theshyzombieswritings

I walk out from behind the counter and had just started clearing dishes from others passing through when I hear heavy footsteps on the stairs that lead to the lodging area, "Altum Somnum, what have I told you about stomping down the stairs?" I turn and look at the person standing on the stairs, he's about 16, and looks like he just woke up, judging from the way he's rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, Limi." Altum replies sheepishly.

"It's okay," I sigh and head back to the counter. "Come sit down and eat breakfast."

Altum nods and sits down on a stool at the counter a couple seats away from Mr. Impetum, "Good morning, Mr. Impetum. Good to see you again." He greets Mr. Impetum, as I set his favorite in front of him: 2 blueberry waffles, 2 strips of bacon, 2 scrambled eggs, and a glass of milk. "Good morning, Altum. It's a great morning, isn't it?" Mr. Impetum responds.

"It would probably be better if you stopped racing your wife, Mr. Impetum," I interject as I refill his coffee. Mr. Impetum gives a full belly laugh, "You've got a point." I turn back to the serving window, "Altum, where's your sister?"

"I don't know, probably still asleep." Altum responds around a mouthful of food.

"Another bad night?" I frown as I start pulling his sister's food: KIX cereal mixed with Lucky charms and a glass of orange juice. Then I hear a sniffle, and I put on a soft smile. "Good morning, Alti." I greet her as I place her breakfast in front of her. Alti showed up 2 months ago, 4 months after Altum, she's probably only about 10. Her first month here was rough. But, she's gotten better. She's able to sleep through most nights, but some are still rough. She doesn't start eating right away, looking at her lap. "What's wrong?"

"I... I wanna go home." Alti sniffles. I reach over and cup her face with my hand, she doesn't flinch at the cold feeling of my skin anymore. "Alti, I cannot promise you when you will go home, but I promise, you will go home. Okay?" Alti nods, sniffling, "Okay." "Now, please eat. We want to make sure you go home heathy right?" Alti nods and picks up her spoon, starting to eat.

After I am sure she will continue to eat, I resume cleaning up. More new faces come through, some to stay for a bit. Others not so long. A few hours later, while I'm filling Ms. Spina's coffee, there's a boom, and Mr. Impetum stands, "Well, I guess it's my time." He gets up and walks to the door, as a burst of color fills the void outside. As the door shuts, Mr. Impetum disappears in a white whisp of smoke.

"What... what was that?" Ms. Spina asks, she's the most recent to join us.

"That... was Mr. Impetum going home." I reply sitting across from her. "There's only 2 ways out of here... going home, or moving on. Some stay for awhile, some not so long. I get all walks of life and all ages."

"What... what about those 2?" Ms. Spina asks, and points toward Altum and Alti.

"Ah. Yea, Altum has been here about 6 months. Alti about 2 months. Altum is about 16, Alti is about 10. When Alti first showed up, there was some kind of recognition in Altum's eyes, but he claims it was nothing. But he comforts her in a way that seems brotherly. He plays with her as if he'sa big brother."

Ms. Spina hums, and I can see her thinking through what I've told you. "How... How does one know it's their time?" "That is a question that I cannot answer," I reach over and tentatively touch her hand, and Ms. Spina flinches but doesn't move her hand. "When it happens, you'll know." As I stand up, there's the sound of a large bell, like a clock tower. Someone gets up, and heads towards the door. But, it's a thick white fog, and they disappear into it. "Why... was that one different?" Ms. Spina asks hesitantly. "They didn't go home." I reply and go back to clearing dishes. As I walk behind the counter, I stop and give Altum and Alti a kiss on the head.

As the day continues, I continue serving the patrons. Around dusk, Ms. Spina goes home. Soon enough, most patrons have left or gone to bed. "Alright you 2. Bedtime." I say to Altum and Alti, clearing away their dishes from dessert. As the disappear up the stair, I hear the bell over the door chime.

"Welco-" I start to greet the newcomer, but I get cut off by an unintelligible noise the the newcomer makes. It's a girl. She looks to be about 16 or 17. Her makeup is smeared and she's drenched. I grab a towel from under the counter and carefully approach the girl, and gently wrap the towel around her. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" The girl stands there for a minute, processing how to speak here, since it is a bit different than on the material plane. "I... am... not sure." She finally manages to form the words. "Okay," I nod, "How about some hot cocoa to warm yourself up?" She doesn't speak, and just nods her head.

I lead her to a stool at the counter, and once she's sat down, I go behind the counter to get her some hot cocoa. "Milk or marshmallows?" I ask as I pour the cocoa into a mug. "Marshmallows... please." I smile and put some marshmallows in her drink. After that, I let her be, occasionally refilling her mug, cleaning, and attending to other patrons. As I'm filling her 4th mug, she speaks, "Where am I?"

I pour myself a mug of hot cocoa, "Limbo Inn. The place between life and death. It started as a café, then a diner, and now inn; I used to have beings sleeping in booths for awhile, so I figured I needed lodging. You can either go home, or continue from here." I sip my hot cocoa. It's silent for a beat, before she speaks again. "It was rainy. I was on my way home from visiting the hospital. A dog ran onto the road, and I swerved into the small river that runs by that road." She clenches the mug of cocoa, it's about half gone, "The last thing I remember is a figure shining small light in my eyes, with large lights passing behind them."

I take a drink of my cup of hot cocoa, "Well, on the bright side, it sounds like they found you and they are taking care of you. On the downside, you're here, Alta." Alta nods, and we sit there for a fer minutes in silence. I can tell she's trying not to cry. I carefully remove the empty mug from Alta's grasp, "Go to bed, sweetheart. From the sounds of it, you've had a long day. And even more change by ending up here. Go up the stairs, 3rd door on the left is open to you. There should be clothes in the attached bathroom for you to clean up and go to bed, okay?" I reach and lean across the counter, carefully putting one hand on either side of her face. She flinches at the cold touch of my skin, but doesn't move away. I place a kiss on the top of her head, hoping it coveys safety and assurance. Afterwards, Alta gives a small smile, and heads upstairs.

After Alta heads upstairs, I have more people come a go. A few more long term patrons, and my lovely handicapped kitty, Caeca, shows up. A pure black cat missing 1 eye and a docked tail. Although her time has come, she is just like a normal cat, and doesn't follow the rules of life and death.

In the morning, Alta is surprisingly the first one awake. "You're awake early," I say as she sits at the counter. "What's your favorite breakfast?"

"I couldn't sleep. And 2 blueberry waffles, with 2 sausage links, and a glass of orange juice." Alta responds. I get her orange juice first, set that in front of her, while busy myself getting 2 plates of blueberry waffles. As I turn around, there's an unintelligible screech from by the stairs. We look over and Alti is standing there wide-eyed. Alta stands up slowly, let's out her own unintelligible screech, and then Alti is running across the diner and launching herself into Alta's arms. There's a lot of crying, and I smile. I knew Alta looked similar. I set the plates of food on the counter, and as I turn around to get Alti's cereal, there's another screech. This time it's Altum, and before Alta can say something, Altum is pulling the girls into his arms.

"I always wondered why Alti looked familiar, but it's been so long that I forgot what your little sister looked like." Altum is trying to not sob, but you can hear his voice breaking. Right after he says that, there are 3 booms outside, and then the world goes colorful.

"What... what does that mean?" Alta looks at Altum and Alti, then at me.

"It means," I walk out from behind the count and hug the 3 of them, "You get to go home." I give them each a kiss on the head, and a light pinch to Alti's cheek. "Go home. Take care of each other. I hope to see you guys again when the time is right." They nod, happy tears streaming down their cheeks, and they walk out the door. Just before the door closes, Alti turns and waves, "Bye, Limi! Thank you for keeping your promise!"

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"Yes. Is this the Walker household?"

"Yes. How can we help you?"

"We're looking for Kat Walker or Kel Walker."

"Oh, those are my mums! Why don't you come in?"

"Thank you."

I hear the door close a few seconds later, "Would you like some tea?" I hear my daughter ask. "That would be lovely, thank you." I hear the one of the sofas in the sitting room creak sightly, and then the footsteps of my daughter get louder as she comes to make some tea. "Who's here, sweetheart?" I look up from where I am putting the final touches on their cake. "I'm not sure," Kieran fills the kettle with water and places it on a burner on the stove. "They smell... sweet, though." Her face scrunches in confusion, she crosses her arms and leans against the counter behind her. "Sweet, as in like, sweet flowers? Honey? Or bakery sweets?" I place a number '18' birthday candle on the cake. "Baked sweets. Like... sugar cookies." I hesitate for a moment as I am putting a cover over their cake. The tea kettle whistles and Kieran pulls it off the stove and onto the serving tray with some tea cups.

I carefully put the cover over the cake, and turn towards my child. "Ky, go upstairs and call Mom," Kieran's face flickers in mild confusion in my use of their masculine name, "Tell Mom she needs to come home, now." Kieran takes in my tone of voice and body language, and connects the pieces with the name. "Sure, Mum." They hug me then run up the stairs. I can hear him calling my wife as they reach the top of the stairs.

I take a deep breath, try to relax my shoulders, and pick up the tea tray. I walk out into the sitting room, and unconsiously tighten my grip on the tea tray. I should've known this would happen. The two Fae on the couch look up at me, "Kat! It's so good to see you," one of the Fae stands and offers a handshake. I set the tea tray down on the table, then take the Fae's hand, "Simon, a pleasure. My wife is on her way home soon. Shirley, great to see you." I take a seat on the sofa across from them and pour our tea, "Would either of you like sugar in your tea?" I ask as I drop 2 sugar cubes in my own cup, "Yes, please. 4 each," Simon replies. I nod and drop 4 cubes in each of their cups, and then hand them their tea and spoons for stirring.

After they take them, I pick up my own cup and stir the sugar to disolve it. After I have stirred my tea, and taken a sip, the Fae follow suit. I can't blame them for waiting, as I am a witch and the Fae and witches have been at war for a millenium. After a bit of casual tea sipping, I ask the question, "What can I do you for?" Simon and Shirley exchange a glance, before hesitantly starting. "Well, it's about your child." I keep my face as neutral as possible, "I'm afraid I don't understand," I say and innocently as I can. Everyone claims you can't lie to Fae, however, that rule does not apply to one's own home, and very few are aware of it.

As Shirley is about to respond, the front door opens, and there is a clatter of footsteps. I stand and walk to the opening of the hallway as a chorus of "Mum!" is heard. I crouch down and hug each of the 2 children and came in, "Hi sweethearts. Mom and I need you to go play upstairs while we talk with some guests. I need you to listen to your sister, okay?" I glance at my wife as I instruct our children. "Okay!" They reply and run up the stairs. I turn and greet my wife, "Welcome home Kel," I give her a kiss on her cheek, "We have some company." "Of course, Kat."

We walk back into the sitting room. I take my place on the sofa, and my wife sits next to me. I pour her a cup of tea and put 1 sugar in it. After she takes a sip, she looks to the Fae across from us, "Simon. Shirley. It's so great to see you." She fakes a smile, "What brings you to our lovely home?"

"They claim they are here to talk about our child." I glance between our company and my wife.

"Well, which one? We have 3." Kel keeps eye contact with Simon and Shirley. She may not be a witch herself, but her stare makes everyone glad she isn't.

"Your eldest, the... uh... adopted one," Shirley replies hesitantly.

"I don't understand, are they in some kind of trouble?" I ask, still playing innocent.

"Don't play games with us, Witch." Simon explodes, "You know exactly why we are here and we are not leaving until we have the child."

Kel tuts, "Now, now. We do not appreciate this malice in our home." She says very calmly as she locks her gaze on Simon alone, "What would the Magic Council think if we reported a hostile visit of Fae in our home?" Kel sets her teacup down, "The Fae are always the ones that say hospitality and respect are the greatest gifts, do you not?" Simon swallows, trying to lean away from my wife and her intense gaze, "Well... I..."

"I was not finished." Kel interrupts Simon's interruption, "And while I believe we have been very hospitable by inviting you in and sharing a cup of tea, your tone of voice is not very respectful. You wouldn't want to disgrace your entire family by being reported and not being respectful, would you?"

Simon flinches at the question and looks down at his teacup before responding, "I am sorry for showing such disrespect, Mrs. Walker." He sets his teacup down on the table and makes eye contact with my wife, "Please, forgive my tone."

Kel nods, "I accept your apology. As for the concern of our eldest child, I believe that as of midnight last night, that is none of your concern." She turns to address me, "Kat, didn't you do some research about a child of Fae's 18th birthday?"

I smile in a knowing understanding, "As a matter of fact, I did. And I received the paperwork last night." I wave my hand in the air, and then suddenly there is a manila folder in my hand. I open it and take out a piece of paper that had obviously been folded in thirds, before offering it to Simon and Shirley. "As it is highlighted, 'A child of Fae whom does not live in the Fae Realm, has the option of whether or not they would like to stay or return as of the middle of the night of the night before their 18th birthday.' And, according to the birth certificate and adoption papers, today as of 6am, our eldest officially turned 18. Therefore, you have no legal right to remove our child from our home."

I see Simon reading the piece of paper over and over, "I have never heard of this before. It must be a forgery."

I smile, "Go ahead and check the bottom of the page with your magic. You will see it is signed by the Fae representative on the Magic Council, Violet Paragon."

There's a slight breeze that ripples through the air with the scent of sugar cookies. Then, where everyone can see, a name appears at the bottom of the paper, Ms. Paragon's signature. Shirley whistles, "Well, we can't argue with that." She hands the page back to me, and I put it back in the manila folder.

"I know we can't argue with something signed by the Magic Council, but your child is royalty. We need them back in the kingdom." Simon states very quickly, almost sounding desperate.

Kel smiles smugly, "We are well aware." She takes a sip of her tea that she has refilled, "On Ky's 16th birthday, we received a crown and paperwork explaining such things. After much thought, Ky decided to rule the kingdom from here, once they have turned 18." I hand my wife the copy of the letter Kieran sent in return for receiving notice that they are royalty and have a kingdom to run. Kel hands it to Simon who takes it and quickly reads it.

It was fun to watch both Simon's and Shirley's eyes widen, almost like animated characters. They both opened and closed their jaws like they wanted to say something a few times, but didn't know how. Finally, Simon spoke, "Considering all the evidence, and the handwritten letter, I guess our business here is done." He looks at Shirley and hands the letter back to me. As I put the letter in the manila folder, the folder disappears again.

Shirley says, "I am so sorry that we disrupted your evening." She bows her head in apology. Kel looks at me and I nod, "Why don't you stay for the party? It is a birthday after all."

"Are you sure?" Simon asks, "We were slightly rude."

"It's okay. Apparently, not all the info was communicated, and now that you are not trying to take our son away, we would love for you to join us." I answer.

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I catch her as she falls, and pick her up bridal style as if she weighs nothing. "Hey, Carri?" I yell, looking for my personal assistant.

"Yes, m'lady?" Carri appears from the parlor room, the room I use for my clients.

"Will you please reschedule the rest of tonight's clients? Tell them I had a family emergency and must take care of it immediately." I lock the front door and turn off my tattoo LED sign that hangs in the parlor window. It's just a small shop, reference only.

"And what about the deposits?" Carri asks, already pulling out her phone to start calling clients.

"If they ask, see if they will compromise on half. If they don't ask, don't worry about it." I start up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"And what if they don't agree to half and want the full deposit back?" Carri asks, coming into vision at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ask if they still want to be tattooed by me. If they say yes, then it's half a deposit. But their referral is void if they want a full deposit, and I will not tattoo them." I stop at the first landing, "Once you're done with that, please put some tea on."

"Of course, m'lady." Carri bowed slightly and walked away, immediately texting and calling the rest of my clients that I had.

I walk into one of the bedrooms on this floor, and gently lay the heroine on the bed. She's so beautiful, and I truly wonder who would do such a thing to her. I wouldn't say I'm necessarily a villain, though I do come from old money, that my ancestors had gotten it from more nefarious deeds. My family and hers have never gotten along, so I avoid her as much as possible. I walk over to the bathroom and pull out the wash basin that I keep in there, filling it about halfway with hot water and rubbing alcohol mixture. I take the wash basin to the bedroom then return to the hallway and pull out some washcloths out of the hall closet. Before returning to the room, I soak one in cold water, wring it out, and then place it on the heroine's forehead. I pull over a stool and begin to gently wash her wounds.

While I'm doing this, Carri comes in with a teapot and 3 mugs and places them on the warmer on the dresser. "Everyone was very understanding. Out of 5 clients, only 2 asked for half of the deposit back. The others didn't mention it." After pouring me a cup and placing it on the bedside table, she asks, "Is there anything I could help with?"

"Would you go up to my room, and get a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for her? I am going to have to undress her to make sure I've cleaned everything." I look over my shoulder.

"Will they fit her?"

"They might be a little on the bigger side, but otherwise, yes, they should. Will you also bring the ointment and bandages?" "Of course, m'lady." And with that answer, Carri scurries off, and I can hear her lightly running up the stairs. I retrieved another towel, a full-size one this time. As I start to take her ruined clothes off, I clean her wounds as I go and cover her with the towel.

Just moments after I have finished cleaning her wounds, Carri returns with the clothes and bandages. "Here you go, m'lady." She sets the clothes at the end of the bed and hands me the bandages. "Thank you. If you wouldn't mind taking the other side and dressing those wounds, I'll work on this side. Also, I want a small blood sample and tox screen ran. She looked drugged before she collapsed."

"Of course, ma'am." Carri takes half of the bandages and starts patching the heroine's other side. Once we are done, she grabs a small blood sample."Is there anything you need me to do after I get this running in the lab?" She asks holding the small vial. I shake my head, dismissing Carri. "No, you can go rest after getting that started. Thank you, Carri."

"Are you sure, ma'am?"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Carri bows and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. I get up and turn the overhead light off, opting for the bed lamp. I pick up the chaise lounge chair from over by the window to move it by the bed and get comfortable. Throughout the night I check on her, making sure she stays comfortable. At some point I end up holding her hand, constantly pulling some of her pain so she can rest easy.

In the morning, Carri wakes me up with some coffee to relieve me of bedside duty so that I can go shower. While Carri can also help relieve pain, she hasn't been alive for as long as myself, and therefore, can't relieve pain steadily over a longer period, or in her sleep. As I am getting out of the shower and changed into sweats and a tank top, I hear a muffled sound and then Carri yells, "M'lady, the heroine is awake and asking for you." I pull my hair up into a messy bun and make my way down the stairs to where the heroine has been asleep. As I step through the door of the bedroom, I'm greeted by someone slamming into me.

"Thank you so much. I... I didn't know where else to go. And, while our fights could be rough, I have never felt the way I did when I showed up on your doorstep." The heroine bawls into my shirt. It takes me a moment to react, and when I finally move, I wrap one arm around the heroine's shoulders and I start detangling her hair with my other hand. "Carri, will you put some tea on and start breakfast? We'll be down in just a few moments."

"Of course, m'lady." Carri bows and heads downstairs to start tea and breakfast.

"Who is that anyways?" The heroine asks, muffled by my shirt.

"My personal assistant and best friend," I respond. "What's your name?"

The heroine pulls away a little bit, tears still evident on her face, "Alice. My name is Alice."

I smile, "That's cute. How'd you know where I live?"

Alice pulls away from me even more, smiling, "My friend has been tattooed by you before, and I had been here with her. In one of our fights just before that appointment, your sleeve had ripped. I recognized the tattoo on your forearm when I came in with my friend."

"Wait, that was almost 6 months ago since that sleeve ripped!"

Alice kind of grimaces, "I... I wanted to respect your boundaries after I figured it out. S-since I knew you had a different life outside of our fights, I wanted to respect that."

I step closer to her, my voice coming out breathy, "Why me? Who hurt you last night that made you come to me?"

Alice hesitates. Just as she's about to respond, Carri yells from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready!" Alice dashes out the door and down the stairs before I can push her for a response. I follow her downstairs and to the dining room. If you asked me yesterday, I would've never expected to have the hero of Muri in my home.

After breakfast, I take Alice by the hand and lead her downstairs to the basement, "Wait, where are we going?" "I want to show you something," I reply as we get to the bottom of the stairs. I flick on the light and then I pull Alice to one of the shelves and pick up a small box, like a jewelry box.

"What is this?" Alice asks. In response, I put the item I picked up in her hands, "Open it." Alice hesitantly opens it. Inside is sitting a sapphire necklace, "Oh my god. Where did you find this?"

"You remember the ball that was held downtown?"

"I remember you crashing through the window, and I was the guest of honor." Alice deadpans, rolling her eyes, fastening the sapphire around her neck.

"To be perfectly honest," as soon as she has finished clasping the chain, I can smell her again, "I wasn't actually crashing the ball. I had an invite. Unfortunately, some trouble showed up as I was getting there, and I got tossed through the window." I lean against the shelves.

"You fell 2 stories from a skylight, and no one followed you in."

"I know, but to be fair, the ceiling was ground level." I hesitate for a minute, biting my lip, "If... if I told you I could show you my memories, would you believe me?"

Alice looks up at me, fiddling with her necklace, "What do you mean?"

"Can I?" I asked, reaching a hand to her face. After a minute's hesitation, Alice steps forward, allowing my hand to touch her cheek. I stand up, take her face in both of my hands, and put my forehead to hers. We close our eyes, and I share my memories of every encounter we've had.

*The first couple were in school, and she accidentally bumped into me with her friends. She has a big grin, always nice. Wicked things being in the area, and me encountering them. A glimpse of them attacking me outside the underground ball. Me getting thrown through the skylight. Me landing in the middle of the floor, injuring people. The scent of something delicious that has been in every memory is suddenly gone in a commotion, a sapphire pendant suddenly hitting my shoes. Me recognizing the family symbol on the back and stuffing it in my pocket. Me putting it in an old jewelry case and putting it in the basement. All of our encounters, showing that I get attacked first before suddenly snippets of fighting Alice. The final one I show her, is her showing up on my doorstep. The feeling of worry as I clean and dress her wounds. Then it's her putting on the necklace and the smell coming back.*

Aluce pulls away, "You... you were never looking for a fight."

I chuckle, "Not from you anyway. But, our families have been fighting for generations. Specifically, yours hunting mine, because my ancestors did some rather nefarious things to get the money we now have."

Alice pulls away, and I let her, "What do you mean, 'hunting'? My family hunts deer, why would we hunt you?"

I laugh at that, "Yes, well... my family isn't exactly... human, and your family doesn't only hunt deer."

Alice is quiet for a minute, "How... how old are you?"

"25," I reply smoothly.

"How long have you been 25?" She's fidgeting with her pendant again.

I sigh, "Awhile."

"I.. I don't believe you."

"If we go to the library, I can proove it."

Alice nods, I lead her back up onto the main floor, then into a room right off the kitchen. There are floor-to-ceiling bookshelves just stuffed with books, some even lying down on top. I go over to the desk that's in front of the window, and I pull a small leather-bound bible out of the middle drawer. It's in a language most wouldn't understand. In the back pages, I pull an old, yellowed, slightly burned piece of paper, and hand it to Alice. She opens it and reads aloud, "Vivian Mortui,"

"Vivi, for short."

She nods, "Birthdate: the 25th of December, 1925." She pauses and I can see the calculations in her head, "That's... That's almost 100 yesrs ago!" She folds the paper again and hands it back to me, "How long have you lived here again?"

"About 8 years. Remember, I moved here when I was '18' and transferred in during 2nd semester of senior year." I reply as I put the book away.

"Why did you move here?" She leans on the desk as I move out from behind it.

"To be honest.. to get away from my family. They refuse to come back here, even though we've owned this house for years. They said there were too many nosy people."

"How long have you owned this house?"

I hum as I pull another leather-bound book from a shelf, "Early 1800s? Shortly after was the Victorian era, and that's what we've kept up with since then. Although, we have upgraded the appliances." I flip through the book I'm holding until I find a page, "Here. The history of our family feud starts here." I hand the book to her.

Alice takes the book and moves to the couch to start reading. Carri comes in with tea and and update about my clients; we had to reschedule more of my clients. I turn on some low music before picking up a book I'm working on and sit on the opposite lounger to read.

After a bit, Alice closes her book. "So, you moved here to get away from your family... In the memories, there was a sweet smell that you were attracted to. Did you come for that?"

"Ah, yes, and no. A long time ago, one of the artisans of your family made that pendant and enchanted it to attract creatures like me. While some of your family used it as a lure, others wore it for aesthetics. You, obviously, fall into the latter group. It was that day that you and your friends bumped into me, you were wearing that pendant that day."

"My grandma gave it to me for my 18th birthday. Said it would protect me." Alice fiddles with the chain. I bark out a laugh. "Yeah, no. The enchantment on that pendant enhances your own scent to attract things to you. The only way to make it stop is to stop wearing it for however long you have worn it for," I grimace, "Or die."

"Then, who attacked me in my home?" Alice looks up at me, and I've never seen her look so scared.

"I don't know, but I plan to find out." I stand up and walk towards the library door, "Carri, has the sample came back yet?" Carri comes over to the door, "Yes, m'lady. It should be done by now."

"Perfect. While I go do some research on this, will you take Alice back to her place, see if she can scavenge any clothes or precious items. She will be moving in with us." I pull my hair out of the bun, finger comb it, then pull it back up into a tighter bun.

"Wait, what do you mean? I'm going to live here? With you?" Alice looks confused but hopeful.

"Yes, we can help protect you here. Do you not want to live here?"

Alice's cheeks flush, "No... no that's not a problem."