Beauty and the Magician (Tales of the Red Witch Book 1)

Chapter 21 - Family dynamic

Annika spun around a ballroom, her long blonde hair trailed in waves down her back. She smiled as she looked at the tall dark haired man with the clear grey eyes and slightly crooked nose with his arms around her...He bore an amazing resemblance to a certain...

Her pleasant dream was interrupted when she heard Mr. Pig grunt by the back door.

She looked at her furry paws. Yup, still a cat beast. She wasn't sure why she was surprised. She had awaken everyday over the last week to find the same result.

She got up to let him out. She looked around the room as she waited on Mr. Pig. She was disappointed that the magician had not come home last night or the night before and she was surprised that Toby had not kicked her out yet. She wish she knew how long the master magician had been gone and when they would be back. She was beginning to grow a little uneasy in her waiting.

When Mr. Pig lumbered back through the door, she gathered up the pile of coins she had managed to find during her cleaning and donning her cloak headed toward the Hafenstadt door. "Come Mr. Pig. We're going to market."

Toby bounded down the bookshelf stairs sometime later to the pungent greasy smell of frying kippers and porridge. Annika looked up from the fire to see him somewhat less smudgy and wearing fresh clothes. However, they still consisted of blue velvet breeches, black star printed socks and an ivory waistcoat embroidered with smiling golden suns. Where on earth did that boy get his clothes?

"Mmmm..." He said taking a deep breath through his nose. "What is it?" he asked.

"Kippers. Have a seat." Annika said gesturing with her grease splattered spatula towards the still clean table. Like with the cleaning supplies yesterday, it had taken time to figure out how to maneuver the cooking tools with her paws, but she had refused to give up. She would learn to make do with this new body while she was stuck in it if it killed her.

She was just glad that the man she bought the fish from had not looked too closely at her this morning. She had kept her hood up and her face down, though she heard the gasp he emitted when she reached out her paws to hand him the money and take the fish.

He should not have been so surprised to see a cat buying fish. Annika was sure all cats would buy fish if they had money and thumbs. Or maybe not, stealing seemed like a very cat like thing to do. Though stealing was not at all a very Annika like thing to do, and so she paid.

She brought the pan full of fried fish over to the table and served Toby a bowl of porridge topped with the greasy fish. He sniffed it once before digging in, eating great mouthfuls.

She set a bowl on the floor for Mr. Pig and then finally fixed one for herself. She had cooked Kippers many times before, they were one of her favorite foods, but neither Sofie nor her father liked them. In fact, she hadn't made them since her mother died.

She alone had shared in Annika's appreciation for the hearty breakfast. She looked at the boy across from her and thought of her family. It brought a smile to her face as she dug into the food.

Annika spent the rest of the morning carefully organizing the piles of books that had once called the staircase home and then sweeping the floor and mopping, careful to avoid getting in Toby's way. Laundry came next. And there was indeed quite a lot of it. Long lines of twine were strung up between posts as various male clothing items hung and dried. Annika inhaled deeply as the workshop finally smelled clean of lemons. Under the lemony scent there was something else, some sweet spice that seemed oddly familiar.

She turned to Toby at the fireplace as another puff of bluish steam clouded out of the cauldron. Mr. Pig was sitting by him watching his every move with his beady eyes. It truly made a sweet scene.