She Can't Die

3. Being room mates with a bat crazy lune.

Being room mates with a bat crazy lune. 

Trekking up the stone steps to the house I share, I glare menacingly at the black and white cat that always seems to be sitting in front of the door, waiting for my return. I swear down, she rolls her eyes at me, mockingly, and smirks. Before slinking off into the shadows, hips swaying. I know it's a cat, but one time, she definitely winked at me. I don't know if you've realised this yet, but I do not live what one would call a normal life.

I don't know if I was born this was, but I'm pretty sure Ive always been different.

I pull the key from around my neck, it really is the only way to keep it safe. Then try to listen at the door for a second or two, but after remembering that super hearing doesn't come on the résumé I give up and twist the key, opening the big oak door. I probably shouldn't be risking this. I probably should be walking into the shop right now, instead of my cosy little rental, but I'm tired and I NEED my own bed.

I dart my head back and forth, hoping this time my ninja skills may work. The constant ringing in my ears doesn't help the whole, listening out for movement thing, but I'm nothing if not perseverant.

I take a hesitant step inside, and then close the door as softly as I can, hoping only a faint click will be let out. I turn back around, and plan my next assignment, make it up the stairs, then down the hall to my room. I can so do that.

Only, when I twist my body I catch sight of two of my five house mates, gawking wide eyed at me from the door of our joint living space. Abort, abort!

Glancing behind them I can see flashes of what must be the TV. Fudge sticks. My hearing must be really off if I didn't catch that. I stick a finger in an ear, twist it around, and try to fix that little hiccup; it comes back with a caking of dirt and blood. I curl my lip. I'm in serious need of a bath, or three.

Facing ahead again, I see the boys are still stood, frozen in shock at my dishevelled appearance. I haven't exactly had time to check out a mirror, but I can't imagine I look ready for Miss America, right this moment. Yeah okay, who am I kidding; I never look ready for that. My reddish brown hair, constantly flying around, untameable, would never be excepted for some beauty contest. Still, this is not a great situation right here.

Ok Casey time to cover up shizz! Excuses?
A new beauty regime, where you roll around in mud, and other therapeutic substances?
Halloween costume? In May... Prepping early?
I've joined a new religion where we believe we are one with nature.
I accidentally fell into a pit, wrapped up, and buried myself alive?

I open my mouth to take in a breath, not sure what crazy explanation I'm going to give, but stop when I hear the sound that comes out of me when I do. It's somewhere between a croak, and a wet sucking sound. Well, this does not fair well. Fuck. Have I been making that sound all along? Or is this new? My throat and lungs must be raw as... I was going to go with something dirty there, but lets just stick with saying it's pretty damn raw.

It hurts, but everything hurts, and aches, right now. Why did they have to be standing there right now. All the times I manage to come home and the house is all but deserted! Let me sleeeeeep.

I take a hesitant step toward the stairs. Maybe if I go slow enough I cant get all the way up, before they snap out of their daze, or whatever? Wishful thinking? Let me have it. Jedi mind trick? "I am not the girl who lives here, in fact, there is no girl. Return to your zombie like state in front of the tv..." Maybe not...

Alex shakes his head quickly and starts to move towards me, apparently the fastest to decide how to handle this out of the three of us. His hands are up in the air, and he's looking at me cautiously, like I'm some rabbid, skittish, animal. I mean okay so I may look like one right now, but really? Aren't guys meant to pretend girls always look good and like never Say their butts look big or something?

"Casey, it's going to be okay." He says, calm and soothingly. There's a force small smile on his silly schoolboy face.
Oh my lord. Please, why, oh why, did this have to happen tonight? My eyes dart back to the stairs, thinking of the bed that is, oh, so very close.

I wet my lips, attempt a closed mouth smile. I'm so cold I cant feel my face, but hopefully it did something. "I'm fine." I croak out, and cringe. Even to me, it really does sounds bad.

The sound makes Caleb's head jerk back in shock, still stuck where he was when I first spotted him, and then I see his eyes tighten, even behind those bulky glasses of his. He bites down on his bottom lip, and I can practically hear the gears turning in that big ol' brain of his.

Caleb is a cutey, I'd say out of all the guys in the house I've probably spent the most time with him. Even if we sit in silence, mostly. He has shaggy brown hair, often, like now, its hidden beneath a woollen beanie, tendrils of hair poking out the bottom. His eyes are brown, but with specks of gold in them that sparkle just a bit in the light, not that I've been looking that much, just I saw him once with out the glasses and took note. A girl notices these things alright... I used to think he was kind of moody, brooding away in the corner, but after a while I realised he's just quiet, the type that thinks before he does.

Movement brings my attention back to Alex, as he looks at me, sympathy clear in his eyes, he nods, and steps closer.
"No you're not, but you will be." he tells me. I cringe, again.

Yeah maybe if you let me go shower and sleep. I try to think about things from their perspective, and honestly I do know that this is pretty crazy, for their Lune of a housemate to walk in looking like this, and all. But for me, this is so not a massive deal. I'm really regretting not going to the shop right now.

The boys usually leave me alone for the most part, but we got along well enough. When I'd first turned up to interview for the spare room, I'm pretty certain they had expected a boy. When I hadn't shown any interest in the boys, which judging on their looks, and the way Rich and Ethan had responded to my entrance, was a surprise indeed for them all. Don't get me wrong, I know they look good. I just really needed that room, and the cheap rent along with a prime location, walking distance from my store, had been a fricking god send.

Yes, I own the store. No, people don't tend to get to learn that particular fact. Yes, It makes some money. Yes, I could technically afford something pricier than this place, and if they kicked me out or I felt I had to leave, I would. But here's the thing. One, the whole running around town doing the good for man kind thing, that means I need to have money saved for a rainy day. And two, I need to be around people more, the line of work means I'm surrounded by gross deathly things that try to kill me, sometimes successfully. I needed the human contact, and if I lived alone I just don't think I'd get that.

Years of having to hide what I thought, came in very useful as I played the mysterious, quiet girl, who did not find the boys the least bit attractive, or interesting. After the initial, disbelief, which honestly I think was a little over board. Conceited, or just self aware on their part, who knows? It all seemed to go down pretty well. Plus quiet and mysterious? Not much of a stretch. I cant exactly go around telling people what I get up to at night, now can I? "Hey I'm Casey, I kill the dark creatures of the night and, oh, can't die apparently! What's your name?" I think not.

Alex was your typical, American surfer boy. Honestly, he had the lean, swimmers build, the sun-kissed hair and those baby blues that made the girls swoon. Only the typical package seemed to stop there, on the looks front, for all the boys actually. They looked like models, straight out of some teen magazine, but honestly that was where the comparison ended. They were nice, sweet even at times. Well most of them. Maybe it was just that they wanted to get on with me, have a peaceful home life, but hey I took it gladly.

I rarely saw any girls they brought home, though I definitely heard a fair few. These were growing boys though, so that wasn't totally unexpected. I'd had a couple run in with said girls, but it hadn't been awkward, well not that awkward. Most of the time they simply assumed I'd been with one of the other guys that night. I had to admit on occasion it was fun to act the part. Like I had a normal life. That was why I'd chosen to stay living here after all. For a taste of normalcy.

Looking into Alex's face however, made me wonder how long that would last.