Gnomes of Suburbia (7 page)

"I did. It came back.” She was practically flying apart at the seams. Xander had not taken enough energy to drain her and she really needed a stiff one. A rock, that is, not anything else. She rose to her knees and stumbled over to the rock, this time staying clear of the oak as she dumped the power into the rock.

"Xander, I am just going to sit here until you go home. I am a little out of control tonight and want to sit here and meditate for a while.” And to not think about how you felt against me. Definitely not that. She sent another wave of power through the stone. She watched him go and part of her was jumping up and down in frustration. She was pretty sure that if she could get her hands on him, they would end up between the sheets.

Apparently, power was an aphrodisiac. Now if only she could bottle it, she could make a fortune.

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Harbinger skipped the online shopping in favour of keeping an eye on the Nexus. Not once did he feel a tug on the energy that bound him and his brethren to her.

She was gaining control at an amazing pace.

He was interrupted in his musings by her return to her property. Quickly he called out, “She's coming back. Hide!” Harbinger himself tucked a shrub around his body to conceal the paler expanse of his face and hands.

He heard scrambling in the yard and the slide of the back door so he knew that they had made it to safety. Or to a less obvious watching position.

The Nexus certainly did not need to see them with the
borrowed
laptop. She had enough on her mind.

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Locking the world out used to be a simple matter of not answering the phone. But now, with a gaggle of gnomes alive and in her house, Abby was having a few difficulties ignoring the last few days.

While dawn cheerfully tumbled through her window, the gnomes were taking turns knocking on her door. Each knock was as individual as the gnomes themselves. Three hours passed with their tiny fists knocking and she ignored them by dragging a pillow over her head.

Overnight her optimism had morphed into panic. What was she doing? These people were nuts and there was no way that the gnomes she had carefully assembled were alive in the world and doing her housework. If she stayed in bed long enough, it just might be true. It was only when a human knock and voice came through the door that she moved the pillow.

"Abby, are you okay in there? We need to talk."

Grimacing, she sat up and ran her hands through the mess that used to be her hair. “I'm up."

Seesee continued as if she hadn't heard anything, “All right, I know that yesterday was rough on you. We had hoped that you would be able to ease into the whole Nexus thing, but you weren't and here we are. We know that you didn't mean to supercharge Laura, but that is why Xander offered his services. As an actual magic user, he has a far better idea of the control techniques needed than the rest of us do."

Abby calmly listened for a while and then announced, “Give me ten minutes and I will make my appearance."

The shower ensuite to her room had never been so welcome. A tiny bit of privacy in an overrun world. Her body welcomed the water while her mind took an opportunity to leave her alone. No thoughts of magic, mermaids or sex were allowed while she showered, and it was only as she towelled off that she noted that all sounds in the house had ceased.

Bemused, she applied lotion to her skin and took her time selecting her clothing. Today was a day for matching undies. Bright blue and black lace and satin hugged her body snuggly as she worked the bra into place. Ignoring her face and admiring the fit of the clothing in the mirror, her mood lifted.

The jeans and t-shirt were her comfy favourites. The warm and soothing scent of her fabric softener relaxed her another notch and she padded barefoot out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. She braced herself to confront her madness.

Her madness had brought a friend and chocolate croissants.

"Well you look rested at least.” Miranda was helping herself to some coffee and enjoying the pastry.

"I tend to sleep when I am under stress.” Her socks made no noise as she joined them.

Randy poured a cup of coffee for Abby as she moved into the open chair across from them. Seesee's hair loaded her coffee with sugar and cream, the tendrils moving gracefully in the morning light. It was creepy to watch a hank of hair stirring a spoon in the bone china cup, but neat all the same.

Randy said, “That's how Xander takes his coffee."

How the hell would she know?
The green monster of jealousy was hopping up and down at the thought of Randy pouring coffee for
her
man.

"That's nice. Why are you two here?” She set the cup she was sipping at down with a thud.

Seesee took the lead. “We are here to answer any questions that you may have about the magical community. Well, not all of them, but anything that you can think of and that we can answer."

"Seriously? I can ask you anything?” Abby was almost delighted and Seesee's hair twitched in reaction.

"Anything."

"Okay, I had this crazy dream that I had magical talents, my gnomes had come to life and that my neighbours were magical creatures from myth and legend.” She sipped her coffee as the other women giggled.

"Well, Abby, magic is real. Your gnomes are in the backyard, you supercharged Laura and Verne, and my hair is folding your napkins.” She crossed her arms and they enjoyed a snicker. “Any other questions? Feel free to ask."

So she did. She quizzed them about unicorns, leprechauns, dragons and gryphons. Three were real, one was fake. The leprechauns had been invented by a Nexus centuries earlier and had died out. He had only made them male. It had been hard for them to mate, but they had really tried. It was a blot on the magical community.

All magical creatures with enough power could transform into a human format, even the unicorns. Most magical creatures bred within their own species, strictly to conserve magic. No one wanted to water down the minimal magic that let them engage in their transformations.

"That makes sense. So what do you guys need me for?"

Randy fielded this one, “The magic is running out. Intermarriage is weakening magical bloodlines and fewer and fewer mages and creatures are being born each year.” She smiled ruefully. “I am living proof. The only member of my family who can't turn on a light with the flick of a finger from ten feet away."

"Wow. Do you get along with your family?"

"Of course. Now that we are no longer children and they have ceased playing Hansel and Gretel with me."

"I haven't heard of that game, what does it entail?” Seesee was curious now.

Randy took a hefty slug of coffee. “Well, the magical kids take the non-magical ones into the woods, set a disorientation spell and run away giggling while the lost child goes out of its mind with panic."

Abby and Seesee looked at each other, if her face was anything like the gorgon's, the horror that she was feeling was all over it. “Oh god. I am so sorry Randy."

"Hey. I made it to adulthood, didn't I? And all of my cousins have apologized many times over in the last decade.” She shrugged and grabbed a cookie. With her experience ringing in the room, the other two were quiet.

Abby's mind was racing. Was magic a good thing if it caused that kind of prejudice? Was there any way to keep people from abusing it?

"Abby. Bad people will always do bad things. Magic doesn't make you evil, but it doesn't make you good either. You will be what you are. No matter what."

The calming voice of the gorgon slowly began to sink into her mind. You will be what you are, no matter what. Words to live by. Abby nodded to herself and reached for another cookie. Munching at the chocolate chip that seemed made by angels, she worked at her next question. “Why did this happen to me? I mean, why didn't a Nexus appear in the magical community at large?"

The two invaders of her home looked at each other as if trying to communicate telepathically. It seems that they came up empty. “I think you will have to ask Xander that one. Nexus's are things of legend, creatures of myth so rare that they appear only once or twice every five hundred years or so. The last one was only seventy five years ago, but he died in the war."

Abby had a giggle at that one, “So I am a creature now. Good to know."

"I didn't mean...” Seesee's hair went wild with confusion. It was picking up cookies and rearranging them on the plate.

"I don't take offence to it, Seesee. I am just not used to being a rare anything.” She reached out to touch the gorgon's hand and her hair calmed.

"The fact that you can laugh about this lets us know that you may just adapt to your situation.” Randy looked relieved.

"Has that been a problem in the past? A Nexus not adapting, I mean."

"Do you want the honest answer?"

"Yes."

"They tend to go mad. Most had been restrained and confined by various magical factions and the confinement drove them insane."

"Is that what the plan is for me?"

"No! No. I mean, that is why we are all here at Oak Point Way with you. It was a way to have representatives from a variety of magical races here so that no one organization could squirrel you away."

The shock that she felt reverberated through her with a thud. Her coffee mug slipped from her hand as she had been preparing to take a sip and her mind went blank with shock.

"Abby? Abby, are you all right?” She could hear their voices, but it was if they were miles away.

The whole neighbourhood had been seeded with magical creatures, for her benefit. Or for their peace. Whichever one it was, her brain felt like it was going to burst or her stomach was.

She bolted to her feet and out the patio door, only vaguely registering the gnomes doing more gardening. She ran hell bent to the rock and laid her hands on it, dumping the magic that had risen with the adrenaline. As the blessed relief of removing the charge filled her, she looked over at the oak that seemed to be looking at her wistfully. She addressed the tree directly. “Look, I am not going to let you suck me dry again, but if you can shift your roots like you did when you tripped me, you can touch the rock and get the magic. I will feed it and it can feed you. Okay?"

She didn't know if it mattered, but the oak rustled happily at the idea and she left it to work out its method of contact. Relaxed, but still a bit tense, she returned to the ladies who were waiting for her on the tiny deck. “Where were we?"

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The little meeting deteriorated after her episode. She really couldn't think of anything else that she needed answered or at least nothing that they would be able or willing to tell her.

The gnomes were nowhere to be seen and she only half-heartedly worried about where they were and what they were up to. This was her perfect moment to go explore her new town and the people within it.

The drive was abominably short, she could probably have walked it in fifteen minutes. It gave her no time to think so she did a few passes of the town square, which actually seemed to be more of an octopus, main streets radiating from the center. The streets between the arms were lined with tiny boutiques and the mother load. A grocery store. She needed toaster waffles in the worst way.

Parking in the small lot in front of the store she exited her beloved station wagon and grabbed one of the well-used carts from the lot to transport her booty in. Her shopping booty that was, her butt hadn't been in a shopping cart in over a decade. She twisted to check it out. Nope, it wasn't going to fit any time soon.

She laughed at herself as she pushed the protesting cart into the store to the interested looks of the other shoppers. She gathered her spoils and headed for the checkout.

The checkout clerk greeted her. “You are new in town, aren't you?"

"I am. I just moved in this week.” She gave the middle-aged woman behind the counter a bright smile. “Carla, nice to meet you. My name is Abby.” She read the nametag and extended her hand in welcome. The handshake was a welcome contact for Abby, no magic was transferred and it was simply a mark of normalcy.

Carla continued the checkout process and kept chatting, “Where are you living, Abby? Our town has some fantastic views and amazing houses."

She paid for the bill on the electronic display. “I live on Oak Point Way. It's a great street.” She kept her smile on her face right up until Carla dropped her toaster waffles.

"Are you insane? Get out of there, weird things happen there. Inexplicable things."

"Um, the house is paid for so I won't be going anywhere. And the neighbours are friendly.” She found herself defending the street and its inhabitants and realized that it was how she actually felt. She fit in there. One more freak in the freak show. “What kind of weird things?"

"Dogs howling at the moon, but only at the moon. The fishing there is ample, but there are no fish in that river, except in that one spot."

"That seems normal for dogs, but just good luck for the fishermen.” Retrieving her waffles, she loaded them into the cart herself.

Carla seemed nonplussed and rallied with, “Well, I wish you luck and welcome to Sargent."

With a heartfelt, “Thank you,” and a smile, Abby moved her cart out the door and took her precious supplies to the car.

Time for her second stop.

Montrose's Munchies was a block away from the Sargent Grocery and the parking area was almost completely full. She squeezed her car into place and then darted into the shop. She thought she would only be a minute, but the line-up in the shop was incredible. The heady scents of yeast, sugar, chocolate, berries and cream filled the air. It was enough to make her an addict.

She was waiting her turn in line when Seesee saw her, her hair bound by a net, and gestured for her to take a seat in the small snacking area that was the right hand side of the shop. As she approached from the front, Seesee approached from the rear and two patrons at a table rose and left as if by magic. “That was cool,” escaped her lips as she sat across from the gorgon.