Blur

Chapter 11: Ding Dong! The Wicked Witches Are Crazy

Chapter 11:

Ding Dong! The Wicked Witches Are Crazy

Lori's home is a small house in the middle of a friendly looking neighborhood. Well, mostly friendly neighborhood, her home being the only exception. All of the other homes have cement driveways lined with flowers that lead to a white, beige, or yellow house. Some houses have toys in front of them, others have comfortable patios that appear to be made for relaxing on sunny evenings. Those other houses are fairly close together, almost too close to look comfortable.

But Lori's home is dark brown and set off from the others with brown grass on either side of the house for several yards. Huge, twisted trees overcrowd the lawn and limbs hang over to meet the black roof. A chimney breaks through the shingle rooftop and spits dark ugly smoke into the beautiful orange sky as the sun begins to peak out over the tree tops. Lori's set up is the perfect picture for an abode for a witch.

"Come along," she says, opening the car door for me and breaking me from my deep observation of her home.

"It is so dark here I don't think I would even have to worry about the sun," I tell her with a light laugh.

"That is the point, actually," Lori says as she unlocks her door. "I created my house to be welcoming to all supernatural beings. A dark air works best for the type of customers I accept in my private home."

"Customers? What kind of business do you run from your own home?" I ask curiously.

"Well, I am a witch. What is the purpose of having powers if I do not use them for something? The club is Vanessa's major financial income while the business I run here brings more money in to me," she answers without truly giving me an answer. I can tell though that she probably sells spells and other goods or services special to witches.

She leads me to her living room, set up almost like an office. A television hangs in one corner and couch and a few chairs are set up at a reasonable distance away from it and angled perfectly for watching it. Directly in the middle of the far wall is the fireplace, a steaming cauldron hung above it, cooking something. On the other side of the room is a line of three desks. Each desk has one chair on one side and two chairs on the other side facing the single chair.

A large brute of a man with yellow flashes in his brown eyes sits in one of the chairs facing the currently black TV screen. He is clearly a werewolf. When we enter the room, his head shoots up, "Good morning, Miss Lori." Then he notices me and adds, "New vampire? What is her skills?"

"She is not here to work. She is here to hide," Lori explains, rolling down the window blinds and pulling the curtains together.

"Hide? From the sun?" the Were asks and Lori nods in answer. "Since when do we run a charity to keep the stinking vamps alive?" he sneers through bared teeth.

"Oh. Um, perhaps I am not welcome here, Lori," I speak up. "I probably will have better chances of surviving with the sun," I turn and head toward the door but Lori stops me, setting a hand on my shoulder as I rest my hand on the door knob.

"Stay," Lori whispers to me. I feel a breeze on my neck, almost like a ghost breathing down my back, but surely that isn't possible- right? I turn to ask her why I should stay where I am not wanted but she is gone.

I wonder back into the living room, "Lori?" She did not come in here and the werewolf is gone too. I stay quiet and listen to the rest of the house. There is a loud conversation in the next room and it gradually grows louder until it is yelling that fills the entire house and hurts my well-tuned ear drums. I smack my hands over my ears to drown out the noise but either the action is useless or they grew louder.