It was a burst pipe. Hours later, after the event room, plus all the surrounding rooms, had been evacuated and cleared of as many things as possible, the plumber came to us with the news. I had about twenty minutes left of my shift by this point, so I was standing at the reception desk waiting with Angie and the representative that was on duty. I’d tried to focus on my work for a while, as a train of plumbers and custodial staff had run all over the hotel, trying to find the source of the damage and fix it. But now I couldn’t even fake it anymore and apparently neither could Angie.

“That’s our event room,” Angie said for the sixth or seventh time since we’d heard the news. “The wedding is in two days.”

I nodded yet again, stepping aside for an older man who was checking in with a young woman. The representative behind the desk was all cool smiles, as though half our first floor wasn’t currently underwater. I was somewhere between him and Angie, in terms of stressing over this. It was a disaster, yes. But maybe I was numb to disaster at this point because I couldn’t find it in myself to go scream in the walk-in fridge.

The hotel manager and the plumber made their way over to us as the man and his daughter walked away. Angie stood up straight and we both braced ourselves for whatever the news was going to be.

“It just exploded,” the plumber said. “I’ve seen things like it before, but rarely. And it’s always with old plumbing. I’m the one who’s been maintaining this for the past few years, there’s no way this should have happened.”

“How bad is the damage?” the manager, Stephen, asked.

The plumber looked grim. “The carpets are badly damaged,” he said. “We’re going to have to have a full water damage restoration team come in and clean them. But even that might not be enough to get it looking back the way it was. Mold’s a concern, obviously. Nobody should use that event room at least until it’s been treated for mold.”

“We have a wedding there on Saturday,” Angie said. “Is there any way-”

“The earliest we can get someone is Monday,” the plumber said. “We’re calling in extra guys tomorrow as it is, to fix the pipe itself.”

Angie pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Maybe we can clear out the conference room, dress it up nice, and give Cherise a discount,” she said. “What a disaster.”

My shift was just about over by this point, but I waited as Angie clearly made the plans in her head. “Alright,” she said, clapping her hands. “I’m going to call Cherise. Daria, you’re dismissed. Tomorrow’s going to be busy, so rest up.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, regretting the words as they left my mouth.

“Not at all,” Angie said with an exhausted laugh. “So go before I change my mind.”

That was all I needed to hear. I hurried into the conference room and went behind my desk to get my purse. Then I was out the door with a wave as Angie, Stephen, and the plumber discussed their options by the front desk.

It was beautiful outside as I walked out the sparkling front door. To my relief, Joel wasn’t waiting for me out there. Apparently he’d taken me seriously when I told him to leave. A pang of regret flashed through me as I let the doors swing closed, but it was more for what I’d thought we might have now that we’d cleared the air. Or at least, I’d thought we had. Because even after everything, I’d fallen for his charms again. I’d thought maybe he really did just want to see me.

But no, he’d just been up to more of his old bullshit. So, with a slight shake of my head to get rid of the pang that thought brought, I started walking toward home. The landlord had a locksmith in earlier in the day to replace the locks and get some more secure deadbolts installed. So he was going to meet me there when I got home to give me the new keys. I hurried along the familiar path between old buildings and along narrow roads, taking what comfort I could in the familiarity of it.

Salem was my home. And whoever Joel had pissed off was his problem. They weren’t going to drive me out of the place where I’d lived my whole life. As I passed a flower garden that was slowly coming to life, I felt more grounded than I had all day. Gardening was real. Softball, which was starting soon, was real. I was real. All of it was as real as magic.

Even still though, I was a little nervous going home. There was magic involved, as much as I might want to ignore it. If these people had broken in to get to Joel, it was because of magic. And they probably had access to it, either through their own powers or by hiring someone to do their dirty work for them. Maybe I should have taken Reg up on his offer.

No, it was fine. I could take care of myself. And so could Gretel. But if she wanted magical protection, then I’d be okay with that as long as someone other than Joel took care of it.

The key swap-off with my landlord took only a few minutes. Soon I was standing alone in my living room. We’d cleaned up most of it, but there were still piles of trash bags from the damaged decorations and the broken chairs. Trash pickup wasn’t for a few more days, so those would linger a little while longer and remind me of what had happened until then.

Lovely.

Fuck it, I was going outside.

My softball glove and balls were lying by the back door as I walked into the garden. The solar lights were on and there was a cool breeze dancing through the plants. I picked up my glove and the cleaner of the balls and stretched my arms. There was a target on the back wall that I wanted to destroy before the season officially began. So now was as good a time as any to get started.

My arm felt good as I threw my first pitch. The ball sailed confidently toward the target, only missing it by a few inches. It bounced off the fence and rolled back in my direction. As I turned to get it, I could see Gretel’s horrible Horace peeking out from under a bush. I scowled at him and his smile seemed to grow wider.

“Want one of these?” I asked him, holding up the ball. “Hmm? Right in your terrible little teeth?”

I stood up and pitched again, getting closer this time. Like gardening, softball was something I was confident in. It was one of the few things I was better at than Joel when we were together. He tried, but he didn’t have it in him. Right now, slamming that softball into the back fence over and over, I could feel some of the tension of the past few days melting away. My aim wasn’t as true as I’d like it to be, and there was some muscle tension in my shoulders that I’d need to figure out before our first game. But by the time my arm was aching enough to go back inside, I was feeling a lot better.

Gretel got home a little while later. “How are you doing?” I asked her as I handed her the other key the landlord had left.

“I’m alright,” she said. “Work was so busy that I barely had time to think about what happened. What about you?”

“Fine,” I said, even though it was kind of a lie. “Better now that the locks are more secure.”

I waited for her to ask about magic, about Joel, about anything. But she just nodded and hummed in agreement with me. “Chinese food for dinner?” she asked.

“Happily.”

By the time we’d had dinner and a glass of wine, I was more relaxed than I’d been in days. The windows were all locked. I’d checked each one three times already when we got back from picking up dinner. The back door had new locks too, heavy-duty ones like my dad had installed in his and my mother’s place. And as we were getting ready for bed, the solid thunk of the deadbolt sliding into place on the front door made me feel much better.

“Did you hear from Joel?” Gretel asked me as we made our way upstairs.

The fact that she’d waited this long to ask made me grateful. “No,” I said. “Not even a text. I think he knew I meant it.”

“I’m sorry it ended like this,” she said, walking into our bedroom and going straight to her dresser. “You deserve better than that.”

“I have better than that,” I said, walking over and sliding my arms around her waist. “I have you. And I’d deal with Joel’s bullshit a hundred times over if it meant I got you after.”

She laughed, the sound vibrating between our bodies, then turned to kiss me. Her hands went to my sides, holding me through what I knew was a sweaty shirt. I’d been practicing pitching in my work clothes, after all. But she didn’t seem to care, deepening the kiss as she held me tightly. One hand slid to my hair, and I leaned into the touch. I was tempted to see about taking this path a little further tonight, but we were both tired and I really did need to shower. So I reluctantly let go, then stood on tip-toe and kissed her on the forehead before going into the bathroom.

***

A knock at the door interrupted the quiet a little while later. Gretel was taking out her contact lenses, and I was brushing my teeth as we heard it downstairs. We both paused and looked at each other. Fear fluttered through my chest and I could tell by her eyes that she felt the same way. Had we been too confident that it was over? We waited a second, then it happened again, a solid, steady knock. But it was faint, like it was at the outside door, not directly in our apartment.

Dammit, it was probably Joel coming to apologize again. “I’ll get it,” I said, giving Gretel my best brave smile even though my insides were jelly.

Downstairs was dark as I came down and I found the light switch with a shaking hand. I picked up a large knife as I walked through the kitchen and into the living room. Even if it was just Joel, maybe I’d take the opportunity as it presented itself and stab him. Peeking through the peephole, the front hallway was empty and the emergency lights were on. But still, I held the knife in front of me and kept my head on a swivel for the few steps it took to get to the front door.

The door had a frosted window on it, so it was easier to see out of. Two figures stood there. One had familiar blue hair and seemed to be supporting the other. And even now, I could recognize Joel on sight.

I sighed and opened the door. “Joel, are you fucking kidding…”

My words faded as Joel looked up at me from where Ezra the barista was holding him up. He had dried blood under his nose and along his forehead. One eye was swollen, almost closed and, when he smiled at me, there was blood in his teeth.

“Hey, Dar,” he said, then stepped forward and collapsed into my stunned arms.

---

Continue to Chapter 9