jenn answered sarcastically.
Julie looked thoughtful.
“That wasn’t meant to be realistic,” Jenn snapped. “Of course he’s not in love with me. The man is old enough to be my father and he doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like that you’re poking around in his stuff,” Julie said. “That’s very different.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry, but I’ve got to say something.” She got up and went to the table with the couple. “Hi,” she said. “Don’t break up with her. Tell her about your job and ask her to move in with you. You’re totally ready for that.”
Jenn got up to save Julie from herself. “Sorry,” Jenn said. “She’s a couple’s counselor and she can’t stand to see people give up.” Jenn dragged Julie away. Jenn was a little annoyed to leave her drink behind, but maybe it was for the best.
“Sorry,” Julie said.
“It’s fine,” Jenn replied, knowing Julie was thinking about the drink too. They stood outside the café to talk. “Is it better out here?” Jenn asked.
Julie nodded. “It’s easier when people are further away. So, I know you hate Luke, but do you think he could help me? I’m pretty desperate.”
“I’m not sure,” Jenn replied, thinking, “but I bet Abe could. He’s a teacher of all sorts of things.”
Julie gasped, probably at Jenn’s mental picture. “He’s a merman! Abgal, sorry. What’s an abgal?”
Jenn shrugged. “Abe, I guess.”
“How circular of you,” Julie replied dryly. “So, can we go today?”
“Sure, but we’ll have to wait until tonight,” Jenn told her. “We’ll go in through a bar.”
“Through a door that only leads to a cave when Luke opens it. Jenn, what have you gotten mixed up in?”
“I’m trying not to be,” Jenn snapped, “but you had to drag me back into it.”
Julie’s face fell for a moment and then she looked a little happy. “You really don’t want to see him again, but you’ll take me anyway?”
“Well,” Jenn replied. She couldn’t think of anything to say to that, but she couldn’t leave Julie like this.
“Thank you,” Julie told her sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” Jenn replied. “So, uh, I’ll pick you up around 8? I think the bar is open by then.”
“Sounds good,” Julie said. “I think I’ll go for a run until then or something. Somewhere I can get away from all of the voices.”
Jenn nodded slowly. “My life has definitely gotten weird this summer,” she said.
“Mine too,” Julie replied. “See you tonight.”
Jenn nodded. She walked away and got in her car. She looked over and saw Julie walking to the diner’s parking lot. Just to mess with Julie, Jenn thought, “Wow. She’s got a great butt.”
Julie stopped and Jenn could imagine her face getting red. Julie turned around, with a blush like Jenn expected, and shook her head at Jenn. Then Julie turned away and continued walking to her car. Laughing, Jenn turned on her car and headed home. If she used it right, it was a lot easier to mess with Julie now that she was a mind-reader.
Jenn spent the next few hours pretending that she wasn’t going back to see Luke that night. She really didn’t want to see him again, and damn the part of her that remembered how his hands had made her feel warm and relaxed. Of course, soon after she remembered this, Jenn remembered how she had been fighting not to go into shock when she was with him. She couldn’t trust him when she was feeling vulnerable. She had to remember that.
Even Leah commented on how grumpy Jenn was during dinner. “Is everything okay?” Leah asked.
Jenn bit off her first answer. “It’s all right,” she said. “I’m kind of in a fight with someone and I’m going to see him tonight.”
“Why?” Mark asked.
Jenn shrugged. “He’s helping another friend with something and I have to be there. It’s just dumb drama.”
“Well, honey, if you’re not comfortable, then you don’t have to go,” Leah told her, sounding worried.
“No, it’s fine,” Jenn said. “I just don’t want to talk to him is all.”
“If he gives you any trouble, you know what to do, right?” Leah asked.
“Yes, Mom.” Jenn had listened to her mother’s advice about self-defense with mixed emotions. Leah had demonstrated a few moves for her as well. Jenn didn’t think she would need them, but she had paid attention to humor her mother.
“So why are you going?” Mark asked.
“I just need to be there,” Jenn said. “It’s kind of complicated and I don’t want to get into all of it, but it’ll be fine. All right?”
“All right,” Leah said, when Mark opened his mouth to ask another question. Mark closed his mouth and ate another forkful instead. “Do you know when you’re coming home tonight?”
Jenn knew the question within that question. She wanted to know when they should start worrying about her if she wasn’t home. “Not really,” she said truthfully. “I’ll text you if anything comes up, okay?”
“All right,” Leah replied, not really convinced, but willing to let it drop. Jenn was glad that she had finally trained her mother to drop things.
Jenn helped put away the leftovers and went in her room to stew for a bit. She wished there w
as anyone else she could take Julie to, but anyone else would think Julie was hearing voices and try to medicate her. Somehow, Jenn would bet this was all Luke’s fault, but she couldn’t say how. Jenn pulled out the knife made from Achi’s feather and looked at the blade for a moment. “I suppose I believe in magic,” she thought. She sheathed the blade and put it in her purse. Then she waved goodbye to her parents and headed out to get Julie.
When Jenn pulled up at Julie’s house, Julie was already halfway to the car. She got in and put on her seatbelt. “I could hear you coming,” Julie said, “and yes, it is getting worse.”
“Should I turn up the radio?” Jenn asked.
“No,” Julie said. “That would make it worse.”
“Oh,” Jenn replied. “I’ll get us there as fast as I can.”
“Thank you,” Julie replied.
“You’ve got to stop saying that to me,” Jenn said, looking at the road.
“Why? Because no one else does?” Julie waited for a moment. “Why would you think no one else would trust you with something like this? There’s got to be someone else who trusts you.”
“How about you stay out of my mind?” Jenn asked, her hands gripping the wheel.
“Sorry,” Julie said. She looked out the window and didn’t say a word the rest of the trip.
Jenn was pretty sure that Julie was still reading her mind but just wasn’t saying anything about it. Of course, thinking that meant Julie knew, but Jenn decided not to say anything about it anyway. This was getting to be more annoying than Jenn had hoped for.
Soon enough, they parked and headed down to the bar.
“Yes, I’ve got my fake,” Julie said quietly to Jenn.
Jenn sighed and nodded. They came up to the bouncer. He nodded Jenn through without checking her. He stopped Julie and looked at her ID for a moment. Then he nodded and let her go through.
Jenn guided them to a table near the bar because it was brightly lit.
A Tale of Two Tricksters Page 8