Second floor: Go green fairy!

Claire 

“What in devil’s name are you smoking again?” Todd roared and for a moment I thought that the ground had shook. I peered at the Elf guy. He would look hot, if it wasn’t for the blank expression on his face and the ridiculous amount of smoke his cigar was producing.

The smoke created swirling clouds around him, like a pillar, until they touched the floor, giving the impression that he stood on a cloud. Of which heaven I had no idea.

“Elfas Lorein! Snap out of it!” Todd charged and punched the guy.

He fell back and suddenly the smoke disappeared. His silver eyes focused on us and he snapped from his trance. “Todd?” he asked.

“Finally! Did you think that now was the time to go on a vision?” the vampire flashed his fangs and I lowered the wet towel.

“Wait, he gets high and sees visions?”

The Elf turned to me. “We have a shrimp for a doorkeeper?” he looked at me as if I was a bug and he got up.

I really wanted to punch him. “FYI, I am not a shrimp. Just because I am short, doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself.”

Todd laughed. Elfas regarded me for a moment. “It seems that my roommate has forgotten to mention your…language.” He waved at me as if he was dismissing my presence and walked to the kitchen. “I am waiting for my lunch human.”

”Dinner!” I spat at him, pointing at the darkness outside.

Todd chuckled. “Elves prefer night.”

“So the ‘Lord of the Rings’ part is a lie too?” I asked and I was sure that Elfas made a chocking sound from the kitchen.

Good. He should know that the ‘shrimp’ had some backbone.

“Well, not totally. They do like mischief but they have to be honest too.”

“Thank God for small mercies.”

Elfas’s head popped from the kitchen. “When you two are done talking I would love to have some vegan pizza, please.” He drawled the word as if he tasted it for the first time.

Todd whooped happily about pizza and he rushed to call the delivery. I frowned, thinking that the word ‘cursed’ didn’t allow anyone to enter the perimeter. “Pizza guys are holly!” Todd and Elfas said with a voice and Fred, who had entered the living room a little earlier smiled.

“When an outsider enters the grounds, there’s glamour around the house. It gives the impression of a normal house and the gardens are concealed from sight too.” He explained to me as I sat on the couch again.

“Even the crazy willow?”

Something crashed behind me. I turned around. Elfas stared at me with fury his silver eyes blazing. I cringed. Had I said something wrong? Fred stepped closer and Todd braced himself near him.

“I am taking my pizza box upstairs. Bring it to me Fred.” He spoke calmly, almost frosty.

“Yes, Sir.” Fred’s lion head moved and the Elf disappeared upstairs.

Todd sighed. “I should have warned you.”

“About what?”

“Lethinia indeed used to be an Elf too. Before all this. Elfas was really fond of her.”

“Oh.” Shit.

I lowered my head and stared at my fingers. I was teasing but I would never insult someone on purpose. I turned to Fred. “When pizza arrives, give the box to me.” He nodded and turned to the living room.

When the pizza boxes came, I grabbed the vegan and made my way upstairs for the first time. The stairs were curving, the polished wood slightly squeaking under my feet. The key string was still tied on my waist and when I reached the first floor, coming straight in front of Todd’s door, one of the keys began trembling, casting a faint hue of light.

I ignored it and continued to the second floor. The scent of rosemary and pine filled my nostrils as I walked to Elfas’s door. “Elfas.” I knocked and waited. Footsteps were heard from the other side and the door opened. He stood with a robe made of silk dropped over his shoulders and his pointy ears twitched slightly.

“Thanks human.” He grumbled and grabbed the boxes from my hand.

“Wait.” I held the door before he could close it. “I want to apologize. I didn’t know-

“No you didn’t. And I am not going to discuss this with a creature like you.” His silver eyes glowed with anger.

“Okay, I understand but I would like to get to know you.”

Elfas made a sound of dismissal and closed the door with no other word. I began walking down the stairs when I noticed the stairs which were continuing to the third floor. Todd had vaguely mentioned the third resident and the curiosity to continue was really eating me up.

“Claire!” Todd shouted and I sighed. The third floor would have to wait.

Getting back down, I found Fred covered with cola and Todd laughing at him hysterically. Strangely, pizza was stuck on the ceiling. “Are you crazy?” I scowled and with napkins I began cleaning the poor gargoyle.

Fred smiled at me, showing his stone sharp teeth. I really didn’t want my hand stuck between these.

“I wanted to try the Mentos and cola experiment.” Todd continued laughing.

“And you are satisfied now? Fred is not a toy. And how did the pizza ended up there?” I pointed to the ceiling.

Todd looked up as if he had finally realized what he had done. “Well, look at that.”

“I am not cleaning this.”

Todd sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

I turned to Fred. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I had enough fun for tonight. You should rest Claire.”

I sighed. This was getting weirder and weirder. How was I going to live with all this craziness? 

--------------- 

The next morning, I decided to take a walk to the willow. I knew that Todd was sleeping and Fred was petrified. So, after a quick shower and a clean change of clothes, I strolled to the kitchen. On my year as a fugitive, I always had to worry about food and keeping low. I knew that I would be followed but I’d never suspected that I would end up closed in a house.

Nor that there would really exist supernatural creatures. The milk was warm as I sipped, looking outside the window. It was windy again and the willows long, branches were swaying. If I could make up with Lethinia then I could try and speak to Elfas later.

I grabbed my coat and got out. The cold sipped into my bones and I shivered, rubbing my palms, in an attempt to warm them. I glanced at the crouched Fred and patted his lion head. Then, I walked towards the willow. The ground was wet with mud and the grass had raindrops on it, probably from the humidity. As I neared the tree, I saw the whole trunk moving, in a sign of threat.

“I know who you are!” I shouted at her and at once the tree stopped moving. Taking that as a sign of startle, I crept closer, walking slowly towards her.

The willow’s leaves were soft on the touch and gently I lifted the branches, like a curtain, walking closer to the trunk. I saw her there; the body of a woman carved in amazing detail upon the wood. If she had a human body, she would look really beautiful. I guess all fairies looked pretty.

She had an hourglass shape with her feet becoming one close to the roots and her back plastered over the trunk. Her chest, arms and head were outstretching from the wooden surface, as if Lethinia was trying to escape from the tree. Her face had angles and despite the wooden color I could tell that she was scowling at me.

I lifted my arms. “I know that we began wrong, but I need your help.”

Her eyebrows rose; well that was a first for her too. “I am not planning to spend the rest of my life locked in here. Todd will drive me crazy. “She chuckled at that. “And I am sure that you miss Elfas too.” Sadness enveloped her face and she lowered her head in defeat.

“Lethinia, can you tell me how you ended up here? Who did this to you?”

She shook her head and one branch moved closer to her, showing her mouth. She couldn’t speak. “Can you show me at least? Anything will help.”

The branches moved and they took shapes. Some had the vague shape of a person; I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, while some tried to look like… teeth? They took another shape. A bird flying, keys moving and finally, a shape which was changing from person to a four legged creature, all of them coming into a series of flowing leaves and branches.

“I will see what I can do.” I nodded at Lethinia and she looked down at me. Her expression was blank and for a reason I would prefer it if she was feeling something at least. “Do you want me to tell something to Elfas?”

Her wooden body moved and together with her the whole tree shook. Something fell to the ground and I lifted it. It was a wooden carving, with strange letters on it. I smiled at her and walked back to the house. When I entered the living room, I carefully placed the wood on the table and made my to the big library hoping to read more of either Todd’s or Elfas’s journals.

I found out after almost four hours of reading, that Elfas had joined Todd into the house a century later at 1743. Into his journals were gossips and gossips of political strife, who was getting laid with who but there was no entry for Lethinia. Strange, if he was caring about her, why wasn’t he referring at her into the journals?

Getting up, I stretched, wondering if a house as big as this had any type of gym. After closing the books and placing them on the library, I strolled into the kitchen, only to find Elfas sitting on the table, holding the piece of wood in his hands. There was a pained expression on his face, his green hair was plastered to his scalp as if he had just got out of the shower.

A cup of tea was at his right and a book at his left. He looked up at me. “Did you bring this here?” he showed me the wood.

I sat down and looked at him. “Yes, I did. I and Lethinia had a girl talk.”

His eyebrows rose. “Girl talk?”

“Yup.” I didn’t mention the clues she tried to give me. I preferred to find out myself.

The Elf kissed tenderly the wood and placed it into the inner pocket of his jacket. He took the cup in his hand and asked me if I wanted some. “Sure.” Elfas nodded. I peered at the book’s cover. The word ‘fever’ was on it and it showed a dark red and black background with a man and a woman on it.

“You two are really fond of books.”

“Todd and I had countless discussions upon the way our races are portrayed. I like the way the author speaks of the courts.”

I nodded and took the hot cup in my hands. The sweet scent made my inside warm and I smiled. “Thank you.”

“You too have darkness in your eyes.” Elfas spoke suddenly and I looked at him.

“You know nothing about me.”

He titled his head as if he was studying me with interest. Apparently they weren’t getting any visitors around here and the chance to have someone else to talk was huge. I could tell from the way Todd and Fred had talked to me last night.

“No, I don’t and I wouldn’t care less.” he grabbed his book and opened it.

I took a sip of my tea.

And sputtered it like a fountain.

“What the hell is that shit?” I shouted while Elfas stared at me with a faint smirk.

“Pepper, sugar and bio-organic material.”

“Huh, what do you mean by bio-organic?”

“Mostly I use the waste from the pipe at the back of our home. You have no idea how useful and safe to the environment that is.”

“Oh, he hadn’t…. “Poop? You drink poop?”

“Now human, don’t put it so bluntly.”

I screamed and threw the cup to his face, then bolted straight to the bathroom. 

----------------- 

“I am sorry, I should have warned you.” Fred spoke softly as I pulled the weeds from the ground, thinking that they were Elfas’s head. The light was still good and since I didn’t want to be closed up again, I decided to take a walk to the perimeter.

Strangely Fred had managed to wake up, before sunset, so he walked around with me, as I explored the premises. The weeds were a nice way to put the steam off.

“It’s not your fault.” I grumbled and pulled yet another weed.

“Elfas has an extra curse upon him. Don’t be mad please.”

“I got up and looked at the gargoyle. “What kind of curse?”

The lion head with the amber eyes moved towards the direction of the willow. “He can’t walk to the ground around the house, neither get close to Lethinia. There was a time, when the tree had almost withered from sadness. I and Todd, took turns watering her, placing nourishing soil, but only when she heard Elfas’s voice from the house, screaming at her, only then did she become better.”

The description was so saddening, I wanted to cry. And I never cried. So that’s why Elfas had kissed the wood with such tenderness. After taking the leather jacket from Fred’s arm, we walked back to the house, mostly chatting, about the states I traveled, his time in here. I liked the guy, he could tell a joke, but there was truly sadness in his voice.

Like everyone else in this cursed house.

When we walked in, I found Todd, fangs showing eyes blazing, growling at Elfas, who at the same time had his green hair shining and sparks flying from his fingertips. They were both at each wall across each other, staring with fury. I stopped dead on my tracks. “What’s going on here?”

“Ah, the casual alpha game.” Fred sighed and I felt my eyebrows hit my forehead.

“Huh?”

“At the end of each week, they fight to see who will be the alpha. You know for the simple things; tv control, making the menu, using the gym.”

“You have a gym?”

The growl made us turn. Todd, leapt towards Elfas, his nails big red claws. Elfas swirled around and elbowed the vampire, hitting his spine with a horrible crunch. This was brutal, too brutal. Fred covered me by standing in the front and opened slightly his bat wings.

“The act like babies.” I protested and duck under Fred’s wings. I thought about the keys on my waist but decided against it. It was one thing to be locked in here and totally another to be stripped of your will.

“Well, at least when Todd is in charge there’s no different menu than the other days. But when Elfas is in charge…” Fred shivered as if he could feel the cold.

And then it struck me; if Elfas was to change the menu that meant more poop tea.

Shit.

“Kick his ass Todd!” I shouted at the vampire and a wide grin spread on his lips and delived another punch sending Elfas flying to the ceiling. The Elf growled and from his fingertips vines appeared, moving at will around Elfas’s body.

He moved his hands and Todd soon was covered from the vines, tied like a prisoner. “Old trick.” Todd smiled sardonically and ducked his head, biting hard at the vines. A howl of pain echoed to the house and I felt Fred’s arms clutching me quickly and pulling us towards the door.

“Wait! I want to see!” I protested but the door closed behind me.

“Give them some time to cool off. I think that your stomach had survived another week.”

“Thank God.” I murmured and after five minutes, I opened the door, only to find Todd drinking a beer and Elfas sipping his disgusting tea. I stared at them dumfounded, wondering if they were going to sprout broboli on their heads at some point. When I looked at Fred he shrugged and wished us good night.

“So, may I guess that our menu will be human this week?”

Todd passed on his bowl of chips and I moaned with relief. Todd smiled while Elfas mumbled something on an unknown language. Which reminded me…

“Hey, is it true you have a gym?”

Todd nodded. “It’s at the corridor across the stairs. We have a separate building connected with the rest of the house. I could show you.”

“Nah, thanks. I think I’ll hit it for now.” And after one last glance at the Elf, I walked to my room.

With a pair of yoga pants, a white tee and a towel on hand, I found my way towards the gym. Indeed, the place was enormous, with all kinds of training machines, punch bags, even a climbing wall at the left side. On the ceiling there were metallic boards, which were connected with hoops and ropes, like someone would like to fly like Spiderman.

I placed the towel at the bench on my right, pulled a mat at the center of the room and began stretching exercises. Not having trained for two days was really bad for my muscles. Besides, I could work more in my mind everything I’d so far experienced in this house. Todd was bored with his life, Elfas had been exiled and his lover had become a tree.

Gee, there was too much drama.

Not that I was any better.

After finishing my routine, I decided to try the treadmill. I placed an acceptable speed and ran. My mind always cleared when I ran. It was only my breathing, the burn on my muscles and the sweat on my body. I could forget of him, of the glass, the blood, even the rows and circles of scars which were decorating my bare, now, arms.

When I was done, I looked at the climbing wall. Thinking bout that I could try it but I needed another person to hold me up. I shook my head, thinking that Todd, or even Elfas would love to have me dangling around tied on rope. They could throw pop corn on me.

I groaned as I pulled the towel.

And then I felt it.

The feeling of being watched. In my previous ‘job’, anyone would be able to detect something not normal during a mission the rustle of moving leaves, or even the sound footsteps. In my case it was a gust of wind, faint with the sent of smoke, earth and…snow. Someone was watching me, and for some time that is.

Whoever it was, I hadn’t noticed. Hmm, challenging.

Deciding to play unconcerned, I pulled the jumping rope and began counting to one hundred as I jumped fast. But my eyes were moving towards the room, taking in the corners and the machines.

From up. I stopped and looked up.

Something big and black was staring down at me. My breathing quickened and slowly I took a step back, not daring to take my eyes from the form, which was hanging from the pipes and hoops of the ceiling. Then it moved and jumped, landing silently on its feet.

Which weren’t truly feet. Paws big with black claws were going up to muscled thighs and a torso which even the best bodybuilder would be jealous of. Strong board shoulders and trained chest was next and the arms were too looking like a human’s if you could count out the paws and claws on its hands.

The head… oh god the head was that of a wolf’s with long muzzle point ears where a silver earring was dangling from his left one. The eyes were dark pools but slowly the irises appeared, creating the brightest blue I’d ever seen. And the whole body was covered with black fur, making the eyes even more striking.

Well, that and the shorts he was wearing. I was speechless and a little crept out. Not even Todd hadn’t caused me such terror. But the werewolf stood still, titling his head as if he was trying to understand if I was his next meal or a toy.

I preferred the second option.

“Hi?” I croaked, staring at him carefully.

The werewolf took a step forward and I really tried not to flinch. If he wanted me dead, then he had his chance. Slowly, as if he too was counting my reaction he drew closer. The top of my head was barely reaching his chest.

I looked up, feeling the beating of my heart on my ears. His head bend down and…sniffed. His muzzle moved from the crook of my neck to my face. Our eyes locked and his warm breath tickled my skin. I knew that. I had felt it before.

“It’s you.” I whispered and his eyes narrowed.

The werewolf growled and drew back, his body lithe despite his size.

“Wait!” I shouted but he was already gone running on fours outside the gym.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know that I've been quite innactive the past weeks and i apologize!! But thank you for your patience! Here's the next chapter. Please vote/comment and don't forget that "Three ghosts for Anastasia" has entered the Watty's!! As for the werewolf, ahh I am preparing something special for him ;)

Check to your right on my idea of how Elfas looks like!