Read Online Mixed Feelings (Empathy in the PPNW Book 1) by Olivia R. Burton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Olivia R. Burton
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lived in a tiny apartment at the edge of the city,
reading palms and tarot for a living. I’d offered to let her move in with me
for cheaper than she paid at her crappy apartment, but she said she loved it
there, that the roaches were her friends.
That’s about all one needs to
say about Merrin Smith.
***
In the hall leading to
Merrin’s apartment , Chloe and I could hear a mix
of loud music, loud sex, and loud fights. It was typical of her building and it
didn’t seem to bother her, so I tried not to let it bother me. We reached her
door at the end of the hall and Chloe knocked. The door flew open immediately,
revealing a tall, slender, naked woman.
She had at least a full head of height on me, making her
an Amazon of muscled pale skin. Her perfect brows matched her vibrant electric - blue hair. My eyes traveled the length of her body
before I could tell them they were being rude and, without my permission, they
lingered on her breasts. The tips were a pale almost-blue, reminding me of a
glacier. In fact, just looking at them I could almost hear the dry, frigid
cracking associated with overwhelming amounts of solid ice.
Noticing I was staring,
Chloe stepped forward, holding out a hand.
“ Hi, we ’re here for Merrin?” She
made it a question, curiosity pumping off of her. I wondered suddenly if Merrin
had moved since Chloe had seen her and we were in the wrong place. The woman
continued to watch me watching her and I noticed then that she was n ’ t human. The hair and the skin
should have given it away immediately, but I’d been more preoccupied by the way
she looked than the way she felt. I swallowed hard, shooting a sidelong look at
Chloe. My assistant was still smiling pleasantly, waiting for an answer or a
handshake.
The woman’s interest in us
waned, washing off of me like the tide receding from the frozen shores of
Antarctica. She stalked back into the apartment,
leaving the door open. Chloe looked at me, gave a half-shrug, and strolled in
boldly.
Everything in the apartment
looked basically the same but with a few small changes; blue and black throw
pillows had been added to the sagging couch and piled on the floor. Stylish,
sharply-angled chairs that looked to be the seating equivalent to runway
high-fashion faced the couch like an audience. Things looked cleaner, too, as
if Merrin had dusted. This struck me as odd, since the girl barely remembered
to brush her hair.
I took a breath, feeling out
the apartment to see where she was. Excitement, nervousness, and concentration
pulsed from the pantry. I glanced at Chloe and we headed into the tiny kitchen.
I pulled open the pantry door and found it empty except for Merrin, who was
hunched on the floor below the barren shelves, hands fluttering between a bunch
of cards set out in a deliberate pattern. I squatted down and put my hand on her shoulder. She didn’ t notice me.
“ Merrin? ” I asked. She mumbled and leaned forward. Her auburn
hair fell over her shoulder, trailing to the floor. H er locks looked brushed and conditioned , instead of frizzy and unkempt like usual. Merrin hummed something
quietly and turned over a card from her stack. Her clothes looked new, though
not quite fashionable; her hippie ren faire style held strong, but something
about it looked deliberate now, instead of being the product
of shopping at thrift stores on a small
budget. I brushed her hair back from her face and glanced up at Chloe. She
shrugged and we both looked back at the little witch.
“ Sweetie? ” I ventured. Merrin turned to look at me but there was no recognition in
her vacant eyes. I went to grab her hand but got shocked less than a finger's
width away. I yelped and pulled back, rubbing my fingers on my skirt. I
sometimes forget that Merrin’s abilities are not only way more powerful than
mine , but can also be
legitimately, physically dangerous.
After waiting another minute,
I looked down at her cards, trying to make sense of them. They didn’t look
reading palms and tarot for a living. I’d offered to let her move in with me
for cheaper than she paid at her crappy apartment, but she said she loved it
there, that the roaches were her friends.
That’s about all one needs to
say about Merrin Smith.
***
In the hall leading to
Merrin’s apartment , Chloe and I could hear a mix
of loud music, loud sex, and loud fights. It was typical of her building and it
didn’t seem to bother her, so I tried not to let it bother me. We reached her
door at the end of the hall and Chloe knocked. The door flew open immediately,
revealing a tall, slender, naked woman.
She had at least a full head of height on me, making her
an Amazon of muscled pale skin. Her perfect brows matched her vibrant electric - blue hair. My eyes traveled the length of her body
before I could tell them they were being rude and, without my permission, they
lingered on her breasts. The tips were a pale almost-blue, reminding me of a
glacier. In fact, just looking at them I could almost hear the dry, frigid
cracking associated with overwhelming amounts of solid ice.
Noticing I was staring,
Chloe stepped forward, holding out a hand.
“ Hi, we ’re here for Merrin?” She
made it a question, curiosity pumping off of her. I wondered suddenly if Merrin
had moved since Chloe had seen her and we were in the wrong place. The woman
continued to watch me watching her and I noticed then that she was n ’ t human. The hair and the skin
should have given it away immediately, but I’d been more preoccupied by the way
she looked than the way she felt. I swallowed hard, shooting a sidelong look at
Chloe. My assistant was still smiling pleasantly, waiting for an answer or a
handshake.
The woman’s interest in us
waned, washing off of me like the tide receding from the frozen shores of
Antarctica. She stalked back into the apartment,
leaving the door open. Chloe looked at me, gave a half-shrug, and strolled in
boldly.
Everything in the apartment
looked basically the same but with a few small changes; blue and black throw
pillows had been added to the sagging couch and piled on the floor. Stylish,
sharply-angled chairs that looked to be the seating equivalent to runway
high-fashion faced the couch like an audience. Things looked cleaner, too, as
if Merrin had dusted. This struck me as odd, since the girl barely remembered
to brush her hair.
I took a breath, feeling out
the apartment to see where she was. Excitement, nervousness, and concentration
pulsed from the pantry. I glanced at Chloe and we headed into the tiny kitchen.
I pulled open the pantry door and found it empty except for Merrin, who was
hunched on the floor below the barren shelves, hands fluttering between a bunch
of cards set out in a deliberate pattern. I squatted down and put my hand on her shoulder. She didn’ t notice me.
“ Merrin? ” I asked. She mumbled and leaned forward. Her auburn
hair fell over her shoulder, trailing to the floor. H er locks looked brushed and conditioned , instead of frizzy and unkempt like usual. Merrin hummed something
quietly and turned over a card from her stack. Her clothes looked new, though
not quite fashionable; her hippie ren faire style held strong, but something
about it looked deliberate now, instead of being the product
of shopping at thrift stores on a small
budget. I brushed her hair back from her face and glanced up at Chloe. She
shrugged and we both looked back at the little witch.
“ Sweetie? ” I ventured. Merrin turned to look at me but there was no recognition in
her vacant eyes. I went to grab her hand but got shocked less than a finger's
width away. I yelped and pulled back, rubbing my fingers on my skirt. I
sometimes forget that Merrin’s abilities are not only way more powerful than
mine , but can also be
legitimately, physically dangerous.
After waiting another minute,
I looked down at her cards, trying to make sense of them. They didn’t look
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