That’s Life

The Beginning

Moving In

Weylan straightened his reading glasses as he looked down at his notebook to double-check the address of the house he was moving into. Then he looked back up to the huge house that towered before him. “This can’t be right.” He said to himself. But a quick glance at the mailbox, with it’s brightly colored numbers that matched the ones he had written down, showed him that he was at the right place.

With a frown, he lifted up his old suitcase and began the walk down the gravel driveway that wound through the old trees in the yard. The gray stones crunched loudly under his feet, a startling contrast against the silent woods.

He cut through the green grass to get to the screened front porch. As he opened the screen door and stepped up onto the porch, he fished his key out of his pocket. The dark wooden boards creaked ominously beneath his feet and the screen door clanged shut behind him as he walked over to the door. He struggled with the old fashioned lock and had to throw all of his weight against the door to get it open. The action sent him sprawling across the hardwood floor of the entrance hall. He winced in pain as he got to his feet, his bones cracking together from the simple movement.

Looking around, he was surprised to see that the wooden floors were newly polished, as were the stairs leading to the second floor. He took a tentative sniff and was bombarded by the stinging scents of polish, lemons, and cleaning products. He covered his nose with his sleeve and blinked back tears.

‘I guess I should be glad that it’s clean,’ he thought as he began walking down the wide hall. ‘The walls could use a little work though.’ He glanced into the living room and stopped to look at the high ceilings and intricate wood paneling in awe. Across the room was an archway leading into a library. Weylan’s throat went dry and a soft whimper escaped it and he had to force himself to walk away and resist the alluring call of the book-filled room.

Continuing down the hall, he eventually came to a kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it had a hardwood floor. On an island table in the middle of the room, he found a letter with his name printed clearly on it. Four other letters lay next to it, but he paid little attention to them. Splitting his open, he read:

All of your things have been arranged in the basement. The door is through the library beside the living room. The kitchenette is fully stocked.

Weylan backtracked to the living room and walked through it. He paused in the library to stare at all of the books before he snapped himself out of his daze and proceeded to the solid looking door nestled between two shelves. He opened the door and flipped the light switch to ‘on’ before walking down the steel stairway. At the bottom he found himself in a large open space with a small kitchen against the wall. On the other side of the room were three doors, which he assumed were to his bedroom and bathroom. Looking down he saw that the floor wasn’t wood but was covered with a shaggy, grass green carpet. It made him feel like pulling off his shoes and ignoring everything else to romp around the room like a little pup.
Fighting off the impulse, he went to his room and began the long process of unpacking.

0-0-0

Morgana cursed as the door flew off it’s hinges and landed with a loud ‘CRACK!’ on the floor. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she stepped around the door and then dropped her twin blue bags on the floor. She examined the door for a moment and then cautiously flicked her slim oak wand at it. She beamed when the door righted itself, relieved that it didn’t backfire on her like her magic usually did. Just as she turned and began to walk down the hall, the door creaked open and a tall, russet-haired man walked into the hall. His eyes changed from gold to a shade of dark green as he looked over at her.

“Hi, you must be one of the others who’s living here. I’m Morgana!” She held out her hand for him to shake, her smile not leaving her face.

“Kieran,” he said simply. Ignoring her outstretched hand, he continued down the hallway with barely a sound.

Morgana gave an unladylike huff and put her hands on her hips as she glared at Kieran’s back. “How rude,” she muttered. “We’re going to be housemates for who knows how long! A little common courtesy would be nice!”

The door slammed open behind her and she leapt back in surprise and to not get hit. There, standing in the doorway, was another guy; one who had dark hair and stunning blue eyes.

“Hot…” The word slipped unintentionally from Morgana’s lips as she openly stared at the male before her.

The guy smirked, revealing one pointed canine tooth. “Why thank you,” he said, sounding amused. “I am quite… hot, as you put it.” He reached back and plucked a loose feather from his midnight black wings and gently placed it in Morgana’s hand before closing her fist around it. “The name’s Cerberus. Cer, for short.” With a dazzling smile, he straightened up and began walking down the hall calling, “Oh Kieran darling! I’m home!”

“I told you not to call me that,” came Kieran’s deep voice from the kitchen.

“Aw, but you’re my best friend ever and I don’t even have a nick name for you!” Cerberus whined, instantly turning himself from a hot twenty-something-year-old to an overgrown childish idiot in Morgana’s eyes. “Can I at least call you ‘Kie’?”

“No.”

“How about ‘Ra-Ra’?”

“No!”

“How about--”

“For the thousandth time, NO!”

Morgana slumped against the wall, her brain instinctively filtering out what the two guys were saying. Thoughts whirled through her mind, bouncing and ricocheting against each other. Her delicate silver crown burned against her forehead and she wished she could take it off.

‘He’s a daemon! I’m living with a daemon! And the other--’ Her eyes widened and she withdrew her wand from her sleeve and quickly muttered some words from an ancient language. A black, leather-bound book appeared in front of her and she waved it open to a particular section. Her emerald green eyes scanned each page as she continued on until she found what she was looking for. “Iridescent feline eyes,  reddish-brown hair, tall…” She gulped and a shiver ran down her spine. “He-…! He’s the Dragon Blaze. He’s a vampire.” She let the book disappear and stared at the wall opposite of her. She felt sick.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Cerberus remarked, walking back down the hall. “Kieran Dragon Blaze of Winchester Elm, son of Dwayne and Corentine; most powerful vampire recorded in history,” he recited before giving her a smirk and handing over two letters. “Tack the one up for this Willow girl on the door, will ya? Kieran’s in one of his moods and won’t let anyone in the kitchen.” Without waiting for an answer, he walked past her and jogged up the stairs.

Morgana set to work on pinning up the note on the other side of the door and just as she closed the door, Weylan stepped out of the living room and looked at her curiously. Morgana took in his fawn brown hair, wolf-like amber eyes, and the faint swirling, silver mark that followed his jaw line and then she dashed upstairs in fear. She ran into the first room she came to and slammed the door shut behind her and then leaned against it.

‘A werewolf,’ she thought, trembling as she sank to the floor. Her stomach lurched violently as the sickened feeling she felt earlier returned. Her mind dredged up all of the horrible stories about werewolves that she had heard over the years. ‘I have to live with a daemon, a vampire, and a werewolf. What next? A succubus? A witch? A priestess?’ She blew a strand of hair from her eyes, only to have it settle right back in the same place. ‘Can it get worse than this?’

0-0-0

Willow, as it turned out, was a perfectly normal human girl in her last year of high school. A relative’s friend had recommended the house to her and she jumped at the chance. That was how she found herself standing in the upstairs living room talking to Cerberus and trying to coax Morgana out of the bathroom she had barricaded herself in.

“You’ve been in there for three hours,” Cerberus complained. “Three freakin’ hours. You haven’t even picked out your room yet, unless you like sleeping in bathrooms. I mean, hey, if Kieran could get away with it, he’d probably sleep in the kitchen. He’s weird like that.”

“He likes cooking that much?” Willow asked, sounding surprised.

Cerberus nodded. “He’s been that way ever since I can remember. Granted, that isn’t very long. He is a cooking fiend and he never even uses a cookbook or a specific recipe! I keep telling him he should write a cookbook and make lots of money, but he never has.” He shrugged. “He always goes with the excuse of having enough money. Personally, I think he’s just lazy.”

At last, Morgana cracked open the door to glare at Cerberus. “He’s anything but lazy, you idiot! Even I have heard the legends of the Dragon Blaze! And anyway, you seem more like the lazy one.”

“Aw, ain’t you sweet,” Cerberus remarked. “I’ll have you know that I am the exact opposite of lazy. Ask Kieran and he’d tell you that he wishes I was lazier because then I wouldn’t cause chaos daily. I don’t think I’m that bad, but he’s not the only one who has told me that.”

“Nice to know living here will be an adventure every day,” Willow said, ever the optimist. “Just as long as trying to do homework doesn’t become an even bigger adventure.”

“I give you my word as a daemon of Nightingale Oaks that I will do my best to not disturb you while you are doing homework,” Cerberus promised. “Unless you want to be disturbed. Or I’m really, really bored,” he added as an afterthought.

Willow couldn’t help but giggle and agree. Something about Cerberus cheered people up and his excitement was contagious, at least to Willow. Morgana didn’t look the least bit happy.

“So this is where everyone disappeared to.”

The trio turn their heads to see Weylan standing at the top of the stairs, his hand gently resting on the rail. Morgana squeaked and disappeared back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut in fright. Cerberus looked at the bathroom door in surprise, while Willow continued to look at Weylan. A warm tingle ran from the base of her neck and all the way down to her toes. He felt familiar to her, although she had never seen him before.

“I’m Weylan,” he said with a friendly smile.

Overcome by a sudden bout of shyness, Willow let her eyes fall to the floor and nervously twirled a strand of her chocolate brown hair around her finger. Cerberus raised an eyebrow at her silence and took over introductions.

“I’m Ceberus and this is Willow, who I will call ‘Will’ for the rest of forever,” The dark haired daemon said. “Morgana’s the one who has barricaded herself in the bathroom. She’ll be out once she’s done being a scaredy cat!”

“You should be afraid too!” Morgana shouted through the door. “He’s a werewolf! Don’t you know how dangerous they are?!”

“Not when proper procedure is followed on the full moon,” Cerberus said, unconcerned by the revelation.

“You’re a werewolf?” Willow asked. She didn’t sound alarmed or frightened, just curious.

Weylan nodded and tapped the spiraling mark on his face. “This is my Mark. All werewolves have them.”

Willow moved a little closer, awed by his mark. Her crystal blue eyes shone with curiosity and were unwavering. “It’s like a vine…” she murmured. “How far does it go?”

“To the top of my shoulder,” Weylan said, self-consciously tugging the collar of his shirt around his neck. His mark wasn’t something he was very fond of, as the delicate vine-like pattern was more commonly found on female werewolves. If there was one thing he hated, it was being called feminine. “Kieran wanted me to tell you all that dinner will be ready in a half hour. You might want to come down now and see what he’s making.”

“I doubt he’ll let us in the kitchen,” Cerberus remarked, stretching his arms out over his head. He leaned back until his back popped and then he straightened up and knocked on the bathroom door. “Time to come out and get to know everyone, ‘Ganie!” He glanced over at Willow and Weylan, not at all surprised to see them chatting amicably as they walked down the stairs. With a sigh, he knocked on the door again. “The big bad wolf is going downstairs. It’s safe to come out.” He paused and then said, “Don’t make me come in there!”

“I’m not coming out!” Morgana yelled.

Cerberus rolled his eyes at her stubbornness and then tapped the doorknob twice, using his magic to unlock it. Then he opened the door and walked in. “Stop this idiosyncrasy and come downstairs. We’re going to be living together, so unless you’re going to move out, get over yourself.” Without another word, he left the room to join everyone else downstairs.

Morgana sat down on the linoleum floor and stared at the place he was last standing.

0-0-0

“We’re going to play a game,” Cerberus announced once all five of them were assembled in the downstairs living room. Willow was sitting over on the bench in front of the window, basking in the sunlight. Weylan was nearby on a recliner, reading a book he picked out in the library. Morgana was standing against the wall closest to the nearest exit. Kieran was standing near the kitchen door where he could hear his timers. Cerberus was in the middle of the room.

“What kind of game?” Kieran asked wearily.

Cerberus grinned. “I call it the ‘get to know your housemates’ game,” he said as he threw up a hand in Kieran’s direction when the vampire moved to escape into the kitchen. A barrier sprung up in front of the door, preventing him from doing so. Kieran turned around and glared at Cerberus.

“How do you play?” Willow asked.

“Well, first you tell everyone a little about yourself and then everyone gets to ask a question if they want to,” Cerberus said. “Here, I’m go first.” He cleared his throat. “I’m Cerberus of Nightingale Oaks, son of Eros and Alicia. I’m a daemon, obviously.” He spread out his wings to show them off and a few feathers fell to the floor. “Sorry for the mess. My winter feathers are starting to grow in. They’ll be all grown in by the end of October, so you won’t have to worry about more shedding after that until around April. Anyway, I like video games, laser tag, and flying. And guess what, ladies, I’m single.” He winked.

Morgana scowled and Willow fought to hide a smile.

“Okay, questions?”

“What is the point of this?” Kieran asked, sounding annoyed.

“I told you; to get to know each other!” Cerberus said. “And that doesn’t count as a question, by the way.”

Kieran glared at his friend. “Then I have no question.”

Cerberus looked a little put-out and looked to Willow for help, hoping that she would take part in his game. To his joy, she did.

“Do you have any siblings?” She asked.

“Nope! I’m happy to say that I’m an only child. My poor parents wouldn’t be able to take two of us at a time,” Cerberus said with a devilish grin. “I’m kiddin’. It’s just my dad back at home now. My ma died a while back, and I miss her tons. It’s still weird going home and not seeing her there.” He shrugged. “Right-o, who’s next? Kie?”

Kieran crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Cerberus said, not sounding very sorry.

“I’m Kieran and I like cooking. The kitchen is mine; stay out of it.”

Weylan looked up from his book. “Your parents are Lord Dwayne and Lady Corentine?”

Kieran nodded.

“Ah.” Without another word, Weylan went right back to his book. The news that Kieran was a vampire of royal blood didn’t seem to faze him in the least.

“Question!” Cerberus shouted, erratically waving his arm. “Kieran, I have a question!”

Kieran fought the impulse to groan. “What now?”

“Am I your best friend?”

The question, which sounded so completely innocent, made him stare at the raven-haired man as if he had just asked him to jump off of a cliff.

“Do you love me?” Cerberus continued, his voice taking on a singing edge. “‘Cause if you do, then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand!”

“Cerberus!” Kieran growled, his eyes changing from dark green to orange.

“I think this is how love goes. Check yes or no!” he continued to sing.

“Ceberus!”

“What?” The daemon asked in an innocent tone. “I like that song. It’s fun to sing! Sing with me, Kieran!” The only response he got was a glare. He pouted. “Alright, then don’t sing with me. I’ve got two lovely ladies who’ll sing with me! Right, girls?”

Willow shook her head. “You don’t want me to sing. Trust me.”

“I don’t sing,” Morgana said coldly. “Now can we please get this over with? I have unpacking to do.”

“Fine,” Cerberus said, disappointed. “Who wants to go next?”

“I will!” Willow volunteered, standing up. “I’m Willow Hemming. I go to the local high school and am in my last year there. Next fall I’ll be going to a nearby college so that I’ll be able to stay here. There’s not point in wasting money staying in a dorm room if I have a perfectly good place to stay, after all. I like card games, stargazing, and rock climbing.”

Cerberus looked surprised. “Rock climbing? That’s unusual for--”

“A girl built like a stick?” Willow interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m aware of that. It’s one of my odder hobbies that I share with my stepmom and my stepbrother.”

“Why did you want to come and live here?” Morgana asked. “You seem normal enough.”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Willow said. “Weylan, your turn.”

The werewolf blinked in surprise. “There’s not much to say. I’m a werewolf, as you all know. My room is in the basement and the door to it is reinforced by steel, so you don’t have to worry about anything on full moon nights. My parents died when I was young, so I’ve been on my own for most of my life, but I think all of us have similar sad family stories, so that’s nothing unusual.”

“But werewolves form family oriented packs, right?” Willow asked. “Wouldn’t someone else have taken you in; like an aunt or uncle or something.”

Weylan shifted, casting his eyes to the bottom of the wall on his right. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said softly.

There was an uneasy silence for a moment, broken only by the creaking of a board as Kieran impatiently shifted his weight from one foot to the other. And then the hurricane known as Cerberus awoke from his daze.

“Okay, Morgana’s turn!” The daemon said, clapping his hands together. “C’mon! Tell us somethin’ about yourself! Inquiring minds want to know and all that jazz.”

“This is stupid.”

“So?”

Morgana sighed. “Fine. I’m Morgana Sinclair, my parents had a thing for legendary figures. My sister suggested I live here while she travels abroad. Do not mess with my stuff. I have dangerous things I need for potions. And I will kill you if you disorganize anything.”

“Wonderful. Are we done?” Kieran asked. “Unless you prefer your food well-done.”

“All done,” Cerberus chirped.

In a matter of seconds, the room was empty.

“Why does no one ever like my games?” he whined to the air.