In today’s world, the one where magic, basically, no longer existed, using any kind of spell hurt. Whenever I tried, I felt as if I’d been set on fire—a feeling that always lasted for a good five to ten minutes. I, personally, liked to conserve my magic as much as possible because I’d need a lot of it to accept my reward of turning human. On the flip side, we also had the option of bonding with Desdemona forever. Our magic would become drastically stronger, but she’d be shut off from ever finding love again, and we would never become human. Never. In the past, some women accepted that fate. They had a duty and a job. Their magic and positions were respected. In the days when magic had more potency, my kind could even shift back and forth.
In today’s world, I had to calculate every move, and it looked like those moves were paying off!
“Be careful, Preston. Finding you isn’t going to go well,” Brie said.
If I could, I’d have shrugged. “It’s the only time she’s open to listening.”
“The only time she can hear you, you mean.”
“That too.”
Brie moved next to me. Close enough that I could feel her warmth. She liked to get cuddly sometimes. “I know how badly you want to be human...”
“We all want to be human,” I clarified.
“But maybe it’s time to accept that we’re almost out of time. Instead of telling her she’s got a chance, we should be making a new proposal.”
I growled. “Sure thing, Jerry.”
“Hey...” She pouted.
“You’re sounding too much like him!”
“Desi isn’t open to love.”
“Because no one else is willing to let her experience anything besides me! How can she feel if she doesn’t get a chance to?”
Brie let out a heavy sigh. “Heartbreak is a great idea for her right now. Not! She’s so close to being on the verge of quitting as it is. A bad breakup or experience will only push her over the edge! She might hurt herself!”
“At least she’ll feel something instead of nothing all of the time.”
Both of us were quiet for a little while. During the silence, Desi stood, drained the tub, and rinsed off. Once again, she became lost in her own world and thoughts. She wouldn’t be able to hear me again until later. I could only hope she heard enough to keep going.
Brie ended up being the one to break the silence. “I don’t want to see you get your hopes up.”
“I’m plenty realistic. I’m just not a quitter. Eyes on the prize, Brie. Eyes on the prize.”
She moved away from me to go back into deep hiding. “I needed to hear that.”
It’s a tough job to be the optimistic, but someone’s got to do it. We Gorgons are complicated, but that was a crash course lesson.
Chapter Three
Brie
Preston might have been on to something that I’d been talking too much to Jerry. I don’t like to think of myself as a negative creature. I am Brie, I am beautiful, and I am bold! Bold and beautiful goddesses like myself, are not supposed to be negative! So why was I letting Jerry get into my head with all of his “preparations for the future”? Preston was right! Desdemona was only twenty-four, and we didn’t live in ancient Greece. Spinsters weren’t a thing anymore. Anyone could find love at any time! Why push so hard to make a bonding proposal just because she felt bitterness? Women are complicated, and he clearly doesn’t get that.
Our darling Desi just needed to lick her wounds and get back out there. I helped her with her hair, sliding strands into elaborate French braids for her. Together, we cut style time in half. We did that a lot, actually. She often attributed her speed and skill to getting lost in thought while she worked. I liked our system, and oh how I loved hair. I made it a point to always task myself with lending a hand with whatever she might need, anything to make her life a little easier and give her one less thing to worry about.
“I don’t know why I’m bothering. No one is going to notice or care...” Desi mumbled as she finished putting the last ties in. She paused to gaze at her reflection in the mirror. “I’m so gross.”
If I could, I would slap her silly! Girls should not talk down to themselves like that! Did she look like a supermodel? No. She didn’t. Did that make her hideous? Also, no.
When it came to appearances, I’d consider Desi to be average. She didn’t have incredible height, nor did she have that cute petite thing going on. Her hair was shoulder length, dark, and wavy. Somedays, she curled it extra tight, and others she straightened it out. Versatile! Some ladies would kill for hair like that, I should add! She wasn’t fat, though like every woman on the planet, she thought she was because she also wasn’t fit. Just enough of a tummy present to remind her it was there, but far from overweight. Average, like I said. Her favorite body parts were her legs, which I agree are fantastic! Flaunting those was always a great idea!
And oh how she tried! That afternoon was no different. With her hair done, and her favorite blouse picked out, she went over to find the perfect matching skirt. Long and black and with slit that ran up both sides to the middle of her thighs. Subtle and sexy. Her date from the night before must have already been ancient history!
“Don’t get too excited. She’s only going to the library, Brie,” Jerry said.
“Libraries have lots of people at them who can see her. Even the simplest of tasks are worth getting dolled up for!” I protested.
Jerry settled in next to me. “Chances of her finding someone at the library that she finds worth her attention are slim. Remember, she’s shallow.”
“Not all of the time, and some hotties go to libraries. Actually! I think her finding a guy there would be better than any club! We want a man of quality.”
“There was a thing I said earlier about her being shallow.”
“Don’t be so harsh!”
Preston popped in then. “If we all pool together a little bit of magic, we might be able to send her a good signal. Something encouraging!”
“I don’t want to waste what little magic I have on something so fruitless,” Jerry countered.
I glared at him. “What if he’s into her. Will you do it then?”
“If there’s a guy who is genuinely interested in her, and he seems like he’d be worth investing in, I will make a small donation to the cause.” He stressed the point further, “And I do mean small. Don’t expect me to carry much weight.”
“We never do,” Preston said coolly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I interjected before Preston could snap something else off. “Nothing, Jerry. He’s just being a pissy pants.”
Preston gazed at me for a moment before disappearing from view. He knew better than to cause a fight right before Desi went out. Regardless of if Jerry was pulling his weight in helping her, if they fought, we’d miss opportunities, and we’d get careless. Our emotions couldn’t get in the way of doing our job, and that job was protecting Desi’s heart from being broken! If I can barely judge a soul properly because of petty distractions, I don’t think they would be able to either. They’re men after all. Men cannot multitask to save their lives!