My Boy Fills Coffins

Chapter Seven - Oh It's That Special?

Chapter Seven – Oh It's That Special?

Gabe had tactfully waited until my mother had gone to fetch some book she had wanted to show him. He kept giving me these knowing glances and I gulped. Of course Gabe would be one of them too, my life just had to be this complicated.

“So, Autumn, I hear you’ve found yourself some new friends?” Gabe spoke nonchalantly, but I noted the hard edge in his voice. “You know, I never expected you to get mixed in with all this. “ He continued, cocking his head to the side as his gaze met mine steadily.

I laughed nervously, trying to relieve the tension, “Oh you know me, I love meeting new people.” Gabe raised an eyebrow to that.

“Have you ever thought that you might be mixing with the wrong people? If you wanted to mix with other nephilim, you could have said so.” Gabe tried again.

“Look, Gabe, if I ever need your help, I’ll be sure to give you a yell.” I gave him a tight smile as my mother re-entered the room, skipping and daintily twirling. I swear to God, that woman wasn’t right in the head. I glanced at my watch, trying to look busy. It was precisely three minutes to five. I felt my eyes bug out of my head. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Noah was coming at five. And Gabe was sitting in my kitchen doubting my choice of friends, and my mother was quite clearly having had too much of some narcotic substance. And Noah was always on time. He just had that aura about him that screamed of ‘punctual being with a scythe’.

He’d just have to put up with me in my school uniform and Doc Martens, I suppose. I’m sure we’d look a right pair. Me in my preppy uniform and clunky boots, and him all brooding and dark with his mystical mumbo jumbo Latin stuff. I probably looked like his little kid sister who followed him everywhere.

My mother showed Gabe this heavy looking book that was bound in leather, and he thumbed through it gently, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. Little clouds of dust rose when he turned a page, and curiosity bubbled inside me. “What is that?” I asked, and both Gabe and my mother looked up at me blankly.

“It’s an old pagan spell book; I found it at one of those garage sales down in that area in town where all those Asians live today. I bought it off a lovely young man called Elijah.” My mother explained, a dreamy look glazing her eyes over as she thought back to it.

I felt a rush when she mentioned the name Elijah, and I zoned out slightly. Of course she had to know Elijah. And she had to buy a pagan spell book off him. Elijah probably knew she was my mother too.

In fact, I had been freaking out about it to such a degree that I almost missed the doorbell ringing and the distant noise of two males bickering. In the time that I had been freaking out internally, my mother had decided to glide out of the kitchen and down the hallway to answer the front door.

In those few split seconds that all that happened, I started to panic just a little bit more and raced after my mother. After falling over an astray shoe in the hallway I finally caught up to her.

Noah was standing on the doorstep with a ‘what the fuck’ expression. My mother and Elijah were embracing, and I swear to God she pinched his ass before he pulled away from her. Elijah flushed, the colour almost matching that of his hair. For the love of God, she was hitting on someone young enough to be her son.

“Oh Elijah! You came! Did you bring some of that tea you were on about earlier? I can’t wait to try it! I even invited over one of my friends!” She burbled, and Noah looked like he was going to be sick she was so sweet.

Elijah’s gaze met mine, and his blush brightened, “Yes, I have it right here.” He smiled timidly, and she grasped his bony wrist in her chubby hand and yanked him down the hallway and into the kitchen. I followed them with my eyes until they disappeared into the room before allowing myself to look back at Noah.