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Elliot’s phone buzzed as soon as she slipped back into her room. Melinda, her roommate, had sent her a shotgun blast of messages.
“I put your laundry in your room. I could have left it on the floor but I was feeling nice.”
Elliot rolled her eyes. Sure she was.
Indeed, a heap of clothes were left on her bed. Elliot poked them. Still damp. Of course they were. She grabbed hangers out of her closet and began to hang her shirts up in her bathroom. She opened up a YouTube stream of music, “Chillhop beats to relax/study to,” because there was no “Calm the fuck down beats to hang up your laundry after your shitty roommates dumped them in your room too early” mix. That was a completely different raccoon.
Her bedroom door opened again. She thought about slamming it shut with — well, she guessed she was calling it magic now, but reminded herself she needed a place to live. She stuck her head out of the bathroom.
“Oh, you’re home.” Melinda stood about five steps into her room, looking for all the world like she wasn’t trying to be sneaky. “Next time you’re going to leave your laundry in the dryer all night, at least let us know.”
“I forgot,” Elliot said. “Sorry.”
“I’m sure you did,” Melinda said. “Like you forget to do the dishes, or take out the garbage, or clean up anything at all.”
Elliot felt the fur prickled on the back of her neck. “What- I do the dishes all the time. I take out the trash ALL THE TIME, even and especially after your shitty parties, which, by the way, none of that garbage is mine.”
“Some of it is.”
“Not three bags full of shitty beer,” Elliot said.
“Right, just your weeaboo coffee in the fridge.”
Elliot narrowed her eyes. “First of all, it’s like four cans at any given time. And second, how do you even know that word?”
“Anyway,” Melinda said. “It won’t be an issue for long.”
Elliot turned and went back to hanging up her laundry. She tossed a few pairs of underwear over the shower curtain rod, and picked up crumpled pair of jeans. Oh, come on, she thought. These will take forever to dry. She’d hang them up outside, but the misty season was just starting. She laughed to herself. Hi, I’m Misty Jeans, welcome to my smut emporium.
“I heard you lost your job.”
Elliot’s ears flattened on her head. She narrowed her eyes again and turned back to Melinda. “Where did you hear that?”
“It’s all over the news.” Melinda took a few mores steps into Elliot’s room, trying to look like she was a concerned parent trying to understand a D+ on a report card. “Kingway, right?”
“I’m actually shocked you remember anything about me. I need to sit down.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with the money soon. Find a new job. There’s plenty out there you could do. What about barista?”
Elliot stared past her, watching her door carefully. “I’ll find a job.”
“Clearly you’re worried about it. That’s why you’ve been out all night.”
Elliot stared.
“If you don’t pay your share of the rent, we’re going to kick you out.”
“You’ve already got your money. You had no problem cashing that check.”
Melinda nodded slowly, considerately. “Let’s put it this way then: There’s four of us in this house, and one of us has an arrest record.”
“Is it you?” Elliot asked. “Too much fun at homecoming? Couldn’t keep your clothes on at Mardi Gras?” Elliot raised an eyebrow. “Arson??”
“We heard that cops took you in last night. We can’t have someone in this house that is dangerous, like you.”
This was starting to push a very specific button. Humans had ideas about the furs around them, based on ancient fables from when humans and furs interacted less. If she started about the black mask of fur on her face…
“They wanted a statement,” Elliot said. “I wasn’t arrested. I saw something and the cops wanted a statement from me.”
“Sure, buddy,” Melinda said. “Just something me and the girls have to think about is all.”
“Well,” Elliot said. She tried to think of something else, but she was just so tired. She put another shirt on a hanger and hung it in the bathroom.
The sound of an empty can hit the ground. Elliot looked out again. It was her Japanese coffee, coffee she bought in the International District when she had had a little surplus of cash. Melinda stood purposefully over the can, watching Elliot’s reaction carefully.
Elliot said nothing, but death stared at Melinda.
“Call it a little preemptive counter theft,” she said. “We have to protect ourselves when you leave. Who know what might disappear-”
Elliot concentrated until she felt the door and slammed it shut. Melinda spun around.
“Hell of a breeze outside,” Elliot said. She reached out up the stairs, farther than she ever had before, feeling around until she found the fridge.
“What-” Melinda said. Upstairs, the sound of beer bottles clattering to the ground broke the silence. Melinda shouted and flung Elliot’s door open. She darted upstairs. Elliot carefully hung up another shirt.
Upstairs, Melinda shrieked. Concentrating, Elliot found the sink and turned it on. She felt around for the dish hose and, not knowing where Melinda was standing, began to spray the area wildly. Melinda shrieked again. Elliot laughed to herself. She caught herself in the mirror, noticing a small trickle of blood from her nose, and she looked fucking metal. She laughed again and wiped the blood away.
“I don’t know how you did it,” Melinda said from her doorway. “But I know you did it, you fucking mutant. You’re out of here. I’ll call the fucking cops.”
Elliot looked at her, leveling her shoulders. “You’re right. I have, what, a week and a half left? So let’s discuss that.”
“Fuck you,” Melinda said. “I’m not listening to a fucking pel-”
“You finish that and I’ll set you on fire with magic,” Elliot said.
Melinda stammered. “You wouldn’t,” she said. “You can’t.”
“Ask somebody,” Elliot said.
Melinda’s eyes went wide, and she fell back into the hallway.
“I’m going to find a place to live. Meanwhile, don’t touch my stuff. Cool?”
Melinda nodded.
Elliot slammed her door closed again.
She felt dizzy and collapsed onto her bed, panting, her heart racing. She felt for her phone and instantly texted Z.
“I did a bad thing and I need a place to stay.”
Z responded instantly. “I’m at Vic’s Garage. Come meet me and we’ll figure things out. Wait, do you need me to get you? Do you have your stuff?”
“My stuff will be fine for a minute. I’ll be there soon.”
That night, Elliot made herself comfortable on Z’s couch. She and Ty had gone with her to collect up her things, which fit neatly in Ty’s trunk. In some ways, Elliot felt disappointed that her life was barely more than a suitcase full of things. But she also felt relieved to be escaping as quickly.
Ty got them to Z’s, a modest one bedroom in the Central District, gave Elliot a reassuring hug, and left them alone.
“It’s not much,” Z said, handing Elliot her own key to the building and the apartment. “But the Internet is fiber and my neighbors are pretty cool.”
“It’s really nice,” Elliot said softly. “Thank you.”
Z smiled at her. “My pleasure.” She went to her kitchenette and turned on an electric kettle. “Want some tea? Gimble has an amazing tea source. I got some great stuff to calm you down.”
Elliot nodded. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them.
Z fetched two cups from her cabinets and set them out, preparing the tea in its own pot.
“Have you given the group any more thought?” Z asked.
“I super don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“Fair,” Z said. She poured hot water into the teapot. “It’s a standing offer, so whenever you’re ready, let me know.”
Elliot stared at the wall. “I shouldn’t have done that to Melinda.”
“You did nothing that you can’t deny,” Z said. “So that’s like really good on your part.”
“Ha,” Elliot said. “I feel awful about it.”
“You stood up for yourself. It sounds like she deserved a punch in the jaw, if not being set on fire. Did you really threaten to set her on fire?”
Elliot looked away.
“You’re amazing,” Z said. She brought Elliot her tea. Elliot set it down on a side table. She looked around the apartment again.
“How is your furniture so nice?”
Z said, “Once upon a time, when I lived in Portland, I had a wife. Bet you didn’t see that coming.”
Elliot shook her head.
“I had a decent job and she did too, and we were able to get some nice stuff and a nice condo before things went totally nuts down there. And then everything fell apart.”
“I’m sorry,” Elliot said.
Z gave her a soft smile and dropped her eyes. “I appreciate it. It happens.” She took a long sip of her tea. “Anyway, she took the condo when we got divorced. I took the furniture. I think I did okay.”
“This couch is nice,” Elliot said.
“It’s very comfortable,” Z said. “Great for sleeping. But if it doesn’t work for you, you could always share the bed with me.”
Elliot gave Z a sidelong stare. “Well this escalated quickly.”
Z laughed.
“I’m not interested,” Elliot said.
“Okay,” Z said. “Just putting things out there. That’s part of the Secret, you know.”
“Ha.” Elliot tried the tea. It was well spiced, and it reminded her of Christmas. And, she had to admit, she felt better, even after that sip.
Z finished her tea. “You’ve had a long day. I’m going to go run some errands and let you have the apartment to yourself for a bit. Chinese for dinner sound good?”
Elliot nodded. “Yeah. Can… can we get some crab rangoon?”
“Do you think I’m just fucking around? Fuck yeah we’re getting crab rangoon.” She stood and patted Elliot on the head. “Text me if you need me.”
And with that, Elliot was suddenly alone. She stretched out on the couch.
Crap. She picked up the phone to text Z, but Z got to her first.
“The WiFi password is MegaButtz.”
“Ha, thanks. Read my mind.”
“;3”
Elliot laughed to herself. She opened her laptop, connected to the wifi, and began an episode of Emerald City Paranormal. A moment later she was asleep.
[g]