A New Roommate

DONNA

"M

ind passing the jam?"

I pluck my eyes from this caffeinated sock juice I dared to make. Fay's eating like a cavemonster, and frankly, I'm happy to see she's got an appetite—she tends to skip so many meals lately...

The girl hasn't showered, her mascara is streaked, and her hair is scruffy, but not as messed up as I am now. I don't even have the cheek to talk about last night's party, let alone what happened earlier in the bathroom with Deon.

My fingertips press against the pot. Ergh... It's sweating with stickiness as well as from its recent stay in the fridge.

"Here." The jam pot slides over the island, along with my question. "What's with this Deon guy? He's so... blunt."

Of course, the derisive look. Fay must give it to me. It's all there: the silent smirk and the eyebrow lift.

I swallow my coffee. I can feel it burning down my throat like the breath of a demon.

"Gargoyle." Her smirk is still there, even as she munches on her toast.

"What do you mean?"

My stomach can't help but twinge as I look at those drops of jam dripping from it, bile hiking at every splat on the plate. I don't know how Fay does it; I can't eat a thing. The thought of food is giving me a proper stomach kick—really, whatever is inside could roll out at any moment.

Ah. Now the fairy is thirsty. She sips this glass filled with orange juice, and I wince when a slurping sound erupts. I can't stay in the kitchen, not if we want to avoid having biological abstract art splashed all over the counter. Please, woman, speed up this exchange! "Tell me!"

Fay's giggles echo in her glass.

Me? I smile casually, heat mounting on my cheeks.

Meanwhile, Fay is giddy with joy, her eyes gradually creasing with satisfaction as her mouth shapes a perfect 'O'. "So cute."

"What is so cute?" There's no smile on my face, just a flare-up of the lips.

"You."

An atrocious titter spews out of my mouth. To further strip me of dignity, I throw my stupid hair back before it bathes in the sugar-coated gunk and lean on my elbows. "Honey, whatever you're thinking, you're wrong."

Her glass hits the marble, and my lips pinch when fairy dust speckles from her. Taking a pose like mine, she transfixes me. "Yeah, right."

She knows Deon is trying to get at me, and I'm going to swim around her suspicions because she's wrong. Deon isn't getting anywhere.

Eventually, Fay releases a breathy, "They can't lie." The glass begins to thrum as it slides from one grip to another. She's all snarky, chewing her inner cheek like a lawyer with a lead, a hound on a scent, a tracker on the target... The brat's loving this!

"There's no filter. You know, heaven-sent and all that stuff. There's not a sin in them. Well... they indulge in promiscuous stuff, sure, but it's all very genuine."

"He can't lie?" I'm getting a dry eye from no flutters, replaying last night's exchange with a solid feeling to end my life anew.

"No." This frigging loud orange juice glass finally, and thank gods, stops sounding on the marble. However, peace is short-lived when I see her hand wrap over my wrist. "Problem is, Deon doesn't want anything to do with relationships. I mean, the stable ones, so to speak."

"Yeah, I get it," I reply, drinking my coffee by smell alone, my nostrils steaming up with a sort of rage. It infuriates me to the nth because I don't get why.

I watch Fay mumble as her chin ducks. She shuffles on her chair and brings a hand down her thighs. "Damn mosquitoes..."

My eyelashes flail slowly because I know the mosquito in person...

"Do we still have mosquito diffusers?"

I clear my throat. "Check the cupboard under the sink. So... um... the reason I'm talking about Deon is..." This stuff has to go, or it will inflate inside me until it explodes. "He's coming to stay with us."

Fayra stills, and I couldn't be happier for this toast halting inches from her mouth. "What?"

"Something to do with the fairy murders. With Tyke being away, maybe Deon feels redeemable for you and Tyke..."

"Donna, the city is full of fairies... This is stupid. Why would I be more of a target than anyone else?"

"It's because of Vym."

I cough to this sudden saturation in the air, her wings glowing oddly.That's... definitely new.

A nasally groan leaches out of her. "Donna. You're family. Don't join the fucked-up speciest crew."

"I was joking." I gulp and then hack a breath or two, which have now turned into a row of coughs. My assertiveness couldn't be more on point.

And then, it's as if my synapses misfire, I say, "Deon had a leak. It damaged all his furniture. All of it. It's so damp, it even caused Cerberios to catch a cold."

The bloody gargoyle can't lie. What if I leave him unsupervised with Fay? I can hear the hollow of good judgment screeching in despair as I imagine Fay bursting into Goldfae Sacks, her wings beaming a glitter of endless possibilities on how to end me.

And now Fay's eyes widen at this pathetic lie, my smile stiffening like a bar of steel.

What did I say now?

"Cerberios... Yes!"

The breath I just freed was huge. Gods... She scares the shit out of me sometimes.

"I'm so happy, Donna. Cerberios is such a great puppy."

Oh yes, the dog. Great news for my couch.

Our heads bob at the sound of the news rolling in the background. I grab the remote to bring the sound up.

"The bodies of ten fairies were discovered between Nympsos and Centry Street at Hirion Junction. Police are linking the murders with those of Los Demones. The total number of victims amounts now to 367..."

"Shit," escapes from my lips.

"Lastly, a strange consumption pattern has been identified across the country. Stores are out of nails, screws, and items made of metal."

"With us is Firuy, the Home I have hell waiting for me 24/5 with the name of Kravenen.

Still, I'm blissing, prancing toward my coat in the entryway. It's hanging there, calling me, begging for my touch. Because, indeed, my pocket holds a secret…

"Any news about your suspension?" There's no harm in asking.

"Nope. And I don't care. I'm moving out."

Out?!

Well, things are moving smoothly today. Fay finally gets into a relationship, and I, well... My mind is racing as I dig a hand deep into my pocket, the smile that comes from the coolness of a keychain in my affectionate grip, far stretched.

For the little story, I was jogging back home yesterday morning and spotted a car dealership. On the sidewalk, the manager and a couple of his sales representatives were mounting a large sticker board for one of the shop's large window panels. 'Flash sale before permanent closure.' There was this model I kept eying for the past months...

So I walked in, and out. But this time, I had car keys in my hands.

So bloody excited!

But not as much as I am for Fay. Finally, the gods have answered my prayer. Not only will Tyke aid her in life, but I can now find someone to take care of the other half of my rent, too! "When?"

"Not asking who I'm going to live with?"

While my arms tuck into my coat sleeves, shuffling my shoulders for a snug fit, my face fills with grins. "Let me guess..." I unhook my satchel from the wall and turn to face her. She's beaming like a powered-up bulb. "Does he grunt every time he's uncomfortable, has two tusks, is built like a god made of emerald, and has to bend his head each time he passes a doorway?"

She giggles, orange juice squirting from the glass.

"Dork." And she is, one hundred percent dork-made and certified.

"You're a dork," she says, jerking her mouth forth, jesting, blushing, and chuckling like there's no end to her love-struck cuteness.

"Maybe. So, when?"

"I don't know. Depends when Tyke comes back. Can be within a day, a week... a month."

It might be a migraine flare-up, or it might just be confusion, but my eyebrows collide into one another so much it hurts. "That can be any time..." Despite the slowness of my jinn-intoxicated mind, my head still snaps back, even if two seconds late. "Like today or?—"

"Forgot to tell you, he-he."

"You've definitely been Tyke-brained." And I'm pretty proud of myself. Playing Cupid finally paid off... not that I won't miss her.

She tangles her fingers with one another, merging her hands and imitating pulses beating out of her chest.

I'm shaking my head. Fay's far gone. Her mind is only on one track, Tyke's. Honestly, I've never seen her like this."I'm happy for you." I am.

Fuck, I'm going to miss her.

"And I'm happy to report that you've already found a new roommate," she says. That weasel smile of hers...

My face suddenly melts as my brain connects, Deon!

I'm...

Stuck with Deon.

Even if I changed my mind about Deon having to move in, I really can't. Water damage isn't something that vanishes from one day to another. I added some heart-wrenching effect with the dog being sick...

Shit.

Some people have it so easy.

I'm not one of those people.

Why? I don't know. Guess it's just the way things are.

I'm about to leave when the breaking news background music catches my attention.

"Bringing this morning's news to a close, a report emerged a few minutes ago about mass protesters clashing with Minostar police forces. It's all going live with correspondent Wiza Jolycast. Wiza, tell us more about the situation."

Minostar? I release the door handle and turn toward the TV.

"Thank you, Joan. Earlier last night, minotaur and orc crepuscule group linked with the terrorist group, Revolutionary Monster Brigade, was uncovered by police armed forces, leading to a large-scale rebellion. According to minotaurs, this is all a hoax designed to pit monsters against one another. I have Garek, a baker in the Minostar district of Horns and Bulls, with me. Garek, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Orcs are playing it nice. Instead of pointing fingers at them, you should look at how the faefolk treat them. I would have gone crazy a long time ago. Hey, Fidr, If you want to trigger mayhem, find another scapegoa?—"

"Joan, here. There was a cut. We have a little bit of network issues here. We'll take it over, Wiza. Thank you, and stay safe.

"As we have witnessed, minotaurs have been massively protesting, creating chaos throughout the city and disrespecting our highest symbol of freedom, President Fidr. But what is this really about?

"Over the last two years, there have been growing concerns about the two cities of New Orc and Minostar. Built on Orcana land after its downfall, a vast region now called Old Orcana, a few miles from Faerhan's original demarcations and the Great Orc Wall, these cities, sometimes referred to as the Cities of Hope, were supposed to bring orcs and fae together. Skyscrapers rose at an unprecedented rate, with an ebb and flow of the economy..."

I blow, opening the door. "Pfft. We're not the only ones on fire. All the West Coast is rioting." My eyes swivel to Fay for a comment.

She's not even turning around to face the news, instead keeping her back to it, mechanically chewing with a gaze as dull as flat sirenpaigne.It appears she's fazing out again—something she does from time to time, whenever life gets too scary or feels too out of control for her to handle.

"To push the nation forward, many other cities were initially envisioned for Orcana. However, the regional tensions led to these plans being halted. With what the locals call the New Wall, a border set behind the Great Orc Walls due to stakeout orc infringements, many question the future of these once prosperous cities, with police precincts now requesting military assistance due to rising crime rates. The mayor of Minostar describes the city as being 'a war zone.'

"President Fidr has not yet responded to the appeal, but an investigation is undoubtedly underway.

"Others have demanded the removal of the New Wall. These borders, which were supposed to be temporary, are believed to restrict citizens' ability to claim land, with some blaming high rent and scarcity of lodging for the deteriorating situation. But the case is not that simple. Sociologist, Polleen Rose, mandated by the fae wing party to look into the cause of the tensions, describes those events as 'undesirable chemical reactions in which two elements not meant to be together can result in explosions.' She further states, 'If the orcs refuse to cooperate, we cannot force them. However, they need to be removed from civil life if this is the case.' The president's press secretary pointed out the sighting of savage orcs in Old Orcana and stated that the land is still unsafe for habitation. No change will be made to the current border until all orcs are pacified. Attempting to cross it puts citizens at risk of being mistaken for orcs and being shot?—"

"Savage..." Small but full of anger, her voice is lower than a whisper, yet as threatening as a growl. Her lips tremble, her hand holding the toast just as much.

A shiver runs through me as I linger at the door's threshold. "By the way, what's the plan with Tyke? New flat in town? Are you going to move into his current one?"

Fay's face turns dark as jam slides down her toast. "As I said, I'm going back to bed."

I suck in my cheeks as she drops bread and hands on the counter, pushes her legs from under it, and hops off her stool.

Trying to decide whether to leave or stay, I keep swinging the door in my hand like a confused reader, flipping a page back and forth. "Fay, it was just a question." It wasn't. I don't want her dead body to rot in a bush because she ran away with her boyfriend in the wrong direction. And I know Tyke; I know where his heart is.

Fay doesn't even turn around, preferring to walk by the sofa's armrest where the remote is.

"I'm moving out. That's all there is to know." She grabs the remote, turns the TV off, and hurls it at the sofa.

I gasp.

As it bounces and crashes on the ground inches from the carpet, it ejects two batteries, one of which becomes visible as it rolls toward me. A tug of my lips steepens with concern as I feel my breath catch. I won't ask for more, though there's an urge to protest, would that be for the state of my remote.

Little glints on my hand snag my attention. My face rotates from the left to the ceiling to the window. Pixie dust is overwhelming the flat at an unprecedented rate. "Fay... Come on."

"Have a good day." A fluttering sound accompanies her flight to her bedroom, her wings burbling with violence like a wasp.

From now on, she'll do her best to protect him.

And that part worries me.

The door slams shut, the bang rippling into my chest. I want to tell her what she needs to know.

Tell her no matter how hard they try to hide it, what Tyke and she have shines too brightly. The world will end up taking it from them, for the devil dresses in the skin of gods, melting the golden shrines beautiful things are made of.