by TM Watkins
Welcome
to
Hades
A Hades Series Novel
By TM Watkins
Copyright 2020 TM Watkins
Copyright © 2020 TM WATKINS
This book is a work of fiction. The names of characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organisations is entirely coincidental. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without the written permission of the author.
If you wish to contact the author, please visit:
http://www.tm-watkins.com
All rights reserved.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
A note from the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
My uncle slowed the vehicle behind the parked car, sighing heavily as he pulled the handbrake on. Ahead of us was the real estate agent, beaming a smarmy smile that held little honesty. The guy was certainly pleasant, fawning all over Brad as if he was going to snap up this amazing deal with whirlwind speed. Little did he know that my uncle had zero interest in the house so long as the structure was sound, and it was cheap.
“What number are we up to now?”
“For what? Houses that we’ve looked at or towns that we’ve moved to? Both are in double digits.”
Brad smiled thinly; his sympathy was lacking as always.
“Houses that we’ve looked at.”
“This is house number twelve.”
“It’s certainly more promising than the last one. Come on, let’s get this over and done with.”
Brad turned off the engine, the windscreen wipers stopped halfway across the glass. We’d been in Hades for a week, and it hadn't stopped. Quite literally. I have not heard a single minute where there hasn’t been some form of rain. From a light patter to torrential, it was endless.
“Are you sure you want to live in this town? The name is kind of creepy.”
I was expecting the devil to jump out from behind a bush. So far, the only thing that’s jumped out at us was a rat. It was in the loading dock at the bed and breakfast we were staying at. Brad had gone down there to collect a delivery, insisting that I helped him with the boxes.
“We don’t have a choice. Got to go where the boss says and that’s all there is to it.”
“Well, you might want to ring your boss and tell him to send umbrellas, raincoats. Maybe a rowboat might be ideal too.”
Brad chuckled as we approached the real estate agent. Like everyone else, this guy assumed that Brad was my father. I looked like Brad, there was no doubt that we were related. Both had chocolate brown hair and deep green eyes, fair skinned and tall. The only difference, aside from our genders and ages, was that Brad had developed a bit of a potbelly.
Sometimes Brad would correct a person if they assumed wrong, sometimes he didn’t bother at all. I guess he only wanted to make sure they didn’t think that he was some pervert that was dating a teenager. If they thought that then they were clearly blind. Brad and I were definitely two peas in a pod.
“Glad you made it Brad. Did you find the place okay?”
“Yeah, easy as.”
He nodded, then turned to me. The artificially whitened teeth stood out in the gleaming smile, I tried not to stare. Tom was a man that liked to keep up his image. I’d only seen him a couple of times for these viewings, but it was obvious that the man invested a lot of money into the view. Like the fake tan and the pristine suits, the chunky gold ring on his finger or the fancy watch on his wrist. Tom Garrow was the perfect image of a man that was good at his job and showed it in his appearance.
“What do you think, Evelyn?”
“Well, it’s more promising than the last,” I muttered. “At least it has a front door.”
The smile faded as he stared at me. He didn’t know what to say or how to respond.
“She’s joking.” Brad interrupted, then stepped between us to cut us off.
As they walked to the footpath, Brad frowned at me. I shrugged. As if I was going to be anything less than honest. The last place did not have a front door, literally. It was sitting on the front lawn, sodden and broken. Inside was completely trashed with graffiti, someone had started a fire in the living room, and there were a lot of used needles and a home-made bong. After seeing the needles, I turned around and sat in the car.
I could deal with bongs, fires and graffiti but used needles were just dangerous. I wasn’t prepared to clean them up, and I didn’t think Brad should either. When he asked me what was wrong, I told him exactly what I thought, and unfortunately for him, the real estate agent was right beside him. I didn’t care what he thought, it was sheer rudeness to present a house for rent in such a state. If it happened overnight then I’d say fair enough, these things happen but it was obvious that the mess or the damage was not new.
From the sidewalk, there were two steps up to the path that cuts through the lush green lawn. The front garden didn’t have a fence. Instead, a rock wall sat as high as the top step, the garden filled with pretty flowers. Everything looked well maintained, and I knew that this was not the house for us. I was not a gardener, and Brad never had time to do anything.
He did something for the government, I don’t know exactly what. I’m sure if I was actually interested, he’d tell me. It was a home-based job, something that was not planned and would not remain that way for much longer, not now that I’m almost eighteen. He’d taken this role so that he could raise me. It was his suggestion after my mother’s funeral three years ago. I had no idea where my father was, I never met the man, and neither had Brad. He wasn’t aware of it, but I knew the truth about my mother. She was a prostitute and it was highly likely that my father was one of her clients. She probably didn’t know who my father was either.
Brad was only ten years older than me. He was the late in life miracle that my grandparents were unaware of until my grandmother started getting horrible stomach pains. One trip to the A&E and she was pushing his fat head out. I never knew my grandparents, they died together in a plane crash about a year before I was born.
Initially, Brad and I struggled. I was used to a life where I was usually on my own at night and in school during the day. Essentially, I’d raised myself. I missed my mother, and I still got upset when I thought of her, but it’s not like I really knew her. As for Brad, I guess he never expected to have a sullen teenager tossed at him when he was in his mid-twenties. It’s not as if he was going out every night, partying with his mates or bringing women home but it was still weird and it took a long time to get past it and become what we were now.
He knew of me, but I’d never met him until the funeral. Brad and my mother rarely saw each other. At least, I think that’s how it was. Brad never talks about my mother, and if I bring up something about her, he shrugs. They were not close.
Stepping under the front porch, I looked back
at the street. It was pretty, I’ll give it that much. Trees lined the street; houses were well maintained. I don’t know when anyone in this town was able to tend to their gardens without getting completely drenched but this place and the houses around it, they were well maintained.
“Does it ever stop raining?”
The real estate had been smiling, now frozen as he stared at me. I frowned, waiting for him to respond.
“Yes, the forecast says that the weekend should be dry.”
Opening the door, the agent started telling Brad about the place. I looked out at the grey sky and wondered how that would clear up by tomorrow.
Entering the house, I was quite surprised at how spacious it was. The first floor had the lounge room, dining room, kitchen and a guest room. I doubt that we would ever have guests stay overnight, so I’m sure Brad will commandeer the room for work. We’d inspected the three bedrooms upstairs as well as the attic. Apparently, I could have that if I wanted it.
The space was certainly large enough to accommodate a bed, maybe a small lounge. It was even wired so I could have a television too.
When we’d finished looking at the upper levels, the agent took us down to the basement. It looked as if no one ever came down here, not even to store their junk. The agent found a broom in the closet, testing each of the wooden steps before stepping onto it.
“This place is old,” He murmured. “Turn of the last century, I think. If you’re interested in the place, we’ll get a builder in to check the stairs.”
“It’s fine, I can deal with them.”
Brad was apparently a handyman now too. I never knew that. To be fair, I don’t think he knew it before today either. I waited at the top of the stairs, expecting something dire to happen. The house was not creepy or anything bad like that, it just felt ominous to me.
I don’t know why he was volunteering for the job. This place was a rental, it was the owner’s job to maintain it so that it was safe. Thankfully the real estate agent said that they have someone that can deal with the issues.
Warily I walked down the stairs, looking around at the cinder block walls. I thought that no one had been down here, but there was something strangely new about the area. Not recently but perhaps within the last fifty years or so.
Brad and the agent were discussing the pipes and the heating. I ran my hand over the cold blocks, feeling the dust grate against my palm. Something thumped, almost like a dull clunk of a drum. I stopped, waiting to see if it happened again. It didn’t, but the brick warmed under my hand. Moving it to the next brick, I didn’t expect it to be warm too. I kept going, soon finding a cold brick. It was odd, just one section was warm.
“Is there a hot water pipe behind this wall?”
Hearing their shoes scratch over the dirty floor, I turned to look at my uncle and the agent.
“I wouldn’t think so, but anything is possible. Now, what do you think about the place?”
“It’s great,” Brad offered. “If we can organise it, I’d like to move in as soon as possible. The bed and breakfast is nice but not ideal for the teenager when the pub is so close.”
“Of course. I’m sure that we can get things moving quickly.”
The two of them walked to the stairs, discussing what needed to be done before we moved in.
“Cleaning,” I muttered. “No doubt the person who isn’t working yet will be the one assigned to the grand task.”
Pulling my hand away, I watched as a crack between the bricks appeared. It was small, but it was there. Brad was already at the top of the stairs, I rushed after him.
“There’s a crack in the bricks.”
He nodded, seemingly not concerned.
“I’ll get the builder in to look at everything.” The agent said. “He’ll be here looking at the stairs anyway.”
Brad watched the agent as he walked through the corridor to the living area of the house.
“We need a place, Evie. I can’t keep working in that little hole.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It’s a good place. Close to the school, the shops.”
My derisive stare must have said it all.
“I know, Evie, I do, and I’m sorry. You’re going to have to repeat the year to get it finished.”
“You know, I’m blaming your boss for this. I don’t need to do the year again; I just need to remain in one town for long enough to finish what I’ve started.”
“Well, hopefully, it will be this town. Besides, you know that it’s better to start from the beginning.”
I’d gotten the first month of the school year done when his boss hinted at relocating. Brad asked him to hold out for as long as possible so that I could finish the year out. We’d gotten three quarters of the way there when the jerk said that he couldn’t wait any longer and Brad had to move. As my legal guardian and no other relative to send me to, Brad had to take me with him.
Brad had stalled as much as he could, but with a deadline looming, he couldn’t stay any longer. We had to move.
So, this was us, moving to the little town called Hades. Apparently, it was named after the town founder, Reginald Hades. I looked at the map and thought it was Hades as in Hell, but that was not the case. His name was pronounced Hah-dess and that’s how everyone in this place said the town name. I didn’t believe it. I think that we really are in Hell.
Chapter 2
Brad gave me an uneasy smile as we walked through the corridor. The stench was all too familiar to me. I disliked school and if he’d asked me what I wanted; I would have gladly told Brad that I was happiest out of places like these. I’d rather get a job and start earning money.
Brad’s argument was simple. No certificate of completion, no job. Apparently, it was necessary in this crazy world. So, I had no choice, and I had to get this done. The only consolation that I had was that his employer had given him a written guarantee that he would not ask Brad to move to a new location within this school year.
Brad had given him a hard time about it, stating that I was almost there and then he would not need to be tied to one town anymore. Once I was out of school, we could go anywhere, anytime. So, his boss agreed to let us remain in this town until the year was done. All I had to do was pass.
Pushing the door open, Brad waited as I walked into the administration office. The woman behind the counter looked up at us with a smile and a friendly greeting.
“This is Evelyn Newton, I’m her uncle Brad. We’ve got an enrolment meeting at one pm.”
“Of course,” The woman said with a chirpy eagerness that was sickening. “Have you got the papers?”
Brad fumbled through his folder, searching for the papers that he’d completed last night. After three years of doing this, I would have thought he’d be used to the mountain of paperwork that came with being a guardian for a child.
Yet here he was, pulling out random pieces of paper. The woman smiled, glancing at me like I’d be able to help him. With a huff, I pulled the folder out of his hands and put it onto the counter. The request for the file transfer was on top, she accepted it and turned to the fax machine.
“Who uses a fax machine?” I whispered. “Wouldn’t it be easier to scan and email?”
Brad shrugged.
“Looks done to me. You’re too technical.”
I scoffed at him. That was a ridiculous statement, I wasn’t technical at all. I didn’t even have a mobile phone.
When the woman turned back, I held out the enrollment form and the payment details form. Yes, this was a private school and the only one in this dumb town. That was another complaint that Brad had for his employer. All of the towns that we’ve been to have had a variety of choices and I was always enrolled in a government owned school, which meant that it was free.
Brad was yet to hear back about that one, I think he was secretly hoping for a little financial assistance from his employer. It was a long shot but one that I thought was worth it. After all, he was given money to move our things around this
country, why shouldn’t he be compensated for something that is beyond his control?
The woman took the paperwork and disappeared through a door after telling us she’d advise the new enrolment officer that we were here. Brad and I were left to twiddle our thumbs like a pair of clueless fools.
I looked around the small room, noting that we were not alone. A small boy sat on a chair in the corner of the room, it appeared that he was waiting to be picked up. His bag was at his feet, flopped to the floor with the top zipper open. Books were ready to spill out of the bag, but I don’t think the kid cared.
His head lifted, when his eyes connected with mine, I frowned. The door next to the desk opened and distracted me. When I turned back, the kid was still looking at me, but it was different now. I could have sworn his eyes were purple.
“Brad, Evelyn, welcome. I’m Maria, the enrollment officer. Please, come this way, and we’ll have a little chat.”
Maria turned back to the doorway, and I looked at Brad.
“What?” He whispered.
“That kid had purple eyes.”
Brad looked at me like I was crazy.
“They would be blue if anything. How can you see that well? He’s at the far end of the room.”
“You need to get your eyes checked.”
My grumbled whispers were over now that we had entered Maria’s office. She smiled and gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.
“So, you’re new to Hades. What brings you to our lovely little town?”
“Work,” Brad offered. “I travel because of my job, and it was necessary to come here. My employer has a government contract for the mobile communications network.”
Maria’s eyes brightened as she listened. Most didn’t care to hear what Brad had to say. Just get us in, fill out the paperwork and throw me into a classroom.
“How interesting. Must be difficult to be so unsettled.”
“I’m used to it, but it’s been hard for Evie.”
Maria’s attention turned to me, offering a sympathetic smile.
“Well, hopefully, you’ll be able to complete this year with us.”
