The Coming | The House of Voices #2

Fifteen - Deciding

Deciding

It took a couple of minutes, but I managed to find the courage to face myself in the mirror – and the sight wasn’t pretty. My hair was tangled and greasy, my face was covered in dirt and grime and I looked exhausted. How had no one on the streets stopped me after seeing my disheveled state? Were people that oblivious?

I brushed my teeth quickly, trying hard to think about how bad my breath must’ve smelled.

Unwrapping myself, I hung the towel on the door hook and stepped into the shower cubicle, turning on the faucet and allowing the warm water to hit me on full blast. It was amazing how great something as simple as a nice warm water shower could feel after a few days on the run. I stood under the spray for a long time, allowing my hair get soaked before turning my attention to Ace’s array of different shampoos. Three types, just like she’d said – Avocado and lime, cherry blossom, and coconut. I picked the last one, only a little disappointed that she didn’t have anything lavender scented. I scrubbed and cleansed my hair, breathing in the scent of the shampoo as it filled the bathroom and, after rinsing thoroughly, moved on to the conditioner.

When I finally emerged from the bathroom – almost an hour later – feeling as clean as a whistle, I was greeted with the sight of my clean underwear sitting on top of the clothes Ace had given me. I dried myself off and slipped into clothes, not pulling the navy blue top on until I was done drying my hair. I ran the hairbrush through my damp hair and let it hang loose to air dry. I put Ace’s brush back on the dresser and then left the room, closing the door behind me and trotting down the stairs quietly.

I found Parish alone in the kitchen, standing by the kitchen sink and sipping something from a large blue mug. He’d changed out of his dirty clothes and into a fresh pair of jeans and one of his own t-shirts, a green one. “Spade and I owe Ace ten bucks each,” he said when he spotted me.

I shot him a look of confusion as I pulled out a chair at the table. He chuckled. “We were beginning to think that you’d gotten washed down the drain. Ace insisted that you were just enjoying getting clean,” I made a face at his explanation. “Looks like she was right.”

Ignoring that I said, “Looks like they found jeans that fit you.”

He looked down at his pants, frowning a little. “They’re a little tight,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops and trying to tug his pants lower on his waist. When it they didn’t budge, he made a face, “but that’s fine for now.”

I laughed and sat down at the table. He picked an identical blue mug to the one he’d been holding up from the counter and walked over. “This is for you,” he pushed the mug towards me. One whiff told me that it contained very strong coffee.

“Ace?” I asked, when he sat down in the chair beside me.

“Yup.”

“Are we crazy for trusting them, Parish?”

“I don’t know,” he said, dropping his mug and turning his attention to me. “I feel like we should be more worried about how welcoming they’re being, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to distrust them.”

I nodded, completely agreeing. “Where are they anyway?”

“Dealing with a customer, I think,” he said, glancing out the kitchen and into the hallway outside. I raised my eyebrows. Customer? “Turns out this isn’t a house, but the magic shop where they work,” he explained, taking another sip.

“Magic shop,” I repeated, swallowing a sip of my own. It was good coffee. “You’re kidding.”

“He’s not,” Ace’s voice answered. A second later, she walked in through the door and made a beeline for the counter, pulling pans and plates from cabinets above her. “This place used to be our boss’ family home. He converted the front half of the building – the foyer, the giant living room, the dining room – into shop space. The Black Tarot: Magic Emporium. We’re pretty popular here in DC, you’re sure you’ve never heard of us?” She glanced at Parish over her shoulder, they’d clearly had this conversation while I was showering. When he shook his head she looked at me with an eyebrow quirked high up on forehead as if to say “and you?”.