We Are Monsters 🌕 Book 1 || gxg

Preview of "Magic Tricks", Chapter 1: Monster of a Different Sort

Bleach and the permeating, tangy stink of Sharpie ink burned Ada's nose. It always stank of bleach in the tiny washroom. Her head lolled to the side as she filled in another thick, glittering bubble she had just added to her ever-growing mural. She would probably be in shit if Arthur actually went into the employee washroom once in a blue moon. But he didn't, and she continued to vandalize the whitewashed cinder block wall to the left of the scrubbed toilet.

She expected a place like this to have a gnarly employee washroom, considering she worked mostly with men, but Colin was a severe germaphobe who wouldn't let it go two days without cleaning. Colin hated her mural, but she wasn't the first to deface the wall, so he didn't fight her too hard on it. Besides, she was covering up some of the less tasteful scrawls in the process.

Someone knocked on the door. The chisel tip hovered immobile over a new arc she saw but had yet to make. "Ada, you can't spend all morning in there, you've got to finish that truck by two."

Ada sighed. "I'll be right there."

She could not have sounded less enthused, but who would be? The thing was a monster. Uselessly large, lifted, and donning the biggest and most menacing grill on offer. The owner was no better. A stocky man, he was a nightmare to deal with. His truck was his baby, he seemed to sink all of his income into keeping it running and making it even more threatening in appearance. Since its last visit, it had gained tacky bullet hole stickers along the driver's side.

Ada got up and made her way back to the shop, where the hideous beast was waiting for her. She had finished with the tires, thank goodness, because she really wasn't fond of the way the jack creaked and groaned under its weight. Not to mention, last time it was in, the damn thing nearly ran her over. Joseph had brought it in for her and didn't quite put it into park when he got out. Ada had finished her preliminary assessment and was going for a coffee refill when it started to roll backward, toward her. If not for Colin's shout, it would have pinned her to the wall. Joseph lost his job over it, and rightfully so, and Colin managed to get in and stop it before any damage was done. Good thing, too, because that short-fuse would have blown his top if he found out it was scratched or dented in the shop.

Full of apprehension, Ada got to work finishing the repairs to various parts that needed attention. She was wary the entire time. She kept one earbud out, just in case it decided to do something untoward again. Honestly, if she never saw it again, it would be too soon.

A few times, Ada caught Colin staring at her, and she fought back a scowl each time. He was so nosy. Always asking her questions and inviting her out to trivia night at the pub. Why in the hell would she want to do that? Besides, she was in no place to be making new friends just then. Between all the werewolves she had met and the chaos in her life, she had no space left in her brain to entertain the idea of making new friends. Plus, what if he was looking for more than that? She wasn't the best at picking up on flirting from men and didn't like taking the chance.

So, Ada ignored him and focused on her tasks. The day crawled by, but by two, she was done everything and glad to see it go. Buddy was happy to have his truck back and was almost pleasant, for once.

As the day came to a close, Ada was running out of excuses to avoid him, and Colin began his usual barrage of questions she did her best to dodge. Almost two years of trying and he still hadn't learned more than her coffee order. She was pretty proud of that fact. She didn't think he even knew about Sam, or that part of her life at all. That's probably why he tried to invite her out to trivia night with his friends every Saturday. She was getting to the point where she wanted to be openly rude when she responded.