2. Two

Two

Rainbow

"I'll take it."

Okay, so it needed work. I got that. The price, I thought, reflected the condition. It wasn't anything structural, or with the electricity supply, or even the plumbing. It was a fricking steal!

So what if it needed a new kitchen, bathrooms, and probably some new internal walls? The roof was sound. None of the exterior walls needed fixing. I could have an open plan living situation, or hang some posters until I had the time to do something with the place. I could even learn how to hang wallpaper. Decorating this place could fill some time while I decided what to do with myself.

While the place gave off a mildly creepy vibe, all the houses near it were well maintained and cute looking. My prospective house was the outlier. It had lain empty for a while. Yet, with a bit of elbow grease, some fresh paint, it could match the other houses. It could be a cute place to live. Besides, the biggest selling point was the backyard. It was huge! Plenty of room for a much bigger greenhouse than the one I'd had before.

The listing for the house was rather limited with its information, though they had paid for the necessary surveys, likely so they could get it to sell. No details on the previous owners, or even much about the surrounding area, though. So I was going into this blind. From the photos, I could see before I even visited that it needed work. A lot of work.

Really, the main reason for picking this house was the vibe I got whenever I looked at it. That, and it was available for immediate entry, getting me out of the motel, which was steadily eating at my funds, and which Jinx hated.

I could make do with the ancient appliances in the kitchen so I could have a home cooked meal. The bathroom would be tolerable once I chucked a few gallons of bleach on it to find out if the bath was truly yellow or was supposed to be white. It was habitable as long as I did some deep cleaning. Really give the place some of the TLC it was long overdue for.

If I couldn't bear to see the garish colors it was painted and papered in, I could take off my glasses. Rare gray-scale color blindness for the win, right? Yep, I couldn't see colors at all unless I wore the specially spelled glasses. As a witch, I could spell my eyes, but that was a tricky spell and took a lot of power to maintain. Putting the spell on an object was less draining, hence the glasses I constantly wore. Colors with plants and potion making were pretty important. Ask me how I know. Hard lessons all round.

Stressed and tired, I lifted my glasses and rubbed my eyes. The lack of color was actually a relief. Maybe I'd keep my glasses off until I got the place like I wanted it. Glasses back in place, I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. My hair was getting too long, nearly to my chin. When I had time, I'd cut it.

"Are you sure?" the realtor asked me hesitantly. I could guarantee they were delighted to get this place sold, yet they were worried I would cave to the pressure and fork up the sale before it went through.

"Absolutely!" I said, making sure to smile extra brightly. All I needed was a decent roof over my head and power. Both of which the house would provide me. Everything else could wait.

"They purchased some of the furniture in here for staging," she pointed to a list, muttering, "I don't know why they bothered," under her breath. "They are offering some of it for a small additional price. It's in great condition. The mattress, for example, is brand new."

Frankly, I agreed with her. The owners really shouldn't have bothered buying new furniture and art for the place. It was like polishing a turd. Utterly pointless, since it didn't distract me from the flaws of the house.

Still… I liked it. Something about the shabby place was charming. I knew I'd feel right at home here once I had my own things and it was clean. If I was too busy setting up my store, I could get someone in to repaint if the inner walls weren't too bad. There was potential.

"Oh!" I looked at the list and then at some items. "That would be useful. I'd like to buy them, please." I listed the things I wanted her to leave.

She lit up. "Of course!" The figure she gave me for the furniture was cheap. Too cheap. Yet I was too desperate to own a place of my own to question anything.

Together, we came to an agreement. I would pay for half of the house, including most of the contents, and they would have someone pick up the rest and give it a thorough clean in the next couple of days so I could move in. Once I took possession, I would pay the remainder. I was so grateful I had the cash to buy it and wouldn't have to jump through hoops to get in early. I did not like the motel. Jinx wasn't himself there.

The motel had been the only place with vacancies in the town, and I'd been so exhausted I was sure I was seeing things. Stopping to sleep was a must. I'd found myself drawn to this general area on the map once I'd put enough distance between home and me to calm down enough to decide where I was going. After some quick research, I learned that there were plenty of amenities nearby and some houses in my price range. It was pretty much the perfect place for me to set down some roots. My gut told me this was where I was supposed to be.

I'd pulled into the motel, gotten a room quickly and dragged myself, a suitcase, and my familiar to our temporary home. Jinx had hated it. Even with his vivarium plugged in properly and a fresh batch of crickets, he'd stayed on constant alert. There had to be something he was picking up that I wasn't. Maybe a funky smell.

"Let me step away so I can speak to my office and the cleaners we usually hire."

"Sure."

The realtor went into one of the bedrooms to have a brief conversation on her phone before she returned to my side.

"Good news! Someone will be by later to take away all the unnecessary items and to clean it. Everything being well, you can have the keys tomorrow afternoon. I'll call you in the morning to let you know either way." Her expression was so hopeful. There must have been a lot riding on this sale for her.

Tomorrow? That was fantastic! There was so much for me to do before then.

"Thank you so much! I can't wait to move in."

Her smile became strained, the spark in her eyes died a little. The atmosphere between us cooled slightly. Had I done something wrong? "That's fantastic. I hope you are very happy here."

"Could you do me a favor?" She almost winced at my question. "Is there a place nearby I could go for bedding, towels, and other things I'll need? I didn't pack a lot of things with me. I've got nothing in storage, just what could fit in my car."

She almost sagged with relief. I'd dwell on that later. "Oh, um, there's a big box store in the next town, which is only a twenty minutes' drive from here. You can get pretty much anything there."

"Great! Is there a pet store nearby too? I need a new heat bulb for my vivarium." As great as magic was, the use of the crystals was a pain. The magic constantly needed topping up. The crystals would need recharging on the full moon too. I'd swapped over to the bulbs and then blown one. There was no spare. The manager of the motel blamed the old electrical system.

"Vivarium?"

"Oh! You haven't met Jinx!" I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out my sleeping familiar. He had on a specially crocheted rainbow colored mini hoodie to keep him warm in the brisk early November weather.

The lady nearly landed on her ass as she jumped back, attempting to flee from the bearded dragon in my hands. Jinx gave a sort of mental huff as I pulled him closer, worried she had hurt herself. I didn't get proper communication from him, more impressions and feelings. It worked for us.

"Sugar and spice!" She giggled at herself. "Sorry, I didn't know what I thought you were going to pull out of your pocket there!"

I winced. "I'm sorry. Didn't think."

"No!" she exclaimed, her hand resting over her heart. "I overreacted. It's just this place… a strange man… me… You get it, don't you?"

"Of course! Sorry, I didn't think about any of that and I should have. I didn't mean to startle you." My voice was layered with regret. I should have said something before yanking my familiar out of my pocket. I just hadn't thought about what it looked like.

She laughed again, calming. "I nearly cursed! My mama would be horrified if I used a swear in front of a client."

It was my turn to laugh. "I wouldn't have minded. I don't use curse words myself, but I'm not about to police anyone's vocabulary."

Her smile was warm, banishing all the fear from her face. "You are a sweet man, Rainbow."

"Bow, please." I relaxed, grateful she was no longer on her guard with me. Although she was a pretty woman, I was only interested in men.

"Not Rain?"

"Nah, my mama said I was too sunny to go by Rain. I was a gift, so Bow would be better."

"Well, now you mention it, I agree with your mama, Bow. Can I meet your pet?"

"Sure!" I held Jinx out so she could see him better. "This is Jinx."

"What kind of… creature is he?"

"He's a bearded dragon. Very loving and smart." Jinx preened at the compliment.

"Aww, he's kinda cute!"

He bristled a little to show off, his spikes waving with his movement. Then bobbed his head a little. He was too darn adorable for words.

"Jinx needs a new heat bulb for his house. Is there anywhere I can get that near here, or will I have to order it?"

"Oh, I think the pet store in town has some reptiles, so they should have what you're looking for."

"Perfect. Thank you so much for your help. I best get going. I'm excited to get the keys."

Once again, her smile slipped. Whatever was bugging her about this sale was clearly not bad enough for her to speak up, or her commission was too good to miss out on.

Either way, it didn't matter. The house was mine.

We said our goodbyes, and I left quickly, too eager to go shopping for everything I needed for my new home to notice the neighbors all watching me.

Umberwood, my new town, was situated in a valley. Nearby were the larger towns of Cloverdale and Doveron. Between them, it was possible to get almost everything I could want. Except there wasn't a single place I could get ingredients for spells and potions.

Perfect really. There was clearly a gap in the market for a witchy store. Exactly what I could provide.

For the humans, I would sell harmless things. Talismans and charms, simple potions which could be explained away as medicinal healing. For fellow witches and other supernatural beings, barring vampires, of course, I would have a back room with more powerful things.

When the sale of the house went through, I would have to ask the realtor lady, Joanna, about properties for rent, or to buy in the area. I would want somewhere close to my house preferably, so I could walk in the summer rather than driving.

The pet store had everything I needed for Jinx, including some cool toys he took an interest in. The owner, an older man called Gerard, wanted to hold him so he could love on Jinx. My familiar adored the attention. We were going to become regulars there. I liked to shop locally when I could.

I could have left him in the motel while I went house hunting or shopping. I'd thought about it until Jinx let me know there was no chance he would stay in my motel room alone. We'd been bonded for long enough that we could go long distances away from each other for a little while, but it was an uncomfortable feeling. Like a tugging sensation under the ribs. Neither of us wanted to go through that. Jinx couldn't tell me what it was about the motel that bothered him. I'd been with him long enough to trust his instincts. He was usually right.

It was dark by the time I returned to the motel, my Jeep laden with my purchases. Not everything I wanted to buy, just enough to get us through a few days at the new house.

I'd stopped to eat at a diner, slightly troubled by the questioning glances directed my way. No one approached me, bar the server who was polite enough for a tip, yet not exactly welcoming. They kept sniffing the air, so I wondered if they were smelling magic on me. I thought they might be shifters.

Unsure of myself, I'd eaten quickly and refrained from making any small talk with anyone.

The food had been good. I'd snuck Jinx some of my salad, a little guilty he must have been bored and hungry. "It's not for long," I whispered to him as he ate. He gave me an impression of his affection for me. He understood we were having a tough run.

Better times were ahead. I hoped.

People had been friendlier in the town, so I wondered if the diner was a local hangout just for shifters and I'd mis-stepped by going there as a stranger and a witch one at that.

The motel was lit up unevenly when I pulled my Jeep in. I felt my tummy flutter with nerves. Senses on full alert.

Warily, I walked to my door and found it slightly ajar.

What I'd left behind was, unfortunately, a bit of a mess. I'd packed in such a rush it was impossible for me to find anything nice to wear to meet with Joanna.

When I returned, the entire room was pristine. Everything was in order. My clothes were hanging neatly, or folded into the drawers. My plants had been watered, some over what they should get. I hastily drained the excess off my more fragile stems.

"Fudge!" This was too fricking weird to take. I put in a call, asking reception if they had sent housekeeping in so I could tip them.

"Oh, no, sir, that was your husband. Didn't he catch up to you? He said he wanted to surprise you."

"My husband?" What on earth was going on?

"Yes, sir. He came by this afternoon asking to be let into your room. You're a very lucky man to have a husband so thoughtful."

"Yeah. Thanks." I ended the call and surveyed the room. Time to leave.

Hastily, I gathered the clothing and vivarium and packed it back into my Jeep. There was no way I was staying there. I checked out, much to the confusion of the clerk, grateful to be away from the place.

Just before I left, I caught another drawing, this time on my windshield. The sun and a rainbow again. The same heart, this time with the names Rainbow and Sunny 4EVA inside it. I shuddered and drove for a long time, hopeful whoever was following me had lost my trail.

I parked in the lot of the grocery store and hastily threw up some wards. For one night, I could sleep in my car.