I make a mental note to hunt her down if she isn’t home in the next few hours, and in the meantime, I try to imitate her Sunday schedule. Minus the dusting, of course. I would if I could hold an enchantment long enough. But I’ve never been very good at them. Not nearly as good as Elsie.
She once enchanted an entire house when we were eight. It got up and walked right off, with her father and brother still inside. They found it a few days later, sitting in the middle of the forest, lost.
That little trick probably would have earned her a dampener if it weren’t for the fact that Elsie was the only person strong enough to put the house back.
I crank the music up, choosing something loud and soulful that she would approve of, and jimmy the old windows open just enough to feel a breeze.
The fresh air smells faintly of flowers, and as I spot a few faeries lounging in the sunlight in the courtyard below, I have a feeling it’s going to be a beautiful day.
I start in the kitchen, which only takes about ten minutes since we hardly ever use it. After that, I tackle my bedroom, gathering the failed outfits off the floor and stuffing them, somewhat neatly, back in my closet.
I decide to leave the living room for last. It still has remnants of Elsie’s at-home salon scattered around, along with a few empty chip bags and a couple stray bundles of hair. It will need more attention than the rest, so I take my time cleaning the bathroom before braving the storm.
Elsie should be picking this up, I think to myself as I collect the random strand of hair off the floor. I told her to stop tossing them around whenever she got frustrated, but she’s too hardheaded to take sound advice. Now look at me.
As I crane over to pick up what feels like the hundredth strand of hair, a stiff wind rushes through the window, filling the room with the sweet, dewy scent of wet grass and the mineral-tinted aroma of oncoming rain.
You greedy bitch!
My body stiffens as Grey’s words hit me, and the music fades into muddled tones, ringing deftly in my ears.
All of you! Never satisfied!
I blink, and his body is lying before me, his eyes wide and watching, his blood seeping into the old woolen rug.
I watch the crimson color pool across the floor, staring blankly as it stops an inch from my feet.
You think anybody gives a fuck about?—
“Iris?”
“Hells!”
I jolt as the front door slams shut.
“What are you doing?” Elsie asks, standing just inside the threshold.
“Uh…” I try to wipe the shiver off my skin, but the sensation is quickly forgotten as I look down to see the rug free of my monstrosity. “I think a better question is, what haveyoubeen doing?”
Elsie cringes, ducking in the bright light and pressing a hand to her ear.
Looks like I’m not the only one who had a rough night.
I laugh.
“Reset button isn’t so fun when you’re on the other side, is it?”
“Ugh,” she groans. “Turn it down, my head hurts.”
She waves a hand, and the volume lowers.
“Yeah,” I say, crossing my arms. “Getting your back blown out will do that to you sometimes.”
She squints at me.
“I wasn’t?—”
“Ah, ah.” I hold up a hand. “Before you lie to me, I’d like to remind you that I was there the day Mrs. McCubrey found you in the alchemy lab with Mikey Freeman. I know what your lying face looks like. And I know what sex smells like.” I sniff the air, scrunching up my face. “And you, ma’am, reek.”
