by Adele Abbott
“Leave him alone, Bunty,” Greta said. “Everyone does things in their own time, and in their own way.”
“And how long do you think she’s going to wait around for Charlie to make a move? She’s very pretty. There’ll be other suitors interested in her. He needs to get off his backside, and ask her out for a drink. Why don’t you, Charlie?”
“I could never do that.”
“See?” Bunty turned to Greta. “What did I tell you? He’s hopeless.”
Just then, Charlie heard a noise coming from somewhere inside the apartment. It couldn’t be Neil or Dorothy; they didn’t finish work until much later. He crept out of his bedroom, and listened. Another noise. It seemed to come from the fourth bedroom. Had somebody broken in? If so, they were going to regret it.
He edged across the room, and gently pushed open the door of the vacant bedroom. He was all set to go werewolf on the intruder when a woman turned around, obviously shocked to see him.
“You made me jump!” she said.
Charlie let the werewolf go back inside. “Who are you?”
“Susan Hall. I’m your new flatmate.”
“Oh? I had no idea we had one.”
“The landlord, Mr Redman, said I could move in straight away.”
“I didn’t even realise he’d shown anyone the apartment.”
“I only viewed it an hour ago. I did ask him if I could meet the other tenants before making a decision, but he said I had to decide there and then. I’m sorry about this. I know it’s not the way things are usually done.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I really like the place. There’s just one thing: it’s really cold in this room. Is it always like this?”
Charlie couldn’t see Socky—he was only visible to Neil and the fairies—but he could sense when he was around. Charlie knew that the temperature had more to do with that ghostly presence than the heating system.
“I’m sure it will warm up once you’ve moved in. Do you live in Washbridge?”
“I’ve been living in London for the last five years, but I’ve just got a job up here. I’ve been staying in a motel a few miles outside of Washbridge. It’s a real flea-pit, so I’m really looking forward to moving in here.”
“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Charlie. I work at a gym in the town centre. It’s my early finish today.”
Just then, the bedroom door slid open and Pretty walked in, meowing loudly.
“We have a cat?”
“No. And, you haven’t seen her. Okay?”
Susan looked puzzled.
“We’re not allowed to keep pets in the apartment, but Pretty—”
“Pretty?”
“Yeah, that’s what it says on her name tag. She comes around most days, and I feed her. Do me a favour, don’t tell the others, will you? Neil’s not too bothered, but Dorothy hates cats. If she knew I was feeding her, she’d go mad.”
“Dorothy and Neil? Are they the two other flatmates?”
“Yeah. The three of us all used to work together at a fancy dress shop. Neil still works there. Dorothy now works in a bookshop.”
“You all used to live and work together? Wasn’t that a bit much?”
“It was. What about you? What do you do?”
“I’m an investigative reporter; I started work at The Bugle today. I heard about the job through a friend.”
“Do you know people in Washbridge, then?”
“Yeah, I’m from here originally. I’ve still got friends in the area, and family.”
“Investigative reporter, eh? Sounds exciting.”
“It can be, but it’s also very challenging. The Bugle’s hoping to change its image, but to do that they need to break big stories. It’s my job to bring them in.” Susan led the way out of the bedroom. “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea?”
“That’d be nice. If you can find any clean cups. We’re a bit behind with the washing up.”
“So I see.”
It took a while, but Susan eventually managed to find a couple of clean mugs in the cupboard. “What’s that?” She pointed to the two bottles of synthetic blood on the middle shelf of the fridge.
“That? Err—that belongs to Dorothy.”
“What is it?” Susan picked one of them up. “It looks horrible!”
“It’s some sort of iron supplement that Dorothy has to take.”
She sniffed at the milk; it seemed to be okay. “Why did the landlord decide to take it upon himself to find you a new flatmate?” Susan had been curious about that ever since Redman had told her that he wasn’t going to consult the other tenants.
“It’s our own fault.” Charlie took a slurp of tea. “We’ve been behind on the rent for a while now. The three of us barely make enough to cover it. Split four ways, it should be more manageable. We’ve been looking for someone for a while, but we’ve never been able to find anyone suitable.”
“How long have you been trying?”
“It must be three months, probably more. Anyway, Redman got fed up of waiting, and said he was going to find someone.”
“Do you think the others are going to be okay with me moving in?”
“Yeah, I’m sure they will.”
“I suppose I’d better get off,” Susan said when she’d finished her tea. “I’m going to the motel to get my stuff. What time will the others be back?”
“Difficult to say. Usually before six.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be back by then. Tell them I look forward to meeting them, will you?
“Okay, see you later, Susan.”
Charlie took a deep breath. Holy moly! Their new flatmate was a human. That was going to be awkward. They’d never had to worry about hiding the fact that they were sups, but that was all going to change, particularly for Neil, who routinely used magic around the apartment. He was going to have to tone that down pretty quickly or they’d all be in trouble. Not only was she a human, she was also an investigative reporter who was looking to break big stories, and what bigger story than the presence of supernatural creatures in Washbridge?
This wasn’t good.
Chapter 5
Neil spotted the two young women as soon as they walked into his shop. They were both very pretty, but he was particularly taken with the blonde who had a cheeky smile. His assistant, a witch named Debs, was attending to the only other customer in the shop, so Neil made his way over to the young women, who were in the costume section.
“Hi there, you two. Anything I can help you beautiful ladies with?”
The one with the cheeky smile blushed. “We’re going to a fancy dress party.”
“Well, you’re in the right shop.”
“Oh, yeah.” She giggled. “I suppose we are.”
“What were you thinking of going as?”
“Judy has picked out a witch costume. I thought I’d go as a fairy.”
“We have lots of fairy costumes. Have you seen them?”
“Yeah. The thing is, I was hoping to go as a green fairy.”
“Green? That’s a little unusual.”
“You only seem to have white, pink or yellow fairy costumes.”
“I’m sure there must be a green one in there somewhere.” Neil ushered them to one side. Then, with his back to them, he picked up one of the pink fairy costumes, and cast a spell to turn it green.
“Look, here’s one. Is that the sort of thing you’re looking for?”
The two women looked astonished, as well they might. They’d been through the rack three times, and there had been no sign of a green fairy costume.
“Yeah? That looks great.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, thanks. We’ll just take these two costumes.”
Neil put them into a bag, and took the payment. “Here you are.” He gave the blonde his business card. “If you need anything else, anything at all, just give me a call on that number.” He flashed her a smile, and she blushed again.
After they’d left, Neil turned around to find Debs standing behind him. She was giving him ‘that’ look of hers.
“What’s up with you?” he said.
“You’re dicing with death, Neil.”
“What do you mean? I was only being friendly to the customers.”
“I don’t mean your outrageous flirting. I saw what you did with that fairy costume. You changed it from pink to green.”
“They didn’t see me do it.”
“They’d already been through the rack. They knew there weren’t any green ones, and yet somehow you managed to produce one out of thin air. Don’t you think they might have found that a bit suspicious?”
“You worry too much, Debs. You should loosen up. Why don’t you come for a drink with me tonight? That’ll cheer you up.”
“I don’t need cheering up. I told you when you interviewed me for this job that I don’t mix work and pleasure. If Johnny knew you were trying to chat me up, he’d come around here and sort you out.”
“I’m not trying to chat you up. I’m just being friendly. What do you see in Johnny, anyway?”
“He’s a real man. That’s what I see in him.”
“He’s not a man at all. He’s a werewolf. He’s all muscles and no brains.”
“Watch it! If I tell him what you’ve said, he’ll rip your head off.”
Just then, two customers walked into the shop, and Debs hurried over to assist them.
Neil had badly misjudged Debs. When Charlie and Dorothy had resigned and left him in the lurch, he’d decided that he was going to employ some pretty young things, but Debs had turned out to be a nightmare. She was totally impervious to his charms.
Two kids came into the shop, and began to mess around in the far corner. They’d been in lots of times before, and never bought anything. They usually played with the stock, and then left it scattered around for Neil to tidy up. He wasn’t going to stand for it today. Neil checked to make sure that Debs wasn’t watching—he didn’t need another ear-bashing from her. When he was sure she was occupied, he cast a spell that made the mask, which the kids were playing with, start to talk. They dropped it and rushed, screaming, out of the shop.
After work, Neil called in at the bookshop where Dorothy worked, to see if she wanted a lift.
“No, thanks. I’m going to stay a little longer. Molly said she’ll give me a lift home.”
“Okay, see you back at the apartment.”
As Neil made his way to his car, he thanked his lucky stars that neither Charlie nor Dorothy knew anything about cars. They’d fallen for his story about having to spend last month’s rent on the cylinder head gasket. He’d actually spent the money on a new watch. Both Charlie and Dorothy had seen it, but he’d told them it was a present from his grandmother. He was way too smart for those two.
***
Back at the apartment, the first thing Neil saw when he walked in was the cat.
“Charlie, you’d better get rid of that thing. Dorothy will be home soon. She’s getting a lift with Molly. If it’s still here when she gets back, she’ll chuck it out of the window, and you after it, most likely.”
“Okay.” Charlie gathered up Pretty in his arms, and put her out of the door. “There you go, Pretty.” He’d no sooner said the words than the witch, who he’d bumped into earlier that day, came walking up the stairs.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” She flashed him another sexy smile. “Pretending to see to the cat just so you can bump into me?”
“No!” Charlie blushed. “I was just—err—I was putting Pretty out.” He tapped the cat on the backside. “Go on, Pretty. Go away before Dorothy comes home.”
“Dorothy? Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you had a girlfriend.” She sounded disappointed.
“Dorothy isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just flatmates. There are three of us. Well, four now, I guess.”
“That’s okay then.” She smiled and carried on upstairs.
Neil had been listening at the open door.
“What’s wrong with you, Charlie?”
“What do you mean?”
“Can’t you see that she fancies you?”
“Who?”
“Who do you think? The brunette you’ve just been talking to on the stairs.”
“Don’t be daft. I just happened to bump into her.”
“She fancies you something rotten.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Charlie, you’re hopeless. Look, why don’t I put a word in for you?”
“No, don’t you dare! Anyway, never mind about that. You’ll never guess what. We’ve got a new flatmate.”
“Where are they?”
“She was here earlier.”
“She?” Neil beamed.
“Yeah, but there’s bad news.”
“Don’t tell me she’s old and ugly.”
“No. It’s not that.” Charlie hesitated.
“What then?”
“She’s a human.”
“A human, eh? Is she a looker?”
“Yeah. She’s pretty, and she seems really smart.”
“Everybody seems smart to you, Charlie.”
“Watch it!”
“I’m glad she’s a human,” Neil said. “The last thing we needed was another ice maiden vampire, like Dorothy. So what’s her name, this human?”
“Susan. I can’t remember her last name.”
“And where is she now?”
“Gone to get her stuff from the motel. She should be back soon, but there’s something else you need to know about her.”
“Don’t tell me she’s got a boyfriend.”
“She works at The Bugle.”
“That rag? What does she do? Sell ads? Or is she a secretary?”
“No, she’s a reporter. An investigative reporter.”
“Interesting.”
“No, not interesting. It’s bad—very bad. You do know what an investigative reporter does, don’t you?”
“Let me think about it.” Neil scratched his chin. “Do they investigate stuff?”
“They’re on the lookout for big stories.”
“So?”
“Don’t you think that the presence of supernatural creatures here in Washbridge might constitute a big story?”
“Yeah, but she’s never going to find out, is she?”
“She will if you don’t curb your magic.”
“I don’t use it that much.”
“Yes, you do. You don’t even realise you’re doing it half the time. You won’t be able to once she’s moved in.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I think I’ll take a shower and get changed. I want to give a good first impression to this new flatmate of ours.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. He might have known that would be Neil’s reaction. All he could think about was whether he could pull their new flatmate.
The sink was still full of dishes, so Charlie decided he’d better wash them because no one else was going to. He’d no sooner started than the door opened, and Susan walked in. She was struggling to carry three suitcases.
Charlie quickly wiped his hands, and rushed over. “Here, let me take those.”
“I’m okay,” she said, but she clearly wasn’t.
He grabbed the three cases, and took them through to her room. When he came back out, Susan had picked up the tea towel.
“You don’t need to do that,” he said. “This is our mess. We should clear it up.”
“We’re flatmates now, aren’t we? You wash. I’ll wipe.”
They were still at it when Neil reappeared. He was bare-chested, wearing only jeans.
“Oh?” he said, rubbing his hair with a towel. “I didn’t realise we had company.”
Charlie glared at him. He knew full well that Neil must have heard Susan come in. This was typical of him. “Neil, this is Susan, our new flatmate.”
“Hi. Pleased to meet you.” Neil walked over to the kitchen. We’ve been looking for a new flatmate for ages.
You’ll fit the bill nicely.”
She offered her hand, but instead of shaking it, he put it to his lips, and kissed it gently. If he thought that would impress her, he was sadly wrong.
“Charlie tells me you work at The Bugle.”
“Yeah, I started there today.”
“An investigative reporter, eh?”
“That’s right.”
“Sounds exciting. Where did you work before?”
“In London.”
“Why would you leave there for this backwater?”
“I actually grew up in Washbridge. I left when I went to uni.”
“Do you have family up here?”
“Yeah.”
“And friends?”
“A few.”
“What about your boyfriend? Is he still in London?”
Susan had met men like Neil before.
Or at least that’s what she thought.
Chapter 6
“Why do you always act so cold towards him?” Molly asked, after Dorothy had refused Neil’s offer of a lift home. Molly was a fellow vampire who had started work at the bookshop six months before Dorothy.
“He gets on my nerves, and he’s always trying to hit on me. I wish I could afford my own car so I wouldn’t have to rely on him.”
“I think he’s rather cute.” Molly grinned.
“Yeah, but then you think any male with a pulse is cute. Come to think of it, you’ve even been out with a few that don’t have a pulse.”
“Hey! You cheeky mare. That’s not true. Well, not entirely. Neil’s a good-looking guy.”
“You’re right. He is. The problem is, he knows it. That’s why I quit my job at the fancy dress shop. He was doing my head in. It’s bad enough sharing an apartment with him, but working with him all day too? No, thank you very much.”
“Do you think he might go out with me?”
“Of course he will. Just flutter your eyelashes, and he’ll come running.”
“Is it okay if I come up to your apartment with you when I take you home?”
“Sure, but you’ll live to regret it if you hook up with Neil. He’ll two time you. And then he’ll dump you.”
