Damned if I do | Damned trilogy #1

Chapter Four: Wren

Why was it so hard to talk to attractive people?

It's not like I was shy.

It's not like I lacked self-confidence.

It's not like I couldn't think up a dozen dirty things I wanted to do before I knew a guy's name.

It was just, faced with all that hotness, all I got was a loss of brain to mouth connection. Which, in turn, led to the resting jerk face. Harmony and I called it jerk face because apparently I wasn't sexy-mean enough for it to be bitch face.

So, on Friday for the umpteenth time that week, I ignored the hotty next door as he quite clearly tried to talk to me and stomped up to my room. I flung my bag on the floor and something caught my eye enough to temper my mood somewhat.

It was the picture on my mirror.

I went over to it and pulled it down, flopping onto my bed to look at it.

I barely remembered the day it had been taken – all I had were memories based on what Mum, Dad and Tilly said about it – but I'd been thinking about it more and more in the last few days. Even though I couldn't trust my memories about how it all happened, I knew I could trust the memory of the way I'd felt. I'd felt amazing. I'd felt grown up. I'd felt understood. I'd felt like I wasn't just some stupid kid.

Looking back, it was stupid. Asking the boy next door to marry me? Especially when I'd been practically half his age – five to his eight, the scandal! But he'd said yes, the way he'd always said yes. These days, I knew it was just to humour me. But my friends and I always laughed at the pure romance in the idea that one day he'd come back and we'd–

I was distracted by a clattering noise behind me and I sat up quickly. My mind took a few seconds to work out what my eyes were seeing.

Trying to disentangle itself from the cord of my now broken lamp was a weird little thing. It was probably half my height, maybe shorter. Its lower half looked like goat legs – much like Mr Tumnus – covered with brown hair and ending in hooves. His top half was red leathery skin. Its hands only had three fingers and a thumb with sharp claws. It had a big head, with a wide mouth and a little brown goatee. Its ears were huge bat-like things and it had little black horns. And to top it all off, when it shifted as it finally got its hoof free of the cord, it had a thin red tail that ended in a point.

As it stepped forward and said, "Apologies, ma'am," whatever spell I'd fallen under broke and I realised there was actually this weird little creature standing in my room.

I jumped up, grabbing my umbrella and stepping forward. As I smacked it in the head, it kept talking. And no matter how much I hit it, it kept talking, taking each hit in stride.

"Yes, ma'am. I quite understand. However, I am here on behalf of my prince. After a week of making absolutely no headway with talking to you, Master Drake felt that it might be necessary–"

I froze, that name feeling too familiar. "Wait, what?"

It stood up straight, blinking its little black eyes rapidly as though used to hiding its true feelings. "Master Drake wished me to fetch you so the two of you can have a frank discussion."

The umbrella was still over my shoulder, ready to hit it again. "Master Drake?" I mused. "Drake. Why do I know that name?"

"He used to live next door to you, ma'am."

I involuntarily looked back to the picture still in my other hand.

"Yes, ma'am. The very same." There was a pause. "Sort of," it amended.

I looked back at the creature. "Drake's back?"

The creature nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"And he sent..." I waved the umbrella in its direction. "You?"