Black Crow

by Jen Pretty

  “All right, just be careful,” she said and hung up. My chuckle echoed through the stairwell as I tucked my phone away.

  “Good morning Selena,” the booming voice of the building super rang up the stairs from below.

  I leaned over the railing in the middle.

  “Morning, David,” I replied before scurrying down the rest of the stairs.

  “How are things?” he asked, holding the door open for me.

  “Can’t complain,” I replied, and he smiled as I sailed through the door and into the lobby. I checked my mailbox, but it was just fliers, so I left them and waved to David as I walked out the front door onto the street.

  Work was busy again. Saturdays always seemed to bring out the families, so I made hundreds of burgers and chicken nuggets.

  “Did you hear about those dead bodies?” This time it was Georgia who brought it up. It was big news in our city since we didn’t have much crime. People were throwing the word ‘serial killer’ around.

  “Yeah, don’t go out alone at night,” I said, scraping grease off the grill.

  “No kidding. I asked the boss man to keep us on shift together.”

  “That won't help if you leave me at my place and walk the rest of the way alone,” I reminded her.

  “We can take an Uber then. My father gave me his account, so I wouldn’t have to walk anywhere after dark.” Her smile was ridiculous. Her father was a church minister and had no idea what his little girl did in the dark nightclubs. He had come into the diner once, and Georgia pulled out this weird alter-ego that was so sickeningly sweet I got a stomachache.

  “All right, fine,” I said, flicking off the lights and grabbing a bag of trash. “Call the Uber, I’ll just take this out, and then we can go.”

  Georgia hopped off the counter where she had been sitting and grabbed her phone out of her purse. It was silly to get a ride three blocks, but better safe than sorry.

  I pushed open the door to the alley behind the diner. The various businesses that had back doors all used the same three dumpsters. One was recycling.

  The law firm packed that one with shredded paper, and the coffee shop topped it off with used paper cups. Another was specifically for grease from my grill, and the last was just garbage. I stepped out into the dark, propping the door open behind me. There was a motion light above the door, but I had to take one more step before the sensor would pick up my movement and flick on.

  I looked down just before I took that step and saw a shadow on the ground. I twisted with the bag of garbage to try to avoid whatever was on the ground as the light flicked on and I toppled sideways onto the pavement, landing within reach of what turned out to be a dead cat. I screamed and rolled away from it. Magic swelled, and I clamped it back down, averting my eyes. There was movement at the end of the alley. It looked like the back of a person, disappearing around the corner. Like a man in a trench coat.

  I grabbed the bag of garbage and threw it towards the dumpster. Good enough. Then I hopped over the poor dead cat, holding my magic down as hard as I could. I pulled open the back door and slid in, locking it behind me.

  I took deep gulps of air and tried to calm down. My hands clenched into fists and I pushed the magic back from the edge. If I had been holding any more magic, I wouldn’t have been able to keep it under control and would have had to raise the stupid cat ghost.

  “You ok?” Georgia peeked out from the kitchen. “I thought I heard a scream.”

  “A cat scared me,” I said, faking a laugh.

  Georgia shook her head. “Well, let's go, scaredy-cat. Our chariot awaits!”

  It took about 4 seconds to get home in the Uber. Georgia explained we didn’t want to walk at night with the murderer on the loose and the guy agreed, with a solemn look, that it wasn’t right for pretty girls to walk home un-escorted. I rolled my eyes, but Georgia preened and batted her eyelashes. She never missed an opportunity to flirt.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said.

  “Ok, I’m going to my dad’s tomorrow, but call me in the morning.”

  “All right,” I said, shutting the door and fishing my keys out of my pocket.

  The Uber rolled off and left me in the silence of the late evening. It seemed more quiet than usual. I climbed the stairs to my apartment, lost in thoughts of the man in the trench coat. There was no way some man was out behind the restaurant. Why would he be? I was just freaked out by the dead cat. Unless he put it there. He could have seen me the previous night and known who I was. I ran the rest of the way up and locked myself in my apartment.

  My mind was freaking me out. All this talk of serial killers was making me crazy. I pulled out my phone and began to dial Dorothy’s number, but changed my mind. I grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn from the cupboard and tossed it in the microwave. I switched the TV on to the movie channel, so I would be sure not to see any more news. A nice romantic comedy would help calm my overactive imagination.

  I woke the next afternoon to the sound of French voices on TV. My bleary eyes tried to focus on the screen, but something hard was under my face. When I reached up and grabbed it, I realized it was the remote. I snorted a laugh and clicked the power button. Silence fell, and I pushed myself up off the couch.

  In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. The side of my face was a pattern of circles from the TV remote. I laughed at my reflection and flicked on the shower. My hair was nearly blonde now; the dye never held to my hair for long. I would have to pick up more dye today unless I wanted to be noticeable. Plans for the day finalized, I had a quick shower and then got dressed to go to the pharmacy. Grabbing my keys, I swung open the door, and my magic gathered hard and fast. I looked down and found a dead rabbit on the floor in front of my door.

  I slammed the door hard and gasped for air, clenching my hands to hold the magic back. Someone knew. There was no way to deny it now. A rabbit didn’t just walk into the building and die on my doorstep. I pulled my phone out and dialed Dorothy.

  chapter three

  “Someone knows,” I shouted into the phone as soon as I heard Dorothy’s soft hello.

  “What do you mean?” She asked, her voice rising quickly to match my own.

  “Someone saw me, I think. Then there was a dead cat at the restaurant, and right now there is a dead rabbit at the door to my apartment.”

  “Damn it.” I had never heard Dorothy swear. The words just escalated my fear and tension. I tucked the phone into my shoulder, dragged a suitcase out from under my futon and stuffed it with clothes. I had no idea where I was going, but I had to go. Now.

  “Come home. Get off the phone and call a cab to bring you here.”

  “Ok, ok. See you soon.” I hung up before she could answer and opened the app to find a ride. It said the closest car was seven minutes away, so I continued to jam things in my suitcase. I tucked a hat on my head, stuffing my hair up under it and pulled on a big jacket.

  When my ride was only a minute away, I slid out the door without looking at the dead bunny. The echo of my boots in the stairwell sounded like someone chasing me, and I ran faster, nearly falling at the bottom when I tripped on the last step. I slammed out the door of the stairwell and into the lobby.

  David was there speaking with an older woman I had seen around the building before.

  “Hey, Selena. Are you ok?” he asked noticing my flushed and harried appearance.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just taking some things to my aunt's house,” I said. He looked perplexed, but I didn’t stick around to let him ask questions. I bustled past him and out the front door.

  Sitting at the curb was the same Uber driver I had last time. The plastic hula dancer swayed to the reggae music inside.

  The driver hopped out when he saw me and stuffed my suitcase in the trunk of his car. It was already half full with a giant set of wooden speakers, but he managed to fit my stuff in too. I climbed in and gave him the address.

  Dorothy lived in a subdivision on the other side of town. I
leaned back and tried to slow my racing heart. My leg bounced with anxiety. This was stupid. She wouldn’t be able to protect me. I should run, not bring danger right to her door.

  I rubbed my forehead. Sparks swirled inside me like a toilet. I needed to calm down, or it would come pouring out. I took a few more deep breaths and counted down from a hundred like Dorothy had taught me all those years ago.

  Calm started to seep in, slowing the fire until it stopped spitting and just flickered against my skin. The Uber driver sang along to the music and cruised us across the bridge to the suburbs. Ornamental trees lined the smaller streets. They had designed the neighbourhood for retired people, with rows of semi-detached bungalows. Hedges and short fences lined the perfectly weeded gardens and mowed lawns. People strolled along the sidewalks, chatting.

  The car rolled to a stop; the driver got out and fished my luggage out of the trunk. I watched the roads for anyone following us.

  “Thanks.” I took my suitcase and lugged it up the few steps to the front door. The afternoon sun burned my eyes as I glanced over my shoulder one last time.

  “Selena.” Dorothy’s voice almost brought tears to my eyes.

  I wrapped her up in a hug and then hurried her into the house, locking the door behind me.

  “It’s OK; you’re safe here,” she said. I moved past her, through the kitchen to the back patio door. It was also unlocked, so I turned the lock and then turned my eyes to the kitchen window, but her voice stopped me.

  “Selena, I have someone here I’d like you to meet.”

  I looked past her, and standing in the doorway to the living room was a man holding a broad-brimmed hat and wearing a trench coat. It was him. I reached behind me and pulled a butcher knife out of the block, then held it in front of me, pointed at the man.

  “Come over here, Dorothy,” I said, eyes locked on the intruder.

  “What are you doing? Put the knife down!” she demanded.

  “I saw him. He’s the one who saw me, and he left the cat.” I said, waving her towards me.

  The man's lip curled on one side, and I narrowed my eyes at him, taking a step forward.

  “She’s brave for a necromancer, Dorothy.” The man's voice oozed like heavy cream.

  “You shut up,” I said, waving the knife towards him.

  He bit his lip, hiding a smile and raised his hands in surrender. He thought I was funny?

  “Sweet girl, this man won’t hurt you. If you saw him, it's because I asked him to keep an eye on you.”

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  “You have heard about the killings. Those weren’t ordinary people who died. They had magic, like you. Kind of.”

  All the air left my lungs. There were five people like me in the city, and now they were dead.

  “I thought I was the only one,” I whispered.

  The man dropped his hands and let his smile creep back onto his face. “I’m afraid not. Dorothy did a great job training you, but she should have alerted us to your presence sooner. We can help you and protect you.”

  I shook my head. “If someone has murdered five other people just like me, you can’t keep me safe.”

  He put his hat back on his head and smiled at me. “Sure I can.” In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me and holding the big butcher knife. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and the whole room went sideways.

  Lights flashed and burned my eyes for half a second and then I was in a busy room set up with tables and chairs like a cafeteria. People were holding trays of food and chatting, ignoring us.

  I shoved trench coat man away and looked around for an exit. On the far wall, there was a door, and I made a run for it. I didn’t care if Dorothy said he was fine; he had just done some weird magic and teleported me somewhere. I tripped over the chairs and backpacks that littered the path between the tables. People noticed me and stopped what they were doing to watch.

  “Selena, just wait a minute.” the man said from behind me, but there was no way I was waiting for anything.

  I reached the door and pushed it open, stumbling out into the mid-afternoon sun — except the world wasn’t right. Fire flooded me. I fell to the ground, trying to hold it all in. I had to keep it from sparking out and alerting more people. The flames bloated me and stretched my skin, making me feel like a balloon about to pop.

  “Just let it go,” the man said from right beside me. “You can’t hold it all.”

  I was panting, barely able to fill my lungs; the fire used up so much space.

  “If you don’t let go, you’ll pass out. I’m cool either way,” the man said, leaning back against the wall of the building.

  My vision was going black around the edges. A face I recognized moved into my field of view.

  “Jesus, you could have prepared her better,” the vampire DJ said.

  “I tried; she pulled a knife on me. I thought this would expedite the situation.”

  “You’re an asshole,” the DJ said to trench coat.

  The blackness took over my vision, and I set my head down on the ground as I lost consciousness.

  “Well, you’re an idiot,” I didn’t recognize the voice.

  “I’m an idiot? She is the one who pointed a knife at me.” That was trench coat. The jerk.

  “She couldn’t kill you with a knife!” the first man said.

  “Exactly my point!” trench coat countered.

  “Shut up, both of you,” an older voice broke in.

  I didn’t want to open my eyes. My fire had snuffed out. I felt empty as if I had just raised a wraith. I hoped that no one saw it.

  “You can open your eyes, Selena,” the older voice said, closer to my ear.

  I opened one eye and peeked at him. He was a man late in life. His hair and bushy beard were both grey, making him look like Santa or a wizard.

  He chuckled, “Very close on the second one.”

  I furrowed my brow.

  “We prefer the term warlock,” he said.

  “Did you just read my mind?” I asked, my voice scratchy. I cleared my throat.

  “Yes, but we will get to that later. How about you rest for now?”

  I looked around. There were beds lined up with white sheets and patterned curtains separated each bed.

  “You are in a hospital,” the warlock said. “My name is Niri. You have already met Falcor and Anick.” he said indicating trench coat and then the vampire. “That’s enough for now. We can chat more once you have recovered. Please don’t go outside until we can talk.”

  Niri turned and walked past the other two men, who looked down at their shoes until the door clicked shut behind the old warlock.

  “I’m going to get something to eat. You can babysit,” trench coat/Falcor said.

  “Whatever,” the Dj, Anick, replied. The door didn’t open, but Falcor disappeared, and Anick perched on a stool in the corner, staring down at his phone. I studied his profile for a few minutes, trying to decide if I would fall over if I stood up.

  “Why are you staring at me?” he asked without looking up from his phone.

  “Sorry,” I muttered and pushed myself up to sitting. My vision blurred, but I grabbed onto the sides of the hospital bed and waited for it to pass. I felt empty still.

  No flickering flame at all.

  I opened my hand and looked at my palm. Then pushed a little and tried to get a spark, but there was none. I pressed harder, but still nothing. I started to breathe harder again, trying to find something. Was it gone? All of it? I felt like my chest would cave in. There was nothing inside me at all.

  “What are you freaking out about?” Anick asked, eyes still glued to his cell phone. “Your heart is racing.”

  “I have no fire.” I threw back the sheet covering me and moved to stand up. All the blood raced away from my brain, and I wobbled, flailing my arms. A strong pair of hands grabbed me and steadied me on my feet. My fingers wrapped up in Anick’s t-shirt, and I stabilized myself.

  I took some deep breaths an
d tried to calm down, as Dorothy had taught me. “I want to go home,” I said, my voice scratching.

  “That’s not safe. There is a monster running around killing people in your hometown,” his voice was low.

  “I’m empty,” I said, a tear breaking over my eyelid and trailing down my cheek. I couldn’t let go of the man, or I would fall, but I wanted to hide away. My whole life I had wished to be normal; now I was, and I hated it. I felt empty without the stupid flames.

  Anick looked over his shoulder at the door, then reached in his pocket and pulled out a vial, corked with a rubber stopper, like the little tubes the doctor fills with your blood when they draw it for testing. He looked over his shoulder once more and popped the top of the vial, and it was like a few days’ worth of embers filled my body. I took a deep breath and a wave of dizziness washed over me from the sudden onslaught, but it relieved the empty feeling.

  “It won't last, this place eats magic for breakfast, but you look better already. I’ve never met someone with magic who wasn’t raised here. Falcor shouldn’t have brought you so suddenly.”

  I released him and slid back onto the bed. I let a spark into my palm. It sizzled and disappeared as if I had used it or a giant vacuum had sucked it up. I would have to hold on tight if I didn't want to lose my fire again.

  I felt awkward in front of Anick now. My emotional moment was weird.

  Shit.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep instead. I wanted to ask questions about this place, where I was and why there was no magic, but I was so tired my eyelids wouldn’t stay open. So I let them stay closed and told my brain to shut up.

  Flames swirled under my skin. I let my arms and legs sink into the feeling of heaviness. It felt like a thick blanket was pinning me down, and sleep washed over me.

  chapter four

  Sun was shining through a window when I woke up. My alarm hadn't gone off. I sat up suddenly and looked around, giving myself a head rush before I remembered I was in some weird hospital or something. Somewhere with no magic.

  “You finally awake?” Falcor suddenly appeared at the end of my bed.