by Emily Walker
She didn’t really respond to him, she just sort of stood there, looking at him like he’d just said he made her a grilled cheese.
“Chloe?”
“That’s good, Brent. I think I just need time. I can’t concentrate on anything right now. I just keep thinking about Layla. My brain is one big fog,” she said.
“I do love you.”
“I know you do. We’ll talk soon. I have to get back to work.” With that, she went into the restaurant and left him outside wondering what had just happened. It was like she hadn’t really heard him. Maybe losing Layla was really taking its toll on her.
“She shouldn’t be at work.” Ash walked from the side of the building and lit up a cigarette.
“You know Chloe,” he said. “She’s going to work no matter what.”
“I do, which is why I haven’t even tried to send her home. I don’t know what happened to Layla. The police haven’t said, just that she’s dead. I know you two were there based on the gossip going around town and I can’t imagine how awful that would be.” Ash was flipping his Zippo open and closed, the sound of the loud click accenting each sentence.
“Yeah, I’m just worried about her. I love her.”
“I heard,” Ash said, surprising Brent that he’d been listening. “You never know when she’ll come around. She’s just going through a lot right now. Give it some time.”
“Thanks, Ash.” He walked away from him and headed back to Zazie’s. He’d done all he could do and now the ball was in her court.
* * *
Chloe stood in the walk-in cooler. What had she walked in there for? She was clearly losing her mind because she couldn’t remember from one moment to the next. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
The next minute she was carrying the butter she’d gone into the walk-in to get, then she made her way back to her table and put it down.
“We needed dressing for our salads, not butter,” one of the ladies at the table said to her. Dang it, she’d brought the wrong thing. Ash walked up behind her with ranch, blue cheese, 1000 island and some bread on a tray.
“Here,” he said. The bread made bringing the butter relevant. He saved her. Man, she was not on top of her game at all today.
“Thank you,” she said, passing out the dressing. “Do you need anything else?” The table shook their heads and she smiled before walking back over to the bar. Once she got there, she slid into the chair, but had no clue what she was doing.
“Are you okay?” Ash was looking at her with concern and she debated if she should tell him what was going on with her. She couldn’t remember what it was that was going on, though. Oh yes, that was it, she was forgetting everything.
She didn’t remember much after she’d gotten to work. She’d heard of things like this happening to people with PTSD. Maybe finding Layla’s body had been too much for her and she was blacking out.
“What does my table need, Ash?” she asked, completely forgetting if she’d even been to the table yet.
“How about you sit and let me help them?” he said.
She was thankful to have such an understanding boss. Something was definitely wrong with her brain. Maybe she should go to the hospital, but a minute later she couldn’t remember why she needed to go.
When Brent got back to Zazie’s she was sitting in the middle of her living room, staring into a bowl of water.
“What are you doing, Z?” he asked as he sat down across from her, but she didn’t answer. All she did was continue to stare into the bowl of water, chanting.
He didn’t know what she was saying, so he just waited for her to look up.
“I can’t do it!” she finally screeched after he sat across from her as she chanted.
“Can’t do what?” he asked, wondering what the bowl of water was supposed to do. “You checking to see if the T-rex is coming?” He laughed.
“Am I what?”
“It’s a Jurassic Park joke, never mind, that’s terrible, so back to the water.”
“I should be able to see him or her. Whoever is responsible for this horrible crime. Years of not being able to use my magic has dried it up. It’s going to take forever to get it back.” Zazie looked defeated as she stared into the bowl.
“You’ll get there, Aunt Z, maybe don’t try so hard.”
“How’d it go with Chloe?”
“It was all right, she was acting kind of off. I felt like she was being distant, but it’s a bad time right now with Layla and everything.”
Zazie nodded and got up to go to the kitchen. “You want some tea, Brent?” she called.
“I don’t want any, thank you,” Brent called back. “So, Dad knows you’re out and he knows I’m the reason.”
“Oh, he does, and I suppose he told you he’s not too happy with you.”
“Something like that,” Brent said, remembering his father’s warning. He hadn’t seen her do anything magic yet. At this point he was kind of going on blind faith believing that she was actually a wizard. He’d never seen anyone do magic with the exception of Chloe turning herself into a bird.
“I brought you some tea anyway so I can read your tea leaves.”
Brent looked at the cup with what he assumed were leaves swirling around in it. He brought it to his lips and took a sip. He crinkled up his face at the bitter taste. “That’s not good, Aunt Z.”
“Let me see them.” His aunt held her hands out and he sat the cup in them. He wasn’t sure what she could get from the leaves.
“So, I think they’re telling me you will get a better job and meet a sweet little birdie who will show you how to be a real man.”
“Z, that’s stuff I already know,” he said. When he left the university he hoped to get a better job. He, Chloe, and Layla were just about to start classes back at Albrecht-Hastings University. Classes started the third week of August, and fall was actually a lot earlier in Woodland Creek with the leaves already changing and the air turning cooler. Usually it would be October before it even started to get cold.
Layla was really into political science. It was her major and she often told the two of them that she was going to change the world. He chuckled as he remembered her campaign against the drink machines in the cafeteria not having diet drinks. It was the most ridiculous protest, but the administration got her Diet Dr. Pepper put into the machines. He was really going to miss her crazy ass, despite having been hard to deal with since the drugs had taken over her life in their freshmen year. She always made fun of his veterinary medicine dreams and Chloe’s major, astronomy. She’d wanted to work for the Observatory since they were little after visiting it on a school trip, so it made sense to him.
He turned his attention back to his aunt, realizing his mind had really wandered away from her and she was still talking. “You’ll also dye your hair black in a moment of pure rebellion.”
“Z, do they really say that?”
“No, I don’t know how to read tea leaves, you just seemed upset and I wanted to help.”
“Thanks, Aunt Z, it helped. I’m going to head to the house and try to get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Wait, we’re going to have to go somewhere special tomorrow.”
“What do you mean somewhere special, Aunt Z?” He was almost to the door and had turned around to look at her.
“We’ve got to go see my mother,” she said.
“Your mother is still alive?” Brent walked back over and sat down across from her again.
“I’m not even sixty yet, Brent, you act like I’m ancient.”
“No, it’s just, she would be my grandma. I’ve never met my grandma. Dad led on that she was dead.”
“He would, he’s probably ashamed of her profession, but Mother is here in town and she’s well.”
“What kind of profession?” He couldn’t imagine what his grandma could have done to bring shame to his father.
“She works from her house,” Zazie said, taking out a flyer.
“As a fortune-teller.”
“As a what?” Brent took the flyer and saw an advertisement for Madame Visionary. “What the hell is Madame Visionary?”
“It’s Mama’s stage name. Her real name is Regina Perry. I’d imagine she didn’t think it sounded mysterious enough.”
“So what’s she going to do, peer into her crystal ball?” he asked.
“No, don’t be ridiculous, that’s just for looks. She’ll look into the water, though, and tell us who is killing shifters.”
“Oh, well, that’s new. I do want to know who killed Layla and I know Chloe wants to know.”
“Yes, we’ll go and see Mama tomorrow. She’ll be so surprised to see me out of the home and out in the world.” She finished her tea and started drinking his.
“Aunt Z, if Grandma is alive and here, why didn’t you ever get out of the home having her sign you out?”
“She came to see me. I just never had a reason to want to come out. I’d dreamed of teaching my Samuel how to do magic, how to learn his gift, and now I can help you learn. I have a purpose again. We will go at noon sharp. She’s good at being a real bitch in the morning if it’s too early.”
Brent smiled at his aunt again, thinking in the back of his mind that he’d not been able to prove she knew any magic at all. He would have to believe it when he saw it, but right then he was tired.
When he got back to his truck he texted Chloe.
Sleep tight, Chloe. I hope you really think about what I told you.
She didn’t respond, but he hadn’t actually expected her to. He’d go see her before he and Zazie went to meet his grandma. He couldn’t wait to tell her he had one still alive in Woodland Creek. She wouldn’t believe it.
He drove home, took a shower, and went straight to bed, ready to see what the next day was going to bring him.
* * *
The gentleman pulled Chloe’s door shut slowly. The crow flew back to him, landing on her porch. Well, it really crash landed onto the porch, clumsy as it was, then hopped up and tilted its head at him like it was his fault.
He’d had the crow go to Zazie’s home so he could keep up with what she was doing. She was trying really hard to find him, looking into her bowl of water. It was who she was going to enlist help from that made him nervous. Her mother was powerful and she would be able to tell them who he was. He just had to beat them there and once he was there, he’d simply threaten Regina into keeping her stupid mouth shut.
He’d made sure Chloe made it home without seeing anyone who would question her behavior. He’d dodged a bullet when that annoying boy Brent had come to confess his love for her. He laughed to himself. She wouldn’t remember any of that. If he came to talk to her, hopefully she would kick him out because she thought he was crazy.
He’d helped her in her bed, and she kept asking why he was in her house.
“You let me in to help you to bed, dear,” he said. “Don’t you remember?”
“No,” she said as she brushed her teeth, then looked at him in the mirror. “What are you doing in my house?” It was lovely, like a chalkboard being erased each time it was written on. She wouldn’t remember anything.
Now she was in bed, still very confused, but more than likely already forgetting he’d been there. It was risky trusting his magic like he did. Now it was time to put a stop to Zazie once and for all. He had a plan and it involved waiting on her to go and see her mother. Once she was in the old lady’s home, he’d simply talk her into coming with him.
He knew she wanted to know what had happened to her darling boy, and he knew. All he had to do was tell her he would give her the answers if she just came with him. She cared about Samuel more than anything in the world, and he would take pleasure in telling her that he was no longer anywhere near Woodland Creek. After he led her on, of course.
Chloe woke up in her bed and sat straight up. She looked around her as she searched her mind for what had happened the day before. The last thing she remembered was being at work and someone had come to see her. Maybe it was Brent? She couldn’t remember. It was hazy. She didn’t know how she’d gotten home. The clock read six o’clock. It was too early. Maybe if she just lay there for a little while it would come back to her.
After an hour, she realized it wasn’t going to come back to her at all. There was just a blank space where her memory of the night before had been. She’d made money; there were tips in her apron. Maybe she was suffering some kind of mental breakdown. Losing her best friend would be the thing that sent her into a psychotic break if anything would.
Throwing the covers off, she got up and headed into the kitchen to make some coffee. It probably wouldn’t help, but she really needed it.
Her phone had two missed calls and she saw it was Connie Adams’ number. She hadn’t talked to Layla’s mom since the day she’d found her daughter and then it had been sobbing into the phone uncontrollably until the police chief had taken over. She called Connie back, thinking maybe they’d found something. She’d called the police a couple of times and they hadn’t given her any new information. Taking that to mean they didn’t have a clue, she was worried they might never know what happened. The person who did it was still out there, and they could do it again.
“Hi, Chloe.” Connie sounded small on the phone, like talking was taking a lot of strength she didn’t have.
“Hi, Connie, I’m so sorry I haven’t called to check on you. I’ve just been trying to, I don’t know what I’ve been trying to do, and I’m just sorry.”
“It’s okay, it’s been a couple days since I identified her on the scene. I want to go see her at the funeral home and I have to take the clothes she’ll wear in the casket. Will you go with me, Chloe? I can’t see her like that by myself again.”
“I’m sorry, Connie, of course.” Guilt hit her hard. She should have been there for her when she saw Layla. She should have stayed. It was selfish of her wanting to get away from the scene. “I’ll come pick you up if you want?”
“Thank you, Chloe, I’ll be ready around ten. You don’t have to work today?”
“What day is it?” She was completely serious. Losing a day had really screwed with her and she wasn’t sure what day it was anymore.
“It’s Tuesday, honey.” Only two days had gone by since that horrible day, yet it felt like a lifetime. So she’d lost most of Monday. It had to be because she was in shock or mourning. It felt strange that she couldn’t remember how she’d made it home.
“I work at three on Tuesdays, we have plenty of time. I’ll see you soon.”
She walked around in circles for a while, not sure what to wear to go to a funeral home. It was closer to eight now, so she had two hours to kill.
* * *
“Wake up,” someone was yelling at him, but he didn’t want to get up. He’d been dreaming about flying with Chloe. It was nice.
“Narb,” he garbled and threw a pillow at the offending noise.
“Get the hell up, boy.” His ear suddenly hurt and then got hot, causing him to yelp. He realized Zazie was pinching it hard.
“What the hell, Z?” He sat up, pushing her hand away from his ear.
“We’re going to see Mama,” she said and threw a shirt at him she’d apparently taken out of his drawer. “Cover up those man tits and let’s go.”
“I don’t have man tits,” he said, clutching his chest. “Why the hell are you here at,” he looked at the clock, “eight o’clock, Z? We aren’t going until noon. Don’t you remember?”
“I told you noon, but didn’t you see the crow sitting in the window while we were talking?” she asked.
“No,” he said, completely annoyed and confused.
“A wizard’s familiar, I saw it open the window. That was someone eavesdropping and we don’t need whoever that was to know where we’re going to be at any time. I have a feeling that was the killer or someone who knows what’s going on.”
“So the wizard had a shifter spy on us?” He rubbed his eyes, still not follo
wing.
“No, the crow is a crow that he or she called to be his or her eyes. It’s not a shifter, it’s a crow under the control of a wizard.”
“Why would this person care what we were doing?”
“I told Chloe I would help her find who killed Layla when I was at the bar that day. Someone was there listening, obviously, and now they have us under surveillance.”
“You know this sounds bat shit, right, Z?” he said as he moved about his room getting ready. He was happy his roommate hadn’t returned from his summer abroad. He would wonder why the hell a woman with blue feathers in her hair and what could only be described as genie pants was coming into their apartment early in the morning.
“Everything sounds bat shit, son, it doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
“We’re going to check on Chloe first.”
Zazie didn’t argue, but he could tell that wasn’t something she had counted in their schedule. She tapped an impatient foot and waited as he went and washed his face. He brushed his teeth and put on some aftershave. At least he’d taken a shower before he went to bed, so he could get close to Chloe without worrying.
* * *
It was eight-thirty and Chloe hadn’t moved from the table. Her coffee had gotten cold and she hadn’t touched it. The sound of a truck in her driveway snapped her out of it. Her first thought was the killer was there and ready to take her out too. She wished she’d gotten a gun to keep in her home. She didn’t live with anyone, being happy until now to have a house all to herself. A gun would make her feel a lot safer. She’d have to talk to her dad about it.
Slowly, she stood up and saw it was Brent. Why was he there? He was certainly the last person she wanted to see at that moment. Not only did she look horrible, but he’d really hurt her feelings by pulling away from her.
