The town only had quaint little family-owned shops instead of big box stores, which meant no midnight shopping sprees or ordering takeout at 2 a.m., when a gaming session ran long.Everything shut down by nine. But with Harlow around, I wasn't exactly going to starve.
As I drove past more houses, I noticed clusters of people chatting on porches and lawns. Something about them seemed off—like they'd all cranked their personal quirks up to eleven. Maybe living this deep in the woods, tucked away in a place called Arcana Falls, gave them permission to be their weirdest selves without judgment from the outside world.
Which meant Harlow and I would fit right in then. Even in the big city, the clothes I wore, how I had my hair… with all those people, still I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb at times.
‘Quiet, Quirky, Quixotic’ is what the bottom of the sign of Arcana Falls read when I drove in. And it was... just like that sign promised. Dreamlike. Shops selling crystals and tarot decks stood next to apothecaries with jars of mysterious powders. Handmade candles flickered in windows beside artisan furniture workshops. All the weird, mystical stuff I'd have to hunt through twelve different neighborhoods to find back in the city was crammed into this single main street.
It was overall awesomely perfect.
How the hell did Harlow find this place?
The only downside was that, with a small town like this, if something happened to anyone, everyone would know about it.
Everyone knows everyone.
There aren’t any grocery deliveries, we can’t hide in our townhome…
We have to—brace yourselves—talk to people.
Socialize.
Outside our job.
Cue the horror music here…
But would it really be that bad? I could walk in the store, walk out. Anything I needed from the big city could be delivered; there was mail…
A load of groceries, though, that was different.
I yanked my hoodie over my head, making sure one neon-green streak of hair dangled strategically across my eyes. Perfect social force field activated. The plan: navigate the cart through the aisles, grab essentials, escape without human interaction. Mission Parameters Clear.
Emit Black Cat Energy, now!
I pushed the cart forward, and the store name, Sprout and Spoon, lit up before me. People were walking by, some running in to grab something quick, others walking out with a cart full of groceries.
I took a deep breath. I don’t have to talk to anyone.
I can just hiss.
Yeah, just hiss. Let the new people of town know what a bitch you are in person.
I bit down on my lip, my fake fangs almost drawing blood.
The automatic doors opened, and I sighed in relief. No one was around.
As I stepped forward, the hood with black cat ears fell off.
“Hey!” a voice yelled to the right of me. “You must be new here!”
Well, fuck!
Chapter Two
Atlas
Isniffed the overripe bananas. These would go bad in several days, and then I could have a tasty snack. I put several in my basket to carry on my forearm. It was a tight fit over the muscle, but I wasn’t about to push a damn cart around the store when I didn’t want to be here in the first place.
Lucien insisted.
