back into the bathtub. Seeing as he wouldn’t be of much help for at least the next ten minutes, I took matters into my own hands. Slowly I stepped through the broken doorway and into the hallway of the house. The smell inside was even worse than outside. Urine, beer, unwashed bodies, with a hint of rotten food and fairy dust, filled the air, making talking nearly impossible, let alone breathing.
Right seemed to share my opinion, for his face turned green two feet through the door. Left didn’t last much longer. “Go,” I said to both fairyguards. “Wait for me outside.”
For once neither argued, nearly trampling each other in a race for the door. I watched them leave, a small rush of macho victory as well as bile rising in me. I wanted to throw up but decided it would only prolong my stay inside. “Hello,” I called into the dimly lit interior.
A hacking wet cough answered.
I winced, swallowing hard as I stepped in something that squished much like decaying cat. I glanced down. Nope, not a cat. A rat. One the size of a small dog. I vowed to burn my boots as soon as I left this place, as well as the rest of my clothes, and possibly shave my head. I scraped the bits of dead rat from the bottom of my boot on the steps leading to the second floor.
The smoker’s cough sounded again.
With a deep breath I charged forward through piles of debris, beer cans, and discarded undergarments. I reminded myself of why I was there in the first place. I owed James. If wading through garbage was penance for his death, then I would damn well do it with a smile on my face. Okay, not a smile, but I would do it nonetheless.
“Hello,” I called again when I reached the top floor. “Is anyone here?”
The blessed scent of burning tobacco tickled my nostrils, lessening the other terrible aromas. I pushed open the door closest to me, not too surprised to see a bunch of young guys in various stages of undress and levels of drunken comas. All but one of the men were asleep. The only one awake waved a hand in front of his face to dispel the smoke between us. “Who are you?” he asked with yet another hacking cough.
“Blue Reynolds,” I offered. “I’m here to ask you some questions about one of your roommates.”
He scratched the side of his face, seemingly unconcerned that a blue-haired guy had busted into his house and wanted information about his roommates. “Which one?”
“James.”
His forehead wrinkled. “What about him? He owe you money? You won’t be getting it. Not from him.”
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. James interned for me. I came by to offer my condolences, and maybe check out his room?” And then get a tetanus shot, I added silently. A big one. The kind they used on the dragons they kept at the New Never City Zoo.
He eyed me up and down. “First and last months’ rent.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he said. “You want inside James’s room, it’s gonna cost you.”
Having a guy, a kid really, shake me down wasn’t on my list of favorite things. But I did want a peek into James’s life. I wanted to know more about the kid who’d died in my place. I wanted to know if he had family, if they loved him, or if he, like me, had been alone in the world. Not that it mattered. Nothing I learned or did would bring the poor kid back. “Fine,” I said, pulling out my wallet. “How much?”
He glanced at me, then at my wallet, and finally at my boots. Most likely assessing how much he could get me to pay. My thuggish good looks paid off for once as he said, “Two hundred.”
“Deal.” I passed over a one-hundred-dollar bill along with five twenties. Some days it was nice to have an expense account to afford such luxuries as bribes to stoned college kids. “Which room was his?”
“Third door on your left.”
I nodded, closing the door behind me after I left. I vowed right there and then that if I ever had kids, they sure as hell wouldn’t go to college. The thought of
Right seemed to share my opinion, for his face turned green two feet through the door. Left didn’t last much longer. “Go,” I said to both fairyguards. “Wait for me outside.”
For once neither argued, nearly trampling each other in a race for the door. I watched them leave, a small rush of macho victory as well as bile rising in me. I wanted to throw up but decided it would only prolong my stay inside. “Hello,” I called into the dimly lit interior.
A hacking wet cough answered.
I winced, swallowing hard as I stepped in something that squished much like decaying cat. I glanced down. Nope, not a cat. A rat. One the size of a small dog. I vowed to burn my boots as soon as I left this place, as well as the rest of my clothes, and possibly shave my head. I scraped the bits of dead rat from the bottom of my boot on the steps leading to the second floor.
The smoker’s cough sounded again.
With a deep breath I charged forward through piles of debris, beer cans, and discarded undergarments. I reminded myself of why I was there in the first place. I owed James. If wading through garbage was penance for his death, then I would damn well do it with a smile on my face. Okay, not a smile, but I would do it nonetheless.
“Hello,” I called again when I reached the top floor. “Is anyone here?”
The blessed scent of burning tobacco tickled my nostrils, lessening the other terrible aromas. I pushed open the door closest to me, not too surprised to see a bunch of young guys in various stages of undress and levels of drunken comas. All but one of the men were asleep. The only one awake waved a hand in front of his face to dispel the smoke between us. “Who are you?” he asked with yet another hacking cough.
“Blue Reynolds,” I offered. “I’m here to ask you some questions about one of your roommates.”
He scratched the side of his face, seemingly unconcerned that a blue-haired guy had busted into his house and wanted information about his roommates. “Which one?”
“James.”
His forehead wrinkled. “What about him? He owe you money? You won’t be getting it. Not from him.”
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. James interned for me. I came by to offer my condolences, and maybe check out his room?” And then get a tetanus shot, I added silently. A big one. The kind they used on the dragons they kept at the New Never City Zoo.
He eyed me up and down. “First and last months’ rent.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he said. “You want inside James’s room, it’s gonna cost you.”
Having a guy, a kid really, shake me down wasn’t on my list of favorite things. But I did want a peek into James’s life. I wanted to know more about the kid who’d died in my place. I wanted to know if he had family, if they loved him, or if he, like me, had been alone in the world. Not that it mattered. Nothing I learned or did would bring the poor kid back. “Fine,” I said, pulling out my wallet. “How much?”
He glanced at me, then at my wallet, and finally at my boots. Most likely assessing how much he could get me to pay. My thuggish good looks paid off for once as he said, “Two hundred.”
“Deal.” I passed over a one-hundred-dollar bill along with five twenties. Some days it was nice to have an expense account to afford such luxuries as bribes to stoned college kids. “Which room was his?”
“Third door on your left.”
I nodded, closing the door behind me after I left. I vowed right there and then that if I ever had kids, they sure as hell wouldn’t go to college. The thought of
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