Chapter 12: 12__Return of the ghost

“If she falls, she’ll break her jaw on these damn cobblestone streets,” Rogan muttered to himself, strolling along the street as he watched Maia skipping merrily all over the place.

He shook his head at her. After turning his kitchen upside down and leaving it a total mess, she had the audacity to look so unapologetic about it? Brat.

What was there to be so happy about anyway? It was just a street with its usual Gemini merchants. Everything fascinated her, you’d think they were at a magical fun fair.

Maia skipped over to a wide table with a variety of magical bracelets arranged on it.

She touched a hand to her chin as she looked down at the pretty colours, some glowing and some glistening in the morning light.

“Have you some magic bracelets, dearie!” encouraged the old woman standing on the other side of the table. She raised a finger. “They’re said to keep one happy forever!”

Maia smiled, eyes glittering with awe. “Really?!”

The old lady nodded. “You must be a traveller. Take one for your memories of the kingdom of Geminor!”

Immediately agreeing, Maia nodded so enthusiastically, Rogan thought her head would fall off.

Looking eagerly over the table, her wriggling fingers landed on a beautiful black bracelet that had crystal stones glowing amongst the black.

“Wow…” she whispered, raising it in the air for a closer look.

“That’s the Light in the Dark,” said the old lady with a toothy grin. “It keeps you happy when things get tough!”

From where he stood watching, Rogan rolled his eyes behind the dark shades. What absolute rubbish. Only a fool would believe it.

“That’s amazing!” said Maia with delight.

Rogan sighed. Oh, what a fool.

Maia nodded at the lady. “Thank you, Nana!”

Rogan blinked at her when she started skipping off and quickly caught Maia by the elbow. “Hey!” he whispered fiercely. “You wanna get accused of theft? We’re supposed to pay for that first!”

Maia blinked up at him. “Huh? Pay?”

Giving her a look, he released her arm and turned to the puzzled looking old woman.

She smiled at him with a little bow. “Master Rogan! How pleasant to see you in the streets!”

Rogan nodded distractedly, pulling out some money. “Yes, yes, lovely,” he told her, paying for Maia’s bracelet.

“Wouldn’t you like one of your own?” asked the little lady as she accepted her money.

Rogan shook his head. “Fuck no. One’s enough.”

“We’ll share it!” piped Maia, smiling at the lady.

The old woman raised her brows. “Ooooh, young love!”

Rogan nearly choked. Young? Love?! He was over six hundred years old and… *Love??* Rubbish.

Maia shook her head quickly. “No, that’s not—”

“Someone had asked me if you lived alone,” said the woman. “I said yes, because I thought you were a bachelor, Master Rogan. How wrong I was!” She giggled as Rogan looked at her with a raised brow.

“Someone asked about me?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes! A young lady. Must be one of your many admirers!”

Rogan relaxed. Many young women asked about him, he had nothing to be bothered about.

“Look at you two. How enviable!” continued the smiling lady. She did a graceful twirl, all of a sudden, and Maia was amazed to see a pair of huge butterfly wings extend out of her back and fan out behind the woman.

“Oh, my God!” Maia gushed as the lady beamed at her. “They’re beautiful! What are you?! A butterfly?!”

“In a way. I have a butterfly Gemini soul, dearie.” explained the old lady proudly. “It means, I have one form as a person and another form as a butterfly.”

Maia gasped loudly. “That’s amazing!”

Rogan rolled his eyes and nodding at the woman, started tugging Maia away.

“Oh, how lovely!” Maia went on. “I want some too! I want wings!”

Rogan made a face at her. “Are you insane?”

Maia cut a sharp look up at him. “Why?! They’re pretty!”

Waving it away, Rogan nudged her in the direction of a four-story, homey building.

“Go in. Tell Claudia to give you shoes and clothes.”

She grew quiet, looking up at him with wide eyes. “I’m… I’m shy.”

Rogan’s brows drew together when he felt his heart kick up at her look of utter vulnerability. He shook his head. “Bullshit. Get in there.”

Glaring at him, Maia turned around and began slowly walking to the door of The Hostel, her head hung low.

She glanced back at Rogan with a pitiful look, but he only waved her away, the heartless bastard.

Clenching her hands into fists, Maia knocked on the door. After a short tussling sound inside, it was wrenched open and the sight was one that practically gave Maia a heart attack.

Rogan didn’t know what she’d seen, but he suddenly watched as Maia began falling backwards, fainting at some horror.

Transporting himself to the street behind her, Rogan caught her as she fell, shocked at the sudden turn in events.

With Maia kcocked out cold in his arms, he turned his gaze to the open Hostel door and saw exactly what had the poor girl fainting.

“Cassidy!” Rogan snapped.

Cassidy filled the doorway, transformed into her Gemini form. Her Gemini form which just happened to be a huge, frightening white tigress. She growled at Rogan and he snarled back at her.

“Cassie!” Cecile yelled from inside. “I told you to stop answering the door like that, love.”

With a toss of her majestic white head, the tigress shrunk, rising onto its hind legs as Cassie’s human form reappeared.

She leaned an elbow on the door knob, twirling one of the two white highlights that framed her brunette head.

“Oh, hey, Rogan,” she murmured.

“Hey, yourself!” Rogan snapped, glaring at her before turning his gaze back to Maia who was nestled in the crook of his arm, knocked out.

Cecile and Claudia appeared in the doorway, huddling behind Cassie and looking down at Maia.

“Aww, Cassie!” scolded Cecile. “The poor girl!”

Claudia shook her head in disapproval. “I told you to stop being so scary, you’ll never get a man that way.”

“I thought she was someone coming to throw insults at us again!” Cassie defended. “And I told you, I don’t want a man, Claudia!!”

Two girls passing by on the street, looked at the women in the doorway with scorn. “Whores!” screamed one of them.

“That blonde one!” screamed the other. “Stay far away from my boyfriend!”

Cassidy bared her teeth, her eyes glistening silver as she roared in anger.

Shrill screams erupted from both girls and took off running up the street.

“There, there,” Cecile sighed, calming Cassie with a pat on the back.

Claudia crossed her arms. “That other one was so stupid. She has no idea how many women her little boyfriend is with, I’m literally the only one who’s turned him down.”

“Can y’all stop yapping and make way?” Rogan said.

The women looked at him to see him standing with Maia in his arms.

Claudia tilted her head. “She’s wearing your clothes.”

“That’s why we’re here!” snapped Rogan. “Go get her some of your… no, not yours. Get her some of Cecile’s clothes.”

Claudia snorted. “Cecile dresses like a librarian.”

“A sexy librarian,” Cecile corrected, adjusting her black-rimmed spectacles.

Rogan groaned in annoyance. “I swear, you guys have a collective IQ of five!”

Cassie scoffed. “Do not! Cleo’s alone is one-ninety-five!”

“Cleo’s a genius,” Claudia sighed in admiration.

Woken by the banter, Maia blinked her eyes open, trying to remember what happened.

“She’s awake,” said Cassie.

Rogan looked down at Maia and she stared up at him. There was a silent pause.

“Is this a touching moment of emotion?” asked Claudia with a raised brow.

Cecile pursed her lips. “We’re third, fourth and fifth wheeling right now.”

Maia wanted to keep her gaze on Rogan’s face. She really did.

But at that very moment, something far more pressing demanded her attention and so, with a heart shivering in her chest, she reluctantly turned her attention to it.

The ghoulish face staring at her from the corner of the street.