Monsters

Chapter 7

Jinx's P.O.V

"How did you get in here!?" I call out, finally snapping to my senses as I blink at this strange woman several times, wondering where on earth I have seen her before that makes her so familiar to me. I know I almost crashed my bike into her late one night, but that can't be it... There's something more. I know it. Something I'm missing. "Oh, I have my ways, Juliet." I flinch slightly at her voice now, not that it's all too noticeable. I'm used to it from my mother, that much is obvious, and it doesn't seem to bother me when Denis does it from time to time, however it was completely unexpected to come from this woman. "My apologies, you prefer Jinx, don't you? Curious how a malicious nickname bestowed upon one by spiteful bullies can become softer to the ear than ones own name, isn't it?" She adds on, leaving me to stare at her in shock as she closes the door behind her.

"Who are you!? And how do you know so much about us?!" Phoenix snaps as she jumps to her feet to come level with my right shoulder, the guys rising slowly from the couch as Grey remains a pace or so behind me, Milo still standing by the wall, completely still. "All in good time, my dear, all in good time." The woman said, a smile on her lips as she raises her hands to her hood. A pair of wrinkled hands with long nails painted black, a large amber statement ring on her left hand, on the ring finger. "But first, we must discuss business." She finishes off, lowering her hood as my eyes widen to the point of popping out of my head. Deep set wrinkles, grey hair in dreadlocks that have now been dyed every which colour since I last saw her, bold but oddly matching clothes of a loose nature, a nose piercing now on her face, a long black cord around her neck holding a polished shell for a necklace, crystal earrings dangling by her cheeks and piercing blue eyes seeming illuminating as they shine out towards us.

"You're the woman from the library!" I call out before I can stop myself, my jaw hanging loose as she smiles at me. "You're the one who showed me where to find the book that had all the information we'd need to find the guys and the journal to help them!" I add on, raising a hand to point at her while she smiles at me, beginning to shed her coat. "Yes, indeed I am. But don't point dear, it's very rude." She said, shaking her coat out as the rain springs from it before hanging it on the coat hook by the door.

"And actually I placed that book in the library for you to find, an ancient text of mine, that's how the worker couldn't find it in the system. Oh don't worry, I'm not here for it back. Sure it's information is very valuable, but I have no more use for it now. The weather in Britain is ghastly this time of year, don't you think? I swear it's pouring down with rain any time I pop over." I glance at Phoenix, then a little behind her to John and Denis as this woman is speaking, completely confused. "What are you doing here? What business are you talking about?" Phoenix asks assertively, staring the woman down who only smiles.

"People rarely experience one supernatural event of this magnitude without more following in their midst." Her voice is deeper as she says that, almost... Darker, in a way. A mystery seeming to wrap itself in coils around the words very words of the sentence to bring forward questions in our hearts that we aren't even aware of, but the longing to know is there. Oh, it's there. This strange old woman seems to like being mysterious and talking in riddles, and to be perfectly honest, it's kind of annoying, but the way she speaks makes it practically impossible not to pay attention. "What do you know about us?" I turn as Denis speaks, though his eyes are firmly on the woman as he steps forward, his hand instantly going to the small of my back while he asks the loaded question. She said the information in that book wasn't much use to her anymore, and she didn't seem to react to my exclamation about helping the guys, so does she know something?

The woman's eyes slip down to the arm Denis has going behind me, and I almost see a frown setting into the wrinkles on her face and something in her eyes. Regret..? "Hm, I thought something like this might happen." She mumbles more to herself than any of us before she raises her head and blinks a few times, and just like that the look in her eyes is gone and a smile once again adorns her features. "And to answer your questions dear boy, I know quite a lot." She said, her eyes not on Denis as she goes to walk past us, who part instantly as she goes by, settling herself down in the centre of the couch before reaching forward to pluck a cup of tea from the coffee table. A cup of tea that wasn't there before, and is in a mug I have never seen before, I can tell that much even in the dark.