5. Five

Five

Rainbow

The crick in my neck from sleeping all night in my car wasn't quite enough to dampen my spirits. Neither were the flat tire I found nor the strange footprints around the car. Though it had been a dry night and there was no mud surrounding the car, the spell I had used ensured there would be a trace of anything encroaching on the perimeter, as a sort of leftover from the warding.

If I'd been anywhere else, I could have used them to trace the culprit. Unfortunately, there were too many humans around for that. I could not afford to be caught using magic.

Anyway, despite the craptastic start to my day, I was going to look on the positive side. The sun was shining and while it was cold—it was November after all—I thought it was going to be a great day.

Why was I so optimistic when my life seemed to be on a bad track with no end in sight? My house was ready! Joanna had woken me with the good news after a fitful night's sleep.

"The cleaning crew finished late yesterday evening. They worked much later than usual to ensure there was time for the carpets to dry overnight. They did report the house needing a lot of painting. Unfortunately, things didn't come up as well as they would have liked."

The realtor sounded nervous. Did she think I was going to change my mind over some paint?

"Oh, that's fine. I wanted to change the decor myself," I said as brightly as possible. "Maybe I'll visit a hardware store and get some samples before I come to collect the keys."

That would sure have the house feeling like my home in a flash. Inside I could use magic for some short cuts. There were cleaning spells my grandmother had taught me. I wondered vaguely if I could use magic to paint? I didn't want to waste money hiring someone if I could avoid it.

"Um… yes, you should do that." Joanna's tone lifted. I heard her moving around her office. "Everything is ready for you to sign here. Once the last of the payment is on its way, you can have the keys."

"Perfect." My mouth stretched in a wide smile. To passers-by I probably looked strange. "I'll be by in a little while."

"Looking forward to it." She was either going to burst into tears or a song after this call. Her relief was palpable.

My mind was a whirr of all the things I needed to do that day. I sat up straighter in my seat, then caught a whiff of myself. "Oh, before I go," I rushed out. "Is there a gym or somewhere I can take a shower nearby?"

"Why do you need a shower? I thought you were staying at the motel?" Now she sounded suspicious, which was fair. She was probably worrying about her commission, thinking I didn't actually have the money to pay for the house.

"I was!" I said defensively. This sale had to go through. "They must have double booked the room because I went in and all my stuff was moved!" I couldn't very well tell her about my strange stalker and quickly concocted a lie, though I felt terrible about it.

"Goodness! How terrible! Was there not another room for you?"

"No, so I spent the night in my car," I whined. Trying to sound upbeat once more, I said, "a gym will be useful anyways, I'd like to get a membership and try to stay in shape." In the back of my mind was this stalker. They had already found me here. If this person got bolder, I could be in a lot of trouble. I needed to get stronger just in case things took a turn for the worst.

"In that case, there's a decent one down the street from my office. It's where I go. The showers and locker room are always nice and clean. The staff are friendly, too." Joanna switched back on her customer service voice. I could almost see her plastic smile.

"You've been so helpful!" I enthused. "I'll check that out, get something to eat and be right over." No way was I leaving this too long, my luck spell I'd quickly cast the day before would falter soon enough and Joanna would start picking holes in my story.

"Can I pick up anything for you?" I asked, desperate to keep her on side until I got those keys in my hands.

"What a sweetheart! No, my waistline says I better not."

"You sure? You're in great shape."

"Now you're just being a flatterer. I'll see you soon, Bow."

Instead of driving to the gym, I parked my car in a lot a fairly equal distance from Joanna's office and the complex where the gym was. I didn't want whoever was following me to pick up on where I exercised, especially if I planned to use this place again.

The walk in the crisp air was invigorating. With so few people on the streets that early in the morning, I risked some look away magic in an attempt to go unnoticed. If someone was watching me it probably wouldn't stop them from finding me, just make it harder to pinpoint my exact location.

Paranoid maybe, but I didn't know this person's intentions.

When I got to the complex which held a spa, chiropractor's clinic, a café, and even a sporting goods store, I was relieved to be out of the open.

Inside, they took my details quickly and had me signed up in no time. They allowed me to use the showers after I paid that month's fees, which was no issue to me.

Like Joanna said, the place was so clean! The facilities were great and I could see myself returning to work out. As a witch, I'd live a long, long life. I wanted to do that in a decent body, especially since, like with my familiar, magic could only do so much. I had a workaround with my vision in my spelled glasses, there wasn't one that could give me great abs, unfortunately.

Sure, magic took a lot of energy, so my metabolism was pretty great, but it didn't mean I could eat junk food all day and not pay for it with bad skin and a paunch. It wasn't like I was slim to begin with, I was fit but not lean. Cuddly, I guess. I could stand to be more toned, more like the other male witches in my old coven.

When I got out of the shower it was to a welcome package. Whoever had left it had also kindly folded my clothes for me and put them in a bag. My clean things were neatly stacked, less like the haphazard mess I'd left them in. I flushed, thinking the staff must think I was a slob.

Happy with my choice of gym, I dressed in the fresh clothes and took some extra care over my hair. I brushed a hand over the days-old beard I'd grown. Once I was in my house, I was going to shave and put a tonic on to slow the regrowth. Shaving all the time sucked, so I had developed the tonic for when I was out looking for rare plants. It was a pain in the behind to make, but worked for a couple of weeks with one application.

Refreshed, I made my way back to my car to check on Jinx after popping into a coffee shop.

"Hey buddy, wanna come with me or stay here?"

He popped his head out of his magically heated vivarium and looked at me. His expression told me all I needed to know. Poor Jinx didn't want to be stuck in the car any longer. I fed him a cricket dusted in vitamins before opening my coat so he could snuggle inside. The weather might have been dry, but it was still cold, even in the sun.

Happy Jinx was safe and secure, I walked quickly down the street to Joanna's office, coffee in hand and a pastry for my realtor as a thank you for getting everything pushed through so quickly.

My mind kept returning to the house, especially how eager Joanna was to sell it, yet seemed uncomfortable with the whole situation. There was a good chance I was buying a money pit, or somewhere with really crummy neighbors. Maybe I was wrong and just feeling her need for a commission.

Besides, if it did need a lot of work, I could manage without breaking the bank. Joanna could feel bad about hiding it since I was hiding my secret from her. We were even there. Little did she know I had magic to help me.

Once I was settled, I'd call my mom again, check on my dad, and ask her advice in getting the place all homey and get that cleaning spell from grandma. I wasn't sure I was remembering it right, and the last thing I wanted to do was set the place on fire!

The process of getting the money for the house paid and all the relevant documents signed, took some time. Joanna sent out for lunch for us, which was a lovely touch. She also fussed over Jinx, who clung to me more than usual.

By the time I had the keys, it was afternoon, much later than I'd hoped to be heading to the house. I'd settled the power and water in Joanna's office, so at least I'd have those things when I got inside. There was a bed and I had new sheets. No time to wash them first, but they'd do. Better than the motel or sleeping in my car again.

I pulled up outside the house and got out of my car. For a moment, I just stared at the squat building. It was all on one floor, which was lucky because with how unloved the place was, the stairs would be rotted, especially with my luck. No upper floor, no stairs to manage.

Anxiety sat like a ball on my chest, making it temporarily difficult to breathe. I quickly shrugged it off. With my magic, there was little I couldn't do. In time, I'd make this place a cozy home for me and Jinx to live in. Eventually, I'd win over the neighbors and I'd integrate into the community.

A curtain twitched, drawing my attention as a blast of cold wind ruffled my hair.

There, in the next house, there were two men. A couple? One was looking at me with a neutral expression. He was tall, dark skinned, and muscular. There was a shine to his eyes that suggested other. Likely a shifter. I'd met a few on my travels and though they were wary of witches, they weren't unfriendly.

Then I caught sight of the other man. His gaze was magnetic. The man was stunning. He had black hair, deeply tanned skin and from this distance, it was impossible to tell the color of his eyes. I was sure they would be as gorgeous as the rest of him. It was the downward turn of his mouth and his expression which burned through me, cutting me to the quick. He hated me on sight. I was unwelcome here.

Okay, so scratch that. This shifter was unfriendly.

Frickety-frack. Winning over the neighbors just got harder.