I left and went on to collect another soul.
Mya
Moody arse.
I could do without him.
Let him brood around collecting souls. I had a very long to-do list of my own.
And the first thing on my list was to have a cupcake and a hot chocolate.
I whizzed myself to the bottom of the hill to find that I only went a tiny bit dizzy before I gained my equilibrium and managed to walk myself into Gnarly.
“Good morning, Mya. I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. Not that it isn’t good to welcome you back. Special cupcake was it?” Callie said.
I shook my head.
“Nah, delicious though it was, I’ve fed already today. On a packet of ready prepared that is. I don’t have human sacrifices waiting at home.” My eyes looked down at the display cabinet. “So I’d like to try a Strawberry Shortcake and a Toffee Apple Surprise, and seeing as I can’t put weight on, I’ll have that with a hot chocolate with marshmallows please.”
“Take a seat. Coming right up.”
I liked it in Callie’s. Even though it was luminously pink and bright, it was the anthesis of the gloomy mansion. I’d like to add some colour, but the place didn’t lend itself to pastels.
“So where’s dark, tall, and handsome today?”
“Off brooding and being all Death-ly.”
“Well he seems to be rubbing off on you?”
“Pardon?” I looked down for any stains that could have given her that impression.
“You’re dressed all in black.”
Fuck, I was. I looked like a female version of him. “Oh shoot, his misery must be contagious. I’ve been there one day, and my bright yellow top has been discarded and I’m dressed like I’m at a funeral. Ooh, I can wear these to my own though.”
“You’re going to your own funeral?”
“Yeah, I’m going to pretend to be my own twin sister.”
“Can I come? I can pretend to be an old school friend. I’ve not been to the city in forever.”
“Hmm, I’d need to get to know you better first. How do I know you’re not a naughty supernatural who might run amok?”
“Gimme a sec,” she said, and she walked through a doorway to the back of the shop. A minute later she walked back followed by another woman, a young strawberry blonde who smiled at me. “I’m Dela, Callie’s younger sister. Welcome to the fell.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on. Dela will get our orders and I’ll sit with you, tell you a little more about myself and the fell.”
I followed Callie over to a table in the window.
“We’ll sit here and then we can people watch, and I’ll point out a few more of the residents. So how was your first night at Wayward?”
“Filthy and although it involved my bedroom, it wasn’t in a good way.”
Callie laughed. “It’s a shame no Brownies live in the fell. They’d have helped you.”
“Brownies? Aren’t they baked goods?”
“They’re male faeries who like to clean. Anyway, like I said, there aren’t any here, so you’ll have to just suck it up and get cleaning.”
“I have a large shopping list to do just that. So, tell me more about the place. I’ve seen the second-hand store, the hardware shop and here. Other than that I didn’t pay much attention to what else there was as I was a little overwhelmed.”
“Totally understandable. So there’s the laundry. A convenience store that although small in size can somehow procure you everything you need. A haberdashery and alteration service because of the ethos of recycling and upcycling. An artist studio run by a strange chap called Merrin who makes art from unrecyclable rubbish we throw away.”
“So I have to be very careful about what I use and throw away?”
“Gnarly is trying to not be so wasteful, but if you’re talking about Wayward Souls, then just offer anything you don’t want to the twins and if they don’t want it call Merrin. He’s also good if you want a piece of furniture given a makeover. A dab hand at shabby chic.”
“Good to know. What else?”
“We have a pizza parlour. It serves other things, but primarily pizza. We have a cocktail lounge that does a bistro menu in an evening. We also have a community hall with events on different nights. For instance, Friday and Saturday nights are for Bingo. Wednesday night is book club, and Thursday is Zumba.”
“Oh I love books. I’ll have to come to that. Does The Librarian from Wayward run that?”
“No. We heard there was a person they call The Librarian, but we’ve never seen them.”
“I’ll have to check that out because surely she could supply some books or expertise?”
“Well, we get them from Amazon. We’ve been doing it that way for years now, so you don’t have to worry.”
“I know, but I’ll still ask her if she can help in any way in the future.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Dela had brought our drinks and I took a gulp of my hot chocolate. It was delightful. “Oh my goodness. I am going to never be away from this place.”
“I do delivery remember?”
“Of course. Okay. I am going to order so many cupcakes. So many.” I bit into the Toffee Apple Surprise to find inside were pieces of soft cinder toffee. “I am never leaving. Death made a mistake choosing me because the spirits are going to have to just fend for themselves while I sit in here and work my way through every cupcake and then start again.”
Callie and I continued to chat while I ate my cupcakes and drank my hot choc. It was nice to have found someone I could feel would be a friend in this place. Though I’d always been a loner, now I was in a place where I would be immortal, and I would need some friends. Fuck, what sort of supe was she? Was I going to make a friend, have her for approximately sixty years and then she’d die? Would she age while I stayed the same?
“What sort of supernatural are you?”
“I’m a faery.”
“Oh, I thought faeries were small?”
“I can be. I spend most of my time this size though or I’d have problems serving the customers.”
My brow creased. “But isn’t faerie food charmed? When I’ve read about it in books, it always means that the person who ate it is stuck in the court.”
Callie laughed. “I can make charmed food, but I don’t. And it only affects humans and there aren’t any here. The charmed food is known as a fairy cake. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“I have and now I’m imagining another soft bun and buttercream.”
“I’m cutting you off. You might be immortal, but you can still vomit.”
“So will you live a long time?”
“Yes, I’ll not age for hundreds of years.”
“Yaaayyyyyyyyy,” I sang out, rather too loudly.
“My immortal life is a cause for celebration because…?”
“I didn’t want to make friends with you and then you die on me,” I admitted.
“Glad I could be of service, My Queen.” Callie rolled her eyes at me.
And that made me happy because it showed we were indeed becoming friends.