Bloodcurse

Strangers in the Dark

Shelly and his wife Kaylee did not seem very sad to see me go. They charged me extra for 'the mess' I left behind in the bathroom. I was not going to argue that I'm blond, and also not a shedding werewolf last I checked, so I paid the twenty-five dollar fine and left. If I'm lucky, I will never have to go back there and find out how they invested my hard-earned cash, but I remain hopeful that at the very least they might use it to hire a cleaner. I'm ready to collapse into my new bed and try again tomorrow.

The grocery store I spotted on my way to the bookstore earlier is divided into three sections, as I've come to find out: meat, dried meat, and other. I settle for a selection of the 'other' category, stocking up for a few days while I'm at it. My arms are puny enough for the plastic bag to start feeling like a sachet filled with rocks by the time I reach 72 Greenland Street, and I drop it on the ground in front of me for a minute to catch my breath before picking it up again and heading inside, where I see Caden and a woman that is not Celia talking by the counter. They both turn around as I enter the salon, their warm smiles uncannily similar, as well as their matching heads of auburn hair.

"Seth! You're back," Caden exclaims and scoots past the woman to greet me with yet another handshake. "I'm glad you're here, I almost thought you might flake out on me." He follows that statement up with a chuckle, but I can still sense the nervousness behind it.

He waves me over to the counter where he hands me a thin stack of papers that turn out to be the lease he typed up today, and I skim over it for a while before putting it back down onto the faux-marble countertop and signing my name in all the required spaces. I've never been one to thoroughly review paperwork. When something says 'read carefully', I'm typically even more inclined not to. The woman standing next to Caden is still smiling when I slide the signed forms towards him, inspecting me so openly that I begin to feel myself squirming under her attention. Being intently regarded is not my idea of a good time. My brother, Adam, used to do it on purpose to get a rise out of me, and I'm not proud to admit that it usually worked. Caden hands me a copy of the lease and stores the original away in a drawer I can only hear being unlocked and locked again behind the counter. Exhaling contently, he hands me a set of keys that need little explanation, but he seems happy to give one, anyway.

"This one," he says, taking one of the two keys between his thumb and index finger and holding it up in reiteration, "is the main door key. That'll open the salon doors, so I'm gonna need to ask you to keep those locked at night. Otherwise I'll be in a lot of trouble. And this one..." He picks up the other key and gives me a pointed look. "This one is your room key. Heads up, I have a spare, but I will not use it without reason."

"I appreciate it," I assure him, unable to keep a straight face. The woman's eyes twinkle in light amusement, and she taps Caden's arm to catch his attention. He turns his head towards her and raises his eyebrows in question, to which the woman only nods. He nods back at her and smiles briefly. Wordless, she snakes around Caden and heads outside, looking back for a moment to wave at me. A little confused, I wave back.

"Well, you've got the Jeanie seal of approval, which is kind of a big deal," Caden jibes once the woman is out of sight. Wondering if I should ask or just leave it, I roll my lips together and let my gaze wander anywhere else.

"She's my sister," Caden clarifies at last, and I look up to meet his eyes again. "And very deaf, so don't be offended if she seems quiet and reserved. She's not, really. Actually, if she had her way, she would talk your ear off, but she saves that for me and Grayson, usually."

"Does your whole family live here?"

"They do," Caden answers after a moment's hesitation, eyeing me curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, no," he says softly, shaking his head. "That's cool, I just wasn't expecting it. I didn't take you for someone who enjoys a bit of friendly conversation."